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The success of your business comes down to your leadership skills. You are responsible for motivating the staff, setting attainable goals, and embodying the culture of the organization. However, becoming a successful leader in the business world isn’t as simple as it seems. It means possessing unique qualities that can help drive your business forward.

However, it’s never too late to start sharpening your leadership skills. Today, we take a comprehensive look at tips to becoming a successful business leader. Harnessing the skills below will ensure you safeguard your bottom line and reach your organizational goals.

Work Alongside Your Employees

Working with your staff helps you better understand them, thus making it easier to lead. Ensure you do the work they do periodically, if not always. For example, help your employees produce content or answer customer service requests.

It will also help to speak to your employees about their thoughts on the company. Have an open line of communication that allows workers to share their opinions. Let them tell you what they love (and what they don’t love) about working in your organization. Doing this will help you maintain company spirit and culture.

Design Your Unique Leadership Style

All great leaders have their own customized leadership style that works for them. Usually, it’s a combination of different qualities – including motivation, empathy, creativity, and so much more. However, the style you choose will come down to your personality.

A successful leader should adapt to different situations in the workplace. Using a diverse set of skills and qualities, you should find it easier to navigate different challenges. Ensure you start by understanding your leadership type to help you have a better understanding of your weaknesses and strengths.

Have a Precise Mission Statement

Having a clear vision for your organization is the number one priority for all business leaders. It will help to focus on fulfilling certain objectives, thus pushing you towards success. Ask yourself why you started your business and why it is important to attain your goals.

A mission statement encompasses your organizational core values that act as guiding principles for product development and company culture. It will also help you design a positive and welcoming work environment that inspires productivity.

Inspire People

Start by asking yourself why everyone needs to follow you. Your employees shouldn’t follow you because you said so or because they fear you. Instead, they need to believe in your vision and mission to move the company forward.

An excellent leader inspires people to work towards a similar goal. Therefore, you have to clearly state your mission and ensure the entire team is on board. Your actions should also inspire people to fulfill company objectives.

Learn on the Go

For starters, you don’t need to enroll in business school to become a successful leader. It is about trusting yourself and figuring it out along the way. Therefore, you shouldn’t wait until you have everything figured out to implement your big idea.

We are all learning something new every day, and leadership is no different. Even the most influential leaders of this century started with doubts and insecurities about their leadership skills. However, the best way to learn is through making mistakes. It will also help to keep a positive attitude to prepare you for any downfalls.

Protect Your Business

An excellent leader does everything to protect their business from all existing risks. Therefore, it will help to hire a licensed insurance broker today. At InsureYourCompany.com, we are here to help you safeguard your business and bottom line. Ensure you reach out today for a customized insurance quote.

InsureYourCompany.com is celebrating its 20 year anniversary in 2021. The company was started in 2001 in East Brunswick, New Jersey, and has come a long way since then; now employing over 24 employees and having it’s home base in Manalapan, NJ. What’s the best way to get to know what an employee’s experience is? Interviewing them! We’ve interviewed a number of IYC’s employees and hope you all take away something from everyone’s thoughts on the past 20 years.

So, what does working for a 20-year company mean? Jaime Chaifetz reports.

 J: Emily, what does the 20th anniversary of InsureYourCompany.com mean to you?

Emily: Working for a 20-year company means being able to see where we started/where I started, and how far we have yet to go. I love a challenge and helping to build something is part of that.

J: And what are some things you’ve learned over the years?

Emily: You can’t do it all by yourself. The only constant here is change. There is actually very little worth getting upset/angry about. You still have to solve the problem anyway, don’t waste your energy. Almost anything is fixable.

Jerel Levenson has been with the company since day one, as one of the two founders, and here is his perspective on the trajectory of the company.

Jerel: When Alan and I started the business we did not even know if we would survive one year. We were starting an agency after only a few years in the insurance business. We had very limited knowledge of the market at that time.

For this to be our 20th year is something I honestly am very proud of. The reason has a lot to do with everyone around us all these years. As the years moved on, we hired more and more people. We encouraged education and hard work. We brought into the office an environment that created a place to call home. Our employees are a major reason we are at 20 years and will continue for who knows how many more.

J: And how about making mistakes? How did you overcome those hurdles?

