Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, accounting for almost 63% of net new job creation in the nation. With over 33.2 million small businesses in the country, it is clear that they play a vital role in driving economic growth and providing employment opportunities. Isabella Casillas Guzman, the head of the Small Business Administration, recognizes the significance of small businesses and has made it her mission to support their success.

Guzman assumed her role as the head of the SBA during a time of unprecedented challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic, economic recession, and global supply chain crisis have all posed significant obstacles for small businesses. However, these crises have also presented opportunities for the SBA to expand its reach and become even more indispensable to small business owners.

Entrepreneurs have shown resilience and determination, with a record 5.4 million new small businesses created in 2021 alone. This trend has continued into 2022, with 5.1 million new business applications filed. Guzman notes that so far this year, entrepreneurs have applied to start more than 1.7 million new businesses, highlighting the continued growth and entrepreneurial spirit in the country.

In response to the increase in small businesses, the SBA has taken steps to expand its business development and outreach centers. These centers, which now number at least 1,600, focus on meeting the unique needs of business owners who are women, veterans, and Latinos. Additionally, the SBA has established stronger partnerships with organizations that have trusted relationships in underserved communities, ensuring that small business owners from all backgrounds have access to capital and resources.

The SBA’s pandemic relief programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), have played a vital role in helping small businesses weather the storm. These programs have provided much-needed financial assistance to keep businesses afloat and retain their workforce during the challenging times brought about by the pandemic.

Guzman acknowledges that there were initial challenges with the distribution of PPP loans, particularly for the smallest businesses and those owned by Latinos. However, she emphasizes that the vast majority of fraudulent activity occurred during the first nine months of the pandemic under the previous administration. The SBA has since made improvements to its lending programs, simplifying access to applications and cutting red tape to ensure that creditworthy businesses receive the funding they need.

Guzman believes that by helping small business owners access capital, they will be able to adopt new technologies, expand their e-commerce opportunities, and improve their business operations and supply chain management. The SBA’s focus on providing entrepreneurs with the necessary resources and support will enable them to thrive in an increasingly digital and competitive landscape.

Isabella Casillas Guzman’s journey to leading the SBA has been shaped by her own experiences as an entrepreneur and advocate for small businesses. Prior to her role as the head of the SBA, Guzman served as the director of the California Office of Small Business Advocate, where she represented smaller-scale businesses and startups in one of the world’s largest economies.

Guzman’s background as a small business owner and adviser to fellow founders has given her a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that small business owners face. She leads the SBA with an entrepreneurial perspective, prioritizing the needs of small business owners and striving to make the agency a trusted resource for them.

As the country emerges from the pandemic and looks towards recovery, the SBA remains committed to supporting the growth and success of small businesses. Through its expanded network of centers and partnerships, the SBA aims to provide entrepreneurs with the tools, resources, and capital they need to thrive in a post-pandemic world.

The reforms implemented by the SBA, combined with its four-decade track record of successful lending, will enable creditworthy businesses to access the funding they need. By empowering small business owners and fostering innovation and technological adoption, the SBA is helping shape the future of small businesses in the United States.

Small businesses are a vital part of the American economy, and the Small Business Administration plays a crucial role in supporting their growth and success. Isabella Casillas Guzman, the head of the SBA, has been working tirelessly to ensure that newly created businesses can navigate the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the expansion of business development and outreach centers, strengthened partnerships, and improvements to lending programs, the SBA is providing small business owners with the necessary resources and support to thrive in a post-pandemic world. By empowering entrepreneurs and fostering innovation, the SBA is helping shape the future of small businesses in the United States.

FAQs

Q: What is the Small Business Administration? A: The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a government agency in the United States that provides support and resources to small businesses.

Q: How many small businesses are there in the United States? A: There are over 33.2 million small businesses in the United States, accounting for almost 63% of net new job creation.

Q: What is the role of the SBA in supporting small businesses? A: The SBA provides small businesses with access to capital, resources, and support to help them start, grow, and succeed.

Q: What are some of the challenges faced by small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic? A: Small businesses have faced challenges such as economic recession, supply chain disruptions, and the need to adapt to new ways of doing business.

Q: What is the Paycheck Protection Program? A: The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a pandemic relief program that provides forgivable loans to small businesses to help them retain their workforce.

Q: How is the SBA expanding its reach to support small businesses? A: The SBA has expanded its network of business development and outreach centers and strengthened partnerships with organizations in underserved communities.

Q: How is the SBA helping small businesses access capital? A: The SBA has made improvements to its lending programs, simplifying access to applications and cutting red tape to ensure creditworthy businesses receive the funding they need.

Q: How is the SBA empowering small business owners? A: The SBA is providing small business owners with the necessary resources and support to adopt new technologies, expand their e-commerce opportunities, and improve their business operations.

Q: What is the role of Isabella Casillas Guzman in the SBA? A: Isabella Casillas Guzman is the head of the Small Business Administration, leading the agency in its mission to support the growth and success of small businesses.

Q: How can small businesses thrive in a post-pandemic world? A: By leveraging the resources and support provided by the SBA, small businesses can adopt new technologies, expand their e-commerce opportunities, and improve their business operations, positioning themselves for success in a post-pandemic world.

First reported by NBC News.

The post Helping Small Businesses Thrive in a Post-Pandemic World appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The pandemic served as a catalyst for small business formation in multiple ways. First and foremost, the economic disruptions caused by the pandemic led many Americans to seek alternative sources of income. With layoffs and furloughs becoming commonplace, individuals turned to entrepreneurship as a means to secure their financial future. The allure of becoming their own boss and taking ownership of their lives became increasingly appealing. Karen Jenkins, an independent management consultant in South Carolina, sums it up succinctly: “People want freedom. They want to take ownership of their lives and are willing to take more risks”.

Moreover, the pandemic accelerated the growth of e-commerce and remote work, making it easier than ever to launch a small business. With the shift towards online shopping and the widespread adoption of remote work, entrepreneurs found themselves with a ready market and the flexibility to operate from anywhere. This convergence of circumstances created the perfect storm for small business formation.

In addition to economic and technological factors, social media played a significant role in fueling the small-business boom. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok showcased success stories of ordinary individuals who turned their passions into thriving businesses. Entrepreneurs no longer needed a physical storefront to reach their target audience; they could leverage social media to build a brand, showcase products or services, and connect directly with customers.

Furthermore, reality shows like “Shark Tank” brought entrepreneurship into the mainstream, inspiring aspiring business owners with tales of overnight success. The allure of securing funding and mentorship from seasoned investors added to the appeal of starting a small business. The stories of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who transformed their ventures into multibillion-dollar enterprises, further fueled the dreams of aspiring entrepreneurs.

One of the significant positive outcomes of the small-business boom is the increasing number of women and minorities entering the entrepreneurial landscape. Historically, women and minorities faced numerous barriers when it came to accessing capital and resources for starting a business. However, the pandemic has seen a shift in this paradigm, with more women and minorities founding their own ventures. According to census data, the number of women-owned businesses increased by 43% between 2015 and 2020, outpacing the growth rate of businesses overall. The surge in minority-owned businesses has also been notable, with African-American-owned businesses increasing by 35% during the same period. This diversification of the entrepreneurial landscape not only fosters economic growth but also promotes greater equality and inclusivity within the business world.

The small-business boom holds significant implications for the US economy. Small businesses have long been the backbone of the American economy, contributing to job creation, innovation, and economic growth. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses account for 44% of US economic activity and create two-thirds of net new jobs. With the surge in small business registrations, the potential for job creation and economic impact is substantial.

Furthermore, small businesses contribute to the vibrancy and diversity of local communities. They often serve as the heart and soul of neighborhoods, providing unique products, services, and employment opportunities. The proliferation of small businesses can revitalize communities, attracting investment and fostering a sense of pride and identity.

To thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape, small businesses must embrace technology and productivity strategies. The pandemic highlighted the importance of digital transformation, as businesses that were already equipped with online platforms and remote work capabilities fared better during the crisis. E-commerce, online marketing, and cloud-based collaboration tools have become essential for small businesses to reach customers, streamline operations, and adapt to changing market dynamics.

Additionally, productivity strategies such as automation and outsourcing can help small businesses optimize their operations and free up valuable time and resources. By leveraging technology and innovative approaches, small businesses can enhance their efficiency, scalability, and competitiveness in an ever-evolving business landscape.

While the small-business boom presents immense opportunities, entrepreneurs must also navigate various challenges. Accessing adequate financing remains a significant hurdle for many aspiring business owners. Traditional lenders often require collateral and have stringent lending criteria, making it difficult for startups to secure the necessary capital. However, alternative financing options, such as crowdfunding and microloans, have gained popularity, providing entrepreneurs with new avenues to fund their ventures.

Another critical consideration for small businesses is cybersecurity. As businesses increasingly rely on digital platforms and data, the risk of cyber threats and data breaches becomes more pronounced. Protecting sensitive customer information and maintaining the integrity of business operations is paramount. Implementing robust cybersecurity measures and staying informed about the latest security practices are crucial for small businesses to safeguard their assets and maintain customer trust.

The pandemic has unleashed an unprecedented surge in small business formation in the United States. Driven by economic, technological, and social factors, entrepreneurs are seizing the opportunity to take control of their financial future and embrace their entrepreneurial dreams. The small-business boom holds immense potential for job creation, economic growth, and community development. By leveraging technology, embracing productivity strategies, and overcoming financial and security challenges, small businesses can thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape. As the small-business ecosystem continues to evolve, it is crucial to support and empower entrepreneurs, especially women and minorities, to ensure a vibrant and inclusive economy for all.

FAQs

1. What led to the surge in small business registrations during the pandemic?

The surge in small business registrations during the pandemic can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, economic disruptions and layoffs led many individuals to seek alternative sources of income and entrepreneurship provided an opportunity to secure their financial future. Secondly, the accelerated growth of e-commerce and remote work made it easier than ever to start a small business. Finally, the influence of social media and entrepreneurial inspiration from reality shows like “Shark Tank” played a significant role in fueling the small-business boom.

2. How has the small-business boom empowered women and minorities?

The small-business boom has led to an increasing number of women and minorities entering the entrepreneurial landscape. Historically, women and minorities faced barriers in accessing capital and resources for starting a business. However, the pandemic has seen a shift in this paradigm, with more women and minorities founding their own ventures. This diversification fosters economic growth and promotes greater equality and inclusivity within the business world.

3. What are the implications of the small-business boom for the US economy?

The small-business boom has significant implications for the US economy. Small businesses contribute to job creation, innovation, and economic growth. With the surge in small business registrations, the potential for job creation and economic impact is substantial. Additionally, small businesses contribute to the vibrancy and diversity of local communities, attracting investment and fostering a sense of pride and identity.

4. What strategies can small businesses adopt to thrive in the current landscape?

To thrive in the current landscape, small businesses must embrace technology and productivity strategies. This includes digital transformation, leveraging e-commerce, online marketing, and cloud-based collaboration tools. Additionally, automation and outsourcing can help optimize operations and free up valuable time and resources. Embracing innovative approaches and staying informed about the latest trends and practices is crucial for small businesses to remain competitive.

5. What challenges do small businesses face, and how can they overcome them?

Small businesses face various challenges, including accessing adequate financing and ensuring cybersecurity. Traditional lenders often have stringent criteria, making it difficult for startups to secure capital. However, alternative financing options such as crowdfunding and microloans provide new avenues for funding. Regarding cybersecurity, implementing robust measures and staying informed about the latest security practices are crucial for small businesses to protect their assets and maintain customer trust.

First reported by Bloomberg.

The post The Pandemic Small-Business Boom: Fueling the US Economy appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

In the past few weeks, the South and Southwest regions of the US experienced historic highs in temperatures, leading to extreme heat advisories for hundreds of millions of Americans. These dangerous conditions have not only kept consumers indoors but have also compelled small businesses to adjust their operating hours. The report by Homebase, a small business payroll company, highlights the impact of the heat wave on local economies.

