What exactly is a consultant?

I love social media. I love Facebook and Instagram mostly, and I do love Pinterest, but oh my gosh i is so easy to get lost on interest and not even realize that hours have passed while I busily look at things. And whatever I started looking at is miles away from where I end up. I might start looking for skincare products and end up looking at recipes for salsa. It is a tangled web indeed…… Scrolling on Facebook I have seen more and more people talk about starting businesses as consultants. Business consultants or life coaches (consultant), or skincare consultants or makeup consultants. Some of these people look like they have just finished their teens and I wonder what kind of experience does one need to be an effective consultant? Which led me to asking, what exactly IS a consultant anyway??? So of course I did what any normal person would do, I pulled out my Webster’s dictionary.  Yes, I STILL have an old fashioned dictionary made with paper. A BOOK! Can you believe it? Well Webster said this: Definition of consultant- 1: one who consults another; 2: one who gives professional advice or services : expert. So a Consultant is supposed to be an expert. 

 So the next thing you might ask is, can a consultant actually help me? The answer usually is yes, but you need to find a company that fits you and can help you and your business move in the direction you want to go. Which for most companies is growth.  This article by Bplans helps explain why business choose to work with a consultant and the things a consultant can help with, as well as why you would want one for your small business. They state “Whether you’re starting a new company or growing an existing business, hiring the right consultant can be a cost-effective way for your small business to leverage specialized knowledge. Conversely, hiring the wrong consultant can cost you more than money—it can cost you a lot of wasted time and energy.” I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to waste money. Either in my household or in my business!
All of this leads back to the original question: What is a consultant? And even more specifically: what kind of consultant do I need for my business? A growth consultant, a financial consultant, a personnel consultant? So many questions. In fact, it might even lead you to wonder how can I BECOME a consultant? I know a few things, and I have had some experience in my life that can help others. Maybe this is something I can do AS a business. Or work as a consultant for a consulting firm. Which of course leads to the question:
What is consulting? Or even how can I become a Consultant? And of course friends, I have an answer for you! Consulting.com is how. They can help teach you Who a consultant is, What a consultant does, Why do businesses need consultants, When do companies hire consultants, and Where you can gain the knowledge to become one! ALL of your questions answered in ONE place. And if you are anything like me, having all the answers in one place is a dream come true. Especially with our busy lives!
So if you think this might be a career you would like to pursue, or think you might have some knowledge you would like to share, or like helping others succeed, Consulting.com would be a great place to start!!

 

Create a Healthier Business Space Right Now

 

Running a business involves making a lot of decisions and trying to ensure you spend money in the right way. That is why it is so important to make sure you focus on improving where you can and turning the business into the best possible company you can. A lot of this involves trying to promote a healthier business space for your employees to work.

Trying to make your workers as productive as possible is one of the business skills that every entrepreneur should embrace. You have to provide the ultimate working conditions that are going to help your employees be as productive as possible, and enjoy working for your business. This is crucial for the future, and here are some things you can do to achieve a healthier business space today.

 

Get the Right Furniture

The right furniture can actually have a huge impact on the health and comfort of the office environment. If you think about it, furniture is essential for posture, and this can lead to a multitude of health problems in the future if you don’t get it right. There are so many things that you can do with the furniture to make a healthy working space, and going down the ergonomic route is one of the most effective.

 

Regulate the Noise

It is important to understand that noise can also be a health concern in the business world as well. You might think that if you don’t work in a factory noise isn’t something to worry about. But, it might surprise you to hear that it can still be pretty bad, and, in fact, hearing loss is regularly linked to excessive loud noises in the workplace. So, make sure you try to regulate the noise for the comfort of everyone concerned.

 

Prioritize Health & Safety Training

Health and safety is something of a buzz phrase for businesses these days, and it is essential to make sure your staff are thoroughly trained. You have to make sure you do as much as possible to ensure they get plenty of health and safety training for the business. This is something you can do by putting your employees on the relevant courses to make sure they are trained properly.

 

Encourage Exercise & Healthy Eating

There is no reason why your workplace can’t encourage exercise and healthy eating, and this is something you need to think about. Promoting a health-conscious environment is great for improving people’s lives. So, you might want to make sure you get a gym installed on the premises, or provide healthy snacks throughout the working day to ensure people stay as healthy as possible.

These are just a few of the excellent things that can really make a big difference when it comes time to make your business healthier. There is a lot that can be done to achieve this, and you need to make sure you think hard about what can be done to enhance the business. Making a healthier business space is the best way of making sure your company is more appealing and attractive, and that your staff get to work in a healthy environment.

Putting A United Front On Your Remote Business

 

Remote work is good news for entrepreneurs. By doing away with the need for pricey commercial spaces, it’s possible to hire a team and expand your company sooner than ever. Rather than having to wait until your profits are soaring, you can get started with expansion as the moment you’re earning a stable amount. And, that’s fantastic news all around.

But, you don’t need us to tell you that nothing in business is as simple as it sounds. Sadly, remote work also has its downsides. Namely, it’s difficult to present a united front when you’re all working from home, sometimes at great distances from each other. If you aren’t careful, customers will soon have different contact details for each one of you. And, that could be off-putting. After all, any company knows about the importance of keeping things as simple as possible.

With that in mind, let’s consider some of the ways your remote team can present a united front and make things easier.

A shared knowledge

Your remote team need to have a shared knowledge of every customer you deal with. It won’t do any good if only one person knows the ins and outs of a customer profile. It’s a long-winded way of operating which simply won’t serve you, and could frustrate customers in the long run. To make sure that doesn’t happen, consider simple ways you can share information remotely. Your best option here would be to install cloud services like those offered by www.safebitsolutions.com. These ensure that, as long as they have access to the internet, your team can access customer files. It can help everyone to stay on the same page and guarantees your customers never speak to someone who isn’t in the know.

The same phone number

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Phone numbers are always a pressing problem when it comes to remote work. If you don’t think this through, your customers will end up with four different mobile numbers for your one company. And, that’s going to lead to issues in no time. To avoid this confusion, consider using VoIP services instead of personal phones. This ensures that all your remote workers are contactable through one business number. Again, all this requires is an internet connection and a compatible phone. As well as sparing you hassle, this is sure to look professional and is a step you need to take.

Get together for meetings

 

What happens when you have a big client conference call? Does one of you attend solo and leave you looking like a small operation? Or, do you all turn up and show a united front? Obviously, the latter should be your aim, but how can a remote team achieve this? In truth, it’s all down to the meeting software you use. Options like those discussed at distantjob.com are your best bet here, as they ensure you can all take part with ease. It doesn’t matter if your client can see you aren’t together. The point is that you show a united front regardless.