In recent years the market has undergone major changes in a short space of time. The pandemic, the global economic crisis, and the new health safety measures have shaped a new scenario and changed consumption trends.

With these changes in consumer habits, companies needed to adapt, especially small and medium-sized businesses that need to reinvent themselves to survive.

To better understand the main changes in the consumer scenario and the new consumption trends, read the following article.

Online sales

After the arrival of the pandemic, in the first half of 2020, those who were already using the virtual environment as a point of sale needed to increase this strategy, and those who were not yet using it needed to open up to this possibility.

In 2020 virtual shopping increased and online sales became a reality not only for large companies, but also for small and medium ones.

With this need knocking at the door of entrepreneurs, marketplace platforms and companies that outsource services such as deliveries through apps had a huge growth.

Essential items

With the financial crisis and instability, many consumers have reduced their consumption of superfluous items and have focused their income on buying only essential items.

The high prices of essential items also greatly reduced the purchasing power and some sectors showed large drops, such as the clothing sector, which fell 25%.

Conscious consumption and appreciation of the small business

For middle class consumers who did not have a very significant reduction in income, the idea of conscious consumption increased.

The concern with the environment, as well as with social causes, leveraged the sustainable sector and the small and local businesses.

Local businesses have been valued, allowing small entrepreneurs to get through this period with the support of local consumers.

More than service, attention

With the ability to search the internet and find cheaper product offers, face-to-face businesses can no longer just offer good service, they need to offer attention, capable of generating a customer experience.

When a consumer chooses to pay more for a certain product or service, instead of going online, he is looking for an experience that must be offered through excellent attention from small businesses.

Hygiene and safety first

Finally, it is impossible to think about consumer trends without taking into account the customer’s concern for hygiene and safety.

Health safety is a must, with businesses that offer a clean environment and follow safety protocols being preferred by consumers.

Data security has also been a major concern, so offering more technological payment methods and guaranteed data protection is a differentiator for businesses that want to survive this period.

Conclusion

The transformations in consumer trends have emerged quickly, but they don’t seem to be going away post-pandemic, so adapting to them is essential.

Companies that do not worry about meeting the most demanding demands of consumers who are tuned in to the news may be left behind and unable to survive this period.

If you are an entrepreneur or a customer, you must already be familiar with these transformations, but seeing them as definitive is essential to understand the movement of consumer trends.

Have you ever stopped to think about how much of your working hours you spend doing things that are of no use to your obligations?  

When you get to the end of the day and realize that a task has been left behind, know that you could have made better use of your time, and that extra hour you are working on could be better spent with your family or friends.

The villains that take up your time are everywhere, and learning how to avoid them will be the key to your day being much more productive and your productivity increasing considerably.

If you are determined to face these villains, follow these tips to the end, and be willing to put them into practice as soon as possible. 

Be careful with the use of your cell phone

On the one hand the cell phone is an important part of your work, and not answering it can cause you future problems. On the other hand, notifications often direct you to personal matters that can be solved later, or even to some superfluous distraction.

This is when you need to use your first weapon: resist the digital temptations. The best thing to do is to deactivate notifications from groups of friends and from social networks that are not related to your work.

Another important thing is to explain your schedule to people close to you who are in the habit of calling or texting you more frequently.

And of course, don’t be the person who will pull random stuff with your friends, family, or post on your social networks during your working hours, this will end up putting you on a dead-end track. 

Avoid disorganization

Not setting a monthly, weekly, and even daily schedule can slow down your work a lot.

Having a plan of what you have to produce and how much time you have to do it prevents you from getting lost.

You need to set deadlines for each issue; if you take too much time to accomplish one task you will end up with no time at all to accomplish the others.

So your next weapon is: knowing how to organize your tasks, this way you set rules for yourself and avoid wasting your time.

To do this, have a physical agenda or use digital resources such as apps and Google’s agenda. It is also worth other methods such as making lists and even spreading post-its around your desk.

Avoid procrastinating

It is very common that when we are faced with a more boring or laborious task we put it as the last thing to do.

This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make, leaving a painful job for the end of the day or the end of the week is to increase the chances of not doing it and pushing this obligation to the future.

The problem is that in the future it will continue to be a boring task, so why not solve it at once?

Your third weapon is: Prioritize the most difficult obligations, so that you can get rid of them faster and be free to do your other tasks throughout the day or week.

Use the right tools

Some software can make your work much easier and, mainly, more agile. 

Not knowing or mastering these tools is something that can hinder your performance and make you lose hours on something that could be solved in seconds.

To solve this problem and save your wasted hours you need weapon number four: study technological solutions that can be your best friends on a daily basis.

