Category: Business Tips

Make Your Money Work for You: Tax Deductions & Incentives

July 6, 2022

To be successful in business it has always been said that you need to spend money to make money. In truth, to be profitable in the business world, it’s about making the money you acquire work for you. To make your money work for you, it’s important to understand the nature of tax deductions and incentives, as this is key to getting from where you are to where you want to be financially. At this point, it’s essential to note that these suggestions may be different from state to state. To get a complete scope of the tax deduction process, please consult your local financial adviser or tax preparer. Business Expenses When you’re just starting out in this business, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed. You may be questioning how you are going to pay for all the newly associated costs of running a business, but if you’re savvy, you know how to structure your money to be both effective and efficient. As a business owner, you can write off most expenses if you’re careful in doing so (i.e., keeping records of business expenses through immaculate management of receipts and proper tax forms). The first tax

Win at Business by Investing in Yourself

June 7, 2022

The month of June is Professional Wellness Month. In honor of this occasion, your family here at the NPI headquarters want to make sure that you have everything you need to succeed, professionally and personally. With the spotlight on professional wellness, it’s important to check in with yourself and your employees to identify any areas of improvement for your business. Likewise, it’s also valuable to take an honest personal inventory of yourself to see what areas of development you may be lacking in. Although a self-assessment can feel daunting, it’s critical to avoid being stagnant in any area of your life. Life is to be lived in a manner of constant evolution, as dormancy breeds bad personal habits and business practices. Implementing changes that need to be made as a result of your self-reflection and business assessments can at first seem overwhelming. While it’s hard to make a lot of improvements at once, it’s good to have a strategy for implementation in place for future enhancements to your business and for yourself. These changes don’t have to be drastic in nature to make a huge difference to your lifestyle and brand. Lifestyle changes that you can implement can be as

How to Stand Out in a Competitive Market

May 31, 2022

It’s easy to feel intimidated by the competition—maybe they’ve been around for 20 years and you just started last month. You know everyone has to start somewhere, but while you’re building your business, how can you make sure that you stand out from the rest? This question has several answers—there may not be one simple solution, but it turns out there’s a lot you can do! A Job Well Done There’s much to be said about job performance. A job well done can create a good relationship between you and your consumers and keep people coming back to your business. It can also help you build a referral system based on good word-of-mouth. That being said, bad news travels fast, as is the same with negative reviews. In these cases, being an amazing inspector is not enough to offset a disparaging review or to generate the business you want. This requires the usage and management of social media accounts. Social Media One of the easiest ways to see an uptick in business and to encourage customer engagement is to create social media channels for your business. To market your franchise, the three most important social media outlets are Facebook, LinkedIn,

Thinking About Joining Your Local Realtor Association? Here’s Why You Should!

May 17, 2022

By Kimberly Stevens, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing & Business Coach Whether you’re looking to expand the reach of your well-established franchise or you’re just starting out as a new franchisee, joining your local REALTOR® association certainly has its benefits. But did you know that becoming a member equals access to an assortment of useful information including: a multitude of networking opportunities, discounts to affiliated business groups and tradeshows, access to various multiple listing services, scholarships, community engagement opportunities, and additional secrets of the trade? According to the National Association of REALTORS® website, you can start off by joining your local REALTORS® association with an Affiliate Membership. The Affiliate Membership is the most cost-effective option available that still grants you the ability to utilize the maximum benefits of the membership. While membership fees vary from state-to-state and often include varied tiered-levels, Affiliate Memberships are typically half the price real estate agents pay for their memberships. Once you have joined, you will be provided with information from your area’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This benefit may be the most important as it is vital to building a solid referral base from which you can book inspections in your area. This data includes important

5 Ways to Know It’s Time to Hire

May 10, 2022

Short of starting your inspection company, hiring your first employee is the biggest step you’ll take as a small business owner. It can be tough to know who to hire, but surprisingly, it can be even tougher to know when to hire. Here are a few telltale signs it’s time to make a plan and make the move to grow your team. 1. You’re turning down work.You’ve poured your energy into building relationships and expanding your network, and now all that hard work is paying off in spades: you’re booked out for a couple of weeks! If this scenario sounds familiar, remember that this is only the start of the busiest season for us inspectors. You’re going to want a team member who can help you book more inspections and share the workload. 2. You have an exciting opportunity to expand your services.The perfect opportunity for a new add-on service has presented itself, and anytime you mention it to others working in your local real estate market, they get just as excited as you. That rare untapped need has been identified, and it’s time to spring into action. But as bookkeeper/marketer/inspector/report-writer, (I could go on!), you’re already feeling pulled in

