Best St. Patrick's Day quotes for business

5 St. Patrick’s Day Quotes for Business

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With 5 St. Patrick’s Day quotes for business, this holiday, rich in history and tradition, offers more than parades and green attire. It’s a celebration of culture, perseverance, and luck, which we often attribute to success. This festive occasion is an excellent opportunity for businesses to reflect on growth and embrace the entrepreneurial spirit. So here are some of the best St. Patrick’s Day quotes for business aimed at motivating and uplifting everyone connected to your enterprise.

Embracing the Luck and Hard Work

  1. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” – Seneca

Though not a traditional Irish saying, this quote perfectly captures the essence of St. Patrick’s Day in the business context. It reminds us that while luck may play a role in success, it is the ongoing preparation and seizing of opportunities that truly drive achievement. This St. Patrick’s Day, let’s commit to preparing our ventures for the opportunities that lie ahead.

  1. “May your troubles be less and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door.”

This Irish blessing is a heartfelt wish that can be shared among team members and clients. It embodies the spirit of goodwill and prosperity that every business strives for. It’s among the best St. Patrick’s Day quotes for business, highlighting the desire for fewer obstacles and more triumphs in your entrepreneurial journey.

  1. “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb

While not Irish in origin, this proverb aligns with St. Patrick’s Day’s themes of growth and renewal. It serves as a powerful reminder to businesses that the path to success starts with our actions today. This St. Patrick’s Day, let it inspire you to plant seeds for future growth, whether investing in new ventures, nurturing your team, or innovating your product line.

  1. “I’ve found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances.” – Brian Tracy

This quote speaks to the entrepreneurial spirit of risk-taking and venturing into the unknown. St. Patrick’s Day is a fitting time to reflect on the risks we’ve taken and to remind ourselves that every leap of faith is a step towards greater luck and opportunity.

  1. “May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, and may good luck pursue you each morning and night.”

Embedding wishes of prosperity and joy, this quote is perfect for businesses looking to inspire optimism and positivity among their teams and clientele. It’s one of the best St. Patrick’s Day quotes for business, highlighting the dual goals of financial success and personal fulfillment.

Leveraging the Festive Spirit for Business Growth

St. Patrick’s Day provides a unique opportunity for businesses to connect with their audience on a more personal and cultural level. Sharing these quotes in your communications around the holiday can foster a sense of community and shared aspirations.

Furthermore, these quotes remind us of the importance of preparation, opportunity, and the courage to take chances. Businesses must navigate the complexities of the modern marketplace to succeed. Let the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day encourage a blend of strategic planning and the embracing of serendipitous opportunities.

In conclusion, 5 St. Patrick’s Day quotes for business aren’t just about invoking luck. They are also about inspiring action, fostering a positive mindset, and reminding us of the power of community and tradition in our entrepreneurial endeavors. This St. Patrick’s Day, let’s draw inspiration from these words and pave the way for a year of prosperity, growth, and happiness.

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Ancient Roman wisdom for business financing

Roman Empire Wisdom for the Business-Lender Relationship

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“Beware the Ides of March!”

The Ides of March, famously marking the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, serves as a potent reminder of the dynamics of power, trust, and fate within the Roman Empire. This historical milestone, alongside the broader narrative of Rome’s rise and fall, offers relevant insights for today’s entrepreneurs building a strong business-lender relationship and seeking business financing. Here’s how ancient Roman wisdom can apply in the modern financial landscape.

1. Understand the Power Dynamics

Julius Caesar’s fall was partly due to his misunderstanding of the power dynamics within the Senate. Similarly, in business financing, it’s crucial for borrowers to understand the power dynamics between themselves and their lenders. Recognize the lender’s position as it relates to the value and leverage you bring to the table as an entrepreneur. Put yourself in the strongest negotiating position and improve the perceived strength of your business before applying for financing. Lenders want good borrowing partners, so make your business as attractive as possible.

2. Cultivate Trust and Loyalty

Trust and loyalty were central to Roman political life, yet Caesar’s assassination underscored how fragile these bonds could be. For borrowers, building a solid relationship with lenders based on transparency and integrity is vital. Regular communication, honesty about your business’s performance, and adherence to agreed terms help cultivate a trusting relationship that can withstand challenges and uncertainties. The best time to start building and strengthening your relationship with lending partners is before you need the money.

3. Prepare for Unforeseen Changes

The Ides of March was a sudden and dramatic turn in Roman history, highlighting the importance of being prepared for unexpected events. Businesses seeking financing should similarly plan for unforeseeable market shifts or financial challenges. This might involve securing flexible financing terms, building emergency funds, or diversifying revenue streams to ensure resilience in the face of change.

4. Leadership and Vision Are Paramount

Caesar’s ambition and vision for Rome were undeniable driving forces in his rise to power. He also knew how to sell the story of his conquests to strengthen his position. Business Insider says, “The best leaders don’t just do amazing things — they know how to present a compelling story.” For entrepreneurs, having a clearly articulated vision for your business and demonstrating strong leadership are crucial when seeking financing. Lenders are more likely to support a business with a strong direction and a leader who can navigate adversity toward that vision.

5. The Importance of Strategic Alliances

Rome’s history is replete with alliances that shifted the balance of power. In the business world, forming strategic partnerships can enhance your company’s appeal to lenders. These alliances might provide financial stability, expand your market presence, or offer technological advantages that strengthen your business model and, by extension, your financing proposals.

