Create Creativity

"The chief enemy of creativity is "good" sense."

-Pablo Picasso

Creativity is something we are all blessed to possess.  Some of us embrace it every day, while others struggle to use it whenever they do.  If you're involved in business, then your creativity can help address some problems you do or could have.  To solve certain problems, you must determine how to approach them.  There aren't always tried and true methods to solving everyday problems; sometimes you have to create your own.

As it turns out, whether we realize it or not, we use creativity not only to express ourselves and our ideas, but also as a problem solving mechanism.  Think about it.  When was the last time you were creative and didn't accomplish something?  Once you can understand this, then you can utilize your creativity  more effectively.  To do so, it just takes a few simple steps, according to an article from Entrepreneur.

You can read more here in the article from Entrepreneur.

Simmer Down Now

Let’s face it.  We can’t all be like Burger King, where the customer has it their way.  Likewise, no one is perfect, and sometimes, mistakes happen, but we can all learn from them.  Customers can and will get upset, possibly even angry, whether it’s your fault or not.  Therefore, you want to take these situations seriously, not just to avoid losing customers and a good reputation, but to also show your customers that despite any mistakes that may occur, you care about them.  After all, if you got upset or angry at a business, would you want to stay like that, or would you want your grievances resolved?

An article from Inc. provides some essential phrases to say to unsatisfied customers that can not only help change their mood, but also change their opinion of you and your business.  Like Bill Cosby once said “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.”  No, you can’t please everyone, but you can at least try.

You can read more here in the article from Inc.

Know Your Logo

Creating a logo for your company can be easy if you want a simple logo.  If you want one that will stand out, and get your business noticed, then that might take a little more effort, and possibly money.  According to an article from Inc.com, even though we can't all as lucky as Nike, with a simple 'swoosh' receiving global recognition, there’s nothing stopping us from trying.

A logo is your way of saying to the world "Here I am!"  So, make your appearance known.  Whether you design it yourself or you hire an outside firm, a logo can sometimes make or break the success of your business.  Think of some popular logos.  What do they have that you need?  A signature text?  A certain shape?  It doesn't have to be flashy or vibrant, but as long as it’s noticeable, then you can safely say that your business has a definitive logo.

Also, a logo doesn't have to be permanent.  Some have stood the test of time, like McDonalds, Coca-Cola, and Apple.  Others, such as Pepsi, Comedy Central, and some professional sports teams change logos every few years or so.  These makeovers could be due to a need to reintroduce themselves, or simply because their current logo has lost its luster and a new logo is in order.

You can read more here in the article from Inc.com.

Make Sales in Zero Seconds Flat!

Okay, that sounds a bit far-fetched, and perhaps too good to be true, but think about it:  What if you could sell to your customers almost instantaneously?  Pretty cool, right?  Well, how do you do it then?  It's simple, really- your website.  According to an article from Entrepreneur, your website is crucial for any and all prospective customers.  While what you sell is what makes you money, what keeps your customers coming back is actually how quickly and easily they find it.  If your website takes more than, say, ten seconds to load, that customer you almost have becomes the customer you almost had.  Ten seconds may not seem like a lot, but when you're shopping, ten seconds can mean the difference between "only a few left" and "sorry, we’re all sold out."

If you want to gear your customers toward the 'checkout' link, then make sure you know what they want, and advertise it on your website where they can see it.  For example, if you're a clothing retailer, don't advertise a winter coat sale during the summer.  Yes, the coats are on sale, but that's only because not a lot of people will buy them in the summer.  Put shorts and short sleeves on your homepage so people will take notice; think of your homepage as a display window, and anyone who visits it as a window shopper.  Once they start clicking, they'll keep clicking until they've clicked 'confirm your purchase.'

An online presence is essential for any retailing venture, so it only makes sense to give customers a website they can navigate through with little to no effort.  This can be a fun and creative process for you.

You can read more here in the article from Entrepreneur.

