7 Characteristics Of Fantastic Workspaces

No matter what your goal at the office, be it to sell more products, make customers smile or create new ideas that will lead to success tomorrow, your employees are only going to do their best work when they are comfortable and happy. To encourage this, adjustments to the workspace may be necessary. While every office will be a bit different, you will find that these seven characteristics of fantastic workspaces are an excellent place to start.

Great Lighting –

A workspace that has good lighting is more attractive to your employees. Perhaps instead of harsh florescent lighting you could choose soft lighting. If possible, make it where you can take advantage of the sunshine (on sunny days of course). Whether you have a skylight or just open the windows, letting the sunshine in will boost the mood of everyone at the office.

Tidy –

An orderly office is more appealing to everyone who works there. Make sure you have the organizational tools necessary to keep things neat and clean. This may be difficult if you have a shared workspace, but if you can encourage those around you to keep things clean too, it will make a big difference. If space is tight, consider options like mobile storage solutions. Once things are nice and tidy, it will be easy to keep things that way with just a small amount of effort each day.

Comfortable Seating –

How many hours do you spend working at your desk each day? Likely it’s more than you spend in that big, comfy recliner at home and maybe even more than you spend in your bed at night. Splurge on a desk chair that is comfortable. It will assure that you have one less thing on your mind each day as you sit down to work.

Inspirational –

A great office space will inspire you to do more and accomplish your goals. Choose décor that puts a smile on your face and encourages you to accomplish more. Inspirational décor can make a big difference in how you and your coworkers look at the workday.

Good Utilization of Color –

While you may not be able to paint your walls bright green and your desk pink, there is no reason you can’t use some splashes of color here and there. Don’t fall into the gray or brown trap. See how you can use color to make your office space more appealing to everyone who walks in the door.

Ergonomic –

In addition to a comfortable chair, make sure your entire setup is ergonomic. This means setting up a desk at just the right level so you are not straining your wrists, and having something to prop up your feet for ultimate comfort.

Well Supplied –

You’ll lose time each day when you have to get up and raid the supply closet or visit the local discount store to buy new supplies. Take a little time at the beginning of each day and make sure you have the supplies you will need. It will make your workspace much more productive.

While you may not be able to meet every one of these characteristics, it is important that you keep them all in mind during the design or renovation process. By doing this, you will always have the needs of your staff in mind and will be more likely to create a work environment that fosters productivity and satisfaction.

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Getting from Here to There

Is your business where you want it to be? Is your career everything you had hoped for? Are you waking up excited and invigorated every day? Today’s economy is challenging – financial market are unpredictable, customers are afraid to spend, employees can be worried about their jobs and security. It can feel sometimes like you are taking two steps forward and five steps back!

If your business – or your career – is in a rut, it’s time to shift the dynamic. In some cases all you can see is the “stuck-ness”. It’s hard to see that there is another way out and you have the power to find it. Whether as an individual, in a team or for your business, these five steps from the S.H.I.F.T. ™ Model can put you on the road to where you want to be:

Start by specifying what success looks like to you.

Be as clear as you can, and include both quantitative and qualitative goals. You might want to increase revenue by 10%, for example, but you might also want to have a team-oriented and collaborative culture. Outline the goals and then drill down so someone who does not understand your business would know where you are going.

Highlight the obstacles and categorize them; the real world enters in as you travel your path to success.

There are things in your way that need to be removed, overcome, or ignored. List your obstacles – what’s in your way, or what could get in your way? Make a long list, and then categorize the obstacles: (a) What you can control, (ii) What you can influence, and (c) What is out of your control. It’s important to categorize, so you can focus on those things that are in your control and under your influence. For the time being ignore the things you can’t control – don’t waste energy on these.

Identify the human factor.

There are both internal and external human factors. Internal factors include what’s specific to you as a person. Strengths? Areas for improvement? Opportunities you can outsource, or things that you don’t enjoy? Are you a procrastinator and need to plan? External human factors include the stakeholders in your universe – who has the power or interest to help you or get in your way? Identify the people or groups that need to be involved in your process.