6. Adaptability and Innovation

The Roman Empire endured for centuries due to its ability to adapt and innovate, from military tactics to administrative systems. For modern businesses, adaptability and innovation are just as critical, especially in a rapidly changing economic landscape. Demonstrating to lenders that your business can pivot and innovate in response to market demands will make your financing application more compelling.

7. Legacy and Long-Term Planning

Finally, the Roman Empire’s legacy, in terms of culture, law, and governance, is a testament to the power of long-term planning and vision. Businesses should approach financing not just as a means to an immediate end but as part of a broader strategy for strengthening a business-lender relationship to support long-term growth and legacy building. This perspective can help in selecting the right financing options that align with your company’s long-term goals and values.

In essence, the Ides of March and the broader sweep of Roman history offer timeless lessons for today’s entrepreneurs navigating the complex world of business financing. By understanding power dynamics, cultivating trust, preparing for change, demonstrating visionary leadership, forming strategic alliances, embracing adaptability, and planning for the long term, borrowers can secure the financing they need to build their own enduring empires.

Cost Of Financing Weighs Heavily on Business Funding Decisions

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Thinking about the cost of financing is key when deciding if business financing is right for you. Business financing can provide the capital needed for growth, but it also comes with responsibilities and costs. Plus, there are many types of financing that help in different ways. Consider these business funding topics to help you make an informed decision.

  1. Evaluate Your Business Goals:
    • Start by defining your short-term and long-term business goals. Consider whether financing is necessary to achieve these objectives. Financing is often used for expansion, purchasing assets, covering operational expenses, or handling unexpected financial challenges. To meet your goals, how quickly do you need financing?
  2. Assess Your Financial Situation:
    • Take a close look at your business’s financial health. Analyze your cash flow, profitability, and current financial resources. Determine if you have any outstanding debts or financial obligations. Understand your financial position before choosing a funding source.
  3. Determine the Purpose of Financing:
    • Clearly define why you need financing. Is it for a specific project, to increase working capital, or to refinance existing debt? Is the cost of financing less than the benefits from financing? Once financing is in place, will you be able to meet your goal and subsequently repay the funder?
  4. Explore Different Financing Options:
    • Research and compare various financing options available to you. Common choices include traditional bank loans, lines of credit, equipment financing, venture capital, angel investors, crowdfunding, invoice factoring, receivables factoring, merchant cash advances, or business grants. Each option has a different cost of financing, plus other advantages and disadvantages, so choose one that aligns with your business operations.
  5. Assess Risk Tolerance:
    • Consider your risk tolerance and the impact of taking on debt or bringing in investors. Taking on financing typically involves a degree of risk. You’ll be responsible for repaying the borrowed funds or providing returns to investors.
  6. Create a Business Plan:
    • Develop a comprehensive business plan that outlines your strategy for using the funds. A well-structured business plan can help you secure financing and ensure that you have a clear roadmap for achieving your business goals. If your funder doesn’t expect you to clearly explain how you will use the money and how you will repay them, you are not talking to a reputable lender.
  7. Evaluate the Cost of Financing:
    • Understand the cost of financing, including interest rates, fees, total cost of the credit over time, or any equity you may need to give up. Calculate the total cost of financing and understand how the financing will support your business and its ability to generate sufficient returns to cover these expenses.
  8. Consider Your Personal Finances:
    • Assess how business financing may impact your personal finances. Some financing options may require personal guarantees or collateral, putting your personal assets at risk in case of business failure.
  9. Review Your Creditworthiness:
    • If you’re considering loans or lines of credit, evaluate your creditworthiness. Lenders will assess your credit history and business financials when determining eligibility and terms. If your credit needs improvement, consider evaluating funding options that do not require strong credit, such as invoice factoring and receivables factoring.
  10. Evaluate Timing:
    • Timing can be crucial. Consider whether the current market conditions, interest rates, and economic climate are favorable for obtaining financing.
  11. Assess Your Ability to Manage Debt:
    • Thinking about debt financing? Assess your ability to repay the debt in a way that does not your business. Consider how much you can repay each month, taking into account potential fluctuations in your business’s income.
  12. Consider Alternatives:
    • Explore alternative options to financing. Can you reduce or delay costs or expenditures? Could a strategic partnerships be helpful? Are business grants available? Do you quality to participate in a business incubators? Do you need additional funding, or will speeding up cash flow meet your business needs?
  13. Seek Professional Advice:
    • Don’t hesitate to seek guidance. Financial and business advisors can provide valuable insights and help you make informed decisions.

Ultimately, the decision to pursue business financing should align with your business goals, financial capacity, and risk tolerance. Careful planning and research are essential to deciding how to determine if business financing is right for you.

Marketing ideas for your staffing agency

5 Staffing Agency Marketing Ideas that Add Value

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For the past several years staffing employment grew faster than the economy and employment overall. Here are five staffing agency marketing ideas that can help your agency stand out from the rest of the pack – and make it indispensable to your clients.

Add Value for Employers with Five Staffing Industry Marketing Ideas

According to IndustrySelect.com (and despite the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the U.S. jobs market in 2020) the forecast for the staffing industry is projected to be $126.1 billion in 2020. While this represents a 17 percent decline from the previous year, it is still 4 percent higher than the original estimate of $119B.

