Nibletz Staff - 6/87 - Serious Startups

How To Protect Your Customers’ Data

Your customers’ data is of paramount importance to your business. Your clients have trusted you with their details and information, and as such, you should be able to deliver by ensuring this is protected and will not be lost or stolen. With cyber attacks becoming a more prominent reality in our world, it is increasingly difficult to protect data from being hacked into. However, there are ways in which you can ensure this is not lost and is as safe as possible.

If you work with clients all over the world and you would like to ensure their data is safe with your business, these are the measures you should consider.

Invest in compliance

If your business operates globally and you deal with customers on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, this means your clients’ data is not only at risk from it being hacked, it is also at risk from it not being compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). With the regulation now being in force, it is essential that businesses pay attention to the ways in which data storage could have an impact on their business. If you handle EU data, this means your company needs to have GDPR compliance. Learn more about GDPR Compliance for US Businesses.

Backup your data

The second way in which you can protect your clients’ data if you are a US business is by backing this up and doing it early. Depending on the amount of data that your system holds, you will need to back this up more or less regularly. Windows has a backup utility built into it so that you can do this in a basic way as often as it is required. If you would like to run a more comprehensive backup, there are numerous third party programs that can help you do so. Whichever application you use, make sure you store a copy offsite in case there is a fire or other natural disaster affecting the area where you work.

Password protect documents

The third and final measure we recommend you make use of in order for you to safeguard your customers’ information is by password-protecting documents. From Microsoft Office to Adobe Acrobat, there are many applications out there which allow you to set up a password for the documents you handle on a daily basis. If you would like to password-protect a document using Microsoft Word 2003, you must go to Tools, Options and then click on the Security tab. This way, you will be able to insert a password on a particular document, if desired, and change this as many times as you wish. As Microsoft Office’s password protection systems are relatively easy to crack, there are programs you can make use of in order to ensure you can recover these passwords. These include Elcomsoft’s Advanced Office Password Recovery (AOPR).

Blogging For Business: Your Startup Can’t Afford to Miss Out!

The benefits of blogging for business have been well proven, however it’s still something a lot of smaller and medium sized businesses have not harnessed the power of. If you haven’t set up a business blog then you’re missing out, here are just a few of the reasons you need one for your startup.

It Makes You Look Trustworthy and Reliable

One of the hardest things for newer businesses is competing with more established businesses. As a rule, people prefer to shop with companies they have used before or are well known, as they trust that they will get the product or service they have paid for. Due to things like scams and counterfeit goods, people can be way about shopping with newer companies. However, having a well written blog can help with this. Customers will be able to see that you know what you’re talking about, and are an expert in your field. They will be able to see the effort put into every post, and will know that a scam company wouldn’t go to this kind of effort. If you sell clothes for example, you could blog about trends, styling tips, catwalk shows and much more. It’s another way to connect with your readers and shows them that you’re trustworthy, knowledgeable and not just a scam website!

It Builds a Readership/ Fans

Write engaging content that offers something to the reader, whether that be knowledge, humor or anything else and they will keep coming back for more. Over time you can build a readership, a tribe of loyal fans. Having fans of your company is always useful, these are the people that will recommend others via word of mouth which is something that’s difficult to do in marketing. Build up genuine followers and they’re more likely to recommend you to others, as well as stay up to date on what’s going on in your company. Chances are you’ve already browsed IT companies and might have outsourced to ensure your business has the right support. For blogging, consider outsourcing again by hiring freelance writers online.

It’s Free Promotion

When you have a business blog, you can write about whatever you like. This means that if you have a particular brand, offer or product that you’re trying to push, you can work it into a blog post. It doesn’t have to look promotional since anything too ad- like might be seen as spammy. But going back to the fashion example, if you have a new range of dresses out you could write styling tips for one of them and show how you would dress it for different occasions. Include a link to the product and if the post is engaging it might well grab the attention of keen shoppers and lead to them clicking through and purchasing. Blog posts are also very share- friendly, and are more likely to be shared across social media than simple links to your site or products. Go for appealing, click worthy titles that will pique people’s interest.

Big Data Is The Future, But Which Dashboard Will Take You Forward?

The verdict on Big Data is in. It’s not just a theory, businesses are starting to use the data they collect to make real, effective change. They’re learning more about their consumers, about how effective their marketing is, about internal productivity and morale, and much, much more. And to read that data, most of them are using dashboarding tools, also known as data visualization tools. But if you’re starting to implement your own data-driven strategies, which one is going to work best for you? Here, we’re going to look at some of the top and most affordable dashboarding tools and what they have to offer.