If you know these tools exist, but have no practice in using them, invest in a course or ask someone to teach you; you will see that the time you gain with this will be worth the investment.

The quality of your services also counts as a tool in your favor, having a good internet connection can save you from a lot of unnecessary delays.

Learn to turn your brain off

Knowing how to turn off requires a lot of discipline to get around. After all, turning off the mind from external issues and focusing on work is not easy.

Many factors around us can generate a distraction, whether it’s a television on, colleagues chatting, or a worry hammering in our heads.

To get rid of this you need a fifth weapon: to have a calm and organized environment to work in, free from temptations and elements that take your attention away.

If you work at home, avoid places where other people may circulate and be sure that you won’t be interrupted.

If you are in the office, choose moments to interact, arrange a time to have a coffee with your colleagues and thus relax, this way you can catch up on things, but without interrupting each other.

Taking the necessary steps to make your day go much further may seem complicated, but it really depends solely on you and your discipline. 

Finding the best ways can take some time, but if you follow all these tips, you will surely get results faster.

Issues about diversity and inclusion within the corporate world are increasingly on the rise. Not just because of popularity or differentiation, but because of extreme necessity.

Recruiting people with disabilities, black people, women, or members of the LGBTQIA+ community is becoming increasingly necessary when building new work teams. 

A diverse team can bring better results for teams and even in the profit of the corporation in general.

In this article, we will talk about the importance of a diverse team and how it influences the performance of a corporation’s results. Read on! 

What is diversity, anyway? 

We can define diversity as a group of people from different cultures, age groups, sexual orientation, social classes, genders, and many other characteristics that differentiate people from each other. 

For example, a person who has friends of different ages, social classes, of different genders, who have some kind of disability or are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, can be considered a person with a diverse social cycle. 

In companies it is the same concept. A work environment with diverse teams is fundamental to have dialogues with different perspectives and thus achieve new results. 

That is why a corporation that has diversity and inclusion in its DNA differs in the market because they are more likely to have more innovations in their processes and also higher productivity. 

What is the importance of diversity? 

Besides the points we have already talked about, diversity causes a great exchange of experience among professionals. 

We cannot forget productivity. After all, it is one of the most important pillars of entrepreneurship, regardless of the area. 

Having a diverse place consequently increases the volume and quality of production, because an organizational culture that values diverse profiles shows that the employee’s well-being is at the center, so he will feel more motivated to perform his daily activities.

It is also possible to improve the company’s image in the market because of diversity. Since this issue is being increasingly discussed. 

The advantages of diversity in corporate environment

To show you in an even more detailed way the importance of diversity in work teams, check out a list with the 5 main advantages of diversity in companies:

Increased creativity

A diverse environment is, consequently, more creative. This is because people with different thoughts and personalities make the points of view broader, therefore, a team with diverse profiles is more original and will hardly have repetitive solutions. This is because the more diverse the team is, the more different ideas the team will come up with. 

Decreased conflicts

Generally, by having an inclusive culture, the leadership will be much more prepared to manage conflicts and reduce disagreements.

Furthermore, employees who live with different profiles tend to be more tolerant and learn on a daily basis how to be better listeners. Therefore, it will be much easier to avoid friction or disagreements. 

A more favorable organizational climate 

Having a pleasant working environment makes all processes happen in a more fluid and respectful way. Therefore, a diverse team makes the routine much more calm and positive. 

The consequence of all these advantages already mentioned could not be different from a pleasant and well-regarded environment in the market. 

With this, we can conclude that diversity in companies does not only bring advantages to the hired employees, but also to the corporation. 

It is important that this theme be dealt with in the company through workshops, meetings, and rounds of talks so that it can be inserted more and more. 

Furthermore, selection processes that contemplate inclusion is one of the actions most promoted by the recruitment and selection area that wish to increase the diversity of a team. 

 

Each day that passes, the concern for professional development increases within corporations. 

Having better performance, moving up the hierarchy, and adding even more to the company is the desire of most employees. 

However, there are those who say that professional growth depends only on you, but there are also those on the team achievement team. 

In this article, we will talk about each one and portray the difference between these two terms. Follow along!

What is professional growth?

Professional growth is based on the evolution and development of an employee within the company in which he or she works. Many entrepreneurs seek to make their employees grow, after all, the corporation evolves from the improvement of individual results.

Promoting personal development goes beyond encouraging growth in the operational sphere or promotion in positions, it needs to focus on training and investment in the employee’s career. 

Difference between individual and team growth

There are two ways to achieve and promote professional growth: individually or as a team. 

