Starting A Business Can Be Scary. But Don’t Feel Alone!

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In 2010, there were 27.9 million registered small businesses in the US. With 18,500 of them having 500 employees or more. Since then an up to date consensus hasn’t been performed, as they’re usually done over an 8 year period. But if that figure isn’t enough to make you nervous, then we don’t know what will. It may seem like, that with so many companies around yours won’t make it. But with a little help from the right people, and a lot of patience, you’ll be a successful part of that figure before you know it. Here are some people to call on the help you make your way in the business world.

Finance is a scary part of business. A few wrong calculations here and there, and before you know it you’re making a loss. This is why so many companies choose to hire finance manager and accountants. Trying to figure them out on your own is just too much, especially when you have other areas to focus on. They can benchmark you against competitors, and show you where you’re doing well and where you need to tighten the reigns. In times of need, a good finance manager will suggest a short term loan from companies like businesslineof.credit to help you through. Rather than you taking out a loan much too big, they’ll be able to tell you just the right amount to borrow.

As silly as this may sound. Other business owners are perfect to help you feel less alone. Most smaller companies will have a lot of time for people trying to make their way in the world of business. Find one you can confide in, and see if they can offer any helpful advice as to how they got to where they are. They’ll be able to share inside tips and knowledge that nobody else would be able to give. They can also help point out the mistakes they made so you can avoid them.

Talk to family or friends. Although they probably won’t be able to offer you much practical advice, it’s nice to talk to someone who can just be there to listen. There are so many stresses and strains of business, it can be easy to forget you are human, and do need an outlet from time to time. Don’t be afraid to let you hair down now and again and leave business in the office. As hard as this may be, it’s a great way of relieving stress, and coming into work with a fresh face is always better for business.

A simple way of not feeling alone, is remembering you’re not. Whilst working your way up is a scary process, you’re not the only one doing it. Up and down the country people are tirelessly working away, and panicking that they won’t be successful. You will all be a little fish in a big pond to begin with. So you’ve got to remember to relax, go with the flow, and enjoy watching your business grow.

Connecting With Customers: Engaging Your Content Readers With Consumer Loyalty

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When your business is a blog or on an online publication, you may often find it difficult to execute some of the more common elements of economics in your operations. You may be great at content writing and promoting your content, but you may not really know how to best engage your readers for a better impact on business. Aside from starting to see your readers or followers as your customers, there are ways that you can work to engage them more, and improve your operations overall. So let’s take a look at how you can connect with your customers, encourage consumer loyalty, and boost your business.

Ask What They Want

Before you start anything, you’re going to need to conduct some research. It’s one thing to assume what your customers will want, but it’s better to just ask them. Yes, you can use your analytics to find out what they’re reading the most, and what kind of content they like, but you will also gain great insights if you just speak to your customers. Whether you do this on social media, or via a questionnaire, finding out what content they want will definitely improve your engagement levels – especially when you go on to produce their asked for posts.

Provide Freebies

Another thing you can do is offer freebies. There’s a lot of research out there that supports the provision of free content to your readers, and it speaks for itself. But free stuff is also a great reward for your loyal readers. Whether it’s an ebook, or even a gift, you should find that if you’re able to offer an added bonus, your customer loyalty and engagement will increase.

Ask For Referrals

Ever been asked to recommend a friend? Whether it’s to a restaurant or an online store, referral programs are often a great way to get new business. When you offer a reward to your readers to refer their friends, not only are you keeping your customers sweet and ensuring that they stay loyal, but you’ll also access a new range of customers. And because they’ve been referred by one of your existing users, it’s highly likely that they’ll be an engaged audience too.

Offer A Trial Of New Products

Next, you could think about offering your existing customers a trial. There are so many options for building customer loyalty like these, http://salespromotions.org/consumer-oriented-sales-promotion-builds-customer-loyalty-and-sales/, and free trials are just one of them. Some people offer to new customers, but you will often engage your readers more by offering to existing customers. With free perks, they’re more likely to stay loyal.

