Author: Ethan Theo

Document storage can be the perfect tool for any small to medium sized business, hugely boosting your productivity and lowering your carbon footprint. But, sadly, many SME owners and young entrepreneurs are unaware of what document storage actually is, as well as how it can help their business. In this blog post, we look at what business storage is, where you can get it from and why you need it.

What is Document Storage?

Document storage is perfect for those who are struggling to focus on their core business. Simple tasks like document storage, document archiving and records management may be straightforward, but they’re also time consuming, draining the time that your employees can spend focusing on their jobs that generate profit for your business.

Of course, it is vitally important that these tasks are done correctly and accurately, and corners certainly cannot be cut. But, by outsourcing your document storage, you’re able to increase the productivity and efficiency of the day-to-day running of your business.

Who Offers Document Storage if I Outsource?

If you do opt to outsource your document storage and upkeep then there are a number of skilled companies you can offload it to. Take TNT Business Solutions, for example. They currently manage over 300 million physical and digital records, proving that they have a service you can trust.

Of course, TNT aren’t the only option that you can utilise, and they’re merely one example. However, the amount of documents they’re currently in care of shows you the scale of the number of businesses using document storage solutions – make sure your business isn’t missing out.

Why Use Document Storage Solutions?

As well as increasing your productivity, outsourcing your document storage solutions will also provide other key business benefits such as:

• Reducing your business footprint
• Saving your business space
• Creating an effective supply chain
• Increase hop floor presence of staff (if you work in retail)
• Save time.

With particularly innovative storage solutions now available, much of your paperwork can also be digitised, giving you and any of your colleagues instant access to any of the materials they may need for their jobs. When you think of it like this, outsourcing your document storage seems a no-brainer.

So, there we have it, just a couple of reasons why you should seriously consider outsourcing your document storage solutions to an external company., By increasing productivity, saving time and reducing your business’s carbon footprint, there are certainly a number of great reasons to consider it.

There are numerous positive reasons why you’d want to expand your business into the European markets. Not only will you be tapping into a huge range of opportunities and demographics, there are also valuable tips and tricks you can learn from the different cultures and societies you work with.

When you do decide to make the leap into the European markets though you’ll most probably have to travel for business purposes and if this is by road there are a few essentials you need to have in place first. To help point you in the right direction then, in this post you’ll find everything you need to know.

Choose an Appropriate Car

Firstly, the car(s) you choose needs to be something durable and reliable because the quality of the roads in different countries on the European continent can be quite variable. The last thing you want on a longer journey is an uncomfortable or noisy ride. Equally, for longer journeys a diesel model with good mpg is a financially sensible choice.

There’s also the important aesthetical aspects to consider. Don’t just choose any old car regardless of how reliable it is; you want something that is smart, attractive and will offer an air of professionalism. Remember your choice of vehicle will leave an impression on current and potential clients.

Have the Right Insurance

Whether you or your employees are driving you must ensure that the insurance policies you have in place for business driving are comprehensive and apply to all EU member states.

Have the Best Protection

Along with this above point you should also seek European breakdown cover from a specialist provider like Breakdown Direct. Such protection means you don’t have to worry about any language barriers should you breakdown, also the recovery can help ensure you don’t miss any important business meetings.

Drive to the Conditions

Much like the different road types, you’ll also encounter different conditions, climates and driver attitudes. It’s worth researching these before you head out so you can get at least some idea of what to expect. Again this can work towards ensuring you get to your destinations safely and on time.

So make sure you have these in place and you’ll help make sure you’re safe and protected when driving for business purposes in Europe. More to the point though, you’ll help towards protecting the interests of your business at the same time.

For just about any car or van buyer, the cost of depreciation is actually likely to be the biggest expense of them all. It can easily run into the thousands over just a few years, so anything you can do to limit it is a real bonus indeed. In the case of business vehicles, it can be even more important because you might be buying several of them, and you can’t often make the obvious choice of buying an old vehicle that has depreciated almost all the way already. Here are a few ways that you can limit that hit.

Buy Used

Yes, the most obvious one is to let someone else take those first few years of depreciation for you, so that you don’t lost too much when it comes to selling your vehicles on. There’s a certain art to this though, because there’s a reason cars depreciate. If you can purchase something that’s already depreciated a fair bit, but is still with a few years’ warranty, then this is the ideal sweet-spot. If you go too far you could end up with a car or van that costs you in repairs and maintenance. Time off the road can also cost you income too.