Jerel: We made a ton of mistakes. We went on numerous appointments and were lucky if we could close 1 out of 10. But we kept doing the same thing, learning from the mistakes, studying the product, and closing more and more cases.

Alan Levenson, the other Founder of the organization has a very specific 100-year plan that he aims at bringing to fruition.

Alan: What is the legacy I hope to leave for the future? A place where dreams can be fulfilled. And the most important lesson that I’ve learned during my time at IYC? Patience.

Wise words, indeed.

And then comes the fun. Favorite memories? Let’s hear from some of the staff’s thoughts:

Dan Levenson: My favorite memories are the ones created with my fellow co-workers. Our sense of community drives us to excellence and allows us to have fun along the way. And the annual holiday party- who doesn’t love a PARTY!

Babette Mallow keeps it simple with her reply: Stories – Parties – Good clients

Some other fun memories were recalled by Rochelle Levine:

Rochelle: I started at InsureYourCompany.com in 2008. The holiday party that year was in New York City and we had so much fun!!

Emily takes it all home with her sentiment:

Emily: It’s hard to pinpoint a favorite memory. Our holiday parties are always fantastic, the days we would have potlucks or themed lunches, birthday celebrations, etc. But mostly the best moments for me were when we were all together. Something funny would happen or someone would start a conversation and we’d all have a chance to talk and interact. It was always those moments that helped the week go by faster and made things more fun.

So let’s tie it all together. We have learning, patience, memories, legacy, challenges, clients, and of course- doing the work. But here’s what Dan thinks about what working for a 20-year company means to the employees at InsureYourCompany.com.

Dan: Working for a 20-year company means to my determination. Being able to provide a reliable service and employ people for 20 years takes determination from the business owners to keep building and keep growing.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully you have taken away something from this deep dive into the thoughts of employees at a 20-year company. Here’s to InsureYourCompany.com’s next 80 years.

Cyber-attacks and threats are still an ongoing fight. Businesses are using different prevention methods to keep their data, cash flow, and customers safe online.  The aim is to have a robust security measure that prevents various cyber threats experienced in the recent past. Some of the top risks businesses work against include:

• Internet-borne attacks such as spyware and malware
• Employee negligence
• Software flaws and vulnerabilities in the systems
• Phishing attacks.

On the bright side, these measures seem to be working on a small scale. According to a recent HIPPA Journal, in the first six months of 2021, data breaches declined by at least 24% globally. However, the study found an increase of data breaches by 1.5% in the U.S. It calls for more measures and new security policies for businesses in the region.

Over the same period, breaches reported to the public were 1767 between January 1, 2021, and June 30, 2021. The breaches led to an exposure of 18.8 billion records. Compared to the 27.8 billion recorded exposure in the first six months of 2020, the number is smaller, reduced by about 32%. According to these reports, the healthcare sector is still the most targeted and has topped the list since 2017.

In the positive light and turn of events, there is still much needed to alleviate cyber crime in companies. It is leading to losses of billions of dollars and the closure of numerous startups. Let’s look at some of the prevention measures companies are using to achieve these positive results.

Increased Cybersecurity Awareness among Employees

From studies, employees are the leading cause of cybersecurity attacks in companies. 90% of cyber-attacks result from information hackers steal directly under employees’ noses who unwittingly give it away.

IT systems can only go up to that far. Therefore, increased awareness of cyber security threats in places of business has helped create a culture of online safety. Training employees on cybersecurity encompasses all the security threats and loopholes hackers use to mine for information, such as phishing and sending scam emails. Employees now know how to avoid scams and report them to the relevant people to prevent further damage.

Use of Enhanced Security Protocol and Backup

There has been a rise in investments using top security and backups in business to keep off hackers. Companies have to be proactive in reducing cyber threats by having better systems and top tech experts for best security practices and training.

These technicians assess the vulnerabilities of networks and detect flaws before they can lead to any security issue. It has enabled companies to overcome security threats that would cripple their operations saving a lot of cash.

Updated Security Systems

Companies are also proactive in updating their security systems more than ever before. There is no point in having security systems without constantly updating them. As technology changes, hackers are also changing the tactics they use to access information.

