Networking: Tools and Benefits

Networking consists of the exchange of information between professionals and companies, which share common interests, and which can lead to a work benefit. You never know who will be the person who can give us a new opportunity that will make our professional life take a turn.

 

Having a networking strategy can be a great benefit to adapt our business to current times.online networking

 

This term is established not only among professionals, but also between institutions and companies that seek to build long-term relationships for mutual benefit.

 

In addition, the pandemic and the normalization of remote work have brought to the world of networking another tool that is working in many sectors: online workshops. Great professionals around the world offer online courses that are an opportunity to acquire new skills while being a great way to link professionally and meet professionals whom we could not approach otherwise.

 

Examples of some benefits of networking:

  • The establishment of a strategic alliance between two companies with the aim of increasing their chances of winning a public tender.
  • Partnering two or more consultants to increase their career opportunities.
  • Collaboration between influencers through social media to benefit from the respective networks of followers.
  • The exchange of contacts in various markets to expand the networks of influence of each company or self-employed worker.

 

 

Networking Tools

The first tool of all is LinkedIn, as it is one of the most important professional social networks in the world. When a company profile is created on LinkedIn and the type of company is selected, the algorithm puts us in touch with similar ones. It allows you to connect with new professionals, companies in the same sector and partners with whom to establish new collaborations. It also offers the possibility of announcing and discovering events in a certain sector.

 

Another platform is Sharp’s. This one is very similar to Tinder but in the business world. It consists of a system of detachable business cards that works as an identifier to match between users.

 

Another easy way to meet interesting people who add value to our sector are events. The face-to-face relationship provides better communication and closer treatment. These can be industry-specific events, panel discussions, work breakfasts, or after-hours events.

 

Finally, one of the best options is Coworking spaces. Going to work in an office with other professionals or freelancers is one of the most useful and easy ways to network.

 

We are Badalona’s Business Center, to give visibility and possibilities to your business. In Espai 114 together we form a team; we want to inspire you and accompany you.

What is the perfect work environment for a programmer?

The environment in which we work determines much of our performance at work. Si això passa amb la majoria dels treballs, encara més amb els programadors, que requereixen una gran capacitat de concentració.

 

Below we explain what you should take into account as a programmer to find your ideal workspace.

programmer workspace

TEMPERATURE

The temperature in which you develop your work must be correct. Spending many hours sitting in one place requires a space that is at a comfortable temperature for you. The air conditioning is important to avoid the cold in winter and the heat in summer.

 

DESK

You have to have the necessary space to comfortably display your work tools without being overcrowded. The table must be large enough to accommodate it completely and you must have the necessary plugs nearby.

 

COMFORT

The chair is one of the most relevant points. It should adapt to you and help you achieve an optimal posture.

 

ILUMINATION

The best is natural lighting, not only for visual health reasons but also for the stimulus it provides when it comes to motivating you.

 

CONNECTION

And last but not least, have a good, fast and stable Internet connection. In our center we have a fiber optic connection.

programmer

Our coworking in the center of Badalona can provide everything you need. It is a local on the ground floor, bright, open and with direct access from the street. It has capacity for 12 users, with individual tables for exclusive use. It is characterized by being a dynamic and efficient workspace, designed for entrepreneurs, freelance workers and independent professionals.

 

And, if you need more privacy, we also offer offices for rent in the same building. Ideal for those professionals who need an intimate space to work and who, in turn, are willing to network and foster synergies with other entrepreneurs and professionals.

 

We are the Badalona’s Business Center, to give visibility and possibilities to your business. In Espai 114 together we form a team; we want to inspire you and accompany you.

 

Green jobs, contributing to the adaptation against climate change

Green Jobs. We explain you what they are.

We are in a new era where climate change is no longer just a reality, but we live the consequences day after day. Global warming, pollution of oceans and rivers and air pollution are in the news every week.

The growth of the global population, the large industries, the habits of life that we are accustomed to lead and the level of consumption evoke the degeneration of our planet.

We have long been in this situation and thousands of people are already working on the ecological transition to improve the condition of planet earth.