Find your alternatives.

Establish the criteria for decision-making. As you look at your desired outcome, your organized obstacles, and the human factor (both internal and external), what options emerge? This is your opportunity for brainstorming. Too often you might think there is only one way, but in most every case there are multiple options that could work. Look at your options and check them against your criteria. What emerges as your best option?

Lastly, take the disciplined action you need to take.

Break down what you need to do, step by step by step: who, what, when, how and how much will you do at each step. Give yourself timelines, assign responsibilities where they belong. This is where you get granular. Know each day, each week, each month what you need to do and who will do it. Scope out possible costs so you have no surprises along the way!

You can get to a different place, but not by hoping and dreaming. If you are not where you want to be, consider taking these five steps and applying them to something that matters to you – your career or your business. Get on the path today to where you really want to go.

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4 Reasons to be Ready to Sell Your Online Business Right Now

Having an online business is great. Not only are you your own boss and can dictate your own hours, but you can also sit in casual clothes at the computer during conference calls and filling orders. But even if your business is going smoothly, and the profits are rolling in, it is still absolutely essential that you prepare the business for sale. Even if you have no absolutely no intention of selling.

Confused? Read on and you won’t be.

In the excitement of running a new business and watching it succeed beyond your wildest expectations, selling the company is probably the last thing on your mind. But the fact is, most business owners eventually end up selling to an investor or an individual at some point in time, and usually when they aren’t expecting to do so. You may be lucky enough for someone to come to you with an acquisition offer, but more likely than not, you will be looking for a buyer, not the other way around.

So in preparation for that day possibly coming, it is essential to have an exit strategy ready, so you can sell quickly and easily, and move on to your next business idea. Even if you vow never to sell your business, it is still good to perform an exit strategy exercise on a regular basis. Here’s why:

It’s good for your business now. First of all, it forces you to take a good long hard look at your business. Examining every inch of your business structure, business practises, employee records, accounts, detailed financial records (including loans due, loan repayments, leases on suppliers, and so forth) may show you areas where you are most vulnerable, such as wastage. Any potential buyer would be examining these things, and if you did it first, you may find the one thing that could sink any prospective acquisition deal. This will, in the long run, make your business stronger than before.

Bad Things Happen, Unfortunately. Things happen to us every day, whether we want them to or not. You might be forced to sell your business if you become burnt out and unable to continue running the company. (This is far more common than you may realize.) Nobody likes to talk or think about their business impacting their health, but unfortunately, life being what it is, these things do and may happen. If it does, then do you have a plan for the company to be bought out, and for you to get the rest and care you need?  If the business is not at least moderately prepared, and essential records not organized, then any interested buyer that comes forward may take one look and run a mile. Or you may take so long in getting things together that the value of the business tumbles to the point where you are collecting pennies for the carcass of the business.

Look at This Great New Opportunity! Thirdly, not everything is so bleak, so smile! You may get up one day, the sun is shining, the postman is singing, and you get a new business opportunity. Or the lightbulb may ping in your head and the Next Big Thing On The Internet is something you will want to work on right away. But what about the business you already have? You may need to sell it to come up with business capital, or to simply get rid of it, so you can devote all your time to your new venture. But if the books are a mess, and the record keeping a shambles, then it would take you so long to get it straight that the business opportunity will simply slip away.

Prepping Takes Time. Last of all, don’t be fooled into thinking that you can get your business ready for selling by lunchtime. It can potentially take well over a year to get everything prepared and ready. When you want to jump ship from the business and pass it on to a new owner, do you want to wait a year while you get the place cleaned up, the lease wrapped up, and the tax returns from 2 years ago found and organized? In your frustration to wind up the business and move on, your impatience may impel you to take far less money than what the business is worth. And if you need that money for the next venture, taking a big hit in the price could prove a fatal blow.

So the moral of the story is that it pays a great deal to get into “sell mode”, the moment you start a business. Think like a potential buyer and examine your business the way they would. See what would make them blanch and fix it. Make sure the records are so organized that the tax man would faint. Your health, your bank balance, and your future career will thank you for it.

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