Give Them Discounts

And finally, you should definitely think about giving them discounts on any purchasable products that you have. Because everyone loves a discount. When you launch a new product, why not send out discount codes to your existing readers. They will feel special for the time and attention you give to them, keeping them ever loyal and engaged.

What is Fuelling the Boom in Business Services? Fintech of Course

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Life, financially speaking, is not getting any easier, in the most part people are finding that their salaries are stagnant, buying property is increasingly more difficult, and more expensive. To add insult to injury interest rates on savings are all but none existent.

Is it any wonder then, that people and in particular younger people, are desperate to find ways to improve their financial outlook, not just in the long term, but in the here and now. While finding ways to earn more money may not be that easy, there is technology that has been developing for some time now that is looking to change the face of the financial services – Fintech.

Financial technology (fintech) is not exactly new, but it has been confined to a relatively small number of small time players, now however, it is entering the mainstream, it is entering the mainstream with vigour and challenging the industry’s huge incumbents.

Companies like IG have begun targeting the financial trading world, Smart-Pig offers competitive loans to students, Seedrs is a crowdfunding platform targeted at new startups. All these companies are accessing different areas within the financial market, but what they all have in common is that they are looking to be at the vanguard of the fintech revolution.

The history of fintech is impressive, if a little bitter sweet at times. Personal Protection Insurance (PPI) claims providers are perhaps the best example of how fintech started to become successful. Using fintech, PPI claims providers scour databases to pinpoint people who may have been sold PPI and then process their claim for them.

Websites that process claims for injuries at work or road accidents work in a similar way and while mainstream banks have been using algorithms for a long time now, they have been using technology purely for their own benefit and not for that of their customers. On the face of things PPI claims providers and accident claims providers do the reverse, working to earn their customers some money, but for a slice of the action.

PPI and accident claims companies were and still are working off the back of the established big hitters in the financial services, but new fintech companies are going a step further and taking on the big financial players at their own game.

The incumbents have been forced to sit up and take notice and there are already signs that the establishment is fighting back. News last week revealed that companies, like IG, who offer CFD trading are to see tougher regulation. So could it be that the old guard still have the upper hand and will crush the new momentum that fintech companies have gained?

This is unlikely, because the nature of the fintech revolution means that like chameleons, they can change their appearance at will and continue afresh. A more distinct possibility is that new fintech companies will be tempted to join the ranks of the incumbents, being bought up by the big multinationals and used as another way in which to continue their monopoly.

Smooth Protection For Your Business Against 4 Common Threats

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In the world of business, there are plenty of ways in which a business can suffer. The amount of different kinds of threats your business can face is growing every day. In truth, if you want your business to succeed as long into the future as possible, you need to take this into consideration. The best way to ensure your business keeps going strong is to make sure you know about the most common kinds of threat. As long as you know what they are and how they function, you can more easily protect your business. Preventing such things happening is always the best solution, so it is a good idea to focus on that. Let’s take a look at four of the most common threats against businesses and how to stop them happening.

Data Loss

Today, data is more important to businesses than it has ever been before. This is for a number of reasons. Your business, in all likelihood, holds data for many different people. Most importantly of all, you will have personal data relating to your clients and customers. You have something of a moral duty to ensure that this is as safe as possible. At the very least, then, ensure that you encrypt this data on both ends. However, this is not the only way that data loss can happen. There is also the software that you use that you need to think of. Protecting your software using a software escrow service is always a good idea in this regard.

Fraud

There are many different kinds of fraud which your business might be the subject of. While there is only a limited amount you can do, you should do everything in your power to avoid fraud occurring. One of the most common types of fraud is social engineering. This often takes advantage of a genuinely innocent member of staff to carry out the fraud. The best defense against this type of fraud is to keep your employees clued up. Train them to successfully recognize fraudulent emails and phone calls when they come in. This is a hugely beneficial skill for your employees to have.

Burglary

Now it is time to think of the actual physical premises where your business is located. There are a number of things that can happen to this, and none of them bode well for your business as a whole. A common one is burglary, which is obviously potentially devastating for any business. To protect your building against this type of threat, it might be a good idea to hire a security firm to protect your building. They can ensure that nobody gets in who is not meant to.

