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Month: July 2021

boring office cubicle
Coworking Space, Creativity, Interiors

How Environment Can Affect Your Workflow

The dreary setting of a cold grey cubicle isn’t anyone’s idea of the perfect workplace. It’s depressing, it’s noisy, it’s sterile, and it’s uncomfortable, and definitely not the ideal situation for productivity. It’s a place that makes you want to call in to work sick. There’s no comfy furniture, no socializing, just you, a phone, a computer, and a desk. The employees’ lounge and workrooms are just as drab.

Coworking_lounge_area

Day after day you resent the fact that you ever started working in such a lifeless office, and there’s a reason why: Our environment affects our mood, therefore, affecting how we work.

Office furniture, noise levels, distractions, lighting, air quality, and temperature are among the top factors influencing employee productivity. And studies show a parallel to office design and employee efficiency. In fact, a study by the American Society of Interior Designers states that office design is one of the top three factors that influence job performance and satisfaction. Research by the National Institute of Health has found that the colors that surround us have a profound effect on how well we are able to complete tasks – they can be mood enhancers or downers.

Did you know that having a comfortable ergonomic chair helps workers stay focused on tasks, instead of getting distracted by the feeling of discomfort? Studies have found that employees’ productivity can be increased by 17.5 percent. Other studies show that well-ventilated workplaces increase productivity by 61 percent and natural light boosts concentration skills by 15 percent. 

Now imagine going to work in an office with a cheerful color scheme, cushy chairs, and windows galore. The clean lines and sleek spaces are inviting. People are socializing in the lounge, the noise level is minimal, and the natural light coming from the windows just oozes a sunny disposition of creativity and success. All of these things change your mindset quite a bit, doesn’t it? This is the place you’ve always wanted to work in. 

It’s amazing how the right design affects how you work.

networking graphic
Business Resources, Business Tools, Entrepreneur, Marketing, Tips, Uncategorized

Three Most Important Reasons You Should be Networking for Your Small Business

Three Most Important Reasons You Should be Networking for Your Small Business

By Leslie Radford

Key Takeaways

Business Leads and Referrals

Connections

Visibility

There are many reasons networking is important to your small business. It can help you build leads, get referrals, make important connections with people in your industry or community, build your confidence in connecting with others and, so much more. Networking can also help you identify opportunities for partnerships, joint ventures, or expanding your business. 

Here are the three most important reasons you should be networking for your small business. 

networking graphic

1. Business Leads and Referrals

It is vital to your business’s success that you acquire business leads and gain referrals. Without them, you do not have a business. You should use every social and professional opportunity to meet and connect with new people and use them to open doors for additional business opportunities.

People want to help others so make sure to communicate professionally when you follow up on leads and not badger them for business. Be sensitive to timing and use common courtesy when following up with contacts. When they discover you have value, are courteous, and feel they can trust you with their own network of people, then these connections will be more likely to send you referrals. These referrals will get you higher quality leads compared to the leads you get from marketing, and thus increasing your business. Remember, you’re in the business of building relationships first. 

2. Connections

Networking can open the door to talk to highly influential people that can help grow your business. But it’s not just about who you are networking with directly either – that person will already have a network you can tap into as well. With the help of these connections, anytime you need something, you can easily call them to get some help that is needed. Whether you need a residential plumber, a business accountant, or anything else, somebody will know someone who can help you. Also, these people can give you advice on various matters that might help in improving your business.

3. Visibility

Meeting and communicating with potential clients and business partners on a regular basis will help maintain your business relationships. Attending networking events raises your personal profile and can help keep you front and center in the minds of the right people. You can build a reputation for yourself as a supportive, reliable, and knowledgeable person by offering tips and useful information to others.