In the first two weeks of July, small business employees nationwide worked 0.9% fewer hours compared to the previous two weeks in June. This decline in working hours is a standard seasonal change that typically occurs during the summer months. However, cities that experienced the worst of the heat wave saw significantly higher slowdowns, up to five-and-a-half times. This highlights the profound effect that high temperatures have on local economies.

The impact of extreme heat on small businesses varies across different regions. In cities like New Orleans and Memphis, where the heat wave was particularly intense, small business employees experienced a reduction in working hours of 5.7% and 5.1%, respectively. Business owners in these cities had to shorten their operating hours to adjust for the decrease in customer footfall and to protect their employees from excessive heat exposure.

On the other hand, cities that experienced shorter heat waves, such as Boston, were able to increase their hours of operation and the number of employees working. Boston, with only two days of temperatures in the 90s, saw the largest month-to-month increase in the number of hours worked by employees, at 7.8%.

The impact of the heat wave is not limited to reduced working hours; it also affects the overall business operations and the well-being of employees. Danah Lee, an employee at Willie’s Taco Joint in Phoenix, experienced this firsthand. In Phoenix, the National Weather Service recorded the longest consecutive streak of temperatures over 110 degrees Fahrenheit in history. Lee observed a significant decrease in foot traffic, and the indoor dining areas consistently reached temperatures of 95 degrees or more, despite the restaurant’s efforts to keep things cool.

The heat not only affects the business but also takes a toll on the employees. Working long hours in such extreme heat is challenging and can lead to heat exhaustion. To mitigate these risks, employers in labor-intensive outdoor industries are shifting workers’ hours to earlier in the day when temperatures are relatively lower. However, the lack of federal oversight means that some contractors are not obligated to make these accommodations, leaving workers vulnerable to heat-related injuries.

The lack of federal oversight regarding heat safety in the workplace is a concerning issue. Travis Parsons, the director of occupational safety and health for Laborers International Union of North America, expresses his concern about the vulnerability of workers to heat-related injuries. Parsons highlights the importance of federal regulations that require contractors to make accommodations for extreme heat conditions. Without these regulations, workers in certain states are left unprotected.

“It’s more relevant now than ever. It’s always been an issue in my 20 plus years, but it seems to be really in the spotlight,” said Parsons. The spotlight on this issue calls for immediate action to protect workers and ensure their safety in extreme heat conditions.

Small businesses and employers across various industries are finding ways to adapt to the extreme heat and protect their employees. Some businesses have opted to shorten operating hours, allowing their employees to work in cooler conditions. Others have decided to shift working hours to earlier in the day when temperatures are less intense. These measures aim to mitigate the adverse effects of extreme heat on employees’ health and productivity.

However, it is crucial for employers to implement these adaptations voluntarily, as federal regulations regarding heat safety in the workplace are lacking. Employers should prioritize the well-being of their employees and take proactive measures to ensure their safety during heat waves.

Extreme heat waves serve as a reminder of the importance of embracing technology and productivity strategies to combat the challenges faced by small businesses. Investing in efficient cooling systems, automation, and remote work capabilities can help businesses maintain productivity despite extreme weather conditions. Small businesses should also consider implementing flexible working arrangements and providing adequate rest breaks for employees working in intense heat.

Extreme heat waves have significant consequences for small businesses and their employees. The heat not only reduces working hours but also affects overall business operations and employee well-being. The lack of federal oversight regarding heat safety in the workplace is a concerning issue that leaves workers vulnerable. It is essential for small businesses to adapt to extreme heat conditions by implementing voluntary measures and utilizing technology and productivity strategies to ensure employee safety and maintain business productivity.

FAQs

Q: What are the consequences of extreme heat on small businesses? A: Extreme heat can lead to reduced working hours, decreased customer footfall, and challenges in maintaining a comfortable working environment for employees.

Q: How do small businesses adapt to extreme heat conditions? A: Small businesses can adapt by shortening operating hours, shifting working hours to cooler times of the day, and investing in technology and productivity strategies.

Q: Is there federal oversight regarding heat safety in the workplace? A: Currently, federal regulations regarding heat safety in the workplace are lacking, leaving workers in some states unprotected.

Q: What can small businesses do to protect their employees during extreme heat waves? A: Small businesses can prioritize employee safety by implementing voluntary measures such as providing adequate rest breaks, implementing flexible working arrangements, and investing in cooling systems.

Q: How can technology help small businesses during extreme heat conditions? A: Technology can help small businesses maintain productivity by automating processes, enabling remote work capabilities, and improving overall efficiency.

Q: What are some productivity strategies that small businesses can adopt during extreme heat? A: Small businesses can consider implementing flexible working arrangements, providing training on heat safety, and offering rest breaks to ensure employee well-being and productivity during extreme heat conditions.

First reported by REUTERS.

The post Record-Breaking Heat Waves Impact Small Businesses and Employees appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

IP theft poses a significant threat to the U.S. economy, costing businesses billions of dollars each year. According to a 2017 report from the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property, the annual economic losses due to IP theft range from $225 billion to $600 billion. These losses not only impact the financial health of businesses but also hinder innovation and job creation.

The IDEA Act proposes a range of initiatives to combat IP theft and safeguard the interests of small businesses. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key provisions of this legislation:

The PRO-IP program, which supports state, local, and tribal jurisdictions in preventing, investigating, and prosecuting IP theft crimes, will be reauthorized under the IDEA Act. This program, initially authorized for 2009-2013, will receive $25 million per year from 2024-2029. The funding will strengthen the enforcement infrastructure in cities like Austin, Texas, Jackson, Mississippi, and Chicago, where IP theft against small businesses is prevalent.

Recognizing the financial constraints faced by small businesses, the IDEA Act includes an IP Protection Legal Aid program. This program aims to provide counseling and legal assistance to small business owners, enabling them to better protect their intellectual property rights. Through this initiative, small businesses will have access to professional guidance at little or no cost, empowering them to take proactive measures against IP theft.

The IDEA Act authorizes studies by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the protection of IP from misuse by countries on the watch list and explore strategies for recovering financial losses from theft. These studies will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of existing IP protection measures and inform policymakers about potential improvements and additional safeguards.

To enhance transparency and accountability, the IDEA Act mandates annual reporting by the IP Enforcement Coordinator on theft prevention strategies. This reporting will shed light on the progress made in combating IP theft and identify areas that require further attention. Additionally, the Joint Strategic Plan Against Counterfeiting and Infringement will include specific provisions for theft prevention by entities located in or operating under watchlist countries. This comprehensive approach will ensure a coordinated effort to address IP theft at both national and international levels.

Bipartisan lawmakers from both houses of Congress have emphasized the urgent need for targeted solutions to combat IP theft. In June, Republican lawmakers led by Rep. Mike Gallagher called on the Justice Department to investigate IP theft from Chinese actors, highlighting the impact of such theft on small businesses. The IDEA Act builds on this momentum, bringing together lawmakers from across the political spectrum to protect American businesses and promote innovation.

Senators Baldwin and Cornyn, the co-sponsors of the IDEA Act, believe that this legislation will help keep U.S. innovation within American borders. Sen. Cornyn stated, “Intellectual property crimes cost American businesses hundreds of billions of dollars each year, and small businesses often lack the resources to protect themselves against foreign bad actors.” The IDEA Act aims to bridge this gap by strengthening the partnership between law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels and providing legal aid to small businesses.

The IDEA Act represents a vital step towards protecting small businesses from foreign IP theft. By reauthorizing the PRO-IP program, establishing an IP Protection Legal Aid program, and promoting studies and reporting on IP protection and recovery, this legislation addresses the multifaceted challenges posed by IP theft. With bipartisan support and a commitment to innovation, the IDEA Act offers hope for a more secure and prosperous future for small businesses in the United States.

FAQs

Q: How does IP theft impact small businesses?

A: IP theft can have severe financial and reputational consequences for small businesses. It hampers their ability to compete, stifles innovation, and undermines their market position.

Q: Which countries are considered watchlist countries for IP theft?

A: The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative includes countries like China, Mexico, Guatemala, and Colombia on the watchlist due to the prevalence of IP theft against U.S. small businesses.

Q: How will the IDEA Act help small businesses protect their IP?

A: The IDEA Act provides funding for law enforcement programs, legal aid for small businesses, and studies on IP protection and financial recovery. It also mandates reporting on theft prevention strategies and includes provisions for theft prevention in the Joint Strategic Plan Against Counterfeiting and Infringement.

Q: Is the IDEA Act likely to be passed into law?

A: The IDEA Act has bipartisan support and addresses a pressing issue. While the legislative process can be complex, there is optimism that this legislation will garner sufficient support for passage.

Q: What can small businesses do to protect their IP in the meantime?

A: Small businesses can take proactive measures to protect their IP, such as registering trademarks and patents, implementing robust cybersecurity measures, and fostering a culture of awareness and education among employees.

First reported by CNBC.

The post The IDEA Act: Protecting Small Businesses from Foreign IP Theft appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Fortunately, small businesses across the United States can turn to the Small Business Administration’s SCORE program for guidance. SCORE offers free mentorship services and workshops to small business owners and entrepreneurs nationwide, including a webinar specifically designed to help businesses implement AI tools.

AI has the potential to revolutionize the way small businesses operate. By leveraging AI tools, small businesses can automate tasks, analyze data, optimize marketing strategies, and even draft legal documents. The possibilities are endless.

According to a recent SCORE workshop, while 70% of small business owners are aware of AI tools, only 40% are actively utilizing them. This suggests that many small business owners are still in the learning phase and have not yet fully incorporated AI into their processes.

Paul Ohlson, a small business owner and SCORE mentor, explains that most small businesses are currently using text-based or content-based AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to generate content for their blogs, newsletters, and websites. Some businesses are also using prospecting tools to automate lead generation. These AI tools allow small businesses to accomplish tasks without the need to hire additional staff, enabling them to scale more cost-effectively.

The SCORE program, with its network of experienced business mentors, is an invaluable resource for small businesses looking to implement AI. SCORE mentors have expertise in entrepreneurship and various aspects of business operations. They can provide guidance and support throughout the AI implementation process.

Small business owners can benefit from SCORE’s free webinar on “How to Effectively Use Artificial Intelligence in Your Business,” which will cover the fundamentals of AI, its potential applications, and a step-by-step process for implementing AI tools. The webinar will also provide actionable strategies for using AI in prospecting, negotiation, and closing deals to drive business growth.

One of the advantages of working with SCORE is the vast knowledge and expertise available through its network of mentors. As a SCORE mentor, Paul Ohlson emphasizes the value of this collective knowledge. He explains, “There’s so much knowledge at SCORE, and as a SCORE mentor, I don’t have to know everything. Why? Because I have an army of other SCORE mentors all across the nation that I can contact and pull into a call with a client, and so you have every aspect of business knowledge at your fingertips when you work with SCORE.”

AI tools can assist small businesses in various aspects of their operations, including finance analysis, marketing optimization, competitor monitoring, and contract drafting. However, it’s important to note that AI is not infallible, and users should still verify its output and consult legal professionals for any legal documents generated by AI tools.

Here are some popular AI tools that small businesses can consider implementing:

AI tools can help small businesses analyze financial data, identify trends, and make informed decisions. These tools can provide insights into cash flow management, budgeting, and financial forecasting.

AI tools can analyze customer data, behavior patterns, and market trends to optimize marketing strategies. They can help small businesses identify target audiences, create personalized marketing campaigns, and improve customer engagement.

AI tools can monitor competitors’ activities, including pricing strategies, product launches, and marketing campaigns. This information can help small businesses stay competitive and make informed business decisions.

AI tools can generate contracts and other legal documents based on predefined templates and legal language. While these tools can save time and effort, it’s crucial to review the output with an attorney to ensure accuracy and compliance with legal requirements.

Implementing AI tools can bring numerous benefits to small businesses, especially those with limited resources.

AI tools can automate repetitive tasks, allowing small business owners to focus on more strategic activities. This leads to increased productivity and efficiency, enabling businesses to accomplish more with fewer resources.