Legal Action

Finally, we come to the matter of the law. Any business runs the risk of being sued or legal action being taken against them. However, there are ways you can reduce the likelihood of this happening in the first place. It goes without saying that behaving according to the law is essential, as this protects you in most cases. It is also a good idea to get a decent lawyer on board.

What Does Synchronization in Bitcoin Mean and Why Does it Take So Long?

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To ensure that this currency is secure and safe, wallet synchronization is the best thing to do in the world of bitcoin. All bitcoin software in the world synchronizes their wallets to ensure that the bitcoins are aligned with the general blockchain ledger. The synchronization process can take up many hours since the operation of using bitcoins involves various calculations using the root algorithm. This is the reason why most bitcoin users invest in powerful machines for computational purposes. System freezes can occur if you attempt to use less-powerful machines to synchronize bitcoins. You should invest in high-end computers with more-than-normal speed for reliable performance.

Bitcoin wallet synchronization is a routine process for many bitcoin users. Numerous relevant forums on the internet give free advice to new bitcoin users. They can give you solicited tips on synchronization. There are many tricks and tips to make the process run faster shared by Bitcoin experts.

The method of synchronizing a wallet is very long because the blockchain is growing longer than ever. The block is added to the blockchain every time a transaction is verified. These are permanent additions to the public ledger. The blockchain will grow tremendously as many people keep transacting in bitcoins.

Traditional currencies are growing to be a thing of the past. This is because they are controlled by the central banks and governments that lie about their interest to the general community. However, the truth is that they work to protect the interest of the upper class of the social community. This trend is well-documented even in the foreign states. You need to know that these figures are there to boost the elite’s status quo. Powerful, wealthy figures support the old system because they support them. Bitcoin can decentralize currency policy and change status quo.

Many people will start operating with digital currencies in many years ahead. Computer experts were the first people to adopt bitcoins. Other people have been inspired by media to start using this currency. The future is certainly foreseen. More ATMs will come that allow bitcoin withdrawals.

Why and How You Should Stay On Brand At All Times

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Staying on brand is something that all the biggest and best companies know how to do well. And that’s one of the reasons why those companies have become the biggest and most recognizable in the world. Your business really needs to make sure that it stays on brand at all times. Failing to do this will lead to confusion and an inability to grow the business smoothly. Neither of those things are desirable for you.

First of all, we will look at the reasons why it’s so important for you to stay on brand at all times. Then we will explore the practical things that have to be done in order to make this actually happen. With some hard work, your business will get used to staying on brand in no time.

Why?

Customers Recognize and Remember Consistent Brands

The main reason why you need to stay on brand is to win over more customers. You can only do this if you remain consistent at all times. You can’t expect customers to flock to your business if you are not prepared to give them a reason to do so. People will be much more likely to remember your business is the brand is identifiable. And it can only be identifiable and recognizable if you make sure that you stay on brand and on message at all times. It really is as simple as that. The most successful brands around are the ones that understand all of this.

Always Use the Same Logo and Imagery

If your business has a logo, as it should, then it should be used consistently. Make sure that the logo you use is the same one and doesn’t change. Once you switch to a new logo, make sure this is the one you use at all times. And you should take the same approach to imagery. Things like photos, themes, fonts and colors should be as consistent as they possibly can be. This is really the only way to ensure that your brand and its identity remain easily recognizable to the wider public. It’s pretty simple to do this once you get into the habit.

The Message Won’t Change and Confuse People

The message that your business delivers has to really hit people and stay with them. It’ll only confuse people if your message changes all the time. That’s not what you want, so make sure that you do whatever you can to make your message coherent and consistent. This means staying on brand and solidifying the messages that you want people to associate with the brand. People won’t remember what the business’s message and purpose are if it isn’t consistent at all times. Even the precise wording of your brand’s message should be kept consistent if you want the best outcomes.

Reputation-Building Becomes Simpler

Building your business’s reputation is going to be one of the biggest challenges you have. You can only grow your business if you have a consistent message. So, this is one of the key reasons why you need to stay on brand. It’s much easier to grow a reputation if people can easily recognize your brand. They will associate every positive thing they hear about your business with the company when they recognize it. You want the name, branding and reputation of the business to be completely integrated with one another. Without this kind of consistency, the business will really struggle.

