Successful Blog

How Do I Keep My Employees Healthy?

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As a business owner, it is your responsibility to keep your employees motivated and productive throughout the day.

Part of this is helping them become healthier, physically and mentally. People who are living healthy lives tend to have more motivation to do a great job.

So by introducing healthier food options or wellness programs in the workplace, you’re not just helping your employees, but you’re helping your company’s success as well.

That said, what are you doing to help keep your employees fit and productive?

Provide Healthy Foods

Start by introducing healthier foods around the office.

If all you have in your office is coffee, donuts and vending machines filled with snacks and sweets, then that is all your employees typically have during the day.

A good majority of people are not going to bring their own lunches and instead go out to eat. So on the days when they don’t feel like going out or are hungry for a late morning snack, they head straight to the break room.

One way to improve their physical health is by offering healthy items instead of things like donuts and bagels. Have fresh fruit set out for employees, and stock the break room with snacks like yogurt, granola bars or even whole grain bagels with fat-free cream cheese. Put more healthy options in your vending machines as well.

Introduce a Wellness Program

Wellness programs have been very successful for companies who choose to utilize them.

A wellness program can include anything you like, such as on-site classes in yoga, Pilates or even CrossFit.

You can have someone offering stress-relief services for the wellness programs as well, such as massage therapy or acupuncture. This can become part of an employee’s signing bonus and benefits program. It helps your company by offering more benefits and being able to retain your employees, as well as getting more productive and motivated workers in return.

Offer Fitness Center Memberships

If you have a gym on-site, great! But even if you don’t have one, you can still encourage the use of fitness centers by offering memberships or discounts to local gyms.

Contact fitness centers in your area and see if they will offer discounts if you send your employees to their gym. Employees get a cheap gym membership and the gym get a good deal more business, so it works great for everyone.

Encourage On-Site Fitness

There are also ways to encourage physical activity in the workplace.

Start having stretches a couple times a day where you have everyone stand from their desks and perform stretches. This is going to help prevent injury from repetitive motion, such as doing stretches for the hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and back.

You can also give an extra 5 or 10-minute break to employees who want to take a walk around the building for some fresh air and exercise.

Your employee’s health should be important because it keeps them working every day and improves their productivity.

Another thing to note is that you should be offering them help for mental and emotional health through their benefits package.

Photo credit: healthline.com

About the Author: Tina Samuels writes on social media, healthcare recruitment, small business, and social media.

Plagiarism: How to Cope with Every Writer’s Worst Nightmare

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By Tiffany Matthews

Do you remember the first story you wrote? Throughout high school and college, I have often written short stories and poems for friends just for fun. Although these tales and poetry have accumulated over years, they remain as they are–scribblings in notebooks that have now gathered dust at the bottom of my drawer. Some of my friends think that it’s a waste, arguing that these stories should be shared with the world. In fact, they have suggested that I try my luck writing for sites like fictionpress.com. Many writers have gotten their lucky break from this site, signing authorship deals that have made their publishing dream a reality.

In the beginning, you might feel content enough to keep your writings private. But as time passes, you will feel this need to share these tales with others, hoping that they will touch others the way they have touched you. I, too, have felt this need for sharing stories but one worry has always held me back from posting them online–plagiarism.

Everyone is Vulnerable…

All writers are vulnerable to plagiarism. Although self-published authors may be more vulnerable, still, it doesn’t mean that those who publish with reputable publishers are safe from this. In fact, just recently, author Lorelei James’ work was plagiarized. Apparently, someone took All Jacked Up, a title from James’ Rough Riders series, and posted that book chapter per chapter on a free stories website. Everything was exactly the same save for the hero and heroine’s names.

So how can we protect ourselves from this?

Precautionary Measures

Plagiarism has been going on for a long time and this problem is not going to disappear overnight. For any writer who becomes a victim of this, it is one of the worst things that can ever happen to you. Those who love their craft know just how devastating it is for someone to steal their work and pass it off as his or her own. It is almost akin to losing a child. To protect the work of our hands and heart, it is necessary that we implement precautionary measures.

