PRESSA2JOIN.COM

While you want to launch a company, the idea of selling to other businesses is more what you have in mind. A business to business operation can be quite lucrative, if approached in the right way. If you’re ready to start b2b company in your area, here are some tips that will help you prepare.

Evaluate the Potential in Your Target Market

Before you begin to address the specifics of the business structure, take a look at the local market. Do you see any particular areas that are lacking in terms of supplying goods and services to local business owners? If so, are those areas profitable enough for you to use as the basis for your operation?

Keep in mind that the presence of some competition should not cause any issues. It’s not a lack of competitors, but rather the inability of current competitors to meet the demand that should capture your attention. When that’s something you can identify with relative ease, you can bet there’s a place for your business in the local market.

Determine How to Build Connections With Local Businesses

There are a number of ways to build connections with local business owners. One is to participate in activities where they are likely to gather. Choosing to become a member of the local chamber of commerce is great, provided you show up at the meetings. It also helps if you participate in any chamber events that allow you to set up a display or offer a short talk about what your business has to offer.

Keep in mind that approaching local business incubators and talking with people one on one about what you have to offer is another way to build connections. When combined with the contacts you make at chamber events, you’ll have a solid base for launching your operation.

Compile a Qualified Lead List

The key here is qualified. Anyone can compile a list of names and contact information without determining if there’s any real need for your goods or services. What you need is a list of contacts that have a proven use for what you have to offer. By qualifying in this manner, you can start B2B company with a better chance of building a reasonable clientele in less time.

Keep in mind a qualified lead list is not the same as a prospect list. As you make those contacts, some of the leads will not be interested for various reasons. Others will be open to talking with you further. It’s at that point your qualified lead becomes a prospect.

Cultivate an Online as Well as Offline Presence

In order to broaden your company’s outreach, do make the most of offline and online options for networking. For example, participating in a business radio talk show that allows you to discuss some aspect of the local economy while getting in a plug for your business is a good idea. Participating in local community events by being a sponsor and setting up exhibits at them is also a good idea.

Online, do start a blog to go along with the company website. Create content that is likely to resonate with local business owners. Promote that content on social media sites via company business pages and accounts. You never know when something shared via social media will get in front of someone who needs what you have to offer.

Start laying the groundwork for your B2B operation today. This time next year, you may be surprised at how far things have come.

How deep should you go?

Given that nearly one-third of all Americans have some kind of criminal record, if you are using criminal background screenings as part of a safe hiring policy, you’re going to encounter candidates within your applicant pool that have a history of criminal activity. While there’s no denying the value of criminal record checks, using them appropriately for hiring decisions requires care. How deep should you go when performing a criminal search, and what should you do with the results? These three steps will help you weigh the risks and opportunities of individual applicants in a fair and balanced way.

Focus on the Position

Designing your background check policy begins by examining each position. Understanding the specific responsibilities and potential risks for each role within your organization will help you define what it means to hire wisely. Consider the following types of questions:

• How much direct, active supervision does the position receive?
• To what extent does the position represent your brand to the public?
• What risks are associated with the position?
• Does the position require interaction with vulnerable populations?
• Does the position involve direct access to cash or other fungible assets?

As you can see, this type of analysis is critical. For example, for positions that require direct access to cash, a criminal history of theft is relevant. Likewise, a poor driving record is pertinent to positions requiring the operation of a motor vehicle. Conversely, if the criminal background check returns results that have little relevance to the job at hand and if the applicant is otherwise qualified, the record need not be disqualifying.

Follow EEOC Guidelines

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has defined three factors to guide employers in their use of criminal background checks:

• The nature of the job.
• The nature and seriousness of the offense.
• Time passed since commission of the offense or completion of sentence.

With these factors in mind, employers will often find that an applicant’s criminal past does not disqualify them for the position. However, if there is deemed to be a significant risk, there’s one more step.

Make an Individual Assessment

Before taking adverse action, the EEOC recommends conducting an individual assessment. Talk to the applicant. Let them know their past actions may exclude them from the position and give them a chance to explain. Information about the circumstances, severity, subsequent rehabilitation efforts, and other mitigating factors may or may not alter your original decision, but you’ve done your due diligence to be fair and equitable.

The End Goal

The end goal is to hire qualified, trustworthy, responsible employees. Following these steps will help you collect and use the information you need to evaluate risks and make fair and wise hiring decisions.

Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis the cruise shipping industry has faced big problems. These included widespread travel restrictions, port closures around the world, and on-board cases of infection. Vaccination drives are now underway in many nations. The global pandemic situation is gradually improving. Here is a look at what’s in store for cruise ship workers.

