by Karen Petrauskas | Mar 28, 2018
When you’re starting out in business and you’re looking for an extra pair of hands to help you, it’s often hard to find the right balance in what you need to suit your circumstances.
If the big clients haven’t started rolling in yet, or you’re not quite ready to take the big step in hiring a full time employee, knowing what to do to ease the work load and make life practical for you can be a tricky decision.
There are options out there though and if you’re not in a position to hire an employee, you could consider hiring a freelance worker instead.
Both has it’s pros and cons and both are valuable considerations – it all comes down to what your business needs right now.
In our previous post we go in more depth about the differences between hiring a freelancer or an employee. At the end of the day, as a startup business you need to think about what is best for you both personally and financially. Small businesses will see success if they plan carefully and productively.
If you’re looking to hire a Virtual Assistant for your business and would like to know more about how this could benefit your business, get in touch for an initial consultation.
by Karen Petrauskas | Mar 21, 2018
GDPR is a new legislation that will come into force by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as of 25th May 2018 to protect the personal data and privacy of EU citizens. Companies that collect data on any citizen within the European Union (EU) will need to comply with the rules.
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the most important change in data privacy regulation in 20 years and it replaces the current Data Protection Act 1998 that is in place.
GDPR does not only affect organisations located within the EU but will apply to all organisations outside of the EU that have business connections and behaviour associated with people or organisation with the EU. It applies to all companies that process or hold data or any individual or personal data that resides from the European Union, regardless of the company’s location.
What is personal data?
This relates to any personal data that belongs to or is related to an actual person that can be used to identify that person, whether that be directly or indirectly. This can be anything from a photo, bank details, an email address, telephone number, medical information or a computer IP address.
What are the penalties?
The fines associated with GDPR non-compliance are steep and not a route any business would like to go down. Being compliant before the deadline of 25th May 2018 is necessary to steer clear of these penalties. Any organisation that is in breach of GDPR rules can be fined up to 4% of their annual turnover or €20m – whichever is greater. This is the maximum amount that can be imposed after a serious breach and there is a tiered approach that will be effective however it is worth noting that any organisation can be fined 2% for not having their records in order.
Penalties will be enforced for the following:
- Processing an individual’s data in an incorrect manner
- An organisation not having a data protections officer in place
- Having a security breach.
In order to stay compliant, any organisation must be able to show proof that consent of personal data has been given. This will apply to opt-in forms on websites, for example which will take away the use of pre-checked consent boxes when filling in personal data within marketing material. The individual needs to be given an opportunity to withdraw or opt out at any time.
A company will also need to inform the person what they intend to do with the data and where it is being stored and for what purpose, including indicating a retention period if applicable to the nature of the business.
An individual can report an organisation to the ICO if they suspect there is a problem with the way their data is being handled.
When an individual requests access to their personal data that is being held, an organisation must provide that data within a reasonable timescale.
Make the changes now
As the deadline fast approaches it is important that processes are put into place to accommodate these changes. The changes apply to all business whether big or small and therefore if you are a small business collecting data from your signup forms on your website, this will be a process that you need to manage well to be compliant.
Being clear, honest and open with any person that you come in contact with, and providing details of why you are collecting their data and what you intend to do with it will help streamline the process and put procedures into place for your business.
Working with a number of clients in a marketing capacity here at KJP Creative, we are very aware of the implications that are involved. We ensure complete transparency in all that we do and would in no way misuse any data that we come into contact with.
If you’re looking for advice on the subject with regards to your own business, please feel free to get in touch.
by Karen Petrauskas | Mar 16, 2018
We all have our own approach in how we view or look at leadership and what makes a leader. It can depend on your environment, the type of industry you are in or even your own personal life. But what makes a great leader is the attitude to see results and lead by example as well as getting the job done.
“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” – Bill Gates
So what makes a great leader?
We must believe in what we are doing and have faith that are able to achieve it. This does not necessarily mean that you’re going to do all the work, but you learn to delegate or lead by example in order for a task to be complete.
A leader is used to make hard choices and to take the initiative to say yes, or no, to a problem or solution. It’s very easy to get swept along with the tide in busy business environments or to get into a routine that doesn’t allow for improvement. However leadership really is a mindset that is in action. A leader doesn’t need a title, they believe in what they are doing and they act on that, taking initiative to see something through to completion. The title is not given, it’s earned.
“The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers.” – Peter Drucker
If you want to make the move from managing to leading, from being a professional to being an inspirer, from being one of the team to being a leader of the team, you need to know the ABC of Superlative Leadership.
