“Branding is for Billionaires” used to be one of my core mantras when I first started a marketing agency. Back then, I didn’t completely understand the branding concept and I often advise my clients to choose a direct response transnational marketing strategy over branding opportunities. From my point of view, if a strategy or an advertisement we were considering did not attract clients immediately then it was not worth investing in. I would mention how big corporations like Nike and McDonald’s spent billions for branding purposes just for clients to recognise their brand logo. But soon enough, I realised that my misconception about branding was a flaw. I now understand how brand strategy development could help small businesses even clinics and solo practitioners succeed. Clinics are unique businesses and need appropriately tailored branding. A dentist’s clinic will need different branding to a cosmetic clinic Melbourne that specialises in aesthetic procedures like breast reduction and other breast surgeries.

What Definition of Brand Should You Use

Branding is not defined by the name, logo or colour scheme. Even for small clinics, there may be secondary benefits in customising your design elements but they don’t necessarily make up the core of what a brand means. The brand should characterise how a clinic’s services are perfectly aligned with the patient’s needs. Let’s look at a clinic that has done a great job with their brand profile.

To start off a brand planning session with a client, I usually ask them to reflect on this question: How can my services benefit my ideal patient?
This question makes the client consider 2 sides of the practice:
1) Which services are my specialties and why do my patients care? and
2) Who are my ideal patients and why?

A clinical practice in a less ideal location might be at risk losing brand alignment if it does not reevaluate its service offerings and change the demographics of their patient base.

Why is Branding SO Important?

Over my career in the advertising industry, I have conducted interviews on the importance of branding and majority of the recipients find it boring. I understand where they come from. I’ve had that misconception as well. Considering that this concept is still quite vague, strategies are loosely constructed and people need clarity how a great brand can be a marketing success. But before tackling the fundamentals of the perfect brand, first, we need to understand why branding for your clinic is so important.

Branding for a clinic is essential since it creates a filter that examines all business decisions. In instances wherein you are considering opening appointment slots in the evening or perhaps transferring your business to another location. Or perhaps you’re thinking of running an advertisement in a local newspaper. Before making any decisions, you have to evaluate first if the outcome would be aligned with the brand that you want to create. As a good example, for a doctor who concentrates on serving college students, moving the clinic closer to a school campus would be beneficial for the business. A concrete brand would save you from future stress and regrets since your marketing decisions are already laid out properly.

Highlight the Benefits

Performing a features and benefits analysis is highly recommended sales exercise to be able to identify the “what” and “why” of your service offerings.  Although most medical professionals usually focus on treatment methods and therapy procedures they are certified to practice, I recommend focusing your efforts on the benefits for the patient instead. After thoroughly explaining the entire procedure, the features of the method would be if they are not personalised or if the advantages are not customised to your patient’s needs. Review your website to see how much of your content focuses on the ideal end result for your patients rather than the names and descriptions of your treatments.

Identify Your Ideal Patients

Identifying your ideal patients becomes simple once the features and benefits analysis has been conducted. The benefits you’ve uncovered often describe the personal motivations of your ideal patients if the procedure was done properly.

Practical Next Steps

The following step-by-step instructions will give you head start on defining your brand. The principles of branding might be difficult to comprehend, but it’s an essential piece of an effective and efficient marketing strategy. Define your company profile. What is the primary principle behind my business that motivates me to do what I do? What is the simplest impression that I want to infuse in my patient’s mind? (Industry examples: “We are a gentle dentist,” “We are a caring family practice” and “we help you with your health needs”). What is my distinctive story and how can I relate it to my patients?

Final Notes

The branding process may not only be difficult but time-consuming as well, which is why many clinics avoid it altogether. However, this is worth all the hard work since a well-defined brand will ensure your marketing strategies are utilised effectively, saving you from unnecessary stress and wasted time.

Interior Design is – there is certain allure to everything. And, for people who have a natural ability towards the arts and design layout that this could indeed be an ideal career choice. The wonderful thing about this particular profession is the fact that it is one that’s achievable at any age and at any point in life.