By leveraging AI tools, small businesses can scale their operations without the need to hire additional staff. AI can handle tasks that would traditionally require human intervention, enabling businesses to grow in a more cost-effective manner.

AI tools can analyze large volumes of data and provide valuable insights. Small businesses can use these insights to make informed decisions, optimize their processes, and identify new opportunities for growth.

Implementing AI can give small businesses a competitive edge. By leveraging AI tools to automate tasks, optimize marketing strategies, and monitor competitors, small businesses can stay ahead of the competition and respond quickly to market changes.

If you’re a small business owner looking to harness the power of AI, the SCORE program is an excellent resource to guide you through the process. With its network of experienced mentors, SCORE can provide the knowledge, support, and guidance you need to implement AI tools effectively.

To get started, consider attending SCORE’s free webinar on “How to Effectively Use Artificial Intelligence in Your Business.” This webinar will equip you with the fundamental knowledge and practical strategies to integrate AI into your operations and drive business growth.

Remember, technology should not be intimidating. Embrace the opportunities AI presents and leverage the expertise of SCORE mentors to navigate the world of AI implementation successfully. With the right guidance and tools, you can take your small business to new heights.

Artificial Intelligence has the potential to transform small businesses by boosting efficiency, automating tasks, and providing valuable insights. However, many small business owners are still in the process of understanding and integrating AI tools into their operations. The SCORE program, with its free mentorship services and workshops, is a valuable resource for small businesses looking to implement AI effectively.

By attending SCORE’s webinar on “How to Effectively Use Artificial Intelligence in Your Business,” small business owners can gain insights into the potential applications of AI, the implementation process, and strategies for driving business growth. With the support of SCORE mentors and the power of AI, small businesses can streamline operations, optimize marketing strategies, and stay competitive in today’s digital landscape.

Don’t let the fear of technology hold your small business back. Embrace AI, leverage the expertise of SCORE, and unlock the full potential of your business. The future is AI-powered, and with the right guidance, your small business can thrive in this rapidly evolving digital world.

First reported by Fox Business.

The post How Small Businesses Can Harness the Power of AI Tools with SCORE appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat. These businesses often lack the resources to invest in expensive cooling systems or to provide their workers with the necessary protective gear to work in high temperatures. As a result, they are more likely to experience equipment failure, work stoppages, and decreased productivity.

Small businesses in the agriculture, construction, and hospitality industries are especially at risk. In the agriculture sector, extreme heat can damage crops, leading to lower yields and higher costs. In the construction industry, heat can lead to accidents and injuries, resulting in lost productivity and increased insurance costs. In the hospitality industry, extreme heat can lead to a decrease in tourism, resulting in lost revenue.

The economic impact of extreme heat on small businesses can be significant. When small businesses experience work stoppages or decreased productivity, they may have to turn away customers or delay orders, resulting in lost revenue and profits. This can have a ripple effect on the supply chain, affecting other businesses that rely on them for goods and services.

In addition, extreme heat can lead to increased costs for small businesses. For example, small businesses may have to invest in expensive cooling systems or protective gear for their workers. They may also have to pay for increased insurance costs due to accidents and injuries.

Small businesses can take several strategies to mitigate the effects of extreme heat. One strategy is to invest in cooling systems for their businesses or to provide their workers with the necessary protective gear to work in high temperatures. This may require an initial investment, but it can pay off in the long run by increasing productivity and reducing the risk of accidents and injuries.

Another strategy is to implement flexible work arrangements. This may include allowing workers to work from home or adjusting work schedules to avoid the hottest parts of the day. Small businesses can also take steps to educate their workers about the dangers of extreme heat and how to stay safe while working in high temperatures.

The government can also provide support for small businesses during extreme heat. This may include providing financial assistance to help small businesses invest in cooling systems or to cover the costs of protective gear for their workers. The government can also provide education and training programs to help small businesses understand the risks of extreme heat and how to mitigate them.

In addition, the government can provide tax incentives for small businesses that invest in cooling systems or protective gear for their workers. This can help incentivize small businesses to take the necessary steps to protect their workers and their businesses.

Extreme heat is having a significant impact on small businesses and the economy. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat, and they may experience work stoppages, decreased productivity, and increased costs. However, small businesses can take several strategies to mitigate the effects of extreme heat, including investing in cooling systems, implementing flexible work arrangements, and educating their workers about the dangers of working in high temperatures. The government can also provide support for small businesses during extreme heat, including financial assistance and tax incentives. By working together, small businesses and the government can help protect workers and the economy from the effects of extreme heat.

First reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The post The Impact of Extreme Heat on Small Businesses and the Economy appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Many businesses have reported a drop in cash transactions as a result of the epidemic, which has expedited the shift towards cashless payments. A Pew Research Centre survey found that in 2022, up from 29% in 2018, 41% of Americans claimed they did not use cash for their transactions during a normal week. Due to consumer demand, quicker checkout, lower labour costs, and improved security, small businesses are moving more and more towards accepting cashless payments. However, going cashless has drawbacks, including the inability of low-income consumers to use credit cards, privacy concerns, and a learning curve for company owners who might not be familiar with setting up digital payments.

Despite the potential drawbacks, there are many benefits to going cashless for small businesses. Digital payments offer immediate payment, increased sales, and the ability to sell to customers who might use other currencies. They also allow for faster checkout, reducing wait times for customers and freeing up staff for other tasks. Due to mobile apps’ ability to accept cashless payments and reward points, digital payments can also promote client loyalty.

Juanny Romero, the founder of Mothership Coffee Roasters, adopted digital payments early on in her business’s history. She began using Square, a low-cost digital payments system for small businesses when she founded her first coffee shop in Las Vegas fifteen years ago. She avoided paying $3,000 a month in merchant fees for credit card processing thanks to Square. As Ms. Romero’s enterprises expanded to include four locations in Las Vegas and two more are on the way, she added more payment options like Apple Pay and Google Pay. She saw a change in client behavior during the pandemic, with customers no longer preferring to use cash and her employees unwilling to handle it. She ran out of money completely when the coin scarcity struck in 2020, yet she discovered that labor prices were reduced. Nevertheless, client demand compelled her to resume cash transactions, which are now maintaining a consistent 11% of her overall revenue.

Going cashless has numerous advantages, but there are also difficulties that small firms must take into account. Some business owners, for instance, are cautious to move too quickly because they fear that the technology of today may become outdated tomorrow. Issues with compatibility and cost must also be taken into account. A quick transaction might not be appropriate in sectors where products can be expensive since customers may need more time to decide. Another barrier to adoption is privacy concerns, as some people favor the secrecy that currency offers. Finally, although this is gradually improving, many Americans still have little or no access to financial services like credit cards and mobile wallets.

The pressure to adapt to digital payments is growing. More than 2.8 billion mobile wallets were in use at the end of 2020, and that is projected to increase by nearly 74% to 4.8 billion by the end of 2025. However, the United States lags behind other countries in adopting cashless payments, with only 1% of transactions made with cash in the UK compared to 11% in the US. To encourage adoption, payment companies like Mastercard are offering training to small business owners to help them understand the complexities of digital payments. Small businesses that wait to make the switch risk losing revenue, but those that embrace digital payments can benefit from increased sales, faster checkout, and increased security.

Going cashless is a necessary step for small businesses in the digital age. While there are challenges to consider, the benefits of digital payments include increased sales, faster checkout, and increased security. Small businesses that embrace digital payments can benefit from increased customer loyalty and increased sales. To make the transition, small business owners must understand the complexities of digital payments and be willing to invest in new technology. With the right tools and training, small businesses can thrive in the digital age.

First reported by The New York Times.

The post The Shift to Digital Payments: A Necessary Step for Small Businesses appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Security elements placed appropriately act as a comfortable “insurance policy” of sorts against theft and other foul play elements. Having the right eye in the right place can also act as a huge deterrent. Not just for recording criminal activity, but for halting it altogether. This article will provide a general overview of business security cameras and three of the top security cameras available in the space.

Company Surveillance

When looking into a security camera there are several metrics you should keep note of, video quality, functionality, and price. Additionally, knowing if the camera is going to be used for 24/7 surveillance will inform whether or not you need infrared or spotlight integration features. Many cameras work in tandem and form a network for greater sequential coverage and visage.

Additionally knowing what areas need coverage will tell you the number of cameras you need in your system and can affect how much funds you can allot to a system or styling of a camera. Some offer greater scope, rotation, or the aforementioned networking capabilities to cover this necessity.

Business Security Cameras: Arlo Pro 4 Wireless Security Camera

The Arlo Pro 4 features a 2K video with HDR (High Definition Resolution) and an integrated spotlight for 24/7 coverage. The footage is triggered by its motion-detecting features. The camera also directly connects to Wi-Fi features and does not require a hub or base, however, it can offer smart home integration, (Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit). The footage is stored in the cloud for 30 days, so if there is anything that requires a second look. The Arlo Pro 4 has you covered there as well. It is considered the best camera for outdoor use.

It does require a plan for optimal usage and is largely of poor quality without one. Plans go at 3, 10, and 15 USD a month. The battery is rechargeable and one of these can be guarding your doors and windows for $200.

Business Security Cameras: Reolink 3 Argus Pro

This camera is considerable for its overall best quality. A 2K camera that works both day and night ensures that you don’t just see “the thing” but see it clearly, whenever it lurks. It features 122-degree sights, slightly less than Arlo’s 130 vision. The Reolink 3 features motion sensitivity as well allowing you to get a notification or alert when something is detected. It has, however, cut motion zones – areas where you could target key tracking like doors or windows, to conserve battery life.

You can also schedule times to record. And with 128 GB of storage on the device and 1GB kept in the cloud for up to a week. You can find the detected thing. The Reolink also captures audio as well.

This camera typically runs around $130. It has video plans at 5, 10, 15, and 25 dollars monthly with the first two allowing for 30 days of cloud storage and the last two allotting for 60. With improved cloud storage at 30 GB, 80 GB, 150 GB, and 250 GB respectively.

Business Security Cameras: Eufy Cameras

This is the premiere indoor camera focused on indoor security (duh) and customer privacy. All storage is housed in the camera, meaning anything recorded is kept on-site and not stored in any outside cloud or database services. These cameras additionally offer 2K video (1920 p) and offer cloud-based programs and AI detection. This allows for the camera to auto-capture anything with motion or similarly timed suspicious activity.

The standard Eufy runs anywhere from around 150 – 200 USD. There is a budget pick – the Eufy Solo IndoorCam C24 that is only $43. Some models also allow for cloud plans for those who are content to store their data on an external drive or source.

The post Protect Your Small Business with These Top Security Cameras appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Each business has its own apparel, that while streamlined, serves tailored toward an air of professionalism. Each is built appropriately to suit the job’s numerous functions and economically-stratified levels. So with each seeking out professionalism at its appropriately deemed level, there becomes a new question: what is business attire?

There are several key levels of dress outside of an issued uniform. This article will seek to illuminate the general articles (of clothing) that one would typically come across at each level and additionally what an outfit would most typically be appropriately composed of.

Women’s Business Attire

The Suit

This is the hallmark of business attire. The mainstay itself. A strong suit is tailored.  Always clean and pressed. Equally important, the suit should be a darker color: black, gray, and navy are all consistently accepted colors. It can be worn with either a skirt or pants suit accordingly. Make sure the fit is not too tight, small, short, or baggy. Professionalism comes from form.

• Pressed and Clean
• Dark and Neutral Colors
• Tailored, Worn with a Pantsuit or Skirt

The Blouse

Blouses offer generally more stylistic opportunities than most business attire. Furthermore, the blouse should always be clean and can come in either the collard or simple round neck variety. Softer pastel colors are often allotted beyond the usual white. Avoid anything excessive or trendy.

• Collared or Round
• Soft Colors
• Well Fitted, Pay Mind how the Collared Blouse Wears

The Shoes

Shoes should be used to complement the outfit. This will typically exist in the form of a classic pump. Heels themselves are not required but should never exceed past 4”. Ultimately go with an option that is clean and polished, but one that you are comfortable walking in. Likewise, avoid trendy, overstated footwear.