Take a read of the Leadership ABC’s:
Let’s take a look at these in more details:
A is for Appreciative Cultures, the end result of a leader’s work, when the culture he or she fosters becomes an appreciative value of the company.
B is for rock-solid Belief that your team can move mountains.
C is for Culture, which is the way people behave when you’re not looking.
D is for the Drive for Power that makes you want to lead.
E is for Encouragement, like sun after the rain.
F is for Fun, an indication that the right work is happening.
G is for Growing your people and believing that they can achieve their goals. Putting them first.
H is for Helicopter vision, because you need to see in three time zones: the near, the middle and the far.
I is for leader Identity, the ability to be comfortable in your own shoes.
J is for Joy because leaders rejoice in their own blessings as well as the successes of their team.
K is for Knowing your people, not just by name and number, but by strength and weakness, character and spirit, skills and potential, what makes them sigh and what makes them soar.
L is for Learning, because learning is change and learning is growth.
M is for Mission which leaders live as well as dream and portray.
N is for the Nobel complex, the belief that everything your people do is worthy of a Nobel prize.
O is for Opportunity. Take hold of everything you can in order to see results.
P is for Plain-talking because leaders need to be understood.
Q is for Questions, such as “What do you need me to do?” and “How can I help you work better?” and “What should I be doing?”
R is for Respect, the touchstone of every relationship a leader has.
S is for Symbols, the language of leadership.
T is for the Traits of courage and determination, patience and perseverance.
U is for Unleashing what’s there, allowing team members to express themselves and explore new ideas.
V is for Values, the guiding principles of the team, or “the Walkmans of the mind”.
W is for the Way, the Chinese “tao”, the route that leaders take and others follow.
X is for Xtraordinary because leaders get ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
Y is for Yes, because there is always a plus to be found even in the worst situation and the toughest setback.
Z is for Zero tolerance of failure, sub-performance and giving up.
Learn these simple principles and there are no limits to where you can lead your team.
Can you add to these points? Do you have your own A,B,C of leadership that you apply to your way of working? Please comment below and share.
by Karen Petrauskas | Feb 14, 2018
Let’s face it, many people just seem to have difficulty in saying “no” or denying a favour asked of them. It’s a lot easier and less confrontational to say “yes” and to take on a task to keep the peace. As a result, people often find themselves trapped in the middle of nowhere because of their own rushed decision or acceptance of a job – just because they were afraid to say “no.”
Are you someone that is faced with this problem? If so, here’s 5 tips of advice to help you learn to say “no”.
1) If it doesn’t concern you – don’t worry about it.
How many times do you get drawn into a situation to try and sort it out – just because you’re there at the right time? It doesn’t really concern you and the outcome will not have any benefit to you – so do you really need to waste time getting involved?
Many people get pleasure out of intervening in other people’s business. And yes, many people have the ‘kind nature’ to do so. This is not wrong, just be aware of the implications to getting side-tracked and involved in something that doesn’t concern you. If you’re always struggling for time – use your time wisely and whatever you do, make sure you can make a positive impact.
2) Your time is precious – is the task worth your time?
We all have the same amount of time in a day but so often we ‘run of out time’ as life gets so busy and hectic. Be aware of what you are using your time for and prioritise on your tasks.
If it’s not worth your time – don’t do it!
3) If it’s not part of your natural skillset – you can say no.
We are a people that like to please and sometimes this can come at an expense of either not doing something well (which can result in reputation downfall) or feeling uncomfortable doing it. You know your capabilities and what you are able of achieving, you also know the timeframes you have around your working and personal life. If someone asks you to do a task that you’re not comfortable with or doesn’t feel natural to you – decline the tasks.
Taking on tasks that our out of our comfort zones can have a positive effect if we really want to achieve them but it can also have a damaging effect if it comes with stress and takes away time from what we should be focusing on.
4) Don’t rush – do a job properly and well.
We all have our own working patterns and timeframes of doing tasks. Some people are quicker than others, that’s just a fact of life. When you accept a job, make sure you have the knowledge and means to be able to do it well. Reputation can come down as quickly as it goes up. Be careful!
Word of mouth is a great form of advertising but if you’ve managed a task badly, this may have a negative effect on your business.
5) Give yourself permission to say no.
Our hearts sink when we’re asked to do ‘that’ task but we know that it’s so much easier and less hassle for everyone if you just get on and do it. Keep quiet, keep your head down and you’ll get the task done when you’ve stopped stressing about it! We are good at saying ‘yes’ because it’s the easiest thing to do, to keep everyone happy but is it producing the best results for you? Never saying no can have a negative affect on your life, always being the person that will do the favour for someone – but does this make you happy? Friends don’t keep score, if you say no -they’ll understand. Give yourself more time to make a decision, allow yourself to say no if it’s going to produce the best outcome.
