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Business

How to Start a Business with No Money (in 2024)

Starting a business with no money may seem like a daunting challenge, but it is not impossible. In fact, there are many successful entrepreneurs who have launched their ventures with little or no capital. In this blog post, we will share some tips and strategies on how to start a business with no money in 2024.

Identify your skills and passions

The first step to starting a business with no money is to figure out what you are good at and what you enjoy doing. This will help you find a niche market that you can serve with your products or services. For example, if you are a talented writer, you could offer freelance writing services to clients online. If you are passionate about fitness, you could create online courses or videos on how to stay fit and healthy.

The first questions you need to figure out are as follows: Do you feel stuck in your career or life? Do you want to find more meaning and fulfillment in what you do? If so, you might benefit from identifying your skills and passions. These are the things that you are good at and enjoy doing, and they can help you discover your purpose and direction.

Skills training

But how do you identify your skills and passions? Here are some steps you can take:

  1. Reflect on your past experiences. Think about the activities, projects, or tasks that you have done in the past, either for work, school, or fun. What did you enjoy doing the most? What did you excel at? What made you feel proud or satisfied?
  2. Ask for feedback. Sometimes, it can be hard to see our own strengths and interests objectively. That’s why it can be helpful to ask for feedback from others who know us well, such as family, friends, colleagues, or mentors. Ask them what they think are your skills and passions, and why. You might be surprised by what they say.
  3. Take a personality test. Another way to identify your skills and passions is to take a personality test, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the StrengthsFinder, or the Enneagram. These tests can help you understand your preferences, motivations, and talents better, and suggest careers or activities that match your personality type.
  4. Explore new opportunities. Sometimes, we don’t know what we are passionate about until we try something new. That’s why it’s important to explore new opportunities and challenge yourself to learn new skills. You can do this by taking a course, joining a club, volunteering for a cause, or starting a hobby. You never know what might spark your interest or passion.
  5. Follow your curiosity. Finally, one of the best ways to identify your skills and passions is to follow your curiosity. Curiosity is the natural desire to learn more about something that intrigues you. It can lead you to discover new things that you might not have considered before. So, whenever you feel curious about something, don’t ignore it. Instead, follow it and see where it takes you.

Validate your idea

bootstrap a business

Before you invest any time or money into your business, you need to validate your idea and make sure that there is a demand for it. You can do this by conducting market research, surveying potential customers, creating a landing page, or launching a minimum viable product (MVP). These methods will help you test your assumptions, get feedback, and measure the interest and willingness of your target audience to pay for your solution.

Validating an idea is one of the most important steps in launching a new product or service. The meaning is that you are testing whether there is a real demand and interest for what you are offering, and whether your target customers are willing to pay for it.

There are many ways to validate your idea, but here are some of the most common ones:

  • Conduct customer interviews. Talk to potential customers and ask them about their problems, needs, preferences, and feedback on your idea. Try to understand their pain points and how your solution can help them.
  • Create a landing page. A landing page is a simple web page that describes your value proposition and invites visitors to sign up for updates, pre-order, or join a waitlist. You can use tools like Unbounce or Leadpages to create one easily. Then, drive traffic to your landing page using ads, social media, or email marketing and measure how many people sign up or express interest.
  • Run a crowdfunding campaign. A crowdfunding campaign is a way to raise money from the public for your project. You can use platforms like Kickstarter or Indiegogo to create a campaign page, set a funding goal and deadline, and offer rewards to backers. This way, you can validate your idea by seeing how many people are willing to support it financially and get feedback from them.
  • Build a minimum viable product (MVP). An MVP is a version of your product or service that has the minimum features needed to solve the core problem of your customers. You can build an MVP using low-cost or no-code tools like Bubble or Zapier, or hire a developer to help you. Then, you can launch your MVP to a small group of early adopters and get feedback from them on how to improve it.

These are some of the methods you can use to validate your idea before investing too much time and money into it. By validating your idea, you can reduce the risk of failure, learn from your customers, and iterate on your solution until you find the product-market fit.

Leverage free or low-cost resources

Starting a business with no money does not mean that you have to do everything by yourself. There are many free or low-cost resources that you can use to launch and grow your business. For example, you can use online platforms like WordPress, Shopify, or Wix to create your website or online store. You can use social media, email marketing, or content marketing to promote your brand and reach your customers. You can also use online tools like Canva, Fiverr, or Upwork to create your logo, design your graphics, or outsource some tasks.

Build your network and partnerships

business branding

Another way to start a business with no money is to build your network and partnerships with other entrepreneurs, influencers, or organizations that can help you grow your business. For example, you can join online communities, forums, or groups related to your niche and share your expertise and value. You can also collaborate with other businesses that complement yours and offer cross-promotion or referral deals. You can also seek mentorship or advice from experienced entrepreneurs who can guide you and support you.

Networking and partnerships are essential for any business or professional who wants to grow and succeed. They can help you access new opportunities, resources, contacts, and insights that can boost your performance and reputation. But how do you build your network and partnerships effectively? Here are some tips to help you:

  • Identify your goals and values. Before you start networking, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and what you stand for. This will help you find the right people and organizations to connect with, and also communicate your value proposition to them.
  • Be proactive and strategic. Don’t wait for others to reach out to you, but actively seek out potential partners and contacts that align with your goals and values. Use online platforms, events, referrals, and introductions to expand your network. Be strategic about who you target and how you approach them, and always follow up with them.
  • Be genuine and generous. Networking is not just about exchanging business cards or asking for favors. It’s about building trust and rapport with others, and showing genuine interest in them and their work. Be generous with your time, knowledge, skills, and resources, and offer value to your partners and contacts. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice, but also be ready to reciprocate.
  • Nurture your relationships. Networking is not a one-time activity, but a continuous process of maintaining and strengthening your relationships. Keep in touch with your partners and contacts regularly, and update them on your progress and achievements. Share relevant information, opportunities, feedback, and appreciation with them. Be responsive and respectful, and honor your commitments.

Bootstrap and reinvest your profits

bootstrap your ideas

Finally, starting a business with no money means that you have to bootstrap and reinvest your profits back into your business. Bootstrapping means that you use your own savings, income, or revenue to fund your business operations and growth. This way, you avoid taking on debt or giving up equity to investors. Reinvesting your profits means that you use the money that you make from your sales to improve your products or services, expand your marketing, hire more staff, or acquire more customers.

If you have a great idea for a business, but you don’t have enough capital to start it, you might want to consider bootstrapping. Bootstrapping is a way of launching and growing your business with minimal external funding. It means relying on your own savings, revenue, and resources to finance your operations.

Bootstrapping has many benefits, such as:

  • You have full control over your business decisions and direction.
  • You don’t have to give up any equity or ownership to investors.
  • You can focus on creating value for your customers, rather than pleasing your funders.
  • You can avoid debt and interest payments that can eat into your profits.

However, bootstrapping also comes with some challenges, such as:

  • You have limited resources and cash flow to invest in your business growth.
  • You have to wear many hats and handle multiple aspects of your business by yourself or with a small team.
  • You have to be creative and resourceful in finding ways to cut costs and generate revenue.
  • You may face more competition from well-funded rivals who can outspend you on marketing and innovation.

So how can you bootstrap your business successfully? Here are some tips to help you:

  • Validate your idea before you launch. Test your product or service with real customers and get feedback on what works and what doesn’t. This will help you avoid wasting time and money on something that nobody wants or needs.
  • Start small and scale up. Don’t try to do everything at once. Focus on the most important features and functions of your product or service, and deliver them with high quality. Then, as you gain traction and revenue, you can add more features and expand your market.
  • Leverage free or low-cost tools and platforms. There are many online tools and platforms that can help you run your business efficiently and effectively, such as WordPress, Shopify, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, etc. Use them to create your website, online store, email list, analytics dashboard, etc. without spending a lot of money.
  • Outsource or barter when possible. You don’t have to do everything by yourself. You can outsource some tasks or functions to freelancers or agencies who can do them better or faster than you. Alternatively, you can barter your skills or products with other entrepreneurs who can offer you something in return.
  • Build a loyal customer base. Your customers are your best asset when you bootstrap your business. They can provide you with revenue, feedback, referrals, testimonials, etc. Treat them well and exceed their expectations. Offer them incentives to stay loyal and spread the word about your business.

Best Low-Cost Business Ideas You Can Start Today

sticky notes

Are you looking for some low-cost business ideas that can generate high profits? If so, you are in the right place. In this blog post, I will share with you 4 of the best low-cost business ideas that you can start today with minimal investment and maximum returns.

  1. Blogging. Blogging is one of the most popular and profitable online business ideas that anyone can start with a laptop and an internet connection. You can create a blog on any topic that you are passionate about, such as travel, fitness, fashion, cooking, etc. and monetize it with ads, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, or selling your own products or services. The best part is that you can start a blog for free or with a low-cost hosting plan and domain name. You can also use platforms like Medium or WordPress.com to create your blog without any technical skills.
  2. Online tutoring. Online tutoring is another great low-cost business idea that can help you earn a decent income by sharing your knowledge and skills with others. You can teach anything that you are good at, such as languages, math, science, music, art, etc. and find students online who are willing to pay for your lessons. You can use platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, Teachable, or Zoom to create and deliver your courses or offer live sessions. You can also create your own website or blog to promote your online tutoring services and attract more clients.
  3. Dropshipping. Dropshipping is a type of e-commerce business where you sell products online without having to deal with inventory, shipping, or fulfillment. You simply create an online store using platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce and find a reliable supplier who can ship the products directly to your customers on your behalf. You only pay for the products that you sell and keep the difference as your profit. Dropshipping is a low-cost business idea because you don’t have to invest in inventory or warehousing. You can also choose from a wide range of products and niches to sell online.
  4. Freelancing. Freelancing is another low-cost business idea that can help you turn your skills and talents into money. You can offer any service that you are good at, such as writing, graphic design, web development, video editing, social media management, etc. and find clients online who need your help. You can use platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, or 99designs to showcase your portfolio and bid on projects. You can also create your own website or blog to market your freelancing services and build your reputation.

Starting a business with no money in 2024 is not easy, but it is possible if you follow these tips and strategies. By identifying your skills and passions, validating your idea, leveraging free or low-cost resources, building your network and partnerships, and bootstrapping and reinvesting your profits, you can launch and grow a successful business with little or no capital.

Business

How Do Billionaires Make Their Money in 2024

The year 2024 is a pivotal one for the world’s wealthiest individuals, as they face unprecedented challenges and opportunities in the wake of the global pandemic, the climate crisis, and the rise of new technologies. In this article, we will explore some of the main sources of income and wealth for billionaires in 2024, and how they are adapting to the changing landscape.

Biotechnology

One of the most lucrative sectors for billionaires in 2024 is biotechnology, as the demand for vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics continues to grow. Many billionaires have invested heavily in biotech companies that are developing innovative solutions for COVID-19 and other diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. Some examples are Moderna, BioNTech, CureVac, and Regeneron, which have seen their stock prices soar in the past year. Biotech billionaires also benefit from favorable tax policies and government subsidies that support research and development.