We are talking about Green Jobs. What are they?

According to the ILO’s Green Jobs Programme, are works that contribute to preserving and restoring the environment by incorporating one or more of the following aspects: increasing the efficiency of the consumption of energy and raw materials; limit greenhouse gas emissions; minimise waste and pollution; protect and restore ecosystems; and contribute to adaptation to climate change.

The new Green Economy economic development model was born to be able to reconcile economic growth that generates a sustainable environmental impact and collective well-being.

This new model has created and transformed jobs in Green Jobs in different sectors such as industry, construction, urban planning, agriculture and tourism among many others.

There are a wide variety of “green” jobs, but here are examples of some of them:

Installers and designers of photovoltaic systems: they are profiles that are increasingly requested, since they give both companies and individuals economic benefits for the energy adaptation of sources such as solar, an alternative to the traditional ones we know.

Energy manager: is the person in charge of rationalizing energy consumption in companies. Its responsibility is to ensure energy efficiency, limit waste and, as much as possible, it must be able to be in the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies.

Quantity surveyors or architects: These are the ones in charge of giving the Energy Certificates. They are the people in charge of evaluating the energy behavior of a house or any space that needs this certificate, also taking into account the materials with which it is built.

Environmental chemists: they are experts in seeing eco-sustainability levels. They must be able to foresee and study with a high degree of precision the results of the interaction between the natural environment and chemicals.

Ecochef: Although it may not seem like it, agriculture and livestock play a very important role in these aspects. The ecochef site is responsible for contributing and contributing to the creation of eating habits with less impact, such as Km0 products. At the same time that they contribute to local trade, they help reduce emissions, since they do not participate in the industrial transport of food between countries.

These are just some examples, but there is a wide range of jobs considered Green Jobs, which will increasingly be transformed and evolved so that, together, we can improve the living conditions on our planet.

And, even if your work is not green, you can start contributing with your grain of sand individually either by recycling or using public transport, for example.
In this link we leave you an entry in which we talk about how to reduce energy consumption in offices to collaborate with the fight against climate change.

 

We are the Business Center of Badalona, to give visibility and possibilities to your business.

In Espai 114 we are a team; we want to inspire you and accompany you.

Flexible schedule: advantages for your company

Flexible schedule is increasingly implemented by companies. You may have considered implementing it for your workers yourself, but you are not sure of the benefits it entails. Continue reading to get out of doubt.

 

First of all, what does flexible schedule means?

 

Flexible schedule consist of offering facilities to workers with regard to the reconciliation of their personal and professional lives. These will comply with the hours stipulated in your contract, but may vary the start and end times, the distribution of them during the week or even carry them out outside the office.

 

As a company, what are the advantages that the flexible schedule of my workers will bring me?

 

Commuting to work

– Reduced travel time

There are many employees who spend a large amount of time a day commuting to and from work.

 

If we eliminate the obligation to go to the workplace to carry out their tasks, workers earn a lot of daily time that they can devote to other things.

 

productivity at work

– Commitment and productivity

This increase in the freedom of employees translates directly into an increase in motivation and commitment they have with the company.

At the same time, this motivation translates into increased efficiency and productivity.

 

Workers feel that they make much better use of the time they spend on their work.

 

reduce fixed costs

– Reduce costs

A direct benefit of flexibility is the savings in the company’s fixed costs. If the number of employees working in the office is reduced or completely eliminated, we can save the cost of rent or consider replacing it with a coworking space that will mean a much lower expense and much more adaptable to our needs.

 

less absenteeism

– Minimize absenteeism

The high conciliation provided by the flexible schedule means that, in situations such as medical appointments or other types of unforeseen events, the worker chooses to modify the work schedule instead of not doing the hours.

 

These are just a few of the advantages that flexible schedule can bring to your company.

 

 

If you dare to apply it and need a coworking space in Badalona, contact us so that we can offer you all the information you need.

 

We are the Business Center of Badalona, to give visibility and possibilities to your business.

In Espai 114 we are a team; we want to inspire you and accompany you.