With the economic recovery of the last decade came opportunities for recruiters, temporary employment and staffing agencies to rebound, big time. Not only were more jobs available overall, but many employers, unsure of how quickly the recovery would happen and whether it would last, were hesitant to hire regular employees, and so opted for temporary workers instead. It is reasonable to expect continued opportunity for temporary employment agencies as the economy comes out of COVID-19 slowdowns and shutdowns, since employers may be uncertain for some time what their “new normal” number of employees and jobs should be, or to hedge against additional short term temporary closures.

5 Ways to Make Your Staffing Agency Indispensable

1. Look for value beyond the skill set

As a staffing agency recruiter, you (or your software) may scan hundreds of resumes relative to the skills, software, and specialties of candidates. Bring candidates to the table for temporary employment or temp-to-hire placement opportunities that have what it takes not only to do the job, but who will enhance the culture of an organization, and who may possess valuable skills beyond those specified in the job description.

The more often you place candidates that produce well, bring additional value to and fit well within an organization, the more likely it is that employers will turn to you when the next hiring opportunity arises.

2. Network to fill your back pocket

Hiring can be an expensive, time consuming process. Temporary employment and staffing agencies that network well can create a pool of individuals who, while they may not be actively looking for a new position, would be open to considering a change for the right opportunity.

Reach out to already-employed people, not just those who are actively looking! 35 percent of workers say they would change their field of work if they lost their job. That means that more than 1 in 3 people currently employed might be interested in changing jobs if they had an opportunity to do something they are more interested in doing, or which represents a better path for professional growth in the future.

Being able to serve up one or two quality candidates for potential openings immediately could easily make your staffing agency more valuable to employers when the need to fill a position quickly is paramount.

3. Write better recruiting copy

When you have an awesome job opportunity to fill or an outstanding employer to recruit for, why would you write boring, cliché, job description-like copy? Set your staffing agency apart by writing recruiting copy that engages top candidates and creates intrigue so that they want to know more. Plus, when you talk up the brand of an employer in creative copy, you are telling candidates that you think the employer’s brand is just as special as they believe it to be!

4. Soften your approach

If you only reach out to employers with sales calls and emails, you are doing it wrong. You might get lucky by hitting someone up at the moment they need to fill a position once in a while, but you may well turn off the vast number of contacts on your list.

Soften your approach with employers and think about nurturing relationships instead of pursuing accounts. Reach out with information that people can use to build their businesses – interesting articles about their industries, information about their competitors they might not be aware of, and so on. Become so interesting and helpful that your clients will welcome your phone calls and open your emails and will keep you top of mind when opportunity arises.

5. Specialize

Instead of casting a wide net, carve out a name and a niche for your staffing agency by identifying industries which are emerging or evolving, which are underserved, or even better understanding which industries your own firm’s expertise is best-suited to serve. When you become the “go-to” for certain industries or certain types of temporary job openings, you build top of mind brand awareness that is invaluable in providing your staffing agency with opportunity to get the first shot at filling opportunities.

Many past temporary hires turned into regular employees as employers developed more confidence in the economy. While the job market rebounds, competition will also increase among staffing and temporary employment agencies as well.

For staffing and temporary employment services firms, competition can be a good thing! Not only does it reflect more opportunity overall, but competition can light a fire when it comes to continuous improvement within a staffing agency. For temp services and staffing firms that want to create a competitive advantage, it is vital to identify areas where they can become indispensable to their most valuable clients.

You might also like: Benefits of Factoring Staffing

 

7 Ways to Grow a Trucking Business Faster Next Year

7 Ways to Grow a Trucking Business Faster Next Year

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With the year winding down to a close, here are seven ways that you can “tune up” a trucking business for growth in the New Year.

7 Things that Can Help with Growing a Trucking Company

Whether you want to call them year-end to-do’s or New Year Resolutions, here are seven things you can do as the year comes to a close to position your trucking business for growth next year.

7 Ways to Tune-Up a Trucking Business for Growth Next Year

1. Taxes and Expenses

Now is the time to make sure that you have set aside what you need for tax payments for the year (month, quarter, etc.) Review the past year’s receipts, invoices, bills, and bank statements for potential tax write-offs.

It is also a great time to contact your tax accountant (or make an appointment with a local tax specialist for a consultation) to find out whether there is anything you can do now to minimize tax obligations or maximize the amount you hope to get back after filing your taxes next year.

2. Marketing and Advertising

What kind of marketing did you do in the past year to grow your trucking business? What worked well or what failed to produce a return? By identifying where your orders are coming from and taking steps to improve customer retention, repeat business and referrals, you will know where to invest marketing resources and money to grow faster next year.

Some of the questions that can help you determine whether to invest money and resources in marketing in the New Year include:

  • How do new customers usually find out about my trucking business?
  • How are competitors getting new business?
  • What characteristics do my most profitable customers have in common?
  • Based on these buyer profiles, where can I expand or launch marketing and advertising to help reach these buyers?

3. Industry and Government

Not only will you help your trucking business but you may even be able to help guide the future of the transportation industry by becoming more aware of the issues facing the industry and getting involved in organizations or by lobbying your local, state, and federal to express your concerns and opinions. Subscribe to a print or digital publication that can keep you in the know about what is going on in the trucking industry as far as best practices, rules, fees, and regulations.

4. Year End A/R Factoring Tune Up

If you are not already factoring freight bills, this would be an ideal time for you to reach out to a top transportation factoring company like ours to find out whether factoring freight bills would help improve your business.