Updated systems have better security measures to reduce any chances of a hacker getting into your network systems. The right IT personnel helps companies stay updated with better security technology, significantly lowering cyber-attacks.

Proper Management of Passwords

Passwords are one of the most annoying aspects of using technology and the most misused. Many companies use easy-to-guess passwords that invite hackers into their systems. Currently, the use of password managers helps businesses to keep their passwords safe from intruders. They also use strong passwords that no one can tell through guesswork. After all, that is the point of having a password in the first place.

Visit InsureYourCompany.com for information on insurance products to protect your business from cyber security threats.

Your company may already offer safety training in-person and perhaps you think that is the only viable method of delivery, especially if your manufacturing plant had citations or violations from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) in the past. You also might own a startup and believe that your only option to fulfill OSHA requirements is in-person training, but you can use online safety training to provide better training for your employees. Well-trained employees experience fewer accidents. Fewer accidents at your business mean fewer workers’ compensation claims.

That tops the list of the many benefits of online safety training which includes savings of time and money, as well as improved education and retention. These benefits have led more than 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies to implement online training. Using e-learning combines multiple forms of media to educate and inform by presenting the information in every manner – audio, video, written text, graphics. This method ensures that, regardless of how an individual best learns information, it gets presented to them in a manner they can understand and digest. It presents information in small, manageable modules that follow a logical order and provides knowledge checks such as quizzes and tests.

Flexibility of Methods

The inherent design of e-learning provides the first benefit of online safety training – its flexibility for the learner. Unlike in-person, face-to-face training, an online program lets the user replay the course material as many times as needed. They work at their own pace, individually. The opposite is true of person-to-person physical training in which the teacher presents the material in a one-and-done fashion. With online safety courses, the student can save their progress at their convenience. They can review materials before taking a quiz or test. A 2010 US Department of Education report revealed that adults learn best through online training, but low-achieving students also known as slow learners did better with traditional classroom delivery. Since you probably do not employ the latter, using online safety training could improve the retention of your adult workforce.

Improved Access

When travel isn’t possible, yet you need trained employees, online safety training provides the solution. You can provide training to those in multiple time zones and varied locations from the cloud. Since the course material remains available 24 hours per day, seven days per week, employees can complete the course when they have time. As long as they have an Internet-capable device and the Internet, they can complete their training. This alleviates your need to block off time during the workday for training, so your productivity does not fall behind.

Current Information

OSHA frequently updates its safety regulations, creating a challenge for safety instructors who conduct in-person training. You can easily update an online training to include the latest revisions to safety training materials. Since you have access to your training materials, you can make the updates the very day OSHA issues the revision to the safety regulation if needed.

Standardized Safety Training

The online safety training curriculum provides standardized information. With individual instructors presenting information in varied locations, your safety training program lacks standardization. With online training, information gets written or recorded once and each student plays back the same information, presented in the exact same manner. You organize all courses in a learning management system (LMS) to provide easy access and to encourage employees to complete additional training in a voluntary manner.

Multi-Lingual Training

Global organizations or businesses with employees who speak a variety of languages natively can improve their employees’ learning by offering online safety courses in their native language. While it would create a complex hiring situation to contract with certified trainers in every needed language, you can easily translate the materials on an online safety course and have the materials recorded in various languages. Your employees choose which language works best for them and complete the training in it.

Improved Retention

Humans learn better online because humans learn better in interactive situations. When the learner can touch a tool to practice with it or use a virtual model of the tool, they learn better. The typical learner retains as little as 10 percent when attending a lecture or reading, but providing an interactive e-learning module can bump that retention up to more than 70 percent.

Increased Productivity

Speaking of productivity, according to IBM, you could boost productivity by up to 50 percent with online training. To put it into dollars, so it makes sense, when your company spends $1 on online training, it can return to you in up to $30 of productivity gains. Since fast learners can complete online courses quickly, they enhance their productivity faster. Since the learning is all self-paced, the slower learners do not bog them down and they do not frustrate the slower learners by wanting to go through the material quicker, which could erode the slower learners’ ability to uptake the information.