When you have earned respect from everyone, you will get referrals much more easily. If you’re not out in your community spreading the word about you and your business, you will not be top of mind to those who may need your services or connections. 

coworkers
Coworking Space

Five Reasons to Join a Co-working Space

Five Reasons to Join a Co-working Space

By Leslie Radford

Key Takeaways

Perks

Price

Synergy

Creativity

Minimal Disruptions

Co-working is a new exciting trend that seems to be taking over the business arena. With so many new startups, co-working spaces have offered an affordable solution for freelancers, work-at-home moms, and more. These are the top five reasons you should consider a co-working space.

  1. Perks: Many co-working spaces have perks that are included like fast Wi-Fi, in-house cafes, reception services, printing and copying services, just to name a few. Check out the website or take a tour of the space you are considering to learn more of what’s available to you.
  2. The Price is Right: Whether you’re on a tight budget or have a little change in your pocket, co-working spaces have memberships that will fit any budget. This could include day passes, shared desks, or your own private space. 
  3. Feel the Synergy: You will meet new people with big visions just like you. Network with people from all walks of life and from various industries. Make new friends and grow your business with a tight community that wants you to succeed. This is a great opportunity to collaborate and be more productive. Home offices are great when you’re starting out, but a co-working space allows you to meet collaborators, have a professional place to meet clients, and network.
  4. Improve Your Creativity: With all the different energies flowing around you, you’re bound to be a little more creative. Most co-working spaces are of modern nature with brightly lit rooms and attractive color schemes that will refresh your sense to create.
  5. Distractions are Limited: Anyone who has worked from home knows there are limitless distractions that can interrupt your workflow. Watching TV, napping, doing the dishes or laundry all can take time away from your project. With a co-working space, you won’t have those disruptions and you’ll be able to get more accomplished.

With self-employment on the rise, take advantage of working in a non-traditional office space. The amenities and creative energy will blow you away.

checklist
Business Tools, Small Business, Tips

End of the Year Checklist for Small Businesses

End of the Year Checklist for Small Businesses

By Leslie Radford

Key Takeaways

Things you need to do at the end of the year

Updates

Backups

Audits

Plan

It’s December and you are in holiday mode, but don’t forget all the important things you need to do at the end of the year for your business. Finish out the year strong and in order with this checklist.

  1. Run year-end financials: These reports give you the opportunity to look at the big picture. You need to know where your money is being spent and how you can manage it better next year. What are your best income sources? Who still owes you money? Do you owe money to others? Make a list of assets. Know how much cash you have on hand. Have a copy ready for tax time.
  2. Update employee and payroll information: Make sure phone numbers, addresses, and payroll information are up to date. This will also make preparing W-2s and 1099s easy at tax time.
  3. Update vendor and client files: Make sure your vendor list is up-to-date and know exactly which vendors you will be using next year. Will you have repeat clients in the future or have some of them moved on?
  4. Audit inventory: If your business sells a physical product, you need to know how much of what is in stock, what needs to be ordered or manufactured. This information is also needed on this year’s taxes. Get rid of old inventory and make room for the new.
  5. Review insurance policies, contracts, business plans, and other important documents: Does your current insurance policy still apply? Are your contracts up-to-date and will they apply for the following year? Do you need to update company policies? Do you need to make changes to your business plan due to growth?
  6. Back up computers and cell phones: This task is time-consuming but necessary. Back up data like employee records, point-of-sale systems, and all of your accounting information. Many small business owners do a ton of work from their cell phones. Don’t get in a bind when your phone crashes and you haven’t backed up your contacts.
  7. Audit your website: Make sure all links are working correctly, there’s no old information or products still listed, and see if there are ways to make improvements in SEO and sales. Update images, headlines, content, and other relevant information.
  8. Make a plan of action for the new year: This one is important and probably the most overlooked. Using all the data collected from steps 1-7, how was your year? Did you meet all your goals? What goals will you set for the following year? Break up the next year to set small objectives to help you reach the larger goals. Make a list of accomplishments to see how you’ve grown. New Year’s resolutions aren’t just for your personal life; they also make for a successful business as well. Fill out a calendar for next year with known dates for certain activities, deadlines, and bills. Incorporate these ideas into your business plan.

