Every entrepreneur has experienced the hustle culture — the idea that every waking moment must be focused on building and bettering your business. When riding solo, it's easy to blur the boundaries between work and life, a habit that can quickly lead to burnout. However, post-pandemic people are reprioritizing their work and finding ways to feel and be productive. Reevaluating the grind The rise of Silicon Valley tech companies in the last part of the 1990s and into the early 2000s have been named as largely responsible for romanticizing "the grind." Pulling all-nighters and being constantly connected was a way to show how into the work you were. Though entrepreneurs are known for being passionate about their work and dedicated to maximizing their time, the pandemic slowed everything down. The forced halt gave everyone time to reevaluate how they wanted to approach their work going forward. Many surveys highlight employees' willingness to cut pay in exchange for a better work-life balance. Flexible schedules, remote working and other customized perks and benefits all have become part of the mainstream. This type of freedom is a world entrepreneurs know all too well but may have forgotten during their company's growth phases. It's nice to remember that a schedule doesn't have to be filled up to achieve goals. And growth doesn't necessarily mean a slowdown. It's an intentional look at what does and doesn't work to optimize time. As entrepreneurs and the workforce as a whole continue to evolve past the hustle culture and appreciate what it feels like to have more balance, here are some ways to transition into this growth phase and still feel you are making strides. 1. Budget your time Like a monetary budget, look at your overall work time and evaluate where you spend most of it. How much is assigned toward administrative work? How much is reserved for meetings? And more importantly, where are the areas that can be freed up? By closely examining where your time goes, it makes it easier to pinpoint places that need improvement. For instance, an entrepreneur in growth mode may be ready for a virtual assistant or professional services to ease their load. Hiring someone who can take care of emails, keep track of projects, and help with content management and social media can take your business to the next level. Start small by outsourcing a few assigned weekly hours and adding to it as needed. Relinquishing control is a big step as an entrepreneur, but to grow, it's best to get help where you can. Delegating specific responsibilities gives you more time to focus on strategy and the next steps, so you don't remain stagnant in the same work patterns. 2. Prioritize your health As an entrepreneur, taking a sick day is practically unheard of since there's no one else to fill in when you're out. That's why it's crucial to take care of your everyday health. The hustle culture made us believe that work came before sleep, eating, and exercise. Using caffeine and adrenaline to fuel the system is not a method that will work long-term. Practicing the basics of self-care, like daily exercise, quality sleep, and good nutrition and hydration, like drinking water, doesn't seem as exciting, but they are the difference makers. These healthy habits will help you think more clearly and function more effectively. So often, these are the first things to go in place of work. When, in reality, they are the things most needed to get the work done. In growth mode, you have to move beyond a scarcity mindset that requires around-the-clock work. Instead, focus on long-term goals, in addition to short-term wins, which involve taking care of your health first and foremost. Put it on the schedule and consider it an investment in your work life. 3. Find new ways to expand Even in today's instant gratification world, faster isn't always better. However, in some ways, the grind can be necessary… but not a forever approach. It can help you focus and build a good foundation, but the next step is to create processes that allow things to flow more easily. As you grow and scale your business, some tasks should become automated. Look into virtual and in-person assistance, digital tools, and resources to make your life easier. Email, social media, and e-commerce platforms are all part of what creates better workflows. The hustle is not as popular as it once was because we have the technology to do things differently, which works best for you and allows you to expand creatively and make more authentic audience connections. Entrepreneurial life is about adapting. But now, the focus is more on adapting to what works more favorably for you. Not subscribing to hustle culture doesn't mean you're behind the competition; the approach is simply different. As a whole, society is entering a phase where quality, personalization, and intention matter, so it's important to recognize where you need and want to grow. Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com