Factoring freight bills allows truckers to get back on the road and take on new trucking business more quickly, since you get immediate access to money you have earned without waiting for customers to pay. We would be happy to provide you with a free, no obligation quote for factoring services, even if you are currently factoring your A/R (accounts receivable) invoices with another transportation factoring company.

If you are already factoring freight bills with another Factor, the end of the year is a great time for you to get a no-cost, no-obligation comparison from us to make sure that you have the best invoice factoring program in place relative to your organization’s financial needs.

5. Customers and Prospects

The holidays give you an ideal time to reach out to current and past trucking customers to find out whether your trucking business is doing a good job for them or ask how you could serve them better. This may even uncover new opportunities with existing trucking clients. In addition, take this opportunity reach out to your past customers to ask for referrals or let them know about any customer referral or returning customer rewards you offer.

6. Business Plan

If you have never taken the time to put your trucking business plan in writing, this could be an ideal time to do so. Having a trucking business plan on paper provides you with a snapshot of what your business looks like today as well as a vision of what you want it to look like tomorrow. You can even download a free business plan template from bplans.com to make writing your plan easier.

If you do have a business plan in writing (especially if it has been a while since you reviewed it), the year end is a great time to review and refresh your plan. Benchmark how you are doing (or did) compared to the goals laid out in your plan and update it with your current position and goals for next year.

7. Employees, Vendors and Peers

If you are a trucking owner-operator, you may not have staff, but you probably still have a vast network of peers, vendors, suppliers, brokers, and other contacts in the industry. The year end is a great time to reach out to these valuable stakeholders and let them know what you plan to do in the New Year to grow your trucking business, so that they can do a better job of helping you reach your goals.

In addition, this might be a good time to review vendor and supplier contracts. Double check that they are fulfilling the obligations they laid out, touch base on anything that isn’t going as well as you would like, or even reach out to other vendors for competitive quotes. It is not always about the lowest price! To grow your trucking business faster, you need to be sure that you are receiving a good value for what you spend to do business.

While we cannot believe that the year is almost over, nevertheless the year end provides a good opportunity for many carriers and owner-operators to assess how the year has gone, execute year-end checklists and look for ways they can improve their business in order to be more profitable and grow in the New Year.

5 Places to Find Creative Startup Ideas

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Creative startup ideas abound, if you know where to look for them. If you are an entrepreneur in search of your next creative startup idea, here are five places you might find the next big thing.

Creative startup ideas can help you beat the startup failure odds.

90 percent of 2019 business startups didn’t make the one year mark. But that didn’t quell the enthusiasm of U.S. entrepreneurs! More than 800,000 startups had opened their doors as of March 2020, up over 30,000 from the year before (Statista.com). With COVID-19 changing the way people work in the United States and around the world, the number of individuals dipping their toes into the startup business waters could be even higher going forward.

how many business startups launched in 2020

 

Among businesses that did not survive the first year, reasons for failure included money running out (inadequate financing), being in the wrong market, a lack of research, bad partnerships, ineffective marketing, and not being an expert in the industry.  So where can you find the type of startup business idea that can overcome the odds?

You might also like: Top 10 Reasons B2B Startups Might Fail

5 Places to Look for Creative Startup Ideas

Up or Down the Chain

If you already own one business or were part of a startup, you probably have a lot of expertise in the industry. It might make sense to consider a startup business that would be a natural customer or your last venture or which would be a supplier, vendor or service provider within the same industry. In either case, you will probably come to the table with an idea of how to “do it better” because of your experience.

Emerging Technologies

Keep your eye out for emerging technologies, especially those that have the ability to disrupt business for companies that aren’t able to respond quickly or refuse to recognize that their marketplace is changing.

Abandoned Ideas

Just because someone else failed at something does not mean that the idea does not have merit; plus, you can learn from their mistakes. Think about some of the new products or services that competitors put into play to determine which deserve a second look, and perhaps a second chance.

Under-served Markets

It’s simply not possible for an organization to completely serve multiple market segments; usually one or two will get the most attention in product or service development as well as marketing. When you see a market that is under-served by a particular industry, you are seeing opportunity for someone willing to startup a niche business tailored to their needs and demographics.

Gaps

Did you ever say, “I wish there was a solution for this problem?” You probably aren’t the only one. When you spot an industry, field or community with a gap between a consumer need or want and a business solution, you may be seeing the perfect opportunity for a startup business to fill the opening.

Entrepreneurial Addiction? Solid Planning Turns Startup Ideas into Reality

Since one out of every four startups fail in year one, the right startup ideas could make or break your chances of success. In many cases, clients come to us in the early years of their business when they come up against a need common to many startups and young businesses, that of a need to access working capital more quickly in order to grow. One of the things that gives us the most satisfaction is knowing that we were able to put financial tools into place to help a client with great startup ideas grow to the next level.

While we do not provide true start-up financing, we can help an organization access working capital almost immediately. Companies that sell B2B (business to business) can factor invoices in order to speed up cash flow, instead of waiting on customer or third party payments.

We hear from individuals startup ideas on a pretty regular basis. Hey – we’re entrepreneurs too! We thought that it might be helpful to talk about the types of startups that may do well in the coming years as well as directions that entrepreneurs might look for startup inspiration as they ponder what their next new venture will be.

Several of the reasons startups fail (inadequate funding, poor research, lack of market demand, etc.) can be addressed at least in part through business planning. No matter how excited you are to launch your startup idea, take the time to write a business plan that includes solid projections, a marketing plan, realistic costs, and market research.

