Category: Career

Self-storage is a booming industry. There are over 52,000 self-storage facilities in the United States, and the market continues to grow. You’re in luck if you’re thinking of starting your own self-storage business. This blog post provides all the information you need to get started. It discusses everything from site selection to marketing your business. So read on for tips and advice to help you get your new business up and running.

Research the market

The first step to starting any business is to research the market. Regarding self-storage, you need to ensure enough demand in your area for the services you plan to offer. Analyzing competitors in the area and talking to potential customers can help you better understand what people want and how much they’re willing to pay. The reputable self-storage providers behind Livingston Storage recommend that you also check local zoning and permitting regulations to ensure your business can operate in the area. In most instances, you’ll need to secure a business license before you can open your self-storage unit.

Create a detailed business plan

Creating a comprehensive business plan is essential when starting any new venture. Regarding self-storage, you need to include your target market and customer base, financial projections, marketing plans, and potential exit strategies. Your target market will determine the size and amenities of your facilities, so it’s essential to have a good understanding of who you’re trying to reach. Your financial projections should include all costs associated with purchasing or leasing a space, constructing your facility, and hiring staff. And finally, your marketing plan should include strategies for reaching potential customers, such as social media and print advertising.

Your business plan should also include a detailed plan for the existing facility. This should include information about size and layout, security features, storage units, administrative office space, and any other amenities you plan to offer. The size and design of your facility will depend on the target market you identified in your business plan. Consider climate control, drive-up access, and security features to ensure your facility is appealing to customers.

Choose the right site

Location is essential when it comes to self-storage. You want to make sure the site is easily accessible and large enough to accommodate all of your units. Also, pick a spot not too far from your target customers so they don’t have to travel too far. Other factors you need to consider in choosing a location are zoning regulations, potential liability, and access to utilities. Zoning regulations can be a significant factor in getting the right site for your business; some local governments may not allow self-storage facilities due to safety concerns. Make sure you research these regulations carefully before selecting a location.

Secure funding

Next, you must secure the funds necessary to build and operate your self-storage business. If you already have savings set aside, that’s great. Otherwise, you may be able to get a loan from a bank or other commercial lender. In securing a loan, ensure you have a well-crafted business plan outlining all the costs associated with starting and running your business. Additionally, there are various types of grants you may be eligible for, depending on your business plan and other factors. For instance, many states offer grants for businesses focused on green energy solutions. These solutions concentrate on reducing energy usage and waste to protect the environment. You need to plan how to incorporate this into your business plan.

Plan the construction

Once you have the funds secured, it’s time to start planning the construction. If you’re building a new facility from scratch, this includes designing floor plans, selecting materials, and hiring contractors. The floor plans should include the number and size of storage units you will offer and any additional amenities. Be sure to factor in climate control options for your customers, such as air conditioning or heating. The materials you use also make a difference in the building’s durability and energy efficiency. Also, in choosing contractors to work with, you want to ensure they have experience building self-storage units. Exert effort in researching potential contractors to ensure you select the most reliable and reputable ones.

Set up financing options

Many customers are interested in flexible payment options when it comes to self-storage. To attract more customers, consider setting up various financing options that allow them to pay for their units in installments over time. This could include monthly or yearly payments or even a rent-to-own option. It’s essential to consider these options when setting up your business, as it can make the difference between customers choosing you or a competitor. Customers may also be interested in discounts, such as seasonal rates and extended-stay deals.

Market your business

Once the construction is done, it’s time to start marketing your self-storage business. This includes creating a website and social media accounts for your brand, advertising in local publications, and setting up an office where customers can visit. When creating a website, include detailed information about your services, such as payment plans and security features. In setting up social media accounts, use them to promote your business and interact with existing customers. You may also consider offering discounts or promotions to attract customers and encourage repeat business.

Maintain your facility

Finally, don’t forget about the importance of maintenance. Keeping your self-storage unit in good condition is essential to keeping customers happy. This means regularly inspecting units for damage, cleaning common areas, and ensuring all security protocols are followed. When a unit is damaged, make sure it’s fixed right away and that the customer is notified promptly. Cleaning common areas also help ensure that customers feel safe and secure. Security measures such as door locks, cameras, and background checks for employees should also be in place. Keeping an eye on the competition is also essential, as this will help you stay ahead of trends and adjust your pricing accordingly.