Cost Savings

You save both directly and indirectly. You save directly because online training costs much less than classroom training. You alleviate the costs of classroom rental, employee travel, hiring trainers, car rental, and hotel rooms. You save indirectly because improved employee retention results in fewer accidents, which cuts the costs of workplace injuries and illnesses. Your company remains in compliance, so it avoids fines. You experience fewer equipment problems since your employees know what to do and how to do it safely. But using online safety training also results in other savings, including reduced time and money to develop safety training materials, reduced cost of maintaining safety training records and completing reporting requirements, and reducing the time required to train a new employee.

You Make Learning Fun

Using interactive, cloud-based safety training lets your employees learn in an enjoyable way. You make learning fun by providing them with dynamic multimedia content that they can playback as many times as needed when they need it. They use interactive quizzes and tests to ensure they understand and retain knowledge. You can let them use virtual tools, so they get used to the interfaces or mechanical items they will use in real-life situations. The age-old example of this as far as computers are concerned are the flight simulators first used by the US Air Force and private airlines to provide pilot training. You can virtualize any interface or tool to provide hands-on training without the exorbitant cost of needing to purchase 50 of any item specifically for training use. Plus, when you create the virtual version of a drill or cockpit or manufacturing line, you allow the employee to access it on an as-needed basis. They can practice using it properly, as often as needed, without impacting other workers or requiring the trainer or any supervisory personnel to be present. Since it only provides a simulation with no person involved, they cannot hurt themselves or others. You not only make learning fun; you make it safer.

You have many reasons to implement an LMS today with training that can help you meet and comply with OSHA regulations. Moreover, your move to using online safety training can improve every facet of your business. Contact us to help you learn more ways you can protect your business from costly workers’ compensation claims. The best way to prevent claims is to make sure accidents don’t happen.

Every team needs the right software tools to do their jobs well. Today, were here to talk about what it takes to share a password securely in the all-too-often circumstances where this is necessary in the business world – with coworkers, clients, and business partners.

In an ideal world, passwords would be easy, secure, and known only to one person. In reality, we have to share passwords all the time. Sharing accounts is a normal part of both personal and business life in the modern world. At home, you choose an easy family password for movies, music, and shopping accounts so the whole family can share. At work, you may use a team login to access shared projects. Even when working with a new business partner, you may need to share passwords so that both parties can access and edit certain digital assets. This is especially true for website development and management.

Website design tends to assume one root account, one admin with all the powers so that all other admin accounts are managed below the root. Of course, the website owner and the person best qualified to be your website root account holder are often two different people. In order to develop a website, share control, or have your website managed by a hired pro, you will need to share a password – maybe more than one.

The Challenge: Sending a Password Securely

The challenge is in the sharing. How can you securely send a password over the internet without the risk of it being seen and read by anyone skimming the in-transit data? How can you send a password without the risk of it being read by someone else holding the recipient’s phone or sitting at their desk?  The security risks today are everywhere, both in the digital and real world. As someone responsible for safekeeping an important password, what can you do? The complex answer is encryption. One interesting and very useful tool we’ve found is a website called SafeNote, a tool designed to send encrypted messages.

We’ll explain how SafeNote works and why it’s a handy go-to way to securely share a password along with other sensitive information that should be transmitted digitally with great care.

What Makes SafeNote Secure and Useful

SafeNote has exactly three features that make it the perfect password sharing solution. It is not specifically made for passwords, but rather, for secure message sending of any sort. This also makes SafeNote ideal if you need to send medical information, personal identification, bank account numbers, and anything else you can’t afford to fall into the hands of hackers. Here are the three features that make up SafeNote:

1.  SafeNote encrypts your message so that it can’t be read as data-bits while in-transit.
2. The message is shared via a secure one-time link
3. After the link is accessed once, the message self-destructs. It is deleted from the SafeNote servers and the link can never be used again

Let’s break that down piece by piece.

SafeNote Encryption

First, let’s talk about encryption. As you may already know, encryption is the act of encoding a message so that it has to be deciphered using a complex process before the message can be opened and read.  The simplest form of encryption is letter-translocation. For example A=Z, B=Y, C=X, and so on. The most classic type of encryption uses a book, and only someone holding the same book can find cypher to un-encode the message.

Today’s encryption software uses randomly generated cyphers that cannot be duplicated or even stolen by hackers. A new cypher is used every time, and only someone on the other end of an encrypted message with the decrypt cypher will be able to read the message. To anyone else, all they see is hashed gibberish.