 

infographic - startup ideas business plans

7 Ways Staffing Agencies Can Cultivate a Niche and Grow

7 Ways Staffing Agencies Can Cultivate a Niche and Grow

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While it might seem counter-intuitive, staffing agencies that narrow their marketing focus could spur faster growth. Here are seven ways to carve out a staffing agency niche to grow your staffing, recruiting or temporary employment agency.

A Niche for Staffing Agencies – Narrow Your Focus to Expand Your Client Base

With a super-competitive staffing industry and double-digit growth projected in 2021, it’s more important than ever that staffing agencies carve out a niche where they can excel and thrive. With that in mind, here are seven ways that temporary employment services firms or staffing agencies can identify a niche where they can make a name for themselves and grow.

7 Ways to Cultivate a Staffing Agency Niche and Grow

Grow with seasonal staffing opportunities

Look for businesses that have seasonal ebbs and flows. These are the types of businesses that may also benefit from outsourcing to staffing agencies or using temporary workers instead of hiring their own employees.

Seed the market with PR

You can play a part in strengthening your own agency’s reputation by using PR tactics strategically. Publishing press releases helps to position your agency as an expert resource in a given employment niche. Likewise, placing ads and advertorial articles or writing general interest articles for publication in trade magazines can help to reinforce your agency’s reputation in industries where you want to carve out a niche for your staffing services.

Put your ear to the ground

Many of the most successful businesses became so because they were able to identify and act on emerging trends early on. Make sure that you are on the look-out for emerging new industries or industries that are evolving where your staffing agency can gain ground before competitors become aware.

COVID-19 might have put a damper on staffing industry growth in 2020, but there are several industries that are growing now and which are set to grow post COVID-19, such as:

  • Technology of all kinds – online meeting platforms, online e-education, online and remote work apps, etc.
  • Medical and healthcare staffing
  • Cloud computing and storage
  • Web and app development
  • E-commerce
  • Cybersecurity
  • Logistics, transportation and supply chain

Plant new locations for future growth

Communities and neighborhoods zoned for industrial and commercial development, or which may be expanding with tech companies may also represent locations where having a physical office for your staffing agency would give you a leg-up in booking new business.

Attract and engage with digital content

Just like consumers in general, B2B buyers often start their buying journey online and many even expect to be able to complete the buying process online in a digital self-service environment. Cater to digital B2B shoppers and buyers in the industries you most want to serve with a website that is optimized for search and blog articles that attract search and social media traffic and shares among those niche target audience members.

Dig in deep by increasing numbers of followers and subscribers

While some organizations that need temporary workers or staffing services may engage in short or only occasional buying cycles, others may need to be convinced of the benefits of outsourcing over time or may need a consistent stream of temporary employees. Gain and maintain top of mind brand awareness for your staffing or temporary employment services by constantly increasing the number of social followers and subscribers you have within your desired niche industries.

One way to do this is by consistently providing followers with added value in the form of email newsletters and social status updates that pertain to their industries. You may also be able to build your networks quickly using tactics that require online registration, such as contests and whitepapers.

Pre-seed the marketplace

Universities, colleges, vocational and trade schools, unions and even high schools are all representative of organizations where you can build your reputation within a staffing niche by pre-seeding the marketplace; i.e., introducing yourself to the people who represent the candidates and employers of the future, as well as the present.

You might also like: Benefits of Factoring Staffing

Staffing Industry Analysts say that while 2020 staffing is down from 2019 (due mainly to temporary job losses because of COVID-19) the forecast for 2021 is bright. SIA projects 11% growth in temporary staffing revenue and 19% expansion in place & search in 2021. With increased demand for temporary workers comes an influx of new agencies among temporary employment and staffing services.

In a more competitive landscape, temporary employment service firms and staffing agencies must develop strategies that help them grow, and they must be on top of their game. One way to become more profitable is by finding a staffing agency niche that allows them to successfully attract the best candidates for placement so they can build a strong reputation among employers.

 

Supply Chain Business Innovation – 5 Ways to Grow

5 Ways to Innovate a Supply Chain Business

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Every supply chain business must innovate in order to keep customers interested and add new customers to the fold. Here are five ways distributors and manufacturers can innovate and improve in order to grow.

Innovation Helps Manufacturers and Distributors Grow

Companies that fail to innovate can quickly become obsolete, and that applies to supply chain organizations, too. But introducing new products is not the only way to get the attention of customers and grow. Rather than simply waiting for growth to occur as a natural outcome of an improving economy, supply chain manufacturers and distributors should actively look for ways to innovate if they want to grow more quickly.

5 Ways Manufacturers and Distributors Can Innovate to Grow a Supply Chain Business More Quickly

Introduce product innovations and evolutions

Manufacturers that are committed to internal continuous improvement are far more likely to be able to introduce new products more often as well as upgrades and improvements that lead to additional sales. Likewise, distributors that source upgraded or improved options for their customers will have more opportunities to resell to existing customers and bring new accounts on board.

Innovate the account management process

Like consumers, more and more B2B buyers expect to be able to reach out to a knowledgeable sales or account professional online, day or night, even outside of a company’s regular hours of operation. These same buyers also expect that supply chain organizations will facilitate the means for them to order online, track shipments and progress, set up automatic re-ordering, pay invoices and otherwise manage their accounts online, without ever speaking to a company representative if that is their preference.