Leasing vs Buying

If you’re not selling the car when you get rid of it, then you’re not actually having to worry about depreciation, and this is the benefit of leasing. You pay a set monthly amount to have the use of your vehicles, and then give them back when the agreement is up. As you’re not actually paying for the car itself, the costs are generally lower, so this is a good, manageable and predictable way of avoiding the worry of depreciation entirely.

Know Your Cars

This is the hardest method of beating depreciation, but one of the most effective. Knowing which vehicles are most likely to lose the most value and when will mean you can make an informed choice. It can be a major difference between vehicles, so doing your research can really pay off. Car4Leasing have a good guide to the facts. Depreciation isn’t always linear either – there can be significant drop-offs after a certain number of years so again, it’s all about finding that sweet spot. Looking at previous generations of the cars you’re considering is a good way of working things out.

Professional Indemnity Insurance is an insurance policy that covers your business in the unfortunate event that a client makes a claim against you. Certain business professionals, from accountants and architects to solicitors, are required by law to secure Professional Indemnity Insurance, while others who are members of a regulatory body are strongly encouraged to take out a policy.

As a whole, it is highly advised that business professionals obtain this insurance, since a claim against your business – which could consist of anything from giving advice that results in your client losing money, to a confidentiality breach – could cost you and your business dearly.

WHAT LEVEL OF PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY INSURANCE DO I NEED?

Your policy should cover claims made against your business and the defence of any disputes, so the level of Professional Indemnity Insurance (PI Insurance) you purchase will vary depending on the size of contracts you are involved in and may even be determined by your regulatory or client requirement.

When choosing a limit of indemnity for your PI Insurance it is best to consider what you could stand to lose from a dispute. However, ultimately you must satisfy yourself that you carry sufficient cover to meet any allegations which may be made against you. If you are unsure as to what level of insurance you should purchase, you can speak to the experts at Cavendish Munro.

While I hope that you never need to make a claim on your PI Insurance, it is far more beneficial to purchase the right policy from the outset, rather than find yourself in need without cover. If you don’t act today and get you and your business protected with PI Insurance then you could find yourself in heaps of trouble and debt tomorrow!

For many entrepreneurs, assembling a company fleet is something of a milestone. It tells the whole world that you’re really starting to get somewhere; that your business is lucrative and ought to be taken account of. Yet as delicious as it may feel to look at a long line of company cars parked up on your forecourt, this privilege brings with it a whole host of new responsibilities. It becomes imperative to keep these rolling symbols of your success on the road and fulfilling their purpose, and that’s no easy task. Luckily for you, we have three top tips to help…

#1: Choose Your Vehicles Wisely

As with any business idea, it’s important to start on the right foot, and in the case of your company fleet, this means choosing the right vehicles. Good business vehicles will be reliable, and as economical as possible to insure and run. Although flashier cars might be good for your brand, your main objective should be to choose vehicles that will stay on the roads. Unreliability entirely conflicts with your objectives, so take the time to do some research and find cars that are durable, reliable, and in keeping with your criteria. Be utterly meticulous in your homework to give your fleet the best possible chance of remaining on the roads and performing its purpose.

#2: Take Out Breakdown Cover

As costly as the initial outlay might appear, breakdown cover is more than worth its price tag. Problems are bound to arise at some point, and you never can guess how inopportunely they may strike. The whole purpose of your fleet is to have it out on the roads, and it’s no good to you at all if it’s stuck on some hard shoulder or marooned up a driveway. To keep you covered when disaster strikes, a good breakdown policy is imperative. However, it’s important to keep your wits about you: do your research, shop around, and see if you can’t negotiate a great bargain for insuring in bulk.

#3: Store Oil Onsite

Thirdly and finally, think about investing in an oil storage tank from a company like Commercial Fuel Solutions. This will allow you to store fuel onsite, saving your employees from unnecessary and time consuming trips to the petrol station, which will only waste more oil on the journey. The more you can store in-situ, the better the bulk buying deals you’ll be able to negotiate, and the easier it will be to keep track of your employees’ fuel consumption.

Follow these three top tips today to keep your company cars in motion.