How?

Start in the Office

You should start aiming for this level of consistency in the workplace. You can only succeed in staying on brand if you’re willing to instill this idea and principle into every single person. All the people who work for your business should understand the importance of staying on brand. Things like document templates can help to make press releases and other documents as consistent as possible. You can add the company logo to documents for added consistency if you want to.

Repeat Simple Messages

Your business should have a few simple message that can be repeated over and over again. This simply hammers home the message. Think about how big businesses have a few messages that you hear over and over. You might think that they sound annoying. But the fact that you remember them and they stick in your mind proves that they work and are doing their job. So, this is something that your business should aim to emulate. You could have a key slogan that accompanies all your adverts. And you could add a few other simpler messages to this too.

5 Collaborative Tools Your Business Should Implement

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To promote efficiency and achieve improved levels of work output between employees, companies must encourage communication and collaboration. Internal business communication is vital, but many companies don’t put the necessary time and effort into improving this key facet of productivity. Technology is consistently revealing ways in which the professional sector can improve, and these collaborative tools are those most necessary for business growth.

A Discussion Forum

 

It’s essential to encourage information sharing in your office between ranks, from veteran workers to brand new hires. If you’re not looking to shell out money on business communication tools, one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to improve communication is to encourage the use of a dedicated discussion forum, especially if you have a large number of employees on your roster. This will allow employees to quickly and efficiently get answers to pertinent questions, bring a sense of cohesion between departments, and encourage employees to feel more essential in the work processes.

ALM Software

 

If your company does any sort of developing, ALM software is essential. Inflectra produces project management and software testing tools meant to streamline every portion of the software development process. This application lifecycle management system offers interface systems through which employees in every department, in any location, can check in on progress and monitor the status of other portions of any singular project. This allows for quality assurance; mistakes can be detected at any point of the process, and this will allow your company to avoid costly repairs and reworks down the line. This central portal will serve as a beacon of connectivity for developers and the rest of your office, making it more conducive to crafting software that directly suits your specifications.

Remote Meeting Capabilities

 

Do you have employees that work remotely? While outsourcing can cut costs, it can also increase the frequency of miscommunication and deter collaboration. Cue ScreenConnect. This remote desktop software is designed to improve remote meeting capabilities, among a host of other duties. This software allows a primary user to host software on their own servers, with a central web application having the ability to be viewed both in and out of the local area network. If your meetings are screen sharing-heavy, this software is invaluable. ScreenConnect allows users to share their computer screen with numerous individuals, allowing for an unlimited number of attendees in any remote meeting. This will enable your employees to collaborate in real time, host training sessions, and speak with customers and clients, making it useful for any business, no matter the industry.

Email Streamlining

 

Emails get lost, discussions get confused, and email threads have turned into the bane of your professional existence—sound familiar? Chookka is a web-based conversation tool that can help your employees collaborate with other employees and customers alike. This simple tool can be aligned with existing email servers to access all shared files. Users can sort by topic, emphasize the importance of varied messages, and onboard outside individuals into pre-existing conversations to make for ease of communication.

Intranet Chat

 

It’s important to allow for instant messaging and immediate conversation between employees and departments. Investing in intranet chat services can ensure your employees are able to privately message pertinent information, and partake in group discussions that can see an entire team resolving an issue in less time than it would take to walk across the office. LAN Messenger is an intranet chat application that doesn’t necessitate a server, and will enable your office to send encrypted messages and file transfers.

Improved collaboration results in multiple benefits for any business type. It enables employees to achieve a better sense of self-awareness, understanding their competencies and areas in which they should improve. It allows for cohesive design work, which follows a product or service from conception to sale, and can help your organization continuously improve through consistent education. There are many benefits to be gleaned from collaborative efforts, so employ the aforementioned tools as they apply to your processes and improve productivity and office tenor in one fell swoop.

Which Factors Make For a Successful Business Website?

