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If you are the leader of a business, you’d like to always hope that your staff come to work day-in-day-out ready for action. You and I both know this isn’t the case; your employees are not robots and even the most self-driven employees need a little motivational nudge from time to time. Money is always a nice incentive, but money isn’t everything if your workplace is an unpleasant environment. Here are some ways to motivate your employees through creating a positive place to work.

Support new ideas

Employers often see a worker coming to them with an issue as them complaining and shut them down before they’ve even begun to explain. This mentality needs to stop. If an employee comes to you with an idea or solution to a problem they believe is hindering the company, it means that they care about the direction of the company. Supporting their new idea and letting them run with it is motivating in itself, regardless of whether it works out in the end.

Break up the monotony

They call it three-thirtyitis for a reason. Almost every employee feels a bit lazier in the afternoon not to mention sitting at a desk all day is incredibly tiring. So how do you excite everyone (besides coffee of course)? There are a couple of ways to induce a sense of liveliness, and one of them is to have a ten minute yoga break. Just ten minutes, everyone gets up, and does yoga together. It will clear their mind and create a culture that people will love. Other ideas include hosting a bake-off, happy hour to work on a creative project, or a push up contest.

Celebrate Milestones

Celebrating birthdays and company anniversaries never gets old, it brings your team together acknowledging milestones in the form of a celebration reminds them that the hard work they are putting in is paying off and is being acknowledged.

Keep Them Informed

CEO’s generally have a clearer picture of the in’s and out’s of their business, including when you are going through hard times or when new products are in the pipeline. It pays to keep the people below you in the loop with what’s happening right throughout the company as it makes them feel as though they are an integral part of the organization.

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

Even though your employees have appointed tasks, it’s still an accomplishment if they finish it on time and at a high standard. While you expect them to complete these projects, don’t forget to recognise their hard work by giving them a compliment or shouting them out on an awesome job to the rest of the company.

Act on Feedback

Someone’s come to you asking for improved lunchroom facilities or a second monitor to complete big tasks. Make sure you make every effort possible to go out of your way and meet their needs. However don’t mistake this for wants – not every employee needs a Playstation, X-Box and Wii at their disposal in the lunch room.

Encourage Further Training

Times are always changing, and if you’re employees skills are becoming outdated, ensure that they have every opportunity to learn and grow. This might be through a training program like http://axcelerate.com.au/, upgraded technology or through attending industry conferences. Not only will it motivate them, but it will benefit the company moving forward.

Keep it light amongst the seriousness

No one can be serious all day, it hinders creativity and makes your workers feel as though they’ve just attended a funeral. Encourage laughter, organise themed days, or use gags/gimmicks to inspire performance increases. The sillier the better, so you may give someone a plastic phonograph for setting a new company record, or a kids drum for the person that drums up the most business.

Are you a manager? How do you keep your employees motivated? Tell us your tips in the comments below.

There are many reasons why it can sometimes be a good idea to borrow money. It can make it possible to invest in assets in a way that makes financial sense – for instance, taking advantage of a discount on a new sofa that’s really needed, where the saving amounts to more than the interest on the loan. It can be about consolidating debt, using one big loan to pay off several smaller ones, which often results in lower overall interest payments and better terms and conditions. In some situations, it can be necessary to meet ordinary household expenses whilst waiting for a salary payment, especially if one has a variable income or creditors that are slow to pay. Getting a loan to pay for transport costs can also make sense by making it possible to stay in work and thereby keep bringing some money in. Whatever the reason, it’s something that should be approached with caution – and with a clear plan for paying the money back firmly in place.

Borrowing options

The simplest way for most people to borrow money is by getting a loan from the bank, but rates can vary a lot and people with poor credit records may struggle to do this at all. Social fund and credit union loans can be a good bet but what’s available can vary by location. The Citizens’ Advice Bureau can provide guidance on this. Credit card loans can sometimes be a good way to borrow, within agreed limits, but can be very expensive if not paid back on time. Payday loans with dedicated lenders work for many people but should not be taken on without a careful assessment of what their interest rates really mean if you are late in paying. Store card loans are sometimes worthwhile when they also offer deals or discounts, but can be very expensive and should be treated with caution.