 

 

How to have a good work-life balance doing telework

Having a good work-life balance doing telework can seem difficult. Finding a balance between procrastination and the large volumes of work that lead us to work many more hours than stipulated may seem impossible.

 

We often find that anxiety levels increase and our motivation plummets. Another common aspect is frustration and loss of confidence in one’s abilities.

 

telework

 

Maybe you’ve made a change from face-to-face work to telecommuting and you feel overwhelmed by this new work dynamic. If you want to know how to reconcile doing telework, here are some tips.

  • The place from which you work is different, so the way you work must adapt to this new situation. You face new challenges that will require new ways of facing them.
  • There will be interruptions. Normalize them. You cannot control the external factors that cause you small distractions in your workday and you must face them naturally and not with frustration. If you get a knock at the door when you’re on a video call, for example, you can take it with humor and not frustration. Your interlocutors will thus show more empathy and you will not lose your professionalism.
  • Avoid feelings of loneliness by periodically scheduling meetings with your co-workers or boss. Keeping in touch with people in your professional environment will influence your motivation.
  • Set a disconnection schedule. Just because you work remotely doesn’t mean you have to be available 24/7.
  • Move. It is possible that working from home you have considerably reduced the physical exercise you did daily. Try to replace it by doing activities such as going for a run, doing yoga classes or going to the gym.
  • Working outside the home is always an option. Have you ever considered working from a coworking? The atmosphere is very professional and will help you be more productive. In Espai 114 we have a coworking in the center of Badalona. Do not hesitate to contact us if you are interested.

Have a good work-life balance doing telework is possible!

work from home

 

In Espai 114 we have a coworking in the center of Badalona. Do not hesitate to contact us if you are interested.

 

We are the Business Center of Badalona, to give visibility and possibilities to your business.

In Espai 114 together we are a team; we want to inspire you and accompany you.

Landing page: what is it and what is it for?

A landing page is a page within a website that is specifically developed to convert visitors into leads through a given offer or claim. It usually has a simple design with the right and necessary information to hook the visitor, as well as a form with which to get the contact details.

 

Why is it important?

Offering a service or product of attractive value to the user, he may be willing to leave us his information through the form, which we can later use to contact him, know his specific needs and offer our service. In addition, we can add to the form the option to receive our future newsletters where you can learn more about our company content that may be of interest to you.

 

How does a landing page work?

The user arrives at our website through a call to action. The visitor may have found us in a search engine, through social networks, etc.

Once they access the landing, they find all the information about the offer or the specific claim, such as a discount, a pack or the launch of a new product. If the information we offer them seems interesting, you will fill out the form where you will leave us your information: name, telephone, email…

 

What should a landing page contain?

The necessary contents are:

Brief and direct information of the offer or claim.

– Contact form with the corresponding privacy policy.

– A “Thank you” page to redirect the visitor to once they have filled out the form. This entity will help to obtain analytical data on the origin and behavior of the leads.

– All this encompassed in an attractive and above all responsive design, so that it is displayed correctly from all types of devices.

 

Some complementary contents that are interesting:

– Small information about our company.

– Add testimonials to verify the veracity of the brand/product.

– Registration box in our newsletter.

 

Below you can see an example of a landing page.

 

We are the Business Center of Badalona, to give visibility and possibilities to your business.

In Espai 114 together we are a team; we want to inspire you and accompany you.

What is a startup?

Startup in Spain: in 2021 our country has multiplied by four the investment in startups to reach 1.9 billion euros. In Spain there are currently more than 10,500 startups and 300 scaleups (innovative companies that are growing).

 

It should be noted that ours is the fifth European country with the highest number of startups and Barcelona is one of the cities where this type of company invests the most.

 

What is a startup?

A startup is a emerging company, which has been created recently or does not have a long history in the world of work. This company is usually in the development phase, presents high growth possibilities and sells products or services through ICT.

 

 

What differentiates a current company from a startup is the development of business from original and innovative ideas. The objective of startups is to cover the need for an offer that does not exist yet or is not fully developed.

 

General characteristics of a startup

– Is a new creation company.

– It is innovative to differentiate itself from the competition.