Bring Out the Best In Your Employees

To be a business, you need employees.  To be a great business, you need employees that will work hard, not just for their paycheck, but for the company as well.  If your employees perhaps aren't as determined or hard working as you'd like them to be, then it's time to either make them change their ways, or show them the door.  And if you're in the hiring process, make sure you're not only hiring the most qualified, but the most determined.  Anyone with an impressive resume can apply for a job and get hired on the spot.  However, there's always that slight chance that they'll give less than 100% because since they've earned their job, they know they have too much experience to get fired.

Linda Dulye, President of Dulye & Co., an award-winning employee engagement and workplace communication consultancy, recently held a webinar titled "How to Engage Employees to Give Their Best."  In an article from Fox Small Business, she answers some of the submitted questions, and provides her professional insight to addressing her viewers' problems.

If you want your business to exceed your competition, just remember to make sure you're doing all you can to get the best out of your employees, even if it's only one at a time.  One employee's hard working habits can easily have an influence on their colleagues.  It only takes one to get the ball rolling.

You can read more here in the article from Fox Small Business.

Uh Oh...

Here they come:  Your customers... and their complaints.  Don't you wish you could just snap your fingers and make all their troubles go away without any further effort on your part?  Well unfortunately, it's not that simple, especially if the complaints are over the Internet.  At least you don't have people screaming in your face, but at the same time, that's no excuse to take their complaints less seriously.  According to an article from Inc., that's why you're only hurting yourself and your business by letting customer complaints go by the wayside.

We all have something to complain about, even you, but if your complaints go ignored, wouldn't that just give you something else to complain about?  The Internet is no different.  Complaints should all be treated equally, regardless of where they come from.  They should also be addressed as soon as possible to save your company's reputation, and hopefully retain your customers.

You can read more here in the article from Inc.

You've Got Mail... Right?

Even in the wake of social media, email marketing is still alive and well.  We've come a long way since electronic mail burst onto the scene, and by no means is there anything wrong with it, right?  Well, too many of them could potentially crowd one's inbox and go ignored, or get deleted before even be given so much as one second of attention.  However, according to an article from Entrepreneur, there are few ways to combat such an epidemic.

Emails are great ways to show your customers what you have to offer.  They can also help bring in new customers, whether by word of mouth, or one of your emails getting forwarded.  Not to worry- there are a variety of ways that can make email marketing work, but it's up to you to take advantage of them.

You can read more here in the article from Entrepreneur.

Success!

Though not an easy thing to come by, success is the ultimate goal of any franchise, whether it’s successfully pleasing your customers, or successfully blowing your competition out of the water.  Therefore, it requires a lot of work, and it’s up to you and your team to do that work.  Success doesn’t just knock on people’s doors, it must be achieved.  An article from Entrepreneur can show you how.

While you may think achieving success is harder than it sounds, all it requires are a few basic qualities that you may or may not already possess.   As a result, they can determine whether or not success is in your future.

You can read more here in the article from Entrepreneur.

Breaking News: What CISPA Means for Your Business

Remember SOPA and PIPA?  Well, they were vetoed a few months back, so now they’re no longer a concern.  However, the “Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), has passed in the House of Representatives and will be taken up by the Senate in May,” according to an article from Inc.  Why should this concern you?  Well, if passed, CISPA would allow businesses and the government to share information so they could collectively “combat, investigate, and prosecute cyber attacks; protect people from threats of death or injury; and protect minors from harm and protect national security.”

This sounds like a great idea, but here’s the problem:  businesses would become immune to Internet privacy laws.  This means that they can simply “hand over such data, effectively opening a backdoor through which the government can profile Internet users.”

Know Your BoD

Wait, what?  Your Board of Directors.  They are the governing body of any business, and if that business is yours, then it's up to you to determine who your board members will be, and what qualifications they'll need.  An article from Entrepreneur will help you do just that.

It's hard enough running a business, so why not invest in some help?  After all, you've got enough work to do running a business.  A board of directors won't necessarily do any work for you, but they'll work with you, which can certainly help, especially if you're looking to cement your business among your elite and established counterparts.

You can read more here in the article from Entrepreneur.