National Property Inspections Franchisee Spotlight: Cory Anderson

April 19, 2022

National Property Inspections’ Franchisee Spotlight recognizes our most innovative and successful NPI and GPI franchises. By sharing their stories, helpful tips and lessons learned, every franchisee can learn what it takes to grow their business. We’re proud to feature our reigning 2021 Franchise of the Year, Cory Anderson of NPI East Tennessee. After purchasing an existing franchise in 2017 in Knoxville, TN, Cory and his team have been on an upward trajectory that’s landed him in the top four percent of our organization. He’s also recently expanded to cover both Chattanooga and the Tri-Cities area. Tell us about yourself! What was your previous career, and how did you come to NPI?Cory Anderson: I have an agricultural technology degree from the University of Tennessee and worked in the agricultural field for about 7 years prior to coming to NPI. During my agricultural career, my wife and I purchased multiple rental homes and loved learning about and investing in real estate. Our home inspector was Steve Hancock, who started the original NPI Knoxville franchise in 1995. During our last inspection with Steve, he announced that he would be retiring and told us that we would need to find another inspector. After many

7 Ways to Boost Traffic to Your Business Website

April 12, 2022

By Stepha Vesper, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing Communications Specialist It’s time to get a little creative with the way you drive web traffic! Below are seven ways you may not have thought of that can make a remarkable difference in your site visitor counts month over month: 1. Mix up your content.Diversifying your content (that is, posting something new every day) will help ensure that your audience never gets bored, and that you don’t either. Post links back to your website, but also post photos, articles, giveaways, videos, and share others’ posts as well. If your followers know they can always expect something new and fresh from you that’s super relevant to them, they’ll be that much more likely to navigate to your website to learn more about your business and services. 2. Don’t neglect your LinkedIn profile.Most of us think of LinkedIn as a great resource for active job seekers or those looking to expand their B2B network. Those things are still true, but these days, LinkedIn is so much more. If you’re not posting content to your profile, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to interact with potential clients and real estate professionals. Did you know that the

Top Tips for Marketing Effectively on Instagram

March 29, 2022

By Stepha Vesper, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing Communications Specialist The Instagram app has been downloaded more than 3.8 billion times since its 2010 release. Needless to say, it’s one of the world’s most popular apps. With all that attention, it’s easy to see why companies love using it in their digital media marketing portfolio. Instagram in an Instant Instagram started out as a place for people and their friends to share and like their best snapshots. The app then began adding updates to make it easier to find and connect with other users. Three years after launch, users had the ability to add hashtags and share short videos. As more businesses joined, Instagram incrementally made the platform more advertiser-friendly, and 12 years later, it looks very different from when it first started. Not only can users upload Stories, host live chat rooms, and post long-form videos, businesses have a robust suite of paid ad tools and e-commerce options. Businesses and Instagram As a business owner, you have the option of setting up a business account that allows you some different features than a standard one. For instance, you’ll be able to see your interaction and demographic insights. This is especially helpful

7 Tips to Lower Your Stress

March 22, 2022

By Kimberly Stevens, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing Coach Dealing with the everyday challenges of running your own business can result in high stress levels. In order to keep yourself and your business healthy, you should always be actively trying to reduce your stress. Here are some ways you can keep your cool as you operate your business. Figure out what’s stressing you. The first step in treating your stress is identifying what’s making you feel overwhelmed. Take a step back and look at everything you have to deal with in a day. Make a note of everything that makes you feel like you’re stretched thin. Knowing what’s causing your stress will help you develop better techniques to deal with it. You might even start to feel more relaxed just by pinpointing your stressors. Build a more solid schedule. It may be easier said than done to create a concrete schedule as an entrepreneur. You could have a client schedule a meeting last minute or maybe that “quick” project ends up taking longer than you thought. While you can’t predict the unexpected, developing a schedule around your typical day will help manage your stress. If you find it hard to nail down

Handling Claims Made Easy

March 8, 2022

By Bill Erickson, NPI, Inc.’s Executive VP Every inspector fears the day when they’ll have a claim filed against them. Whether it’s clearly your fault or not, it can feel like a giant weight coming down on you. You can quickly find yourself exhausted from spending time and money trying to resolve the problem. However, just a bit of preemptive work on your end could make claims not as scary. Expect to get a claim at some point. Try as you might to avoid a claim altogether, it’s unlikely you’ll dodge one forever. But don’t worry, you’re not the first and certainly not the last person to deal with a claim from a disappointed customer. You can’t control every situation, so the best thing you can do is try to prepare for what you can. Preparing for the fact you’ll face a claim one day will give you a head start when you’re actually faced with one. Claims are intimidating, but proper preparation will make them less overwhelming. Don’t push a claim to the back burner. The worst thing you can do after you’ve received a claim is to put it off. It’s likely that your insurance provider details the