Go forth and conquer 2020!

office
Coworking Space, Small Business, Startups, Tips, Uncategorized

How to Successfully Transition to a Coworking Space from a Home Office

How to Successfully Transition to a Coworking Space from a Home Office

By Leslie Radford

Key Takeaways

Get to Know Co-Workers

Set a Routine

Set Up Your Desk

Take Time for Yourself

Transitions can be awkward – new places, new faces, and new ways of doing things. These tips will help you make the transition from a former work environment effortlessly:

  • Make the effort to introduce yourself to your fellow co-workers. Get to know who you are working with. They can offer support during your change.
  • Set a routine as soon as possible. You’ll have more flexibility in a co-working space, so it’s important that you are conscientious of your time. Learn how the office ticks and you’ll be able to set your routine more easily. 
  • Make your desk feel like home. Experiment with different areas of the shared working space and see what works best for you. Organize your workspace in a way that makes you comfortable and able to work efficiently. If you have a private office, decorate it with things you love.
  • Get to know the office manager. Having a good relationship with them will make it easier to get help from them if something goes awry around the office or if you need to borrow things you may have  forgotten at home.
  • Learn how to deal with distractions. There’s a lot going on in a coworking space. Headphones or ear plugs may help. Also be aware of the amount of noise you are making as to not distract others.
  • Eat away from your desk and take breaks out of the office. In many co-working spaces, everything is under one roof, so it can feel like there’s no need to get out. It’ll do you good to occasionally step out, get some fresh air, or try that restaurant around the corner.

NuvoDesk provides a great shared office and coworking environment for people ready to move out of their home offices. We are here to help you transition into your new space.

scheduler
Small Business, Tips, Uncategorized

Five Office Solutions for a Hectic Schedule

Five Office Solutions for a Hectic Schedule

By Leslie Radford

Key Takeaways

Make a Schedule

Work in Blocks

Manage Tasks

Set Boundaries

You get to the office with every intention of slaying the day. You make your to-do list, and get to work on the first few items.

But a couple hours in, the interruptions start coming and the next thing you know it’s almost quitting time and you somehow have more things on your to-do list than when you started.

Consider these tips to calming your hectic day:

 

Schedule Your Week in Advance

Plan your week before it gets here. Know what appointments you have and when. Review your week the day before it starts so you know what needs to get done and there are fewer surprises.

 

scheduler

Break Your Work Day into Smaller Blocks

By breaking up your workday into smaller blocks that allow you to be a parent, a solo-preneur, and have self-care time, you have flexibility to work your schedule that fits your lifestyle, and get it all done.

 

Task Management

Task management software can make tracking progress on essential tasks easier. There are so many to choose from. Do your research and pick one that works for you. Or the old-school to-do list can be prioritized in to manageable tasks. Only place a few important things to accomplish for the day. Once you complete those, you can add new ones. Don’t overwhelm yourself.

 

The Pomodoro Method

The Pomodoro Method helps you commit to one task for a manageable amount of time, about 25 minutes. Studies have shown that most people can only focus on one task with a high level of performance for an average of 45-50 minutes. By multi-tasking, we are actually taking longer to complete a task and the quality of work is poorer. Get a cute kitchen timer or whip out the timer on your phone.

Set Clear Boundaries

All those interruptions you receive may be because you allow them to happen. It’s okay to say “no” every once in a while. People will understand that you have certain blocks of time that you need to work and certain blocks of time that you can attend to them.

job opportunity
Small Business, Tips

How to Recognize Legit Work-from-Home Offers

How to Recognize Legit Work-from-Home Offers

By Leslie Radford

Key Takeaways

Online Jobs

Get the Details

Do Your Research

Identifying Scams


These are crazy times we are living in, especially right now with the outbreak of the coronavirus. Many have lost their jobs and looking for work from home during the quarantine. For some, this may be the perfect opportunity to pursue that dream job and breaking away from the typical grind. While there are many legitimate work-from-home- jobs out there, how can you tell them apart from the scams? 