Copyright and Google

Since we know that plagiarism can happen at any given time, one of the things we can do is to register for a copyright. It will not stop a person from plagiarizing your works, but at least you will have sufficient ground for legal action. Copyright registration may vary from country to country so do some research before you do. If circumstances lead you to file to a lawsuit, you don’t need to worry about expensive lawyer fees. You can use prepaid legal plans, which can have budget friendly monthly subscriptions.

Once you have your copyright, you can then set up Google alerts regarding your work. Customize your alert to include your book title, quotes, book passages, your name and more so that you will be aware of news about your book. This will also make it easier to track if someone has been posting your stories elsewhere and claiming to own them.

Connections are Important

Fellow authors make great critics and friends especially if you can trust them. If you are able to form a solid network of writer friends, they will be your support when the issue of plagiarism crops up. They may even be influential in recognizing your work which is being passed off as another’s. You can seek their advice on how to proceed with filing a plagiarism case.

Be Assertive and Take Action

When your work is stolen, you feel violated because you were the one who birthed that literary masterpiece. If this does happen to you, don’t try to repress your emotions. Rant if you must but don’t do anything that would hurt your own reputation. Instead, you should buck up and take legal action. Don’t let this event keep you from writing again. Instead, learn from it and you’ll gain an even deeper appreciation for your work and other writers’ works.

Do you take any proactive steps to prevent plagiarism of your work?

Author’s Bio: Based in San Diego California, Tiffany Matthews is a professional writer with over 5 years of writing experience. She also blogs about travel, fashion, and anything under the sun at wordbaristas.com, a group blog that she shares with her good friends. In her free time, she likes to travel, read books, and watch movies. You can find her on Twitter as @TiffyCat87.

4 Key Time Management Tips for Even the Busiest Business Owner

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By Jennifer Dunn

Owning your own business is amazing, but there are times when it’s practically a nightmare. Sometimes it gets so hard you just want to give up and go back to a 9 to 5. This usually comes after you’ve tried and tried to catch up on tasks but can’t seem to find any time to keep your head above water, much less actually get ahead.

It doesn’t have to be like this! With a few simple tips you can turn your frazzled brain into a relaxed center of productivity. Don’t give up on your entrepreneurial dreams just yet – check out the following tips and see if any of them can help you.

Get Organized

This seems like an obvious thing to say, but it’s an important point to make nonetheless. Most business owners waste so much time searching around their office, store, or home for a paper or object that should’ve been properly stored away (think: tax time). Eventually you’ll waste so much time on this that other tasks fall to the wayside as you struggle to keep up.

Get an organizational process in place for whatever’s driving you nuts – for example, receipts should all go into a folder so you can find them easily. Alternatively you can use a service like Shoeboxed to digitize receipts for super easy retrieval. Are you always searching for files on your computer? Create a digital filing system. Do you spend hours resetting your passwords? Check out a password management system like LastPass.

Once you have this organization in place, keep it up! Don’t let it slip or you’ll go right back into your old habits.

Don’t Multitask

If you want to get more things done, common sense tells you should just do more things at once. This way you get done with tasks quicker, right? In fact, the evidence says otherwise – multitasking does more harm than good.

It’s all about spending energy – if you give 33% to three tasks, they may not turn out any better than if you spent 100% on one thing at a time. If something gets messed up, you just have to start over again anyway. Learn how to tackle one thing at a time properly so you don’t spread yourself thin. Welcome to “unitasking.”

Get Apps to Help

Tired of doing everything yourself? You may not be able to hire any help, but you can certainly afford to acquire some robots to aid you. Oh, you don’t have a connection to someone at a robotics factory? Then settle for the next best thing and grab some apps.

