For the cost of cleaning supplies and a stack of marketing materials – you can be well on your way to starting a Home or Office Cleaning business! A cleaning business is flexible and versatile in many ways. You can offer your services to small business offices, churches, day care centers, private homes, and much more. Due to the ease of start-up and low overhead costs, the cleaning business is often crowded and can be very competitive in some areas.
Here are a few things you will want to keep in mind if you are considering a Home or Office Cleaning Business:
1. What range of services will you offer?: This is one service based business where it may be best to keep your list of services as flexible as possible. Where one client may want to hire you for a weekly deep cleaning of their home, another client may need a one time service of clearing a cluttered garage. Someone may want a laundry service while another wants carpet cleaning. Be open to your clients needs and wants.
2. In what ways can you set yourself apart from the rest?: A home-owner or business in the market for a cleaning service ultimately want just two things – a clean home or office and peace of mind. How good you are at providing those things will determine the success of your business. When a person allows you into your private space, they are trusting that you will not steal or do anything else to betray their trust. As a small business owner, you do not have the brand recognition of a larger cleaning company, so you will have to work harder to gain clients. To give them peace of mind it may be wise to insure and bond your business, keep an up-to-date copy of your driving record, and criminal background check. You should offer to show any new client this information.
As society grows more conscious of the environmental impact of certain chemicals, people are moving towards eco-friendly or “green” alternatives. You can reach that demographic by offering green cleaning solutions and child-friendly methods. This will be very important for families.
3. How can I market and advertise my cleaning business: When it comes to advertising – you will want to concentrate your efforts to high volume social places. Your local grocery store, day care facility, church or shopping plaza are ideal locations. Consider spending the money to run a print ad in your towns newspaper and CraigsList.com is another great (free) alternative. Building your word of mouth reputation will be important, offer to clean the homes of friends and associates in exchange for a testimonial of your services. You may also want to consider marketing a contract deal to local apartment complexes, Realtors and credit unions. These companies will always need a reliable service to thoroughly clean apartments and homes after leases end, evictions and foreclosures. In fact, specializing in foreclosure clean-up may prove to be highly profitable.
Though the overall start up costs of a cleaning business are very low, you don’t want to make the error of skipping over the important steps. Make sure to register your business legally with your county, state and the IRS. Purchase a domain name and establish a website. Finally, you are a cleaning professional and must present yourself as such at all times. Although you are cleaning messes, your appearance should remain tidy!
Month: October 2022
Startups for Vets, WordPress, Web Hosting, and Business Online
Web Hosting Tools, WordPress and Business Startups
Web Hosting Tools for Startups
Female veterans are facing employment challenges as they return home. The unemployment rate for female veterans well surpasses that of their male piers. Rather than waiting for the economy to change, many of our bravest are creating their own opportunities and seeking self-employment as an alternative. And for good reasons. Female veterans of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq are facing challenges when they return home from deployment. So often when we think about vets coming home and looking for employment, we visualize our brave soldiers coming home to a land of opportunity. But that is far from the reality. When vets come home they face a whole series of transitions that vets need to make in order to gain employment.
Many female veterans are single mothers who have a lot to go through all at once. Being a job seeker and also being a Mom can be a difficult challenge. Many female vets have stated that when they transition out of the military, they are not prepared for the income drop that stems from taxes and medical insurance expenses. Before they know it after they transition out of the military, many female vets find themselves homeless and without hope. They are looking for local help for home and food programs, such as Inner Faith, which subsidize the food for themselves and their children.
The competition for jobs against their male counterparts is extreme. Women vets are choosing to gain unpaid internships in order to get their foot in the door. Many times when seeking a job, female vets learn that the job is filled by their male counterparts. Male domination in many industries is prevalent. Women have to mold their schedule and their lives because of their children. There are many challenges. Biases against veterans, biases against women and the challenges that they face for not only getting a job but getting equal pay. Many vets return from deployment physically disabled or face PTS (Post Traumatic Stress) which makes finances a real challenge. Women vets are having to pick and choose which bills they can pay, which results in a lower credit rating. There are a whole series of challenges for women coming back after serving our country.