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What keeps me up at night? Watermelons. As a CEO, my biggest fear is that the digital dashboards capturing my company's vital signs are the business equivalent of that tropical fruit — green and firm on the outside, but red and mushy underneath. At first glance, everything looks solid. Then one morning, I get a call from a client asking, "What the hell is going on with A, B or C?" This concern isn't fair to my team, who consistently exceed my expectations. But the reality is that for many leaders, such nagging fears can persist. When there's a problem, the last thing you want is for people to give you the impression — intentionally or not — that things are better than they truly are. So, how do you avoid this? For the past few years, I've led a company in an industry facing astronomical demand. One of the biggest lessons: The agility, operational excellence and innovation required to meet this challenge requires building a culture of radical honesty. Here are three ways that leaders and their teams can embrace radical honesty — and reap the benefits of better decision-making and a true picture of where the business stands. Encourage your people to admit their weaknesses — and play to their strengths A simple formula for business success: Do things consistently better than the competition, and those wins will compound over time. The key to pulling it off? Let people focus on their strengths and delegate everything else. That calls for honesty and transparency. "Fake it till you make it" doesn't always work in business, where pretending can have disastrous consequences. As a leader, I want people to do the opposite — by asking for help and saying, "I don't know." One way to do this is by empowering and trusting team members to be rock stars in their domain. That makes our company better at creating innovative technologies, tackling new markets and responding nimbly to changing conditions. But at the same time, as I urge people to lean into their strengths, I give them permission to be less adept at other things. For example, if a member of my leadership team is no good at financial underwriting, I tell them to own it like a badge of honor. After all, that's what hiring is for. To make up for their lack of knowledge and expertise in a particular area, we can bring on someone to fill the gap. It's my job as CEO to explain that the goal isn't to undermine or replace them, but to help them focus on what they do best. There's a direct line between that mindset and business results. In one study, companies whose CEOs excelled at delegating grew more than twice as fast as those with a less skilled delegator at the helm. Don't default to the rulebook For leaders, honesty is nearly always the best policy, even if it means ruffling a few feathers or going against convention. Sometimes this requires poking holes in well-intentioned ideas that also happen to be intellectually lazy. This came up recently in a chat with my team about how we plan to meet the demand that AI is creating in our industry. While some of the ideas presented were sound, others needed more probing. Take the argument for keeping someone in a management role because they've done the job forever. Many companies default to this way of thinking, but what if they're overlooking a newer hire with a fresh perspective and a natural ability to inspire the team? To me, sticking with option A isn't an intellectually honest approach. As hard as it is, leaders can't escape making these kinds of tough decisions. Without abandoning all loyalty to people, they should consider what's best for the business and make pragmatic rather than emotional choices. Even if those decisions aren't always popular. In a broader sense, being intellectually honest means knowing when adhering to the rulebook is hurting the company, not helping it. For example, I'm a big believer in hiring top talent, telling them where our True North is, and then letting them figure out the best way forward. If somebody needs a course correction, that can be addressed. But expecting the entire team to follow every company rule to the letter? That will only slow us down. Give the team a license to speed without getting a ticket Leading with radical honesty also requires getting real with yourself and your team about how willing you are to embrace failure. At our latest companywide offsite, I told people I want them to fail more. For a business, that isn't as risky as it might sound. Companies that are serious about innovation should be willing to try new things and pivot fast if they don't work. Take Airbnb, which didn't begin by building an elaborate home rental website. Instead, the founders tested the waters by renting out their own loft online. Google Glass — released by a company famous for its "moonshots" — is a good example of a failed experiment. When its smart glasses didn't catch fire with consumers, Google moved on. Encouraging creative destruction means removing the fear of failure, a major cause of inaction. Within reason, people should be able to fail out loud without worrying they'll get fired. For me as a leader, there's little risk because I've hired talented people who are laser-focused on executing well. All they really need is a license to speed without getting a ticket. Unfortunately, many business leaders don't see things that way. Despite all the rhetoric around moving fast and breaking things, less than half of companies have a leadership team that regularly tolerates small-scale failures, according to a recent global survey of CEOs. Someone should explain to them that the rewards of letting people fail can be substantial. In a study of 120 tech startups, those committed to learning from failure produced greater scientific output, raised more capital and innovated more. Of course, businesses must also know when to play it safe. For Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, there's a big difference between "experimental failure" (good) and "operational failure" (bad). It's the same at my company, where the mission-critical computer and electrical systems that power our facilities don't leave much room for error. But even there we get creative — for example, by finding innovative ways to keep the lights on during a blackout. For leaders and their teams, the biggest benefit of a culture of radical honesty is the elimination of fear: that employees will get into trouble for taking risks, that folks aren't good enough at their jobs or that the company is actually on shaky ground. Ultimately, ensuring that everyone knows where they and the organization stand is a competitive advantage, thanks to a more engaged workforce, a clear view of where the business needs to grow and iterate, and a culture where people feel as emboldened to innovate as they do to ask for help. When it comes to performance, what you see is what you get. So, here's to keeping watermelons where they belong — at the company picnic. Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com