Klipfolio

Despite being relatively low-cost, Klipfolio is one of the most comprehensive dashboards out there thanks to a powerful transformation engine that collates data from a huge list of sources, making it one of the most effective tools at achieving a broad range of practical data uses. It’s remarkably easy to create different data visualizations whether it’s using one source or multiple sources. The visualization elements make it a lot easier to see data in the most effective way, too, while also offering a lot of flexibility in how it’s controlled. This includes a focus on responsive design and data monitoring and sharing options that allow you to control how much access every user have to every individual data stream and visualization.

Tableau

One of Klipfolio’s main competitors, Tableau is all about making data analyzing accessible to anyone regardless of experience with the tool or which industry they’re in. This is because of its remarkable ease-of-use, and interactive visualizations that tend to be a cut above the rest. Despite the ease-of-use, it’s more than capable of handling lots of streams of fast-changing data, an essential component of Big Data. With impressive artificial intelligent, Tableau is one of the most effective tools when it comes to creating accessible graphics and visualizations quickly and efficiently. This might make it one of the best choices for those who are newer to the world of dashboarding tools.

Google Data Studio

What about the free options that exist out there? The one that’s more worth talking about is Google Data Studio. Google was one of the pioneers of data-driven strategy in business and it should be no surprise that they have one of the most comprehensive dashboarding tools out there. As easy to use as Tableau with responsive drag-and-drop design, it’s another good option for those who are newer to dashboarding tools. There are two key differences, however. The first is that Google Data Studio is free. This will immediately strike many as a positive, but the truth is like most free software, it doesn’t see the level of service that paid models do. There are issues with Google Data Studio, but many of them contain workarounds. If you’re willing to put a little more effort in when dealing with the occasional error, then Zima Mean explains data studio problems and fixes that can help you get up to speed. Otherwise, Google Data Studio is a web-browser based application while Tableau and Portfolio are desktop applications. Which you prefer is really a matter of preference.

Qlikview

Tableau’s biggest competitor, Qlikview takes a different approach to dashboarding. Rather than focusing on accessibility, it can be harder to use but has a huge range of customization options and a wide list of features. This means that it can take a lot longer to fully get to grips with, but if you’ve used dashboarding tools before and you’re looking for something more in-depth then Qlikview might be the tool for you. What’s more, a clean, uncluttered user interface makes it a lot less intimidating to use once you’ve got used to the feature list.

FusionCharts

Another highly popular tool, though it doesn’t boast quite as large a community as Qlikview of Tableau, FusionCharts is a JavaScript-based tool that’s relatively low in cost but high in features. Like Tableau, ease-of-use is a big priority here. One of the most impressive ways that comes across is the ability to create visualizations not just from scratch but from an included range of templates that allow you to simply insert your data as and where is needed. If you’re looking for fast visualizations without having to do too much work, it might be the option for you.

Which tool you use depends on what your budget is, how much support you need, what features you want, and how competent you are with them. Hopefully, the closer look provided above helps you choose the right one for you.

Marketing Bungles That Are Costing You Business Money

Marketing is meant to bring in business and up your profit through increased sales. However, get it wrong, and it can end up costing your company money! To prevent this from happening take a look at the most common marketing bungles below so you can steer your business well clear of them.

Forgetting the data collection

Marketing is no longer just about getting your product in front of potential customers. In fact, a large part of any modern marketing strategy will be to collect data both on how the customers are responding your campaign, as well as their contact details.

Collecting contact details, in fact, is a hugely important part of a successful marketing campaign. This is because it is these that can be turned into warm leads, as the individual conceded has already shown an interest in your product. Something that as any salesperson knows is far easier to convert into a sale that will make you money than a cold lead.

Ignoring personalization

Ignoring personalization in marketing is a mistake that many companies are still making. They are still working on the old school assumption that the more impressions you can get in front of people the better. However, this isn’t always the case. You can bombard people with images and slogans all day long, but if they don’t find anything relevant to themselves or their life, they will discount them without a second thought.

That’s where the personalization of marketing content comes in. It’s a way of appealing directly a group or individuals that are picked on the strength of their demographic to be the most likely to want or need your product. Something that can make your marketing much more effective in terms of conversion, even though you may be reaching fewer people overall.

Not tailoring content to your industry

Not all fields and industry are alike, and more business would do well to remember this in their marketing campaigns. After all, the content and approach you take for a breakfast cereal are not going to work in a situation where the main product is luxury perfume or vice-versa.