For hackers, this means that your sent password can’t be read when it travels through the internet to your business partner. Some hackers specialize in ‘skimming’ messages from wifi, from cable connections, and even from hacked devices and local networks. They read the raw data packets as they pass, stealing data as it travels. Encrypted data can’t be stolen in-transit and if a hacker steals a whole encrypted server, all they get is a server’s data worth of complete gibberish.

In other words, encryption is our favorite way to thwart hackers and it works superbly here with password sharing. Your password, along with any other secure messages, will not be stored in plain text or even salted hash. It will be stored encrypted until the moment your recipient opens the message.

Sharing the URL Link

The next feature is link-sharing. When you enter a message into SafeNote for delivery, SafeNote will give you a unique URL that you can share.  Conveniently, your message also disappears from the screen so anyone who enters your office after you submit the message won’t see the password displayed in plain text.

You can then safely share the URL, which reveals nothing about the message, with the person who needs your shared password. This creates a very safe way to transmit information because even if you email the link and that person’s email is skimmed, hacked, or snooped, no one will see anything they shouldn’t. And your password isn’t stored in email history, just the nonsense URL link.

Initiating Self-Destruct Sequence

Lastly, SafeNote destroys your message the first time it is read. Yes, the first time. As soon as your recipient opens that link once, it initiates the self-destruct sequence. They have until the browser tab is closed to view your message or retrieve your password. After that, the link goes to an expired-link page on the SafeNote site. No message, and no repeat visits.

Why is this important? The self-destruct feature keeps you safe in the long-run so that your password is not floating around in a server somewhere waiting to be stolen. Not only that, but anyone who gets ahold of the link from an email or even a shared personal device won’t be able to access your password. The message shows itself once and only once.

How to Use SafeNote to Send a Secure Password

Using Safe-Note is incredibly easy. Start by heading to the SafeNote homepage. You’ll see a place to enter your message and a large handy button that says “Create Message”. Enter your password and click the button. From here, SafeNote encrypts the message and generates your one-time URL. You send that URL in an email or chat message to the recipient, who opens the link once to receive your password exactly once.

You can test SafeNote as many times as you want to see how it works for yourself. Go ahead and make a testing message and then try to visit the link twice. When you’re confident, generate your password message and send the link to your business partner. It’s as simple as that.

Building strong IT policies is also about choosing the right tools and equipping your team with a safe way to do things that are traditionally risky. SafeNote is just one of many potential tools you can use. Most effectively, it is approachable for one-time use without needing to install a program or create an account which clients often appreciate. For more useful IT techniques and the tools that make them work securely, contact us today!

In the contemporary world, everyone is looking for ways to utilize technology to succeed in their various fields of expertise. Businesses desire to go digital and exploit technological advancements to automate their operations. In the next three years, you can expect more than thirty-four percent of workers to have automated their jobs. All this is made possible through software.

Because of the increasing demand for Information Technology, the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) industry is growing significantly. For instance, in the United States, the Information Technology sector has a thirty-three percent market share. Everyone who understands the potential in the software industry is investing their time and money to outperform their competitors. Here are tips to help you establish a successful software company:

Develop High-Quality Products

The most significant aspect of a software company is the quality of products they develop. A high-quality product means the product should be efficient and free of bugs. High-quality products guarantee a compelling user experience; hence, you will attract new customers and easily retain the current ones.

A user can determine the quality of a product in its initial usage stages. A poorly done job in the development of software can’t go unnoticed for a long time. Low-quality products ruin the company’s reputation and keep away potential customers. Therefore, if you are to thrive in the software industry, developing high-quality products is not an option.

Keep it Simple

In software development, simplicity is a crucial factor to consider. Ensure the products you develop are user-friendly. If your product is not convenient, most users will avoid it. It doesn’t matter how great your innovation is or how many solutions it offers to customers. Everyone wants to have a seamless experience at work.

You ought to clearly understand your target audience. This means knowing where, when, and how the users will be using your product. Ensure the software is convenient and compatible with their working environment. In addition, the software should easily blend with the other tools your clients are using. That way, you will attract more users.

Establish Friendly Customer Relations

Any software company will always endeavor to keep a friendly relationship with its clients. A cordial relationship shows appreciation and respect for your customers. It also motivates the clients to return to your company over and over.