Running a successful self-storage business requires commitment and dedication. But if you follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way to success. Rest assured that with some hard work and determination, you can create a profitable business that provides excellent service to customers for years to come. Good luck!

Finding the best real estate agents can be a tough task for recruiters. After all, real estate is an industry that revolves around convincing others to make potentially risky investments. Knowing how to recruit real estate agents with the right skills and qualities can be tricky; in fact, it’s something that even the most seasoned human resource professionals sometimes struggle with.

Still, it’s possible to narrow down your prospects with the right interview questions and the most workable answers. To help you pick out the diamonds from the rough, here are some of the questions that establish a real estate agent’s skill, work ethic, and capacity to be a game-changer in the field.

What qualities do you possess that make you a good fit for the agency?

As with most jobs, one of the first things you should be looking for in a candidate is their ability to sell themselves. This question allows an applicant to showcase their best qualities, particularly their self-confidence and communication skills. A stellar candidate must be able to describe their strengths easily, one of which should include paying attention to a client’s needs and knowing how to work with different personalities.

How do you organize your schedule and manage your time?

A real estate agent’s job is often hectic and requires a high level of time management skills. This question will show you how a candidate handles multiple tasks: setting appointments, preparing for open houses, sending emails, updating the client database, and more. Your candidate must show that they have a system for organizing a fast-paced workday—and that they clearly abide by it.

How many homes have you sold over the past year?

Track record is another important factor when it comes to recruiting real estate agents. Of course, you would want to hire those who have a strong “sell count” and a reputation for client satisfaction. The metrics for sales often depend on the brokerage, but around 50 homes on a yearly average is a good starting figure.

That said, you may also be interviewing someone new to the industry such as a recent graduate or a career shifter. It wouldn’t be fair to judge them solely by their records, as their seasoned competitors will definitely have a leg up on experience. With this, it’s also worth vetting applicants based on the type of homes they have sold and the skills they used to close these sales.

How do you handle tough clients?

Encountering a particularly difficult client is inevitable for any real estate agent. As a recruiter, you would need to know how the applicant deals with buyers or sellers they cannot “vibe” with or are too demanding with their criteria. The answer to this question will show an applicant’s people skills, which is a non-negotiable quality for any real estate agent. Qualified applicants must mention the actions they took to address the situation and the results they were able to deliver despite the drawbacks.

What do you believe are the most effective advertisement strategies?

A good real estate agent is inherently resourceful. They must know how to maximize available resources, do research, determine the right demographics, and showcase a property’s selling points. Ideally, they should be aware of marketing tools in the digital landscape such as social media, digital ads, and property listing websites. They also need to be creative and be able to craft their messaging around what prospective buyers or sellers are really looking for. By asking this question, you can determine an applicant’s savviness and forward-thinking nature in our current digital age.

How do you prepare for open houses?

Open houses are one of those events where every good angle must be shown and everything must be perfect. This question reveals your applicant’s staging practices, which can make or break a client’s decision to buy a property. When applicants are describing staging procedures, make sure to pay attention to what they add and remove to make a property look enticing.

How do you make sure to meet clients’ needs at all times?

A real estate agent serves as a guide for home buyers who may not know what they want or sellers who don’t know how to put their properties on the market. Clients also have different personalities and traits, with some being extremely meticulous and others having a more “go with the flow” approach. If you intend to ask this question, make sure to determine an applicant’s process for personalizing their services. This may include the specific questions they ask clients, which you may want to watch out for during the interview.

What part of your job is the least enjoyable?

This one is a bit tricky and a lot more open-ended, but it will give you an insight into your applicant’s personality, honesty, and capacity to creatively manage obstacles. There’s really no right or wrong answer to this question, and your applicant’s answer can range from handling mundane administrative tasks to dealing with client frustrations. In the end, it’s up to you to judge the applicant’s cadence and the quality of their answer.

The Right Questions for the Right Choices

All in all, these questions are just a taste of what a prospective real estate agent may bring to the table. There are plenty of other industry-specific questions to consider, such as the applicant’s experience with developers and contractors, relevant training, and industry awards. However, these are often considered follow-ups and aren’t as telling as the ones mentioned above.

