The Importance of Supporting Other Small Businesses

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I’m going to take a wild guess and say that most of Courier Magazine’s readers own or work at a small business. So, I don’t have to tell any of you how important small businesses are! But did you know that small businesses tend to thrive more and find continued success when they work together?

In the article, “6 Ways Small Businesses Can Band Togetherfor Better Results,” on Mashable.com, Nellie Akalp, CEO of CorpNet.com, a filing service, said that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for small businesses to access business capital and credit over the recently past years.

Akalp said it’s important for small businesses to work together to compete with larger companies. Although it might be difficult to see other small businesses as partners and not competitors it’s essential. According to Akalp, small business owners should: 

• Seek out symbiotic and collaborative relationships with other small businesses.
• Build a collective co-op of similar businesses and individuals.

Akalp said the business owners can easily meet other like-minded company owners by:

Joining a local meetup group for entrepreneurs: Finding new business is all about finding referrals and connections. Join local groups that meet weekly, or monthly at local cafés, or restaurants. Akalp suggests checking Meetup.com, or your local chamber of commerce for groups.

Organizing a social media meetup: Get all your social media followers together and organize an in-person meetup.

Getting online: I know I just suggested that’s it’s important to get out from behind the computer and meet your contacts in person, but connecting with other small business owners online can be helpful, too. Akalp suggests browsing online communities, such as Entrepreneur Connect.

Reaching out to other types of small businesses: Even though not all small businesses may be similar to your company, you can still help other companies learn how to increase exposure. “By giving business to others, you will get business in return,” Akalp said.

Supporting other small businesses at your own company: See if you can use other local businesses to help provide your marketing materials, or serve a local coffee blend in your break room.

Courier News Roundup

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Woo, boy. We’re super busy here at Courier Magazine, so this week’s post is going to be super short, but still packed with information.

Over the past week we’ve clicked across a few interesting stories that relate to the courier and delivery industry. Here are a couple of the stories that stood out:

"JumpTech adds mapping to automated proof-of-delivery system," via Fleet Owner

“Jump Technologies (JumpTech) recently announced that it has added mapping capability to JumpTrack, its cloud-based, automated proof-of-delivery (POD) solution that leverages standard smartphones and tablets to enable drivers to capture signatures while allowing customers to check delivery status. The POD function now also records the actual geo-location of where the signature was captured.” – to read more click to Fleet Owner

"Fleet maintenance: Cleanable and reusable filtration devices from Pure Power," via Utility Products

“Utility Vehicles and more: Pure Power! Incorporated (PPI), a provider of filtration technologies, announced the issuance of their 3rd patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office. Their most recent patent is for an O.E.M. Replacement Drop-in Cartridge Oil Filter for cars and trucks. PPI’s newest patent also includes Drop-in Cartridge Filters for Fuel, Hydraulics and other applications.” – to read more click to Utility Products

Get Prepared for the Future: Who Will Fill Your Shoes When You Retire

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Over the past few weeks, I’ve come across a few blogs that discuss how some family-owned businesses plan for a company owner's retirement. These companies are mulling over some pretty serious (and sometimes sensitive) stuff early on (initial succession planning should be done many years before you plan on retiring. The sooner you start to have the conversations, the better) to avoid more problems once the boss’ retirement occurs.

A business owner should know the answers to the following questions when deciding who her replacement should be:

Who will take the owner’s place: Will it be a friend, or a child? How do you choose between children? And will your choice be willing to take over?

Will you sell: If you don’t want to choose someone in the family, or a close friend to take over the company, you may want to sell the company.

Source: WeKnowNext.com

No matter what you choose to do, it’s essential that you choose someone who can do the following:

Make sure everything is in order: Feel secure and make certain that the correct person is in the right place and position to take over your job when you retire.

Keep the company dynamic the same: It’s important to make sure your successor will keep the same “feel” at the company. If a new leader goes in and changes everything, it can really upset employees, which can make transition even more difficult.

Still need help? It may be wise to seek outside council. Outside consultants can help you make sure you are doing everything correct and not letting personal bias get in the way.