• Complement the Outfit
• Classic Pump
• Heels Remain at or Under 4”

Hosiery and Accessories

The hosiery should be worn with a skirt suit. Find a sheer style without any pattern. The color should match well with the suit. All accessories should complement the outfit while remaining understated.

• Hosiery with Skirt Suit
• No Flashy Accessories

Men’s Business Attire

The Suit

The suit itself is the flagship enterprise of business attire. Ever the safe bet, a traditional suit should sport dark, neutral colors and avoid being distracting or trendy. Also, the pants should match the suit (in most cases) and all should be kept at the appropriate length – sleeves to hands with the jacket possessing a roughly 80% overfold on the glutes and crotch. A proper suit should be pressed thoroughly.

• Pressed and Clean
• Dark Color
• Tailored for Jacket, Sleeves Fall at Hands

The Shirt

A good shirt should in theory, typically boast the same lengths as the suit jacket – hands, butt, crotch. It should be cleaned and pressed. With this in mind, a long sleeve and button down to reach the proper pedigree – this is not business casual. The shirt should theoretically be white, or another similarly understated color. It does not have to be tailored, however, it should fit well.

• Long Sleeve Button Down
• Simple, Soft Color
• Well Fitted

Socks, Shoes, Belt, Tie

Shoes should be clean and either brown or black. Socks should match the suit. The same goes for the belt. Utilize a solid belt pairing for added cohesion and professionalism. The tie is often where you can have the most “fun” if you can call it that, but it should typically be conservatively understated as well. Think of a typical solid, potentially soft color, or an underwhelming pattern.

• Cohesive
• Compliment Suit with Colors
• Distinct, but Not Distracting (should add to the outfit)

Women’s Business Casual

Blouse

The blouse can and should remain largely unchanged from the business attire. Provided that it is clean, pressed, and well-fitted. This can once again be either round or collared. It should be soft and understated, avoid flash, pomp, or anything overtly bright.

• Clean, Pressed, Fitted
• Round or Collared
• Soft, Unassuming Colors

Pants

Dark colors are preferable for pants. It’s important that they’re well-fitted and freshly ironed. Business casual exists to set a level more than any particular style. There is a chance to express oneself via one’s choice of clothing, so long as the trousers are properly tailored for business and the colors are not garish.

• Darker Colors
• Well-Fitted, Especially in Length

Shoes, Accessories

Shoes should be clean and dressier in nature. Generally, one should make sure to avoid anything flashy or overly ceremonious. Heels are fine for business casual dress. Once again, avoid the grandiose or trends. Accessories like scarves can be used to pull together an outfit, but once again should be used for stylistic cohesion.

• Heels are Fine
• Accessories Should add Professionalism and Cohesion, Not Distraction

Men’s Business Casual

The Shirt

Business casual dress offers far greater wiggle room for personal affinities or stylings. For the torso, there is the freedom of options. A clean, well-pressed shirt is standard, obviously. Also, a polo or a simple collared shirt is fine. Furthermore, a sport coat is optional assuaging the need for a tie.

• Typically Short Sleeve
• Sport Coat Opportunity

Pants

The pants should pair well with the shirt and be of a typically nicer fashion. For the most part, they are more often in essence non-suit dress pants. Think khakis. Avoid jeans. Think Justice Stewart’s “I know it when I see it.”

• Khakis
• Simple Color (brown, tan, gray, etc.)

Socks, Shoes, Belt, Tie

Lastly, socks should match your shoes. Generally, shoes should be one of the nicer pairs, with room for the individual’s proclivities and distinctions. Furthermore, a belt is a requirement, as the shirt should remain tucked. Find a belt that once again plays well between the shirt and pants. Additionally, common business casual attire does not often include a tie. If you are wearing a sport coat this remains the case.

• Dress Shoes
• Paired Belt
• No Tie

In conclusion, these are the most common forms of dress that will be appearing in your typical workplace. After grasping one element, be it the suit, blouse, or dress shirt, the outfit will typically pull itself as well as its stylistic choices together naturally.

The post Small Business Guide to Business Attire appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

If you’re spending more on contractors and employees than the industry average for a company your size, dig a little deeper. Is there a staffing shortage in your area? Do you operate in a region that has a very high cost of living? If you answer “yes” to either of those questions, you might consider taking your talent search worldwide. Here are three ways to prepare your business for global hiring.

1. Research the Legalities

With international hiring, the potential for value is definitely there. You can reach a much bigger applicant pool and potentially cut down on overhead costs. However, hiring abroad does present some hurdles. You cannot hire employees from another country using the same process as you would for local applicants. Legally, you are not allowed to hire a foreign citizen unless your business has a physical presence in the country of hire.

So does that mean that you need to establish a brick-and-mortar location in every country you might hire from? Thankfully, no. To get around the requirement of maintaining an international business entity, you can instead engage an employer of record. An EOR will set up locations in a variety of countries and can hire employees on your behalf.

Naturally, you will need to make sure your third-party provider has a presence in the countries you’re interested in hiring from. There are 195 countries in the world, and it is unlikely any EOR has legal entities in every single one of them!

If you hire contractors instead of employees, you are more likely to be able to engage with those individuals directly. However, you’ll need to make sure the worker qualifies as a contractor rather than an employee. Typically, this hinges on the degree of independence the contractor has in their work. If the law decrees an employee was misclassified as a contractor, it could result in stiff penalties and fines. Regulations on contractor classification also vary by country, so do your due diligence on the applicable laws.

2. Update Your Technology

Hiring remote workers abroad means that you’ll need to rely on efficient and stable technology for business tasks. Ideally, your computer programs should be in the cloud to enable easier communication and sharing of information. Cloud-based software also makes it simple to allow and restrict access as employees onboard or offboard.

If you’re not using cloud-based programs, you’ll at least need to make sure to have a secure way to transfer information. Sending sensitive data via unsecured email is risky. Not only is the information at risk of being intercepted, but it’s easier to have multiple copies of data zipping around. That can lead to confusion as to which version is the most current.

So take stock of your current setup and see whether different software or processes could increase security or efficiency. Getting those processes upgraded to allow for international hires might even increase the efficiency of your local workers.

3. Reassess Regularly

If you take the plunge and engage with international employees or contractors, you’ll want to make sure the decision pays off. At least once a year, run the numbers to make sure the balance of expense and work accomplished is beneficial to your company. If international hiring hasn’t provided financial benefits that are sufficient to justify the endeavor, you might discontinue — or at least pause — the initiative.

If global hiring has proven effective, you’ll still want to regularly assess whether the countries you’re hiring from are the best choices. There are numerous reasons to do so. Certain countries require minimum pay that may not justify hiring employees there. Or you might need to find workers from a country with better mastery of the English language. Finally, your EOR may add new countries to its roster, presenting additional opportunities.

Aim to get your international workers on the same review schedule as your local employees. Just because you don’t see them in the office regularly doesn’t mean you can just forgo regular performance analysis. You’ll want to check in with any local team members your global hires interact with to ensure their work is being completed satisfactorily. Providing international employees feedback and assessing their performance gives them the ability to do their jobs better.

Alternatively, if your global team members are underperforming, you’ll notice it much sooner if you check in regularly. If you don’t catch errors and omissions until major consequences get brought to your attention, your review processes need to be updated.

Check Out Global Talent Options

Part of building or maintaining a business is keeping an eye out for opportunities. If international hiring might provide the opportunity to cut expenses or increase efficiency, investigate whether it could benefit your company. With the availability of modern third-party administrators and tech advancements, the world’s workforce has become more accessible.

So whether you want to open up your applicant pool or just cut some overhead costs, remote hiring is something to consider. Putting global hiring into practice might just be easier than you think.

The post 3 Ways to Make Global Hiring a Reality for Your Small Business  appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

This isn’t surprising. Freelancers like to think of themselves as their own bosses.

However, in reality, they have as many bosses (at least) as they have clients. Each of those mini-bosses works on a different schedule, has a different management style, and communicates in different ways. (If they communicate at all…experienced freelancers know this is not always a strong suit for clients.) Juggling all this is exhausting. More than that, it’s discouraging.

Frustrated with the grind, many freelancers burn out. As a result, many seek the relative predictability of traditional employment, even if it means giving up some earning potential. They want to keep freelancing but are having a hard time envisioning a happy path forward in balancing it all.

Others would love to grow their freelance business. However, many either don’t know where to start or can’t find the time and mental energy to scale. So they pull back, content to work with a manageable, comfortable set of core clients.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Maybe you sense burnout creeping in, extinguishing whatever joy you once found in your work.

Worse, it’s diminishing the quality of your output. Or perhaps you remain perfectly content as a freelancer, but unfulfilled. You’re always beating back that nagging sense you’re capable of doing (and earning) more.

The problem isn’t that you live off 1099s instead of W-2s. Nor that you’ve fallen out of love with your specialty and need to find a new line of work. More likely, it’s that you’re not managing your freelance business as efficiently as you could — and that inefficiency is preventing your business from becoming something more.

You need a tool that automates and streamlines the nitty-gritty details of freelancing, freeing you to focus on the creative work you do best and work toward the growth or income goals you’ve put off because you’re so busy with everything else.

Harlow is that tool. No, it can’t work miracles. However, it can significantly improve your efficiency and strategic discipline. Both of these are critical if you’re serious about scaling. Here’s how.

Proposal Templates (And Contracts) You Can Take Pride In

Feel like you barely have time to prospect for new clients, let alone put together thoughtful, attention-grabbing proposals to win them over? Harlow’s professionally designed proposal and contract templates make this time-consuming part of freelancing that much easier.

Find a template you like, customize it with your logo and brand colors, and save it for easy access whenever a new opportunity presents itself. No more time spent building branded proposals and contracts from scratch — or, worse, using plain text documents that scream “boring” and “anonymous.”

Harlow gives you the option to add e-signatures to your proposals as well. Whatever nostalgia you might feel for the old-fashioned “print, sign, scan, email” process, you have to admit e-signatures are faster and less error-prone.

Legalese, Done

You know that what your proposals and contracts say is just as important as how they look.

Especially your contracts. If a client relationship goes south — they delay or refuse payment, or threaten legal action over something you did or didn’t do — you need a contract that’s actually legitimate (and legally binding).

Harlow takes care of that for you. While they don’t provide legal representation, their contracts are written by legal professionals. No need to write your own legalese, which you have no business doing anyway unless you’re a freelance lawyer.

No need to worry, either, about whether the random freelance contract template you found online for free will actually protect you.

Fast, Organized Invoicing

One of the many advantages of freelancing is being able to dictate your payment terms. Not only how much you charge — if a client doesn’t want to pay your going rate, they can negotiate or end the relationship — but how frequently you get paid and by what method.

Maybe you’re a Stripe fan. Or a PayPal enthusiast. Perhaps you’re a credit card die-hard. Or, inexplicably, you prefer the crisp thwack of a paper check, mailed monthly to your P.O. box.

Whatever the case, you know it takes work to get paid. You have to generate a new invoice, fill it out with the client’s information and a description of services rendered and dollar values and all the rest, and send it off by email or snail mail or text.

Multiply this by however many clients you have and however many times you invoice per year and you’ve got what’s practically a part-time job as an invoice manager — an unpaid one at that.

Harlow’s invoicing suite uses pre-built invoices that you can custom-finish rather than start from scratch. You choose the frequency — one-off or recurring on your preferred schedule. You build in your preferred payment method. If you have clients in different countries, you can accept currencies other than U.S. dollars. And Harlow automates follow-up and payment logging, so you can focus on the next project while awaiting payment for the last.

Seamless Integration With the Rest of Your Digital Work Life

Calendar management (or lack thereof) holds countless freelancers back. Add in the multitude of apps the typical freelancer relies on to get work done and the whole thing can feel unworkable at times. Taking on more complex projects under these conditions is a nonstarter.