That is why it can be valuable to your business to keep your marketing methods appropriate for the industry that you are in. To do this, you can work with a specialist like Berbay Marketing & PR that have extensive experience in particular industries such as finance and law. Something that gives you the best chance of finding an effective and appropriate approach.

Alternatively, you can also do some research on your closest competitors and see how they are running their marketing campaigns. Although, it is worth bearing in mind that you don’t want to come out with something too similar as the possibility of confusion in the eyes of potential customers is too strong.

Relying too heavily on influencers

Influencers are the big dogs of the marketing world, right? It’s them that everyone listens to and if you have their stamp of approval then your product is guaranteed to sell, or is it? Actually, experts predict that the power of online influencers will sharply decline in 2018, making investing a fortune in sponsorship, collaborations, and free products for review a bad idea.

Instead, focus your marketing funds on tech solutions such as automation and increased personalize as noted above, as these can help you generate profits more effectively.

Being too traditionally minded

Last of all, a mistake that some firms are making, and that is costing them big, is their overreliance on the traditional forms of marketing. Forms such as TV, radio, and cinema adverts, as well as direct mailings, and newspaper and magazine articles.

It’s not that these methods don’t work at all. It’s just that there are more effective ways of spending your marketing budget. Something that you will need to keep an eye on if you want to make a profit.

For example, the open rate of direct mailing is super low, but nearly everyone will open and read a text, even if it is sent from a company that they have not heard of before.

Even email marketing isn’t as strong as it used to be, as most people have spam filters and can easily delete items if they don’t have incredibly effective taglines in the title. However, buying ad space through instant auctions that match the type of customer to your demographic are much more likely to end in a conversion.

Something that means even if you are not willing to go entirely digital in your marketing approach, using both will help you to get the best returns for the money you invest.

How Earning an MBA Can Help Your Startup Succeed

If you’re like most aspiring entrepreneurs, you may be wondering whether you even need an MBA in order to succeed in the business world. After all, some of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs, people like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, never even graduated from college. Can an MBA teach you the skills you need for success, or would it mean spending a lot of tuition money on a credential that would look great on your resume, but wouldn’t necessarily make or break your business venture?

While it’s true that you don’t need an MBA in order to succeed in business, earning this degree can have many benefits for aspiring entrepreneurs. MBA tuition isn’t cheap, but going into business without a solid foundation of b-school knowledge will mean learning the ropes through trial and error, and the mistakes you’ll make as you learn the ins and outs of the business world could end up costing you much more than the price of tuition. A business-school education will give you the chance to work the kinks out of your business plan, build valuable network connections with peers, and foster relationships with mentors, as well as teaching you the basic business savvy you’ll need to make it big.

Establish a Foundation

In order to succeed in business, you need to know what you’re doing. Sure, plenty of entrepreneurs learn the hard way, by making mistakes and picking things up as they go. But ultimately, leaping into a new business venture without a solid foundation of business knowledge could be costly.

An MBA will teach you about important aspects of running your own business, such as how to impose inventory and financial controls in order to prevent fraud; how to perform market research and understand the competitive landscape in which your business will operate; and how to form and implement marketing and e-commerce strategies. Earning an MBA can also leave you with valuable information about how to deal with investors, obtain funding from venture capitalists and maintain relationships with them, and how to expand without compromising the quality of your products. You’ll learn from the mistakes and successes of other entrepreneurs, running through case studies time and again until you could run a business in your sleep.

Polish Your Plan

You need more than just a good idea to succeed in business. You need a polished plan for how you’ll bring your idea to market. The stakes are high out in the real world; if your plan is flawed and fails, you could lose serious money. Worse, you could lose the faith of investors, meaning your next venture won’t get off the ground.

Business school provides a safety-net environment to test your ideas and business plan with room for failure and improvement. You’ll be able to bounce your ideas off of peers and seasoned business veterans, to work out all

the kinks and get it ready for the ultimate proving ground that is the world of business.

Grow Your Network

Whether you choose to enroll in an online MBA or go with a more traditional path, business school will put you into contact with other talented, knowledgeable, and ambitious aspiring entrepreneurs. You’ll be exposed to new perspectives, cultures, and ideas, then form strong bonds with individuals who could prove to be valuable connections down the road. When you need some trustworthy managers or corporate connections in the future, you’ll be able to draw on your pool of b-school connections.

Business school will also help you form mentor-mentee relationships with faculty, many of whom are veteran businesspeople themselves. These mentor relationships can remain vital as you finish your degree and start, or expand, your business. They’ll be there to give guidance and answer questions as you grow a business of your own.