Chances are, your business collects personal information about customers, employees and/or partners. This means you have an obligation to protect that information. Failure to do so could lead to legal issues or even bankruptcy. Unfortunately, many businesses have found themselves in these situations over the past several years. Jane Hils Shea, technology and data privacy attorney for Frost Brown Todd said in an email interview with Small Business Trends, “The frequency and extent of data breaches is at an all-time high in terms of both number of breaches and number of individual records compromised, and the expenses associated with data breach response is increasing.” Here’s what your small business needs to know about personal information and how to protect it. What Is Personal Information? Personally identifiable information or sensitive personal data can be anything that is used to identify an individual’s personal identity. For instance:
There’s a good chance that your business collects some of this information about your customers already. Any time someone pays with a credit card or signs up for your email list using their name and contact info, you gain access to personal information. This means you need to have policies in place to protect this information and let customers know exactly how you intend on using this data. Here’s what you need to know. Why Is Personal Information Important to Your Small Business? There are laws and regulations that require businesses to meet certain standards when it comes to storing and protecting personal information. In most cases, you’re bound by the actual language that you use in your own privacy policies. So it’s important that you outline exactly how you plan on using any personal information you collect and have customers agree to that policy when they do business with you. However, there are other standards that apply to specific industries as well. Shea says, “An online business that collects personal data about persons located in the U.S. is primarily bound by the promises made in its website privacy policy. IF a business is a part of the financial services or healthcare industries, it could be subject to the requirements of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) or the Health Information Protection and Portability Act (HIPAA). If it collects data about children under 13 it could be liable under the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA).” Payments are another major area where businesses need to focus their security efforts. Shea explains, “Businesses that accept credit cards should be certain they comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS). All businesses that take payment by credit card are required by their card processing agreement to have implemented and to maintain the PCI-DSS.” Online businesses also need to be aware of international laws or those that focus on personal information from customers outside the U.S., like the GDPR laws that went into effect for the EU earlier this year. When it comes to protecting personal information, the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s Identity Theft Rules require certain businesses to have written identity theft protection programs. And many vendor service agreements also require businesses to implement industry standard security procedures as part of their contract agreements. How Can Your Business Protect Personal Information? There are many steps you can and should take to protect the sensitive data and personally identifiable information you collect about customers, employees, and vendors. Your exact plan will depend on what data you actually collect. But there’s one essential principle that applies to basically every business. Shea says, “The cardinal rule and the first step for a business to take to protect against data breaches is to “know thy data.” A strong information security program begins with a data inventory and a data map. This exercise tells a business what personal data it collects and processes about its customers and employees, and identifies where in its system it is located so it can best protect that data. Further, it should understand how personal data is processed and transmitted, how long it is retained, and what its data destruction obligations are.” She also offered a handful of concrete steps you can employ. For example:
Cybersecurity Best Practices for Small Businesses In today’s digital landscape, the importance of cybersecurity cannot be overstated. Small businesses, just like large corporations, are prime targets for cyberattacks. The consequences of a data breach can be devastating, leading to financial losses, reputational damage, and legal troubles. Therefore, it’s crucial for small businesses to implement robust cybersecurity measures to protect their operations and customer data. In this section, we will explore some cybersecurity best practices tailored to the unique needs and constraints of small businesses. Regularly Update Software and Systems Outdated software and operating systems are vulnerable to known security flaws that cybercriminals can exploit. Small businesses should establish a routine for updating all software and systems promptly. This includes operating systems, antivirus