Guaranteed Ways To Build A Team Of Engaged Employees

Julie Starr • January 28, 2022



Building a team of engaged employees should be something every business owner makes a priority. If your team is disengaged with the work and workplace, you can hardly expect maximum output and optimal results. Engaged employees are productive employees, and will often go above and beyond to get results. Let’s take a look at some guaranteed ways you can build your own team of engaged employees:

Commit To Your Employees 

First of all, you need to commit to your employees – get to know them as people . Of course, there’s a line you shouldn’t cross between boss and friend, but you should get to know them and take an interest in their lives. Remember their names and things about them so you can strike up a conversation with them in the future. Let them know that you do care about them, and don’t just see them as employees. 

Offer Training and Resources

Offering the right training and resources for your team means that they not only grow professionally but personally, too. An inability to move forward within a company is one of the main reasons employees choose to leave and work elsewhere. Make sure they can climb the ladder if they want to, and provide things like team-building activities to ensure they can all work with one another effectively. 

Make sure you also provide resources to make their lives easier, such as collaboration software, equipment, and so on.  Engaging employees on business sustainability and integrating personal sustainability plans will not only educate employees on sustainable business practices that help the business to flourish, but will also provide guidelines to living a sustainable lifestyle outside of the work environment.

Provide Them with Tools for Success

This means giving your employees the resources for problem-solving, access to additional training, and strategies for handling difficult situations. Your employees will feel much more valued and appreciated when they know they have the support to handle any situation that may come their way. For example, disaster management training and tools can equip employees with the skills and knowledge to handle unexpected crises, leading to a stronger and more confident team. By providing your employees with all the tools they need to succeed in their jobs, they will feel empowered to do their best work and ultimately be more engaged in their roles.

Listen To Employee Feedback and Do Something About It 

Encourage employee feedback, whether anonymous or not. Once you have their feedback, treat it as valuable advice and follow up on it. If you don’t do anything with employee feedback, they will believe that you don’t care whether they are happy and comfortable at work or not. You can’t get too attached to the way you have always done things if your team is giving you hints that they are unhappy – or outright telling you that something needs to change. 

Provide Incentives and Bonuses For Your Team 

You should provide more than just the bare minimum for your team. Incentives and bonuses are crucial and will help them to see that you appreciate them. Incentives and bonuses could be monetary, days out, vouchers, or even ESOP to give your team some ownership over the business. You can also give more days off than the minimum, gym memberships, and anything else you believe will encourage your team to work hard for you. 

Allow Flexibility 

Allowing flexibility within your workplace will help to keep your team engaged. If they need to be at home for some reason one day, allow them to work from home. Make sure they feel like they can come to you when they need time off, or have an issue that you can help with. Don’t be rigid in your way of thinking or the way you conduct your business. 

Building a team of engaged employees takes work, but it should be a focus for any business owner! 

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.