Essentially, the questions on this list are meant to uncover the green flags: expertise, honesty and integrity, excellent communication skills, and a strong negotiation mindset. At the end of the day, it’s the answers to these questions that help you determine if an applicant will turn out to be a worthy investment and a valuable addition to the team.

No matter what field you work in or are planning on working in, your education will play a huge role in your future career prospects and options. What you choose to study will play the biggest role in which choices you have after you graduate, but doing well in higher education can also open doors in different career fields due to the critical thinking and communication skills that University teaches you. We will also explore why you might want to get a master’s degree. Moreover, we will look at choosing careers based on money versus enjoyment. Finally, we will address the choice to change your career path later in life. Let’s dive into these big questions.

How Higher Education Helps You Get A Career Job

Higher education helps you get a career job by giving you the skills and knowledge you need to be successful in your chosen field. By completing a degree or certificate program, you will learn the essential theories, concepts, and tools you need to start your career.

In addition, higher education can give you the opportunity to network with professionals in your field and gain hands-on experience through internships or research projects. With a solid foundation in place, you will be better equipped to launch your dream career.

A degree program will help you specifically in your chosen field by equipping you with the tools you need for success. From engineering to nursing, teaching or marketing, the choice you make at this stage will determine what kind of profession you will have later in life. You can do an undergraduate degree and then go straight into the world of work or develop your education further with a master’s degree.

If you are interested in breaking into the world of business, for instance, you might want to consider getting an MBA (Masters of Business Administration). This is a great way to distinguish yourself from the competition and ultimately earn a much higher salary. Questions such as how long to get a MBA and what type of assessments are involved will vary depending on the University. You should contact an institution that you would like to attend for more information on their master’s courses.

Why Get A Master’s Degree

As well as the increased salary potential and opportunities for career progression, getting a master’s degree can equip you with more general tools for success. You will deepen your ability to think critically, problem-solve, analyze information and communicate in a professional and concise manner. These skills will be invaluable in any career, whether you are looking to move up the ladder or start your own company.

There are many reasons why someone might choose to get an MBA. Perhaps they want to move into management or eventually start their own business and they feel like they need a more comprehensive understanding of business operations and principles to do so successfully.

Whatever the reason, an MBA can be a great asset in your career and will ultimately lead you to have more choices in your future career path. With an MBA, you will have the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals and gain a deeper understanding of business concepts and practices.

Moreover, you will hone your management skills and up-to-date knowledge of administration in the world of business. These skills can make you stand out as the best candidate for a job or promotion.

Choosing A Career: Money or Enjoyment

Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. When it comes time to apply for University, you will need to know which professional area you are hoping to break into. It can be difficult to decide whether to choose a career based on money or enjoyment. However, your education can help you make this decision.

If you are considering a career based on enjoyment, it is important to find a field that suits your interests and skills. You will already have an idea of what you enjoy doing based on the subjects you like at school, or which aspects of your undergraduate degree you enjoyed most and were best at.

Your education can help you identify potential careers that match your interests and abilities. Once you have narrowed down your options, you can further research these careers to see if they are a good fit for you and what level of qualifications you will need to start working.

If you are considering a career based on money, it is important to consider the long-term prospects of the field. Make sure it is a field that will be in demand in the future and pays well. Moreover, consider the opportunities for advancement. However, remember that choosing an educational path and eventual career based solely on money might not be fulfilling in the long run.

Choosing A New Career

Finally, if you are already established in a career but are ready for a new challenge, it is certainly possible to change careers later in life. In fact, many people do. If you are considering a career change, your education can give you the foundation you need to be successful in a new field. Degrees in business management, marketing, communication and languages, for instance, can open doors in many different directions. Or, you can choose to go back to higher education and retrain. 

Now that you have a deeper understanding of how your education can impact the choices you have in your future career, you can start to think about which degree programs best suit you. The degree program you choose will impact which career paths are open to you; marketing, business management, nursing (see graduate certificate in nursing), and so on. A master’s will set you apart and give you opportunities for greater earnings. Any degree will equip you with skills key to success.

Remember, when choosing a career path, think about money and enjoyment and make sure you prioritize what is most important to you. Finally, you can always change your career choices later in life and go back to University to retrain.