Harlow can’t make you better at managing your time; that’s still on you. But it does integrate with Google Workspace (the former GSuite) so you can spend less time toggling between your calendar, your client contact list, your invoices, and your to-do list.

The less time you spend running down this or that detail of your finances or meeting schedule, the more time you have to focus on finding new clients or expanding your relationship with existing ones.

Project and Task Management to Keep You on Track

Do you use a project or task management app to stay on top of your assignments and strategic objectives? Or do you just wing it, maybe updating handwritten or Google Doc-based to-do lists when you have a free second?

Either way — and especially in the second case — you’re probably spending too much time thinking about what you should be doing and not enough time actually doing it.

Harlow’s built-in project and task management tool is appropriate for simple, small-scale personal tasks (say, paying estimated taxes) and more complicated professional needs (mapping out milestones for a six-month project, for example). You can track time against any task right in the interface. This means you won’t lose out on billable work or fail to compute exactly how long you spent on essential non-billable stuff, like prospecting for new clients or onboarding your own contractors.

Get Serious About Scaling

If you’re a freelancer, that means you’re a business owner, even if you don’t feel like it. Which also means you’re already walking a path that only a small fraction of your peers dare to follow.

Yes, it’s risky, and it can be lonely and thankless. But it’s exhilarating and full of potential. With a few tweaks to your routine and the right tools to support your operation, you can turn that potential into reality, all the while growing the success of what you so bravely started.

The post The Tool That Will Help Scale Your Freelance Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

How Abandoned Carts Undermine Potential Revenue

Abandoned carts are precisely what they sound like.

They’re the digital equivalent of filling your cart with items at a store, changing your mind about buying your cart’s contents, and walking out without making a purchase.

It’s worth pointing out that, in this case, it’s even worse. It’s much easier to add items to a digital cart, close out a window, and never look back.

It should come as no surprise that abandoned carts are a common issue for online retailers. This is easiest to explain via a retailer’s “abandonment rate.”

Customer Cart Abandonment Rate in Simple Terms

Your abandonment rate reflects the number of carts visitors generate on your site. The abandonment rate compares that to the number of purchases they complete.

For instance, consider if 100 people visit your Etsy site on a given day and create a shopping cart. If 36 of those people complete their purchases, your abandonment rate is 100 – 36 = 64%.

That number may sound high, but Baymard Institute begs to differ. The research organization reports that the average documented abandonment rate for online shopping carts as of August 2022 was 69.99%.

Steering Clear of Making Hasty Assumptions

The good news is that this number doesn’t represent potential customers who have definitively decided not to patronize your brand. On the contrary, there are many reasons for people to abandon carts while online shopping.

Statista lists things like slow delivery, excessive extra costs (like shipping), and the need to create an account as the primary reasons people didn’t cash out in 2022. It isn’t until the fourth reason on the list (just 18% didn’t trust a site with their credit card information) that the issue becomes more connected to specific failures on the part of the retailer.

In other words, in most cases an abandoned cart isn’t a burned bridge. It’s simply a failure to complete a purchase. This naturally implies that, if handled correctly, following up on abandoned carts can be a legitimate (and profitable) source of revenue for an e-commerce company. The question is, how?

Reclaiming Cart Abandonment Income

With so many abandoned carts out there, it’s important to consider multiple ways to reclaim that unrealized cash. Here are some different strategies to consider heading into 2023.

Send abandoned cart emails.

This is one of the most tried and true ways to follow up on an abandoned cart. If a potential customer gives you enough information (including an email address), you can send them an email reminding them about an abandoned cart.

When a shopper is a repeat buyer or an older customer with an account or purchase history with your brand, you can even personalize the message.

Retention.com points out that there are also ways to engage with anonymous cart abandoners. On-site software can collect first-party cookies, allowing you to reach out to unknown website visitors who filled a cart and left it behind.

Fire off a text message.

E-commerce website giant Shopify reports that nearly a third of all U.S. internet users used mobile devices to purchase something every week in 2021. The significant number of mobile shoppers makes text messages a solid alternative to an abandoned cart email.

When a mobile shopper leaves items in their cart in your app or mobile site, sending an SMS notification can be a perfect way to draw them back in. These are quick, subtle messages — and they aren’t seen as spam, either.

Try exit popups.

Abandoned carts are a time-sensitive issue. If someone leaves your site, there’s a good chance that they’re still shopping and want to find a better deal or an easier checkout process. This sense of urgency means the sooner you connect with a customer after they leave a cart, the better.

Exit intent popups allow you to do exactly that — before they even leave your site. These popups trigger when a user is about to leave a website. Hubspot explains that these should include offers or information that can draw potential customers back to their carts, such as a discount or free shipping.

Reclaiming Abandoned Cart Revenue in 2023

Customer cart abandonment revenue should never be an afterthought. It’s a significant source of potential revenue growth for most businesses.

Remember, a consumer who has gone as far as putting an item in a cart is close to being sold. They are much closer to the point of purchase than a new lead. They are far closer even than someone at the beginning of the customer journey.

Make sure to keep this dormant income in mind. Leverage it as you create and adjust your e-commerce strategies for the year ahead.

The post How to Reclaim Revenue by Reducing Customer Cart Abandonment appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Complicating matters is the fact that every customer or applicant has a unique financial situation.

Some have easily verifiable income from a traditional employer. But you’ll find others don’t have a simple, streamlined source of cash flow that pays their bills. A handful of clients may be self-employed. Others might rely on freelance work in addition to a traditional job. And then, some will receive income from relatives, government benefits, pension plans, or other investments.

While complications may sometimes slow down the income verification process, new technologies can make it more effective and efficient. Verification solutions that sync with payroll providers and let customers upload their documents represent a few examples. Here are some successful means for verifying customer income sources and amounts.

Use income verification technology.

Software programs can make just about anything more efficient. This includes organizing and verifying all the documents loan applicants must provide. Applying for a car loan or credit card might be less complex than a mortgage. However, lenders still need to verify an applicant’s credit history and income.

That’s where things can get sticky for lenders and creditors that have to either approve or deny an application.

Anyone can say they make so many dollars a year, but that doesn’t mean they actually do. Lenders don’t want to approve someone for a loan or a line of credit if they can’t comfortably afford the payments. They’ll either repossess a secured asset like a vehicle or write off the debt if it’s unsecured. It’s not a good outcome for either side.

Income verification technology, such as Truework, helps lenders confirm a customer’s income within a few minutes. Since these solutions connect to many employers’ payroll networks, it’s more difficult for applicants to fudge the numbers. Some income verification solutions also verify freelance income from popular independent contractor platforms like Upwork. This saves applicants time hunting down bank statements and pay stubs.

Consider government-run verification services.

When approving applicants, mortgage lenders have their work cut out for them. Without a doubt, a home loan involves more risk since property ownership goes back to the bank if a borrower defaults. Real estate markets can sometimes be fickle, and lenders might lose money when auctioning off a foreclosure.

For these reasons and more, mortgage applications go through underwriting and a high level of scrutiny. That usually means two years of tax returns, W-2s, and bank statements for savings, checking, and investment accounts. Clients may also need to fork over other loan statements or documentation if the amounts are significant. These obligations might include student loan balances or other loans they’ve cosigned.

Because of the level of complexity involved, mortgage lenders may want to consider using the IRS’s income verification express service. The process usually takes two to three business days, but the technology helps put any questions to rest. IRS records can verify an applicant’s income from conventional and not-so-traditional sources. Plus, the service confirms whether a mortgage client’s tax returns are accurate.

Outsource manual income verifications.

Technology can automate and perform a lot of tasks. But sometimes, using tech isn’t possible, or it isn’t the most feasible solution.

In some cases, you may have an applicant who earns income from an employer that doesn’t use a payroll provider. The employer might be a small business that does payroll manually. Your borrower might have also switched jobs within the past year, and a previous employer is no longer in business.

In these cases, manual income verification is one of the only routes to take. As a busy landlord or lending department, you don’t have time to play phone tag or hunt down contacts. This might be okay if you only had one applicant to deal with. However, you receive applications nearly every day, and the work it takes to verify all the details adds up. Manual verifications are challenging to keep track of and follow up on.

By working with an income verification service, you can outsource those tasks.

Verifying customer income solutions sometimes provide manual confirmation services so you can focus on other aspects of your business. Your vendor handles the phone calls to HR departments and employers. They focus their efforts on confirming an applicant’s previous jobs and earnings, producing results faster for you and your customers. You can make decisions within days instead of weeks.

Efficient and Effective Income Verification

Verifying customers’ income is part of the job for property management companies, lenders, and some government agencies. In a less intricate process, income verification may only involve checking a W-2 from one employer.

However, most lenders and landlords deal with more proof and documentation than that. Complex and unique situations can slow down the process and cause frustration for all sides.

Income verification technologies and services make confirming a customer’s income more efficient and effective. Software that syncs with payroll providers, IRS services, and outsourced manual verification services helps remove obstacles and mitigate delays. Using these technologies and services creates better experiences for applicants and decision makers.

The post How to Effectively Verify Customer Income appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

However, starting almost any business, preschool one as well requires you to do certain things beforehand. You should approach this business idea carefully and with plenty of consideration and thought to do the right job.

You should start with a plausible business plan as it is the base you need. Then, you should research your competitors and find an ideal location. As there are plenty of curricula available, you should consider which one(s) to implement.

It would be great if you got preschool software to help you run your business more smoothly. Moreover, you should also obtain the necessary licenses and permits. And finally, you should focus on equipping your preschool. Keep reading to learn more. 

Start with a Plausible Business Plan

A business plan is a base for every business. It is essentially an outline of your business, containing all the important information about your business. It also includes information on short as well as long-term goals, marketing strategies to be implemented as well as some future estimations.

Another key aspect of a business plan are costs involved in starting a preschool business as well as ongoing, monthly costs and all other investments needed. Writing the business plan forces you to think and plan ahead. Doing a good job in planning your business can help you avoid making mistakes.

Research your Competitors

When you have finished creating the business plan, it’s time to move to do extensive research on your competitors. Sometimes competitor research is also a part of the business plan. Nevertheless, you should find out about your competitors. Who they are, where they are located, whether they are full, what curriculum they use, what perks they offer, and so on.

Read online reviews and deduce what people want in a preschool. Check if there is some aspect nobody has covered yet and try to fill the market need for it. You should give people what they want.

Find an Ideal Location

When it comes to the right location for your child care center, there are a few options, depending on your business preferences. You can start your preschool in a part of your home, or you can rent an existing preschool facility. Additionally, you can also start your preschool from scratch, in a completely new facility. Anyway, you do need a great location.

Check your city’s zoning laws and other regulations, to check whether your intended location is compliant. The main differences between home-based and other location preschool businesses are fewer expenses and lower overhead costs, more flexible hours, and generally more convenience for you. However, they can also be a bit limiting. 

Consider Which Curriculum to Implement

As for the curricula, there are a few popular ones worldwide. You should go over each one carefully, to see what they are about. The curriculum you opt for should reflect your preschool’s aim, mission, and vision. What’s more, you don’t have to opt for only one curriculum, you can mix different aspects of various curricula.

You should focus on providing the children with a learning environment that will positively affect their academic and social development. Moreover, you should take into consideration current child development research, whether it’s practical to implement, whether it supplies support and training and whether it’s appealing to children. 

Some of the most popular curricula are the Montessori program, the Waldorf approach, and the HighScope approach. The Montessori program provides a hands-on learning environment, where educators pay attention to every child individually. It is a similar case with the HighScope approach. On the other hand, the Waldorf approach is more group-oriented, in comparison to the previously mentioned programs. Perhaps the best way to go is to create a unique framework to work by.

Get a Preschool Software

Nowadays, we have access to plenty of useful software we can use in all kinds of businesses. And you should definitely take advantage of new technology. It makes doing business easier, faster, and more optimal. By reducing the time for doing mundane tasks, you can focus on performing some other, more essential tasks. There are some preschool apps that can streamline administrative tasks.