I recently talked with Leslie Wood proprietor of Hadley Court. To find out the intricacies of getting a design company off the floor. Not long ago she chose to follow her own dream of being an interior designer, and it has seen a phenomenal achievement. I asked her to share a few of her secrets with all the hopes of sharing them with those of you that aspire to travel down this path.

It is a profession that sees no age constraints

After getting her MBA and working in the corporate world, Leslie, like so many girls do, resigned from her career to raise a family. When her kids were grown, Interior design, appeared to be a natural match. She registered in a design school to get her diploma. While she was doing this she kept busy in the design community by attending as many conventions and seminars as you can. Throughout the classes along with the lectures she started to spot her own style – she gravitated towards luxury design. Her customers have an appreciation for its traditional and heirloom quality, nevertheless they want family friendly substances are to get their lifestyle. This functional luxury is now Leslie’s field of experience.

Locate Your Particular Style of Focus

Focus is vital. It’s crucial to concentrate on your personality, passions, interests and abilities. Educate yourself as far as possible in particular places. If you love coastal interior design then researching all types of coastal beach furniture and style is essential. By way of instance, if fine art is the passion, research it as far as possible so you may begin to make your own market and create your specialization. Individuals might begin to seek out you for your own specialty. What’s more, when you have honed in on your individual area of experience, you’ll have the chance to work together with other designers who might have specialties in different locations or areas such as hospitality design, thereby cultivating new and lasting working relationships. A fantastic way to get your foot in the door and also to get yourself some prominence is to receive an internship with or work for recognized leaders of this business. This provides invaluable expertise and is just another terrific hands-on way of learning. Should you do so, it would be smart to utilize a designer whose design is like yours.

Starting Up: The financing

You really don’t have to have a significant budget to begin your own firm. Connections in this situation are somewhat more significant. It’s crucial that you join with recognized leaders and authority figures. As you do that you may grow your network foundation since this happens, you will start to draw your client-base. By taking the required steps of studying, interning and partnering your system will grow organically.

The Way to charge

In almost any business this might be the toughest, most confusing and hardest part of building your firm. First of all, you need to charge what you’re worth. Put the tone right from the start. Your customers will love this knowledge, upfront. From that point, ideally you can calculate the number of hours you worked on a certain job, divide number by the net profit gain you made on the job. Initially a goal rate of $90 per hour is just and accurate. Based on where you reside, the scale might vary slightly. If home renovation builders in Melbourne may control this speed, then you need to also! Your eyesight, capability to conceptualize and pull things together is exactly what your customer is paying. After all, even if your customer could do everything they would not have called upon you for your help.

Get it in writing

Contracts are essential – entirely necessary since they protect all parties involved. Draw up a contract in writing to ensure your customer can see all that’s entailed. It’s suggested to ask for half of the costs upfront, once the contract has been signed. This will protect you if your customer has a change of heart. The more professional you’re from the beginning, the more you’ll be appreciated for the time, talent and business sense. Keep receipts along with all of your financing in order. This can be important when dealing with sellers, retailers and customers. If a customer warns you, that is a valid petition, you’ll have to supply all of the comprehensive paperwork. If accounting isn’t your strong suit, then it would be a good idea to seek the services of an accountant.

The Way to present to customers

Whether you’re meeting with prospective customers in their homes or your own workplace which specialises in providing interior designers in perth, you may prepare storyboards for their own projects. Storyboards are visual and tactile recordings of the room or rooms you’ll be recreating. They permit you to be certain all facets of your interior layout work collectively. Leslie proposes offering your customers as much as possible and she sends her customers home with a gorgeous box full of fabric swatches in addition to a linen binder full of details for paint, furniture, hardware, etc. She firmly believes that it’s this amount of attention to detail which has enabled her company to flourish as fast as it has.