Individual professional growth focuses mainly on a single employee. We could talk here about an employee who seeks to have even more performance and begin to stand out among the others. 

In many companies, this type of development starts to take shape after a mentoring given by a manager or an employee who has been with the company for a longer period of time, with tips and directions on what to do to be even more successful in his or her career. 

However, professional growth as a team can be more profitable for both parties, and even faster. This is because the evolution together makes the purposes and goals aligned, and consequently, everyone works to achieve them. 

Why encourage team growth?

As mentioned before, the development of the team as a whole is more advantageous for the business owners and managers, as well as for the employees. 

Besides the reasons we mentioned above, we cannot forget that the central point of a corporation is people, not tools. 

Another piece of information that cannot be neglected is that the market is increasingly volatile. Therefore, it is important to invest in employees both for your company to stand out in the market, and for employees not to feel undeserved within their activities and start looking for positions in competitors. 

How to encourage the team’s development? 

Now that we have talked about all the advantages of professional growth and the difference between individual growth and team growth, it is time to learn how to apply this in your company. 

The personnel department is one of the areas responsible for strategically taking care of employees and pointing out which are the possible incentives and investments to stimulate the employees’ development. 

There are several ways to stimulate this mutual growth, such as guidance, technological support, workshops on the theme, and a follow-up based on the employee and not only on the deliveries. 

But it is not enough for the personnel department to create ways to develop the employees, the leaders and managers also have a key role in ensuring that the team grows professionally. This is because they are the bridge between the company and the employee. 

Through feedback and other approaches, it is possible to polish the talents and point out which are the positive points and which need improvement. 

In this way, the team will have a much greater self-knowledge and will be able to work on the necessary points together. 

Final considerations

Team growth may be more advantageous than individual growth, however, when encouraging the development of the team as a whole, each employee must be seen as unique.

By putting this development into practice, in a short time the results will emerge and the company will be able to achieve increased productivity and employee satisfaction, attract new employees, and a consolidated learning culture.

Entrepreneurship in the 21st century without having technology as an ally is something practically impossible, besides being unproductive. 

More than just facilitating day-to-day processes, many technologies can be the basis of a business, especially when we think about the most modern business models, such as startups.

The entrepreneur who does not incorporate technology into his process is not open to the possibilities of current times, so it is important to know the available technologies that can boost entrepreneurship.

Below, check out the technologies that drive entrepreneurship and how you can enjoy them for your career.

Technology for project management

Project management is always a challenge, whether it is done face-to-face or facing the challenges of remote teams. 

To facilitate the daily routine of teams, technology already offers several ways to improve interaction and performance.

Through project management, organizations can optimize processes, improve their performance, and move closer to excellence.

Using project management software is one of the best ways to help managers work more efficiently and effectively.

Among the advantages of this type of technology is the possibility of interaction between team members, mutual collaboration, and optimized problem solving.

The technologies behind this type of software involve cloud storage, the ability to access data and process that data quickly and effectively.

Technologies for operational management

Operational management of a company is now easier thanks to technology.

Financial control, greater access to suppliers and customers, more possibilities of means to make and receive payments, are just some of the facilities that technology offers to entrepreneurs of the 21st century.

Finance

The financial management of an organization is readily facilitated through applications that allow the recording of capital flow, offering a broader and more detailed view of finances.

The effectiveness of this type of technology already allows the entrepreneur to access data such as profit rate, tax costs, among other financial indicators.

Payments

One of the main technological facilitators for entrepreneurs today is the possibility of relying on payment intermediaries.

Facilitating the payment processes for customers is an excellent way to win new customers, but mainly to retain old ones.

Innovation and technology

With technology opening every day a wider path for innovation, entrepreneurship gains many possibilities for growth.

New technologies that accompany the growth of Industry 4.0 such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data, among others, enable the growth of entrepreneurship.

The entrepreneur who can visualize technology as an ally for his business can experience faster and more efficient growth, as well as explore new possibilities.

 

I have often brought here articles about the importance of leadership in a company, but today I would like to address the reality of other types of entrepreneurs: those who are not leaders and do not have a leader.

In these cases, the entrepreneur works alone and faces a daily need that imposes many challenges: self-management.

Staying productive at work is never easy, and entrepreneurs know this very well: not working in an office certainly has its advantages, but one must be able to manage oneself.

Otherwise, problems can arise that compromise the proper performance of each task and even risk neglecting one’s private life.

Therefore, let’s see how a solo entrepreneur can be more productive and efficient and take advantage of all that this type of work has to offer.

Demand x Productivity

When working alone, one of the first things to learn is the importance of balancing the scales by putting demands on one side and productivity on the other.

