Tag Archives: Business Tips

Swarm Intelligence: A new way to think about business

March 14, 2018 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , , , 36 Comments

Swarm Intelligence is the collective behaviour of self-organised natural or artificial systems. It was introduced by Geraro Beni and Jing Wang in 1989. The inspiration usually comes from nature. The agents just follow very simple rules, with no centralised structure. This act lead to the emergence of “intelligent” global behavior, which we is simply Swarm Intelligence.

 

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My Introduction to Swarm Intelligence

I got to know about Swarm Intelligence many years ago in a biology class. I am sure many others would have heard of this at school as well. To refresh your mind, you can have a look at a biology essay help service, there is a paper on there which describes how a group of scientists at Harvard University under the direction of Michael Rubinstein several years ago announced the creation of robots called Kilobot.

Swarm Intelligence is a whole new way to think about business. If done correctly, it can enhance the way your business is run.  By following the footsteps of social insects, we can see how they operate successfully as a result of these characteristics –

 

Flexibility

They can adapt to a changing environment. Being able to adapt to any environment helps. It means we can keep going even when outside our comfort zones.

 

Robustness

Even when one or more individuals fail, the group can still perform its tasks unsupervised. Being able to work unsupervised and without guidance is not for everyone but every freelancer, business person and self employed individual need this characteristic.

 

Self-organisation

The day to day activities are not controlled or supervised. It can go from 0 to 100 very quickly. Being able to organise systems to work effectively and stay organised is needed in the smooth running of a business.

 

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Swarm Intelligence and Freelancing

As a freelancer and a soloprenuer, I am a 1 woman team really. I do allocate some jobs out when I need to but I handle most of my business myself. Working from home with a family to cater for is not easy. I work round the clock everyday in order to get work done. The only way I get work done is by copying the Swarm Intelligence principles above.

I have to be able to be flexible and adjust to whatever life throws at me on a day to day basis. There is no manager or supervisor to tell me what to do, so I have to ensure I am on target and stick to deadlines. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid. It is as simple as that. I don’t have access to sick or holiday pay, so I have to ensure I work as many hours as I can to get my bills paid.

Have you ever heard of the term Swarm Intelligence? What are your thoughts on this?

 

*Collaborative post.

 

 

 

 

3 Social Media Management Tips for Business Owners

February 19, 2018 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , , 33 Comments

Social Media is a force to be reckoned with in the business industry. It is not a thing you just do for fun anymore, especially when you have a brand/business to promote. It is serious business, and it amazes me how many businesses neglect their social media accounts.

Many of these business owners do not fully understand the impact social media has on their business. If they saw the big picture, they would pay that bit extra and hire a professional social media manager to sort out their social media accounts. Rather than trying to do everything by themselves, and failing woefully.

 

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As a social media manager, I had to teach myself all I needed to know about social media, and I am still learning. There is always something new to learn everyday and I am forever grateful for the opportunities I have to learn.

 

Here are some social media management tips you can implement today –

 

Post regularly and consistently

Posting regularly and consistently is a great way to grow your social media platforms. It means you will appear regularly in newsfeeds, and attract more eyeballs to your pages and websites.

Regularly for me means every weekday, excluding holidays if you like. I find it very shocking whenever I come across a business social media account that has not been updated in days. Such accounts usually look neglected, almost like an afterthought. Growing a business with neglected social media accounts will never work in this day and age.

 

Don’t buy followers

I know how tempting it can be to buy social media followers. It is easily done and it seems everyone is doing it to boast their credibility. But I will never advise any brand/business to buy followers. It does not work long-term. The bought followers won’t buy what you are selling, and they will never engage.

I recommend running ads and being active on the social media platforms to grow the followers. This takes time and effort, so it is worth hiring a social media manager to get the job done professionally.

 

Give value

Social media is a platform for exchanging information, great content and value. As a business owner you need to run regular giveaways and discount deals to drive engagement. Also, you need to ensure any information you share on your social media platforms offers a sort of value to your followers.

 

These are some of my tried and tested social media management tips you could implement on your platforms today. Do let me know if you have any questions or tips of your own to share.

 

Thanks for reading. Have a lovely Monday.

 

 

 

Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made

February 7, 2018 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , 51 Comments

For as long as I can remember, the question of whether successful entrepreneurs are born or made has been a subject of debate. I thought I’d give my own two cents to this debate from my own perspective.

Many people go into entrepreneurship for many reasons. Some want to really experience the freedom-based lifestyle that goes a long with entrepreneurship. Others are in just for the fringe benefits that come along with tagging the word “entrepreneur” in their bios.

Whatever may be the reason for diving into entrepreneurship, the end speaks for itself. The true entrepreneurs remain resilient until the very end, while those who are not cut out for it are easily weeded out.

 

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But what makes the real entrepreneurs who they are? Is entrepreneurship something they pick up and train themselves in or are they just born with all the skills, character and talent to be entrepreneurs?

Let’s look it from both sides:

 

Entrepreneurs are born

It could be a gene in their DNA but some entrepreneurs are gifted with the skills that give them an edge in their business. While some have to train for years before they can perfect the art. Born entrepreneurs have natural instincts geared to making their businesses work.

Take for example, having a natural gift in creating quality relationships that always result into sales. It’s not that such a person was trained to be a good communicator. It’s something that flows naturally.  They never have to force themselves to shine in their area of competence. They are excellent at what they do.

Born entrepreneurs are those who recognize that they have a gift and they exploit it; they leverage on it.

 

Entrepreneurs are made

Made entrepreneurs are those who develop the skills needed in order for them to be successful. They know that there is a gap and in order to make their business flourish they have to fill in their lapses. As a result they get retrained, they hire coaches, they read books, but most of all they practice, practice, practice.

The truth is that this is where majority of entrepreneurs find themselves at a point in time. Their success is attributed to the work they put in themselves and as a result their business became a success.

 

If you want to be an entrepreneur and fail to see your lapses or you’re not ready to learn and practice then you will not be successful in your business. You need to be willing to make an effort. Developing yourself takes time and a lot of humility. You need to be humble enough to acknowledge that there is a lot to learn and actually put in the work and take the time to practice.

 

So are entrepreneurs born or made? I believe some are born but most are made. Being born with the right skills and business mindset is all well and good but you need to continue to develop those skills to be a success story.

 

Do you agree? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

 

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