The Way to grow Your Company

In this day of social networking, an increasing number of people are relying upon the ability of positive opinions and word of mouth. Boost your circle. Get out there and join with as many individuals as possible on several levels. Join social and business networks. Meet with property brokers, architects and contractors, whether they be specialling in home extensions and need it styled and fitted out or in the early stages of buying a house. Develop personal relationships initially, these will subsequently evolve into working relationships. Identify and develop your own brand. Start a blog or site or both to showcase your own abilities and fashion. Give prospective clients a sneak peek into your world. Here the web and social websites is a really strong instrument. It has the capacity to link you with individuals who may not normally find you. Social networking can help editors and powerful bloggers locate and promote your own work too. All this helps expand your small business, your brand, and in case you’ve got a product to market, it is going to assist with that too.

Managing a thriving construction is not an easy feat.  It takes hard work, knowledge of good business practices, accounting principles, regional economic conditions as well as proficiency in the building process. Construction companies will not have a shortage of clients as long as the real estate market is active, there are homeowners who are undergoing their home extension, or if new businesses are being opened. For some smaller constructions companies, the owners themselves manage the business while for larger companies; the owners are more likely to hire managers to run the business.

Managing Workers

The handiwork and end product is the main basis for a company’s reputation. The quality of the finished product is highly dependent on the skills of the workers, just as structural timber beams hold up and support a building. Most of the workers hone their skills through on-the-job training. Instituting a quality training program for your employees is a great investment since it is not always possible to entice seasoned craftsmen away from their current employers.  Offering a handsome pay, great rewards and recognition program, and making employees feel valued keeps workers loyal and industrious. Important management duties include hiring, firing, training, disciplining and conflict resolution.

Managing the Business End of the Business

Construction bidding is a major part in this industry so a successful construction firm must be able to bid competitively with its competitors in order to undertake a project. The firm needs to manage its financial assets to ensure that the owners and workers are paid and that the Internal Revenue Service gets its share of the earnings. A construction company requires someone to manage the financial aspect of the business and handle correspondence for it to run smoothly. The construction manager must know how to delegate the business tasks so he can devote more time to bidding, client and worker interaction and job site duties.

Managing Finances

Starting a new project is quite costly that is why it is necessary for most construction firms and their clients to secure investors or outside financing.  To procure tools, materials and equipment, a solid capital must be raised so these can be secured ahead of time. Before seeking construction loans or venture capital, the general manager should be able to write a business plan that projects short- and long-term operating costs and profits for smooth transactions. He should be able to understand the company’s financial status and relate them to the owner or the board even if a finance officer was the one who developed the business plan.

Company Structure

A great manager not only understands the construction process but should also be a good leader who can supervise team in the field including both home extention builders and design. A manager usually delegates the direct supervision to a foreman who reports the current status of the workers. Large companies undertaking a big project may hire a whole crew of supervisors who will report to the project manager, who in turn answers to the general manager. A company, no matter the size, will run more smoothly a workable structure that provides a set chain of command is properly established. A company structure is like a tree, where if the foundations – such as managers are not doing a great job then stump removal needs to be called in so that changes can be made to ensure a new tree can be planted and nourish.

Managing Clients

The main source of income of a construction firm is its contented clients and customers. A competent manager is capable of negotiating and compromising with the client for a fair deal such as with tree services. Good communication skills are essential to effective management. An efficient manager can handle clients and any issues that may arise. From providing clients options, answering questions and serving as a liaison to clients, distributors, retailers, and subcontractors, smoothing over the rough spots to keep the clients happy. To be able to minimize conflicts and keep the projects running smoothly, a construction manager should be analytical, decisive and a good problem solver.

But it all boils down to how you can grow your company so that it becomes more profitable.

Are you ready to take on a new exploit? Do you think you can handle the expansion of your firm into new markets or territories? Expanding your construction company needs careful planning and strategy. Before anything else, you must ensure that you will have all resources to handle the additional work in order to tactically scale up your operations.