If you’re dreaming of starting your own business, or if you’ve already started your business but you’re feeling overwhelmed by the realities of entrepreneurship, an MBA could help. Business school can teach you everything you need to know about running your own business, so that when the time comes, you can avoid common pitfalls and mistakes, and guide your startup to long-term success.

When Startup Software Gets out of Hand

What do you do when you run a startup and need to add a new business function? No, you don’t hire a new employee — that’s much too expensive and time-consuming; you must remain small and agile to contend with your big-business competitors. Instead, you get new software.

Software is a startup’s solution to everything. For nearly any business function you can imagine, there is a software tool that makes it cheaper and easier. Accounting? QuickBooks. HR? Zenefits. Social media? Buffer. If there is a business function not serviced by software — well, there’s your next startup idea.

The only problem is that as your startup grows, you will eventually need to hire employees to provide more targeted attention to these aspects of your business. Unfortunately, having so much software hanging around your network can slow everything down, inhibiting your ability to compete as efficiently in your market. Fortunately, there is a solution: more software.

The Software That Manages Your Software

Software asset management (SAM) is a critical element of IT asset visibility. It entails all the infrastructure and processes required to adequately control and protect all software assets. Typically, organizations have several goals for SAM, including optimizing investments, reducing unplanned costs, avoiding vulnerabilities, and ensuring compliance.

Simply using asset visibility software is not the end of your SAM efforts. While having a strong SAM tool is vital to success in managing your software (and other IT) assets, it is also imperative that you and your employees develop the correct habits for using software. What’s more, you need to understand the scope of your SAM needs, which will likely change as your software and other technologies journey through the IT asset lifecycle.

For most startups, SAM is vital — but the difficulty of starting SAM prevents many businesses from obtaining the software support they need. Worse, there’s plenty of misinformation floating around about how to implement a SAM system.

The Truths and Lies About SAM

Consider the following facts about SAM found around the web:

You only need one SAM tool. This is a lie; there is no single tool or solution that can discover and monitor all the software and data on your network. Some SAM tools are powerful enough to find most of the software your startup is likely to use, but as your business grows, you will likely need to acquire additional solutions.

It is the customer’s job to maintain SAM. This is somewhat true and somewhat false. Because SAM contains software, it undergoes the same IT asset lifecycle as the rest of your devices, software, and data. Thus, you must recognize when it needs augmentation — perhaps with another SAM service or tool. However, your SAM vendor should also be willing and able to update your system with new content, which should enhance its performance.

SAM is complex, ambiguous, and varied. This is undeniably true. Software is diverse, and most licenses are intentionally complex and ambiguous. Additionally, cloud licensing — which is popular among startups — adds another layer of difficulty for SAM systems. It is imperative that you take your time to understand what you need your SAM system to do.

How to Do SAM Right

As mentioned before, there is no easy way to do SAM right. However, there are several easy ways to do SAM wrong. For example, you could be thwarting your SAM efforts by:

Setting unrealistic expectations. SAM won’t save your company. SAM won’t make you money. But over time, well-organized SAM systems can make you and your staff more productive.

Lacking a structured plan. You should have a clear list of requirements for your SAM strategy. For example, if your industry has compliance regulations, that should be a high priority.

Failing to research SAM solutions. Different SAM vendors provide different options, but there are some solutions that will never be available out of the box. Doing SAM right requires a well-researched budget, which means understanding how much customization you need.

To avoid regular SAM mistakes, your first step should be to speak with a IT professional regarding your organization’s present and future SAM needs. From there, you can consult with SAM vendors to understand options and pricing. The more information you have, the better your SAM strategy will be — but you shouldn’t wait too long to enact a SAM system.

Breaking Through – 5 Tips to Building a Successful Start-Up

For any start-up to succeed, it takes a good idea, research, and discipline. However, what other things need to be considered while building up your budding empire? As any good leader knows, you always have to be on the lookout for the next move, and a step ahead of your competitors. Here are five tips for building a successful startup:

Find the Right Space

Once you’ve outgrown your Mom’s basement, it is time to spread your wings and find the next shell into which to grow. You may not need a whole floor of a building downtown. If you are still starting small, you may consider meeting room hire whenever you need it, or other temporary office space solutions while transitioning. One thing is for sure: you definitely don’t want your office arrangement to stunt your growth and prevent your venture from growing.

Networking

Learning how to network is an essential skill to your company’s expansion. The days of being too shy to make friends on the playground are over, and it is time to reach out and take full advantage of the pool of professionals who will help you get to where you are going. Just believing in your mission is not enough. You have to have others believe in it too if you want to achieve long-term success. Practice your smile, firm handshake and smooth elevator pitch so that charm and professionalism will keep you going in the right direction.

