Energy regulator, Ofgem, is making progress with its intention to protect businesses from being mis-sold energy deals. According to their research, between 14% – 17% of businesses who use brokers are unsatisfied with the service they receive. With these figures in mind, Ofgem believes there’s a serious systemic problem in the energy market that’s affecting economic development. The Energy Industry and Mis-selling ‘Unprofessional’ and ‘Aggressive’ When trying to secure a sale, energy suppliers and brokers have been accused of cold calling, aggressive sales tactics, unprofessional behaviour, and impersonating other companies. [...]
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Tips for Saving Money in an Economic Downturn
In the years since 2008, global economic difficulties have plagued small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and made the task of successfully establishing a business more of a challenge than in the preceding boom years. Retailers have been affected by a drop in consumer confidence caused by high inflation and a lack of disposable income, while issues in the Eurozone have had a knock-on effect for the international marketplace as a whole. As a result, many small businesses have been forced to search for new ways to save money and squirrel [...]
Business Monitor reveals unemployment may have peaked
A stabilisation in employment, converging economies, cost-cutting and a problem with debtors are the main issues to emerge from the latest InterTradeIreland quarterly Business Monitor released today. Employment has stabilised The Q1 2013 Business Monitor reveals a stabilisation in the employment levels across the island. In the last three months 85 per cent of businesses have maintained current staffing levels and only 11 per cent report reducing their workforce. The number of companies reporting that they have reduced numbers of staff has remained fairly static over the last four quarters [...]
Prioritise the important over ‘the urgent’
The focus of many businesses over the last 5 years has necessarily been on short term survival, namely the ‘urgent’. If your business has come through the worst recession in living memory congratulate yourself, but ask whether it is now time to step back and take a look at your positioning for future success, namely the ‘important’. Prioritise the important over ‘the urgent’ Signs that you need to set time aside to explore the ‘important’: your business is losing market share your product offering is undifferentiated from the competition there [...]
Sales and Marketing Plan
Over the years I have come across so many businesses, small and medium size, where there is no sales and marketing plan at all…..no really – none at all. From the outside they appear successful. Other customers and business people that know them think; ” They have it sorted”, “How do they do that”. This surprised me too! Then I get a phone call to come and talk to them as they needed “Marketing” help. Over a lovely cup of coffee the real truth is unveiled. “We have no real structure to [...]
Instagram for Business
Social media has completely changed the game play for businesses. With the large population social media pools in, it’s not impossible to find the demographic you seek. Large social networks, like Instagram, make connecting more accessible and simple. So business owners grab the opportunity to connect to their market. They use social media to update consumers, introduce new products and campaign their brand. There are many things the web can do for businesses once you get creative. Instagram for Business Instagram is a popular photo sharing website where people can [...]
Create a Great Business Card
In today’s digital economy, many people overlook the importance and value of a high quality business card. A business card is an easy way to distribute contact information, but it’s also a personal statement. A good business card can communicate creativity, professionalism, a client-centered mindset and a sense of style. Creating a great business card can be a breeze, if you follow the right steps. Create a Great Business Card Content First, determine what content needs to be included on the card. For most people, basic content will include a [...]
What SME Managers Can Learn From Sir Alex Ferguson
Of all the contemporary knowledge-based businesses, SMB leaders and entrepreneurs would be unwise to dismiss the elite sports, and specifically football, as unallied to their own daily business lives. The football and the small business worlds (and indeed those of politics and big business) have had a symbiotic relationships for decades now. Small business leaders and entrepreneurs often make the mistake of assuming that the the respective natures of their businesses are worlds apart. Not so. Actually, the football business offers a very accessible model to use as a learning [...]
What Can I Track With Google Analytics
For businesses that sell online, your website does one vital thing; it acts as your shop, it allows people to make purchases and chances are, if it doesn’t do well, your business will fail. So naturally, it is vitally important that you constantly market your website and increase your traffic and ultimately your sales. It can be hard to know what to track though right? Obviously, more sales is a good thing, but how do you know how well your site is really performing? Which stats matter most, and which [...]
Mental Health in the Workplace
Mental health in the workplace is becoming more and more of a hot topic in Irish HR and employment law discussions. Through medical research it has been identified that the issue of mental health is becoming an ever-increasing problem amongst Irish employees and that, unfortunately, there appears to be little information for employers out there to help combat this problem. This is a concern as not only can this lead to problems for employees but employers can also (a) be held liable for treating employee’s in a discriminatory fashion if their [...]
4 Apps to Help Run Your Business
In today’s competitive business world every second of your time is valuable, especially when you are running a small business. In light of this growing need to always be productive, here are 4 apps to help run your business… Evernote Evernote is a great alternative to Wunderlist but it is also so much more. With Evernote you can save pictures, text, webpages, research and lists for anything and everything. It not only allows you to structure your work load it also means that you are able to find the things [...]
(OMiG) Online Marketing in Galway Event
Online Marketing in Galway presents the fifth meet up of 2013 with guest speakers Marketo and Oisin Browne, of The City Bin Company. OMiG are excited to announce that with the help of sponsorship from Marketo (European Headquarters) and support from the Harbour Hotel, Galway that the network’s fifth meeting of 2013 will be taking place on Monday 27th May in the Harbour Hotel Galway. At this meeting some of Galway’s most elite business people and online marketing companies will get the chance to listen to two fantastic guest speakers who [...]
Pics From the Balmoral Show
The Balmoral Show in partnership with Ulster Bank is Ireland’s largest Agricultural and Food Show that entertains the whole family. The 145th Show offers its usual extravaganza of colour, competition and showmanship along with daily displays of pedigree horses, ponies, cattle, sheep, poultry, pigs and goats at the new showgrounds, Balmoral Park. Pics from The bArmoral Show this years show below….
Generate Leads With Twitter & Facebook
One of the most common questions I get asked by the members of the Work at Home Mums Network is “How do I find leads and generate sales for my small business?” The first thing to understand is there’s an easy way and there’s a hard way to generate leads. Juggling kids, family and business is hard enough without making things even harder. So my job is to teach you how to do it, as quickly and easily as possible. Seeing results is important and keeps you motivated, so let’s [...]
Common Agricultural Policy
The European Commission defines the CAP as follows: Launched in 1962, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a partnership between agriculture and society, between Europe and its farmers. Its main aims are: To improve agricultural productivity, so that consumers have a stable supply of affordable food. To ensure that EU farmers can make a reasonable living. Nice aspirations but how does it work in practice. Common Agricultural Policy In the early years the plan was to encourage farmers across the original member states to give up farming. This would make it [...]