Whether you have a smartphone, a tablet, or laptop, there are hundreds of applications (and other software) you can grab to help you do simple tasks that eat up your time. Whether it’s financial tracking, task management, shopping lists, or a thousand other things, there’s a way to streamline it.

Step Away

Another bit of “common sense” that can get you into hot water is attempting to power through a task that’s driving you nuts. Once you get into the habit of doing everything yourself you tend to want to get it all out of the way as quickly as you can. However, like multitasking, this can actually do more harm than good.

Instead, take a nice break once in a while. Go outside, take a walk, play a game, read a book, or just stare at the wall – as long as it’s not about work. This break can not only give you a nice physical stretch it can free up your brain to come up with solutions to your problems quickly.

What are your time management tips for time strapped business owners?

Author’s Bio: Jennifer Escalona Dunn is the owner of Social Street Media where she writes about small business, tech and finance for sites like WePay and Outright. You can find her on Twitter @jennescalona.

How do you label yourself?

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When I was in 8th grade, my math teacher had a tradition of writing down little pithy comments about each student for the yearbook. She read them out loud at the end of the year, in front of the whole class. Her quote about me was: “pretty, pert little lady with an unexpected smile.”

It’s been 35 years since she gifted me with that observation, and it has stuck with me all this time. The power of labels runs deep.

But labels can either empower you or disable you—it’s your choice. How you identify yourself to the world, and how others publicly identify you, makes a big impact on your success. If you commit to a label strongly enough, behavioral science tells us that others will reinforce that label as well.

Labeling behavior happens applies to you as a business person, as well as your website or blog. Don’t forget to clarify your website’s purpose while you’re considering your own “tagline.”

How you label yourself

When you tell someone about your business, or your job, do you use the word “just” (e.g.,, “I’m just a blogger”) or do you minimize your accomplishments (e.g., “I run a small marketing agency—you’ve probably never heard of us”)? Stop doing that.

Be ready with a memorable response when someone asks you what you do for a living. “I’m the creative force behind ABC Agency,” or “I dish out innovative PR advice on a daily basis at the ABC Blog” or “I’m a wild and crazy guy!”

How others label you

Are you paying attention to how others describe you in conversation or online when they introduce you? Do other people know what your secret sauce is, well enough to relay it to others?

Try this experiment today: go ask a few people how they would introduce you at a networking event. Get a nice sampling from your family, a friend, a colleague, and an online acquaintance. I’ll bet the results are revealing!

Use your new “personal tagline” in your online profiles, bios for your guest posts, and corporate marketing materials. Use it when anyone asks you what you do. Remember, it’s perfectly acceptable to evolve your tagline over time.

And don’t forget to smile.

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

How Can Webinars Help My Small Business?

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If webinar is a term that you’re not exactly up to speed on, a webinar is a live seminar or conference that is held over the Internet.

That being said, it is becoming an increasingly preferred marketing tool among small businesses, because it provides many benefits over a traditional seminar.

Here are a number of reasons why you should consider conducting a webinar for your company:

Cost-Effective and Hassle-Free

A webinar is a lot more cost-effective than a traditional seminar, because it does not require you to rent a convention hall and incur traveling expenses.

All you need to do is get web conferencing software and hire speakers, who can choose to speak from their home, office or any other place.

Also, organizing a traditional seminar entails considerable planning and effort. You need to make a lot of practical arrangements, ranging from organizing seating to catering if you are offering refreshments.

A webinar, on the other hand, can be conducted by just setting up a web conferencing system.

Promote Your Products to a Worldwide Audience

A webinar is not only easier to conduct; it is also more convenient to attend.

People from around the world can attend your webinar without having to travel to a specific location. As such, a webinar can potentially reach a much wider audience than a traditional seminar.

You can introduce and demonstrate your products to your viewers via screen sharing and encourage them to ask questions or visit a purchase page at the end of the webinar.

