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March 4, 2021
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A Sanity-Saving Guide to Working From Home With Young Children

By | Tips

As a mother with young children, working from home is both a blessing and a curse. You can spend more time with your little ones, avoid the daily commute to and from work, and save money on childcare, but you’re also faced with constant interruptions and distractions that make working seem close to impossible. And due to COVID-19 concerns, you may not feel comfortable hiring a babysitter or sending your little ones to child care — even when you’re desperate for a break.

To help you juggle it all, the team at Business E Suites is here to share some sanity-saving tips and strategies to make working from home with young kids much more feasible. Read on to get started!

Work While the Little Ones Sleep

If you’re a sleep-deprived mother of a newborn, you may be tempted to catch up on some sleep whenever your baby goes down for a morning or afternoon nap. However, nap times are the perfect opportunities to power through your important work tasks — even if you only have 20- to- 40 minutes to yourself. The same goes for napping toddlers and young children!

In addition to working while your little ones nap, you’ll accomplish more if you aim to work when your children are at their calmest. For most children, this usually means immediately after waking from a nap or eating a meal.

Share Responsibilities

If you and your partner are both working remotely during the pandemic, try splitting your parenting duties between the two of you, and scheduling childcare shifts throughout the workday. If your partner has deadlines, phone calls, and meetings in the morning, you could care for your little ones in the morning and your partner could take the afternoon shift. If each workday looks a bit different, however, you’ll want to sit down with your partner every evening to plan out the following day’s activities.

Try Virtual Babysitting Services

To keep young children entertained so you can focus on your work, you could turn to online games and activities — or you could enlist the help of a virtual babysitter. To find a virtual babysitter to engage with your little ones via Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime, Kelsey Hurwitz of Woman’s Day recommends:

  • Obtaining referrals from friends and family.
  • Visiting websites such as SitterCity and Care.com.
  • Asking for recommendations on Facebook.
  • Looking for virtual sitters on NextDoor and other neighborhood platforms.

As another option, you could check with your friends and relatives to see if they might be interested in a virtual visit with your little ones. Grandma and grandpa, for instance, can read stories to your young children, draw and color with them, and play fun virtual games like I-Spy and Mad Libs.

Preserve Your Sanity

When you’re at home with your young kids all week long, some days may test your sanity — and you may start to feel as if you’re on the verge of losing your mind. However, this is where self-care comes in. Even as a busy work-from-home mom, self-care is a must!

Here are some simple self-care strategies to keep you happy, healthy, and sane:

  • Try a coworking space. One day a week away from home could be a boon for your productivity. If you can work it out with your partner, plan to use a coworking space for a whole workday. You may be able to work ahead to lighten up the rest of your week.
  • Dress comfortably. Skip the tight jeans and business clothes and opt for comfortable yet stylish leggings, tanks and joggers. When you’re chasing toddlers and young children around all day, comfortable clothing is a must.
  • Remember to breathe. Try a meditation app like Insight Timer, Calm, or Omvana — even if you only have a few minutes to spare.
  • Drink plenty of water. Nourish your body and mind by sipping on water throughout the day, and aim to drink at least eight glasses of water daily. If you’re breastfeeding, however, you’ll need to increase your water intake by about four glasses.
  • Do something for yourself. Extra time at home may have sealed the deal for you on future plans. For example, if you aspire to become an entrepreneur or finally want to get your MBA, you can join a program that fits your busy schedule but allows you to advance your career. You owe it to yourself.

The Bottom Line

Whether you’ve been working from home for years or you’re still adjusting to remote work amidst COVID-19, the challenges of being a work-from-home mom are vast — especially when you’ve got young children to feed and care for. However, focusing on the many advantages of working from home with your children will help to keep your sanity and remind you of how fortunate you really are to be given this opportunity.

Some days will certainly be tougher than others, but in time, you’ll fall into a routine that works for you and your little ones. Before you know it, working from home with a baby or toddler (or both!) won’t seem so impossible after all.

Are you looking for an affordable office space away from home? Look to Business E Suites for a monthly membership that allows you the opportunity to work in a professional environment so you can be more productive.

Image via Pexels

Article by: Janice Russell

March 3, 2021
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The Changing Workplace

By | Business

Are traditional office owners in denial about the change in demand that will persist after the pandemic is behind us? Since COVID-19 forced the hand of companies in allowing workers to work flexibly, Mark Dixon of Bisnow in London, said now they are actively embracing the benefits. He pointed to a study from EY that found that moving a worker from full-time office occupation to hybrid work could save a company $11K.