Work Hard but Avoid Burnout

Don’t let entrepreneurial burnout eat into your passion and fizzle the fire. This can be especially hard with a start-up, as you are constantly trying to brainstorm and juggling multiple hats at all times. It is crucial to give yourself some free time outside of work to enjoy life with your friends and family. Remember, you and your team are only human, and even though your startup may be the next big thing, it’s vital to rest and replenish to keep the energy ball rolling.

Monitor Financing

You can only go as far as your resources can take you, so it is imperative to monitor you financial status closely. You definitely don’t want to hit the empty wallet brick wall, leaving you and your team stuck with a brilliant idea that you just can’t seem to make into a reality. Always know where your income is coming from and where it is going. Also, practice frugality early, so if money does grow tight, you’ve already developed the right mindset to get you through the fiscal pinch.

Actively Seek Feedback

Irrespective of how groundbreaking you think your idea is, if you are the only one who feels that way, you might be in trouble. By receiving feedback throughout your growth, you are better able to get a feel for what works and what doesn’t and adjust accordingly. This can come from a mentor who is experienced in the field or, if your idea is newer and a revolutionary, directly from your target market. Sell your product early or organize focus groups to help you gauge how your startup idea will be received. That way, you avoid spending unnecessary time and money into ideas that will never fly.

In a world with new startups appearing and flopping every day, you want to be sure you stay ahead of the game. By nourishing your venture with these ideas, you can rest assured you are on the right path to see your baby take wings and achieve the business and financial success about which you’ve always dreamed.

Digging Your Small Business Out Of Debt

Many businesses find themselves in debt at some point. Whether you’re struggling to get customers or have simply been borrowing a lot of money to improve the company, debt can easily be escaped so long as you take action promptly. Here are just a few steps you should take when getting your business out the red.

Stop borrowing

The most obvious step is to stop borrowing money – this will only add to your debts. If you’ve got a business credit card, you might be best off getting rid of it as this can make borrowing too easy and convenient to resist. The only loans you may want to consider are debt consolidation loans that can help to make your debts more manageable or invoice factoring in which you’re getting money in advance which you are already owed.

Make the right cutbacks

Cutbacks may be needed to help your business recover – but be careful of what you cut back. You don’t want to be dismissing employees if you prevent it, as this can result in all kinds of issues that could affect your reputation. Instead, consider downsizing your premises or moving to a cheaper location. If your work is computer/phone based you may be able to start hiring employees remotely, ridding the need of a big office. Also look for unnecessary expenses such as software subscriptions you don’t really use and travel costs that could be replaced by video-communication.

Find ways to up your revenue

Upping your income could help you to pay off your debts and reduce the need for as many cutbacks. Taking on more work could be one way of raising revenue. That said, you don’t want to be overworking yourself. Consider upping your prices instead or upselling new premium services.

Negotiate with your creditors

You may be able to better manage your debts by talking to your creditors and negotiating a new payment plan. Creditors such as energy providers might allow you to pay off your debts in small instalments rather than all at once. It always helps to talk – never ignore payments as they won’t go away.

Look into debt relief plans

You may be able to get assistance with your debt with the help of trained negotiators and solicitors. They may be able to save you from bankruptcy by talking to creditors and settling on a more manageable payment. They may also be able to help with any unreasonable creditors that are harassing you.

Seek counsel

Dealing with debt can be stressful, especially as a company in which you may be having to protect the welfare of employees and clients. Don’t be afraid to seek counsel and talk to someone about your issues. Staying positive will help you to stay motivated when it comes to paying off all your debts.

The Bad Review: A Sure Way To Ruin Your Business

Quality-Bad-Review-Review-Bad-Customer-Review-2813741

In modern business, reviews are currency. You can guarantee the majority of potential customers will head online before handing over money. And, when they do, reviews will be the first thing they come to. But, they won’t go any further if you have more than a few bad reviews. Why would they? They’ve heard it from people just like them that you aren’t worth their time.

Of course, no company can make everyone happy, all the time. There are going to be bad at least a few bad reviews. Your customers know there’s no pleasing some people. When do bad reviews get damaging? If you have more than a handful floating about out there, they hold a little more weight. Another warning sign is if all those reviews make similar accusations. This will show customers that these aren’t just people wanting a moan, but genuine grievances. And, that’ll lead to lost custom in no time.

So, what can you do to ensure bad reviews don’t happen? For one, you can avoid the following three red-areas.