Giving A Memorable Presentation As A Small Business Owner

April 4, 2023

By Kimberly Stevens, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing Coach Small business owners need to learn how to advocate on their own behalf and demonstrate their knowledge in many different venues. With success and expertise comes opportunities to share specialized knowledge with peers in their industry and related fields. Although public speaking may not come naturally to many business owners, presentations are fantastic opportunities to network and present themselves as masters of their craft. We’ve already covered some tips on how to improve public speaking as a small business owner, but there are many more strategies presenters should employ to make their speeches, classes, or demos more memorable. In most settings, business owners have a lot that they are trying to accomplish during their presentations. Not only are they trying to provide value to their audience by educating on their chosen topic, but their overall goal is also to leave a lasting impression that will convert their audience members into paying customers. Whether you’re a seasoned speaker or a newbie, here are a few things to consider to help take your presentation to the next level. Reduce Distractions (Through Preparation)The most effective presentations are done by passionate experts in their field. New technologies,

How Keeping Your Website Fresh Will Boost Your Small Business

March 28, 2023

By Sydney Bailey, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing Director A website is absolutely crucial to a small business’s long-term success. Especially in saturated industries and competitive markets, business owners should take advantage of every opportunity they have to get noticed. While setting up a modern, engaging website is a great start towards online relevance, it’s only step one when it comes to making a lasting impression on the web. To get the most out of your small business website, business owners should regularly check in and update their site to keep it relevant. For the best strategies to achieve a consistently fresh and impactful website, here are a few website strategies every small business owner should pursue. Keep Your “About Us” Up To DateWhen setting up your “About Us” page, it’s always best to collaborate with an experienced copywriter to ensure that you’re properly highlighted as an expert in your field. Specific details about your professional background and certifications can inspire trust and credibility. With your background and related achievements correctly detailed, your About Us page is also your opportunity to humanize your team and establish a rapport with your client base on a more personal level. Share a bit about your

Design Features that Will Catch Your Client’s Eye

March 21, 2023

By Melisa Rana, NPI, Inc.’s Graphic Designer When developing an overall brand for your business, there are many aspects that need to be considered in order to establish an image that is cohesive, strong, and recognizable. Your brand is displayed through every facet of your business: through the products or services that you deliver, through your customer service, and through your unique attention to detail. But when talking about how you plan on displaying your brand visually, this is where the fundamentals of graphic design come in. Through strong graphic design techniques, you can develop a brand that is recognizable while also conveying what makes your business unique in an efficient and effective manner. To get a better idea of how you can capitalize on your brand, let’s review some of the features of graphic design that help define your business. Typography Reinforces Your ToneAlthough typography is crucial to your business, this fundamental building block of graphic design is often woefully overlooked. Typography refers to the specific design, font pairings, and representation of the words on any marketing materials, websites, and other works either online or printed. While this aspect tends to be one that is rarely on the forefront

The Tools That Make A Property Inspector

March 14, 2023

Outside of a few mainstays, property inspectors tend to have a very diverse array of tools from professional to professional, depending on their regions and the unique demands of their homes and commercial properties. While states and Standards of Practice may make only a small set of tools necessary to complete the job, property inspectors have a great opportunity to add value to their inspections, cut down on time spent, and keep themselves safer by expanding their tool kit. As an inspector, your tools will change with time. Today, let’s discuss some of the basic tools to help you get started, then move on to the tools that could take your inspections to the next level. The Inspector’s Basic Tool KitA property inspector has an important job – one that could not be completed without a few basic tools. First, the inspector will need a way to record any defects that they encounter during an inspection. A basic digital camera with a flash is all that an inspector needs to get started documenting each job. Many inspectors will even opt to use a phone, since basic smartphone cameras have come a long way in increasing their clarity. Either way, inspectors