“Previously, if a company said they wanted you to work remotely, that wouldn’t have been acceptable,” he said. “But now they realize they can hire better people and save money as well. It is not just benevolent, they are businesses, and they realize that people are more productive, and it costs less.”

He thinks up to two-thirds of companies will adopt a hybrid working model of some staff in a central HQ some of the time and working remotely for the remainder.

At Business E Suites, we saw this new remote workspace model as a new way of working 3 years ago. It’s actually not new, it started over in Europe over 10 years ago. Fortunately, we were already under construction when the pandemic hit, but we didn’t plan on opening DURING a pandemic. Nevertheless, the remote office concept is becoming more popular every day.

Not only do workers need space, but they also need meeting rooms as well. Now, instead of meeting at a Starbucks, facilities like ours rent meeting room space out by the hour for as low as $10. And the coffee is included!

If you are a realtor, and you refer business to us, we pay referral fees.

Source

https://www.bisnow.com/london/news/office/its-a-100-year-storm-the-worlds-biggest-workspace-operator-on-why-offices-have-changed-forever-107735

March 3, 2021
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Featured Member: Faisal & Will (SNS)

By | Business, Industry

Faisal Shaikh and Will Peoples comprise SNS Ventures, a Sugar Land IT consulting company that services clients all over the country. They joined our community at Business E Suites in 2020 and have been growing ever since.  Faisal has been in IT and Cybersecurity for much of his career, and he met Will while they were both at GE. After advancing in the industry, Faisal saw an opportunity to start working as a consultant. This gave him more freedom to work with different kinds of clients, and he was not tied down to one company which gave him more security.

Before he started IT consulting though, Faisal got his first taste of small business ownership by opening a couple of restaurants called Saruzzos NY Pizzeria in the Houston area in 2016. Ultimately, Faisal’s goal is to be self-sufficient and get to retire early. Although the restaurants were doing well, there was an opportunity in consulting to potentially reach that retirement even earlier. That is how Faisal operates, he is always open to new opportunities and ideas, and he has the drive and ambition to make them happen.  Like any good business owner, Faisal knew he needed to assemble a winning team. He started by calling Will. After years of working offshore on oil rigs and a hectic schedule, Will was ready for a new challenge working together with Faisal. Will has his own experience as a small business owner, and his time in Oil & Gas provided him with lots of good connections in the industry. He was thrilled at the opportunity to work with Faisal again and work for himself “like a boss.”

SNS Ventures found Business E Suites in December 2020 when Faisal actually came to rent a van from one of our other tenants: Luxed Vans. Faisal toured the facility and loved the clean, professional look and the flexibility of month-to-month terms. As a project-based company, that flexibility is a major plus. It gives SNS the ability to scale their workspace up and down as needed when they take on extra clients or complete a long-term project.  The project-based nature of the business has also been one of the greatest challenges SNS has faced so far. Going from 2 contracts to 3 contracts is a massive increase to their workload, and likewise going from 2 contracts to 1 contract cuts their revenue in half. These big swings can be stressful, but it is just part of the challenge of being a small business.

If Will and Faisal could give one piece of advice to other small businesses out there it is this: Enjoy it!! You are your own boss now, so act like a boss and enjoy the freedom and opportunity provided to you from working for yourself.  Business E Suites is very happy to have SNS Ventures as one of our core members, and we look forward to watching them grow and accomplish all of their goals for 2021 and beyond.

March 3, 2021
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Marketing Tips from Ahava Marketing

By | Business, Tips

Whether you’re a marketing pro or just starting out, we’re here to pass on some helpful tips to reach some exposure and even some goals.  Remember, a brand is not just about a pretty logo, a cool website, or a simple business card, it is about the service and experience you offer your consumers, and where it is, really matters.   As a marketing agency we can tell you there are endless opportunities to market your product/service and brand your business on the way but today, we’re going to offer you some free tips to take advantage of and get started.

