30Jun
Changing Your Business Name – Checklist

Sometimes a company name needs to change, perhaps due to an expanded business or a change of direction, or simply because the original name isn’t working out. But changing the name of a business is not a simple matter. There are many factors to consider, from reprinting physical material to keeping customers fully informed and aware of this fundamental change to your brand. There are also legal factors to take into account, as well as preparing to rebuild your brand’s reach and recognisability. Whatever the reason for the change of moniker, its important to prepare well before, and follow a checklist during this crucial transition. Here are some things to think about. 

Planning stage

With such a big, fundamental change to your business, you need to plan and prepare thoroughly. Changing your name is no small matter, and the more extensive your preparations, the less retroactive changes you will need to make (and these changes can be embarrassing or even legally problematic. Research your chosen name to check that the trademark is available, and there are no clashes with other brands, particularly direct competitors. Budgeting is important – you will have to pay to change your name with local regulatory authorities in your country or region. You’ll also have to take into account costs such as domain name changes, marketing and branded materials. And a really important part of the planning is ensuring your new name fits your company – once you change it you’re going to have to stick with it for some time. Take some time to get this last point right! 

Legal 

First of all, you need to make sure that there is no legal reason why you can’t use your chosen name. Other legal factors include updating terms and conditions for customers, discussing with your bank whether or not you need to change account names (will it be easier to manage invoices, refunds, and employee salaries?), employee contracts will need to be adjusted to reflect the new name, and if you rent a premises your landlord will need to see the change of name certification you have secured from your local authority. 

Marketing

Marketing is a big part of name changes. You will want to try to maintain some of the brand recognition your company has. That usually means a sense of continuity from one set of marketing materials to the next. An established logo should not necessarily be discarded, even if the brand name next to it is radically different. Social media profiles will all need to be updated, and social media is the perfect place to make a lot of noise about your name change. Your printed materials, such as stationary, business cards, posters, and other marketing tools will all need to be redesigned and reprinted.  You will need to buy a new domain name for both your website and your company emails, and the website content will need to be completely refreshed. 

Announcements

A major reason why many companies are reluctant to change their name, even if they should, is that they perceive that any customer base they have built up will be compromised. But by making major announcements across all channels of communication, such as email lists, social media, outdoor advertising, and good old fashioned snail mail, you can make you’re renaming an event in itself. Instead of minimizing the damage to your brand, see it as an opportunity for an all-out, multi-channel marketing campaign. And it goes without saying, but keep your employees informed about the changes too! 

If your company needs to change its name to fit a new image, it is better to take action sooner rather than later. But don’t dive in without preparation, or without a thorough checklist. It will make the task much simpler. 

 

 

 
25Jun
Some Tips on Hiring Professional Movers for Moving Your Office  

An office move is going to be one of the major things that you will do. Your business may be thriving and you need to move to a bigger office. It can be very appealing to think about how you are going to leave your new office to be somewhere new. However, you need to realize that it isn’t just packing the items that you have and walking out of your old office to go to your new one. It is much more than that. You may want to consider if you would like to hire a professional moving company Toronto. Learn more details when you check this out.

  • Should You Hire A Moving Company?

Some people are still not convinced that they should hire a moving company. You need to realize that the help of movers will make sure that your office relocation is not as stressful as you have expected. Toronto moving companies will usually have a tight schedule. This means that they would always try their best to accomplish the move within the given time frame. This can be very ideal for you especially if you are trying to move to your new office in a short amount of time. There are more details that you can get when you check Elite Service. There are other things that you can get from hiring a moving company:

  • You will not stress out your employees because they do not need to move their own items anymore.
  • Moving companies will have insurance which means that you can feel more at ease while your office equipment is being moved.
  • Moving companies will have the proper license to ensure that the services that will be provided are what you need.
  • Get to Know the Requirements Needed

You know that hiring a moving company is one of the first steps that you will do. Aside from that, there are still other things that you have to accomplish. Do you need to do a cleaning of your old office since you are already going to move out? You need to change your office address and fix all of the details that are related to your office in general. Make sure that the right documents have been fixed even before you start moving. This will make the move a lot less stressful for you.

  • Number the Boxes Where the Items Have Been Packed

It can be very hard when you do not know which boxes you have to open when you are already unpacking your items. The best thing that you can do is to label the various boxes that you can find. This will allow you to record all of the items that you have placed in the box and look for the items you need to use immediately. The help of office movers in Etobicoke will allow the items to be placed efficiently at your new office.

  • Always Pack Your Items With Care
  • You would like to make sure that your items are properly packed so that when the items arrive in your new office, you do not have to worry that they are already in pieces. Find a moving company in Toronto that will make sure that your items will be moved properly to your new location.
22Jun
5 Financial Planning Tips For The Self-Employed

Millions of people in the UK are now self-employed. Whether you work for yourself or are part of an industry where contracting is commonplace, it can place pressure on your finances. You need to manage your financial situation and potentially plan for periods where you’re not earning an income. Working with a financial planner will give you confidence in your career and future financial security.