Introducing account management innovations today’s customers have come to rely on can mean the difference in landing new accounts and generating additional sales as well as creating customer dependencies that make it less likely they will shop around or defect.

Innovate manufacturer and distributor delivery methods

Perhaps more so than any other distributor, supply chain giant Walmart has modeled the pursuit of constant innovations when it comes to manufacturer and distributor delivery methods. Like consumers, B2B buyers are coming to expect shipping costs to be included in pricing up front and for that delivery to occur quickly.

While you may not be in a position to scramble an army of drones or facilitate same-day or next-day delivery, anything you can do to cut costs and decrease time customers spend waiting for their orders can help you compete.

Innovate your marketing approach

What words would you use to describe your marketing copy and channels? When it comes to marketing, there is no reason your marketing cannot be innovative, engaging, entertaining and intriguing – even – and especially – if your products aren’t. Innovating your marketing approach through:

  • publicity stunts
  • social and cultural influencers
  • social media and press mentions
  • wins in ‘best of’ contests
  • revitalizing your brand’s visual image and taglines
  • telling customers about your brand’s values and corporate social responsibility programs

–  are all examples of ways to infuse new life into your marketing.

Ensuring that your brand is ‘alive and well’ in digital media channels (email marketing, social media, blogging, etc.) will better help you reach the new generations of Millennial and Gen-Z B2B buyers that are replacing retiring Baby Boomers.

As a supply chain business, you can also help create demand from your buyers by stimulating demand directly among their customers. We recently published an article that describes four ways distributors and manufacturers can generate demand by marketing to consumers and end-users, rather than simply marketing to their own buyers.

Innovate the company culture

“It is what it is,” is a phrase that is often uttered along with a shrug of the shoulders, indicating a fait accompli; or, in other words, a thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept. In some ways, company culture is “what it is,” in that it cannot be faked. But just because it cannot be faked, does not mean that it cannot be improved.

Innovations and investments made to improve your corporate culture, when genuine, will often produce impacts far greater than improving employee satisfaction. They can improve hiring outcomes, reduce employee turnover, and increase employee engagement, all of which have a direct impact on improving sales and decreasing costs. Marks for customer satisfaction, loyalty and referrals are also much higher for brands that are known for their innovative corporate cultures.

Innovating within your manufacturing or distribution company may allow you to serve new customers, but that’s not all.

Innovations also send a clear message to existing customers that your business is committed to making continual improvements for the future. It creates a spirit of intrigue among your customers about what might be coming next. They will be more likely to see your supply chain business as a valuable partner in the supply chain, and as a result, offer you additional suggestions that can help you innovate more effectively and quickly.

Taking proactive steps to innovate can even put you in the driver’s seat when it comes to change. As a manufacturer or distributor, leading the way by innovating puts you in the position of being a leader, rather than a supply chain business that must scramble to keep up with the companies that are driving change in the industry. As Steve Jobs so wisely said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”

 

7 Low-Cost Staffing Marketing Ideas Can Put Your Agency on Top

7 Low-Cost Staffing Marketing Ideas Can Put Your Agency on Top

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As the job market rebounds, competition will heat up among staffing and temporary employment agencies, too. Here are seven low-cost staffing marketing ideas that can help you put your staffing agency ahead of the competition.

Land More Leads with 7 Low-Cost Promotion Ideas for Staffing Agencies

It should not come as a big surprise that the staffing industry is a fiercely competitive marketplace at present, given the rebound in the job market of the past several years. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has predicted that the staffing industry will grow faster, and add more jobs than nearly any other industry over the next decade. With competition high for landing easily place-able candidates as well as employer job listings, here are seven staffing marketing ideas that can help develop competitive advantages for your staffing agency, temporary services firm or professional recruiting services.

7 Low-Cost Staffing Marketing Ideas for Employment Agencies

Maximize Free Marketing Channels

Web content optimized to attract your ideal candidates or employers, social media, and good old-fashioned in-person networking with local business groups, Chambers of Commerce and other civic organizations can go a long way to building relationships with employers that put position openings on your books. Likewise, they can connect you with executives and other individuals whose skills are in high demand, so that when they are ready to make a move, they already know who to call.

Fill the Pipeline – Get As Many Subscribers As Possible

Every phone, web or email inquiry is an opportunity to add a new contact to your database. Every business card collected at a networking event represents a potential new subscriber. You can also use contests or gated web content such as white papers, videos and reports to bolster the size of your contact database over time.

Cultivate Relationships with Influencers

Formal influencers like HR staff and executives aren’t the only way that you can source listings. Thanks to social media, it’s never been so easy to find people who are willing to share social posts they feel might interest their own networks. Make sure your social posts reference cities or geographical areas and encourage people to share them with their own networks.

Reinforce social shares with a thank you, retweet, tag or mention (which will also increase their reach). If influencers produce real business with you, thank them with a gift card or some other small gesture — reward behavior you want more of!

Survey Client Satisfaction

It’s vital that you take the temperature from time to time when it comes to client satisfaction. Even long-term client relationships can go south quickly with a bad placement or failure to deliver fast enough. Clients may have new leaders who want to work with other agencies. Even if you do everything right, there could be client discontent brewing for many different reasons.

Be Present in the Community

If you are waiting for business to come to you, chances are you are being out-hustled by recruiters who are willing to roll up their sleeves and participate in community events, networking groups, churches, schools, charitable endeavors, Chambers of Commerce, and other activities in order to give back and build a strong network in the process.