Today, slightly more than 50% of the global workforce spends at least half the week working remotely, according to a 2018 IWG report. Technology makes that possible. 

Here’s how you can spot the red flags:

Red Flag Warning

Online Jobs

Never take an online job if you haven’t at least interviewed by phone or video conference; and if possible, do your interviews in person. Get the names of your interviewers so you can research the people you’ll be talking with to ensure they’re real. If they only use chat, text, or email, it’s probably a scam.

Get the Details

If you’re invited to an interview via in-person or video conference, ask the right kind of questions. Get the exact details of the position and their expectations of you. How does the company make its money? If the answers don’t make sense or don’t sit well with you, think again before advancing. A tactful way to phrase the money questions might be, “What are the company’s top revenue streams?” That way, you’re getting your answer while showing interest in the company. Find out where their headquarters is located to help you research better.

Ask “What type of training will I receive?” If it prompts a discussion about you, the candidate, paying for your own training, it’s most certainly a scam. Any job requiring a fee of any kind to be hired or to purchase supplies, even to pay for a uniform upfront or a background check, is definitely a red flag. 

Legitimate work from home jobs have job descriptions that almost always include a detailed list of responsibilities and required experience to help you determine whether or not you’re qualified to apply. If the description makes it sound like getting the job will be quick and easy, it might be a scam.

Do Your Research

You’ll want to research the company before applying. You can simply check out a company’s website or social media presence, and even contact the Better Business Bureau.  Look at reviews and complaints made about the company. If they have none of these platforms, you may want to rethink your application. Be wary of only positive reviews, they could be fake.

It’s actually best to go to the actual company’s main website and look for the link to its employment or careers page. Some scams may mimic a real company (let’s say www.target.com) with URLs like www.target.jobs.com. When researching the company, you can also stick any URL or email address into Google in quotation marks and search. Articles warning against scams might pop up.

online scam

Identifying Scams

Identifying remote work scams can be tricky, especially since they often appear alongside legitimate opportunities on popular job-search websites. 

In the last four years, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received more than 58,000 consumer complaints about bogus opportunities to work from home or launch a business. The median loss for victims is about $1,200, according to the Better Business Bureau’s BBB Scam Tracker.

As the old saying goes, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

customer service
Customer Experience

3 Ways to Provide Excellent Customer Service

3 Ways to Provide Excellent Customer Service

By Leslie Radford

Key Takeaways

Keep a Positive Attitude

Problem-Solve Creatively

Be a Resource

At NuvoDesk, we want to help you do better business, not just offer you a place to do business. We know that investing in customer service is crucial to long-term business success. 

A RightNow Technologies Customer Experience Report found that 86% of U.S. adults are willing to pay more for a better customer experience.

Here’s how you can provide excellent customer service to your clients:

Keep a Positive Attitude

A positive attitude goes a long way in providing excellent customer service. It can change negative customer experiences into positive customer experiences. Because many customer interactions are not face-to-face, your attitude should be reflected in your language and tone of voice.

It’s easy to misinterpret the tone of written communication. The brain uses multiple signals (i.e. body language and facial expressions) to interpret someone else’s emotional tone which is absent online. Don’t be afraid to use emojis to convey warmth and good humor, or pick up the phone if you find an email or chat conversation getting tense.

Problem-Solve Creatively

There is an 80% churn rate of customers who receive bad service. You must thrive on solving problems for your customers and make it a central part of your support role.

Wow your customers with your problem-solving abilities. By creatively meeting their needs in ways that go above and beyond, you’ll create customers that are loyal to you and your product. By actively listening and anticipating their concerns, you come up with ingenious ways of helping your clients.

Be a Resource

Knowing your products and services inside and out will allow you to serve your customers better. Believe in the product and what it can do for them. Make it your goal to learn everything there is to know about your product so you can amaze your customers. Know how to troubleshoot any issues to provide prompt service for clients. Know what products complement the product or service they’re interested in. Be ready to provide additional information they may need.