Getting Green Done with Vets
GCGreen.com is a women owned, native American, service disabled, veteran owned company that was started by a female vet after she returned home and found the employment opportunities for female vets were scarce. The company focuses on providing a growing network of education, training, apprenticeship, and project opportunities for vets looking to work in the energy efficiency and alternative energy systems such as renewable energy. They actively participate in developing and implementing training programs especially those for transitional veterans and for out of work or under-employed veterans attempting to overcome their unique challenges in today’s economy. GCGreen is a company for renewable energy consulting. A woman veteran focuses on veteran training and veteran mentorship in the clean energy industry. As students come out of the classes, GCGreen has employment opportunities for women veterans that are knowledgeable in solar panel installation.
Web Hosting Tools for Creating Your Own Opportunities
GCGreen.com is a website that was created using WordPress, a content management system, that makes creating a website or blog easy. WordPress is available with web hosting plans from reputable hosting firms. With the tools provided from a web hosting firm, people can start their own website and ultimately their own business. There are a lot of employers that do value the military experience, but it is a challenge to find those employers. With an unemployment rate for veterans at 6.8%, while the unemployment rate for female veterans is 15.5%, one can easily see the disadvantages for female vets. These are staggering numbers. These amazing women who went to war are learning that they need to be creative in order to make a living. Building a business during or after deployment is something that is a viable option to a desk job.
Solutions for Female Veterans
Being an entrepreneur is something that could be a practical solution for these women. The U.S. Small Business Administration offers programs for women entrepreneurs who are willing to take the initiative. Capital One, for example, provides events for female veterans who have businesses and allow women veteran business owners to pitch their ideas in front of industry leaders. SBA.gov is the place to start marketing your new business and finding opportunities that would otherwise not be available.
Veteran business owners are able to network through SBA.gov and grow their business with opportunities provided by the Federal Government. SBA has training, networking, and sub-contractor information for small business owners. When signing up with SBA.gov, you will need a Dun & Bradstreet business number, a website address, and documentation that supports your business such as a Incorporation Papers or a Doing Business As (DBA) certificate from your state.
Web Hosting Solutions for Entrepreneurs
There are more than 27 million small businesses across the nation, and it’s a challenging feat to open one after a recession. But with the affordable cost of web hosting, entrepreneurs are able to secure a domain name many times for free, setup a professional website using WordPress, and have a formal e-mail addresses for yourself and any of your employees. In light of constant unemployment news, there is an emerging trend of veterans who brainstorm business ideas they launch in their free time — and grow into a full time job.
5 Insider Secrets To Starting The Best Home Business
There are so many home business ideas, how can you choose the best home business? If you want to know how successful home based entrepreneurs generate a comfortable income, here are 5 secrets that you can use to create the best home business to suit you.
1. You’re Online.
Without a doubt, the best business to start in 2015 has to be on the internet. Not only are the set up costs considerably lower than a conventional bricks and mortar business, but your business can reach customers from all over the world. It can be open for business everyday, 24/7 and be working for you even when you are sleeping.
2. You Don’t Have To Create Your Own Products.
One of the reasons why an online business is the best home business is that you can sell other peoples’ products without having to buy them yourself first and have money tied up in stock. In fact, the product owner will also take care of the product delivery, the customer queries and the payment system. This business model is called affiliate marketing and when somebody buys the product from you, the product owner pays you a commission.
3. You Provide Something Of Value For Free.
Most people who visit your website will not come back. But if you can email them useful information about your products and services after they have visited your website they may buy from you in the future. To get their email address you have to give them something of value in exchange that is relevant to your product or service. This could be a free report or eBook. If you are working with a good affiliate marketing program, they will provide you with the resources that you can give away for free.
4. You’re Always Expanding Your Customer List.
To create the best home business online, building your list should be your number one task everyday. Remember that once you have a prospect’s email, you can contact them anytime you want, for free. That’s not to say you should bombard them with emails trying to sell them something everyday. Email marketing is about building a relationship with your subscribers so as they come to trust and like you, they will be more inclined to buy from you.
5. You’ve Got Multiple Income Steams
If you just sell just one product with no add-ons or up-sells your customers will not have sufficient options to pick from. On the flip side, if you try and sell too many products you may confuse your customers and they’ll buy nothing. The best home business will have a good combination of relevant products that provide 3 revenue streams, basic one-off direct sales income, recurring income, and high ticket income.
