Alright, young Jedi:  close your eyes.  Focus.  Be present in the moment.  Read over the lessons below and soon you will regain your lost confidence, and realize that you are truly not alone.  Managing employees is something you can do.  Have no fear, and read on.  Once you have completed the Jedi Trials, you will be a true Jedi Master.

Social media is changing the way people live theirlives.  It helps in decision making when it comes to choosing where consumers will do business.  With that said, it is obvious why it is so important for small businesses to have a social media presence.  This presence can attract new customers, as well as impact current customers.

Another way social media can benefit your business is by keeping you in the loop as to whether or not there are any complaints or issues that require a resolution.  By monitoring social media profiles you can see if there is anything keeping customers from your business.  If so, you can rectify the situations and possibly keep customers that may have otherwise left.

Below you will see a unique infographic showing the important aspects of social media, your business, and staying connected.

Give the locals a discount.  One of my favorite local shops gives all those who ‘Like’ the business’ Facebook page a small percentage off of certain items once a month.  When you offer this kind of discount to your local shoppers, they will likely spread the news and help your business gain new customers.

Make sure that your customers know that you want the local economy to succeed.  Many of the business owners that I know are excited to support other local businesses.  I love seeing this, and so do customers.  Let your customers know that you are just as interested in seeing others succeed and do well in the area as you are yourself.

Join the local small business association and/or chamber of commerce.  By doing that you can get some advertising that might be useful in getting more people in your doors and supporting you.

These ideas are just some that I have seen used, and they really are effective if you are looking to grow your small business.

If there’s one thing that gripes me about going into a small store these days, it’s the lack of customer service. Yeah, I know, everybody says they offer good customer service, but who really does? Right now retailing is tough and sales are down, so what do store owners do? They cut their staff so there aren’t enough frontliners to cover the floor. Then if you have a question about a product, or need some help, good luck with that!

When marketing for any type of business, there are go to ideas and pieces that are an absolute must.  More recently, email campaigns have become one of those must do marketing ideas that small businesses especially need to make a part of their regular marketing.   If you and/or your business are ready to reach out even further to your customers or potential customers and familiarize them even moreso with your products or brand, then email is the essential marketing idea for you.  You want to get the most of of utilizing emails as a large piece of your marketing, and here at preHRana Plus, we completely understand that desire.  So, we have made a cheat sheet for your business when it comes to emailing.  This could take your current customers from just every once in a while customers to serious customers, and it can even create customers from potential ones.  Take a look at these tips to see what your business should definitely be doing in regards to email campaigns.

Get the okay first. If you already send emails, or if you are ready to begin sending out emails, you must make sure that the people on your list have agreed to receive emails from you.  If you start sending emails to everyone, even if they say they would not like to hear from you, then you could leave a bad taste in their mouth which will probably keep them from doing business with you in the future, and that’s no good for you and your business.

Forget the spam box. There are many email providers that are on good terms with internet service providers that will put your emails directly into the inbox, as opposed the the spam folder.  This means you’re more likely to be seen and even read.

Commit to a schedule. Having a schedule of when you will send out email campaigns is very important.  A lot of companies set up schedules to a weekly or bi-weekly email.  Some even do it monthly.  Whatever works for your business, plan it that way, and definitely stick to it.

Link it up. The more links in an email means the more chances you have to get traffic to your site.  This, in turn, means the potential for even more business.  That is the goal, right?

Socialize. Your business needs to have social media, plain and simple.  Your social media outlets will not be a replacement for your emailing efforts, but more of a support to them.  This is a way to share your emailing campaigns and more with even more people.  So get connected to your customers and potential customers with social media.

Toes Should be Covered – Future employers do not need to see your feet or any part of your feet, plain and simple.  Keep the open-toed shoes in the closet, and please, please refrain from wearing flip-flops.  Even in the most casual of work environments, flip-flops are inappropriate.  Think of it this way too, what if the interviewer has a serious problem with feet as it is?  Wear shoes that reveal your toes or feet, and you may have just lost a job right there.

No Beachwear – Sure we all love to be comfortable, and when it is hot outside, it is a tough job to find an outfit that will keep you from sweating buckets.  The fact of the matter is, summer beach attire is unacceptable regardless of the temperature outside.  Short shorts, men’s board shorts, bathing suits of any kind, thin and small summer dresses, and bathing suit cover ups are all serious what not to wear items, not just to an interview, but to work period.

Keep the Fanny-pack At Home –  Um, excuse me, 1989 called, it wants its fanny-pack back.  If you feel like you need to have a fanny-pack to keep your possessions in at the present day, then how is it that you got stuck in a time warp where you still feel it’s necessary?  It’s called a job interview, so get a briefcase or portfolio of some sort to carry your belongings.  All your going to get by wearing a fanny-pack is a good laugh when you are walking away from the interview.

Underwear Should Go Under Clothes – and not be seen please.  I’m sorry, I don’t care who you are, but your underwear should be just that…under.  Do not show up to a job interview or work at all with any under garments revealed.

Most of these items on the list seem to be nothing but common sense, however, many people cannot grasp the idea that there are many things that should only be worn outside of the office, or not even in public at all.  Make a great first impression by choosing an appropriate and professional look.  Even if you know the company has a very casual dress policy, it is far better to be over dressed, than under dressed.

Now, with tough economic times, and more and more people craving flexibility in their work schedules, employers are making some changes which can benefit not only their pocketbooks, but moral as well.

Many companies and even state workers are on a four day workweek that schedules for 10 hours each day.  Take for instance the state of Utah which implemented a plan to get all state workers on a four day, 10 hour a day workweek.  This plan began not to improve the satisfaction of Utah state jobs, but really what it came down to was saving money in tough times.  After over two years of the plan in effect, Utah has found that the employee satisfaction is indeed higher, and they have saved on energy costs, which helps out environmentally also.  And consider this, just one day of people not being forced to commute to work saves gas money for the employees.

Are companies become more flexible overall?  The answer to that is yes.  In the year 2008, only about 8 percent of companies offered a flexible workweek for employees, and now that total has jumped up to almost 35 percent. Many believe this was trend started in the tech company sector. Several web forms companies often even work four days a week. Staffing companies are finding out that many more companies are actually turning out to be even more flexible in every aspect of working, as long as the desired work is being completed.

There are some naysayers that are completely disagreeing with implementing a four day, 40 hour week of work, but it’s quite plain and simple, the change is not for everyone.  From the beginning, when I child goes into school, a five day week is instilled in them all.  It would be a difficult change for many.  The fact is, that many are taking advantage of the change in workdays, and this means a greater balance in work and family time, increased volunteering, and a more satisfied life all-around.

The fact is, a four day week may not be for you, but would you be willing to give it a shot?  I say, “sign me up for cable internet bundles!”