Bad customer service

The most common cause of negative reviews is bad customer service. Consumerism may have changed in recent years, but we all still value decent service. If you or your employees fail to provide it, the bad reviews will come rolling. Bear in mind that you need to consider the large and the small here. You need to provide knowledgeable service. As such, you should invest in staff training as much as possible. But, little things also count, like a smile and a friendly demeanor. A lot of the time, all it takes to seal bad reviews is a slightly brisk staff manner. So, make sure you’re all happy campers!

Negligence

If negligence cases crop up in your history, you can be sure business will drop it like its hot. Some things stick, and negligence is definitely one of them. If a customer receives an injury in your store, or from your product, you’ll struggle to shake the negative backlash. If a case is severe enough to warrant a customer employing service of a Derrick law firm personal injury attorney, or any other representation, you’re in big trouble. Indeed, if that news leaks into your reviews, you can kiss goodbye to success. Make sure it doesn’t happen by keeping your physical space as safe as possible, and safety testing products rigorously.

Failing products

Above all, customers head to reviews to see if your product is worth their money. So, countless reviews stating that your goods don’t work are sure to send them away. You can be sure that aggrieved customers will want the world to know about your shoddy products. Of course, avoiding this is easy enough. You just have to ensure your product provides the services you claim. That means more testing, and taking time over manufacturing processes. You should also aim to develop and improve products at every turn. And, you should test and test again on each change you make!

Money Matters To Face This Year

money-card-business-credit-card-50987 (1)

You can always improve the state of your finances, no matter what position they are currently in and what kind of experience you already have in dealing with money. If you are keen to improve your finances this year to no end, then there will be some specific things which you should focus on, as these are much more likely to set you on the right path as quickly as you like. As it happens, there are some goals in particular which will ensure that you are set up to achieve what you want financially in a quicker time, so paying attention to these at the start of the year is definitely going to be a good idea. Let’s take a look at what they are, and how to face them head on.

Clearing Debt

Of course, nobody wants to have debt, but many people do, and it can be a tricky thing knowing how to keep it down and ultimately get rid of it. If you have a lot of debt problems in you life at the moment, the first step is probably to list them and order them in list of importance. In that way, you can expect to have a clearer sense of what you need to do first and what can probably be left for later. You can then look into using either a consolidation option such as the one found here Debtconsolidation.loans, or you can simply start to pay off what you are able to, if you can pay enough in good time. Clear your debts, and your whole life will suddenly seem much less stressful and calmer. You can then move on to some of the other great financial options.

Understanding Cash Flow

Sometimes the most important and biggest changes you can make financially are to simply come to a better understanding of it. For many people, this will mean that they need to take a step back and look a little clearer at what their behaviors are actually like when it comes to using money. If you do this this year, you might welcome to some unpleasant truths about your own relationship with money – but you will also be able to ensure that you then continue on to make the right choices in future. For this reason, understanding your own cash flow will ensure that you have a much brighter financial future this year and beyond.

Starting To Invest

Something which is wise for anyone to do with even the smallest amount of spare cash is to invest it. There are countless options for investing, and it is up to you when you go for, but it’s worth doing your research thoroughly beforehand and investing in something which is likely to be a solid, reliable and lucrative offering. As long as you are able to do this, you should find that it really does help you to invest in your money, and that it will gradually put you into a better and better financial position as well.

How Can You Up Your Website Game This Year?

When you look at your website, what do you see? Do you get excited? Do you feel as if you’re meeting all of your marketing objectives? Do you think your customers have everything they need when they’re on site? If not, then maybe it’s time to up your website game. Of course, not every website can be perfect, but it should always be your aim to get as close to that as possible. And we’re not just talking about the look of your site, but the functionality too. Because your web functionality is a huge part of the sales and marketing process. Your customers need to be able to use your website and get the most out of it. But how will you know that they are?

Well, the first part of upping your game is going to be all about your customers and what they want. We’re going to take a look at some ideas, but you really do need to look at your analytics first to figure out where your website might be lacking. From here, you’re then going to be able to work on the key areas that can be improved to make the most difference going forward. But once you’ve taken a look at those analytics and you know where the issues lie, here are seven ideas on how you can turn that around this year.

Focus On White Space

It’s often hard to look at your website objectively, but you really need to do this in terms of the design. Because something that looks cool to you, may be irritating to your customers. To avoid this, the best option for your design is to focus on white space. When you have lots of space in your design, it looks clear and functional. Your customers will be able to navigate around the site more easily as your menu options should also be a lot clearer (an extra hint here).

