Online, protecting your name is essential

We all agree that a good name is good for business. The greater the respect for a brand is, the more sales it will generate. It all comes down to three things: trust, value for money and customer service. You’ll be successful if you can build a solid reputation in these three areas. With the explosion of social media, it takes only one negative comment to damage your reputation. What can you do? Continue reading Online, protecting your name is essential

Why courier businesses should consider van rental

For those considering starting out as a courier, or if you wish to expand your existing courier business, van hire can be a smart option for many reasons. Here are three things to consider when deciding if van rental or purchase is right for you.

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Cost

If you are starting out, then van rental is an economical option that avoids putting down large payments to purchase a vehicle. This will give you flexibility – meaning you won’t be lumbered with a vehicle you don’t need if plans change. 2022 was a difficult year for retailers and delivery companies alike, so it makes sense to keep your business as agile as possible.

For those businesses considering van hire Bristol who are VAT registered, you are also able to claim your tax back on van rental payments as a business expense, further lowering your costs.

Another cost that should be considered in the choice between purchase and renting is vehicle depreciation. Every second your van ages after it leaves the dealer forecourt, it loses value. Those using van hire Bristol don’t have to worry about this.

Size and Spec

When it comes to couriers, If you are in the market to upgrade your vehicle or want to expand your business, then the bigger the vehicle, the more you can fit in and the more efficient your deliveries become.

Van rental also opens up the van market to you in a way that probably wouldn’t be the case if you were purchasing. If having an electronic vehicle is important to you (or your customers) or you want a high-spec van, then renting can make this happen faster and easier without the associated financial and mechanical risks that come with owning a vehicle.

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Security of income

If anything goes wrong with your vehicle, a rental company will replace it immediately. Depending on your business insurance, this may not be an option if you have purchased a van. Even if your insurance does cover it, this will require admin from you and use up your precious time.

Why it Makes Sense to Use a Contract Packing Company

If you run a business and you supply products, the chances are these are going to need to be packaged for distribution. When you first start up, this is usually something that you can manage in house, but as your business grows, and demand rises, then you are going to have to start thinking about how you can meet this demand. Continue reading Why it Makes Sense to Use a Contract Packing Company

Smart Ways to Save Money on Energy

A significant part of a household budget goes on energy, but there are ways you can reduce these costs. From switching off lights and appliances when you’re not in a room to washing clothes by hand, making these simple adjustments will help you lower your bills and put more cash back in your wallet. To find out more about sustainable options like Solar Panel Installation Bristol, visit https://redbridgeandsons.co.uk/solar-pv-panels/solar-panel-installers-bristol Continue reading Smart Ways to Save Money on Energy

How to Grow Your Online Business

Over the past 10 years, ecommerce and online businesses have grown exponentially. Right now, anyone with a business idea has the ability to get it off the ground without leaving the house. However, it still does take a lot of work to make your business successful. Almost every market has thousands of different businesses fighting for customers. This is why it is important that your company is seen above all the others. In this article we will give some tips and tricks to help you get ahead of your competition in the online world.

Use paid advertising. The most effective way to get your business seen by your potential customers, is to use paid advertising. Platforms such as Google, Facebook and Instagram allow you to pay money to have your posts seen by specific demographics. This means that you can directly advertise to your target market. It is important to carefully plan your paid advertisements, so they are seen by the correct audience, within your preferred age group and locations.

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Build your social media. It is vital when growing an online business, that you have a strong online presence so returning and potential customers can easily find you and get in contact with you. It is important to be posting regularly and build a large audience, so you look like an active and reliable company. You can also use your social media pages to grow intrigue in your business and direct more traffic towards your website and sales pages.

Invest in SEO. One of the main ways your potential customers will find your business to purchase your services is through a google search. That is why it is vital that when potential customers search with keywords that relate to your business, you are one of the first links that appear. Investing in search engine optimisation will help make sure you are always at the top of the lists on google searches, meaning that a lot more traffic will be directed towards your website. One example of an SEO Swansea company is www.accent-adc.co.uk/service/digital-marketing-swansea/

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Monitor your analytics. It is important that you regularly take time to monitor your website’s analytics to be able to understand what methods are working and which ones are not. If you find that certain methods are not drawing people to click through to your website, then you should evaluate if it is worth continuing to invest your time and money on that strategy.

The danger of neglecting fire risk assessment

Despite a fire risk assessment being a legal requirement in the UK, the sheer danger of having a business that is not equipped or trained to act appropriately to fire risk is catastrophic, and sadly more common than you think. Here is some advice for an employer of a business, or equally for an employee, to make sure you are safe in your work environment.

By law, all your employees should receive fire training on induction. Therefore, if you do not remember getting introduced to fire exits, fire alarm systems or drills, then this is something that you should urgently follow up on. As an employee it is your responsibility to ensure that this happens, however, in terms of personal safety, you are entitled to question your lack of training.

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Although many smaller businesses may assume that a full-length fire risk assessment is overkill, a business with five or more people must have evidence of a fire risk assessment that explains how it will prevent escalation and potential risks. The person who is chosen to do this does not need to be trained, however, they do need to be chosen with the consideration of having major responsibility and a sensible judgement of the premises.

There are many stages to an assessment however a business will need to implement protocols such as fire alarm and extinguisher servicing. Despite this, you can get training if you feel unsure. This can be from businesses such as Fire Risk Assessment Bristol http://keloscape.co.uk/areas-we-cover/fire-safety-consultancy-bristol/ where you can also get staff training days.

In training, it is essential that staff members learn the basics of fire safety such as how to use a fire extinguisher so they can stop a small situation from escalating. Harmless scenarios such as burning toasters can very quickly develop into a fire if these skills aren’t acquired, or fire alarms are not regularly checked.

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Not only can fires completely destroy the building itself and cause injuries to people working in it, but they can simultaneously destroy the reputation of the business. A fire can be a reflection of poor management and a business going downhill.

Therefore, as well as avoiding getting fined, it is well worth familiarising yourself with your work’s fire regulations or bringing up gaps in the training. After all, lives are at risk…

Creating a Safer Workplace

The workplace should be somewhere that everyone can feel safe, and the employer needs to put in processes that do this. Of course the description of the workplace can vary from person to person – for some it could be driving a vehicle, whereas for others it could be working outdoors, and for many it is working in an office.

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In order to provide the people who work for you with the right equipment and training to feel safe, it is important to ensure that you assess the safety and work out all of the risks that might be part of the job.

In some jobs of course there will be more – for example, for people who are working at height, such as builders or tree surgeons, then there will need to be the right training and equipment in place to keep them safe. For people who work with hazardous materials, you will need to think of ways that they can be handled safely, as well as using PPE to keep the person safe.

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Some risks are part of every workplace. Fire is a good example of this. Fires are something that you can do a lot to prevent. The first step to fire safety is to get an expert like this fire risk assessment Bristol based company keloscape.co.uk/areas-we-cover/fire-safety-consultancy-bristol to come and work out based on your workplace and the other factors, such as the materials used there, and the storage of things, what you need.

They will be able to then advise you of things that can be changed to make the place safer, such as using fireproof materials or changing how you store things. They can also advise you on things like fire extinguishers – there are many different types to deal with different fires, so they will be able to tell you the types that are suitable for you.

You also should have fire training. This means that employees need to know where to go and what to do if they notice a fire or if the fire alarm sounds. A fire assembly point and regular fire drills help to keep this fresh in people’s minds, and having a member of staff who can help to coordinate this will mean that the risk of someone being harmed in a fire is much lower.