programs, firewalls, and applications. Consider enabling automatic updates whenever possible to ensure your systems are always equipped with the latest security patches. Implement Strong Password Policies Weak passwords are a common entry point for cyberattacks. Encourage your employees to create strong, complex passwords that include a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters. Passwords should be unique for each account and changed regularly. Consider implementing two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security to your accounts. Educate Your Team on Cybersecurity Human error is a significant contributor to cybersecurity breaches. Ensure that your employees are well-informed about cybersecurity best practices. Conduct training sessions or workshops to educate them on recognizing phishing attempts, social engineering tactics, and other common threats. Encourage a culture of vigilance and responsible online behavior within your organization. Secure Your Wi-Fi Network Your Wi-Fi network is a potential entry point for cybercriminals. Secure it with a strong password, and consider using Wi-Fi encryption protocols like WPA3 for enhanced protection. Regularly update your router’s firmware to patch security vulnerabilities. Create a separate guest network for visitors and customers to prevent them from accessing your internal network. Backup Your Data Regularly Data loss can occur due to cyberattacks, hardware failures, or other unforeseen events. Implement regular data backup procedures to ensure that critical business information is safe and recoverable. Store backups in secure, off-site locations or use cloud-based backup solutions. Test your backup and recovery processes to verify their effectiveness. Install and Maintain Antivirus Software Antivirus and anti-malware software are essential components of your cybersecurity strategy. Install reputable antivirus software on all devices connected to your network. Keep it updated to detect and mitigate the latest threats. Configure your antivirus software to perform regular scans of your systems. Establish a Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan Despite your best efforts, security incidents can still occur. Having a well-defined incident response plan is crucial. Outline the steps your organization should take in the event of a cybersecurity breach. Assign responsibilities to specific team members, and establish clear communication channels. The goal is to minimize damage and downtime while swiftly addressing the issue. Limit Access to Sensitive Data Not all employees require access to all data and systems. Implement the principle of least privilege (PoLP) by restricting access to sensitive information only to employees who need it for their roles. Regularly review and update access permissions to align with organizational changes. Regularly Monitor Network Activity Continuous monitoring of your network’s activity can help detect anomalies and potential security threats. Consider using intrusion detection systems (IDS) and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to identify and respond to suspicious activities. Monitor access logs and network traffic for signs of unauthorized access or unusual patterns. Secure Mobile Devices In today’s mobile-driven world, mobile devices are often used for work-related tasks. Ensure that all mobile devices used for business purposes are equipped with security measures such as remote wipe capabilities and encryption. Educate employees on mobile security best practices and the risks of downloading unverified apps. Collaborate with Cybersecurity Experts Cybersecurity is a complex field that requires expertise. Consider partnering with cybersecurity consultants or managed security service providers (MSSPs) to assess your security posture, identify vulnerabilities, and develop a tailored cybersecurity strategy. Their insights and guidance can be invaluable in protecting your business. Stay Informed About Emerging Threats Cybersecurity threats evolve continuously. Stay informed about the latest cybersecurity trends, vulnerabilities, and attack techniques. Subscribe to cybersecurity news sources, attend industry conferences, and engage with online communities to gain insights into emerging threats. This knowledge will help you proactively adapt your cybersecurity measures. Developing a Comprehensive Data Protection Strategy A robust data protection strategy begins with recognizing the varied levels of sensitivity in the personal information collected. Sensitive data, such as financial details, health records, and Social Security numbers, demands stringent protection measures, including encryption and access controls. Businesses must classify data at the point of collection, assigning levels of sensitivity and determining the appropriate safeguards for each category. This classification enables a tiered protection approach, ensuring that the most sensitive data receives the highest level of security. Implementing regular data audits is crucial for maintaining data accuracy and relevance. These audits assess what data is stored, its access levels, and its usage against the company’s privacy policies and compliance obligations. Compliance checks against standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA ensure ongoing adherence to legal requirements, helping businesses avoid costly fines and reputational damage. Enhancing Customer Trust through Crafting Clear Privacy Policies Transparency in how customer data is handled plays a pivotal role in building trust. A clear, concise privacy policy should articulate the types of data collected, the purposes of data processing, the security measures in place, and the customers’ rights regarding their data. This policy