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We’ve all encountered businesses that have terrible websites before. So, we all know what problems can arise when a business fails to get its website right. It can immediately introduce the customer to the business in the wrong way. When a customer’s first impressions of a business are all wrong, then they might not stick around to learn more. That’s why those first impressions matter so much. They allow further interaction between the business and potential customers.

If you’re creating a new website for your business or you simply want to improve the old one, there are some things it should have. The key factors outlined below are the ones that can help to make your business’s website a real success now and in the future.

Clear Message About the Nature of the Business

When someone visits your business’s website for the first time, they want to learn about the business. That’s why it’s so important to be clear when they first arrive. They should immediately be made aware of what the business does and has to offer to potential customers. You should have a banner at the top, underneath the business’s name, that outlines this information. Then the information and images displayed on the homepage should also make it clear what the business is about. You can go into further depth when you write the ‘about’ page of the website. Here you can talk about everything the business does, as well as the history of the business.

Navigable Layout

The layout of the website needs to be easy to navigate if you want your website to fulfill its function. If people can’t get around the website easily, they will not spend time trying to do so. People don’t want to feel like they’re in a maze when they’re exploring a website. It’s not something that should ever be difficult or challenging for the user. It should be as straightforward as it can be. Including a sitemap is a good idea, but that’s just the starting point. The links should be clear, and having drop-down subsections under each category heading on the homepage is a good idea too.

Good Hosting Service

You need your website to be active and functional all the time if you want it to be a success. This is only possible if you are using a good hosting service. It’s worth shopping around and looking for the best deal. You’re going to need 24/7 assistance, so that problems can be fixed rapidly. This website allows you to get discounted prices on hosting, so this can make it more affordable. If the hosting service you currently use is proving problematic, and your website experiences a lot of downtime, change it. It’s one of the most important factors of all, so confront it.

SEO-Friendly Content

These days, many people stumble across websites. They search for something general and vague, and then they see what comes up. This is the reality of how people browse the internet and discover businesses. So, you need to make sure that you are prepared for this by making your website and its content SEO-friendly. By doing this, your website will instantly become a lot more accessible, and that’s what you want when you’re running a business. It’s more simple than you might think too. You just need to use the right keywords, adding lots of strong links and getting the page titles right. As long as you get those things right, all the basics will be covered.

Eye-Catching Images

The images on your website have the biggest impact on its visual design. Strong images can really bring a website to life. But bad ones can stand out for all the wrong reasons. You don’t necessarily need to take your own images for the website, but this can help. Unique images that are specific to your website show a much higher level of professionalism. But there are also lots of stock images that you can use too. See what you can find, but ensure that they are relevant to your company and the design of the website. They also need to have the right resolution. There’s nothing worse than pixelated images on your website.

Flexibility

It’s up to you to make sure that you change with the times. It’s the customers who decide how they will browse your website, so you need to meet their needs. These days, people demand flexibility, and it’s what you have to offer. The overall design of the website has to be suitable for browsing on mobile devices, as well as desktops. You can achieve this by making sure that the website has a responsive design. This hands a great deal more flexibility to the visitor because they can choose how they wish to interact with your content. It’s good for your business too because more people will be able to see what you have to offer.

FAQ Page

However well you set out the information on your website, there will always be extra questions that people have. This doesn’t have to be a problem though. The easy solution is to add an FAQ page. Here, any questions that are frequently asked about the business are answered. Adding this kind of page to your website is a good way of letting people know everything they need to know. And you will be able to cut down on the amount of people who contact the business asking questions. No business has the time to waste on those kinds of things, so this is something that definitely makes sense.

Relevant Contact Details

Your website often acts as a link between the customer and the business. So, if they want to learn more or visit the store, they’ll have to have the right contact details. You need to ensure that the contact details of the business are displayed clearly on the website. Most business websites have a page dedicated to this. You should include a phone number, physical address and an email address. You could even include a simple contact form. This allows the user to type in a question or query and then send it off to you. You can then get back to them with a reply in your own time.

