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Mar 13, 2015 8:00:00 AM

How to Boost Staff Morale During Times of High-Stress

ExactDrive had the opportunity to be interviewed by SiteProNews who publishes the latest articles and breaking news on technology, social media, search engines, SEO, business, marketing, content writing and webmaster resources.

Working at a start-up is bittersweet. For every opportunity to work remotely and play ping pong at the office, you also have to deal with long work hours and the possibility of failure lurking around every corner. Despite its ups and downs, its exactly this type of excitement that draws people to the start-up world and away from the traditional 9-5. Needless to say, this type of environment can also cause a lot of stress, and in such situations, it’s important to have a leader that stays level-headed, one who can effectively maintain staff morale. We spoke to various startup CEOs at different stages in their careers, and asked what the most important factors are when attempting to boost staff morale during stressful times at work. Here’s what they had to say.

1. Communication

“Stress is a by-product of the thought of losing control, whether that be missing a deadline, or feeling something is no-longer achievable. By implementing a culture of open communication staff can more quickly raise and discuss issues, which helps combat the stress at source, by allowing the issues to be dealt with. Having that knowledge of support also helps potentially stressful situation become less so.”

— Ian Naylor, AppInstitute

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Mar 5, 2015 11:48:00 AM

12 Questions to Ask When Interviewing for a Startup Job

ExactDrive recently had the opportunity to be interviewed by StartupNation. Since it’s inception in 2002, StartupNation.com has steadily grown to become one of the leading small business destinations on the internet delivering over 250,000 pages of valued content and attracting over 3.1 million unique visitors in 2013. StartupNation has inspired, educated and consistently attracted entrepreneurs and small business owners from Main Street America who want to be their own bosses and live the American Dream.

If your interviewing for a startup job, its important to know that your embarking on an entirely different experience from the traditional 9-5 work environment. You have to prepare yourself to work flexible hours, wear many different hats at once, and become an expert on any given subject in a short period of time. Most importantly, you have to demonstrate that your personality and work ethic will fit into the vision and values of the company culture. The best way to so, and to set yourself apart from other candidates, is by asking questions which demonstrate your entrepreneurial ambition and drive. We spoke to various startup founders and asked what questions most impressed them during previous job interviews, here’s what they had to say.

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Feb 24, 2015 3:57:00 PM

12 Steps to Developing a Healthy Company Culture

 recently had the opportunity to be interviewed by Digital Connect Mag, which was started by a group of tech enthusiasts with the sole purpose of helping consumers, businesses and IT professionals. They aim to cover pretty much every topic under the sun which is related to Technology, Business and Information Technology.

A startup’s success is dependent on a number of factors, the most important, and often the most overlooked being the startup’s company culture. Regardless of how solid a product and the funding behind it is, the strength of the company culture will ultimately be the determining factor behind the startup’s long-term success.

The most important aspect when creating your company culture is establishing a set of values which will define your company from its early stages to maturity, values that your company will adhere to during both successful and difficult times. This effort needs to be made from the very beginning stages of your entrepreneurial endeavor, since the values you establish initially will determine the direction in which your company grows. By making a concerted effort to build your company around that value system, and by setting clear expectations for the type of relationships that your team should have, you can exert a far greater control over what your company will look like in the next five to 10 years.

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