Renewable Energy

Another sector that is generating huge profits for billionaires in 2024 is renewable energy, as the world transitions to a low-carbon economy. Solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power are becoming more affordable and efficient, and are displacing fossil fuels as the main sources of electricity. Billionaires who own or invest in renewable energy companies, such as NextEra Energy, Enel, Iberdrola, and Orsted, are reaping the rewards of this green revolution. Renewable energy billionaires also enjoy strong public support and environmental credentials.

Artificial Intelligence

A third sector that is creating new opportunities for billionaires in 2024 is artificial intelligence (AI), as the technology becomes more advanced and ubiquitous. AI is transforming various industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, education, entertainment, and finance. Billionaires who have a stake in AI companies, such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and Tesla, are gaining a competitive edge and access to vast amounts of data. AI billionaires also have a significant influence on society and culture, as they shape the future of human-machine interaction.

Some other sectors that are also attracting billionaire interest in 2024 are space exploration, e-commerce, cybersecurity, and blockchain. These sectors offer high potential for innovation and disruption, as well as high risks and uncertainties. Billionaires who are involved in these sectors, such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Jack Dorsey, and Michael Saylor, are pursuing their visions and passions, as well as their profits. These sectors also pose ethical and regulatory challenges that require careful consideration.

United States one-hundred-dollar bills

How to become a billionaire in 2024?

If you are looking for a quick and easy way to become a billionaire in 2024, you might be disappointed. There is no magic formula or secret strategy that can guarantee you such a massive wealth in such a short time. However, that does not mean it is impossible. With the right mindset, skills, opportunities and luck, you might be able to achieve your ambitious goal.

In the following paragraphs, we will share some tips and insights on how to become a billionaire in 2024, based on the experiences and advice of some of the most successful entrepreneurs and investors in the world. Of course, these are not definitive rules or guarantees, but rather general guidelines and suggestions that might help you along your journey.

Tip #1: Find a problem and solve it

One of the most common traits of billionaires is that they are problem-solvers. They identify a gap, a need or a pain point in the market or society, and they create a product or service that addresses it. They do not just follow trends or copy others, but they innovate and disrupt. They offer value and convenience to their customers, and they constantly improve and adapt to changing needs and preferences.

Some examples of problem-solvers who became billionaires are:

  • Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon as an online bookstore, and later expanded it to become the world’s largest e-commerce platform, cloud computing provider, and media company.
  • Elon Musk, who co-founded PayPal as an online payment system, and later founded SpaceX as a private space exploration company, Tesla as an electric car manufacturer, and Neuralink as a brain-computer interface company.
  • Mark Zuckerberg, who created Facebook as a social networking site for college students, and later acquired Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus as part of his vision to connect the world.

Tip #2: Leverage technology and innovation

Another common trait of billionaires is that they are tech-savvy and innovative. They use technology as a tool to create, scale and optimize their businesses. They are not afraid to experiment with new ideas, methods and platforms. They are always learning and updating their skills and knowledge. They embrace change and challenge the status quo.

Some examples of tech-savvy and innovative billionaires are:

  • Bill Gates, who co-founded Microsoft as a software company, and later diversified into hardware, gaming, cloud computing and philanthropy.
  • Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who co-founded Google as a search engine company, and later developed products and services such as Gmail, YouTube, Android, Chrome and Google Maps.
  • Jack Dorsey, who co-founded Twitter as a micro-blogging platform, and later founded Square as a mobile payment company.

Tip #3: Build a team and network

Another common trait of billionaires is that they are team players and networkers. They do not work alone or in isolation, but they surround themselves with talented, passionate and like-minded people who share their vision and values. They delegate tasks, empower others and collaborate effectively. They also build relationships with mentors, partners, investors and customers who can support them, advise them and provide them with feedback and opportunities.

Some examples of team players and networkers who became billionaires are:

  • Warren Buffett, who is known as one of the most successful investors of all time. He partnered with Charlie Munger to form Berkshire Hathaway, a conglomerate that owns dozens of companies across various industries. He also learned from his mentor Benjamin Graham, the father of value investing.
  • Oprah Winfrey, who is known as one of the most influential media personalities of all time. She started her career as a television host, producer and actress. She later launched her own network OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), magazine O (The Oprah Magazine), book club Oprah’s Book Club and podcast Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations.
  • Richard Branson, who is known as one of the most adventurous entrepreneurs of all time. He founded Virgin Group as a record label company. He later expanded into various sectors such as airlines (Virgin Atlantic), space tourism (Virgin Galactic), health care (Virgin Care) and hospitality (Virgin Hotels).

Conclusion

Becoming a billionaire in 2024 might seem like a daunting or unrealistic goal for many people. However, if you have the passion, determination, creativity and resilience to pursue your dreams, you might be able to achieve it. By following the tips above, you might be able to find your niche, leverage your strengths, seize your opportunities and overcome your challenges.

Remember that becoming a billionaire is not just about money or fame. It is also about making a positive impact on the world and leaving a legacy behind. As Steve Jobs once said: “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful … that’s what matters to me.”

billionaire life

Where do most billionaires live in 2024

If you are curious about where the world’s richest people reside, you might be surprised by the diversity of their locations. According to Forbes, there are 2,640 billionaires in 2024, hailing from 77 countries or territories around the globe. However, some places seem to attract more billionaires than others, and some cities have become hubs for the ultra-wealthy.

The country with the most billionaires in 2024 is the United States, with 724, followed by China, with 698 (not including Hong Kong and Macau), However, when it comes to cities, New York City is the undisputed leader, with 101 billionaires calling it home. This is despite a net loss of six billionaires since last year, as some dropped off the list due to market fluctuations or deaths. New York City is also the wealthiest billionaire city, with a combined net worth of $616.8 billion among its residents. The richest person in New York City is Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor and media mogul, with an estimated fortune of $94.5 billion.

The second-most populous city for billionaires in 2024 is Hong Kong, with 80, up from 78 last year. Hong Kong’s billionaires are worth a total of $408.4 billion, and the richest among them is Li Ka-shing, the tycoon who controls a vast empire of ports, utilities, telecoms and retail businesses. He is worth $38.7 billion.

The third place goes to Beijing, which was the top city for billionaires in 2021 but slipped to the second spot in 2022 and now to the third in 2024. Beijing has 79 billionaires, down from 93 last year, with a collective net worth of $385.7 billion. The drop is partly due to China’s economic slowdown, property crisis and regulatory crackdown on tech giants. The richest person in Beijing is Zhang Yiming, the founder of ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. He is worth $62 billion.

Other cities that rank high on the list of billionaire hotspots are Shanghai (No. 4), London (No. 5), Moscow (No. 6), Mumbai (No. 7), Shenzhen (No. 8), Paris (No. 9) and Delhi and San Francisco (tied at No. 10). These cities are home to diverse industries and sectors, such as technology, finance, real estate, manufacturing, entertainment and philanthropy.

The distribution of billionaires across the world reflects the shifting dynamics of wealth creation and accumulation in the 21st century. While some regions have seen their fortunes rise or fall due to political or economic factors, others have maintained their dominance or emerged as new centers of innovation and opportunity. As the world recovers from the pandemic and faces new challenges and opportunities, it will be interesting to see how the geography of wealth changes in the coming years.

The top ten countries with the most billionaires are:

1. United States – 724
2. China – 698
3. India – 237
4. Germany – 136
5. Russia – 117
6. Hong Kong – 71
7. Brazil – 65
8. Canada – 64
9. United Kingdom – 56
10. Italy – 51

Business

5 Cloud Security Issues Every Business Needs to Understand

Most businesses are using some type of cloud computing. According to one report, 94% of businesses use some type of cloud service. 

While cloud services do have a lot to offer businesses, they also come with a range of security concerns. In some cases, cloud security issues can be mitigated with a range of Infrastructure as Code tools, but there is a lot you have to consider before moving resources to the cloud.

Manage Remote Access

One of the reasons many businesses move to the cloud is because it makes resources more accessible. With various workflows and data resources in the cloud, employees can work and be productive from anywhere. This offers obvious benefits, but it can also be a security concern.

Making it possible for employees to access systems from anywhere is great, but it also means that there is the potential for criminals to access these systems over the internet as well. Furthermore, employees might not always follow cybersecurity best practices when they are using their personal devices. 

One of the best ways to protect against issues associated with remote access is to teach employees about cybersecurity best practices. Teach them about creating strong passwords and tell them not to use public Wi-Fi. You should also teach them about common attacks and how to protect against them.

The Cost of Security Breaches

A data breach can come with significant costs. The average cost of a data breach in 2021 is $4.24 million. For many businesses, an event like this would be devastating. Even if you can weather the financial cost, you also have to consider the reputational fallout that may come with a data breach.

Businesses need to go to great lengths to protect the data they store in the cloud. Consider the cloud services you use and the security tools and practices you apply to cloud security. You should also perform regular security audits to make sure you are doing everything you can to protect your cloud systems.

Disaster Recovery Plans

Crime is not the only threat that concerns cloud resources. Beyond data breaches and employees that do not follow security best practices, there is the potential for a disaster to cause data loss or system downtime. For that reason, businesses need to develop strong disaster recovery plans.

Disaster recovery plans need to cover all of your IT infrastructure. You should have data backups to protect against loss in the event of a disaster. Backup systems should also be in place so you can keep things running if there is downtime at one location. Many organizations also buy insurance to protect against the financial costs that can come with a disaster event.

Controlling Access

Access control is another issue for cloud services. You want the resources to be accessible to the right people, but you do not want all data and systems to be accessible to every person that has access to the system. This is why you not only need passwords, but you need to be able to assign different privileges to different people.

By assigning different access levels to different people, you can make sure employees only have access to the resources they are supposed to access. Beyond that, it can protect your business if an employee’s credentials are compromised.

Compliance

There are standards you have to follow when you store or use private data from the public. This is especially true if your business operates in areas like healthcare or finance. If a business fails to follow these standards, it could end up on the wrong side of regulators in its industry.

If the data you store goes beyond the private information of your business, you need to be aware of the regulations. Make sure you meet your obligations to protect data and maintain a secure system. Failing in this regard can not only damage your reputation, it could result in serious fines.

Moving to the cloud can come with obvious benefits, but it also comes with some risk. With that said, most of these risks are manageable. You just need to be aware of the risks and take steps to protect against these issues.

Business

4 Sure-Fire Ways to Save Money During the COVID 19 Pandemic Outbreak

The entire market around us has shut down.

We are now finding ourselves lock inside our house without any chances to mitigate or interact with friends outside. Lockdown is in effect biasing us to our own home doors and not allowing us to go and interact with businesses, shops, visit malls, or theaters. All public places have now come to complete closure and as a result, many individuals have lost their jobs and their lives have come to an abrupt hold. Amid the chaos, one of the major concerns among these individuals is how exactly can they ensure their money can be secured. What lies ahead we do not know, but what we can harness today, is something that we do know. Our assets, our money, our savings! It’s all we have for survival.

