Archives for 2019

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Onboarding is the process where new employees get introduced to all the necessary behaviors, skills and knowledge they’ll need. In a nutshell, it’s the process of integrating a new person into your small business’ culture and procedures.

Small Business Trends contacted Tawni Reed,  an HR manager at BambooHR. She supplied the fact that 31% of new employees quit in the first six months and small businesses can’t afford these high turnover rates.

“The best of the employee onboarding programs we’ve seen are geared toward providing engagement to new hires from the beginning,” she writes. “ Showing new people how to move forward will give them a way to channel their fresh excitement and enthusiasm.”

Onboarding Best Practices

Here’s 10 Onboarding best practices every small business should follow:

Be Proactive

There’s a few things that you can do to start the onboarding ball rolling before your new hire shows up on day one. You can start building a sense of belonging by sending them any company information before they start. If there’s any paperwork that can be filled out, you can send it to them through email to start building their focus and engagement.

Make an Announcement

It’s a good idea to introduce a new hire to the rest of the team. Everyone wants to know who the new face is in the crowd. You don’t need to go too far into detail here. Just a few words about who the new remployee is and the role they’ve been hired to fill.

Go Over Company Policies

Making sure new hires start out with the right information about company policies is critical, according to Reed. She underlines the need to make sure they understand your small businesses dress code, time off policies and pay periods to name just a few.

It’s also important to take your time to get this right.

“Don’t try and cram your entire onboarding program into one day,” she writes. “Spread it out.”

Go Over Your Company Values

Once again, it’s important to spend some time with the new hire here. If you’re interested in having them engage with your values, don’t just read them. Explain why each is important to your company as a whole.

Assign Them a Buddy

“Give your new employees a buddy to help in their first few months,” Reed writes.

NYU has even standardized some guidelines that should help if you get stuck pairing people. They write that new hires should have this kind of help for the first 60 days.

Don’t Forget the Details

Your new hire might be fresh out of college or have years of experience in your industry. Either way, every office is different so you can’t forget any small details. Understanding the company culture and values is critical. However, you’ll also want to be sure to tell them when lunch break is and where they park.

Show Them Every Department

Onboarding can take up a fair amount of time for everyone involved. Still it’s critical for new hires to see the big picture if they want to know how their efforts contribute to the whole. Taking the time to show them every department in your small business pays off.

It’s also a good idea to assign one person in every department to answer questions.

Introduce Them to Management

Reed stresses that it’s important for new employees to be introduced to everyone including supervisors and management. She highlights how important it is to set aside enough time for a decent exchange.

“Make sure you set up some time to have your new employees not just meet your executive team but ask them questions.”

Be Clear

A new hire will be interested in everything that you’ve got to say. It’s important to be clear and consistent when you’re outlining what you’ll expect from them. It pays off to go over their job description yourself before the onboarding begins.

Make sure they understand it’s okay to ask questions during any part of the process.

Line Up Your Resources

A new employee can have questions even after the onboarding process is over. Having a team of people who can be available in key departments is invaluable. Setting up a social meeting or activity with this group and the new hire for the first few months can pay off in the long run.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “10 Onboarding Best Practices Every Small Business Should Follow” was first published on Small Business Trends

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You can’t avoid stress. But consider the many contributing factors. Where you live proves to be one of them. So if your business makes its home in one of these stressful areas, watch out. Keeping your employees stress free should figure high on your priority list.

With that in mind, Zippia set out to find the most stressed out cities in each of the 50 states in the U.S.A. The list has some little known and very recognizable cities, which goes to show you won’t be able to escape stress no matter where you live.

For the report, Zippia calculated the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census American Community Survey from 2013-2017.

Each city in the US were ranked using criteria affecting residents common to most people. This includes unemployment, hours worked, commute times, population density, home price to income ratio, and percent of uninsured population.

Cities ranking high in any or all of those areas were identified as being more stressful. Zappia then took a closer look at all 50 states to determine which cities in those states were the most and least stressed.

Top 10 Most Stressed Cities

In 2019, Zappia identified West New York, NJ as the most stressed city in the U.S. The report said it is one of the most densely populated cities in the U.S. and globally.

More people means longer commutes, which is the case in West New York. Add high unemployment rate and they have combined to make the city number on this dubious list.

The second city is in California, but you might’ve never heard of Huron. The city only has 6,926 people, but the people work long hours, with an average of 45.7 hours per week. Huron also has the lowest average income. Long hours with low income will make anyone stress out.

The third city is South Miami, FL. This is not a typo, it actually made the list as the 3rd most stressed out city in the U.S. even though it is tourist destination.

While tourist may enjoy South Miami, it is a different story for residents who live there. They have to contend with long commutes, high unemployment rates, exorbitant home prices, and a large uninsured population.