Small Business Ideas: How to Plan a Small Business
Thinking of starting a small business? Planning and growing a small business may seem daunting, but it can be a lot of fun. However, it does require some careful thinking and planning.
You need to learn what it takes to start from scratch and succeed. Weigh all the pros and cons before making any decision.
You are the person most capable of planning, building, and running your business.
First, ask yourself questions, to discover what dream is driving you. Learn how that will be expressed in the business you envision.
* What kind of business do you wish to start?
* What kind of service or products will you be offering?
* What needs expressed by your market, do they fulfill?
* Who will buy these services and products from you?
* How do you plan to finance this project? Do you know where financing can be found?
* How will people learn about your service and products?
* Where will your business be located?
Planning and Decision-Making
Considerable planning, important financial decisions, as well as legal steps, go into setting up a small business.
Financial Planning is vital during the overall business planning process. It includes:
* Financial planning and funding sources
* Pricing
* Record keeping
* Managing costs and expenses
* Cash flow forecasts and monitoring
* Analyzing sales results
* Contingency plans and financial reserves, including long-range financial planning
Operational Planning examines everyday production processes and management issues. Day-to-day business activities are also included.
* Acquiring suppliers.
* Employee hiring.
* Evaluating and choosing production methods.
* Product handling and delivery, etc.
* Choosing reliable, secure suppliers, who can provide raw materials and other quality supplies.
* Decisions about inventory and where to store it.
A legal Framework means the considering and adhering to all legal requirements, surrounding the setting up of a small business. It helps you evaluate the following:
* Types of business ownership
* Business-related legal requirements regarding safety, health, employment legislation, etc.
* Tax liabilities, including income tax, government insurance contributions, and VAT, etc.
Insurance includes numerous measures you have to take to secure your business.
Marketing: How a venture and its products and services, appear to the world.
* Marketing is all about identifying the needs of consumers, and satisfying those needs in a profitable manner. It is essential to identify the level of demand for your services, within the market you have decided to target.
Website: You need to build a website that tells your audience about your business, or helps you sell online. It needs to reflect your vision and commitment to quality.
Networking: The type of people you ought to know, and how you can meet them, so as to make your business succeed.
* Networking is becoming increasingly important for small businesses and is a key part of the marketing process.
* Take an inventory of all your contacts and relationships, seeking out those who can help your business.
Self-Development: Examining your skill set, and what more is needed for managing a successful business.
* Looking closely at your talents and current skill set, to determine what you still have to learn.
* Seeking ways to shorten the learning curve, with assistance from a mentor, a partner, or skilled employees.
* Online or local courses can also be of great benefit.
Future and Exit: In order to promise long-term success, you need to have a vision of how to expand your business into the future. Above all, you need an exit plan. Nothing continues forever, and you need to prepare to take leave of your business in a structure, controlled manner when the times comes.
Conclusion
Owning a business can be very satisfying and is certainly the biggest learning experience of your life. Careful planning, an understanding of the type of business you’ve chosen, as well as the target market it is supposed to serve, will increase your chances of long-term success.
Mompreneurs: Stay-At-Home Moms Work From Home And Find Second Careers
Is it any wonder that “Mompreneurs” are seeing so much success in both their personal and professional lives? Women have the innate ability to juggle many tasks, which is why so many women and stay-at-home moms are starting up their own small businesses and developing “second careers.” Small businesses and industrious women go hand-in-hand and Mompreneurs are on the rise in 2011. According to Entrepreneur.com, a mompreneur is a “female business owner who is actively balancing the role of mom and the role of entrepreneur.” Sounds like a second career to me!
According to Entrepreneur.com, a mompreneur is a “female business owner who is actively balancing the role of mom and the role of entrepreneur.” No small feat, as any mother with children will tell you! And yet, moms still keep coming up with the time and innovations needed to keep them on the cutting edge of the business world.
The current economic downturn has opened the door to a second career for many enterprising women. In fact, small women-owned home-based businesses skyrocketed in the past couple of years. Women are starting small businesses at twice the rate of men. Moms have a great pulse on needs and wants of society. Some successful mompreneurs emerge because of a niche that needs filling and some mompreneurs are created because they have a great and timely product or idea. Most small work-from-home businesses can be started with a fairly small initial cash outlay. This is appealing for a number of reasons, but generally speaking, the smaller the investment, the more willing a woman will be to assume the inherent risk associated with starting any business.