Apps also allow you to manage your business more easily and stay in touch with parents. You can also use it to record daily events and activities and deliver real-time updates to parents. Moreover, there are also preschool apps that parents can use at home with their children.

Obtain Necessary Licenses and Permits

Child care businesses require certain licenses and permits to be obtained. They depend on each town, city, and country. So, you should get yourself familiarized with the things you need in order to run a business that involves taking care of kids. Most often, this process involves filling out some licensing applications, paying certain fees, working with a licensing agency, and going through a background check, among other things.

Equip your Preschool

When you have completed all the previously mentioned steps, you can focus on equipping your preschool. That means getting furniture suitable for a preschool, decorating walls with paint, and all kinds of educational posters. Kids should have the appropriate sleeping area as well as the area for eating. The bathroom should also be well-equipped and adapted. There should be plenty of toys, both educational ones, and free-play ones.

All in all, you should focus on making it appealing, functional, practical, and safe. Don’t forget to get insurance for your business and cover general liability insurance, property insurance, professional liability insurance, and workers’ compensation insurance.

Starting your own business can be overwhelming and exhausting at times. Nevertheless, with thorough research and good organization, you can decrease the stress and enjoy the process more.

The post How to Start Your Own Preschool Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

For example, WeWork, a co-working space company, announced that they’d no longer serve or buy meat products at their professional events. Further, companies such as Starbucks have issued statements regarding the non-use of plastic straws to tackle plastic pollution.

Embedding sustainability efforts have a positive impact on business performance. In fact, 80% of customers prefer to buy products and services from companies with a proven record of sustainability regarding reducing their carbon footprint.

Developing an environmentally conscious workplace begins with your employees as your people must believe in your vision and practice sustainable activities before anybody else does. However, getting them excited about simple eco-friendly activities such as putting waste in a bin, saving electricity, etc., is not an easy feat.

Why? Because many don’t care or say that it’s not their responsibility. Or maybe they care but say they don’t have time for it.

So, if you want to take your sustainable strategy to another level, getting your employees involved is crucial for its success. There’s no fixed strategy to engage employees — different techniques work in different situations as companies have different cultures and visions. But, there are a few powerful ways to engage your employees in the company’s sustainability mission. Let’s get into these.

How to Engage Your Employees to Embed Sustainability Internally

Here are five ways to engage your employees for embedding sustainability internally, not just on Earth or Environment Day, but every day.

1. Refine your brand’s long-run mission to include sustainability goals.

All companies have to earn profits to remain in the business, regardless of how it makes those profits. But, the thirst for profits has resulted in the destruction of natural resources and people, especially the most vulnerable populations.

So, the first tactic to engage employees is to ensure that the company’s long-term objectives are aligned with doing good to the people and the environment while also earning profits.

Every organization should define a clear, long-term social purpose in their overall strategy and reflect it through their brand and products.

For instance, in 2010, Unilever announced the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP). It’s a roadmap for the organization’s growth strategy that explains how the company’s success depends on the success of the people and their environmental impact. This plan outlined three key goals:

• Enhancing the well-being of over a billion people by improving their overall health.
• Bettering the financial livelihoods of millions of people in Unilever’s supply chain (such as farmers).
• Reducing the environmental footprint of the company’s products.

The organization’s social purpose enables employees to tap into some great opportunities to use the brand as a means to express their values and create something meaningful — in and out of work.

In short, this helps them understand the main motive behind the work they do.

2. Impart sustainability knowledge and competence.

If employees want to support their organization’s sustainability initiatives, they must know what sustainability is and how it can benefit society, the planet, as well as the company as a whole. Thus, providing sustainability knowledge and training is crucial in bolstering a “can do” attitude towards creating a sustainable culture.

Many companies feel that only people with “CSR” in the job titles require sustainability training. However, that’s not the case anymore. Professionals at all levels can benefit from sustainability and social responsibility knowledge, such as managers, leaders, consulting professionals, and entrepreneurs.

Companies such as IBM, Marks & Spencers, and Nestle have invested a lot in sustainability training, tools, and systems so employees can learn and apply sustainability in their work.

Here’s how you can train your employees:

• Host casual meetings over lunch, conferences, seminars, and online training to discuss the different topics on business sustainability. Ask them about their opinions and tips on contributing to creating a sustainable culture.

• Involve employees when creating relevant, sustainable policies for the company. This way, they will feel that their opinions are valued, increasing their morale and productivity. And, you can get some new ideas for improving your sustainability initiatives, which brings us to the next point…

3. Cocreate sustainable brand practices with employees.

Another effective way to engage employees in sustainability is to involve them in creating sustainability programs.

When companies act on even the smallest idea shared by the employees for the sustainability initiative — such as switching to using digital signatures or investing in office plants — they feel like a vital part of the organization. This, in turn, boosts their morale and loyalty towards the company.

Not only that, companies get a plethora of better and new ideas when they consider the workers’ suggestions. However, employees might hesitate to provide suggestions, especially if their ideas have been ignored in the past.

Therefore, it is essential to provide the right environment where employees can come together and get comfortable sharing their ideas. This might take time but is worth it in the long run.

One way to do this is by creating a green team. A green team involves employees engaged in improving the company’s sustainability.

Here, your employees can share their ideas freely and make decisions regarding their implementation. You can also gather more ideas during periodic staff meetings or send out an employee survey.

An excellent example of this is Marks & Spencer. An employee suggested placing clothes-recycling boxes in its stores to provide income for the International Oxfam movement. The idea was highly supported by the board and achieved tremendous success.

4. Gamify sustainability adoption.

Want to make your employees sustainable while entertaining them? Gamification is your best bet.

Nowadays, many organizations have started turning to gamification to engage and influence their employees and participate in sustainable initiatives. Basically, it uses gaming elements such as rewards and points to boost employee engagement in various activities.

Plus, it makes learning and training more interactive and fun.

Microsoft created the “One Drop of Life” app to raise awareness of the global water crisis among users. In this app, players have to navigate a water droplet through a maze full of twigs, leaves, and toxic waste to reach the collection of droplets.

If the droplet touches any garbage, it will become contaminated, and the game is over. At the end of each round, a factoid bubble appears, mentioning a fact about global water shortages. Such apps and games help employees learn about global issues and develop ideas to tackle them.

Furthermore, creating point-based leaderboards is an effective technique that appreciates the employees who participated more often in the company’s sustainable initiatives.

WeSpire has created a gamification platform where users earn points for completing various sustainable actions. For example, using eco-friendly products, recycling, or coming to the office via public transport.

Points are displayed on the leaderboards and shared on Facebook, inspiring positive change in others.

The platform has become a massive success that companies like Sony and McDonalds use to introduce their sustainability challenges to their employees.

5. Make your sustainability efforts visible.

Today, more and more companies are becoming eco-friendly, but they don’t provide any specific information on how they’re making a positive change for the people.

Also, announcing that sustainability is essential and doing nothing about it is a major step towards failure.

If you want to truly incorporate sustainability in your organization, you have to show it to others, including your employees.

From the hand soaps, paper towels, and toilet paper in employee bathrooms to whether or not you’ve installed durable, commercial-quality EV charging stations for businesses in the parking lot, these decisions create a domino effect.

Visibility plays a crucial role in changing employees’ beliefs and influencing them to contribute to various sustainable initiatives.

One way to boost visibility is to have clear indicators that you are tracking and sharing the progress with the employees — whether by posting updates on the employee news channel, communicating it in the regular meetings, etc.

Only when the employees understand your sustainability efforts and how you’re moving towards them will they be more enthusiastic in contributing towards the same.

Furthermore, it is also necessary to celebrate successes — both big and small. Employees must feel that they have played an enormous role in achieving the company’s goals.

Symbols and signage are also effective tools to grab people’s attention towards the company’s commitment to sustainability. For example, Marks & Spencers has put up numerous signs to encourage their employees to take the stairs instead of an elevator, even if for a few floors only.

Wrapping Up

Sustainability initiatives are excellent for the people and the planet and also for boosting workplace morale. Including your employees in your ecological vision and influencing them to participate in different sustainable initiatives can go a long way toward making them satisfied and great ambassadors for your company.

The above tips can help you engage your employees, helping align their personal goals with those of your brand.

Equip them with the tools and tips to practice sustainability. Show them how their contributions help towards a greener world. When they feel proud for bringing a positive change, they’ll become more driven to work.

The post 5 Ways to Engage Your Employees for Building a More Eco-Friendly Brand appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

When you are looking to hire new people, it can feel difficult and trying. Still, there are plenty of things you can do to search for the right people for the job. Below are tips for hiring new employees at your small business.

1. Utilize social media.

When you are hiring new employees for your small business, you should utilize social media to get the word out. Post on social media that you are looking for people to fill specific positions, reach out to possible candidates, and vet the people before you hire them.

Social media is necessary in the world we live in. It’s a good idea to spread the word about what you are hiring for.

You can use LinkedIn for interacting with possible candidates and looking at resumes. Whatever your business is, you should do your best to spread the word and use social media to find the right people for the job.

2. Use career sites for hiring.

Another thing you should do is leverage career sites. With plenty of platforms that act as a middleman between the employer and the prospective employee, there’s no reason that you shouldn’t take advantage of the technology and expertise these platforms have.

With sophisticated algorithms and plenty of candidates to choose from on career websites, there’s no reason you shouldn’t get started on multiple of these platforms.

Of course, some are better than others but if you utilize the various career sites that are connecting companies with qualified workers, you just might be able to connect with the right one.

3. Recruit from colleges.

Freshly graduated college students won’t ask for as much money as veteran workers. They can also provide new and different skills while offering a perspective older people do not have.

If you are hiring new employees straight out of college, you should attend their career events and fairs. Setting up a table or booth at a college, you can interact with students who are about to graduate. You can get a feel for how you will engage with younger workers. You will be able to see the differences in their perspective, skills, and outlook.

Talking to prospective candidates who are about to graduate may offer up some skilled, hard-working, and enthusiastic employees. Give it a try!

4. Conduct video interviews.

Before you have employees come in for an in-person interview, you should conduct interviews over video conferencing software.

You’ll be able to get a feel for your candidates quickly. Right away you will know whether they would fit the company culture and vibe of the job. Are they well-dressed for the interview? Are they articulate? Do they have a good video and audio setup? All the details that you will receive from an online interview can make a huge difference.

You can avoid wasting time and hiring the wrong person because you feel pressure to hire them when they’re in front of you.

5. Have someone sift applications for you.

When you are the hiring manager or the owner of the company, you might not have time to go through all the applications yourself. That’s why you should have someone go through the applications to determine who is not eligible for the job.

This process will help your business eliminate the applicants that don’t fit before the resumes even hit your desk. Not only will it speed the process along, but you will also have a clearer view of what you want and who qualifies based on the small number of applicants that you have.

6. Lean on trusted referrals when hiring.

One of the most effective ways to hire people is through trustworthy referrals. When you trust someone who works with you already or someone you’ve worked with in the past, you will be able to find good workers who are also trustworthy.

Even if you’ve never worked with a person, if you trust them and their opinions, a referral still might work. Referrals are an easy but effective way to interact with new candidates for specific positions. This is especially true when you have very skilled and specialized jobs open.

When you need talented people, you should ask the people you already know who a good fit would be. Referrals can really come in handy when you are looking for new hires.

7. Be upfront about your expectations.

When you are hiring new employees, you should be upfront about what you expect from them. Describe the tasks in detail and be honest about the kind of person you need to do the job.

When you are transparent about the kind of worker you need to take on the position, you will narrow it down naturally. Some people won’t want the job if it doesn’t suit them, or you’ll be able to tell exactly why the person isn’t good for it. You should even have them read the employee handbook to see if they are diligent and a right fit.

Whatever your expectations, when you make them clear you will have a better chance at finding the right person.

Summing Up

It doesn’t matter what business you are in, finding new employees is tough right now.