Today, we are going to talk about 4 ways how each and every single one of us can save money. These lessons will not only help you to secure your finances during the pandemic but it will surely exceed it.

So without further ado, here are 4 interesting lessons on how one can secure their finances.

Lesson # 1: Organize Your Finances

Has the pandemic taken its toll on your already? Have you just lost your job or you’ve come to a spot where you’ve to spend your emergency funds? If you feel panicky or hyped up with anxiety, don’t fret.

Instead, go ahead and calculate how much are you left with and how long can you survive on it.

Now take out your notebook, jot down all your expenses in one place, and analyze how much you’re spending per week? Is there some way you can cut down on the luxuries if you can then there’s no better time than now to do it. Now compare the end results with the amount of money that you might get either from the government or some secondary source of earning. If you don’t have one, try searching up an online job at Glassdoor or LinkedIn. There are many options on how to make money.

Analyze how long you can survive & establish a median between your earnings & your expenditures.

Lesson # 2: Minimize Your Billing Expenditures

There are several mortgage lenders and capital financing firms out there who are more than willing to lend money at the hour of your need. They have helped many businesses survive when they were going through a tough time. They have plenty of investments and right now, many of these capital investors are interested in helping those who have experienced a reduction in income or totally lost their jobs. If someway, you can reach these guys and show them that you’re in need, they just might help you. Getting helped by lenders is one thing but at the same time, it is important that one must cut down on his/her expenditures too. Again, I would like to emphasize money is a necessity right now.

For example, if you are burdened with credit card debts, you can always reach out to your bank and ask them to do you a favor by waving it off during this moment of crisis. If they do not agree, then you can ask them to at least lower the interest rates or completely mitigate them as survival gets difficult.

Such practices may make you sound needy but desperate time calls for desperate measures.

Lesson # 3: Ask For Discounts Where You Can

Businesses are at a demise and right now they are selling products at great deals and discounts. If you can cut down on cost some way, it’s by asking others to offer you a discount. So what if a store is not offering a good percentage off on a product/service, you can always choose to ask them for a discount on your own. Go ahead, be a little blunt and shameless, ask if they are willing to give you a discount on the following product or service because of the COVID outbreak. Who knows, you just might get a chance to purchase a product even at half the price from the original being in the moment.

At the same time, also offer them your help if in some way you can assist them, such as promotion.

These tactics can come in real handy because it’s all that businesses want right now, and if you can offer them this, you are capable of getting a decent discount & at the same time help businesses run.

Lesson # 4: Don’t Fret, Be Grateful for What You Already Own

Trust me!

The last piece of my cake of advice is, be grateful for all that you have right now.

Do you know that there are many people whose lives are in a much worst state than your own? There are plenty of homeless people who haven’t had a proper meal in days. They are living in the corner of the dumps, and on the streets where the virus is the most vulnerable and can infect them very soon. They don’t have access to clean drinking water, a roof for shelter, no proper hygiene, no food!

Such are the conditions for many and at times like this, when you the blessings of a roof and shelter, when you have food stocked up at home, or access to pure drinking water, then you must be grateful.

Pray and thank God for the blessings you have!

He surely works in mysterious ways.

So that’s the end of my article… I hope these lessons may have helped you decide what is best for you. If you enjoyed reading it, please feel free to share your comments with us and I will contribute more.

Internet, Marketing

Step by Step on How to Set Up Your Business Blog

The beauty of the blog is its ability to connect a business with its audience. That could be its customers, its stakeholders, its clients or even its employees. A blog is an excellent choice of online content that can drive traffic towards your product or your services, entertain readers and promote your brand.

If your business doesn’t have one, it could be that you haven’t known where exactly to start.

Come up with your idea

An idea might be good, but if you don’t believe in it, will you put the work in to make it a success? Your blog premise should be coming from your heart, something that you are passionate about, compliments your product and entertains the reader.

Something ground-breaking wouldn’t hurt, but it doesn’t always have to be complicated. Straightforward content like answering frequently asked questions or listicles, articles in the form of a list, are often useful.

Decide on your platform

If you already have your own website, you will probably want to start your blog there, on a new page. Make sure it is evident from the home page and a distinctive part of your brand – the blog could have a slightly different font or web design to the more “business” parts of your site.

If you’re creating your blog from scratch, there are several easy to use platforms you can choose from, for example, Blogger or WordPress.

Choose your writer

Maybe you are a wordsmith yourself, and within your business, you have the time to sit down and get creative. If you do, fantastic. If not, you might want to hire a blog writer or, if that isn’t financially viable, pay writers on a freelance basis to do so. If there is a budding blogger in your ranks already, offer them the opportunity to show off their knowledge and flair.

Alternatives to in-house writing are explained by Click Intelligence with guest blogging a popular option. Whoever it is uploading on your blog, their content should be tailored to your company, creative and engaging.

Promote your blog

Once your blog is up and running, you want people to read it. You’ve had the bright idea, your product is golden, and your writer is talented. That’s all going to waste if nobody is paying any attention.

Improving your social media presence will help provide you with a platform on which you can share your blog. If you already have an active social media channel, use it to share out your blog using hashtags and linking to relevant pages. This will improve the chances of your post being seen and, hopefully, clicked on.

Getting guest writers or doing interviews is another excellent way to promote your blog. If somebody has been interviewed for one of your articles, they are sure to share it in their circles and increase your reputation. You should also post regularly so that people don’t click on your blog and see that it hasn’t been updated in months and forget about you.

Conclusion

Blogs are an easy but exciting way to converse with your audience, drive traffic to your website and keep your brand fresh. Remember to be creative and produce a varied range of content. Once there is a decent number of posts on your blog, your audience is more likely to come back again, or spend longer clicking around your website. Most of all, make it a fun part of your business.

Business, Marketing

5 Great Customer Retention Ideas That Work

An army of loyal customers is every company’s goal. Yet, it’s one that can be quite hard to accomplish. Here are 5 ideas for customer retention that work.

1. Know Your Business

Having your own business means much more than having a job and paying you salary. Your basic roles are in finance, administration, marketing, and the responsibility of personnel. You need to know what you can deal with yourself and which parts you’re going to need help with. One person can rarely succeed in all of these to get the best results.

Many companies are run by people with great business acumen, yet they fail because they don’t have all the information they need to do their job. This includes a clear notion of marketing mix, market segment, customer service, target markets, product selection, promotional activities and pricing tactics. You need a well-devised business plan if you want to succeed. This will help you make the right decisions.

2. Pay for Good Training

Train your employees to always be available. Retail has always been about interacting with shoppers. Yet, staffs are often so busy multitasking that they ignore customers who are obviously looking for help. They need to be trained and taught that no task is more important than paying attention to customers because customers pay their salary.

If you have a larger company, you should train your managers to be the best salespersons. A manager probably won’t recognize, analyze, and give direction when a sale is lost if he or she doesn’t have the background knowledge to begin with. A good manager will know how to make a sale.

Finally, teach your managers how to train their associates. It can be that staffs are promoted to managerial positions not based on skills, but on how long they’ve been working for a company, and the disastrous results soon follow. They need proper retail sales training themselves if they’re to manage effectively. It takes more than criticism or praise. Both approaches can create a lot of damage to your staff that are left adrift.

3. Get a Reliable POS System

A full-scale POS solution like Aloha POS is of paramount importance to customer retention. It will allow you to efficiently manage all your back office activities. Reliable systems are rich in features to optimize inventory management and take the guesswork out of purchasing decisions.

A POS system addresses the needs of businesses in many sectors and industries, including grocery stores, convenience stores, apparel, fashion, and sporting goods, liquor, gift shops, and specialty stores.

Among its advantages are the following:

  • Top-Notch Order Fulfillment
  • Robust Email Marketing
  • eCommerce
  • Inventory Management

You’ll be able to attract more customers by offering better value. You’ll also be able to offer more opportunities to shop at your store. It’s your job to give your customers what they want, because if you don’t, they will stop doing business with you. The products and services you provide should be in tune with customers’ needs and wants.

4. Sustain your Unique Image

To attract more customers and understand them better, develop a unique image. This image is important and is a function of your marketing materials and efforts. Customers create their perceptions of your store from your name, location, web site appearance, products, prices, visual merchandising, displays, signs, business cards, customer service, newsletters, advertising material, and anything else that relates to your business.

Try to think like your customers do; buy, show, sell, and give them interesting information (not only what’s interesting to you). Your success is determined by the customer.

To maximize your online revenue, you need to develop a website where to sell your products. You can build the site yourself if you are familiar with HTML or similar programs and codes. It is essential that you determine the niche of your website. Some niches are less lucrative than others. You have to find a balanced relationship between passion and profit until you start making money.

For many years, many people have been selling private label products through sites like Amazon. The profit potential of the Amazon FBA program is huge. You need to make a product, choose a manufacturer and start selling this product on Amazon. The first step is having the right keywords. To obtain long-term customers, you need to acquire them to begin with, and this isn’t very easy either.

Also ,use multiple channels for customer service. This creates an opportunity to create an omni-channel experience, where the customer’s experience with the brand is consistent across different channels and devices. This brings about loyalty and greater customer satisfaction because it makes your customer service offer user-friendlier, which is exactly what your brand needs when your customers need assurance they will be served well, as always.

5. Market Based on Good Customer Experiences

Share any and all positive customer experiences with your brand with as many other people as possible. Collect customer feedback and share your reviews to inform your customers of the perks that your company can provide. Sharing “success” stories across an omni-channel communication system will be viable because new customers tend to trust old and loyal ones more than advertising. To maximize value, leverage these interactions effectively.

Creating customer loyalty is no easy feat, but know that customers are driven by their goals like all people and they will be loyal to the company that can meet their needs. If your competitor offers them a better deal, their positive experience with your company doesn’t matter. The customer will go for the better deal.

To build customer loyalty, you need to be aware of your customers’ needs very well. A multi-channel service system is one of the best ways to stay connected with your customers, particularly if they need help with something. Your customers will have better access to your service staff, which will generate a higher number of customer interactions. The more often you can interact with your customers, the better your chances of influencing their experience and retaining them.

General, software

3 Tips for Beginners to Capture More Impressive Business Photos

Hiring a professional photographer is the best way to capture impressive photos for your business – but it may not always be feasible. If you’re on a tight budget, you may not be able to afford the services of a photographer, but you will still need impressive business photos nonetheless.

The good news is that there is no reason why you can’t capture impressive photos yourself. Assuming you have a decent digital camera or smartphone, all you need to do is follow a few simple tips:

Make sure there is lots of soft light

Light will play an important part in how your photos turn out, and for business photos it is normally best if there is lots of light that is diffused so that it evenly illuminates the subject.

One good way to use natural light to snap impressive business photos is to position the subject near a large open window. Alternatively, you could look into rigging various types of DIY lighting solutions if you have the time and resources.

If you’re photographing outdoors, you may want to try to time your session to take place during the golden hour – i.e. the hour right after dawn, or right before sunset. The lighting conditions during that period are particularly good, and will help you snap really impressive photos.