Social media sites for women and by women are rapidly becoming great business models. Women are nurturers, they talk, they connect, they offer support. Setting up a successful website with loyal followers can lead to a great opportunity for you to make money. If your site is popular enough, you can solicit advertisers and make money by charging them to advertise on your website.
All it takes to be the next successful mompreneur in 2011 is a great idea or product, and your ability to promote it. Great ad campaigns target moms! Can you imagine Tide laundry detergent being the successful product it is if moms weren’t the ones doing the laundry? If you have a great idea or product you want to promote, there are websites designed specifically by women for networking, and these sites can assist with the launching of ideas of women who want to start their own companies. The whole business of women in business is growing exponentially, thanks to the impact of mompreneurs of the business world.
The future of small home-based business is in the hands of the woman who wants to develop her second career, work from home and balance home and family with the ability to earn some money. The work from home business model has been successful for years, and it appears that this phenomenon is on the rise. Women want to earn extra cash, work from home, develop secondary incomes, and stay at home with their kids and families, and they are doing it and doing it well!
Dig Deep for Small Business Ideas
If you’re serious about wanting to start a business, the first thing you want to do is take the time to understand what really makes you tick. Where do you get your drive? What gets you in a “zone?”
However, there’s a lot more to figuring out the BEST business idea that will make you more money and give you more freedom to enjoy more success in your life.
And success to you may be different than success to someone else. It may not be all about money at all. It may not be about finding something you are completely passionate about. It may not be about having a “cool” business — the latest fad or a unique niche.
Success is how you define it.
Finding the right idea to bring you that success takes a willingness to be patient, good timing, and a lot of research.
And there’s nothing wrong with taking your time, being careful trying to figure out which small business ideas are best.
If you rush this process, you’re bound to come up with a business that doesn’t excite you at all.
You’ll be bored.
You won’t reach goals and it will become more like a job … maybe even harder!
You’ll feel like you would working for someone else. (You don’t want that again, do you?)
First, Figure Out What You Really Want
Starting off, you really have to force yourself to relax. I know what it’s like being very, very unhappy at a job. And I can tell you from first-hand experience that walking away from a well-paying job and jumping into your own business is stressful.
But if you carefully plan your “escape,” it will make it that much better!
Set Your Short-Term Goals
Maybe you want to make a ton of money and drive around in a BMW.
Or maybe you just want the freedom to enjoy your family or friends. Or perhaps it’s just a matter of being in control of your life — being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want.
Whatever your long-term goals are, first you have to concentrate on the shorter term goals before you can begin to see that “big picture.”
It’s up to you.
But understand that the type of business you start will play a roll in whether or not you meet your goals — both short and long-term.
If you’re trying to startup a part-time venture while working full-time for someone else, you’re going to have to set daily goals to try and squeeze in a few hours of work every day, often before and after work! (I used to get up at 4:30 in the morning, go to my full-time job at 8:30, come home at 5 or 6 and get right back to work on my new business … and I loved it!)
But if it’s a small business idea you came up with on the ride home and it doesn’t really “drive” you, it’ll make reaching your short term goals — often the hard part — a heck of a lot more difficult.
What are Your Long-Term Plans?
That big picture includes, more than anything, something you can see yourself doing every day. Something that — even on weekends — you love to do.
And even though it is something you love to do, make sure it will feed your long-term plan. And you won’t know that until you know what your long term plan actually is!
For instance, if your plan is indeed to make a lot of money and retire at a young age, you’ll obviously have to look at small business ideas that are highly profitable.
This would include mostly business-to-business models. There is typically more profit selling to businesses (a product or service) unless you make it big in the consumer market.
Why would the business-to-business market be more profitable? Because a business would be more willing to invest in a product or service (that may even be a write-off) versus the consumer market which is more “luxury” driven. Meaning, consumers base a lot of their buying decisions on want instead of needs.
It’s also a financial issue.
A larger business can pay a $300 invoice without thinking about it whereas a consumer getting a $300 bill may sweat a little more.
This is just an example of understanding your long-term goals so you can look closer at a finite number of business ideas to get you closer to where you want to be.
And if you go ahead and hang your “open for business” sign and then realize, “Oh, I can’t make that much money doing this!”, you’ll only be taking one step forward and two steps back.