The number four spot goes to Glasmanor, MD and Edgewater, CO rounds up the top five cities in the list.

The remaining five cities in the top 10 starts with Manorhaven, NY at number 6, followed by Woodlawn Cdp (Fairfax County): VA at number 7; Justice, IL at number 8; Fair Oaks, GA at number 9; and Terrytown, LA at number 10.

Monitoring and Managing your Stress Level

As the urbanization of the population continues to increase, the taxing effects on both the body and the brain of people living in cities is resulting in more stress.

If you don’t monitor and manage your stress properly, it becomes the underlying condition for some of the deadliest diseases. High stress is an environmental condition for high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, stroke, obesity, and insomnia to name but a few of the illnesses.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a small amount of stress can be good because it can motivate you to perform well. But if you don’t monitor and manage your stress level it can have some negative consequences.

The clinic says, “Multiple challenges daily, such as sitting in traffic, meeting deadlines and paying bills, can push you beyond your ability to cope.”

With the right stress management tools, you can help your mind and body adapt to the conditions you are living in. And these techniques will help your employees too.

Most Stressful Cities in the US

The graph below lists all 50 of the most stressed out cities in each state.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “Most Stressful Cities in the US: Is Your Small Business Located in One?” was first published on Small Business Trends

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Unboxing videos are a very specific genre on YouTube. These are just what the name implies — people opening products up and talking about what they’re doing and seeing. For small businesses, this specific corner of YouTube is important. Statista reports the video platform has 1.5 billion users around the globe. That number is expected to rise to 1.86 billion by 2021.

Examples of Unboxing Videos

Check out these 10 great examples of unboxing videos for small businesses that are great samples for your own online marketing efforts.

Petite ‘n Pretty PR MAKEUP

It’s important to make sure that you’re using a good camera for any unboxing video like in this example. The iPhone camera has come a long way. Still you might want to consider investing in a camcorder that keeps pace with UHD/4K video and other advancements.

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Nike Adapt BB – Futuristic Self Lacing Sneakers

This video makes our unboxing list because it has a nice clean backdrop. People don’t want to watch an unboxing video from a messy desk or cluttered room. Use a professional backdrop for your video instead to add quality to your video production.

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Calia Hair Care

Being personable and approachable helps to add to the popularity of any unboxing video. Being authentic is infectious. It’s important to be genuine. If you have someone who’s playing a part, viewers will see through their fake energy about your goods and services.

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Hot Toys Spider-man Homecoming Spider-man Sixth Scale Figure

We’ve already mentioned that a good camera is important to a good unboxing video. It’s also critical to make sure that you use a good mic like in this example. There is no need to spend a bundle of money to pump your sound up to a professional level.

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LEGO City 60200 Capital City Construction Toy

The product might be simple enough that you can demonstrate it just using visuals like in this example. If that’s the case, having a soundtrack in the background always adds to the entertainment value of your unboxing video.  Just remember to pick an appropriate score. The light happy tune they’re using here works. Something heavy or dark wouldn’t fit.

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The Top 10 Sneakers Of 2018

If you’re looking for an excellent marketing technique for your unboxing videos, take a page from this one and develop some kind of relevant list. It doesn’t need to be a top 10 for the whole year. It can be something like “5 easy ways our product does the job.” However you decide to use these lists, they attract viewers.

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Funniest Unboxing Fails and Hilarious Moments

This one kind of breaks with our previous tip about having a nice tidy background, but it works because it uses humor. The whole idea behind any unboxing video is about entertaining and informing. Funny sells. If you don’t believe that, just take a look at the views this unboxing video got.

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Crayola Melt N Mold Factory Crayon Maker Play Kit!

Enthusiasm. That’s the one word that makes this video stand out. For small business, you want to get the most out of these and have someone who really gets behind your goods and services upfront.

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HUGE UNBOXING HAUL! *New/Favorite Makeup & Clothes*

This video was included since it highlights a huge haul that’s a popular trend. There are other trends that work well to like making ‘sent me’ unboxing videos.

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Segway Shoes!!! Segway Drift W1

Finally, this video was included because all of the shots here are stable. It’s important to make sure your unboxing video isn’t jerky even when there’s action involved. There’s a few different techniques you can use like holding the camera close to your chest or placing it on a chair or table.

Image: Unbox Therapy

This article, “10 Great Examples of Unboxing Videos to Mimic for your Own Products” was first published on Small Business Trends

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Small businesses earn trillions for the U.S. economy. And they employee tens of millions of people too. But when it comes to exports they face an uphill climb.

Luckily a government program seeks to help small businesses. The State Trade and Expansion Program (STEP) offers money and assistance to help small businesses become exporters.

Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer from Iowa held a recent hearing to try to tweak the program. Finkenauer now serves as Chairwoman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship.

Congress launched STEP after the global financial crisis.

Congress Seeks to Help Small Business Exporting

The hearing looked at the tough times small businesses face in the export market. It also focused on businesses in rural areas.

In a press release, Finkenauer said, “I … know that it is incredibly difficult for the small business in a town like Maquoketa in my district whose owner may want to do business overseas but lacks the staff capacity or doesn’t know where to start. Today’s hearing was a chance to hear how we as lawmakers can ensure our small businesses have these opportunities.”

The hearing looked at problems the program already faces. But officials also tried to seek ways to improve it. The Small Business Administration Inspector General made some suggestions for improvements. And the Government Accountability Office made suggestions too.

Recommendations from Kimberly Gianopoulos, Director of International Affairs and Trade for the Government Accountability Office include some of the following.

Gianopoulos urged the SBA to assess the risk to achieving program goals posed by some states’ low grant fund use rates.

And she recommended examining the challenges that states reported related to the program’s application, award processes, administrative burden, and communication.

Finally, Gianopoulos suggested the SBA enhance collection and sharing of best practices among states that receive STEP grant funds.

The SBA STEP Program

The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 created STEP.  It began with a three-year pilot program. The success of the program led Congress to move forward. And the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act made STEP permanent in 2015.

Congress also authorized $30 million in funding through the Fiscal Year 2020. To date, the SBA has awarded around $139 million in funding to almost every state in the country.

STEP aims to increase the number of small businesses that export and the value of exports by the small business sector.

The Federal and state partnership competitively awards grants to the 50 states. Grants also go to the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.

In addition to financial contribution, the program also supports small businesses with trade goals outside of the US. These include trade missions and market sales trips. But they also include export trade show exhibits, training and subscription to services provided by the Department of Commerce.

The Federal government provides 75% of the funding for the total project. And states provide 25% of the cost for operating.

Image: Small Business Subcommittee

This article, “SBA STEP Program Helps Small Businesses with Exporting” was first published on Small Business Trends

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The ebb and flow of the economy and its cyclical nature means there will be good and bad times. With such a strong economy in the last couple of years, it was inevitable that the record-high small business optimism would eventually start fading.

Spring 2019 Paychex Business Sentiment Report

According to the latest Paychex Business Sentiment Report, business owners’ optimism has gone down in several areas since October 2018. Owners said business outlook, ability to fill open positions, and ability to raise wages are trending on the downside.

The report comes from 500 randomly selected business owners surveyed between February 15 and 26. Participants were polled on topics impacting their profitability and prospects for growth.

They were asked to rate their optimism on a scale of 1-100. One would represent the highest level of pessimism and 100 the peak of optimism.

As the third installment of the Paychex Business Sentiment Report, overall business owner sentiment is still optimistic. But as Martin Mucci, Paychex president and CEO, pointed out in the press release for the report there is a decline compared to the last report.

Mucci said, “The decline seen in these latest results are primarily around hiring and the ability to raise wages.”

He added, “This is the lowest level of confidence in employers’ ability to fill openings with qualified workers that we’ve seen since starting the Business Sentiment Report in July of last year. While jobs growth remains steady, business owners are still having a hard time finding candidates with the right skill sets to meet their needs in today’s tight labor market.”

The Tight Labor Market

The ability to fill open positions is getting harder because of the tight labor market. Unemployment levels are historically low, which makes it a job seekers market at the moment.

In the survey, the optimism level in finding the right qualified candidate is down by 8 points to 43/100. But overall small businesses are finding it less challenging to find talent.

Only 10% of companies with 1-19 employees said it was very challenging, while 23% with 20-99 employees and 40% with 100-500 employees said the same.

Wage Disparity

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for February 2019, wages are up. Although it is only 3.2% over the last 12 months, the numbers are better than the stagnant wage growth over the past decade.

The problem mirrors the results in the Paychex report as the ability to raise wages is down 10 points to 41/100.  A further breakdown of the data reveals rural areas have it much harder when it comes to raising wages.

Urban regions in the US said their outlook was 49/100 in their ability to raise wages, while rural parts of the country it went down to a low 15/100.

Overall Optimism

The overall optimism in the US economy is positive when you remove the ability to raise wages and finding qualified talent.

In this report, the number is 72/100, which is up from the fall of 2018 when it was 65/100.

The economic outlook is brighter for large organizations. Businesses with 1-19 employees said their optimism level was 62/100, while those with 20-99 workers said 71/100. Companies with a workforce of 100-500 people were the most optimistic at 75/100.

Here is an infographic with some data points.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “Uh Oh! Small Business Optimism Fading, Report Finds” was first published on Small Business Trends

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