Customer Testimonials

Customer testimonials can be really useful when you want to show people that your business can be trusted. These testimonials are written by customers who are happy to share their positive experience with people. This then shows other potential customers that your business is one that can be trusted and relied on to get the job done. It’s amazing what difference this makes. It helps to reassure people in a way that can be quite difficult for businesses, especially small ones. So, next time you have a happy customer, ask if they’d like to contribute a testimonial to be displayed on the website.

Strong Security Measures

Security is a big issue when you’re creating and running a website too. If you’re selling things on your website, this is even more important. People need to be able to buy from your online store in confidence. They should be 100% confident that they are safe to enter their payment details. If they’re not, then they won’t be happy to make a purchase, and that’s not good for the business. You need to have SSL certificates in place to ensure that all communications are encrypted. This means that when a customer enters payment details, they can’t be compromised in any way. No website should try to sell items without sorting this out first.

Announcing The Crowdfunding Pitch Show LIVE

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In just two short months an idea I’ve had for over almost three years will be coming to life at Skyway Studios here in Nashville, as a new spin on helping startups raise capital in a single evening is born via The Crowdfunding Pitch Show LIVE event. 

For those of you that know me, last year I started hosting the Crowdfunding Pitch Show on Supertalk 99.7. The goal is to offer a way for entrepreneurs currently trying to raise capital via crowdfunding to pitch their ideas to the city and ask for financial backing.

A big part of why I started the show was creating a marketing mechanism for what this event is meant to accomplish; engage an audience, conduct market research, raise capital, and have a fun time doing it.

What Is The Crowdfunding Pitch Show LIVE

The Crowdfunding Pitch Show LIVE will be an opportunity for Tennessee entrepreneurs to raise capital in a single evening without having to give up equity, and the audience will decide who wins.

10 startups from around Tennessee have been selected to compete (Will be announced soon), and have 4 minutes to present their company.  A panel of experts ranging from angel investors to small business owners will ask questions following the pitch, but will not be responsible for determining the winner.

The Crowd Decides The Winner

Following all the contestant pitches, the crowd will be asked to vote via mobile app on which company they like the best on the following factors:

  1. Presentation
  2. Business concept validity
  3. Personal interest in product or service

All Ticket Sales Go To The Winner

The votes will be averaged, and whichever company receives the highest number of votes will be declared the winner, and receive capital generated from ticket sales.

As a member of the crowd, not only do you get to help decide who wins, your money goes directly to the winning startup.

Post Pitch Entertainment

Following the contest local bands will be performing, as drinks and cocktails are served. We will be able to enjoy a two great bands that are currently on tour around the country, Medic & Paper Lights, and have the opportunity to network with a broad range of people from around the state.

Why Come & What’s The Cost?

Whether you want to help a startup raise capital, just network, or are looking meet investors from around the country, The Crowdfunding Pitch Show LIVE is all about helping new startups grow, all while having a fun evening!

Tickets only cost $30 – and that includes your first round of drinks. 

If you can’t make it in person, the event will also be LIVE STREAMED and you can access the feed for just $10.

Join us for the first Crowdfunding Pitch Show LIVE with bands, drinks, great speakers and networking opportunities.

How To Outsource Your Business Without Losing Its Soul

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There are a thousand little operations that must be carried out every day for any small business to stay in operation. But often those little tasks seem to have nothing to do with your actual business. Or at least, have nothing to do with your core product.

That’s why companies take outsourcing very seriously. They siphon off the parts of their business that don’t have anything to do with their core product, so they can focus on what they’re good at.

But knowing what to outsource can be a challenge in itself. You don’t want to lose control of any aspects of the company that are necessary to its central purpose. So what can be outsourced effectively?

Information Technology

Outsourcing your IT has almost become a cliche. Most businesses are now employing some form of outsourcing – and for good reason. One, their core product is not dependent on them having complete ownership and control of their systems. They can still deliver their product without any compromises by allowing somebody else to take over the running of their IT.

And two, it’s far more cost-effective. Running a traditional in-house IT set up, a la 1990s, costs companies a fortune in capital and maintenance. There was downtime galore and the tremendous cost of maintaining a full complement of IT staff, ready to pounce when something went wrong. Which, of course, it always did.