If you maintain a cordial relationship with your clients, they will most probably spread nice words about your company. Consequently, your company will appear courteous and professional, which is an excellent reputation for any business. The clients may also refer their friends, family, and colleagues to your company.

Keep Tabs on Technological Advancements

Being a software company in an era where technology is constantly shifting implies that you should stay alert and adapt to the changes. If you only stick to the old technology, soon you will be out of business. For example, in the current trends, most people are shifting to Artificial Intelligence. Therefore, you should already be developing software that supports AI.

Come up with new ways of solving problems using the latest technology and be prepared for future challenges. To remain competitive in software development, you’ll have to hasten your pace in innovation. As a result, you will be among the first companies to offer new quality products to your clients. Lastly, don’t forget to train your employees on technological advancements.

Be Versatile to Meet the User’s Needs

As a software company, ensure you are flexible enough to handle different types of jobs. Since the software development business is highly competitive, you must maximize any advantage over your competitors. The company’s ability to tackle various kinds of jobs will ensure you don’t face work shortages at any time.

As you produce your software, come up with different packages to meet the needs of your clientele. Have two or three packages tailored to fit different segments. These segments may differ in usability, ability to pay, and ROI (return on investment). Versatility will ensure your company is always engaged and there is a constant flow of money. Therefore, your business will be profitable.

Let Us Support You

While you employ the various tips to help a software company succeed, you’ll require proper insurance coverage and documentation to operate. At InsureYourCompany.com, we have a team of experienced business insurance experts ready to guide you in your success journey. Ensure you get a customized insurance quote today to start protecting your business the right way.

Hiring employees is a big step for small businesses. It shows that you have grown enough to need some help to get through your daily activities. However, once you hire some people to help you continue to grow your business, your work isn’t over. In fact, many would say that you have even more to do. You need to make sure that you hire the right people and then find ways to make sure that they are happy in their job so that they are as productive as possible.

Here are some tips to help.

Pay them well. Good and hardworking employees are worth every penny, so it is important that you pay them as much as you can afford. People who feel like they are justly compensated for their work are happier and more likely to stay with an employer for a long time.

Give them the best benefits package that you can afford. Benefits are essential for finding and keeping employees. If you can afford to, you should try to offer health insurance for your employees and your families. If not, you need to make sure that all of your employees get paid vacation and personal time. This is essential for happy employees. They need time away from work!

Make balance an essential part of your business. Balancing work and home life isn’t easy, but you can help your employees out by making sure that they leave on time. You can also make sure that they don’t miss the important things in their lives, such as baseball games, concerts, and recitals.

It is also important to do your best to make sure that your employees use their vacation and personal time. Everyone needs time to unwind and relax, even if they don’t go anywhere. You also want to offer a job where people don’t feel guilty for calling out when they don’t feel good. If your employees are sick, they should stay home and take care of themselves. Parents also shouldn’t feel bad when they need to stay home to take care of their children who aren’t feeling well.

Don’t be afraid to say thank you. When your employees step up and do something extra, a thank you will go a long way. It makes employees feel like they are appreciated, and they will work harder just to prove their worth. You will be amazed at how a simple thank you can make someone feel.

It doesn’t hurt to show your appreciation in other ways. That being said, there are times when you might want to do a little extra for your staff. Serving breakfast or lunch once in a while can show employees that you really care about them. If someone stepped up and covered extra shifts for someone else, you may want to offer them a gift card to their favorite store. These little things don’t have to cost you much, but they will mean a lot to your employees!

If you want to have employees that work hard, you need to make sure that they are happy. You can do this by paying them well and offering them benefits. However, paid time off doesn’t work unless they take it! You also want to make sure that you thank your employees when you are really proud of them. Doing a little extra will also go a long way. You may want to bring lunch in once in a while for a job well done! It will be greatly appreciated.

Contact us for all of your insurance needs. We will help you protect your business so that you can continue to do what you love.

Once you have a few employees under your employ, you are going to have to change your way of thinking. Instead of just being a business owner, you are now an employer. You are the one who is going to be in charge of them (and the future of your business). You need to find a way to connect them and work with them so that your business runs as effectively as possible. This is even harder today when most people prefer to work from home.

