Why Should Businesses Be Invested In Recycling?

We all know that recycling has a positive impact on the environment, and there is often a push on homes across the UK to do their part; but what about businesses?

Although businesses focus on the reduction of costs in supplies such as paper and printing, what is being done about the waste of such materials which aren't always recycled properly This doesn't just go for the obvious materials such as paper and plastic, but many businesses also have limited recycling programmes for things like;

• Green Waste


• Food Waste


• Glass Waste

What's interesting is that there are businesses that can help commercial properties improve their recycling schemes by providing waste management schemes. But why should businesses be investing in the recycling of their products?

Keep Up Team Morale

As previously discussed, many people are proactively recycling at home, so support these efforts by introducing schemes within the workplace. It could be as simple as recycling milk cartons and bottles, paper or ink cartridges, but the impact it can have is huge - both on morale and environment.

Improve Business Aesthetics

Clutter can build up when it's not sorted - even if you have a large outside bins. To improve the look of your commercial property at the same time as being green, recycle all of the things you can and you'll see a marked improvement in the look, feel (and smell) of your office.

Help Reach the EU Target

Whether you're aware of it or not, the EU has put a target in place to recycle waste produced by the UK by 50% by 2020. That's only 4 years away and it isn't just a case of 'leaving it to someone else'. Get involved and do your part to help achieve this.

These are just some of the reasons businesses in the UK should be doing their bit towards recycling. For more information read this info page by Dial a Bin which illustrates some more facts why recycling is so important.

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5 Things Every Modern Entrepreneur Needs

Amid the release of data* revealing that the economic outlook among U.S. small business owners had finally stabilized, there's cause for entrepreneurs to be optimistic. Whether or not that outlook begins to uptick not only depends upon how agile, adaptable, creative and resourceful entrepreneurs can be in planning for, or reacting to, market conditions, revenue and brand-building opportunities and other key concerns, but also how well they maintain a forward-thinking mindset.

Towards this end, tomorrow's smart and successful entrepreneur will have their bases well-covered on these five fronts in particular:

1. Transparency. Operating with transparency used to be a luxury versus a necessity but, now, it's quite mandatory. Millennials in particular, who wield a tremendous amount of influence and purchasing power, make buying decisions based largely on the provenance, manufacturing processes and overall business practices of a particular company. Because millennials are now the largest population in the U.S., to say that transparency will drive how businesses are perceived is an understatement at best. However, the good news is that establishing and maintaining transparency doesn't have to be difficult. Simply communicating regularly with honesty and unequivocally holding yourself, your staff and your company accountable will go a long way toward fostering good will with not only consumers and prospects, but also with vendors, strategic partners and your industry at large.

2. Loyalty. It used to be that only airlines had "loyalty" programs. Now, everybody from giant corporations like Pepsi Co. to mom and pop corner coffee shops have some sort of loyalty program. And, rightfully so. Every industry faces new competition on a daily basis and customers are understandably price sensitive, often buying from whoever has the best sale or perks. However, what loyalty programs really come down to is creating that coveted repeat customer. For instance, airlines offering free first class upgrades or hotels upgrading size of the room for elite travelers often creates an allegiance that trumps price point. This principle can be applied in every business. If you're a service company and a client is at the end of their agreement, offer a specific service at a discount or another deliverable with a high perceived value. Those who do business online can easily build an awards program that fosters a faithful following.

3. Crowdfunding. The ugly truth is if you need a loan, chances are extremely high you won't be able to get one. In fact, the recent small business study also revealed that the majority--a full 61%–of those who tried to get a favorable loan were unable to do so. Venture capital and private equity funding is equally difficult to come by, if not more. While some types of capital are actually easier to procure, the interest rates are usually more aggressive, often prohibitively so. Instead, focus on crowdfunding and non-traditional lenders such as Bond Street, Kabbage and Deal Struck. According to Massolution's 2015CF-Crowdfunding Industry Report, global crowdfunding was anticipated to be over $34 billion. A revenue source of that size is simply too big to ignore and not tap into.

4. Pay-for-Play Social Media. Facebook was among the first to implement the "pay-for-play" model by removing organic reach and focusing on paid advertisement. Since being acquired by Facebook, Instagram is destined to follow. Pinterest and Twitter are also both currently growing into their pay-for-play systems and will likely make it difficult for pure organic reach as well. Unfortunately, this means entrepreneurs will need to increase their social media budget. However, Facebook's paid ads have been shown to reach a significantly greater percentage of users than organic posts, making paid ads well worth the investment. However, social media shouldn't only be leveraged as a form of advertising. Rather, social media is an ideal way to handle customer service in such a way that not only improves marketplace loyalty but also your company's transparency endeavor.