Now many have had enough and have moved over to an IT outsourcing nirvana.

Distribution

Distribution is another one of those revoltingly complex operations that businesses struggle with. Every year, you devote a giant chunk of your company’s precious resources to managing suppliers and delivery. And every year you have to weigh up the pros and cons of managing your business’s distribution.

Relinquishing control over your company’s distribution can free up an enormous number of resources. No longer do you have to chase clients for payments. No longer do you have to keep abreast of all your resources in your inventory. And no longer must you capture and store data relating to your logistical activities.

This can all be done by a third party company, allowing you to get on with focusing on your core product.

Taxes

Many new entrepreneurs loathe employing an accountant. Paying an accountant to file your taxes is like adding insult to injury. It’s essentially paying somebody to work out how much money you owe somebody else when all that other person does is make your life more difficult.

But having an accountant is virtually standard across all industries, especially if you employ people. That’s because accountants are a way of protecting yourself against the complexity of the tax code. It’s a minefield and one that the inexperienced can find themselves mired in, with serious repercussions. The tax man might make mistakes with your tax rebate every year. But he’s not ashamed of having double standards and coming down hard if you make a mistake on yours.

Rather than just seeing how much they cost, try to look at what accountants can save you. They save you time, which is important. But they can also make back more than their fees through tax-efficiencies and tricks to help you save money. And that’s why practically everybody uses accountants. They tend to be good value for money in the end and don’t detract from your core objective.

The Best Tips For A More Organised Start-Up

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The success of any business hinges on its productivity, and productivity hinges on organisation. If your company has poor organisation, then it won’t be growing for the foreseeable future. Even if you started trading this week, you need to make sure every part of your business is working together. If you want the maximum possible efficiency and ROI, here are some good tips for a more organised business.

 

First of all, pay attention to your product development. A successful product will disrupt the market, give your customers what it promises, and drive up your sales. You want your product to be successful, don’t you? For your best shot at this, you need to make sure every last department is working towards an end goal. Your engineers and designers need to be working to a tight release date, and your PR guys need to be building enough hype for it. At each stage, make sure progress is being made, feedback is being given, and improvements are being carried out based on that feedback. Your products are what consumers are going to judge you on. If you organise just one facet of your business, make sure it’s product development.

My second tip is to use all the technology which could help you. Keeping development on track is pretty easy if everyone’s working from one office. But what if you’re outsourcing work, and you have employees spread all over the world? This kind of model is extremely common in 2016, especially among start-ups. To make sure you keep it organised, you’ll probably want to bring some new tech on board. Cloud storage is invaluable for a small business. Through this, people with any device and an internet connection can view, comment on, and edit pieces of work. A backup box or similar technology can also be a big help, and save your company from a full-blown data crisis. Do some research into any tech which could give you an advantage, and go about acquiring it.

My final tip is not to forget the big picture. Obviously, you want to have the healthiest profit margins and fastest growth possible. In order to attain this, you need to have a thorough understanding of every single factor affecting your business. You need to think about where it is now, where it’s been in the past, and where it’s heading. I understand that the present has enough things to worry about! However, having a long-term picture in mind can do a lot to keep motivated and engaged in managing your business. Have a detailed plan spanning at least the next year, and stick to it. Every day, you should be able to come in and see what needs to be sped up and improved. Take care of your daily goals, and the long-term ones will take care of themselves.

Apply these tips, and you’ll find everything to do with your business easier to manage. Making such large changes can be a hassle. Afterwards though, you’ll be kicking yourself for not making them sooner!

EP 37: Entrepreneur of the Year Joel Holland Shares How He Built VideoBlocks

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In this fantastic episode Joel Holland, Founder & Executive Chairman of VideoBlocks.com shares how he starting his company in college, the importance of focus, and how to leverage video to grow your company.

How To Create A Successful Crowdfunding Project

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Crowdfunding is no doubt a popular way of raising significant investment for new projects. People come up with all kinds of innovative ideas all the time. But, they often lack one thing: investment. While some people gather investors by other means, one clever way is by getting people like you and I to invest.