Create A Featured Products Section

If you want to work on your product sections a little more, then why not think about adding in a featured products section. By working with a software company, you could come up with something really cool. Whether it’s a plugin that you’ve made specifically, or a section of the site that allows you to showcase certain items, not only can this be a really cool new feature of the site, but it may also help to push your sales too.

Work On Your Account Area

Next up, you’re going to want to give your members’ area a little attention. When it comes to the ‘your account’ area of the site, you’re going to want to make this exciting for your customers. And you have a really great opportunity to increase your sales in the process too. By making this area more exciting with personalized recommendations and features, you’ll be able to keep your customers interested and buying your products.

Offer A Loyalty Program

As an extension of that, or something in its own right, you should also think about offering a loyalty program. Loyalty programs where your customers can collect points and redeem rewards are an excellent way to not only keep your customers coming back, but to increase your engagement with them too.

Launch An App

From here, you may also want to think about what you’re offering in the mobile front. Because if you don’t have a mobile-optimized site, you may be missing out on a large chunk of custom. Not only should you think about having a site that works well on different devices, but an app too. With a specific app, you can target your mobile customers and make shopping easier for them too.

Improve Your Content

How is your content looking at the moment? Because if it’s not engaging or interesting or really getting the results you need, then you’re going to want to work on that. Improving the web content that you have is so important to not only engaging your customers, but getting them on site and keeping them there too.

Work In New Tools

Finally, you should definitely think about the new and exciting tools that your business could use. There are a ton of must-have features that every website should have, so if you haven’t got those covered off yet, now’s the time. But you may also want to speak to your developer about different software applications that you can use to really spice up your website features and see improved results.

Entrepreneurs: Are You Giving Customers What They Want?

As the company’s owner, you of course will think your business is fantastic. It’s your idea, your passion, you’ve put your heart and soul into your venture- but when it comes down to it, it’s the customer’s opinion that’s important. These are the people who will be buying your products or services, who will be making you a profit. It’s their custom that depicts whether you’re a success or failure. But what exactly are they looking for?

An Intuitive, Visually Pleasing Website

It’s no longer just an added bonus to have a good company website, these days it’s something that is absolutely crucial to the success of your business. Research has shown that almost half of people will click off a website if it doesn’t load within a few seconds, with slow and badly designed sites being so off-putting that they would never return. We live in an age of instant gratification; you need to give people want they want. For this reason, your website needs to be fast, as well as intuitive with important information being easy to find. Don’t forget links to your social media pages and ‘about’ with your business information.

An Interesting App

The big branded names of the world got their foot in the door long ago when it came to the mobile app market. Many smaller businesses still haven’t got on board, which is exactly why you should. Not only are you giving the customer what they want- a reliable way to contact and easy access to your products- it also makes your brand appear much more trustworthy. More sales are now made on smartphones and tablets than laptops and computers, a fact you simply can’t ignore if you want to be a success.

Great Customer Service

A friendly and reliable customer service team can really help tp build up people’s opinion of your brand. Sometimes things go wrong, having a reliable and helpful human to sort the issue for them will go a long way in how they view you as a business. You could have a Twitter help page solely for queries, and a live chat feature as well as people on the telephones during business hours. If you are a local business like a shop, employee name badges like these on Aquarius Media can make the customer’s shopping experience more personal.

Real Customer Reviews

One thing customers are likely to do before shopping with you for the first time is read reviews. That way they are able to see for themselves what kinds of experiences past customers have had with you. If you put out good service consistently you will naturally build up good reviews, you could also ask customers too if they would mind leaving one. Facebook business pages have a review section that you could ask people to write in. Otherwise, third-party review sites like Trustpilot are useful.

Have you given much thought to what customers are looking for in a business, aside from great products or services?

Building The Best Construction Company

construction-site-build-construction-work-159306

If you’re going through life, wandering and wondering what bigger things are out there for you – you’re right to do so. A lot of people are content in having a nine to five job in an office, going home, and doing that all over again, and again. But some people don’t get anything from that. They need adventures, they need something that changes every day – no two days the same, and requires them to really use what they’ve been blessed with. The idea of doing anything else may shatter them. – Does this sound familiar?

If you know you’re a creative soul that knows your way around tools, and are the go-to handyman at home, then why not use your skills and experience that you’ve mustered up for however many years, and build up your very own construction company?

You will be able to provide yourself a source of income – that means you’re your own boss – no working under anyone – you work for yourself! Going by your own hours, and deciding when you want to work, and when that much-deserved vacation is in order.