You may not be able to easily interact with the right candidates, but luckily there are many outlets, platforms, and apps to help you find qualified workers who will be able to get the job done. Whether you are looking for highly skilled engineers or someone to fill an administrative job, you should always utilize whatever you have at your disposal.

Crafting a concise and effective hiring process can facilitate your needs, but the most important thing is to sift through applications quickly, looking for a specific set of standards for the job. Once you have done all you can do, the right employee is more likely to emerge.

The post Tips for Hiring New Employees at Your Small Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

They serve no practical use and the firms who offer them prey on our emotions and persuade us to buy them.

However, valuable objects may also fulfill emotional demands, such as a sense of pride, belonging to a group, imitating trendsetters, or the delight of becoming a trendsetter. For example, consider those who wait in line all night to get the newest smartphone.

They do it for various reasons, one of which is their desire to be ahead of the curve. That isn’t a problem at all. A phone, for example, is a practical object that serves an emotional purpose.

The majority of functional items compete on price and feature trade-offs. Adding an emotional component to a practical product is a terrific approach to set it apart on a whole new level. Many B2C technology products appeal to similar feelings.

Nokia recognized that the mobile phone had evolved into a fashion piece and its communication role when it pioneered color choices for cell phones. The initial Apple Macintosh’s famed “hello” in 1984 established an emotional connection with this humanized new machine. However, many of us work in the IT field on a B2B basis. One would believe that B2B’s decision-making is intellectual and devoid of emotion.

Above all, because B2B decision-makers are people, they may sometimes include emotional impulses into their decision-making process. Job security, technological curiosity, personal motives, and, believe it or not, greed are some of the emotional aspects in technology B2B.

Job security emotions are paramount.

IBM’s marketing slogan back when it was the dominating force in the computer business was “Nobody Ever Got Fired for Buying IBM,” and it worked.

Even when the clone XYZ seemed to be more appealing due to cheaper cost or higher performance/functionality, IT managers were unwilling to give XYZ a chance since their jobs were at stake.

For example, if they choose XYZ they risk losing their job if it fails. Above all, purchasing IBM was a sure bet for job stability.

We can leverage curiosity about emotions technology.

Someone may pick the most up-to-date XYZ technology even though their company doesn’t need it because they want to be current and cutting-edge or because XYZ’s experience will look good on their résumé. But even a small business may find NFT technology useful.

Uncover the personal reasons for doing anything.

One of the most successful product launches lately did a fantastic job with that approach.

R&D engineers working for some B2B clients were the decision-makers for this innovative technology. The warning to these engineers was that if they didn’t learn about the new technology, they might become outdated in a few years.

It was a powerful argument that helped make this product launch a huge success. They didn’t do anything dishonest. They were sure that this new function would become a popular trend in the future, and we were right. The plan was to use personal, professional motivation to kick-start our campaign.

Supplier XYZ provides a professional training session at a five-star resort in Las Vegas or Hawaii, affecting specific B2B decision-makers.

In the B2B technology business, this is standard procedure. Remember to add an emotional perspective while designing a new technological product or marketing campaign.

For example, because many B2B firms don’t do this, this technique is a great way to stand out.

Use emotion to secure referrals.

B2B recommendations account for 78 percent of all client leads.

Referrals are a terrific approach to get people to notice your brand without promoting it to them directly. Incentive programs for current customers are frequent for businesses to generate recommendations.

Whether in the form of a discount on their next purchase or another sort of reward. Therefore these incentives aid in the purchase of goods and services.

The following are some of the reasons why referrals are effective.

• They allow good word-of-mouth marketing to flourish.
• This will bring in new consumers.
• Referrals can increase the number of referrals.
• They can help you boost your closing rates.

Engage in conversation.

Conversational marketing is a term used to describe a kind of marketing.

Customer communication in real-time is critical for overall engagement. Chatbots or live chats provide communication gateways at their fingertips. In other words, it is particularly important given the worldwide pandemic of the last several years.

90% of consumers prefer texting over filling out a form because it is faster and more genuine discussions. Because people are answering fewer phone calls as a means to manage their emotions. Therefore, texting is less emotional as well, which is an important way to provide that customized experience in 2022.

ABM stands for Account-Based Marketing.

Account-based marketing consists of personalized, planned programs that target specific accounts.

ABM delivers the following benefits to sales and emotion marketing teams:

• optimized performance;
• improved reporting;
• increased participation; and
• a higher return on investment.

We use cookies as part of a successful ABM approach to determine where consumers spend their time. Online businesses may use cookies in retargeting to find new consumers based on their previous emotion online activity.

However, using ABM tactics like cookies to retarget clients is becoming more challenging. Third-party cookies will be phased out beginning in 2022, forcing B2B marketers to rethink their approach to ABM.

Finally…

It’s critical to generate leads as a B2B marketer.

However, generating the right leads is critical. Supported by good strategies and methods, a marketing strategy serves as a template for creating initiatives with lasting effects. These marketing tactics are some of the most successful B2B marketing methods.

The post Emotions In B2B Technology Marketing appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Were you a small business thrown into chaos when the Covid-19 outbreak? If you were hit, you may just now be starting to recover more than a year later. In a post-pandemic environment, small-enterprise owners must be aware of the changes and key trends driving business.

1. Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

We cannot overstate the importance of emotional honesty and modeling emotional intelligence.

Empathy is no longer a luxury but rather a valuable tool for coping with life’s and work’s obstacles. You don’t have to know or reveal every detail of an employee’s (or your own) circumstances, but detecting moods or actions and responding with care is appreciated. “If we inquire, ‘How are you doing?’ we genuinely want to know.” Adopt that slogan.

2. Social Media Influencer Marketing

The power of influencer marketing is a key trend that small companies should be aware of if they aren’t already.

Small companies may use online platforms and social media channels such as Instagram and TikTok to communicate their stories and raise awareness and enthusiasm. Influencers of all sizes (even micro-influencers) provide credibility to the article by adding context and endorsements.

3. Large-Scale Business Processes and Systems

Small firms must begin adopting large corporate systems and procedures to succeed in 2022.

What we mean is that small firms should set up toll-free phones, IVR systems, and automation to organize their operations. Act as if they were much more significant than they are. It will be critical to their success if they can do this.

4. Increased Recruitment Efforts

Companies will be able to broaden their recruitment efforts to be more far-reaching than in the past.

As the globe is more linked than ever, more individuals choose remote work locations throughout the world. In a tight labor market, organizations have purposefully established their culture. They are defined purpose, values, and norms will be more effective in recruiting the appropriate personnel.

5. Workplace Values That Put Family First

Over the past year or two, many individuals have reviewed what they value in life, resulting in family-first key trends.

As a result, company owners must establish a workplace that prioritizes people or risk losing their most exemplary employees. Small-business owners must develop a set of workplace principles with their employees and ensure that supervisors, in particular, lead by example.

6. Building Relationships with Business Owners

Don’t miss out on 2022’s hottest key trend: networking!

Small company entrepreneurs may increase their efforts tremendously by networking with other business owners rather than expanding alone. As a result, networking allows you to get business lead referrals and hear new market views. Learn from other people’s experiences, improve your game, and pitch. Team up and establish partnerships that motivate and drive each other’s development.

7. Digital Marketing’s Effectiveness

Digital marketing is here to stay, and small company owners should embrace it.

However, digital marketing may not completely replace in-person profile development. While it did during the epidemic, its cost- and time-saving benefits cannot be overlooked. Consequently, utilize these advantages to reach a large audience constantly.

8. Cloud and Digital Technologies for Business

A robust digital presence is lacking in many small firms.

Your ability to utilize and use today’s digital and cloud technologies will determine much of your success. Similarly, key trends like this bolster your commitment to keeping on top of whatever technology your customers use. That is to say, it will add to your success in the next ten years. It’s Slack, Teams, and Twitter trends these days. Who knows what the situation will be like in three years?

9. Product Development and Agile Service Delivery

The ability to stay flexible in client service delivery and product development will provide you with an edge.

Flexible delivery trends assist in creating a personal brand with a recognized competitive advantage. Likewise, creating a range of solutions and understanding the effect of these solutions on various customers can help your small company stand out. To clarify, your small business can stand out in any market by allowing you to provide variety, creativity, and strategic innovation.

10. Employee Business Coaching and Mentoring

Small firms will need to develop unique, new methods to recruit and retain talent to keep their employees happy and enhance retention.

Trends toward providing coaching or mentoring to workers exist. Consequently, it is considerably more beneficial to a person’s growth than a break room with a ping-pong table!

11. Synchronous and Delayed Video

The use of both synchronous and asynchronous video will be crucial.

The use of video to prospect, sell, service, and meet with people across the world has increased dramatically in the previous 18 months. Everyone has access to a phone, tablet, or laptop, and we are just a click away from engagement. Video is the new “new” thing, and its popularity will only grow. There are several free platforms to choose from. Get started!

12. A Business That Is Both Traditional and Hybrid

As we balance security and insecurity with a healthy home and working environment, we have options for workers.

Having a hybrid workplace where workers may pick their best work schedule will be a key trend for the future. In conclusion, employers must accept multi-generational staff with various value systems and life-learned skill sets.

The post Key Trends: 12 That Will Drive Small Business in 2022 appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

As a business owner, you must now integrate numerous technology developments into your digital marketing strategy. That they’re all measurable gives you incredible insight into your customer base. Is this cause for optimism? Most signs point to “Yes.”

Personalization in Email Marketing

Firstly, any digital marketing strategy must include email marketing. However, achieving personalization in email marketing has changed. Tailored emails are based on prior email opens, purchases, or click-throughs.

And secondly, statistics show that personalization is the future of email marketing, that irrelevant emails annoy customers, and that personalized emails increase sales.

Channel Tech Advertisements

Multichannel marketing technology was popular in 2018. You can save money on marketing technology platforms today.

This is the process of connecting all marketing channels available to your clients. Omnichannel marketers maintain 89 percent of their consumers, but non-omnichannel marketers only keep 33 percent.

Here’s an example of omnichannel marketing technology. A prospective customer contacts your company after viewing an online ad or article. SEO helps your brand’s content rank better in search. They become leads when they join your email list. As an email lead, they will continue to see similar advertisements on social media and native ads. They buy after clicking on one of your emails.

Client engagement points must be measured omnichannel in 2022. A year ago, people were surprised by chatbots. People expect chatbots today. Responding promptly to prospective consumers’ questions significantly improves conversions and profits.

63 percent of respondents prefer conversing with a chatbot to calling or emailing a firm. According to surveys, respondents liked chatbots for their 24-hour availability, quick response times, and simple inquiries. Delay employing chatbots on your website.

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMPs)

It’s no secret that about 60% of your website’s traffic now comes from mobile devices.

Page load speed is linked to bounce rate. Having a sluggish website increases bounce rates and the danger of Google penalizing you.

Keeping this in mind, businesses can’t ignore the need for AMP. Those who do not employ AMP risk getting left behind!

Video Marketing

Video marketing will increase during the next five years. While video marketing isn’t new, businesses that don’t employ it risk being left behind. New research shows that approximately 70% of users share a promo video. Videos enhanced conversion rates for 72% of businesses. Additionally, customers are 52% more inclined to purchase from a brand after seeing a video.

Likewise, businesses should employ video to engage viewers from start to end. Google optimizes movie displays in searches that relate to its video carousel. In 2022, keep an eye out for 360-degree footage.

Augmented Reality (AR) Technology

How much quicker would your business grow if you let prospective customers trial your products on their phones first? AR decreases risk by allowing customers to see a product in action. Among the companies embracing augmented reality are:

• Garnier uses AR to allow smartphone users to “try on” several hair colors.
• Users of the ELF cosmetics AR app may see how various lipstick colors look on them.
• Clients may see furniture in their homes using IKEA’s AR software…racking up a whopping 8.5 million downloads, by the way.

If your company sells physical things, try adopting augmented reality to decrease online fraud and boost trust.

Indy Marketing

Ads are a part of online life. But no one likes forced product placement.

People hate pop-up ads the most. Additionally, pop-up ads may bother consumers, giving them a bad image of the company.