Generally speaking, loans are easier to get if secured against an asset like a house or car. These are known as secured loans. It is important to be aware that the asset could be at risk if the terms of the loan are not met. When taking out a loan it is a good idea to avoid the comfortable assumption it will be paid off on time and make a back-up plan for what can be done if that doesn’t happen.

Borrowing on a car

Thinking about the assets they have available, many people are quick to say “I’ll borrow money on my car!” As with all loans, there are good and bad ways to approach this.

Various different types of loan can be secured against a car, so it’s wise to shop around for a good interest rate. The most common type, logbook loans, mean that the lender technically owns the car whilst the loan is outstanding, but it’s still available for the borrower to drive. A good lender will not simply take the car if things go wrong but will work with the borrower to come up with a workable repayment plan.

Although they can be expensive, loans against cars generally provide a reliable way to get a large sum of money in just a few days, regardless of credit history. They’re generally cheaper than payday loans as the existence of collateral lowers the risk for the lender.

Many sole traders make the move to limited company status because they believe it will make them more desirable to new clients, or perhaps because they think they can save on tax in the long run. For a small limited company however, understanding how tax works is vital – and tax matters can be extremely confusing! All limited companies, both large and small, need to be up-to-date on current tax matters, as the consequences can – and often are – costly.

Limited companies don’t use the same self assessment tax return system as other businesses and self-employed individuals. All limited companies, both large and small, are subject to annual corporation tax.

This means the company does its own corporation tax self assessment – i.e. it calculates the amount of tax it must pay itself using a company tax return. The methods and deadlines are different to those used elsewhere.

The most common tax issues faced by a small limited company

It’s important to remember that once a company has applied for and been given limited company status, it is now a separate legal entity from its owner, irrespective of how many staff it employs or who is a shareholder. Everyone, even the sole director/shareholder, is an employee and the company the employer. What this means in terms of tax is that all the money the company earns belongs to the company and not its owner: from now on, any money taken out of earnings must be noted (and justified) as salary or expenses, and comes under scrutiny from HMRC.

Many small limited companies end up having to pay excess tax because the owner simply takes money out of the company without understanding the tax implications. The company can pay its director in three ways: as salary, to pay back money borrowed or spent on company costs (expenses), or as dividends on the shares the director holds in the company. Getting the mixture of salary and dividends right can reduce a company’s tax bill; get it wrong and it can go the other way.

All limited companies must pay corporation tax by the 1st of January of the year after the trading year, i.e. on 1/1/2014 for trading between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013. It must also file a corporation tax return (CT600) each year to HMRC, 12 months after the year end at the latest. Limited companies who fail to file their CT600s or send it too late are subject to hefty fines.

A small piece of legislation known as IR35 has also caused many small limited companies problems since coming into effect. This is when a company takes on a project for a client and takes on the status (however short-term) of an employee. Rather than pay the ’employer’s’ National Insurance on the full cost of what they paid out, the small limited company makes a ‘deemed payment’ to HMRC. This is the opposite of how it works for sole traders.

Where to get advice

Calculating taxes as a limited company is complex and can be both challenging and time-consuming. There are companies that specialise in tax management that small limited companies can turn to for advice in this field, whether a company needs help filling out its corporation tax return or with IR35 forms for employees. An umbrella company can help a small limited company with all aspects of tax and payroll and as qualified experts in all tax matters, can save time and money in the long run.

In order to concentrate on their key areas of expertise as well as to save costs and resources in secondary areas, large companies often outsource certain tasks. The kind of tasks typically outsourced include payroll, HR services, translation/localisation of marketing materials or documents, tax administration and general administrative tasks.

What are the advantages of outsourcing for large companies?

The most obvious benefit of outsourcing is in cost reduction, but this should not be the only reason for outsourcing: no entrepreneur can do everything themselves, and contracting certain tasks out-of-house means one less thing for a busy company to juggle. It is also a way of getting expert assistance in a specific area without having to train existing staff or recruit new ones.

Outsourcing streamlines a business into the areas it wishes to concentrate on without having to spread resources too thinly, and a third-party supplier of HR, for example, will generally be more efficient in providing HR than a large company with many different departments. Well-trained, expert members of staff employed by the outsourcing company have access to superior technical equipment and systems and are up-to-date on current legal requirements. Outsourcing can reduce legal as well as financial risks.

When and what to outsource?

