Guest Posts

Creating a Peaceful Office Environment

Posted on:Wednesday, June 19th, 2013

Modern life can be extremely stressful, especially in the workplace. Stressed staff won’t be working as productively as they should, so it’s important that you keep the stress levels of everyone in your office to a minimum so that everyone can work harmoniously and efficiently without distractions or irritations from their environment.

White is a very pure, cleansing colour, but too much of it can give colleagues a headache, especially if there is lots of bright lighting in a room. It is fine to have white as your main colour, but mute it a little by weaving in some softer subtle shades, such as beiges, olive greens, steely greys and pale blues. This way, you get the same clean, fresh feel, but it isn’t as harsh and can make the room feel more welcoming.

When it comes to office furniture, try to minimise the number of dividers and partitions you use to create an open plan space. This way, the natural light from outside is able to travel across the whole room, and being able to see outside is an important part of feeling comfortable in the office so that staff don’t feel trapped or claustrophobic.

Boardroom furniture and desks should be based on glass for a light, airy, fluid feel. Fortunately, glass tables are timeless and never go out of fashion, and you can match them with any colour scheme. It also gives the impression of transparency, so hopefully it will encourage everyone to be more honest and speak more openly with one another. Openness and honestly is especially important in the boardroom, so a big glass boardroom desk is ideal.

Don’t cluster furniture too closely together, as this will make people feel cramped. Instead, give everyone the space they need to work in peace, and don’t force everyone to sit elbow to elbow. Respect the fact that your workers need privacy, and space their desks out appropriately.

Give your workers somewhere pleasant to take a break by arranging comfortable chairs around a coffee table away from the hustle and bustle of the office. This means that they can sit and talk quietly in groups without disturbing anyone else.

Finally, adding plants to an office can really change the atmosphere. Some greenery will make it feel much fresher and more pleasant. Lots of workers also appreciate a bit of background noise to drown out the sound of machinery or traffic outside, so go for classical or ‘chillout’ style music for something that won’t distract anyone but will mask any irritating sounds.

Tim Bowman is a business productivity consultant who advises firms of all sizes on making the best use of available office space to maximise efficiency

Getting Back On Your Feet After Insolvency

Posted on:Wednesday, June 19th, 2013

You may feel that there is no way back once your business has hit the rails and you have had to file for insolvency. The number of businesses that are going to the wall every year is greater now than it has ever been proving that it is becoming increasingly difficult to own and operate a business in today’s economic climate.

Insolvency is a difficult process to go through. The inability to meet debt payments is no laughing matter. Insolvent companies are those that have been through the liquidation process, sold all of the company assets and have still not managed to pay off their debts. Once a company enters into the insolvency process, it is illegal for them to carry on trading.

Cash Flow Management

Effective cash flow management is the key to staying in business. But trying to manage that flow of cash when your business is in trouble is incredibly hard. In order to recover from insolvency you need to rethink the way that you manage your cash flow, and get a handle on debt management. Start implementing late payment penalties to your clients that default on their credit agreements and make sure that you have an effective credit control department in place that can chase up on bad debts and payment collection. Look at your commitments and prioritise them, make sure that you pay the most important things first such as employee wages; after all without your workers you have no business. Pay your suppliers next and then look to other creditor payments and tax commitments.

Think About Restructuring Your Business

Think positively about getting back on your feet after insolvency and start the ball rolling by restructuring your business. Change your business model, shuffle the management and change the way that you work. You will be able to start generating new streams of revenue and work better towards keeping the company financially in the black.

Try not to panic! There is no need to go into restructuring your business on your own. Instead, speak to someone who specialises in insolvency recovery, someone that has experience of turning a business around and getting it back on its feet again. Between you, you will be able to come up with a plan that will enable you to meet your operating targets and start generating some much needed profit for your organisation. They can not only help you with planning the restructure of your company, they can also work through the implementation of the plan with you.

Look to the Future

Insolvency does not necessarily lead automatically to bankruptcy. Many businesses are able to recover following a restructure and not only survive but also increase their profits and start to put money back into the company. If your company is facing insolvency don’t delay in seeking the help you need to get your business back onto its feet. Professional advisors can negotiate with your creditors, advise you on cash flow management and help you construct a business plan to see you into the future.

Laura writes for www.realbusinessrescue.co.uk, a company that specialises in business turnarounds and other issues relating to businesses going into administration and facing the insolvency process.

Your Essential Guide To Commercial Property Renovation

Posted on:Tuesday, June 4th, 2013

The property industry has been extremely sporadic over the last few years, just like the finance industry. The thing is commercial property has suffered considerably.

Commercial property in need of renovation can now be found at rock bottom prices. Some properties that have gone to auction have been sold for around 60% of their actual predicted value. If you are looking for a new commercial property or you want to create a commercial rental portfolio, then this could be the right time. If you are getting involved with a renovation, then follow this guide.

Market Research

The first thing you need to do is actually find and buy a property. Don’t just jump on the first deal that you see. There are hundreds of properties to choose from. Estate agents will always push you into a sale, but understand that there will always be another property.

If you want a particular property in terms of size and/or location then make sure you wait around for it. Take into account local property values, rental values and the costs associated with the renovation before making a purchase. If you want the best deals, auctions can sometimes yield some great results.

Planning

So, you have what you consider to be your dream property? The next step is to start planning the renovation. When you are planning a renovation you need to take into account every little detail. A lot of people that are renovating properties for the first time miss out on certain details which mean they end up without a big enough budgets.

They have monthly repayments to meet, yet they are not able to actually complete the property. Before you even purchase the property, you need a mock plan to ensure that this is really a project that is suitable.

Contractors

In order for projects to run smoothly and to be completed to a high standard, contractors are going to be needed. Contractors come in all shapes and forms including gas engineers, carpenters, carpet fitters and plumbers. You need to determine which jobs can be done by labourers and which jobs need an expert’s touch.

Although the prices offered by contractors might seem high, remember that they will work a lot faster than labourers or you and complete the job to a much higher standard. Always try and get 3 quotes for each job that needs doing. This will ensure that you don’t overspend when it comes to paying trades people.

Analysis

Before work even begins you need to do some analysis on the building. If a renovation project is in need of a mortgage, you might have already had a survey. Don’t think that this means that your building will last for decades to come. What you need is a more in depth analysis using technologically advance tools. For instance, the tools on offer from structurescan.co.za enable people to identify leaks, the thickness of piping and if there are any structural problems with a building.

Alex is an online blog writer and has been one for over 5 years now. Since he initially started his own blog in 2007, he has been asked to write over 100 pieces on dozens of blogs throughout the internet. The topics he has covered so far include commercial property, personal finance and small business marketing.