There’s been rapid growth in self-employment in the UK in recent years. According to official statistics:

  • 3.3 million people (12% of the labour force) were self-employed in 2001
  • By 2017, this had increased to 4.8 million people (15.1% of the workforce)

There are many benefits to being self-employed, but it often means you need to take greater control of finances in order to ensure you meet goals. So, how can a financial planner help you?

  1. Paying into and managing a pension

The majority of UK employers will now benefit from a Workplace Pension. However, if you’re self-employed, you’ll need to set up and manage your own pension. Whilst you won’t benefit from employer contributions, you’re still entitled to tax relief. For many self-employed individuals, a pension will be the most efficient way to save for retirement.

There are a variety of ways of setting up your own pension and you may have many questions.

  • Should you invest through a fund or select your own investments?
  • How much should you aim to put away each month?
  • What kind of income will your contributions afford you?

A financial planner can help create a long-term financial plan that considers your lifestyle now and the one you want to achieve in retirement.

  1. Creating a financial safety net

When you’re self-employed, there is a chance that your income will stop or reduce. As a result, it’s important to create a financial safety net that you can fall back on should something happen. This could be a period of illness, meaning your income stops in the short term or a contract coming to an end.

Financial planning should give you confidence that you’re financially secure even if these ‘what if’ scenarios did happen. The right solution will depend on you and your priorities. It may involve building up an emergency fund and taking out an appropriate insurance policy, for example.

  1. Building suitable savings and investments

We all know we should be putting some of our income aside. But it can be challenging to know what to do with it. Should you hold in cash or invest? There’s no right or wrong answer to this. It’ll depend on your personal situation and attitude to risk.

With so many different providers and products on the market for both cash savings and investments, it can be just as daunting to decide where to put it. Again, this will depend on you and what you’re saving for. If you’re saving for a goal that’s a year away, you’ll need a very different product than if you plan to save for 15 years. Our goal is to help clients pick out the right products for them.

  1. Getting to grips with tax liability

As you’ll be responsible for organising your own Income Tax, it’s worth spending some time understanding it. There are often steps you can take to reduce your liability depending on your circumstances. However, there are other areas of tax to be aware of too; could your income from investments be liable for tax, for example?

Knowing your tax responsibilities enables you to avoid potentially hefty penalties and set realistic expectations. Tax regulations can often be complex and difficult to apply to your situation. This is where working with a financial planner comes in useful. We’re here to help you get to grips with tax and make the most out of your money.

  1. Understanding your long-term goals

Financial planning isn’t just about looking at figures though. It helps you to see how your money habits can help you achieve short, medium and long-term aspirations. People often know what they want in the short term, but planning further ahead can be difficult.

If you’re self-employed, it’s worth thinking about whether you ever want to return to traditional employment, when you’d like to retire, and what the future holds. Talking with a financial planner about your wider goals can help put in place a plan that sets you on the right path.

If you have any questions about the above issues or any other financial matter, please get in touch. We aim to work with all clients, including those that are self-employed, to enable them to have confidence in their future.

Please note: A pension is a long-term investment. The fund value may increase and can go down, which would have an impact on the level of pension benefits available. Your pension income can also be affected by the interest rates at the time you take your benefits. The pension withdrawals tax implications will be based on your individual circumstances, tax legislation, and regulation which are subject to change in the future.

Your investment value can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. Also, you should bear in mind that past performance is not always a reliable indicator of future performance.

The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate Tax and Estate Planning.
13Jun
What Kind of Training Do Franchisors Provide?

Imagine what is the most popular trend for stores these years? It is, of course, franchise stores!

Nowadays we witness many kinds of franchises with excellent training. Personal training franchise, power train franchise, business training franchise, commercial capital training franchise, franchise for education and training, pet training franchise, and many others.

Here we would like to show you some training provided by franchisors. They are about services, supporting systems, franchise training courses, and something else.

Franchise store, a popular trend

Franchise stores share the same brand advantages, products, services as well as courses altogether. There is no doubt that franchisees can easily get benefits from powerful brands.

It is clear that the franchise store with good training helps to attract consumers to a larger extent.

The importance of franchise training.

Training is one of the crucial parts when considering investing in a franchise store.
Mark Siebert Franchise Consultant for start-ups, Says
“If the brand is the heart of any great franchise, training is the physical conditioning that keeps that heart beating strongly and consistently”

Franchisors are of necessity to offer relevant training in different aspects. It is a win-win situation for both franchisors and franchisees.

For franchisors, supporting training helps to enhance the franchise understanding for franchisees. It is a good way for them to gain benefits as well. As to franchisees, training is useful to enhance their sales performance and customer flow.

Training’s that headquarters offer.

The franchise training program cannot be ignored. A franchise training manual is a must, for that it is readable and understandable for franchise store owners.

Below are the best franchise training programs we suggest for franchisees. I hope it will inspire you to a certain extent.