Grab a Pad … Ideas Will Come and Go
Because — like all entrepreneurs — you’re a thinker, you’ve always got ideas popping into your head. Probably more than you can handle (the brain only has so much room, right?).
That’s why you should always keep a notebook by your side.
Sure, some of the best ideas get written on a cocktail napkin. But you’re better off trying to give these ideas more permanence. And having a notebook dedicated to your small business ideas will give you a growing and buildable “diary” to use when you’re good and ready to go for it!
And once you start putting your ideas in writing, you’ll find yourself getting into the habit of using your notebook more and more. It’s like anything else that takes practice.
The more you do it, the better you get at finding the best small business ideas. And each idea will help you grow more specific or “niche” ideas.
Become a Private Investigator!
What you want to do is really learn how to research. You’ve got to dig — and dig deep — to determine what business really could work best for your success.
Not only do you have to know who you are and what’s going to drive your personality the most, but you also need to think about what sells.
What type of business can be profitable?
Too many people make the mistake of looking at only one aspect of starting a small business. If you love parakeets and you’re passionate about them, it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to open up a store in your town without knowing if anyone else likes them!
As a side note, starting an internet business allows you a greater opportunity to build a business around something you’re passionate about. If it’s parakeets you love, you’ll find more people on the internet with your same passion than you would in your own backyard. For some great information about finding your passion on the internet, click here
You research should include looking at what other businesses are doing (successfully and not so successfully) in your city or town.
Look at small businesses and even what the “big guys” are doing.
Maybe you could create a smaller business with a personal touch that the “big guys” are typically missing out on (no matter how hard they try.)
Figure out more about what makes you tick …
What kind of hobbies do you have, if any?
What kind of magazines do you enjoy?
What do you like to do most in your “free” time?
What was the best job you ever held? Even if it’s one you had when you were a kid, you may find a business in something you know and love — but don’t even realize it yet!
Business Ideas Are Everywhere
Start to think about needs in your town or city. Is there something missing? Is there a need or a product or some type of service people would use that they “want?”
What is the majority age population in your city or town? Is it mostly seniors? (a huge market because they are more active and living longer than ever.) Or is your community made up of younger families?
Check out the local sections in your paper. Read the Lifestyle and Arts section. (I always find articles about local business people who have started businesses.)
Look at local and state businesses. Look at consumer trends and what people “want.”
Is there something other businesses in your area need? Don’t be afraid to go around and ask!
Think about concerns we all have in the world today.
There are so many opportunities out there, waiting for like you to step up and get started with a new business!
Don’t be afraid to ask!
This is where your friends, family and neighbors come in. Ask them to give you their number-one need. A product or service that’s “hard-to-find.” A complaint about what’s missing from their lives.
How many times have you looked for something — a product or service — and had to travel a long distance to get it?
Answering questions will give you plenty to think about and some good material for your notebook.
And if you’re interested in the business-to-business market, you could always put together a survey and mail it out to local businesses. Give them an incentive (a low-cost, high value gift) and find out what they really need to help them improve their business.
You may find that all of the local businesses in your area need someone to take care of local deliveries. Or someone to help them type or use their computer more effectively..
Just remember, starting a small business is a process and it takes time. The more planning and research you do up front, the better chance you’ll have to success and have a little bit of fun, too.
Got A Business Idea But No Money? Here Are 5 Tips On Funding A Women Owned Business
More women are leaving the corporate world to become entrepreneurs. For the past two decades, majority women-owned firms have continued to grow at around two times the rate of all firms. According to the Center for Women’s Business Research, the number of majority women-owned businesses increased 42% between 1997 and 2006.
One of the concerns faced by a woman business owner is finding the money to start or grow her business. While some women-owned businesses are funded through a small nest egg, others may turn to additional means of finance.
Here are 5 tips on funding a woman business start-up.
Borrowing From Family And Friends
This is one of the most common ways to fund a new business. Your family and friends are more likely to lend you their money if they are convinced by your business plan and idea. Borrowing money from people you know is a cost-efficient approach as you may not be required to pay extra fees or interests. However, it could potentially lead to strained relationships if you are unable to repay the money. Some individuals believe that they are automatically entitled to a piece of the business in return for the money loaned. Any stipulations associated with the “loan” should be put in writing to avoid any future misunderstanding.