So, how can you maintain an effective workforce?

Have a clear goal in mind. Before any of your employees know what is going on, you need to know. So, come up with a plan of action. Figure out everything that needs to be done and decide who is the best person for each job.

Communicate, communicate, and communicate some more. Once you have a plan, it is time to move forward with it. Though everyone groans about meetings, the truth is that they are a great way to get everyone together and talk about your goals and plans. You can also use this time to delegate the tasks that need to be done.

You may also need to have smaller meetings so that everyone is one hundred percent on board with you. Don’t be afraid to check in as time goes by so that you can make sure that everything is still going according to your plan.

Find a way to be flexible. As you implement your plan, you may realize that you need to make some changes. You are going to need to let go and be flexible. You may need to hire a new employee to get a certain task done in time. Not only that, but you may also realize that you gave the wrong task to the wrong person. Switch it up, until you find the right person for each task.

If something is not working, and you need to make changes, do it now. It is better to quit partway through a project than struggle through the whole thing, only to realize that you are going to have to go another way. Your goals and plans may change and there is nothing wrong with that!

Learn to delegate. You don’t need to micromanage your employees. Give them tasks to do and let them go. Don’t be afraid to check in periodically, but you don’t have to watch over their shoulders to make sure that they are doing the work properly. Employees work much better when they are given the freedom to work at their own pace and to figure out the best way to get it done!

It can be hard to manage a workforce. You have to start with a plan, though you may need to be flexible if it isn’t working out exactly the way that you hoped. You may need to make some minor (or even major) changes in order to keep everything going. You also need to communicate with everyone so that all of your employees know what the plan is and what they need to do to help you get there. This may include a lot of meetings or just weekly check-ins to make sure that everything is going well.

This also means that you are going to have to let go of some things in order to delegate. You chose your employees for a reason, so it is important that you let them do what they are good at! They don’t need you watching their every move in order to get things done. In fact, they will probably work harder without you breathing down their neck!

Contact us for all of your insurance needs. We will help to protect your business so that you can focus on doing what you love!

When heading off to college there are a lot of things to think about.  Finding a place to live is high on the list. Whether you opt for dorm or off-campus housing, you are going to need to buy some things or take them from home.  A laptop, school supplies, and television are standard big-ticket items.  Your new college space may also need dressers, a couch, and a mattress.  The amount of “stuff” you need to live away from home adds up quickly.

That is why you should really consider renter’s insurance. Here are some reasons why.

It might be cheaper than you think.

Renters insurance is often inexpensive.  An average policy is typically under $200 per year.

Everything that you have adds up.

From small accessories to big-ticket items, your stuff accumulates quickly. Your television, computer, laptop, printer, and furniture can cost several thousand dollars. If you are a gamer, you may have a game system, good speakers, and other expensive gear. You may have a good camera and other possessions that you don’t want to leave at home. All of these items add up (and quickly).

You may not have the money to replace all of these items. 

Most college students don’t have a lot of extra money.  It is much cheaper to have the insurance than it is to replace everything you brought to college.

You probably aren’t covered under your parent’s insurance. 

Unless you live in the dorm and your primary residence is still your parents’ house, your belongings probably won’t be covered under your parent’s homeowner insurance policy. If you are on your own, you need to be protected.

Your parent’s homeowners policy might have a high deductible.

Even if you are covered by your parent’s insurance policy,  it may not help you out when you need it. Most deductibles are pretty high, so they might not cover your two-hundred-dollar television. If the deductible is five hundred dollars, you will have to pay for a new TV out of your own pocket.

Most renter’s insurance deductibles are much lower, making it a more affordable option for you.

You may be required to have renter’s insurance. 

Many apartment complexes require all tenants to have renter’s insurance for everyone’s safety and protection. Likewise, you may not be allowed to move in until you can show proof of insurance.

Though you may not want to spend any extra money on renter’s insurance, it is usually a great idea. This is especially true when you start to think about how much stuff you really have. A laptop and some furniture can really add up. There are times when it is worth getting your own policy!

If you want to make sure that you and your belongings are fully protected, don’t hesitate to contact us today. We will be glad to talk to you about all of your insurance needs and wants to find a policy that you need.