You don’t need to feel guilty for saying no, there is courage in believing in yourself and standing up for what you want to do. Whatever you decide on, always keep in mind that there is nothing wrong in saying “no.” When in doubt, it may even be the best thing to do.
Becoming assertive and learning to discern and say no to people will build your confidence and will give you a better understanding of who you are what you are really capable of. You have so much to offer, you are a person of value and when you realise what you can and can’t do – and stick to it – you’ll be much happier and content in life.
You can apply these points in both work and personal life. If you’re starting out in business and have a lot to take on with many responsibilities, you need to think about your well-being and how to spread your time efficiently. Allowing your gut feeling to take a lead is often the best way to know if something is right. Be confident. Be effective. Be the person you want to be.
by Karen Petrauskas | Feb 2, 2018
In today’s society it is a must for any brand to be using social media to grow their business. With literally billions of people worldwide that currently have an active social media account, it is a means of marketing that cannot be missed if you’re looking to truly expand your business and add value where it counts.
Harnessing the power of social media is a necessity to see business growth, if you’re not currently using social media for your business, you can be assured that your competitors are and you will miss out on many opportunities to reach your customers.
There is no end to the opportunities that are available to you as a business owner when it comes to social media and managing it properly with marketing campaigns. If you are not yet in a place where your business is using social media, it’s time to start working on your first campaign and embracing the online marketing world.
You may have a fantastic product or offer excellent services – but how are you reaching new clients to be able to increase your sales? Social media is an extension of word of mouth advertising and an avenue that is essential to any business and marketing plan.
So how can you be consistent and get the best out of your social media marketing?
Discover your best networks
There are many channels for social media available, but we believe that to market your business well, you need to focus on the channels that best fit your customer. Spreading yourself thin and trying to post and keep up to date with every platform going will not only be bad for your health (time and pressure wise), it could reflect badly on your business and professionalism may slip.
Take time to research the different social media networks and see where your ideal audience is present the most. Follow conversations and trends that relate to your industry and then where you find the majority of your audience, that’s where you need to be! From there you can put real focus in directly targeting the people you want to reach and provide value to them in their comfort zones.
Create mind blowing and creative content
We all know that social media can be pool of never ending posts and images, and many of these will pass people by without thought. Therefore, you need to create content that is eye catching and meaningful, showing your audience that you care and are passionate about your values. What do you want to showcase? What does your business believe in? Use the answers to these questions to create posts that people will aspire to and will want to engage with.
It’s fine to share other people’s posts and to get on board with other causes but remember that you too have something to offer that is of value and worth sharing. Always have in mind that with every post that you create – it needs to add value to someone, somewhere. You are trying to reach a potential customer in a busy chaotic world, so speak loudly and with authority and be seen and heard above the rest.
Just remember that there is no such thing as social media marketing without content!
Be consistent
We have seen it so often that people start a business social media account, keep it going for a few weeks with some great content, but then everything stops. A few months later there may be a few more sporadic posts, and then it stops again.
When it comes to social media, you need to be consistent. Yes it can be time consuming and yes it does take effort to manage effectively – but when performed correctly, it will have massive benefits to your business. If you’re struggling for time to manage social media, consider hiring a social media manager to lighten the load. The cost of hiring a social media manager will be balanced out and then cancelled out by the brand awareness and business growth that you will see going forward.
Plan and schedule and create a marketing plan that reflects your business. Post regularly to your networks and be interactive with your audience. This is a great way to provide an outstanding customer service experience that may at times be lost when a business is not consistent on social media.
Engage with your audience
Social media is all about engagement. It’s about understanding what you clients are looking for and giving them solutions. Social media is not a place to sit back and watch the world go by! People want to know that there is a human behind the business and by engaging and interacting with individuals and providing a great user experience, people are more likely to buy from you or to recommend your services. Networking and building relationships builds trust and loyalty. Understanding your audience will enable to you reach them and to target their specific needs. That’s when they will see your value and know that you really do want to help them.
Just like any part of a business, marketing is an important aspect and for it be effective, it needs to be done correctly. Online marketing is often over looked or pushed to the back burner but if you consider what power social media has to drive your business forward and to increase your bottom line, there is absolutely no reason why any business should not be using it!
If you’d like assistance in getting started or putting together a marketing strategy that fits your business model, get in touch, we’d love to chat with you.