The fact that you have to manage yourself and accomplish each task in the time it requires can be liberating on the one hand, but on the other hand it can mean a real risk that you will not achieve your goals.

To keep that balance, here are some tips:

Make a plan

As a solopreneur you have to plan your activities in advance, taking into account the amount of work and the deadlines you have to meet by fitting them into your personal agenda every day.

Don’t rely on your memory or papers lying around the room, set a real schedule (daily, weekly, or monthly) to be respected so that you are productive and can sleep soundly. 

Use technology to your advantage

If you have multiple projects to manage during the day, plan at the beginning of the day the right amount of time for each and set timelines within which to complete the various small tasks. 

Use technology to your advantage by using apps that help you create lists, time your tasks, and don’t let any appointments or insights get missed.

Everything in its own time

You need to learn to set a time to accomplish each task, otherwise you will accumulate too many worries and not take action to solve anything.

In order for your tasks not to be seen as an insurmountable mountain, it is necessary to set goals that help you to be more conscious of the work accomplished.

Cut out distractions

When we are in an office, working in a team, we wouldn’t dream of interrupting our work, would we?

Working alone, on the other hand, allows us to be more flexible, of course, but we should never exaggerate this freedom as an opportunity to leave all tasks to the last minute. 

Now, what to do when the conversations that distract us are often those of our customers? This is another challenge that the solo entrepreneur must go through.

To control this impasse, set a time in your day just to answer clients and avoid being “available” at any time.

Don’t forget your health

Make sure to set strict times for snacks, lunch, and especially for ending the workday. 

Even if you do a job that is very satisfying for you, it is still a job and your body needs a break, even if your mind doesn’t realize it. 

If you have to be your own boss, always try to be the boss we all want to be: a boss who understands the needs of his employees and cares about their health and well-being while respecting the right amount of rest time.

Having financial control of your business is essential for the company’s health, so this is a sector that deserves special attention from managers.

The loss of financial control is one of the main causes of company mortality in Brazil, and the numbers do not show that the financial health of businesses in the country is going well.

According to data from Serasa, there are more than 5.4 million defaulting companies and 4.2 million declare that their financial situation is not comfortable.

To avoid this happening to your business, prevention is the best way, so check out some tips below to avoid losing financial control of your company.

Separate business and personal finances

Financial control starts by separating your business finances from your personal finances.

Losing control of what are personal expenses and what are company expenses is very easy, and when this separation is not done well, it can cost you the good performance of your business or even its survival.

To make this division it is essential to subtract an amount from your company’s profit and “pay your own salary” for this, determine how much will be paid to yourself for personal use, and above all, keep separate bank accounts.

Make a financial safety 

When it comes to money, we cannot underestimate the unforeseen, because they do happen and not being financially prepared for them can be your worst mistake.

To prevent unforeseen events from destroying your business, having a financial reserve that covers the costs of at least 2 months of operation is essential.

Paying off debts

Having open debts is a way to increase losses with expenses such as fines and interest.

Besides making your company’s costs higher and profits lower, debts can lead to the negativation of your CNPJ, making the financial health of your business even more difficult.

Manage well what makes the money go round

Having total control of what is being spent on stock or labor is essential not to lose the financial control of your company.

To do this, always be aware of the accumulation of goods in stock that may be in storage and even expired before being sold.

Moreover, know how to value and invest in products or labor that have more output and that bring you more capital.

Invest in innovation and technology

Agility, practicality, and efficiency are achieved by investing in innovation and technology.

Automating processes and using technological resources to optimize management processes is the best way to grow your business and ensure its financial health.

Conclusion

There are many factors that can take your company by surprise and make you go through a great financial difficulty, but some of them can be foreseen and well managed.

Do what is in your hands not to lose financial control of your company and make sure that what is under your control is properly done.

In the world of entrepreneurship, knowing some terms is very important to think about the next steps of your company. Many times, the entrepreneur already thinks about strategies, but still doesn’t know how to name them, and this may be happening to you with B2B sales.

To help beginning entrepreneurs to start understanding more about the business world, the “entrepreneur dictionary” series will clarify some essential terms for those who want to be entrepreneurs.

So, to understand what the B2B sales model means and how it can increase your business opportunities, follow the article below.

What is B2B sales

B2B is the abbreviation of the term Business to Business, which in Portuguese means “from company to company,” the term refers to a sales model where a company sells its products or provides services to another company.

Implementing the B2B sales model can be a growth opportunity for your company, however, it is important to be attentive to make this implementation in a correct way and please this demanding public.