Try to use the rule of thirds as a guide

To come up with business photos that have a better visual impact, you should try using the rule of thirds as a guide. It is easy enough to use, and you just need to turn on the grid feature on your camera and then line up the subject and other elements based on the gridlines and intersection points.

The rule of thirds will help you to place the subject slightly off-center and make it stand out more. On top of that, the other elements should be spaced out more evenly, making the photo look more balanced.

Get close or fill the frame

It can help to get close to the subject of your business photos, as it will reveal more details that may not have been visible otherwise. As a rule, you should always move yourself physically closer rather than using the ‘zoom’ feature – as it could affect the image quality.

In some cases, you may even want to fill the frame completely with the subject of your photo. The business photo that you end up with will look very interesting if you do, and it will make the subject the undivided focus of attention.

Be sure to snap lots of photos, and then go over them later. If you need you can use various tools to help you manage and organize your photos, such as Movavi Photo Manager for example.

By applying the tips listed above, you should notice a big improvement in the photos that you snap. Admittedly, they may not match the photos that a professional would be able to capture, but they should look good enough that you can use them for your business.

The more you practice using each tip and the more experience you acquire, the better you’ll get. That is the key to being able to capture truly impressive photos, and it could even turn into an enjoyable hobby for you to pursue.

Startups

10 Valuable Entrepreneurial Skills You Won’t Learn in Business School

A top business school might provide an overview of management principles and training

about how to handle challenging situations. After you enter the real corporate world, however, you need to know more than just the basics if you expect to overcome difficult situations and achieve success.

Let’s take a look at the skills you must acquire if you want to stand out:

Effective Listening

You likely learned and practiced speaking skills during your MBA program, but the skill of listening is all too often overlooked. Contrary to popular belief, speaking and listening are of equal importance when it comes to effective communication. Because many managers fail to truly listen to their team, developing the skill of listening effectively will help you rise to the top.

Business Etiquette

Corporate executives have noticed that MBAs do not immediately adhere to business etiquette upon entering the workforce. They underestimate the importance of manners, personal appearance and interpersonal etiquette which makes MBA graduates seem too casual and entitled. If you want to climb the corporate ladder, you need to develop superior interpersonal skills that fall in line with corporate business etiquette.

Career Goals

After graduating from business school, you might be ready to take on the world and achieve success as quickly as possible. If you are rushing to hit a specific benchmark, the overall quality of your work will suffer as you constantly switch jobs looking for everything to click right away.

That’s why it’s important to stay focused on your goals and realize the amount of investment in time and effort required to achieve them. During the first few months of your new job, complete every task to the best of your ability and with enthusiasm. No task is below you or not worth your time if it supports your career goals.

Computer & Internet Literacy

Nowadays nearly all work is completed on a computer or over the internet and new employees are expected to know how to use technology. Employers often discover that MBAs might know the ins and outs of Microsoft PowerPoint, but fail to grasp the advanced capabilities of Excel. Likewise, MBA graduates know their way around Facebook and email applications, but need to improve their use of LinkedIn and search engines.

Teamwork

Out of the skills on this list, working on your teamwork abilities is arguably the most important. The corporate world is very competitive which tends to turn people into self-involved and overconfident employees. Invest yourself in team projects by successfully completing all tasks assignment to you and reporting back to your other team members.

Fortunately, you can get a boost from technology to improve your teamwork skills. Take advantage of business management software to collaborate and organize the final work product. You can also suggest other sales management tools to streamline order processes. When you lead your team to complete high quality work, senior management will truly be impressed.

Patience

If you can practice patience during your first few years with a company, you’ll be better off in the long run. Many MBAs sign on as management trainees only to later complain that they are really just in a continuation of business school. Bear in mind that you are now on salary so any learning you can do on the job is a bonus.

Resilience

A common mistake made by highly talented MBAs is to switch companies as soon as things get challenging. It’s easy for MBAs to boast about a competing job offer, but much harder to deal with the challenges present at their present company. You must prove your loyalty to the organization that hired you. Loyalty in this context is not about the number of years you’ve been employed, but the contributions you are making.

Humility

It might surprise you to learn that humility is one of the most sought after attributes in recent MBA graduates. While employers review potential MBA hires to find the best and brightest, many new employees make the mistake of appearing over-confident. Resist the urge to show off and instead be respectful of senior management and listen to what they have to say. Expressing ambivalence or resistance will get you nowhere, whereas humility will help you learn and improve.

Gratitude

We should all be aware of those who contributed to our success, including professors, mentors, colleagues, and family members. It is your responsibility to express gratitude to those that have helped you and remain in contact throughout your career.

Too often, MBAs forget about the people who assisted them when they achieve a bit of success. Being grateful says volumes about your character and is directly reflected in your professional attitude.

Individual Social Responsibility

Your business program likely discussed the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility, but you should also be practicing Individual Social Responsibility (ISR). Every corporate professional, as well as every citizen in general, should find ways to make their community better.

Volunteering and giving back is something you can do today so don’t put it off until your retirement. Practicing ISR comes in many forms, including: restoration of public land, education for the underprivileged and support for the elderly.

Whether you’re fresh out of college or have been in the business world for awhile–these tips will never go out of style. If you keep these tips in mind you’re likely to be a successful business man or woman for years to come.

 

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Author Bio: Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.

Internet, Marketing

How To Write An Email People Will Actually Open

 

Despite email lists being an age-old technique, it is still one of best marketing assets that you have from a business perspective. In fact, almost 59% of all B2B marketers state that this is their preferred method when it comes to developing interest, and fishing for leads.

But… it’s not that easy.

Out of the millions of email campaigns out there, the highest industry open rate is a mere 28%, the worst part about that? Only 5-percent of this 30% actually bothered to click on the links in the email (the place where the magic happens).

Woah…

Enough of the statistics! Let’s get into our tips to help you write emails that capture the attention span of potential leads and drive them down your sales funnel.

Your Subject Line Will Either Make Or Break Your Email Campaign

The attention span of your perfect customer is eight-seconds. That’s it. In this time, your email needs to stand out against the crowd in their inbox. It needs to create interest, and desire to open the email, and find out what all the buzz is about.

Subject lines need to be short, descriptive and to the point. Remember, what you can see on your computer – is not necessarily what you will be able to see on a smartphone (where majority of consumers spend their time).

Typically, you should aim to keep your subject lines under 50 characters. That’s the safe zone. Also – studies have shown that the subject line should only have the first letter of the first word capitalized. Leaving the rest lowercase actually has an impact on your open rate.

The Preheader Text – Furthering Your Net

The next thing you want to pay attention to is the first couple of lines in your email. This is also known as the preheader text. From an inbox standpoint, the first sentence (roughly 8-10 words) is shown right next to the subject line.

It is important that this matches your subject line, which will further the intrigue you create. Leading them down the yellow brick road to clicking your email and giving it a quick read.

Personalization Is The Way To Go

In the digital era, segregation is crazy. More people are spending their times feeling connected while being isolated in their home then actually going out and enjoying social experiences. This all leads to the craving to feel like they are a part of a community.

Which is why your email campaigns need to include some form of personalization.

For example, your lead generation tool should capture the email address, and at least the first-name of the individual signing up. This will mean you can send a nifty “Hey John Doe”, which consumers appreciate.

Another great idea.

Make use of your list segregation. This is a great way to not only lead your customers through the sales funnel. But also, to build brand trust, and create desire behind the product or service that you have on offer.

Send Through An Awesome Video To Improve Lead Conversion And Click Through Rates

You hear it all the time. Including images and videos in your email marketing campaigns is a big no-no.

Well, it’s partly true.

It all depends on the engagement that you have on your email lists. The reason why some consider this as a no-no is because these emails are more likely to end up in the spam folder. But if you have loyal subscribers that look out for your email on a regular basis – this is not a problem you need to worry about.

Which is where you can take full advantage of videos in your email to improve lead conversions. It could be anything really. For example, a cool animated video explaining exactly how your service works. There are companies that can help you record and send video, while minimizing the risk of ending up in the “no mans land” spam folder.

Be Consistent With Your Email Newsletters (Probably The Most Important Part)

Marketing in modern society is based on the AIDA principle. Which is essentially creating awareness of your brand, driving interest to your product/service, instilling a desire into potential customers, which then turns into an action when they purchase what you have on offer.

The entire ideology behind a marketing campaign is to take them from “being interested” to having enough “desire” to actually click through and pay you for your product/service.

But if they never know when to expect an email, you are losing half of your influence.

Which is why being consistent is super important. Now, we are not saying you need to worry about posting on a daily basis. But we would recommend having a specific day of the week, at roughly the same time when subscribers can expect your email.

Time Your Emails Properly

The next important part of getting your emails opened is the timing. Which still falls under the being consistent flag.

For example, if you have a blog that focuses on healthy recipes for breakfast. Sending a newsletter in the evening wouldn’t exactly help, now would it?

Make sure you know where the majority of your audience is, and what time best suits them for the type of content you will be sending their way. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll be sending better emails in no time.

 

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Author Bio: Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.

None

8 Ways to Succeed and Profit with a Trucking Business

 

Trucking businesses are necessary to the growth and stability of the US economy. However, right now, there’s a shortage of commercial trucks on the roads, and there has been for years. That shortage isn’t going to be solved anytime. That creates an excellent opportunity for anyone looking to get into the trucking business, all you need to do is get structured, hire a few drivers, and manage your equipment. The following tips will help you remain on the path to profitability.

Be Compliant and Do Your Research

ELD or “Electronic Logging Device.” Recently, it became legally necessary to have one of these installed in every single truck in the US that’s driving commercially. The idea is to prevent dangerous levels of stress and fatigue on truck drivers, creating hazardous health and road conditions. The reality is, much of the ELD technology available is sub-standard. Signals cut out. Companies refuse to do maintenance on their equipment, etc.

Always do your research on any ELD company. See if your drivers have worked with a particular technology before. There are a handful of top-tier companies out there, and they should be easy to find on forums. Be wary, however, of the handful of companies pouring most of their money into marketing their product, rather than developing it, hoping to sign small trucking companies into a contract.

Treat Your Drivers Well

Right now, there is a driver shortage in the trucking industry, and it’s not getting any better. The good news is, especially for new trucking companies, that driver shortage means that larger companies can’t fill as many orders, leaving plenty of shipments up for grabs.

However, this shortage can also make for an interesting hiring and turnover process. With sign-on bonuses at all-time highs, up to $8,000 with larger companies, how can a new, small business compete? Benefits. Very few trucking companies treat their truckers like actual employees, instead of trying to frame them as independent contractors.

Truckers, on the other hand, prefer to work with companies legitimately. They want to be part of a team. Whether you’re a new trucking company or you want to improve your current business, focus on what your drivers want. Ask them. Do they want higher per mile rates and are willing to take hazard loads? Do they want to stay local? Do they want to be home on weekends? If you lose your drivers, your business will suffer. Pay attention and respect them.