Some women business owners are aware of the tension that can potentially arise from borrowing from family and friends. If you are one of them, why not ask your family or friends to help out in running your business such as taking orders, promotions, delivery and so forth.
Credit Cards
Small business owners reportedly use several credits cards to pay for expenses. This type of funding is expensive and risky. Failure to make repayments can jeopardize your personal credit. If you want to resort to this means of funding, make sure you can pay off your card before the interest kicks in.
Personal Loans
Banks are usually quick to approve loans less than $25,000 based on personal credit. If you need a few thousand dollars to spend on equipment or inventory, a personal loan is an ideal way of funding. The interest rate is less than that of a credit card. You will still need to submit a business plan to support a personal loan application.
Business Loans
You’ll need to provide collateral or guarantee in addition to a business plan or financial statements when applying for a business loan. The screening process is more rigorous. Business loans are typically available from $25,000 onwards. If you are using the equity of your home to get a business loan, you may be putting your home at a risk of foreclosure if you fail to meet your monthly repayments. Understanding all of the details regarding this type of loan is vital to protect the ownership of your home.
SBA Loans
When a larger loan is needed to acquire a building or an expensive piece of equipment, there are business loan programs for women provided by Small Business Administration (SBA). Please note that SBA only acts a guarantor but does not offer loans to small businesses. SBA reviews loan applications by borrowers. If a loan application is eligible, SBA issues a commitment letter on behalf of the applicant. This letter shows the willingness of SBA to guarantee the loan, which helps to speed up the loan approval by a lender.
There is an inherent risk of funding any business activities, no matter what type of funding you choose. The key is not to borrow too much to the extent that you cannot meet the monthly repayments from the income of your business.
5 Traits of Successful Women in Business
There was a time not so long ago when it was considered rare to find women in business. Today, more and more women are empowering themselves, starting businesses, and leveling the playing field with the men of the business world. Most women in business share common traits that help them become and remain successful. Below are a few of those traits.
Setting and Achieving Goals
Almost all successful women in business share the common trait of setting goals and then achieving those goals. Goals consist of anything you intend on doing and that you will strive to meet. By setting clear goals for yourself, you will give yourself a vote of confidence that helps to improve your overall business sense and drive.
Keeping Priorities Straight
It’s all too easy to get excited about something that leads you off the track of your goals. By keeping your priorities in order, you will keep your path leading to your ultimate goals. If you start to sway or stray from the path you are on, then you could run the risk of losing focus and eventually missing out on opportunities.
Time Management Skills
Smart women in business have great skills when it comes to managing their time. If you dedicate too much time to any one thing, other things get neglected. Dividing your time between the goals of your business will help you meet your goals more efficiently and within a reasonable amount of time. Great time management skills go a long way to help you work on the tasks that need you the most.
Overcome Challenges
Women who decide to become part of the business world need to overcome unique challenges. As a woman, the world is still biased and will not treat you fairly in a lot of instances. You are often forced to prove yourself where a man may not need to. You need to remain strong and capable, while also staying emotionally in line with yourself. By making yourself aware of challenges before they take place, you put yourself at an advantage over other businessmen and women. Every challenge you pass is another step closer to making your mark.
Take Time to Relax
Every once in a while, it’s good for a woman to take time out to pamper herself. Go to a spa, have a bubble bath, or simply take time off to spend with family or take a vacation if you need to. A little rest and relaxation can go a long way to recharging your batteries to take on new work challenges.
Women in business have many unique challenges that they must overcome in order to be successful. The traits above are some things that almost every successful business woman possesses. By knowing what these traits are, you can work toward making them part of your daily routine, and you will quickly notice some big things happening on your horizons as a business professional. When you’re ready to take on the world, do not hesitate, and move forward with the confidence you know is within you.
The ABC of Writing Business Letters
We often wonder whether writing business letters correctly is as important as it is made out to be. Communication, written or verbal has always been significant to civilization. The method of communication is often dictated by various factors such as who is addressing whom, why, and when.
Business letters are generally used to communicate formally with various players regarding business matters. Unlike informal letters, these need to conform to certain rules so they could be read and processed speedily and at the same time provide you with the relief you are seeking. Fortunately, the basics of writing business letters are easy to master.