The B2B sales model can be executed both physically and virtually, but needs maximum attention to the internal processes of the company to serve with excellence and offer the best to the company that is buying your products or services.

Difference between B2B and B2C

The terms B2B and B2C differ at the end of the sales journey, while in the B2C sales model the end consumer is an individual, in the B2B model the end customer is another company.

Winning business customers may require a little more effort and dedication than winning over an individual, however, deals closed in the B2B system tend to be more profitable and longer-lasting.

In the B2C sales model, the purchasing decision is made by a single individual, while in the B2B sales model the decision is made by several people and sectors of a company.

Advantages of the B2B sales model

When we think of an individual as a final consumer we see a huge number of business possibilities, but we often don’t stop to think about the range of possibilities of current consumers in need of good suppliers or service providers.

The commercial agreements closed in the B2B model tend to be more stable, generating cash predictability, and the possibilities of default are lower.

Important steps to implement the B2B sales model

Assess the buying company

When selling to a business customer, your company must be properly regulated to be accepted by the other company, which, in turn, must also be carefully evaluated by you to ensure business security.

Adapt your marketing strategy

To communicate with a business client you can use similar strategies to those you use with individual clients, but the language must be adapted to this type of business.

Remember that your company’s image must be up to the client’s standards, so your marketing strategies must convey knowledge and security to the buying company.

Use technology to your advantage

To run a business that uses the B2B sales model the use of technology to drive company growth is essential.

Using tools that allow you to optimize data control, project management, and even financial management and receivables is fundamental.

Conclusion

Now that you know how the B2B sales model can boost your business growth, how about considering this possibility further?

Creating and managing a business is not easy, but when you know the possibilities it can be simpler to believe in your abilities and start your own business.

 

Research by Intel has shown that about half of all technology professionals believe that their own equipment is better than that offered by their employers.

While some use the inferior equipment offered by the company, some don’t give up their personal equipment.

This movement has a name: Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD for short. Understand below how it works and what its advantages and disadvantages are.

Advantages and disadvantages of the BYOD method

The acronym BYOD stands for “Bring your own device and, if on the one hand this method can bring facilities for employees and company, on the other hand, problems can occur for the management of work routines when this movement runs into complications with the company’s networks. 

Advantages of BYOD

Economy: By placing the responsibility of paying for work equipment on the employee, this movement represents an economy for the company. 

Less IT problems: By being familiar with the devices they are using, employees tend to have fewer problems that require IT attention.

More productivity: Besides the comfort of knowing the machine they are working on, the BYOD method allows employees to work anywhere with internet, 

Mobility: The employee can be in a hotel, airport, client’s office, or even at home or abroad and answer their company phone extension on their own cell phone or notebook.

Disadvantages of BYOD

Security conflicts: Personal devices may have been exposed to malicious software, such as viruses, and put the network’s security at risk.

Problems with operational systems – because they are developed with different characteristics, some software may have problems working the right way on specific cell phone or computer systems, making it difficult to access the tools needed in the work routine.

Conclusion

Between advantages and disadvantages, the BYOD movement can be beneficial for both companies and employees, on one hand giving flexibility, on the other allowing greater efficiency for both.

Distance from the workplace can have positive effects for both the employee and the employer, impacting each in different ways. 

The requirement for “residents in the area” appears several times in job postings, but with remote work, distance has increasingly become an employee choice.

To better understand the impacts of nearwork and how it can become a reality for many people, follow the text below.

Advantages of nearwork for the employer

Punctuality is one of the most important factors for an employer, which is why the distance an employee travels to get to work is so important when choosing a new employee for a team.

Several factors can interfere with the employee’s commute time to work and, for this reason, most companies give preference to hiring employees who live nearby.

With the possibility of remote work, the employer can count on a larger number of candidates for a job vacancy and does not need to be tied to people who live close to its headquarters.

Advantages of nearwork for the employee

There are many people who are willing to travel long distances to get to work, because the most important thing for them is to work.

However, a long commute time interferes a lot in the employee’s quality of life and in the long run can have negative impacts in the life and professional performance of this person.

Therefore, having the possibility of having a job that can be done remotely can have a very positive impact on the employee’s quality of life and significantly increase his or her professional performance.

Conclusion

In summary, if there is no need for timely intervention, the distance from the workplace matters for the employee due to the extra time it takes to get to the destination and the increased costs due to the longer trip.

For the employer, being able to choose their employees without geographic restrictions and not having to deal with problems of their employees being late or worn out on the commute to work.

In general, it seems that the best choice is to restrict the area in which to consider applications only in cases where immediate action is required and leave in all other cases freedom for the employee to decide whether to make a longer or shorter trip or look for a job closer to home.