Prepare for the Future

The ELD rule “blindsided” many small and mid-size trucking companies, even though they were given ample warning. Once it went into effect, they realized that though they thought they had accurately been tracking times, their logs weren’t matching up to the numbers reported on ELDs. Why? The numbers had been changed, manually, or never recorded accurately in the first place. Now that the rule is in place, small companies are having to scramble to fix their businesses, all the while missing out new shipments and current contracts.

The lesson here? Pay attention to any new rules and technologies in your space. Don’t assume a new rule won’t affect your company. Keep accurate logs of everything, double check them, and make sure they match up to reality.

Grow Slowly

In the trucking industry, it can be incredibly tempting to add another truck to your fleet and realize, too late, that you just don’t have enough loads, consistently, to make it worthwhile. Make the most of what you have before you even think of expansion, even if it means turning away a job every once in a while. Remember, right now there are more jobs than trucks, but there are still more trucks than drivers.

You have options beyond trucks in the trucking industry, too. Vans, setups perfect for small and local runs, can also be ways to utilize new drivers and spaces between large loads (if you have any.) Short routes, especially if they’re time-critical, can also be much more profitable than large loads. If you already have the infrastructure in place, adding this type of service to your company’s offerings can set your services apart.

Contract with Local Businesses

Local businesses, factories, import and export, grocery and discount stores- if there isn’t a local trucking company near you, working with these businesses could be advantageous for both of you. By having your trucks nearby, you save these businesses on mileage costs overall.

Work with Owner-Operators

If you ever are considering expansion but don’t have the capacity, contracting out to a local owner-operator or two for a regular job is worth considering. Owner-operators have their trucks (though they typically borrow trailers from their employers) and will transport a load for a per-mile fee. They also cover all maintenance and truck-related costs themselves, out of this payment.

Anticipate and Plan for Expenses

You will have sudden, unexpected expenses if one of your trucks breaks down. It will happen. Further, adverse weather conditions, like snow, can be an unpredictable, sudden setback preventing trucks from returning or leaving until the roads are cleared. Before this happens, you need to have a plan in place to deal with a lack of cash.

There are two main ways to go about this. First, if you can see an upcoming expense you won’t be able to cover, like downtime during a snowstorm, you should be able to cut certain costs over a period. If this isn’t enough to close the gap, or you have a more immediate cash need, a loan is the way to go. In the trucking industry, title loans for commercial semi trucks will get you your money faster and get you back in business sooner.

Use the Right Tools

There are plenty of tools available to trucking companies, specifically, to help you manage your clients, load sizes, schedules, and cash flow. Find these tools and use them to optimize your business. Saving time on regular business expenses and clerical tasks can give you the opportunity to find new contracts or work on expanding your industry as a whole.

 

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 Author Bio: Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.

Marketing

How To Make Your Side-Business Thrive – Modern Marketing

When you are an entrepreneur, it doesn’t matter if you are a baby boomer, a millennial or even a generation X. We all share that one common trait, we hate working for someone else. So, we work insane hours (that make our friends look at us in awe) to get a side business off the ground.

The big problem?

Despite global markets being in a fluid state of motion, consumer budgets are growing tighter.

Even worse?

Trust has never been harder to earn from a business perspective.

So, there you have it. If you are not seeing the results you were hoping for from your business –

it’s probably because you need to start thinking outside the box.

Which is exactly what I want to help you with in this article. We include three tips to help you start off the right way straight from the word go.

Step One | The Most Important Step – Know Your Business

Here is a prime example, back in 2016 a young entrepreneur started a fitness blog. It all started on Instagram, and grew from there. But over time, the lack of vision, and the failure to launch a brand-image irreparably hurt the business.

This step may be common knowledge, but we cannot emphasize how important it is to know your business.

When you are working a full-time job, and trying to launch a business on the side – you will get distracted. You will lose focus.

Which is why the first thing you want to do is define your business. Ask yourself what is your vision? Where do you want the business to be in 5-years?

But the most important aspect of your written plan should be what problem do you solve for customers? What makes you unique over competitors, and why are potential customers interested in that?

Here is a guide to writing a simple business plan for complete beginners.

Don’t Be Afraid To Think Outside The Box – Being Different Is A Good Thing

Here is a scary fact, over 543,000 businesses are started up MONTHLY in America. That’s right people just like you, looking to escape their mundane office jobs.

But it gets worse.

More than half of these businesses fail – every month.

Now there are tons of reasons why. From a lack of work ethic, right down to an unclear vision for the business. But another reason why businesses fail more than they succeed is because they forget in the business world – you want to stick out like a sore thumb.

You want to offer a unique angle to a service or product that your competitors are offering.

Whether it be through unique, high-quality social media content. Informative blog posts and podcasts, cut-edge discounts and specials… or if you really want to be unique, why not revolutionize your marketing campaign; personalize with customers and build trust by creating your own cards.

There are so many ways that you can differentiate yourself – it is important to take the time and put some thought into it. You’re trying to be better than the other businesses out there. Don’t think you can’t come up with the next big thing. Put some real thought into it and you’ll be surprised with the results.

Failure Is The Skipping Stone To Success

The biggest mistake you can make is to harbour jealousy when it comes to entrepreneurs who have made it in life.

“We all reap the seeds that we sow”

What you may forget is these individuals in the nice cars, with the dough to show off. The businesses that are considered pioneers in the industry; there is nothing different behind their business and yours.

These were not overnight success stories. You need to be prepared to fail. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, even Gary Vaynerchuk all hit their own stumbling blocks, and look where they are now.

Whether it’s as simple as a bad review from a new client, or a huge milestone falls for the roof – stay strong, and keep working. You will make it as long as you never lose sight of the end goal.

Here are some great tips to help you cope with business failure.

Make Sure You Maximize Your Productivity Daily

We all have those days. Where we think we are working hard. We seem to be super busy. But at the end of the day, we look back and think, “How did I waste so much time today.”

The problem is.

When you are trying to work 2-jobs at once, well… wasting time is not something you can afford. We all have the same minutes, hours, and seconds in a day – it’s a simple matter of how you invest them.

A great tip is to make use of organization tools, I personally love Trello, it keeps me on my game at all times.

If you really want to maximize your after-hour work productivity to exponentially grow your business, make use of a sweet little time productivity trick known as Pomodoro. Which essentially involves removing distractions for 25-minutes at a time, and focusing solely on work.

These tips will help you excel at your job. Keep these in mind – and think of new strategies to help you along the way. Your ideas will really help you and you’ll be thankful in the long run.

 

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Author Bio:

Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.

 

General, software

7 Simple Steps to Improve Profitability

When it comes to managing a business, ensuring that your company retains a certain amount of profit margin ought to be among your top priorities. Of course, every business model is different and the level of profitability that you will achieve is largely dependent on the scale and structure of your operation. However that isn’t to say that business owners shouldn’t take every step possible to try and achieve the maximum profit levels that they can. This guide presents some suggested simple steps to improve profitability.

Sure you’ve worked on your branding, created an attractive website and developed a strong digital marketing strategy but improving profitability runs far deeper than just external promotions.

Make Clear, Actionable Goals for Your Profit Strategy

You will struggle to improve your business’s success and profits if you just try and proceed with the vague notion that you want to improve your profits but do not quantify your aims. Establish challenging, but realistic goals as to how much you wish to increase your profits by, and by which date. Once you have outlined this high level detail, you can work backwards, creating an action plan of what tasks you are going to undertake in order to work towards your profitability goals, and the deadlines for each task. Assign project groups to different parts of the plan, and hold review meetings at regular intervals to assess how you are progressing towards your goals.

Remove Unprofitable Products and Services From Your Offering

Not every product that you sell is going to fly off the shelves or be a cash cow. Of course, some products may see mediocre sales figures yet they are necessary in order to offer the full product range to customers and match the competitors offering. That’s understandable. However there may be products and services in your offering they are really struggling and which may even be losing money. Assess your range and cut out those items which are not performing.

For instance, you may offer a particular item to your customers, but the amount of sales the product sees is abysmal whereas the minimum order quantity is incredibly high and so you wind up losing money. Sometimes factors like this can slip through the cracks and that is why it is worthwhile to conduct a full range analysis.

Improve the Ways You Target Customers

Without customers, your business cannot exist. Without customers, you have no sales and therefore no profits and as such this is a critical piece of the pie. However, are you being strategic enough in your approach to customer outreach? Have you considered sending your potential clients video messages? This is something that will attract their attention and pique their interest.

Are you working hard to develop a strategic and smart action plan on specific demographics, or are you casting a wide net, sending salesmen out all over the place and hoping for the best? Not only does not having an effective outreach strategy affect your profits, it can also result in additional, unnecessary costs.

Assess Your Client Relations

If applicable, review the way in which you work with your clients and customers – particularly where payments are concerned. If you are operating a B2B business then you may find that some of the businesses that you work with engage in payment terms that you are simply not happy about – i.e. they want to pay 30, 60 or 90 days after the receipt of goods.

Sure you don’t want to turn down customers and sales but this is no good for your cash flow and can result in wasted resources when your account is consistently chasing up payments. Insist upon the terms that you are comfortable with. For instance, consider requesting that customers pay 50% of the invoices due upfront. If they want your services, they will have to adapt accordingly.

Reduce Costs

Assess your outgoings and ensure that you are not overpaying in any particular area. This means assessing your overheads and ensuring that you are not paying for anything unnecessary, as well as reviewing your expenditure at the back end with your suppliers. Consider automating some of your processes to make your work day smoother. This includes, using e-procurement software to keep track of all purchases. Employing a strategic procurement team aids you in being certain that you are consistently getting the best value raw materials and supplies in the market.

If you haven’t assessed your supply base in a while then maybe it could be time. Perhaps you have been buying a material from one particular source for several years, however the Supplier’s competitor sells the same item for a fraction of the cost. Alternatively, perhaps you consume so much volume of an item that you are able to shift production overseas to a lower cost country and enjoy better economies of scale. You could improve your profit margins significantly by sourcing strategically.

Assess Your Processes and Workflows

You should always strive to run an efficient business, but when you’re busy, or your company is large scale, it is easy for things to fall through the cracks. This is why it is worth taking the time to sit down and analyze all of the processes and workflows within your business.

Could it be possible that there are steps within your processes that add costs but no value? Maybe some activities are completely unnecessary and there are savings to be achieved by cutting them out.

Ensure You Have an Excellent Customer Service Proposition

If you want to encourage repeat, long term custom then you need to ensure that buying from you is a painless, straightforward process for your customers. Consider using CRM software to ensure that management of your sales team and customers is organised and you have clear visibility on processed. Work hard to reduce barriers to entry and any headaches that may surround your company’s re-order processes. A happy customer is a loyal one.  

General, Internet

How Huawei and Fortune 500 Companies are completing the Digital Transformation Journey?

Yan Lida, President of Huawei Enterprise Business, Huawei Connect 2017 (credit: Huawei)

We live in an era of unprecedented technological innovation.

According to Forrester Research, only 12% of the Fortune 500 companies from 1955 remain Fortune 500 companies today.