must be easily accessible, ideally with summaries or highlights for key sections to aid comprehension. Regular updates to the privacy policy, reflecting changes in data practices or legal requirements, further enhance transparency and trust. Implementing Consent Management Effective consent management ensures that customers have control over their personal information. This involves clear communication about the data being collected and its intended use at the point of collection, offering customers the choice to opt-in or opt-out. For sensitive information, explicit consent is often required, necessitating a straightforward mechanism for customers to grant or withdraw their consent. Managing consent records meticulously not only complies with legal requirements but also demonstrates respect for customer preferences. Preparing a Data Breach Response Plan Preparation is key to effectively managing a data breach. A well-defined response plan outlines the steps to take immediately following a breach, including assessing the scope, containing the breach, and notifying affected individuals and regulatory bodies. The plan should designate specific roles and responsibilities within the organization for managing the breach response, ensuring a coordinated and efficient approach. Legal Obligations and Customer Communication Following a data breach, adherence to legal and regulatory obligations is paramount. This includes timely notification to authorities and affected individuals, providing details about the breach, the type of data compromised, and the measures taken to address the breach. Transparent communication with customers, emphasizing the steps being taken to secure their data and prevent future breaches, is crucial for maintaining trust. Offering support, such as credit monitoring services, can further demonstrate the company’s commitment to protecting its customers. Conclusion: Safeguarding the Future through Responsible Data Management In an era where data is both a valuable asset and a potential liability, implementing robust data protection strategies, fostering transparency, and preparing for the unexpected are critical for businesses of all sizes. By developing comprehensive data protection strategies, businesses not only shield themselves against the financial and reputational repercussions of data breaches but also establish a foundation of trust with their customers. Transparency in data handling practices reassures customers that their personal information is respected and safeguarded, fostering loyalty in a competitive marketplace. Navigating the aftermath of a data breach with integrity and openness further cements a business’s reputation as a trustworthy entity. Ultimately, the commitment to responsible data management and protection is a testament to a business’s dedication to its customers’ well-being and privacy. By embracing these principles, businesses not only comply with evolving regulatory landscapes but also pave the way for sustainable growth and success in the digital age. Source: https://smallbiztrends.com Image Source: Photo via Shutterstock
One page website small business solutions are becoming increasingly popular as a remedy for cluttered and unwelcoming websites. A cluttered website can appear unprofessional and drive potential customers away, with statistics showing that 55 percent of users spend only 15 seconds or less on a site before losing interest. This brief engagement results in lower traffic and fewer conversions, which is particularly detrimental for businesses that depend on digital revenue. By adopting a one page website, small businesses are streamlining their online presence to capture and retain user attention more effectively. What is a One Page Website? The term ‘one page website’ is exactly what it sounds like — although in order to properly develop and deploy one, you do need to put quite a lot of consideration into what you’re doing and how you’re going to achieve it. Simply put, a one page website is a single page website that utilizes just one HTML page. Most one page websites do have menu bars like your average, run-of-the-mill website. Yet rather than transport you to different HTML pages, selecting a menu item merely drops users down to a predefined HTML anchor somewhere on the site’s single page. This is typically achieved through JavaScript, CSS3, Ajax and jQuery. A huge number of creatives have recently adopted the one page website — although larger multinationals have also begun to implement temporary deployments of one page websites as preview pages and placeholders to kick start promotional activities prior to a big launch. Why Do Businesses Like One Page Websites? The benefits of deploying a one page website are clear from a user’s point-of-view — but a lot of business owners benefit from their use, too. First and foremost, creating a one page website is nearly always going to be faster than taking the time to create a larger website filled with smaller pages. The design process normally takes a bit longer when crafting a one page website, because the HTML is a bit more complicated. But in the long term, it’s usually a quicker option. One page websites are also far easier to maintain when content needs updated, because it’s all in one, easy-to-find location. Many business owners also find drafting copy for a one page website to be a useful exercise in learning to be more concise in their product and service descriptions. Because one page website are design-driven, it’s advisable to keep copy as minimal as possible – and fickle customers consequently go on to appreciate receiving the cliff’s notes of who your company is and what it does. When in doubt, if you can say it less words, do it. How Do I Create a One Page Website? If it sounds like a one page website might be appropriate for your small business, you’ll be pleased to know they aren’t very difficult to create. Although they are typically more complicated in terms of HTML coding, there are plenty of dynamic generators and free template providers that streamline the process. If your site is uses WordPress, you can even transform your cluttered site into a one page site in a matter of minutes. Alternatively, freelance web developers will often be able to churn out a bespoke one page site in a matter of days. Here’s a more detailed look at the steps for creating a one-page website for your business:
Design Principles for One-Page Websites Visual Hierarchy and Layout The key to a successful one-page website lies in its visual hierarchy and layout. It’s essential to strategically use design elements to guide visitors through your content effortlessly. A well-thought-out visual hierarchy helps in highlighting the most critical sections, such as calls to action, key services, or products. Employing contrasting colors for different sections, varying typography sizes, and incorporating high-quality imagery can draw attention to specific areas and improve the overall user experience. The layout should be intuitive, with a logical flow from introduction to conclusion, allowing users to navigate the content without feeling lost or overwhelmed. Engagement and Interactivity To keep visitors engaged on a one-page website, incorporating interactivity and animation can play a significant role. Subtle animations triggered by scroll events, hover effects on buttons or links, and interactive galleries or sliders can make the browsing experience more enjoyable and memorable. However, it’s crucial to maintain a balance – too much animation or overly complex interactive elements can detract from the main message and slow down the site. The goal is to enhance the user experience by making the website dynamic and lively without compromising its performance or usability. Alternatively, if you decide to enlist professional help for creating your one-page website, here are the main options to consider:
Creating a one-page website doesn’t have to be daunting. With the right approach, tools, and resources, you can have a streamlined and effective website up and running in no time. Whether you DIY or enlist professional help, the key is to keep the user experience at the forefront of your design decisions.
Do One Page Websites Have Any Downsides? One page websites can be incredibly dynamic and refreshingly simple marketing tools with which to further your business – but that doesn’t mean they’re perfect for everybody. Some developers argue that swapping a multi-page site in favor of a one page website can be harmful to a company’s online visibility. This is because when all your company information is located on one page, you won’t have the benefit of being able to index several pages with different keywords and meta descriptions that could help your products and services appear in less obvious search engine results pages. This is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) issue that isn’t guaranteed to affect every website or business, and can sometimes work to a company’s advantage by bolstering its page authority on a more finite set of keywords. But this risk can be a matter of trial and error, which is why some experts warn against relying too heavily upon one, single page website.
Challenges and Solutions for One-Page Websites Navigation and Content Organization One of the primary challenges of a one-page website is ensuring that visitors can easily navigate and find the information they need. Without clear navigation, users might miss important content or become frustrated trying to locate specific sections. To combat this, consider implementing a fixed or sticky navigation menu that allows users to quickly jump to different sections of the page. Anchor links are particularly useful for one-page websites, as they enable smooth scrolling to various content areas. Additionally, using distinct visual cues, such as separators, background colors, or icons, can help differentiate between sections and organize content in a digestible format. Load Time and Performance Given that one-page websites often contain all their content on a single page, they can suffer from longer load times, especially if they are media-rich or feature heavy scripts. To optimize performance, start by compressing images and using appropriate formats (such as WebP) to reduce file sizes without sacrificing quality. Leveraging browser caching and minimizing the use of large JavaScript libraries can also improve load times. If possible, implement lazy loading for images and content sections that are not immediately visible on page load. These strategies can significantly enhance the speed and responsiveness of a one-page website, providing a better experience for users and potentially boosting SEO rankings. Designing a one-page website requires careful attention to visual hierarchy, engagement, and interactivity to ensure a compelling and user-friendly experience. Meanwhile, addressing challenges related to navigation, content organization, and website performance is crucial for maintaining the site’s effectiveness and achieving business objectives. At the end of the day, only you know what’s right for your business. Just remember to do your homework before you choose to experiment with a one page website, and ensure you’ve got discernible aims and KPIs to decide swiftly and decisively whether a one page website is working with you rather than against you. Source: https://smallbiztrends.com Image: Sheet of Paper Photo via Shutterstock
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