1. STORE LOCATION EVALUATION

A good location is important for enhancing a franchise store. Therefore, to do a specified evaluation for store locations really counts.

Franchisors can do it well by offering advisers to conduct surveys. Franchise consultant training is one of the main things. Consumption levels, groups, flow, and other stuff around the store areas will be carefully considered. It is beneficial for product and price planning.

Exact store locations will be confirmed with franchisees after that. Relevant supporting measures regarding rental, investment, population, store structure, direction, and local policies will be taken into account.

2. STORE RENOVATION.

Now it comes to the next step, store renovation support. Store renderings, floor plans, and store features are keys. Store image design shall be along with its local features. Customized training, in this case, is needed.

3. TECHNICAL TRAINING.

Here is another essential factor, technical training. It is necessary for franchisors to provide franchise business training.

Professional technical services shall include:

Operation process, product deployment, equipment application, sales and promotion skills, financial management, employee internal management, and so forth.

4. RAW MATERIAL SUPPLY

Headquarters for the franchise brand also provides cost-effective equipment as well as materials. With given products, it is not hard for franchise stores to reduce operating costs and increase turnovers.

5. STORE OPENING TRAINING

Training franchise opportunities should be provided for store opening as well.
Franchisors also offer preparations for a store opening. Detailed information and related guidance usually enhance the understanding of franchisees. It is also useful to accelerate the progress of the store opening.

6. FRANCHISE TRAINING SOFTWARE

It is well known that essential software is time-saving. Software like an online shop, Enterprise resource planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is all good choices.

7. TRAINING COURSES.

The franchise training institute is one kind of organization that provides business training franchise opportunities. Courses like franchise management training, online training franchise, corporate training franchise, and something like that are commonly contained in such kinds of courses.
Take the above information into account when you are confused about training for the franchise store. It is more likely for both franchisees and franchisors to build up a better relationship.

8.Franchise Blog

Https://www.ximivogue.blog
10Jun
How To Prepare For CBAP Certification Exam?

The Certified Business Analysis Professional Certificate, famously known as the CBAP has created quite a ripple. This certification is designed to help you derive desirable results. The International Institute of Business Analysis designed this course to get professionals to the next level without being forced to be a Project Manager. The application process is designed to keep under-qualified people from entering into this stream. It is strictly advised that you complete the development training.

There have been previous instances where this has stopped people from giving the exams. This three-hour exam will seem extremely short when you are attempting it. Prepare and practice. Before you start to give up and go watch a new movie, here are a few simple steps that will make the exam a cakewalk.

  • CBAP Is Easy, There Are So Many Materials Available On The Internet:

Please disconnect your WiFi. There are actually one too many materials available on the internet that will intimidate you, confuse you, and worst of all, they are not completely reliable. Choose to pick books instead of downloaded materials and things will go smoother. Keep track of the syllabus and model papers and then start preparing. This will save you time and a lot of wasted effort. Pick the first available BABOK you can find. This is a book titled ‘A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge’. Consider this your pocket guide, reference book and every other book you can think of.

  • Beware Of The Question Banks:

Usually, your research and learn from the question bank. On the contrary, you need to research the question bank before you get one. This will shape the course of your preparations and greatly impact your exam score. Like we already discussed, time is not in your favor, so practice is the key. Always time yourself. Having said that, do not choose to take a full test until you have read and reread the BABOK. Once you are confident that you have covered the topics, it is time for you to race against the clock in an actual test. When challenged with scenarios-based questions you are looking to score about 70% minimum. Once you have achieved this consistently, you are just about ready.

  • The More The Merrier:

It is always advisable to have a study-buddy. You can either pick a friend and suggest you do it together. If not, find someone who is already on the track. This will ensure that you stick to the schedule and also make taking practice tests competitively and will give you the zeal to perform better. One small gesture like this goes a long way on the day of the exam. Doing more than necessary also applies to the available practice tests. While theoretical knowledge is very much needed, relying on them alone is a bad idea. Take time out and practice, practice, and practice again.

  • Spend Hours Practicing And Practicing:

While practice makes a person perfect, planning and strategy are the need of the hour to ace an exam like this. Have a set schedule and study material you will follow. Have milestones marked for every test you are planning to take? Try to adhere to the schedule. This is not a tough exam to take but an organized one. Once you see it from that point of view, everything will be crystal clear and it makes preparation so much easier. Good luck!

  • Know Inside-Out of Knowledge Areas

Well, the best tip you could. Learn from the professionals is to become the master of the knowledge areas of your study guide. From knowing the input and output to tasks related to the knowledge areas, you need to master the technique to link with the tasks during application.

Also, the CBAP certification is totally worth the money and effort because people who select this course are guaranteed to benefit from lots of learning concerning business analysis. So, what are you waiting for? You must prepare for the CBAP Exam (The Certified Business Analysis Professional) since it’s one of the best certification exams considered in the corporate world. Did you know that Profesional across world life takes this certification?