Why?

Most likely because, as Forrester research discovered, only 27% of businesses have a coherent digital transformation strategy for creating customer value in place. Yet, many companies are placing digital transformation at the center of their strategies through 2020.

Over the last few years, digital transformation has become an industry megatrend. Legacy enterprises are forced to embrace this critical shift out of fear of becoming obsolete.

Innovation and growth are no longer optional to the enterprise.

Today, enterprises use ICT technology to improve working efficiency, create business innovations, and provide better customer service.
For many of these Fortune 500 companies, the challenge is to develop new business models that increase connection and engagement. What’s needed is a digital transformation platform that connects intelligence, data, and devices, enabling them to increase engagement with partners and develop applications that foster innovation.

Cloud computing, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and other new technologies are driving the human society into the smart era. The most striking feature of a smart society is the connection and fusion of the physical world and the digital world. The problems of the physical world are now being solved by the digital world.

As enterprises are constantly striving to attain new business value, the speed of innovation is crucial.

Companies need to be swift, agile and leverage all aspects of technological innovation. A truly digital enterprise uses emerging technologies as a strategic effort to go leaner, focus on agile business processes and enhance the business analytics of the enterprise. A digital enterprise relentlessly searches out, identifies and develops new digital business models, always ensuring that customers and employees are at the center of its innovation.

Digital Transformation

Digital innovation has become an essential catalyst and a driving force of economic growth. It’s a journey, not a sprint.

Designing a digital transformation framework for success is focused on innovation and attaining new business value, aimed at a creating an optimal user experience. To the point that the needs of the end-user need to be integrated into the service model. Consumers today, demand a faster, simpler, and enhanced digital experience that provides the best product and combines it with stellar service and most advanced technology.

The Digital Transformation Journey for Enterprises

Digital transformation is a massive undertaking, especially for larger, established companies. When done right, it will result in a business that is more aligned with customer demands and resilient in the fast-moving digital future.

Embracing digital transformation at the enterprise level requires a strategic approach that factors in all of the goals, people, technologies and required integration to form a proper strategy.

Digital Transformation, Disrupt and Innovate

A core function of any business is to continually advance and improve its operations, products, and services. Enterprises that adhere to a digital transformation framework are not only focused on improving, they are the key drivers of innovation and disruption. Equipped with disruptive and innovative strategies, these companies can compete in today’s fast-paced market that is being driven by consumer demands, new technologies, and new business models.

Why Embark in Digital Transformation?

Many legacy enterprises have built their business on certain methods of operation. It is these operating systems that have enabled the company to prosper and survive until today. The digital realities of today, however, are forcing these companies to reconsider and reimagine the fundamental systems that have been the keys to their success. The technological environment is changing, highlighting how ill-equipped these companies are to adapt and change.

Speed is essential in digital transformation.

While the speed of digital transformation may vary with industry, stagnation is the antithesis of the digital mindset. A company maintaining a static mindset in the digital era is paving their path to failure.

With external pressures – customer demands, emerging technologies, lean startups and disruptive business models- pushing the business towards innovation, the classic methods of operation are no longer delivering the expected results. As the impetus for change increases the need to design a strategic path towards digital transformation becomes inevitable.

While many companies may opt to slowly tweak specific inefficiencies, a true digital transformation requires a revolutionary approach. An all-encompassing digital revolution can revitalize an enterprise and pave the road to future success.
A digital transformation framework will guide the leaders and direct the business towards a path of progress. Businesses need to be in a state of constant evolution. Building a momentum and a rhythm reflects a shift in the mindset. It is a sign of a new reality and creates a paradigm shift for the entire industry.

Breaking the Silos

Digital transformation with its customer-centric marketing and business processes requires the ability to work across business verticals and silos. In fact, digital transformation focuses on cross-vertical collaboration, restructuring the organization to create methods that break down the silos. In a digitally focused enterprise, the goal is to encourage cross-department interface and to create an environment that is fertile for consumer-focused innovation.

Huawei: Strategic Digital Transformation Partner

Huawei Connect, Shanghai 2017

 

Over the past six years, Huawei has quickly developed into a global leading digital transformation facilitators. The rapidly changing digital landscape has enabled Huawei to take advantage of the new realities by providing new ICT solutions to customers, creating best practices for digital transformation, public safety, finance, electricity, transportation, education, and media.

Before enterprises choose an appropriate digital transformation strategy, IT and CT are now converging and transforming enterprises. There is no single technology alone capable to execute the digital transformation.

What is different about Huawei’s ecosystem?

Yan Lida, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei Connect 2017 (credit: Huawei)

 

During my experience at Huawei Connect 2017, I was able to learn about some of the company’s strategies and gain insights into how Huawei is developing this platform and ecosystem.

During his keynote speech, Yan Lida, President of Huawei Enterprise Business, highlighted Huawei’s ecosystem that is based on three primary characteristics:

  1. Huawei wants to become the customers’ most trusted partner. Huawei’s commercial model chooses to rely on the monetization of technology and services; it does not monetize user data. This is the biggest difference between Huawei and traditional Internet companies.
  2. Huawei abides by its own business boundaries and is committed to becoming a platform for the platform. There are many companies that through their own experience in a specific industry have transformed into an enabler platform for that industry. It is very common to see companies such as GE, which is now providing an industrial cloud platform for the aviation and manufacturing industries. Huawei believes that it must create an open, secure, and reliable ICT infrastructure platform within its business boundaries to become the platform for its customers and partners’ platforms. Huawei’s platform is a cloud-pipe-device collaboration full-stack ICT platform; it provides all-in-one ICT services for customers and partners. The upper layer platform does not need to bother with the lower layer’s complex software and hardware systems; it can focus on its own service optimization and innovation.
  3. Huawei is committed to becoming the ecosystem’s soil (the platform) to help customers grow quickly. This is why its plan for developers is called the ‘Developer Enablement Plan.’ This platform is the presence of Huawei in over 170 countries around the world. Developers and partners could use this platform for their global marketing and services. 

In order to enrich this ecosystem, Huawei has laid out the plan of establishing OpenLabs, which cover all areas of jointed innovation with customers and partners across industries: public safety, finance, power electric, and manufacturing.

In the next three years, Huawei will continue to invest $200 million to build and operate OpenLabs (currently 13 and grow to 20) in Asia, Europe, Middle East and Americas.

Huawei provides a one-stop cloud-side collaboration infrastructure platform that integrates all new ICT technologies to help businesses stay competitive in the digital age. Huawei’s business has achieved rapid growth via industry-leading customization solutions for government and associated industries.

By carrying out joint innovation with partners centering around the business needs of customers, Huawei focuses on creating a win-win ecosystem.

In the transformation process, customers, partners, and Huawei each have their own unique advantages: customers understand their businesses, partners know how to transform the business needs of customers into industry-relevant applications, and Huawei knows how to utilize hardware and software ICT infrastructures to deliver effective business support to customers.

Partnering on the Digital Journey

In the digital transformation journey, Huawei has embraced the vision that partnership and collaboration will be a bigger driving force than the technology itself. By partnering and guiding its customers in their digital transformation journeys, Huawei is strategically guiding each enterprise to their destination. The goal is to be connected, intelligent and cloud-based.

Huawei is uniquely positioned to take enterprises on this journey because the company is able to provide a holistic suite of solutions from devices, to infrastructure, to services based in the cloud equipped with Artificial Intelligent capabilities.

According to Mr. Lida,  “Huawei’s business positioning is to be a pioneer of digital social and intelligent social development processes, the industry’s digital enabler, and the best partner. In 2016, Huawei’s Enterprise business grasped the historical opportunities of digital transformation by focusing on infrastructure”.

Road to Digital Transformation Isn’t Smooth

Of course, the road of digital transformation from traditional ICT manufacturers to the enterprise market isn’t easy, even for Huawei.

Backed by six years of hard work, Huawei focused its ICT infrastructure and carefully chose partners with complementary strengths. By working together with its partners, Huawei has been able to deliver key industries with true digital transformation. The combined results have been to help public safety and government, finance, energy, and transportation enterprises to achieve digital transformation while still generating sales revenue of 40.7 billion yuan (about $5.9 billion) – a  47% increase from 2011 when the business was formed.

Smart Cities

In the field of smart cities, Huawei delivers ultra-wideband network, cloud computing, large data, Internet of Things and other facilities and technologies for cities to create a “nervous system” that enables all things to be interconnected in a smart way. Huawei has also been widely recognized for their participation in the smart city project through the “one cloud- two network- three platform”.

During the 2016 Barcelona Global Smart City Expo, Huawei was also awarded the “Southern Innovation Award” for the construction of a digital health system in Kenya.

To date, Huawei Smart City solutions have been successfully applied to more than 40 countries around the world and more than 100 cities.

Huawei Smart City (credit: Huawei)

At HUAWEI CONNECT 2017, Huawei and the Shandong Weifang Municipal Government ushered in a new generation of information technology. By including Internet of Things, cloud computing, and large data, Huawei is creating a NB-IoT city network and establishing the first city level based on the company’s OceanConnect IoT platform. Huawei has also used the Internet of Things to integrate various types of sensing devices to achieve data collection and management.

Public Security

In the field of public security, Huawei has continued to apply new ICT technologies such as cloud computing, large data, mobile broadband cluster, Internet of Things and artificial intelligence to the public security field. By working together with partners to build solutions to help cities achieve digital transformation, public security has improved and cities become more secure. Currently, Huawei’s safe city solution has served 80 countries, more than 200 cities and more than 800 million people in Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

Technology and the Competition

As traditional industries enter a critical period of digital transformation to drive business innovation and growth, the cloud is at the foundation for enterprise digitization. To meet this growing demand, Huawei has launched a number of industry-leading ICT products and solutions.

Huawei IT products continue to innovate thereby expanding their role as a digital transformation leader.

With Huawei’s IT products and solutions serving more than 170 countries and regions worldwide, the company is setting a new standard for the future of digital innovation and outperforming its competition.

So far, 197 of the top Fortune 500 companies and 45 of the top 100 companies have chosen Huawei as their digital transformation partner. This list includes SAP, Accenture, Deutsche Telekom, Volkswagen, Oracle, Honeywell, GM, ABB, Intel, Sony, the Russian Federal Savings Bank and more.

 

Internet, Marketing

5 Golden Rules for Introducing Your Business to Online Audience

The digital revolution in India has encouraged many businesses to opt for their website. Two major things can be observed here: First, even the brick and mortar businesses that earlier refused to go for online operations have also started investing on the digital presence, and secondly, the businesses don’t stop at just building their own website and social media pages. They want their websites to be professionally and strategically designed to market their business and eventually increase the revenue. In short, the website creation is not just an option for the Indian businesses that want to grow- it is the mandatory condition. So, let us see the best practices to adopt while designing or marketing a website geared to make your presence stronger and increase the revenue:

Don’t be just another site by overselling

Millions of websites float on the digital ocean just like a number of huge ships and small boats that are laden with a number of items they are hawking to sell. Right from the world tour to mundane industrial tools, these sites sell almost anything under the Sun.