Beat Your Competitors When it Comes to Following Through and Following Up

Placing your star candidate or putting the right person on the job for an employer isn’t enough; it’s simply meeting expectations. Go the extra mile in your process by doing more (whether that means prepping candidates better, completing the employer’s side of the paperwork, etc.) than competitors are doing. Don’t be afraid to come right out and ask your clients what else you can do to add value to the process. And once the placement is made, follow up as though your job depends on it, because the next job listing just might!

Thank you notes, “how did we do?” type of inquiries, solicitation of feedback by email initially and a few weeks later can all be invaluable relationship builders that let the client know you truly care about whether you provided a solution that brought them the success they wanted.

Stay in Touch Longer (Well, Forever)

Candidate placement and closing of the job ticket isn’t the end of the staffing marketing process; hopefully, it’s just the beginning of a long-term relationship with both the candidate and the employer. Stay in touch by moving contacts to a staffing marketing list that will put helpful tips, cartoons, entertaining stories, items of interest or added value into their inbox every few weeks over time.

The candidate you placed today may be looking for a new opportunity a few years down the road. The employer who hired them may not have other openings now, but 6, 9, 12, or 36 months later, they might be growing so fast that they can’t keep pace. Transitioning from a sales-oriented to a relationship-building staffing marketing plan is essential for clients or candidates “after the sale.”

Whether you are looking to attract job candidates or want to land more employers onto your staffing agency list of clients, these staffing marketing ideas can help. Add these staffing marketing ideas to your agency’s strategy to grow your temporary services firm, staffing agency or recruiting services.

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As a top staffing factoring company we are pleased to offer low staffing factoring rates, high advances and fast funding for staffing payroll loans and to help you grow your employment agency more quickly. Get a free staffing factoring or payroll funding quote:

compass showing the direction of business success

11 Ways to Position your Business for Success this Year

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If you are one of the many business owners looking for ways to build business in the New Year, you are not alone. Here are eleven steps you can take to position your business for growth right now.

Top 11 Ways to Position Your Business to Succeed in the New Year

The devil is in the details when it comes to growing any type of business. The little things that you do now can have big effects later on. Put these eleven ideas to work in your business in order to set the stage for business success and growth in the New Year.

1. Get on Top of New Year Marketing and Industry Trends

Taking the time to research new technologies, consumer buying behaviors and marketing trends can help you identify improvements to your business that could help you gain an edge over competitors or keep you from being out-maneuvered by them. Emerging trends in your industry, marketing and the buying patterns of your customers (or consumers in general) can be used to shape – or at least tweak – your business and marketing plans for the coming year.

Where to start: Industry trade magazines and websites often feature preview and trend articles at this time of year. You can also glean inspiration from sites like springwise.com, find out about new tech from sites like producthunt.com, or explore all kinds of 2020 business trends on sites like entrepreneur.com.

2. Improve your Communication Skills to Succeed in the New Year

No doubt about it, effective communication skills – whether verbal or written – can make the difference when it comes to breaking through the clutter with consumers, employees, investors and other stakeholders. Smarp.com identified eighteen communication trends leaders need to be aware of in 2020.

3. Why Wait? Spring-Clean Your Business Now

Be all you can be! Now is the perfect time to identify inefficiencies, ineffective policies and just plain bad practices that are keeping your business from becoming the best version of itself. This pingboard.com article suggests seven specific ways for you to improve your business in 2020. You might also like this forbes.com article with five budgeting tips for small businesses in 2020.

4. Identify Financial Resources

Very few growth initiatives can be completed without working capital. Your plan for growth needs to be supported by adequate working capital for day to day operations as well as capital that can be used for marketing, expansion, new technology, new product or service launches, and so on. Your business may already have working capital that can be unlocked using receivables invoice factoring. These assets “on the books” can be unlocked to free up working capital when needed, instead of waiting weeks, or even months, for customers to pay.

5. Stop Generalizing Already!

If your marketing messages are one-size-fits-all, it might mean they are closer to one-size-fits-none. Get smart about members of your target markets using sites like Nielsen’s claritas.com Prizm zip code look up tool (where you can find out what types of people live in your local area) or trendsactive.com with its overview on generational trends.

6. Refine or Retool Your Value Proposition

Stop rambling! Refining the way that you deliver your value proposition could impact your conversion rate in a big way. Sales strategy expert Jill Konrath offers up two ways you can create sales messages that convert in Examples of What to Say When Prospecting.

7. Speaking of Customers, Reboot Your Retention Strategy

Many businesses have detailed plans for attracting customers but only a few, somewhat vague strategies laid out to keep them. Now is the perfect time for you to identify the rate of customer turnover (or “churn”) that is present within your organization, decide what constitutes a reasonable level of turnover and create a warning system that triggers actions when unacceptable levels are reached.

7. Craft an Employee-Experience Strategy

Churn and turnover isn’t just a problem when it comes to customers; employee turnover can keep your business from reaching its full potential as well. Much attention is paid in marketing to designing a customer experience that sets a business apart, but few businesses go so far as to design and implement a purposeful employee experience plan.

Since employee satisfaction is critical to customer care, efficiency, productivity, profitability and nearly every other area of your business, thinking through the experience in your business from the employee’s point of view could be helpful.

From recruiting, hiring and orientation through to the break and lunch areas, benefits, time off and other perks, design an employee experience within your business that makes employees believe you feel they are as important to your organization’s success as you say they are! To help you get started, check out this hrtechnologist.com article six practical ways to improve employee retention.