Almost everything can be outsourced, but it may not be prudent to do so. A large company should not outsource any activity that is central to generating profits or competitive success, for example; these would generally be tasks connected to the company’s brand name or core areas. For example, a company that invented a great engineering gadget should not outsource its production, but if sudden expansion put a strain on its resources, outsourcing payroll could be a sensible option.

Most large companies outsource routine tasks that waste valuable time that could be spent elsewhere, and/or temporary activities that are one-offs or occur once or twice a year and require extra resources unavailable in-house.

How are outsourcers paid?

When a large company finds a third party supplier to outsource certain aspects of their operations to, the two parties will sign a contract or Service Level Agreement (SLA) as regards payment. Outsourcers are normally paid a fixed cost for all services as defined in the contract; any additional services that may occur are charged extra.

Where are tasks outsourced?

Many tasks, including payroll solutions, IT and tax administration, can today be outsourced to a third party supplier based anywhere in the UK thanks to modern computer and communications technology that enables efficient business without the need for face-to-face contact.

How does a company find a good outsourcer?

Make no mistake: the selection process is of utmost importance. Choosing the right outsourcing partners is not only about finding the cheapest provider: the right partner must be good at what they do and be a trustworthy and legitimate enterprise. It’s also important to ensure that contracts and SLAs are written in a way that meets everyone’s needs, and that can be adjusted by the company to suit unforeseen changes should they arise.

The internet has made finding good outsourcers easier; for instance, typing get ‘tax help here’ into a search engine can bring up many qualified and reputable companies suited to one’s needs.

When you see the famous “swoosh” logo on running shoes, on sportswear, on a top player’s tennis bandana, or on a football boot then you know instinctively that it is Nike and it is very likely that the Nike brand conjures up in your mind many positive thoughts and feelings. People feel that when they wear Nike and sport the famous swoosh their chances of success are increased.

It may be difficult to believe, but that swoosh logo was created in 1971 by a graphic design student for a firm called Blue Ribbon Sports that was marketing football a new football boot called Nike. It is by the way that she was paid a meagre $35 for it, but it went on to be one of the more recognisable logos in the world. Although there have been subtle design changes in order to incorporate in the actual fabric of items of sportswear, and it originally appeared with the name Nike until it became a stand-alone image in 1995, it is one of the most consistent logos you are likely to come across. Does Nike have any plans to change it? You bet they don’t.

What exactly is a brand?

There have been many thousands of attempts to define exactly what a brand really is. You can view it as something external, an artefact that includes a name, a sign, a logo, a design, or any combination of these, that is used to identify a product or organisation and which differentiates it from the rest of the crowd. Alternatively you can view it as the impact that this combination has on the thoughts and the emotions of the customer; an internalisation of the corporate image that the external branding attempts to convey. When you wear the Nike swoosh it’s because you want to be a winner.

Brand consistency

Just consider the impact should Nike decide that their swoosh logo was getting a little old and tired and needed changing. We don’t mean a few adjustments round the edges; many companies have done that including Nike. For instance the Pepsi Cola logo has slowly evolved over the years and the Starbucks logo has progressively become more minimalist as has Apple’s apple; however they have all retained the essence of their corporate branding.

If Nike was to abandon the swoosh logo and replace it with something entirely different then it is likely that the vast majority of Nike customers would feel let down and betrayed. Many of them would feel angry and that anger would result in them walking away and ceasing to purchase their sportswear from the company. Rebranding can be accomplished with very careful management but it is difficult to accomplish successfully; for instance when Everton attempted to introduce a revised logo there was an outcry and a 20,000 signature petition; Gap received severe derision form its customers when it tried to change its logo and had to revert to the old one; the chances are that if Nike lost the swoosh the company would struggle to survive.

Sometimes it might be necessary to change a brand, but in the words of the old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

A consistent brand engenders customer loyalty and makes your business and everything it does instantly recognisable. It provides your business with a real personality that your customers relate to emotionally. When you use a consistent brand your message is reinforced across the whole range of your products and services. It provides authority and trust in your business.

In a nutshell…

In a nutshell, being consistent means being recognised. Consistent branding breeds familiarity, trust and confidence. If your customers are to be confident in you then you need to be confident in yourself, and that confidence is demonstrated by being consistent in your branding.