1. The beginning – you begin with the name, designation and address of the person you want to communicate. In case you do not know the name, the designation would often suffice, though personalization always provides better results.
2. The subject – you should keep in mind that the person who would read your letter has limited time and therefore needs to know what the letter is all about at a glance. The subject line serves to this purpose.
3. Reference – next, is your reference. This pertains to the source that influenced you to write this letter. For example, the advertisement in the newspaper if you are applying for a job; a previous letter, a recent development, your own preceding letters and so on.
4. The opening address – you start the letter with a “Dear Sir or Madam” depending on the gender of the person. It is important that you address a woman as Ms unless she makes it obvious she wants to be addressed as mrs or miss.
5. Body of the letter – the matter you want to be said should be put in simple and crisp language, avoiding wordiness. The tone should be polite, even when the letter is a complaint or gives negative feedback.
6. Closing statement – try your best to end the letter on a point of action. This is what the person would read last and therefore carry it in his or her mind. What you want the person to do? What do you expect from him or her? What you want them to remember about the letter?
7. Ending – the letter generally ends formally with, “yours faithfully”, “yours sincerely”, “warm regards”, or “best wishes” depending on how well you know the person you are writing to.
As you can see, writing business letters is not a difficult task. All it needs is a little practice and the basic know-how.
Surprising Small Home Office Ideas
It doesn’t matter if you are working from home or in an office building, your office is one of the places you will spend huge chunks of your time. It is a space you need to be as practical as possible, and you also have to like it. It is very hard to work in an office you hate. If you dislike it, maybe you have an opportunity to change it. Here are a few ideas.
Small Spaces
If you are trying to create a new study or office space at home and don’t have a designated room for it, don’t despair. You can utilize small spaces or corners of rooms that otherwise are under-utilized and gathering dust. Look around you and see what options your home offers. Very often people overlook places because they have been deemed as too small. However, you can make small spaces look bigger with a couple of simple color changes. Once you have located the spaces you want to create an office – get to work. Check what furniture you can move or rearrange so it fits the space and looks at different possibilities for office furniture.
Color Palette
Look at what kind of colors dominate your office at the moment. Perhaps it’s time to switch it up a little. Go bold. Pick your favorite color and use it as an accent color on different parts in the office. Perhaps the wall behind your desk is extremely boring. Paint it your favorite bold color to make space look not only functional but also stylish. If the wall is out of the question because you use it for shelving, a whiteboard, or something else, consider using colored accents in other things – binders, pen holders, notebooks.
Empty Corners and Light
Do you only have a corner to use? That should not hold you back from creating an office for yourself. Find a desk that fits in or makes one your own by upcycling materials. One of the most important aspects will be how comfortable you are sitting at the desk, so make sure it fits. Make sure that the light is appropriate and doesn’t strain your eyes since corners can be quite dark, especially if the window doesn’t quite provide enough daylight.
Utilize Nooks and Crannies
Perhaps you have an empty corner in your bedroom that could easily become office space? Put a desk against the window and when you get too tired from working -you can easily look outside and rest your eyes. If you have a window behind you – make sure the curtains block out enough light for you to avoid squinting, but make sure it’s not too dark either.
Make sure you your brain will look at a bedroom as a relaxation space so make sure you separate the two areas to separate work and rest. You can have modern office space and use softer tones and textures for your bedding and bedroom furniture. This way you can easily work there, but then separate the two spaces and not worry about insomnia because your brain is still in the fifth gear thinking about work.
Secret Spaces
If you don’t want to spoil the rest of the style around the house, blend different styles and textures together. Find furniture you feel good about and that fits the rest of the style in your house. A classic desk probably will not look very good against a modern interior, so find something that looks good as a whole.
If you are short on space, see what kind of shelving you can create or utilize around you. If you have space under the desk and it’s not in the way – boxes are a good way to store items. Nowadays you can also get different solutions to neatly hide everything away when you are done. For example, hang a curtain in front of your workstation so you can hide it from guests and yourself. Otherwise, it might be glaring at you from its corner.
Your home office will become the place where you spend quite a lot of time so keep it organized. If you need a little bit of mess around you while working – organize everything once you’re done. It will give you the satisfaction of a day well spent and it will not stick out from the rest of the house like a sore thumb.