9. Stop Believing You Can Read Minds

Whether it’s gauging customer or employee satisfaction, looking for ways to cut costs, becoming more productive or making any other number of improvements to a business, many business leaders act as though they can read minds; or worse, they act as though everyone thinks just like they do.

Let go of the notion that you are a mind reader and start asking questions of your customers and employees – and start listening to the answers. Make it safe for people to give you constructive criticism and you may well discover a treasure-trove of ideas that you can use to grow your business faster in the months ahead.

This article with 10 Questions to Ask Your Team Every Week on 15five.com can be a starting point to better team dialogue. In addition, be sure that you are soliciting customer feedback using surveys, post-sale customer ratings and reviews and encourage customers to engage with you on social networks.

10. Get Everyone on the Same Page

If everyone is pulling – but everyone is pulling in a different direction – you are unlikely to achieve your business goals. Don’t assume that investors, board members, employees or customers share your vision! Take some time to ensure that everyone is on the same page as is laid out in this entrepreneur.com article by:

  1. Defining the mission
  2. Setting priorities, goals and targets
  3. Encouraging bottom-up planning
  4. Facilitating transparent information sharing and rigorous debate
  5. Ensuring that your organization is aligned appropriately

11. Send a State of the Business Message

Inspire customers, employees, vendors and other stakeholders to enter the New Year feeling more connected to you and your brand. Talk about the way your business has impacted the lives of customers, staff and the community for the better. Tell how your business will transform and improve in the New Year. Point out benchmarks and achievements, and recognize and thank those who contributed.

5 Ways Staffing Agencies Can Cash In On Seasonal Holiday Hiring

5 Ways Staffing Agencies Can Cash In On Seasonal Holiday Hiring

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The coming holiday season promises another increase in consumer spending, and staffing and recruiting agencies can benefit as well as retailers. Here are five ways recruiters, staffing and temp employment agencies can get a piece of the holiday hiring pie.

‘Tis the Season for Holiday Hiring

Retailers, distributors and shipping companies are about to beef up staff, big time, in anticipation of another banner year for holiday ecommerce sales and many of them are going to turn to staffing and temporary employment agencies to get the job done. Amazon, Target and UPS will be hiring hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers this year.

And job seekers are interested, too. RetailDive reported “according to a recent Indeed holiday hiring survey, holiday job searches per million job seekers rose 11% in August from the year-ago period.” While some companies will create their own hiring systems, others will turn to temporary employment, staffing and recruiting agencies for help filling seasonal jobs.

5 Ways to Help Your Staffing Agency Grow by Satisfying Holiday Hiring Demand

1. Build a large pool of potential seasonal workers ahead of time.

Any of your current and past contacts could be looking to make a change or willing to take on a second job during the holidays, even if they are not technically looking for a new job. Reach out to your contacts now and ask for referrals as well.

Set up an online form just for people interested in seasonal work with a short application and create an expedited version of your normal recruiting and hiring process so that when opportunity knocks, you have a long list of potential seasonal workers who are ready to hit the shop floor – or warehouse floor – running.

2. Use invoice factoring to finance expanded recruiting and hiring activities.

Having a list of candidates who have already been vetted could give your agency a competitive advantage during the holidays that extends into repeat business next year. Job ads, background checks, time spent interviewing candidates and checking references – it all takes time. You might even need to hire your own seasonal help just to handle the increased workload it will take to build a large pool of seasonal workers.

Invoice factoring speeds up cash flow and gives you access to working capital that is tied up in client invoices; this is working capital that you can then deploy to ramp up recruiting efforts and develop a pool of seasonal workers who are ready to go to work immediately. Even if you are already factoring, we would be happy to provide you with a quote for staffing invoice factoring to ensure that you have the best cash flow solution in place for your agency.

3. Keep quality standards high.

Yes, you want to have a pool of candidates large enough to quickly meet employer’s demands for temporary workers during the holidays, but that doesn’t mean low-quality seasonal workers should get through the door. Your value as a temporary employer, staffing agency or recruiter lies in saving your clients time and money after the worker hits the floor. Any time a client has to deal with a less-than-stellar placement, the cost of using your services goes up, and your value to the client goes down. Don’t skimp on quality of candidates even during the holiday seasonal hiring rush.

4. Point out the value of getting a foot in the door.

If your initial call for seasonal workers doesn’t produce the number of potential placements you envisioned or you are looking to get a few really stellar candidates to consider seasonal work, remind contacts that the road to getting their dream job at their dream company might start by getting their foot in the door as a seasonal holiday worker.

5. Send out a packet of potential seasonal worker resumes.

You’ve got a pool of seasonal holiday hires ready to place; now what? In addition to reaching out by phone and email to clients, put together a marketing packet that highlights the number and quality of candidates that you have who are ready to rock and roll, by speaking to candidates backgrounds and experience, and using testimonials from their references – think of it as a holiday staffing catalog and design it accordingly as collateral that you can use throughout the holidays online and off.

customer payments

7 Ways to Speed Up Customer Payments

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Waiting on customer payments? Leverage these ideas to speed up business cash flow so you can focus on growing your business, instead. STUDY – 3 Out of 10 US Businesses Not Paid On Time According to the 2018 Global Trade Credit Payments Study by Dun & Bradstreet, U.S. companies in many industries are not being […]

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