Being exposed to 5000+ messages geared towards marketing the product the consumer today has actually developed contempt towards commercially motivated messages forcing them to buy the products he doesn’t want. Hence any attempt at over-selling will ironically diminish your chances to sell your products or services. Besides, when everyone is overselling and you also join the bandwagon with the similar semblance- where lays the uniqueness, the innovative appeal. Instead of selling the products sell the “purpose-designed content presented in most natural format. Let genuineness guide the content and ensure that the content should be captivating, interesting and above all informative.

Content is really the king – Respect it

The content should complement the products you offer and subtly reveal it to the clients during the natural course of reading. Three things that will offer you a distinct appeal will be – the language, media, and knowledge. In fact, the aim should not be to make sales or acquire a client but to establish a definite rapport with the reader that would start a long lasting relation. This approach will help you to acquire loyalty and eventually converts readers into client. Whether you are finalizing the content of the website or writing company blogs, always ensure that you should use the simple language, a beautiful flow and some genuine knowledge in your content.

Change with time

You also need to assess the present scenario identify the obliterated practices and shunning them the same time you can identify the present shift in trends and predict the futuristic strategy. That will offer eh cutting edge over your clients. For example, e current trend is to value images much more than content. People of today now need something quick that does not to be read while squinting but could be seen while effortlessly. Hence employing n infographic can be the best way pp enjoy the attention.

Graphics attract but is moderate

You should also ensure that the audience should get the swift entry while they type for any search. You can offer a number of infographics that will allow you the entry a well-designed calendar. Besides the mobile search have now surpassed he desktop search. Hence a having a mobile enabled infographic can be the best choice.

While design plays a key role in impacting the audience you need to be very careful while designing your site. The major objectives of a site are not to overstuff your site with design elements but to offer a design that is most relevant with r studying habits.

Minimalism is the Mantra

Go for minimalism when it comes to eh designing. Opt for the simple design with brand specific features. Whether it is design, content, colors or programming the minimalistic approach will offer you a good rapport with the audience and will play a major role in increasing your reach while widening the opportunities to sell. There should be a Concord symphony between the design and content. The design should caress the eyes while communicant g with the audience in a nutshell.

Applications, General

Guide To Developing A Successful Mobile App For Your Business

 

It’s no surprise that every business, large or small is building mobile apps and looking to cash in big way. Developing mobile apps for your business puts you on common grounds for competing in the new mobile market place. All customers today look for products and services today via their cell phones. The idea to get your customers to notice your app and for that you need the right approach to mobile apps development. You need the right mobile strategy in place – from day one.

Mobile apps development

The very first step is to look for mobile app development services to create a mobile application. Finding the right developer could be tricky. Find a developer with the right skills and experience so that he understands the exact requirements. Check regularly and monitor the progress of your mobile application. Discuss your scope of work and also define the milestones for completion. Discuss your budget and chalk out the most important features and make sure that the app is thoroughly tested for functionality and user experience before it is launched.

App approval and submission

The next step is to prepare your app for submission to the major app stores and approval. For this purpose, make sure that you understand the app submission guidelines and policies. Both Apple and Android have a set of guidelines and checklists for app submission and approval. Take your time to review and understand their policies. Make sure that your app complies with the maximum size requirements and other criteria outlined by the app stores. Failure to comply with the app submission guidelines will result in unnecessary delays.

App store optimization

App stores have their own way of ranking the apps in the search results. The higher your app ranks in the app stores, the better are its chances for getting downloaded. Increased visibility directly translates to more traffic and greater downloads. Hence, optimizing your app is essential. Simple changes such as including your strongest keywords in the description and using the right images and icons can greatly help improve its visibility. It’s also important to use the keywords in the title. Make sure that the keywords you select are relevant for your target audience. Secondly, place a link from your website and take advantage of your customer’s natural affinity to your website and drive them to download your app too. Furthermore, include a download link for your mobile app on your website too.

There’s no denying that we live in a mobile world and at least 80% of our potential customers are looking for our businesses via mobile phones. Especially, if you are a small business, a mobile app or a mobile presence can give the initial boost to your business and help build a strong brand in the long term. With the right strategy in place for going mobile, you can easily capture the initial mobile customers and see a significant growth in your business in the initial phases.

 

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Author Bio: Elite Infoworld is a leading mobile application development company which offering android & iphone mobile application development services aא affordable rates.

General

How To Hold More Effective, Successful Meetings

 

If they were giving out awards for work things you loved, one of the last things to ever get noticed would be meetings. In fact, nearly half of all employees said meetings are their single biggest waste of time. But there’s no way that meetings are going away. We’re dependent on them, and we hold about 11 million meetings each and every day, consuming over thirty percent of employees’ time. The solution, however, isn’t as hard as you might think. Setting an agenda, choosing a meeting type, even limiting attendance and technology can help. This graphic can help you take control and love your meetings more.

What you should do when meetings don’t meet expectations

Hardware, Video

5 Reasons Why Businesses need Security Camera Systems

2 Comments

 

Don’t have any security cameras installed at your office or places related to business? If yes, think again! From strengthening safety, cross checking the stock, deterring criminals to increasing productivity –a complete surveillance system is good for real! And moreover, a business owner needs to have eyes at each and every corner of his place.

To further convince you with the benefits of an HD security system, we have listed down 5 reasons as to why businesses need to install them.

1)  Discourage Internal & External Theft

Every business whether big or small, is always under a risk of burglary and crime. And, this threat is augmented when you have employees that could add up to the list.

It would first appear shocking to hear that approximately 50 billion dollars are lost each year just because of employee theft. Such crime incapacitates small businesses. In fact, employee theft becomes the sole reason for almost 33% of the businesses to go bankrupt.

This is where you can make a huge difference to your bottom line. Install an HD security camera to curb employee theft today. A professional product like an Ultra HD system will eliminate all the blind spots, deter criminals and burglars and stamp out employee theft.

2)  Boost Productivity and Profits

When you hadn’t established your business (and probably was working for someone else) you must have come across the phrase “It’s time to play, when the boss is away”. And if you try to remember more vividly, no one ever dared to take unnecessary breaks from their work when the boss was watching over. Today, your employees might be doing the same to you!!!

If you require a set of extra eyes, an HD IP security camera can really prove its worth. You can remotely view all the nooks and corners of your office with the help of free mobile apps and software provided with such systems. All you need to have is a smart phone, tablet, or computer with working internet connection.

cctv-1144366_640

3)  Protect Private and Sensitive Areas

Every business has some “restricted-access areas”. To prevent illegal entry to these off –limit areas, getting help from sleepless eyes of a night vision security camera is a wise decision. The discrete look of an IP security camera is good to trick would-be burglars and force them to think twice before committing any crime.

There are many unscrupulous individuals who leak out trade secrets or even worse, sale them for their own benefits. Every business owner should take a proactive action to protect his/her business against this trade secret theft. For that, they might get help from a professional surveillance firm to evaluate their premises and take necessary actions to protect it. 

4)  Increase Customer Satisfaction

If your customers are satisfied with your services and products, they’ll come back over and over again. Thus, they should be catered exclusively. But, you can’t be there all the times to welcome them. What you can do is, keep an eye on your employees to know how they are behaving with your customers. This will obviously help in increasing the customer retention.

Video surveillance can also help you find out the products that you sell the most and then, accordingly you can develop your marketing strategies.

5)  Protect Yourself from False Liability Law Suits

Best systems, such as Ultra HD surveillance systems, can even help solve legal/official issues to an extent. Property management firms could be the ones that can be benefited because they have to handle piles and piles of claims. Now, to curb false claims out of the pile, firm may install a cctv camera and be ready with a video proof for any and every ambiguous event.

Storage space is the next thing to be kept in mind. A crafty lawyer is well aware of the fact that after a certain period of time, data gets overwritten thereby eliminating proofs, if any. But, a system with unlimited data storage allows you to revisit the frames of any time in the past. This will surely give you the much required mental peace.

Conclusion
Clearly, there are many benefits of installing a complete system for your business. You can sleep easy when you know there are prying eyes to take care of your hard earned assets and establishments.

So, what are you waiting for? Go and get your system today!

 

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Author Bio:  Rohan Sharma is a gadget wizard, an active blogger, and an eminent speaker. With more than 10 years of experience to his credit, Rohan has always been a pertinent contributor to the security industry. He is closely associated with Revo America, a well renowned security products manufacturer and retailer. Needless to say, Rohan boasts for paramount and credible products only, with Revo’s being his favorite.

Applications

Best Mobile Business Productivity Apps For People On The Go

 

Heard of Expensify? It is one of the best apps for quick expense reports with more than 2.5 million users around the world. Looking for mobile email that works on any device, for any email account? Try Outlook for Mobile. Acompli, the developers of the app sold it to Microsoft for $200 million, such was the demand for the app.

Need an app that will keep all of your sensitive information safe? Use 1Password where everything in your app vault is protected by a master password that only you know. Are you in the market for an app that will make meetings so much more streamlined? GoToMeeting is the top choice for when everyone involved cannot physically be in a meeting room together.

Are you a team leader or a department head? Need to keep on top of what your team are doing to report back to the ‘higher-ups’? Keep everything on deadline and easily accessible with Trello, the app that works best for delegating team work and keeping your projects running smoothly.

For a more detailed look and visual illustration of these apps, see the infographic below which has been created by the Brighton School of Business and Management.

Communication

Current Trends in Business Communication [Infographic]

 

Time does not stand still, and business communication certainly doesn’t, either. New ways of improving the effectiveness, efficiency, speed and quality of communication are constantly evolving, with the methods in which we do business with clients and customers differing significantly from even 10 years ago. For businesses, keeping on top of changes in communication trends is not an option; it’s a necessity.

This infographic by Irish Telecom (www.irishtelecom.com) outlines some of the most prominent current trends in business communication, with interesting facts dotted throughout. For example, web-based tools such as Skype and VoIP are abundant across most businesses in 2016. In its first 10 years of operation, there were 1.4 trillion minutes of Skype calls made. Another growing trend is the Internet of Things, the market share of which is projected to exceed that of PCs, mobile phones and tablets combined within the next year.

These, and other business communication trends, are explored in the infographic. The rate at which telecommunications are expanding can make it challenging to keep up to speed with its evolution, but if businesses fail to get a grip on technological innovations, it could have a damning impact on sales, marketing and customer satisfaction. That is why businesses spent an estimated total of $165.5 billion on IT support in 2015 – spending which reflects another of the current trends explored in the infographic.

business-communication-trends-infographic

General, Marketing

14 Great Free Online Resources To Boost Traffic To Your Blog

Traffic

Congratulations, you’ve started a blog for your business. Content Marketing is one of the key ways to drive online leads to your business, so you’re off to a good start.

But how can you find the best topics to write about, the best design tools and the best ways to distribute your content? Just as importantly, how can you do it all without breaking the bank?