5. Instant Gratification. Simply put, if you don't offer some form of instant gratification your prospective customer will likely go somewhere that does. This truth is particularly problematic for businesses that require information from customers, such as insurance or financial services. Having prospects fill out contact request forms to be contacted later on for products or services is becoming less and less effective in the "Age of Impatience." To be competitive, you need to deliver to the customer instantaneously in some way, whether that be with the provision of information they are seeking or other deliverable that will satiate them in the moment and keep them interested for a longer term. Even just offering quicker and more efficient processes in dealing or transacting with your company is certainly a form of instant gratification. At every available touchpoint, strive to impress the customer--an incredibly effective way of evoking that gratified feeling.

No matter what industry you're in or the type of business you run, you can still make a profit no matter what the current economic outlook happens to be. That begins with giving customers what they want, how they want it and in a way that's more sensitive to marketplace vs. company needs. The above tools will put your business well on its way to doing exactly that, possibly making 2016 your most successful year yet.

Sources:

https://www.thumbtack.com/blog/ess-nov-15/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/millennials_report.pdf

http://www.crowdsourcing.org/editorial/global-crowdfunding-market-to-reach-344b-in-2015-predicts-massolutions-2015cf-industry-report/45376

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-social-media-businesses-trends-you-need-know-2015-ryan-holmes

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Five Ways Small Business Owners Can Safeguard Their Data

Don't Get Hacked

In today’s age of digital information nothing is more important than keeping you data secure. However, we see stories in the news about large corporations and governments having information stolen all the time.

But, those large corporations aren’t the only ones at risk. The fact is that more than 70 percent of security breaches are targeted at small businesses. In fact, if you are a small business owner, there is a 50-50 chance your company will be the victim of a cyber attack.

You might be thinking if large corporations can’t seem to avoid cyber crime, there’s little you can do to prevent the same thing from happening to your business. But there are several things you can do to safeguard your online data.

What to Look For

In many cases, especially with today’s sophisticated hacking schemes, there aren’t as many telltale signs of being hacked as you might imagine. However, you should always be alert for:

• Slow or lagging computer response time;

• Pop-up windows that you can’t close;

• Your contacts report questionable or strange emails from your account that you did not send;

• Strange programs or websites asking for your credentials.

If you do discover malware or a virus in your system, you’ll first want to see if any data was compromised. Recovering that information is usually impossible, but your priority is to piece together what happened, how bad it was and which customers might have been impacted.

Preventing Breaches


Many businesses only discover the weaknesses in their online security protocols after they suffer a data breach. It’s often only after getting the situation under control that steps are taken to tighten security to prevent another incident from happening. But experiencing a breach should not be a prerequisite to taking the basic steps to prevent one.

To best minimize the risk of an attack, you should do the following simple things:

1. Back Up your data daily – While you should back up data to an external drive, it’s important to back up regularly, and to secure backups in a different location from your computer. The most reliable way to safeguard files is to back up to a cloud server with multiple security and failure-protection protocols.

2. Have a good Firewall – A firewall is designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Establishing a good, true firewall is your first defense against data breaches. Software firewalls are typically built in to home computers and turned on by default. If you have more than one computer connected in a small office network, you should have a hardware firewall to protect your network. A quality professional Firewall can also help prevent the spread of viruses if one of the networked computers becomes infected.

3. Install Antivirus Software on all computers – Antivirus software / Anti-malware software, is computer software used to prevent, detect and remove malicious software. Don’t cut corners with your antivirus program. Although most products offered by the major providers may be sufficient, our top brand recommendations are Trend Micro™, Malwarebytes, and Kaspersky™.

4. Use an Anti-Spam system – Spam is most often defined as electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings. More than just annoying, spam can also eat up network bandwidth and may carry attachments with viruses or spyware. It’s important to install a third-party type of anti-spam software to examine incoming email and effectively separate spam from legitimate messages. The filtering software built into computers typically does not do a good job of identifying and detecting all spam or offensive emails and preventing those messages from reaching your inbox.

5. Multiple Backups – Again, the single most important thing is to make sure you regularly back up your computers and servers, but go aSet featured image step farther and ensure you have multiple backups or multiple versions of the backup. Any mistake can be undone and all work can be restored if you have a reliable, tested, secure and redundant backup system in place.

There are many popular online backup services for individual computers. While I agree they are simple to use and good for keeping a copy of your information off site, they are slow during the restoration process if you lose your entire computer, and these should not be used with servers. One of my favorite brands for computers and servers to backup with an external drive is StorageCraft®.

Response Planning


Like any emergency plan, you should outline your response to a cyber-attack in advance so you can be prepared to act immediately if your computer system is hacked.

The first step in an emergency plan should be to immediately physically disconnect affected computers from the network and the Internet. Then, copy and securely store access and activity logs from the machines. If possible, attempt to identify the type, nature and categories of compromised information.

Once you’ve assessed the initial damage and potential cause, you must have a plan in place to break the news to your business partners, vendors, customers or any other affected stakeholders. Notifying stakeholders quickly will demonstrate the organization’s transparency in dealing with the situation and allow you to get ahead of any reports from outside sources, such as the media.

Above all, understand that your business needs to stay vigilant and informed from the risks a cyber-attack could have on your company, your reputation and your future.

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