5 Ways that Blogs Boost Your Small Business

March 7, 2023

By Michael Trimble, Content Marketing Coordinator The internet is a wonderful, terrifying place at times. In an age where any fact is available at your fingertips in a moment, we’ve all dove down a rabbit hole and become an “internet expert” at some random topic. What you may have noticed are the encyclopedia-like libraries of information found on blogs. More and more, businesses are investing into blogs, informing and entertaining their audiences with these dedicated monthly, weekly, or even daily articles. Today, blogs are everywhere, but why have they become so standard? Let’s discuss the benefits that blogs bring to small businesses. Blogs Attract TrafficFor many businesses, jobs and clients can be largely generated through personal relationships and referrals. Those interactions are great, but businesses that excel in just face-to-face marketing could be missing out on a lot of business if they neglect their website and social media. An attractive, informative, and user-friendly website will draw in new clients organically, and blogs can build upon that organic traffic. The numbers don’t lie. According to Hubspot, a leading voice in marketing and sales, businesses that utilize blogs receive 55% more visitors to their websites than businesses that do not. If you’re

Should You Call Your Clients By Their First Name?

February 28, 2023

Running a successful business is all about relationships. This notion shouldn’t be a new revelation, but it holds particularly true for the home inspection industry. Strong relationships built with real estate professionals can grow your inspection business. So, how do you strengthen these relationships? And when you’re meeting new people, how do you make a strong first impression? Saying someone’s name is powerful. However, knowing when to use a first name versus when to use a title can be difficult. It’s tough to know the “rules” when different people swear by different social strategies when conducting their own business. To know how to build relationships while portraying yourself with professionalism, here are a few points to consider when you’re deciding how to refer to your clients and other individuals in your business network. A Matter of RespectTo some it may seem old-fashioned or overly formal, but many people prefer to be referenced with their surname and title in professional settings. In particular, surnames might be preferred when there is an age discrepancy or said individual has earned a specific title (Dr., Sgt., etc.). In these situations, using surnames is a great way to show respect. Perhaps even more importantly, repeatedly

When Is The Right Time To Hire?

February 21, 2023

Every small business owner or entrepreneur needs to develop a system for conducting business that works for them. For some, this comes naturally! They know the right things to say, they’ve connected with the right people, and they know how to develop relationships. For others, their business has to be built up through plenty of trial and error. Running a small business solo can be incredibly rewarding—at the same time, incredibly demanding. The best way to handle these mounting demands (and to manage your sanity) is to finally expand your team. With a co-pilot at your side, your small business can reach new heights and expand beyond what you ever imagined! But when do you know the time is right to hire? Here are a few signs that say you should hire sooner rather than later. 1. Your Are Turning Down New BusinessThis one may seem obvious, but if you’re reaching the point where you can’t keep up with the demands of your business, you need to make a hire asap. Successful entrepreneurs should be able to anticipate this situation and be able to make their hires before they reach their breaking point. However, sometimes business can accelerate beyond expectations

How To Show Appreciation To Your Clients

February 14, 2023

By Michael Trimble, NPI, Inc.’s Content Marketing Coordinator Business owners wear a lot of hats. They need to be an expert in their field and provide great service to remain competitive. However, many entrepreneurs may not realize how important it is to foster relationships. Businesses survive and thrive based on the development of ongoing relationships. Just as you innovate and improve upon your services, client appreciation should be a constant focus for improvement. Some people have little trouble with building relationships. However, many entrepreneurs are more detail-oriented and analytical in their personality types. While everyone knows that it is important to show appreciation, some might struggle with finding the best way to show it! To get the ball rolling on developing your own client appreciation strategies, here are a few well-tested methods that have produced positive results. Make Your Message Handwritten While not appropriate for every message, entrepreneurs that follow up after jobs with handwritten notes on occasion will stand out from the crowd. Society has shifted to less personal forms of communication. Email and social media are valuable tools for instant communication, but these channels can make conversations feel too general. Relationships are much more difficult to build with

The Secret To Employee Retention

February 7, 2023

By Kimberly Stevens, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing & Business Coach Any good business manager will be able to tell you that the key to real success is a strong team. It is difficult to find a good support system, so when you’ve finally secured reliable partners that perform their jobs well, there is a new challenge to overcome. Employee retention has become more difficult than ever in recent years. In 2021, the “Great Resignation” sent companies scrambling as they attempted to recover from record-high “quit” rates. Standards of workers have raised since then, and PEW researchers cite a laundry list of reasons that employees have decided to leave in a recent study. The secret to keeping your best employees on your team is simple: give them a reason to stay. Understand what your workers want, and show them that working for you is a great way to achieve those goals. Pay Your Employees More The most straight-forward technique to retain employees is to simply pay your workers more to reliably show that their value is recognized and their time is appreciated. This tip likely isn’t a surprise, but business owners should give this option serious consideration when it’s available. According to