Effects of COVID-19

According to Marine Insight the cruise shipping industry contributes $53 billion to the US economy. Filipinos make up about 25% of the world’s maritime workers. A large fraction of this workforce is employed on cruise ships.  They work in the engine, navigational, catering, and entertainment areas on ships.

More than 325,000 OFWs were forced to repatriate in 2020 as a result of the sudden decline in cruise shipping. Some of these workers disembarked and returned home within a matter of weeks. Others were stuck for months at sea, waiting until they could find an accommodating port to dock at. By June 2020 employees across all major cruise companies were reporting grim conditions. The pandemic put an abrupt end to international cruise ship operations. The contracts of most nonessential crew members were terminated. The Cruise Lines International Association outlined the scale of the impact. By late 2020 the worldwide loss to the cruise shipping industry exceeded $77 billion. 518,000 jobs and $23 billion in wages were lost.

Present situation

OFWs formerly employed in cruise shipping have returned home. Many are now working in stopgap jobs. They wait and hope for cruise ships to start sailing again. In most places the only available jobs are within call center agencies. Qualified and experienced cruise ship employees can earn as much as $2,000 monthly. Repatriated crewmembers are working in menial jobs that earn sometimes as low as $95 a month. Some have started small online businesses selling food and clothing items. However in most cases these occupations are poor substitutes. They barely qualify as means of coping with unemployment. Laid-off cruise workers are stalling until the cruises resume. Employed OFW cruise workers regularly send money to Philippines as remittances. It is important that these vital income streams resume.

Before the pandemic cruise ships worked on a crew rotation system. By the time one batch of workers completed their contracts, another group would be ready to start work. Now everyone is waiting in queue for new contracts. Many OFWs are also waiting to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. Some cruise operators have expressed that vaccination will likely be a requirement for returning to work.

Future plans

Vaccination drives are underway in many countries. The cruise industry plans to recommence voyages. Major cruise operators expect to resume some part of their operations by June 2021, although some routes are not expected to reopen till late 2021. Two Royal Caribbean cruises will resume in June after over a year of hiatus. Costa Cruises plans to resume sailing by May.

The CDC has put a stop to cruise ship operations in US waters since March 2020. The cruise industry’s recovery depends greatly on the effectiveness of the various national vaccination drives.

Meanwhile major cruise operators are facing vast financial losses. Carnival Cruises has declared losses amounting to $4.4 billion. It is resorting to selling some of its biggest ships in an attempt to keep the company afloat. Cruise companies are desperate to return to work and generate some income. This is despite the fact that they are now capped at less than 70% capacity. The 70% rule is to ensure social distancing on-board. As and when cruise ships resume voyages, they will welcome fewer passengers. The travel restrictions and limited volumes would mean there will be a reduced need for manpower on these ships. That means fewer OFW cruise crews will get new contracts.

Trust

The goal of the industry now is to rebuild public trust and encourage more cruise bookings. Cruise operators have revamped safety and sanitation protocols to avoid the possibility of future outbreaks. Passengers now have to wear face masks in public areas. Thermal cameras will check passengers before entering on-board facilities. Crews will have additional responsibilities. Everyone is doing their part to get the business back on track.

About the author:

Hemant G is a contributing writer at Sparkwebs LLC, a Digital and Content Marketing Agency. When he’s not writing, he loves to travel, scuba dive, and watch documentaries.

There are so many factors that may make a big difference in the results of getting your custom printing job completed. Things like Quality, Price, Design, Timeliness and even willingness to work with the customer are all important to achieve the best results of your custom printing job.

Design: This is very important to the effectiveness of your printing job. The customer will ultimately be the ones who see this work and could make a decision based on the look and deign of your custom printing job. You should be sure your printing company has a good design department by asking to see the samples of their past work. In case the printing company does not display their work or is reluctant to show you samples they may not have very good design skills.

Quality: This should also be demonstrated by samples and displays provided by your printing company in the same manner as design. If the printing company does not have these materials, this could indicate they are hiding something and could be doing poor work. You should be sure to consider quality of the printing job.

Price: This can be a huge factor when choosing a custom printing company. You should make sure you are paying for the quality you want, it could make a difference to the image of your business to potential clients.

Timeliness: Timeliness always depends on some different aspects of the custom printing job. The complexity of the actual printing and complexity of the design will always determine how long it will take to finish the job. At times time is an issue so it’s best to check out several printing companies and find out what their turnaround time is. The printing companies use different techniques to produce their printing materials. Some of them are faster than others due to faster printing equipment or some may be faster in design time. Quality may also be affected due to printing or designing too fast and could produce a lesser quality.

Choosing custom printing company may be more difficult when considering the proceeding factors, though considering them now should help in getting the quality results that are best for your company.  sponsring – kläder med tryck offers the best in custom printing in Sweden.