Make them #1

Being a resource and having a positive attitude can help you solve problems for your clients. Make them your number one priority and create lasting relationships.

start a business
Business Resources, Entrepreneur, Uncategorized

Small Business Ideas that are Easy to Get Started​

Small Business Ideas that are Easy to Get Started

By Leslie Radford

Key Takeaways

Create Digital Products or Courses

Sell Print-on-Demand Posters, Greeting Cards, and Prints

Other Ideas

At NuvoDesk, we cater to entrepreneurs. We know that starting a business can be exciting and stressful. We’ve compiled a few business ideas that are easy to start and have low overhead and risk. These are some of the businesses that flourish in our facility: The beginners, the boot-strappers, the innovative thinkers.

Create Digital Products or Courses​

You can create digital products like music, courses, videos, and templates where there aren’t recurring manufacturing or shipping costs to worry about. Your margins will be high, making it the best business to start.

Just ask yourself, “What is useful enough that people are willing to pay to download it?” 

You could provide informational videos, teach a subject, compose your own music, or create downloadable templates.

NuvoDesk has a media production room that provides equipment perfect for podcasts, photography, and videos. Take advantage of:

  • Green Screen Wall
  • Camera
  • Lights
webinar

Sell Print-on-Demand Posters, Greeting Cards, and Prints

If you’re artistically inclined or know your way around a camera, you can dropship using a print-on-demand business model.

You can turn your work into products such as posters or framed wall art, even greeting cards. There are plenty of digital templates and mockup generators like Placeit you can use to showcase your products without having to print out each item and conduct your own photoshoots.

Etsy is also a great place to sell your downloads or take orders for shipping. Use a local printing company to print larger items to be shipped.

NuvoDesk can provide a scanner for many needs you may have, a physical address for your business, and high-speed internet to do your work.

Other Ideas

Other business ideas that will flourish at NuvoDesk with little overhead and start-up costs:

  • Freelance Writer
  • Freelance Graphic Artist
  • Life/Business Coaches
  • Travel Planner
  • Consultant

We support our entrepreneurs with all kinds of services at NuvoDesk to make sure you are prosperous with your new business. These are just a few great ways to get started doing something you love.

neat desk
Business Resources, Tips

Tips to Organize Your Business for the New Year

Tips to Organize Your Business for the New Year

By Leslie Radford

Key Takeaways

Organize your Business Purge Your Office Organize Your Paper Files Ditch Paper Receipts

An organized business is a productive business. Get organized by taming your email workflow, keeping your desktop organized, and getting rid of paper clutter.

Below are 3 tips on how you can organize your business:

1. Purge Your Office

Too much clutter can add to daily stress and chaos. Clutter exists because we think that everything is important. Toss out whatever is outdated, no longer relevant, or a duplicate. Get rid of anything that collects dust (trinkets or office supplies that have no value to you or your business.) Make sure you have plenty of storage to keep things neat and tidy and out of sight to keep them from distracting you.

Things you could purge:

  • Recycle the broken electronics you may have stashed in a closet.
  • Donate anything you don’t need or use.
  • Keep the basics and anything you’ve used in the past year; everything else can go.

Put items that you require every day in the same place so that you won’t have to hunt for them every time you need them. 

When your workspace is clean and uncluttered, you won’t waste time searching through stuff or moving piles around. See how you can develop an office space that inspires. 

messy files

2. Organize Your Paper Files

The average person wastes more than 4 hours per week searching for papers, according to one study. Go through your filing cabinets and shred anything that’s out of date or no longer relevant to your business.

You scan the originals and throw out the paper files to make more room if you think you might need these documents in the future.

3. Ditch Paper Receipts

There’s no reason to hang on to all those tiny paper receipts. Scan them and keep them digitally. Stay on top of this clutter by scanning them as soon as you get them or make time each week to scan them all in and keep them in a digital file.

Get It Together

This will get you started on organizing your business. See more tips for staying organized. 

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