Greening Your Warehouse: It May be Easier than You Think

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Sustainable business practices are all the rage these days. And although it may seem like an un-needed hassle to implement “green” practices at your delivery company’s warehouse, it’s not. In fact, embracing a few sustainable policies may, in fact, help you run your warehouse more efficiently and help your business save money. Here are just a few simple sustainable suggestions:

Layout counts:

Make sure you use every part of your facility effectively and that assets and resources are in a place that makes sense (all resources to do one type of job are all in one place; materials aren’t spread out across a facility in a way that doesn’t make sense.)

Recycle and reuse: 

The following are a few items that can typically be reused in warehouses:

Cardboard: Try to reuse incoming boxes.

Packaging: Try to reuse all the packaging you receive (such as bubble wrap). Also: consider eco-friendly packaging.

Reduce: 

Only light the part of the warehouse that is in use on any given business day. Also: use motion sensors to help lights turn on and off, and make sure everything is turned off before you lock up at night.

Clean green: 

Keep everything organized and clean with eco-friendly products. For example, you can use inexpensive, white distilled vinegar mixed with water to clean and disinfect almost anything.

Make it a group effort: 

Ask your employees to be enthusiastic about sustainable practices. Remind them that the more money you save on energy, the better off the company is.

-Source: How Stuff Works

Want to take sustainability a step further? Consider getting your company a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating and certification. The UPS blog recently listed a few reasons why businesses should consider securing the well-known certification and rating:

• LEED ratings and certifications can help a company owner identify opportunities to increase efficiency in her business’ operations, or make facility improvements.
• What if you are already performing green practices, but don’t know it? If you are, then you are missing out on an important opportunity to market your company’s sustainable aspects. Also, according to the blog: “You may be able to apply credit for these activities to green initiatives being driven by your customers, your company, or regulatory bodies. There are increasing levels of expectation around sustainability and you may be able to contribute to stakeholder goals simply by being a good operator.” – UPS Blog

Hot Weather and Your Workers: Protect Employees when the Temperatures Soar

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If you’ve heard a few minutes of the evening news during the past seven days, you’ve most likely seen stories about western states in the United States that are facing deadly hot temperatures. Whether your delivery company is located in this area of the U.S. or not, hot weather is bound to come to your region eventually, and when it does, you need to make certain your employees are prepared for the extreme heat. People who are unprepared to work in hot conditions can fall ill quickly, or even die.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topics’ “Heat Stress” page, heat stress can cause heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, or heat rashes. In addition to heat exhaustion, workers also are at a greater risk for injury when temperatures rise. More injuries occur because of sweaty palms, people touching and getting burned by hot surfaces, and dizziness.

Workers who are at greater risk for falling ill because of extreme heat are people who are 65 years of age or older, overweight, have heart disease, or high blood pressure, or take medications that may be affected by extreme heat. Also according to the United States Department of Labor, new workers who are not used to working outdoors are, generally, more prone to experiencing heat-related illnesses. For a full list of symptoms and first aid advice for heat related illnesses, visit this link.

To effectively prepare your outdoor delivery employees for extreme heat, make certain you provide workers with the following protection tips:

• “Wear light-colored, loose-fitting, breathable clothing such as cotton.
• Avoid non-breathing synthetic clothing.
• Gradually build up to heavy work.
• Schedule heavy work during the coolest parts of day.
• Take more breaks in extreme heat and humidity.
• Take breaks in the shade or a cool area when possible.
• Drink water frequently. Drink enough water that you never become thirsty. Approximately 1 cup every 15-20 minutes.
• Avoid alcohol, and drinks with large amounts of caffeine or sugar.
• Be aware that protective clothing or personal protective equipment may increase the risk of heat stress.
• Monitor your physical condition and that of your coworkers.”

- Source: CDC

Fourth of July: How to Celebrate the Holiday at Your Office if You’ve Got to Stay Open

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Everyone loves celebrating the Fourth of July and that’s completely understandable – the holiday is full of tasty food, relaxing picnics and amazing outdoor activities. Oh, and did I forget to mention explosives? Lots and lots of explosives.