Here are additional tips to help you grow your construction company

1. Build a great team. In this type of business, your crews are your business. Be sure to employ on reliable, knowledgeable and skilled workers. Retain your best employees and encourage their loyalty by commending and rewarding them for their hard work and steadfastness.
2. Manage your business, but lead your people. Your people want to be guided, not manage. If you try to micro manage every aspect of your employees’ work they will think you have no confidence in their ability to make good decisions and properly do their jobs. Your employees will follow you anywhere if you are a great leader.
3. Invest in your business. In order to earn more, you must be ready to invest time and money into your company. This includes acquiring new equipment and technology for the domestic plumbing services you will be undertaking or providing training for your employees, and actively marketing your business.
4. Be selective to be profitable. Taking in more clients does not automatically equate to higher earnings. Ensure that when you take in new projects, it has to be profitable. There is no sense in doubling the number of jobs you work if you aren’t increasing your profits.
5. Get the word out. Word of mouth has always been the number one method to market any business and earn more work, including in the construction industry. Satisfied customers are always empowered to tell others about the great work your company does.
6. Play to your strengths.It is never enough to be known as a decent jack of all trades. One always takes pride to be known ones specialty such as the best contractor doing gas fitting services. Finding a position market or specializing in a specific industry can set you apart from your competitors.
7. Network to earn more work. One of the best ways to make new contacts is to join and be active in the local chapter of a trade association. Rubbing elbows with the market players can be a useful tool to advertise about your services, generate leads and find vendors. Being active and giving back to your community is also a great networking opportunity for your business.
8. Quality is king. Never jeopardize the quality of your work in exchange for reduces costs or faster completion of a project. This can be very detrimental to your firm’s reputation. Never compromise your high standards of performing quality work or else you will lose your business completely.
9. Change is good. Versatility is essential for a successful construction business. Building and construction can be quite a volatile industry. Willingness to adapt and make adjustments in your business to keep up with the changing trends sets you up for success. If the latest is in architectural timbers then if you have the knowledge and skills for it consider adding it as one of your services.
10. Give great customer service. Providing a great customer experience should be prioritized in all types of business. This ensures customer loyalty as well as entices potential customers due to the great feedback shared. This doesn’t mean giving in to all their demands; instead you should be transparent with all the aspects of the project so you can be equal partners in the decision-making process. Communication is the key. Satisfied customers will lead to repeat business and great referrals.
11. Be proactive, not reactive. Chances of getting new projects do not freely fall in your lap. You have to proactively seek out new opportunity to retain and grow your business. Do not give up easily. Reach out regularly to the owners, architects and general contractors you find out what future projects they have on the horizon.
12. Make smart decisions. Some of our daily decisions may be inconsequential but when it comes to your business, this often means making hard decisions that will impact your success for years to come. Take time to strategize, consider all angles and options, do your research and perform your due diligence before making big decisions regardless of the pressure.

Write a business plan, any business plan

When you are passionate about something such as commercial real estate, you would want to make it your profession. Just like starting a business that is related to your hobbies. No matter how eager you are about your small business venture may be, you need a good business plan for how to start and run it to make it successful.

The business plan does not need to be very comprehensive, but it must have a few important points like break-even analysis, a profit-loss forecast, and cash-flow analysis. A cash-flow analysis is especially essential to make sure that your capital is rolling. You could be selling your products like hotcakes through credit, but if payments are not made for six months, you could be forced to close your doors due to lack of funds.

Your customized marketing strategies can be experimented before implementation if you have a business plan.

Determine how you’ll make a profit

The ultimate goal of any successful business is the profit earned.  To start the break-even analysis, you need to study your business’ overhead costs and then figure out how much sales is needed to cover the costs and start profit generation.

Start with as much of your own money as possible

New entrepreneurs often times take loans to cover their start up costs, expecting that they will begin paying back the loans with the profits from the business. Unfortunately, it could take months for new businesses to generate profit and might not be able to keep up with the loan obligations.

Saving up for the start-up capital yourself before you open your doors ensures that your new business will not be pulled down because of loans. Take note, that there’s a possibility that a lender will call a loan or add unfavorable terms if your business isn’t as successful as you initially planned. Raising a personal capital for the start-up will lessen the odds of a nasty surprise that could hinder your business.

Protect yourself

Sole proprietorships or partnerships types of businesses are nice and easy to form. However, they also expose their owners to liability for business debts and judgments. Creditors or stakeholders can easily come after the owners’ personal assets if the business is not able to pay back the investment.