While being let go is not always out of the ordinary, being wrongfully fired can have an alarmingly negative impact on your mental well-being. If you feel as though you have been dismissed from your job unfairly or unjustly then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together some a list of what to do next so that you make the right choices for a more positive future. Check out our ideas below.

1. Seek Legal Counsel

Unless you’re on a casual contract, being fired could cause negative implications for your former employer. There are laws in the US to protect workers, so if your company has broken one of these laws to remove you from your position then you’ll likely have a case to fight. Speak to a professional employment attorney who will be able to advise you on your situation and see if there are grounds for a legal suit. Click here to find the best employment attorneys in your area.

2. Look After Yourself

It can be very emotionally and mentally challenging to come to terms with wrongful dismissal, so looking after yourself and practicing self-care is important to help you move on healthily. Try channeling your negative or difficult-to-deal-with emotions into something constructive such as journalling, working out, or a hobby.

3. Ask Your Employer Why You Were Fired

An employer or HR personnel should be able to provide you with a good reason as to why you were fired. If they’re unable to articulate a proper reason why they let you go, you may have been dismissed unfairly. Were there any warning signs? Did you mess up a bug project? If they can’t provide you with an answer in the meeting, follow up with a politely worded email asking them to explain in writing why you were fired.

4. Get Familiar With Your Contract

Understand your contract with your employer to check if you were underperforming in any necessary areas. If you were performing well, it could be that you’ve been unlawfully fired. Gather proof of your work whilst you were on the job to protest against any issues. If you worked in sales and were consistently hitting targets but were still fired, it may count as evidence that you should not have been let go.

5. Stay Calm

Whilst you may feel angry or sad that you have been wrongfully dismissed, staying calm will benefit you in the long. Do not react negatively to your former employers or HR and certainly stay away from posting your thoughts on social media. If a case does go to court, they could use your words and behavior against you, even if it is typically out of character.

6. Look For A New Job

If you’ve been fired, you’re likely not receiving ongoing paychecks. Unless you’re in a fortunate enough position to not have to work, you’ll need to start looking for a new job as quickly as possible. It’s easy to be disheartened if you’ve been let go, but getting back on the horse right away will help you from getting stuck in your head and bring in enough money to keep you and your family fed and with a roof over your heads.

Have you been wrongfully fired? What did you do? Share in the comments to inspire others.

Presentations have been a key feature of the pre-sales process for many generations. Whether you are a sales professional preparing for your first stakeholder presentation or an experienced business owner hoping to drive more conversions, developing the necessary skills to impress clients and decision-makers should be at the very top of your agenda.

An effective presentation will educate, entertain, and excite your audience to increase interest levels in the business model or products and projects in question. This means building upon their existing knowledge of the topic (if they have any) without becoming repetitive. While supporting yourself with the right visual prompts will certainly help, it’s equally crucial to invest in your presentation skills too. After all, potential clients need to buy into you as much as they need to buy into the product.

Feeling fully prepared for the presentation is naturally a central ingredient in the recipe for success. Practice makes perfect. Meanwhile, taking the time to preempt the questions that may be asked by your guests can help you plan a great response. Once giving the presentation feels like a form of muscle memory, you’ll be sure to see far better results.

But how can you reach that stage? Ultimately, you must make a conscious effort to develop the key skills that improve your body language, confidence, and ability to convey your message in style. Whatever stage of your career in sales you’re at, enhanced presentation skills will also translate to improved one-on-one client interactions as well as group presentations. Check out the 10 top tips below to become a better salesperson in no time.

<a href="https://www.stl-training.co.uk/sharing/advanced-presentation-skills-for-sales-professionals/66"><img style="width:100%;" src="https://www.stl-training.co.uk/asset/image/sharing/advanced-presentation-skills-for-sales-professionals.png"></a><br>Infographic designed by <a href="https://www.stl-training.co.uk/sharing/advanced-presentation-skills-for-sales-professionals/66">STL Training</a>

Infographic designed by STL Training.

Bonus read-up: What are the benefits of public speaking?

The abbreviations CI and CD are two that are frequently used in software engineering in current development approaches and DevOps. So, the most crucial issue is: what are CI and CD integrations, and what do they stand for? 