Start with the simplest of all; create a Google My Business Page

Most of your traffic if not all will flow through Google and having a steady presence is vital to look serious and mean business

Post and engage on social media

Almost 80% of adults use social media today, where more than half happen to be women, and the biggest age group using a social media outlet today happen to be between 18-29, plus in a world where Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram are the top three most used social media platforms.  This means, that a big group of people not quite this huge percentage, but a good amount could be potentially engaging with your brand and learning all about your product and services.  So, it’s vital to have your business engaged with a social media presence, post relevant content, and talk about what you do.  The chances of getting organic traffic and possible conversions are extremely high through social media channels.

Use hashtags and tag people

Posting content and engaging with the audience is not the only thing you need to focus on, you also need to use trending hashtags and tag relevant influential people that could boost your brand and products.  Now, posting trending hashtags, that’s just something you’re going to have to follow among other influencers specifically to your industry and take it from there.  As far as tagging people go, even if they are not influencers, you can tag people that have engaged with your brand, perhaps even acquired the product you sell, and tagging them will get you to share now your brand with their network; think about it as a word of mouth marketing tactic.

Develop an email marketing plan

Emails have become the number one method of communication among businesses and taking advantage of this new way of communication is a must.  Did you know sending something simple as a welcome email has a 21% open rate and when you offer personalization to this very same email, it increases the open rate by 50%.  Now, what you communicate, is really a world of opportunities to upsell, convert, or even just say hello and keep customers engaged.

Create useful data infographics

If your customers are visual learners like me then offering an infographic relevant to your business and its services is quite helpful, giving them the 411 as an overview with some interesting data and graphics, trust me, it will give your consumers and potential ones something to look at and become ongoing engagers with your brand.

Publish great content about your industry

In 2021, content is king and talking to the digital world through blogging and helpful articles and/or newsletters will boost your business brand and website traffic if set up correctly.

Other great tools you can use are posting helpful tip videos and even hosting contests and giveaways on social media.

To learn more about other free tips, feel free to reach out to hello@ahavamarketing.com or follow us on Facebook or Instagram: @AhavaMarketing.

March 3, 2021
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Lunch & Learn Recap: Cold Calling with Dave Fisher

By | Business, Tips

Business E Suites held its first-ever Lunch & Learn workshop on February 4th. This is something that we will be held each month on the 1st Thursday of the month. The topic for our first event was Cold Calling & Sales hosted by our very own David Fisher of Western Aviation.

Mr. Fisher has been in Sales for over 20 years and has experience selling all types of products from cars, jets, software, telecom, and more. He shared with our members some great tips for how to use cold calling to help make your small business more profitable.

We won’t give away all of his secrets, but here are a few tips he had:

  • Be prepared: Have a list of contacts you are calling and be sure to know as much about them as possible. Do some quick research so you know who you are calling and what their interests are how your business can help. Download lists of industry professionals you are targeting, or create your own list using excel and googling the business you are targeting. The more information you have the easier it will be to get past the gatekeeper.
  • Get past the gatekeeper: Every business or executive is going to have a receptionist or gatekeeper that you must get through before speaking to your actual target. There are many different strategies for getting past them. Ask for the person by name, sound familiar. Don’t start off with a sales pitch, you will get shut down right away. Be polite but assertive, be vague but intentional. Keep it as simple as “is Jim there? I need to speak with him.” And see where that gets you.
  • Get an email address: Even if you can’t get past the gatekeeper, get the email of the person you were trying to reach. Usually, the gatekeeper or receptionist will give it to you or let you leave a voicemail. Getting the email lets you at the very least send a follow-up message and add them to your marketing list, which is valuable. If they are unwilling to give it to you, a simple way to figure it out is just to find out the naming conventions of the email (ex: CThomas@CompanyName.co) and plug in the name of your contact to see if it works.
  • Put in the time: Even if you only have a success rate of 3% where your calls turn into deals, but it the time to make it worth it. If you can hammer out 100 calls in a day, that would net you 3 new deals! If you don’t put in the work, you won’t get the return you are looking for. You must ignore the rejections and just keep pushing till you get that one new deal you have been waiting for.

Cold Calling is far from the most enjoyable aspect of the business, but if you work hard it can be a valuable tool for growing your company and landing deals you otherwise would have missed.

February 2, 2021
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The Importance of a Meeting Room

By | Business, Tips

It is no surprise that first impressions matter most and engaging with a potential client or even more importantly an established customer is one of the most important aspects of your business; the image you portray in that very first meeting will set the tone for everything else beyond that.