The way that crowdfunding works is simple. You pitch your idea to a global audience via a website. Interested parties can then pledge a specific amount. Once the project reaches a milestone funding goal, it’s all systems go! Of course, some ideas don’t reach their funding milestones.

 

Are you worried about that happening to your crowdfunding project? If so, today’s blog post will help you create a successful campaign. Here is what you need to know:

Make sure you have an idea that interests people

You might have come up with a plan that solves a problem you have. But, is it something that a lot of people are likely to find useful? Before you consider launching a new project, it’s crucial you check there’s a market for it. After all; the last thing you want to do is waste your time and energy creating something few people will use.

I recommend carrying out some market research. Find out just how big the problem you wish to solve really is.

Don’t make your idea stagnant

One of the reasons crowdfunding projects fail is because there’s a lack of momentum. It’s one thing saying that if you reach a financial milestone, you’ll make a retail version of your idea.

But, you must plan a strategy that keeps the momentum going. What new features and benefits will your product offer in the future? Don’t forget to share those details with your potential investors. It will keep them hooked and more inclined to invest in what you wish to achieve.

 

Become a social media junkie

It’s clear one of the ways to raise awareness in your project is by telling people about it on social media. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are just three such networks you can utilize.

Aside from developing your ideas, you must have a clear social media strategy. It might be worth hiring a social media agency to help you with this. Don’t forget you can include their fees in the money you wish to raise with your crowdfunding.

Create a compelling video

They say that a picture paints a thousand words. A video will put a million images out of business! Having an impressive video walking people through your idea is essential.

Videos are easy to share on social media and even via email. Plus, you have more options at your disposal to hook people into your pitch. In contrast, people seldom read articles on crowdfunding sites. They’d sooner watch a video that demonstrates your idea in real life.

Final thoughts

By now, you should have enough ammunition to create a successful crowdfunding campaign. Feel free to let us know if you’ve used these tips and how they worked out for you. Good luck!

Awesome Ways To Become A Better Worker

Businesses often ask themselves how they can get more from their employees, but shouldn’t the onus be on your shoulders? After all, it is your career and your life. The only way to lead the life you want is to have a healthy balance between work and home. And, a healthy work balance means working hard and climbing the ranks. There is no way you can do that if you don’t put in the hard yards and get better at your job. Here are a few tips that can make it happen.

Get Organized

One great but simple tip is to organize your work life better than before. For the most part, employees don’t succeed in their roles because they suffocate under the pressure of their workload. It is okay being skillful at your job, but you also have to be effective. As soon as you organize your work, you will suddenly become more efficient and productive. And, employers love those attributes in their employees. All you have to do is write down a to-do list and tick off the jobs as and when you complete them.

Invest In Training

If your employer takes you seriously, they will already send you on training courses. Why? Because training courses are the best way to learn and to improve as a person. If you improve, so does the business – it is that simple. If you don’t already, or if you do and you want to learn more, book a couple of days holiday a year to go on training courses. From scientific molding training to how to communicate effectively, they have them all, so there is no excuse. With a training course under your belt, you will fly up the hierarchy.

Don’t Work Too Hard

There is a myth that you have to chain yourself to your desk to be good at your job. Don’t listen to that myth because it is nonsense! As in all walks of life, improving is about quality not quantity. Instead of glorifying working eighty hour weeks, glorify forty hour weeks instead. Then, you can do your best work while also having a life. Remember that your life outside of work affects your work life, so it is important to keep it in check.

Get Your Beauty Sleep

Your brain can’t work if it is tired. It is like every other muscle in your body in that respect, the only difference being that you think you can power through. You can’t so don’t try. If you try, you will only succeed in producing substandard work that no one wants, not you of your employer. Sleep is essential because it recharges your batteries and keeps you fresh and ready to work. Taking regular breaks is also a good way to keep the mind and body active.

Be Proactive

Proactive workers stand out to employers more than any other employee. When they see you doing work without being asked, they see a driven and motivated person. Even if you don’t think they are taking notice, they are, and they will reward you in the long run.

The best jobs go to the workers they can trust.