The acronym (CD) stands for “continuous delivery” and “continuous deployment,” whereas the phrase (CI) stands for “continuous integration.” 

By incorporating automation into various stages of app development, it is a way to deliver apps to customers more frequently. It is also a way to address the issues that integrating new code can present for the development and operation teams.

CI/CD is thus the collection of practices that enables application developers to automate the delivery of code updates to clients more often.

Ø  Continuous Integration (CI) is the automated process that developers use to create, test, and combine updates to application code. Making a build and running automated tests against it, however, validate the modifications. Integration problems can be avoided by doing this instead of waiting for the release day to combine modifications. Therefore, anytime new commits are merged into the main branch, (CI) places a lot of focus on testing automation to ensure that the application is not damaged.

Ø  Continuous Delivery (CD) is a continuation of the continuous integration in which, following the build stage, any textual code changes are automatically deployed in various production environments. This means that in addition to automated testing, you also have an automated release procedure and can instantly deploy your application by pressing a button. 

In continuous delivery, developers must manually submit changes to the production environment. While with continuous deployment, developers can have application changes automatically pushed to any environment. It also deals with the issue of operations personnel being overburdened with manual tasks that hold down app delivery.

What’s the Difference between CI/CD Integrations?

Continuous Integration (CI)

First and foremost, there are numerous definitions for the abbreviation CI/CD. Continuous integration is always referred to as “CI” in CI/CD, and it’s a method that automates development. It offers a solution to the issue of having too many potentially incompatible branches of an app in development at once. It also makes it easier for developers to often integrate back changes to a shared branch. Following the merging of the modifications, the application is automatically built, and various layers of automated testing – integration tests – are executed to make sure the changes haven’t caused the program to malfunction.

It is simpler to rapidly and frequently fix defects when using continuous integration (CI), especially if a conflict between new and existing code is found during automated testing. 

Continuous Delivery/Continuous Deployment (CD)

Continuous delivery and continuous deployment are similar ideas that are occasionally interchanged, and they are referred to as “CD” in the CI/CD acronym. However, continuous delivery typically entails that a developer’s modifications to an application are immediately tested for bugs and published to a repository (container registry), where the operations team can then deploy them to a real-world production environment. 

The primary objective of continuous delivery is maintaining a codebase that is constantly prepared for deployment in a production environment. Test automation and code release are used at every step, from merging code changes to delivering builds fit for production. The operations team is then able to easily and swiftly deploy an app to production at the conclusion of that procedure. 

Continuous deployment, on the other hand, describes the process of automatically pushing a developer’s changes from the repository to production, where they are often used by clients. It’s also the last step in CI/CD pipeline, making it possible for a developer to make changes to a cloud application and have them live minutes after they are written, assuming automated testing is successful. This makes it simpler to automatically gather and incorporate user feedback.

Examples of CI/CD

Ø  Buddy

This is a smart CI/CD tool for web developers that make DevOPs more accessible. To develop, test, and deploy software, it makes use of delivery pipelines.

Ø  Jenkins

A java-based continuous integration solution that is available as open source software. It enables programmers to automatically test their builds and detect and fix bugs in their software.

It has become more challenging to choose the ideal CI/CD tool for your project in recent years due to the abundance of tools used in automation testing on the market. Here is a collection of CI/CD tools with well-linked features.

How Development Benefits from CI/CD Integrations

Nowadays, CI/CD integrations are very beneficial to development. There are many advantages to using CI/CD, including:

Ø  Cost Saving – Because the time it takes to code and deploys the software is shorter, fewer human resources are needed.

Ø  Lowered Deployment Time – Deploy time is reduced as a result of automation. The entire procedure is streamlined from coding to deployment, shortening the overall duration and increasing efficiency.

Ø  Allows Continuous Feedback – It makes it simpler for teams to enhance their code and procedures in response to user feedback. The testing stage Identifies flaws and immediately delivers feedback to allow code to be improved. Team members can be notified via notifications when a stage is completed successfully or unsuccessfully.

Ø  Enhances Team Communication – The team has access to information about issues, can see feedback, and may make adjustments as needed.

In general, CI/CD integrations are frequently used by application delivery teams and operations teams (DevOps), and each stage of the integration creates logs that may be used to promote accountability and traceability. They serve as the foundation for implementing the DevOps technique.