Business structures such as a corporation or limited liability corporation (LLC) can shield owners from personal liability, but there are more rules and requirements associated with them.

Start small

Entrepreneurs want their small business to thrive among its completion, with multiple locations, lots of employees and great sales, but you have to learn to walk before you can run. It is not advisable to spread yourself too thin or take on too many expenses at the beginning such as decking out the area with metal display stands and the latest and greatest in interiors. Anything could happen along the way and your income might take a while to catch up to your business.

To ensure that you can survive the inevitable hiccups associated with running a small business, it is best to start small. Businessmen who start with modest operations can easily recover and create an alternative strategy. All great things start from small beginnings.

Get it in writing

Although handshakes close deals, there’s no substitute for a well-written contract. Most contracts are not valid unless they are in written form as a proof of the transaction that took place. There are a variety of types of contracts for every state, but here are a few common examples:

• Sales of goods worth more than $500
• Contracts lasting more than a year
• A transfer of ownership in copyrights or real estate

Since oral contracts or agreements are harder to prove and enforce ensure that you get everything in writing — it will save you headaches down the line, and potentially save your business.

Keep your edge

Standing out from the rest of your competitors may be due to your specialty in the industry such as wire furniture or selling the latest frannas. You could have products with higher quality, a more efficient manufacturing or distribution process, a more accessible location; provide great customer service, or a better understanding of the changing marketplace.

Keeping your trade secrets is the best way to hold onto your competitive edge. The best way to hold onto your competitive edge is to protect your trade secrets. This information should not be shared with others so that only your business could offer this exclusive type of service. Some owners even take extra lengths like getting legal protection for their trade secrets to keep them secured such as marking confidential documents or requiring partners and employees to sign nondisclosure agreements.

Staying proactive is another way of keeping your edge. If you know that your business is going to face challenges don’t wait until you’re stuck, strategize and plan ahead and you’ll stay ahead.

Hire the right people

Don’t settle for the first applicant who has the basic qualifications for the job. Look for someone who is highly motivated, creative, and the right kind of personality to make it in your industry and fit in with your business. Once employed, treat them well, earn their trust and loyalty and motivate them to do their best. It is also important to hire individuals who have a sound understanding in the business industry that you trade in. Individuals in the crane industry need to have an understanding of compliance and equipment maintenance codes such as as2550.10 and as2550.1.

Make sure you create the right kind of employee relationship

Lots of businesses try to save money by hiring people as independent contractors to undertake some of their jobs like renewable energy projects rather than full-time employees that work with the company. The IRS will impose large penalties on businesses that do not withhold and pay taxes for their full-time employees. Here are some things the IRS will look at to determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or a full-time employee:

• The worker holds an important role in the company
• The worker works exclusively for the company
• The worker completes up to 40 hours per week on the job
• The worker receives orders and training from you, and you exercise control over how the worker does their job

Be transparent about the “at-will” relationship with your employees, which is necessary if an employee isn’t working out. Include this information in the employee handbooks and through offer letters to make the employment relationship clear. Refrain from making any promises especially about the length or terms of their employment, since these could become binding on you later.

Not only are these important but creating a sense of warmth and belonging for clients invited more business. Commercial real estate companies can either do this very well or stumble here, with the interest of quick sales or great customer service at crossroads.

Pay your bills and taxes on time

A business owner who doesn’t remit payroll taxes on time could face harsh penalties from IRS, including the confiscation of personal assets. It’s important to pay what you owe — especially when dealing with the IRS.

It is also advisable to keep up with your debts. Future business relationships could be ruined due to a bad reputation, especially if you are known as someone who stalls on a debt. Additionally, you can avoid being overwhelmed by cash flow problems if several debts come due simultaneously if your payments are updated.

Get Your Business Off to a Strong Start: Talk to an Attorney

A lawyer can help give your business the best chance at success. While you will have to get acquainted with the laws and regulations that will impact your business, it’s important to leave the details to lawyer who can provide the best advice. Don’t take any chances. Get professional help. This also applies with understanding the laws and regulations surrounding the many services you might provide such as renewable energy sources.