Uncategorized

According to SBA (Small Business Administration), 99% of businesses in the US are small businesses and small businesses generate 44% of US economic activity. With so many small businesses around, working together can help everyone grow and flourish greatly!

What are the advantages to creating good client relationships?

In a study done by SuperOffice, 86% of customers will say their experiences are just as important as what services/products they purchased. If that is not enough to interest you, in the same study, they found that about 50% of customers make impulse purchases just from receiving a personalized service! All of this is just part of the benefits of having a good relationship with customers/clients. Other positives for creating good customer relationships include: improving customer loyalty, spreading awareness to your business (word of mouth reviews), and even increased sales.

How does one form a good client relationship?

There are many ways to create strong business/client relationships with the most obvious starting at being kind and having good communication. This could also look like staying positive for the client – if things are running behind or the client feels like something is challenging, you should always put your best foot forward and attempt to ease the client of any worries. Another way to forge a great client relationship is to remain open-minded and exceed expectations. This just means really consider what it is the client is looking for and make your best effort to accommodate those needs. Exceeding expectations doesn’t just mean going way above and beyond; it also means being realistic about timeframes and keeping up with client requests and/or questions. It is also important to note that good client relationships are formed through setting clear boundaries and both sides taking accountability. You want to be clear and consistent so the client doesn’t ever feel lost or blindsided at what is going on. Additionally, relationships are a two way street and if you are taking care of your side of things, it is just as vital the client is communicative for any questions you may have as well as any new updates from their side of things (like having to change the date for something or any new requirements for a project/service/etc).

Whether you are trying to deepen a client connection or you’re really trying to show a client you care, gifting them something is a great way to show that they are important to you. Giving them a gift sends a personal message and shows gratitude. Furthermore, gifts can spark conversation with others – which makes your company stand out, gain more attention, and keeps your company in the minds of others’. Finally, a gift is a good way to show some humanity. For some, the relationship with clients is all done through text, phone or video calls. By giving a gift, you are breaking away from all the digital communication a bit and creating a more personal connection.

Working with CJ Designs

We like the way that Christine Jarski, owner of CJ Dean Designs with Decorating Den Interiors, personalizes the customer experience. CJ Designs is a full service interior design company owned by Christine Jarski. She helps make interior designing fun and stress free by really taking the time to fully understand you, how you use your space, and the styles you love. As a professional in her field, her best piece of advice is to truly get to know the client as this is the most important part of every project. It allows the project to run more efficiently and really brings out the “Wow” factor every client is looking for. Christine works with a team of craftsmen and manufacturers, which allows her to create one-of-a-kind custom furniture and window treatments specifically designed for her clients. Additionally, many of the vendors she uses will use recycled materials and they have environmentally conscious production methods. As Christine says, “This allows us to create beautiful and impactful spaces that promote healthy living. My team and I have all the resources to carry out your project from beginning to end. The result is a beautiful and functional space that has been created just for you… A space that you love coming home to, that makes you smile every time you walk in the room.”

(A bedroom designed by CJ Designs)

With every business, you face highs and lows as the owner. Christine loves getting to know her clients really well and creating something special just for them. Also, since she works with Decorating Den Interiors, it allows her to have a network of fellow designers to work with and bounce ideas back and forth. In terms of the hard elements of owning a business, Christine finds managing all the different parts of a business difficult at times but is grateful she has outside help like us; and we are delighted to be working with her to handle the finances of her business! The last important thing Christine wants people to know about her business is, “Each project takes a team of professionals to implement. Having all of the resources in place, understanding the client and designing for them, and being professionally trained is what makes the outcome amazing.”

(A living room designed by CJ Designs)

We love working with other businesses!

By creating meaningful relationships with others, it helps your business maintain long-term relationships that everyone can benefit and thrive from. Working with people like Christine makes a great partnership for both parties. It helps everyone understand other aspects of the community around them and how they can help each other grow. Christine is a dedicated owner invested in her community and it is a daily reminder of why what we do at TAK is so important!

---

As we come into the colder months of the year, mental health can be impacted for many individuals. We’re sure you hear it all the time but mental health is so incredibly important. Having good mental health can change your life and your work for the better.

Why is mental health so important? Why is belonging so important?

Mental health has one of the biggest influences for our overall quality of life. It can determine how we rationalize things, deal with emotions, and contributes to our everyday behaviors. Additionally, physical health is not entirely separate from mental health. When you have poor mental health, there are usually physical health conditions that arise from them as well.

Having a sense of belonging also plays a huge role in mental health. In 1995, Professor Roy Baumeister and Professor Mark Leary wrote a paper called “The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.” This paper focused heavily on belonging and even labeled it as a fundamental human need. Belonging also factors into our ability to form relationships, which is just as vital to our human needs. If we don’t feel we fit in, we aren’t likely to reach out and form meaningful relationships, which in turn, effects our mental health negatively. Moreover, belonging can affect self-esteem. In some cases, this low self-esteem, again, affects the ability to make social connections. Overall, mental health and the essential need for belonging, can drastically improve or impair your day to day life.

What benefits does belonging & good mental health for employees bring to business?