As this is only the beginning, your business will start small, just like any other startup, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy nonetheless. You will need to plan very carefully, with a lot of research and time taken into making this happen if you want any kind of success. It is also essential that you follow all the different regulations that are required for the industry you are getting into. All while working hard and doing all you can in terms of the service you put out to ensure that you earn your customers confidence. Remember, you’re not just trying to persuade them to buy a product off you – you’re encouraging them to trust you enough to accept a service that you provide, and that will take a lot more motivation, time, and effort. Having said that, it’ll all be worthwhile when you’re doing what you love.

Here’s how to get there.

Write out your business plan

Your business plan is a written document (produced by you) and essentially maps out exactly how you plan on getting your company up and running. You should include all the goals that you have, along with what you think you need to do in order to reach them. You will also need to add all the financial aspects of what your business will require, like the budget to get it started – the tools and equipment that are needed, not to mention all the different forms of marketing to get your business out there to the people. And don’t forget about any potential business partners that you can work with along the way. Think about it, you’re going to need supplies, like wood, so you’ll want to contact timber harvesting suppliers who can help you with that.

Consider taking out a loan

If you don’t have thousands of pounds worth of savings to help, then your best bet is to apply for a loan so that you have enough money to fund your new business. Rather than just going to the bank and asking, you should bring your business plan with you, and show the banker exactly what you intend on doing. Talk about all of the reasons why you want to start your own construction business, and most importantly, all the reasons why you think it will be a successful one. Then you can go through your options, and look properly at the interest rates and terms and conditions.

Get all your tools ready

Have a good look through all of your tools and equipment to make sure you aren’t missing anything vital. Any equipment that isn’t brand new, make sure you service it to ensure you get the best outcome and desired effect, as, over time, some things won’t work as well and may even need to be replaced. Buy anything that you don’t already have and know it will be needed for basic tasks, like measure levels, ladders, saws, and any little drill bits and pieces.

Market your services to the world

If you don’t market your business well, no one will even know you exist, and how do you expect to be successful that way? Advertise what you offer with different media outlets, whether that be the tv, radio, or online via social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can draw in some faces by offering discounts to new customers, or by them referring other people to you. Lastly, you can ask friends and family to spread the word, as most people find their services through word of mouth recommendations.

3 Ways Employee Gossip Can Actually Help Your Business

Employee gossip is often seen as nothing but a negative. In some regards, that is absolutely accurate. If employees are spending their time talking to one another rather than completing the work required of them, then your business is going to find itself suffering from lost productivity issues. If this gossip is pernicious and even nasty, then it can disrupt the entire working environment. So it’s fair to say that workplace gossip is often fairly maligned, and should be considered a threat to your business.

However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, employees talking among themselves and engaging in gossip can actually be beneficial. Here’s how.

1) Highlighting underperforming staff members

Your employees will have a decent idea of one another when they have been working together for awhile. They will have figured out who is a go-getter, who can be relied on to deliver work on time, and — most importantly — who is something of a slacker.

As a business owner, it’s genuinely beneficial to you to know who has a reputation for laziness and underperforming in the tasks they are given. While employees are unlikely to approach you directly to complain of a colleague, by keeping your ear to the ground, you should be able to pick up the general feeling that staff members have towards one another. If your employees have recognized, en masse, that one of their number is not contributing as they should, then you need to know about the situation so you can take remedial action.

2) Safety concerns

Any business owner knows they have to dedicate their time to ensuring that all the necessary health and safety requirements are met in their workplace. This means engaging safety consultants and implementing their suggestions on a regular basis, but it also means listening to your employees.

If your employees feel something about your workplace is not safe, they are far more likely to highlight these concerns to one another than take them directly to you. You may find that a certain section of your office has a bad reputation among your staff, or there’s a general consensus that the air quality in your office isn’t what it should be. Sometimes, listening to office gossip is the only way to discover these important pieces of information, as no employee likes to take complaints directly to the boss. If you listen out for these generally-accepted and discussed complaints, you could identify areas of concern in your workplace before they become genuinely hazardous.

3) Workload stresses

Managing the workload that you place on your employees is vital for the health of your business. If employees become overworked, they are unlikely to mention this to you– no employee wants to put their head above the parapet and complain about what is being required of them.

However, employees are likely to discuss strenuous workloads with one another. If you listen out for this kind of talk, or hear rumors swirling of people struggling to cope with demands on their time, it will stand you in good stead if you examine the issue and take remedial action where required.

In conclusion

While office gossip can be problematic, it can also be a useful insight into what’s really happening in your business. Listening and paying attention to the rumor mill can benefit your business, and allow you to implement changes that can ultimately be useful to all.