Establish and Maintain a Closer Relationship with Customers

In order to gain the trust of your customers, you need to add a personal touch to the way you communicate with them.

A webinar enables your customers to see and hear you talk about your company and products, giving them the assurance that you are a human being and not just a website.

There are many kinds of webinars that you can hold to build a closer relationship with your customers, including press release updates, online meetings and client training sessions.

Get More Business Contacts

Similar to a traditional seminar, a webinar is a great way to make new business contacts and enhance your brand identity.

The attendees can show their names and headshots, and interact with the speakers and you during or after the webinar. This helps build credibility and establish a more genuine connection between the audience and your company.

Position Your Company as an Authority in Your Niche

Conducting a webinar can also help you stand out from your competitors.

By providing helpful and expert information through a webinar, you will gain a reputation as an authority in your niche. As your reputation spreads, more and more people will come to you when they need information or advice that is related to your field.

A webinar provides an engaging and effective way for you to promote your small business to a large group of people from all over the world.

When it is used correctly, it can be an invaluable tool for ensuring business growth and success.

Photo credit: educationcloset.com

About the author: John McMalcolm is a freelance writer who writes on a wide range of subjects, from online marketing to biographies of entrepreneurs such as Steve Wynn, David Kiger and others.

Tips on Building the Confidence to Grow Your Business

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By Phil Buckley

My first experience with small business owners was in the late 80s. I was an operations manager for Zack’ Famous Frozen Yogurt, a franchise chain experiencing massive growth. My role was to set up new stores and help franchisees manage them successfully.

I was inspired by each owner’s courage, determination and passion to win. They tackled challenges head-on and typically took a glass half-full approach to managing problems.

However, when presented with opportunities to change or expand their businesses, I noticed that many owners lacked the confidence to get to the next level. They were comfortable with what they knew, and uncomfortable with what they didn’t know. Often, they’d forgo opportunities without fully exploring the benefits because their personal uncertainty was stronger than their desire for greater success.

As my career progressed into business training and then change management, I observed that most leaders struggled with change. Their confidence was tested most when their operational experience didn’t help them assess and pursue new opportunities or manage challenges. In those circumstances, what had made them successful had little impact on their ability to manage well.

Over time, it became apparent to me that the key to managing change (offering new products, entering new markets, opening a new location, etc.) is confidence.

Here are three ways that small business owners (and any business leader for that matter) can build their confidence when they uncover big opportunities to grow their businesses:

Make a list of the skills you used when making past successful changes

Small business owners will benefit from taking stock of past accomplishments and the skills they used to achieve them. Listing them in writing will help you build a playbook on how to manage new opportunities – steps to take, advice to get, behaviors to demonstrate, etc. Studying your past successes will help you create a path towards your goal and identify the capabilities you need to get there.

Identify who you can call upon for help

Peer support is a key enabler of evolving a business. Wise small business leaders ask for help, especially when opportunities require a departure from their current business model. Learning about how similar situations were managed, both successfully and unsuccessfully, will provide practical guidance on what you need to do, what to watch out for and how to act.

Write a solid plan

Business plans help small business owners stay focused and manage time and resources productively. They provide a means against which to track progress and a working tool to adjust as new information becomes available. A wise person once said, “Create the plan, work the plan, change the plan.” A growth opportunity business plan provides a map to confidently navigate.

It can be difficult to manage and grow a small business. With the right skills, knowledge, advice and plan, the small business owner can take the next step on their businesses journey and reach the next level of personal success. Have confidence!

Author’s Bio: Phil Buckley is a senior change management professional with nearly twenty-five years of experience helping individuals, teams and organizations deliver change in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Phil writes about managing change at www.changewithconfidence.com. He is also author of Change with Confidence: Answers to the 50 Biggest Questions that keep Change Leaders Up at Night (Jossey-Bass), where he provides complete, actionable answers to the fifty burning questions that leaders routinely ask about how to manage change successfully. Follow him on Twitter @philbuckley01.