While we all acknowledge the Fourth of July is a grand holiday that doesn’t always mean you – or your fellow employees – can always have the day off.

You’re a delivery company for goodness sakes, and just because many companies take a day off doesn’t mean you can afford to – especially if you’re a small, local delivery business.

Still on the fence about staying open or closed? We’ve come up with a few examples for each case:

Why you should stay closed:

Your employees would appreciate a few days of rest and relaxation. Also: many people don’t expect delivery companies to be open on the holiday. So, even if you do decide to stay open, you may not even get many requests for deliveries.

Why you should stay open:

If you are a niche, small delivery business and are up to deliver anything, you may have requests for party decorations, food and beverages. And if you’re a well-known local business that’s known for delivering odd stuff to locals at strange hours this may be a great day to stay open.

If you do stay open:

• Plan ahead: Take account of how many employees you need to have on staff and who you should keep “on-call” in the case of an unexpected rush.
• Have a bit of fun: If you do stay open and have a reason for keeping a lot of people who are on staff in the office, you may want to consider having a few, fun Fourth of July festivities.
• Have a picnic or cookout: Chances are you have a few grill masters on your crew. Provide the staples: burgers, brats and hot dogs. Ask employees to bring side dishes and beverages.
• Still give them a day off: Let people have an extra day of PTO for July. Let employees take the day whenever they please.
• Schedule short shifts: If you’re able to (and it makes sense for your company’s bottom line), try to schedule shorter-than-average shifts for employees. This way, everyone will still get to celebrate some part of the holiday.

Sources

Prepare Your Business for the Fourth of July

8 Affordable, Fun Ways to Celebrate the 4th of July

The Seasonal Spike: Why Fuel Prices Go Up in the Summer

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Summer is officially here and the sultry season brings many wonderful things: BBQs, pool parties and long, lazy days at the park. But summer also brings a few not-so-splendid things, too: sunburns, sweaty everything and high fuel prices.

Now, while you can easily prevent two of the previously mentioned summer bummers, you really can’t do much about high, summer fuel prices. While you may be irked about the high prices, there is a real reason why gas prices spike in the summer.

In the article “Why is summer fuel more expensive than winter fuel,” Jacob Silverman says there are four main reasons why fuel prices tend to go up after Memorial Day:

• More people travel in the summer, which increases fuel demand.
• In the spring, refineries run routine maintenance at facilities. The routine shut down typically limits fuel capacity until late May.
• Unknowns, such as natural disasters, can damage refineries and disrupt fuel transport routes.
• The fourth reason is not as well known: The summer-fuel blend is different (and more expensive to make) than the winter-fuel blend.

According to Silverman’s article:

“Depending on the time of year, gas stations switch between providing summer-grade fuel and winter-grade fuel. The switch started in 1995 as part of the Reformulated Gasoline Program (RFG), which was established through the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started the RFG program in order to reduce pollution and smog during the summer ozone season, which occurs from June 1 to Sept. 15.” – How Stuff Works

Summer-blend fuels have different fuel additives (also known as oxygenates) that help reduce pollution. The summer blends burn cleaner, produce less smog and release less toxic air pollutants, and help compensate for the limited oil supply.

According to the article, summer-grade fuel has a different Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP -- the vapor pressure of gasoline measured at 100-degrees Fahrenheit) than winter-grade fuel. A fuel blend's RVP is based on the combined RVP of the ingredients that make the blend. Some regional and local regulations have stricter standards, though. This makes the summer-fuel blend marginally more eco-friendly because fuels that have higher RVP evaporate easier than fuels with lower RVP.

 

According to the Today In Energy article, “Date of switch to summer-grade gasoline approaches,” the federally mandated dates for summer-grade fuel and reformulated gasoline are May 1 to September 15 for refiners and terminals, and June 1 to September 15 for gasoline retailers (Note: “In California, switchover dates are earlier, and summer-grade gasoline must be in use for a longer period.” – Today in Energy, U.S. Energy Information Administration).