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Branding is especially important in attracting customers to your business. As a small business particularly, it can be difficult to build a trustworthy name for yourself. Here are some aspects of your business that can play a role in how your customers see your brand!

Consistency

The product quality and delivery itself can leave a strong first impression on customers. It is important to fulfill the big promises made through marketing efforts, and to deliver something that lives up to its expectations. Having a product or service that is consistently functional will allow you to build a base of repeat customers who can potentially refer your business to their friends and family. Consistency helps develop the base of a good reputation within the larger community.

Customer Service

The interactions your customers have with your business also play a large role in how they view it. Many times, customers only reach out to the company if they are having issues with some aspect. In these situations, you will want to make sure that you can be easily contacted and are helpful in solving their problem. Taking time to ensure that the part of the business that is customer facing is crucial in building a good brand.

Standards

Having industry leading standards that are followed in all parts of the business is important not only in internal operations, but in external branding. Not adhering to standards is what causes lawsuits and scandals which can hurt the reputation of your product. Instead, focus on educating your employees on proper conduct and rules and be sure that they will be able to follow them.

Having a trustworthy brand name can help distinguish your company from the others in your industry. Be sure to follow these tips to develop or maintain your image!

Conducting market research can be useful when entering a new market or launching a new product to ensure that you will be successful going forward. Here are some tips on getting the most out of the tie and money spent on research:

#1 Keep costs low

As a small business, you may not have the resources for a full blown study. Smaller focus groups can be just as productive and useful. There is no need to spend a large sum of money on research.

#2 Look at Existing Research

Many times, the research you are trying to find can already be found online through studies conducted by other people. By having some of your basic or common questions answered, you can focus on newer and more relevant problems.

#3 Take input of current customers

Although you are looking to a new direction, seeing what your current customers have to say about current products can help shape your future. This can be done online on mediums such as blogs or YouTube videos.

As a small business, being efficient in every aspect of the business is extremely important. Follow these steps to ensure that your market research process can be as useful as possible.

The S&P and Fitch have both marked a decrease in the credit rating of the United Kingdom due to the uncertainty that has been brought to the economy by Brexit. As of now, the country is actually doing better than what professionals had predicted when Brexit was first passed in 2016. The lack of clarity that has come along with recent negotiations has caused the UK’s credit worthiness into question.

The S&P has stated that they are willing to relook at their ratings should the UK come to a solid agreement with the European Union and maintain their business in other countries without incurring serious taxes in the process. Both the Fitch and S&P dropped their rating to AA, as opposed to the previous AAA rating the country once had. As trade negotiations progress and slowly come to a close, the public can see this rating increase once again.

At the same time, the United Kingdom has the lowest budget deficit on record in the past sixteen years.

Freelance work is often seen as a great way to take control of your work and not have to report to a supervisor. There are a couple of benefits of freelance work that make it a good choice for many people.

Freedom

Being your own boss gives you the ability to have full control over all decisions. You’ll have he freedom to choose which clients to work with, what projects to take on, and how to go about completing them.

Flexibility

Along with freedom comes flexibility. You can take vacations whenever you want to and determine your own workload. If you know you will have to take some time off, you can plan accordingly.

At the same time, there are some downsides that come along with solo work to be mindful of.

Loneliness

Freelancers often spend time working from home and complete their projects alone. The comradery that is built by working with peers in an office is often missing from running your own business.

Lack of Structure

There will be times when you have to juggle several projects or have none at all. It is important to be able to maintain motivation through the inconsistencies that freelance work naturally brings. Because you set your own deadlines being responsible about work will prove vital.

Freelance and corporate work can be very different, each with its own pros and cons. Doing research on what each entails and evaluating how they could meet your individual needs is the most important step in determining which will be best for you.

For more tips and tricks on helping you grow your business, follow Budget Mastermind on LinkedIn or @budgetmastermnd on Twitter!

Budget Mastermind provides business finance solutions to help grow businesses. If interested in our services, visit our website at www.budgetmastermind.com.

With the current stand still in retail consumption, major shops are hoping that the combination of the royal wedding and two bank holidays will boost sales. According to BDO, a major accountancy and business advisory firm, April was the 7th month in a row where sales did not increase at all, with some industries within retail such as homewares actually experiencing a large decrease.

Retailers have found hope in the upcoming weeks because of the holidays and events that are to come. It will be important, however, for shops to encourage consumers to purchase items from their full price lines and avoid selling at major discounts.

Businesses should take advantage of this celebratory time to boost their sales and increase their profits!