Why Every Small Business Should Have a Facebook Page

Love it or hate it, Facebook is here to stay. One Study has shown that it can be more addictive then alcohol or cigarettes.

Facebook certainly isn't for everyone but it can no longer be ignored. Although there are ideas around that sites like Facebook can have a negative impact on society we are going to look at the positive side and how you can use this great social media tool to your businesses advantage. Facebook for business quotes “Over one billion people like and comment an average of 3.2 billion times every day". Doesn't it then make sense to create a business page and even use it as your main business website? Facebook provides 4 easy steps to follow to build a page. It's free and the possible “reach" of new clients and customers is incredible.

Small Business Worries?

Starting up your own business can feel like taking huge jump into the unknown…without a rope.

For a lot of new small business the worry, stress and sleepless nights come with the territory of a new start up. Small Business owners are faced with the constant anxiety about sales, budgets, bills, the economy, personal taxes, business taxes, family dependants, insurances, well the list is endless but the biggest worry by far is the uncertainty.

Compliance Management Systems

Anyone who has been involved in getting any kind of development project off the ground can testify to the fact that we live and work in a well regulated society, to say the least. Even the simplest project seems to require dozens of approvals. Quadruple that number if your project has a significant environmental and/or heritage impact. And then, when finally you have all the approvals in hand, comes the realisation that there is a whole myriad of conditions attached to them that need to be managed to stay on the right side of the law.

The conditions of approvals may include how, when and where activities are performed, limits for pollutant discharges to the environment and resource use. They typically also include requirements to monitor environmental performance and report back to the regulators.

Keeping on top of these requirements can be daunting and the consequences of getting it wrong can be costly and even have dire consequences for your project.

If your project is heading towards or at the implementation phase I'd suggest you strongly consider implementing some sort of compliance management system, before the first soil is turned.

Knowing When to Ask for Help

If you had asked me a few years ago what I thought of motivational speakers, mentors and life coaches, I would have told you that it was all a gimmick and a sham. You could say I was a little sceptical.

I was a quiet, shy person and had little self-confidence. I was stuck in an awful mundane job; and by job - I mean JOB, I didn't enjoy it. There was no passion or happiness. It was a chore; every day was the same, repetitive "groundhog day".

I was in a work rut. Don't get me wrong though, I had happy hobbies outside of work which were the reason I got out of bed and plodded into work every day. Eventually, I decided to see what other "jobs" there were out there. I applied for only one as I honestly felt I didn't stand a chance; I would never leave "groundhog headquarters" because I was chained to my desk.

The day I was interviewed would be the day that changed my life. I was lucky enough to meet a modest and very kind lady who settled my nerves and "read me like a book". I didn't know at the time, but she would be a person of huge influence in my life and change it for the better. And yes, I got the job.

But...

How Do You Know When You're Successful?

Have you ever been asked "So, where do you see yourself in 5 years' time"?

It's a question I'm not a fan of, but think about it, seriously: where do you see yourself or your business in 5 years? Are you frittering your time (and potentially your life) away? Or are you chasing your dreams and on the road to success?

Success can be viewed in many different ways and at many different levels. So before anything, it is important for each individual to find their own definition of "success". Not some general definition; find out what it means to you personally and what your life will look like when you are successful and then set goals to achieve this.