– Needs to grow rapidly.

– Sells a product or service.

– The equipment is mostly small and its components have little work experience.

 

 

Positive points of startups

  • Close interaction with the client. Since the team is small and is a small company, the relationship between startup and customer is very direct.
  • Innovation. One of the main characteristics of these companies is the process of evolution in projects thanks to their innovative power. They’re always looking for a way to differentiate themselves from the rest.

 

  • Teamwork. Being a small working group, everyone has their tasks and responsibilities, but they all help and cooperate in the team’s tasks. Therefore, everyone learns and acquires an overview of the company.

 

How do we help startups from Espai 114?

One of the purposes of Espai 114 is to offer a support space for entrepreneurs and businessmen, where they can enjoy a set of services and services that will help them develop their projects.

Some of the services we offer are:

Consulting

– Legal

– Tax

– Labour

Company and professional activities domiciliation

– Management of electronic notifications

– Tax address

– Commercial address

– Virtual office

Financial Solutions

– Savings management

– Business and private financing

– Financing via Crowdlending and Invoice Discounting

– Public financing

Business Center

– Rental of space Espai 114

– Rental of the Meeting and Event Room

– Entrepreneurship

– Administrative and commercial center

– Consulting and business management

Workspaces

– Private office rental

– Coworking space 24h/7dies

– Meeting space

 

 

We are the Business Center of Badalona, to give visibility and possibilities to your business.

 

In Espai 114 together we are a team; we want to inspire and accompany you.

Inbound Marketing: How to capture and maintain my clients?

What is Inbound Marketing?

Attracting and retaining customers, according to salespeople, is one of the most difficult tasks, but at the most important time for the company. This is a long-term task.

 

Clearly, the work of a company is to get customers and that they continue to work with us but this entails a great dedication.

 

According to data from IDC (Contribution Data Report) customers think of 39% that their experience is a key factor in buying back or relying on a company. Therefore, taking this percentage into account, we share a strategy to maintain and capture our potential customers.

The strategy we will focus on is the so-called Inbound Marketing, which is one of the keys to success for 2022. This strategy aims to make it the customer himself who finds the company.

 

Customer Acquisition Strategy

 

 

Inbound Marketing: What is it?

 

It is a digital strategy that seeks to attract customers with useful, attractive and relevant content for them.

 

The origin of Inbound Marketing dates back to the 1950s, when the market research technique arose and this allowed marketing professionals to collect information about the interests of buyers and thus create campaigns better adapted and segmented by consumers.

How do we make the customer find in the company? Through the creation of quality content and that’s attractive to capture the customer and be able to satisfy their need.

 

Inbound Marketing Phases

 

The 4 Phases of Inbound Marketing:

 

1. ATTRACTING unknown

 

This first step is key to success. We have to define who our customers are. With this we will get to know our potential customers and we will be able to know how to reach them to capture them.

 

Once the profile of our potential customer has been analyzed, we will create content of interest to him and share it using social networks and/or a blog. In a blog, we will have to use keywords that will help us obtain a better SEO and we will position ourselves better in internet search engines.

 

Inbound Marketing AttractIng Phase

 

2. CONVERT visits

 

In this step customers already know us. They know how we can cover their needs and that’s where we need to act.

 

Our goal is to collect a record of the visits that we may have had on our website, online store or social networks. We need to find a way to collect relevant information from our customers for us so that later we get in touch with them.. For example, using subscription forms, calls-to-action or landing pages.

 

Phase Convert Inbound Marketing

 

3. CLOSE client

 

Next, we need to get our leads to be attracted to our content so that they finally become in our customers. With the previous step we have already obtained a customer database. Now we have to prepare ourselves to offer a solution to your needs or problems. We will have to do it by offering relevant and accurate information, so that it finally chooses us and not the competition. We can do it through newsletters, specific actions, CRM…

 

Phase Close Inbound Marketing customers

 

4. DELIGHT the promoters

 

In this last step (one of the most difficult, but at the same time one of the most satisfactory) we must try to build customer loyalty.