To help your business we’ve collected 14 awesome free resources to help you grow your blog traffic. How do we know they are awesome? We’ve tried and tested them for ourselves, and we’ve only included the tools that we’ve seen have really made a difference to our blog traffic.

1. Generate Content Ideas- from BuzzSumo

Starting a blog isn’t the hard part, knowing what to write is. Start off with BuzzSumo to check what content on your online site drives the most traffic, as well as what your competitors are writing about that is getting them attention from your potential customers.

BuzzSumo

2. Check interest and Influencers with Topsy

You can also use Topsy to check that there is a general interest in your topic, and to learn which influencers are already talking about your topic. You can then embed their tweets in your posts, or quote them to add value to your blog, and interest for your readers.

Topsy

3. Brainstorm topics with Hubspot’s Free Blog Topic Generator

Have a general idea about what to write about now but can’t seem to put the words together in a catchy way? You need Hubspot’s Blog Topic Generator. Just put in a few nouns related to your topic of choice and this fantastic free resource will create a ton of great headline options to inspire you.

Hubspot-headline-generator

4. Craft The Perfect Title with Co-Schedule’s Headline Analyzer

Once you’ve got some headline options you need to craft the perfect headline to grab your readers’ attention. I’m a huge fan of Co-Schedule’s headline analyzer to help create that perfect headline. Enter in your headline of choice and you’ll get both an analysis and an overall score to hone your title to perfection.

Co-schedule-headline

5. Use Evernote for Content Structuring and Brainstorming

Once you’ve crafted your headline you can start collecting ideas for your blog post. I love using Evernote for this, but you can also simply open a Google Doc and share it with your team. Collect all your ideas and begin to shape your blog content.

Evernote

6. Use Atomic Reach for Testing and Honing Your Content

Written out a blog post outline? Great! Now you just need to check it is relevant and interesting for your audience. We’ve been testing out the Atomic Reach App, for exactly this purpose, and we are loving how easy it makes it to check your content.

It not only checks it for appropriate sentence length, spelling mistakes and more, it also lets you know if your content is relevant for your audience.

Atomic

Ready to launch your beautifully crafted, appropriate content into the blogisphere? Wait a minute! You’ve forgotten images. Posts with images have a 50% higher click rate, so if you want to stand out from the crowd you’ll need interesting and appropriate images.

7. Beautiful, free images from Canva

Canva is a freemium service which helps you design beautiful images to accompany your blog posts. Whilst many templates will cost you a token $1 to use, there are enough free options to help a beginner blogger create beautiful, functional images.

canva

8. Free images for social media, including great collages from PicMonkey

Another fantastic free resource for creating images for your blog posts is PicMonkey. PicMonkey not only offers you a great choice of free backgrounds and fonts, but can also create perfect collages for your blog needs, perfect for tool roundups, or posts about influencers in your field.

PicMonkey

9. Super simple design for your blog from Pablo

Looking for even more options for gorgeous graphics to help your blog post stand out? We’re loving the beautiful new tool from the team over at Buffer, Pablo.  Pablo is simplicity itself, enabling you to create wonderful images in mere seconds.

Pablo

So you’ve picked your topic, you’ve written your headline, you’ve finished your content, and you’ve added beautiful images to really show off your work. Now what?

Without distribution nobody is going to get to your content. You don’t need an enterprise budget to distribute your content to your target audience. There are some fantastic free tools to get you started without paying a dollar.

10. Social Media Distribution the easy way with Buffer

Buffer is a fantastic free social scheduling tool to help you distribute your content across all your social networks. You don’t need any social media knowledge to be able to use Buffer, which really is the simplest social media tool around, and totally free.

Buffer

11. Promote your blog via your email signature with WiseStamp

When promoting your blog post don’t just add it to your Buffer and forget about it. Add your blog link to your email signature with WiseStamp and every email you send out becomes a blog promotion tool. Promoting a company blog? Double, triple or quadruple your blog exposure by using a team signature solution like WiseStamp for Business.

wisestamp

12. Add a call to action to your blog with Snip.ly

Snip.ly is an ingenious little free tool which allows you to add a personalized call to action to either your content, or somebody else’s content. You can use snip.ly to drive your blog traffic by linking to other content from authoritative sources on a similar topic, and adding a snip.ly call to action to drive readers to your content. You can also add a call to action to your blog with snip.ly to convert more of your readers into users.

snip.ly

13. Track and amplify to your blog progress with Mention

I love Mention! Mention pulls up your footprint from the web and social media, so you can track exactly who is sharing your blog, and where. By being responsive to your readers you can double your blog traffic, as well as engage and create dialogue by looking for people asking the question that your blog post answers.

mention

14. Test, and retest with Google Analytics

You’ve sent your blog post out, and with our free tools at your disposal, your traffic is looking good. Use Google Analytics to monitor not only your numbers, but also your traffic referrals, so you can thank your users, make any relevant changes to your blog post, and craft even better content next time.

Google_Analytics

 

This is a guest post by Naomi Goldberg, a British-born content marketer and mummy to three, crafting and promoting content and social for WiseStamp for Business.

This post was originally published on WiseStamp blog

Applications, Mobile

The Apps That Make The BlackBerry Bold 9790 Best For Business

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BlackBerry has built its reputation on its relationship with the business world. More than any other smartphone, BlackBerry’s long association with the corporate market has provided a good base for its success. The success of iOS and the growth of Android in 2011 has undoubtedly left manufacturer RIM in a weaker position in the UK, having been pushed into third place. However, the release of the new Bold range in 2011, with the Bold 9790 at the centre of the campaign, and the release of the new operating system, BB7, means BlackBerry is taking on its competitors and reinforcing its position in the business world.

The Bold 9790 includes many of the same features that have made BlackBerry a popular business brand, including the ability to set up different email accounts and instant messages, to multitask and browse the web while working on other platforms. It also includes some new features, like the ability to separate a personal and business profile within the one device. There are also different apps that can be downloaded to further utilize and maximise the ability of the Bold 9790 to meet the needs of the business community. Here are the top five.

Social Media networks like Twitter are becoming increasingly important for businesses as they allow people to share their commercial knowledge and connect their brand with consumers. Apps like UberSocial are ideal for BlackBerry as they allow users to manage multiple accounts and tweet easily on the move using the devices QWERTY keyboard.

Dropbox is a feature many will use day to day in work, allowing them to share documents and material remotely. BlackBerry App world has a version of the software that allows users to share and read documents on their drop box on their device.

Battery Booster is ideal for those who need their BlackBerry from the beginning to the end of the working day and might not have access to a charger. The app stops different applications which are draining the battery to ensure optimum performance and saving battery life for those apps you need most.

BlackBerry Traffic provides an up to date service which can be vital to make sure you get to meetings and appointments on time. The app gives information about roads that are closed and plans routes, gives an idea of traffic congestions and provides an estimated time of arrival making it easier to plan a journey.

The business day can be a busy one and often it is difficult to keep up to date with what is happening in the world. BlackBerry News is an app providing an RSS feed of the latest news headlines, allowing users to scroll through and get an update on developments. Easily to scroll through and read it makes it easier to catch up on the train or over lunch.

Apple and Android have both been making inroads into the business market over the last twelve months. RIM has seen its BlackBerry phone deals fall below a 20% share in the UK smartphone market. Their new launch of the Bold range, in particular the 9790 and the new OS7 is designed to catch up with its competitors and provide a new and improved platforms for the business market. These apps are designed for BlackBerry to make the working day a little bit easier.

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This Article was written by Simon Drew from Best Mobile Contracts

Computers, News

HP Blasts With Mini 5102 Netbook, Cramming Atom N450 And Optional Capacitive Touchscreen Under The Lid

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Remember the Mini 5101 that HP released 6 months ago to target high-end customers with business related aspirations? Turns out it’s not alone – as a matter of fact it has a new twin brother that carries the title Mini 5102. The latest, which belongs to the growing Pine Trail family, packs inside an Atom N450 processor along a 10-inch display, offered with a WSVGA or WXGA panels. But as a premium portable device, one can guess it boasts a lot more than usual. What else is new? We’re talking about a Broadcom HD video accelerator, added to the pile, while keyboard is at 95% from the regular one. Besides that you can toss inside any possible operating system available, either it’s FreeDOS, SUSE Linux, Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter/Premium editions. Battery wise, you can choose between 4-cell and 6-cell flavors, but the most attractive alternative, marked as optional, is that super cool capacitive (multitouch) touchscreen which turns that netbook into a tablet (well, not exactly, but you know what I mean). It ain’t going to be cheap, boys and girls, but we still can;t tell how much and when. PR words added after the break.

Update1: Apparently, the Mini 5102 cover is made out of a stunning brushed aluminum plate and the chassis hides an optional handle for ‘A-grades’ students. Checkout the hands-on video the good people at engadget just shared.

Update2: We’ve added another video from the CES show that demos HP’s touchscreen netbook capabilities, this time with a snapdragon and Android platforms running inside. Check it out right after the break.

hp-5102-netbook_PR

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Computers, News

HP Mini 5101 Netbook Boasts Clean And Chic Business-Like Design

Those of you who anxiously look for high-end netbook machine with business exterior flavors, HP might have the right solution, as the company recently announced a new netbook, the Mini 5101, which comes with a slick aluminum and magnesium alloy body, housing Intel’s 1.66GHz N280 Atom processor, together with four-cell or six-cell batteries, 2 MP webcam, Bluetooth 2.0/ WiFi b/g/n connectivity and up to a 320GB HDD or an 80GB SSD. Additionally, you get to choose between a standard 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 WSVGA display or HD-compatible 1366 x 768 LED screen at the same size, paired with optional WWAN module and either Windows XP Home, SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 or FreeDOS systems aboard, offered at a starting price of $449 from July. See how the Mini 5101 netbook really looks, with HP’s official video after the break.

Update1: Looks like the Mini 5101 is finally available to purchase, starting at $399.99 and including a 10.1-inch LED-backlit display, along with a flat chiclet keyboard and all the basic stuff we noted above. However, for extra cash you can get inside the business edition a 128GB SSD drive and 1366 x 768 resolution, but it will cost you a lot more.

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[via HP]

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General, Internet, Music, News

Best Buy Acquires Online Music Service Napster For $121M

Online digital music market is getting warmed up, as US retail giant, Best Buy, announces it will acquire Napser for an astonishing $121 million price tag. The transaction is set to be accomplished in Q4 of this year and we have no doubt it was carried out in order to try snatching a substantial share from iTunes’ market dominance. Napster allows its 708,000 subscribers to access an unlimited library of music or using the “Napster Mobile” platform, on their mobile phones, for a small monthly fee of $15. Having said that, the company has never turned a profit, during its long years of existence.

Best Buy president Brian Dunn confirms the company’s desire to expand Napster services and to use “Napster’s capabilities and digital subscriber base to reach new customers with an enhanced experience for exploring and selecting music and other digital entertainment products over an increasing array of devices.” Be sure it’s just the beginning and we expect more developments to take place in the near future. We do hope this move will increase the competition and at the end of the day, will be profitable for the consumers.

[via ZDNet]