Since mental health is everywhere in life, it is evident that it influences work as well. In a 2020 study done by Qualtrics, only 20% who feel they don’t belong are engaged whereas 91% of employees are engaged when they feel they do belong. This is a monumental difference in terms of engagement and employee engagement leads to better work overall. For one, it creates higher productivity and boosts employee retention. “Workplace belonging leads to a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% reduction in turnover risk, and a 75% decrease in employee sick days,” according to a 2021 study from BetterUp. In the same study, those who feel they belong the most, are more intent on staying in the business by 34%. Another way employee engagement benefits business is from customer experiences, sales, and profits. There is a 10% difference in (positive) customer ratings according to research done by Gallup. From this same research, there is 18% difference in (increased) sales which lead to a 23% increase in profits.

When employees suffer from poor mental health, they are more likely to suffer from physical ailments which also contributes to employee absenteeism. Furthermore, poor mental health results in worse decision making, bad concentration, and can increase stress from any pressure at work. Although pressure can sometimes be a motivator, when pressure is too high or has gone on too long, this creates stress and burnout instead. Not having a balanced work-home life can cause stress to manifest with outward discontent to coworkers, discouragement from work, and overall dissatisfaction with the company. Although it may not be the company’s fault, this can still reflect poorly on you as a business.

Some ways to aid in employee mental health for the better

One of the optimal ways to promote good mental health in the workplace is through workplace culture. One way to do this is by giving the space for everyone’s personality to shine. When an individual has the opportunity to share personal life details (whether that’s things they love, their background, challenges and victories, or just general life stories), they gain a deeper feeling of belonging and closeness to the company or others within it. Another way to create a positive workplace culture is having a proficient leader. They are an invaluable asset to the team when they give space for employees to approach them with problems unbiasedly and truly hear them out. When employees can give feedback and receive acknowledgement in a positive manner, it gives a sense of value and belonging. On top of this, having a great leader gives way for coworkers to have better relationships with one another. nn We all know that first impressions are paramount and onboarding new employees is no different. As a test (before being widely introduced into their company), Microsoft buddied up 600 new employees when hired. This trial found that having a buddy helped employees to become more productive quicker, were happier with the onboarding process, and automatically felt more supported by their manager and team. The buddy system could also be beneficial for younger employees (or those with little/no work experience) because they are not alone and have assistance in understanding the expectations of them.

Mental health is significant

Mental health plays a role in every part of life. It has benefits for your everyday happiness and for business as well. Remember to always be kind to everyone and have empathy for those who may be going through something. You don’t always see everything and it is important to treat others how you would want to be treated. (If you or someone you know is struggling, here is a list of mental health hotlines. You are strong, you are loved, so please take care of yourself.)

---

Workplace culture is the beliefs and attitudes of the environment when working in your business. Different companies may have different cultures and within these cultures lies individualist and collectivism, or even a hybrid of these two cultures.

What are Collectivism and Individualist cultures in the workplace?

Collectivism is focused on seeing everyone as a team. Its focus is on accomplishments and needs as a group over that of an individual. Everyone on the team is rewarded for the success they have, or on the opposite end, equally at fault for any mistakes.

On the other end of collectivism is individualist culture. It is also known as organizational individualism. This type of culture emphasizes each individual person – meaning that the individual who succeeded/failed will be praised/punished.

In what ways are these beneficial? Which one should I choose?

Each culture has its upsides and downsides. Looking at collectivism first, one benefit is that employees are more likely to form deeper relationships with their co-workers as they are always working together. Additionally, employees in this environment may be more selfless because their actions directly impact others (for better or worse). This culture tends to have stronger qualities like: honesty, empathy, cooperation, and communication. A drawback of collectivism is that there may be less initiative and expression from employees since their individual work is not typically celebrated, and there’s more priority on compliance & agreement.

Moving to organizational individualism, the biggest plus is creativity. When each employee is able to come up with their own ideas, this can improve innovation and thus impacts performance, for the better, within the company. Organizational individualism can also make employees feel better about themselves and their work. By having a personal influence in their projects, it gives more freedom and makes them more comfortable. As well as comfortability and better performance, when an individual is rewarded personally, it makes them feel good about all the hard-work they’ve put in and may push them to strive for even more. Some disadvantages of this culture could be: slow or hard to make changes, added stress, or more tension with others at times.

There is no solid answer for what is better for every business. Depending on the type of business you run, it may be more beneficial to fall on one side or the other. For example, if you work in the technology industry and you’re trying to create the next best thing, or simply trying to find a way to better streamline things, it would probably be in your best interest to have a more individualist culture because this culture typically breeds more creativity and self-motivation per each individual. Keep in mind that there are other factors that may naturally influence these two cultures in your business. These could include: leadership style, employee diversity (meaning background and previous experience), performance measurement, and company goals & structure. Overall, the way you build your business impacts the workplace culture. (Check out Building Your Business for Success for more tips on building up your business!)

Both Workplace Cultures are Good

Although these two workplace cultures fall on opposite ends, many businesses have a hybrid of these two. By understanding these two workplace cultures, you can help your business have a better work culture and improve on what’s important as a team and individuals!

---