 

For the company a loyal customer is one of the best rewards. Our goal is for the client to trust us again and repeat.

 

For this step we may use content on social networks, event organization or satisfaction forms.

 

Inbound Marketing Promoters Phase

 

Following these four phases we put Inbound Marketing into practice. It is a process that takes time but in a short to medium term bears fruit.

 

 

We are the Business Center of Badalona, to give visibility and possibilities to your business.

In Espai 114 together we are a team; we want to inspire and accompany you.

Return from holiday and how to deal with it

How to deal with the return from holidays?

 

Once September has begun, few people have yet toreturn to work after a few days off.

Suddenly moving from a state of prolongedrelaxation and recreation to a marked daily routine of tasks and projects, can cause a sudden change that leads to a loss of motivation and interest.

 

This situation is called post-holiday syndrome and is shown in the form of tiredness, a misaligned sleep cycle, lack of concentration, apathy…

You don’t have to worry if this list of symptoms looks too much like how you feel on your return to work, since this “syndrome” will last a few days before it disappears.

Are you employer, freelance or employed? Either way, consider returning with enthusiasm. Set new goals and objectives to help you maintain motivation. You return from the holidays with the batteries loaded and the new beginnings are accompanied by new opportunities.

 

holiday

Whether you have already finished your days off as if you still have a few to enjoy, the following tips can help you make your return a little easier.

1. If you have not returned yet to work, try not to do so on Monday, as far as possible. In this way, the more advanced the week, the fewer days will remain for the weekend and you will be able to make a more graduated return.

2. Strive to establish sleep schedules that are more compatible with your working day. Make sure you go to sleep early so that the next morning’s awakening doesn’t make you harder.

3. Incorporate physical exercise activities into your daily life, which will help you de-stress and generate serotonin that will improve your mood.

4. Do not forget your social life completely once you start working. Keep scheduling meeting with friends or family to disconnect some time during the week.

5. It is important to take care of the space where you work and make sure that you maintain a good organizationand you have everything ready for your return to work. Otherwise, picking up the pace of work again can be more difficult.

 

space 114 office

If you are self-employed and/or work from home, a new space to develop your work activity can help you to return to a less heavy routine. Count on our coworking space or one of our private offices in the center of Badalona to start an easier holiday return.

 

We are the Business Center of Badalona, to give visibility and possibilities to your business.

In Espai 114 together we are a team; we want to inspire and accompany you.

How to relax during the holidays

We are at the end of July and for many this means preparing to enjoy the holidays. Some have already done so and others still have a few weeks left to start them.

 

With the current situation, holidays are more important and necessary than ever, not only for the worker who makes them, but also for the company. These days off are not just a right or a privilege, they are necessary for physical and mental well-being.

 

Enjoying a few weeks out of the work routine helps us to increase our creativity and productivity, which is interesting both for the personal motivation that it entails and for the company.

 

Just as our body needs to sleep every day to rest and recover for the next, it is also necessary to give us this time away from our workplace annually in order to get fresh air, relax, gain strength and come back with more desire and new ideas.

 

disconnect

Sometimes we find it difficult to disconnect completely when we are on vacation. Here are some tips that can make it easier:

– A few weeks before the holidays it is important to anticipate the aspects of our work that we must leave closed and prepared. In addition, we can also anticipate possible unforeseen situations and notify our colleagues about what they can do if we are not there.

Think positively. With all the free time in the world, maybe we get in front of the news more often or give ourselves the pleasure of buying the newspaper every day back from the bakery. This situation can lead us to be overinformed, especially of negative or hopeless news, which can worry us and interfere with our mental rest.

Avoid boredom. Getting too bored can lead to discomfort and negative thoughts. To avoid this, go out every day even if you don’t need it. It will help you occupy your mind.

 

vacation

 

Apart from this, we recommend that you take advantage of the holidays to do what you are passionate about and you can not do in your day to day.

From Espai114 we wish you a vacation full of rest and total disconnection.

 

We are the Business Center of Badalona, to give visibility and possibilities to your business.

In Espai 114 together we are a team; we want to inspire you and accompany you.