With the “normal” running a business from home is no surprise but that does not mean that a customer has to adapt to your new “normal”, therefore it’s always best to meet them in a professional environment to ensure a professional service will be rendered.  At Business E Suites we offer just that, meeting rooms that will guarantee a professional tone and set your business for a successful referral.  After all, the first impression is what most people keep.

See a virtual tour of what meeting room settings are available for you right in the heart of Sugar Land.  And learn more about our beyond-flexible rates for any business professional, even at their earliest stages can afford.

Virtual Tours

See Rates

February 2, 2021
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Let’s Grow Together

By | Business, Industry, Tips

Real estate always keeps you on your toes, there are many things constantly on the move, but there is one thing that is often overlooked and that is turning away small businesses or clients that might not meet your criteria.

Having a defined target audience for your business helps you to understand how to advertise to bring the ideal customer thru the door, but sometimes we forget that growing your network can help your business in the long run. Many realtors might not realize that when a small business is looking for their services is already trusting them, whatever they are in the need of a single office or shared office, whatever they have a small budget or are in the process of planning for the upcoming months, the fact is that most Realtors are unable to help these clients and by not giving them options, they are turning way potential client in the future, because some of that business may need to grow and expand their office soon.

At Business E Suites we believe in creating a strong relationship with everyone no matter how far along you are on your path to success. We have co-working spaces, dedicated desks, meeting rooms, and a plethora of other services and rooms to suit clients big or small. We believe in creating a strong bond with our clientele because at the end of the day we help each other grow and when it is time to move up, we will be their first call because we have already established that strong mutual relationship.

Our advice to you is to let us help you help your clients, there are ways to get even small clients in, whether it is through referral incentives or simply giving you the best price available to suit any realtor’s needs. We need to really focus and understand the importance of helping startups or small businesses take that extra step. This is where you will have your groundbreaking moments; by allowing yourself to grow with each other and benefit both ways.  Plus, Business E Suites offers great referral fees, and the best part, when any small client grows their business to the next stage, you’ll be the first call they make.

 

February 2, 2021
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Featured Member: Pinnacle Offers LLC

By | Business

Maura Tinoco and Cadman Arthur are two of our Founding Members here at Business E Suites. They have been with us since July 2019 (before we even finished constructing our new building), and it has been a joy to watch them grow as a company and as individuals during that time.

Maura & Cadman originally met when they were both working in Healthcare back in 2011, they were both supporting their families and working hard but had dreams of bigger things. Maura had mentioned Real Estate and flipping houses as something she would love to do in the future. Cadman left to become a real estate agent in 2013. Maura eventually left to start investing in real estate in 2017. They had not spoken much since their time as coworkers, but a well-timed call by Cadman led to them teaming up when Maura started her own company- Exit Nationwide Property Solutions (quite a mouthful…) but have since re-branded themselves as Pinnacle Offers LLC (That’s more like it!).

What brought them to Business E Suites was the location which was close to both of their homes and the flexibility of being able to have a month-to-month solution that filled their needs without having to overspend. Since upgrading to our brand new building, they said it has created a more inviting and professional space for them to call home. It also brings new opportunities for them to network and connects with other small business owners like themselves.

Their ideal customers are motivated sellers who are looking to quickly sell their home and don’t want to take the traditional route and risk waiting months for their house to get a good offer. The houses they fix up and flip, are often perfect homes for small families or developers looking to rent out the house to families in the area. They work with lots of contractors and are always looking for new investors to partner with when buying houses and lots.

The greatest challenge that Pinnacle has faced is Building Momentum. This is something that every entrepreneur will struggle with starting out. In order to build their positive momentum and grow their business, Maura & Cadman set out to establish credibility with their clients by demonstrating their growing experience and track record of success in past deals and projects. Once you can point to those past successes, it makes it much easier to create a reputation of trust and quality, which will help bring in new leads and kickstart your momentum towards a thriving business!

If Cadman and Maura could give one piece of advice to fellow small business owners it would be this: DON’T GIVE UP! Tough times are bound to come. There will be days where you wonder if it was all worth it but keep pushing through and you will succeed. Believe in yourself and never settle for less than the best.

We at Business E Suites have loved being a part of Pinnacle’s journey as a growing small business, and they are a key part of our community. We look forward to seeing them continue to excel and push on to bigger and better things each year. We value all of our members here, and Maura and Cadman exemplify the exact kind of entrepreneurs and driven individuals that we look to help on their way to success.