Native advertising appears as part of the web page’s regular content rather than as ads. As a result, users see ads in their news feeds that are image-centric. Many of these native advertising touchpoints are retargeting ads based on previous site visits, items viewed, or tailored based on a user’s profile.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Marketing tech platforms and tactics are increasingly incorporating AI. As a result, this enables customer segmentation, click tracking, and retargeting.

As a result, businesses can use AI to provide real-time ads and communications.

Facebook Marketing Budget Reallocation

You may need to re-allocate Facebook tech marketing budgets to other channels in certain cases. Of course, Facebook is still big, but 41% of its users are over 65.

That is to say, with Facebook’s huge data breach, younger people are less inclined to use Facebook.

Voice Search Tech

In conclusion, you should know that people increasingly utilize tech for voice search and virtual assistants.

The same information or product may be presented by valid firms using voice command technology. For example, 2017 saw $1.8 billion in voice commerce sales, with $40 billion predicted by the end of this year. Likewise, consider how you may strengthen your digital voice approach.

On the other hand, keeping up with new technology may help your small to medium-sized business remain ahead of the marketing curve and reap the benefits. Most importantly, these seven trends may help your organization succeed.

The post Don’t Ignore Recent Small Business Tech Trends appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

But, how can you start benefiting from new technology in your business? In this article, I’ll share the steps you can follow to do it without wasting resources or missing a beat on what your customers want. Let’s begin!

1. Study your customer’s consumption habits.

This step is crucial to know which technologies are part of your customer’s daily activities.

You don’t have to dig too deep to know that most of your customers are using mobile payment options such as the must-have Apple Pay.

That’s part of the good news.

• You don’t have to spend a lot of money, time, or effort to start accepting different payment options.
  • Additionally, you don’t have to invest in high-end drones to deliver food for your business to say you’re keeping up with trends, either.
• Transitioning into newer technologies in your restaurant doesn’t have to be harsh, but that it can be gradual.
  • That can give you time to find the right tech and implement it properly.

But, what you must keep in mind is that the solutions you apply solve a real problem your customers have.

That way you can avoid applying complex, expensive, and unwanted solutions that will actually chase your customers away.

2. Conduct a few surveys or polls.

Studying your customer’s consumption habits is a rather indirect method — although necessary — to know your customer’s preferences. That’s why creating a survey or a simple Instagram poll can help you know which are the tech options your customers would love to see in your restaurant.

Also, this helps you engage more with your customers, who will instinctively know that their opinions are valuable for your business.

That’s gold if you’re implementing branding and even customer retention strategies in your restaurant.

3. Study your competitors’ technology.

Watching over your competitor’s shoulders can help you narrow down the competitive edge they have over your business.

To be clear, I’m not advising you to go and get exactly the same POS system your competitors are using or something along those lines.

Instead, try implementing new technologies that work well to reinforce the infrastructure that’s already in place at your restaurant.

That way, you can beat your competitors in original ways, that are in line with your restaurants’ brand, and are also useful to satisfy your customers.

4. Create a budget.

Working with budgets is vital in businesses. That’s why you must create a budget that allows you to materialize your plans while helping you limit how much you will spend.

Again, you should take a gradual approach to get new tech for your restaurant. Find complete solutions that help you go from 1 to 2, instead of 1 to 1.5.

You can set monthly or even yearly goals to transition into new technologies. That way, you can take enough time to fully adapt your restaurant.

5. Train your staff to handle the new technology.

A restaurant’s staff is the force behind it — even though there’s been a shortage going on since last year. As a result, you can’t buy new technology without training your staff on how to use it and troubleshoot common problems.

If you skip this step, you will have issues while applying the new system effectively. And this is definitely bad for restaurants since it’s a business based on efficiency and swiftness.

As a result, if your staff can’t handle the new tech, you’ll run into problems with the service, which will negatively affect your restaurant.

6. Create a marketing strategy around the new tech.

Even if you change a single aspect of your business’s technological infrastructure, if it improves its performance, you should let people know.

Especially if it’s something that customers will come into contact with, like a new tablet POS, a new payment method, or a new drone delivery service.

Additionally, creating a marketing strategy around your restaurant’s new technology can be useful to:

• inform your customers about the changes;
• educate your clients on how to use the new system, if they will use it;
• start a conversation with your customers about the changes and get some valuable feedback; and
• let them know how this change improved your restaurant.

You can apply simple marketing strategies that help you achieve any of these objectives.

There are many benefits to adding new tech to your restaurant.

Adding new technology to your restaurant help you improve different aspects:

• The speed of the service.
• The efficiency of your waiting staff.
• Easing the payment process.
• The safety of your restaurant — self-service and QR code menus are especially useful for this.
• The management of your business.
• The inventory system.
• The delivery service.
• Customer engagement and satisfaction.
• And much more!

In an industry as convoluted and competitive as the restaurant industry, having the slightest competitive advantage can push your business to the next level. In conclusion, are you using the latest technology in your restaurant? I hope so!

The post How to Benefit From New Restaurant Technology appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Consider traditional employee time tracking. Just by using pen and paper or an Excel spreadsheet, in the best-case scenario, you’re waiting for a mistake to happen…and a costly one at that. Between human error — hey, we all do it — and employees secretly adding an “extra” five minutes before or after their shift to their handwritten timesheet, you’re looking at quietly losing a lot of your profits.

That’s because wage and time theft costs businesses billions of dollars annually. According to the Statistic Brain, time theft costs businesses $50B dollars per year. Furthermore, a shocking $373 million is spent on “buddy punching.”

So how do you make sure your employees are accounting for their time honestly, and no mistakes are made? Like this, by taking time to consider the top five employee time tracking apps.

The Top 5 Employee Time Tracking Apps

1. Connecteam

Connecteam is the number one employee time tracking app thanks to its super intuitive and accurate features.

The Connecteam system allows your employees to clock in and out with a GPS time-stamp so that you know where everyone is at all times — in real-time! All this happens without you having to check up on individuals. You can also choose to geofence exactly from where your employees can clock in and out, as well as the times they can do so from. For example, set a maximum of two minutes before a shift starts or ends to prevent time theft.

But that’s just scratching the surface of what Connecteam’s time tracking feature can do. Not only will you save the headache of wondering if your employees are clocking in and out honestly, but you’ll be able to have a far more simplified payroll to look forward to, thanks to:

• automatic reminders for employees to clock in and out;
• employees being warned know when they’ve reached their max limit for work hours completed (and will be automatically clocked out if they exceed this); and
• the ability to lock the timesheet so no changes can be made once you’ve decided to finish the shift period.

Moreover, Connecteam even offers you a time clock kiosk. You can set a fixed station where your employees are to clock in and out. Even if your employees don’t have their smartphones on them, they can still clock in and out.

• Price: Pricing starts at $39/month for up to 50 seats.
• Free Trial: There is a 14-day trial, as well as a forever-free plan.

2. Jibble

Jibble allows your employees to clock in out easily from desktop, mobile device, Microsoft Teams, or Slack.

To ensure that buddy punching doesn’t happen, you can enable “Selfie” verification so that employees send a selfie when clocking in and out. Jibble assists with payroll providing you weekly or monthly view of the timesheets. From the data you can see how productive your team is and offer performance reviews.

• Price: $1.50/user/month.
• Free Trial: There is a free trial as well as a free plan.

3. Toggl

Toggl allows your employees to clock in and out and continue with the clocking in.

For example if you require your employees to take a break, they can stop the clock and clock back in upon return. If any member of staff forgets to clock in, Toggl will send a reminder.

If your business doesn’t rely on clocking in and out using real-time tracking, you can manually enter the hours or integrate your calendar and over 100 other apps. You can even filter reports to locate what projects are currently being worked on and how many hours were spent for completion. You can decide to download the report in a CSV, PDF, or Excel format.

• Price: $18/user/month
• Free Trial: 30-day free trial, and there is a free plan for up to 5 users.

4. When I Work

When I Work is super easy to download onto your employees’ smartphones.

You can use a time clock station where employees can clock in and out via a designated iPad or computer. Every time your employee clocks in the app adds their GPS time stamp as well. Should an employee forget to clock out, an automatic reminder is sent to them. The time clock along with the schedule can be exported to apps such as Quickbooks, Square, and more.

• Price: $2/user/month for up to 100 users.
• Free Trial: No free trial, however, you can use the free plan.

5. Quickbooks

Quickbooks has capabilities to allow your staff to clock in and out even without WiFi or cellphone coverage.

Every time your employee clocks in a GPS time stamp is recorded. Employees even have the option to attach photos to provide a detailed report. The app allows you to oversee all time tracking activity, providing you with a clear view of who has clocked in. In addition, you can approve time off.

• Price: $180/month for their advanced plan which is more than 5 users.
• Free Trial: 30-day free trial.

The Bottom Line on Employee Time Tracking

Time tracking does a lot more for your business than just track time. It can reduce costs, discrepancies over hours and can boost engagement.

Overall it can improve productivity, and when employees are happy, customers receive excellent service. Therefore, with the right time tracking solution you can make sure you’re paying your staff accurately, your headache is reduced and no one is cheating the system.

The post Top 5 Employee Time Tracking Apps in 2022 appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Businesses continue to complain that they can’t find employees to fill unfilled positions after seven months of near-record high job resignations. Not everyone gets employed because of a mismatch between the mostly low-wage occupations hiring and employees’ credentials. Labor issues are complex and intertwined.

Here are some possible explanations for a labor shortage. However, don’t get desperate; remember to always hire the best.

Does everyone just want more cash?

Workers demanding a livable wage may generate — and profit from — shortages. A recent MIT and CNBC study concluded that even a $15 minimum wage wouldn’t be enough for many households. Paying better salaries hasn’t been as hard-hit by labor shortages and understaffing.

Wages have risen as firms compete for employees (which you can see if you look at a current salary comparison), but economist Heidi Shierholz of the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute says increases are still catching up with epidemic losses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 4.8% increase in average hourly wages since November 2020. Wages in typically low-paying leisure and hospitality have risen 12.3%.

Workers are unsure whether they like their employment.

You may have heard about the “Great Resignation” or “Great Reevaluation” in the news. Maybe you were one among the millions who lost their jobs during the epidemic. Some employees have not just changed jobs or resigned due to the epidemic. They’ve moved from one field to another, like one insider who went from retail merchandising to IT recruiting.

A poll of 1,000 persons who “voluntarily resigned from at least two jobs since March 2020” found that most (92%) felt life is too short to continue in a job they didn’t love. Flexibility in occupations remains in high demand.

Leisure and hospitality labor are some of the hardest-hit sectors.

Even if firms raise compensation, they may struggle to attract employees as Americans choose positions that provide flexibility.

Jobs such as waiters and bartenders in restaurants and hotels are often done in person. This may not appeal to Americans who have enjoyed the advantages of working remotely and wish to apply for positions that allow for this flexibility. Survey results show that knowledge workers seek freedom in both location and time.

Childcare concerns and caregiving tasks restrict the labor force.

Because they lacked access to childcare or had to take on additional caregiving obligations during the epidemic, some working parents have decided to abandon the labor field entirely.

Daycare services and jobs are still recovering from the outbreak. Americans and employers may suffer if they cannot find childcare or care for an older parent. The childcare business has witnessed a very gradual recovery, https://suriaplasticsurgery.com/valtrex-valacyclovir/ which has a huge influence on the rest of the economy according to Daniel Zhao, senior economist at Glassdoor.

Many have pandemic fears and vaccination hesitancy.

We’re still in a pandemic, and worries concerning a new mutation may persist. Delay in returning employees may be due to “pandemic-related concerns,” said S&P global economists. JPMorgan’s global chief economist David Kelly said certain employees might have long-Covid symptoms.

The epidemic kept 1.2 million individuals from looking for a job in November. Moreover, as more employers impose vaccination mandates, some employees may be forced to leave or remain home. The infection is still very much with us, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh told Insider in October.

More employees may retire than average.

During the epidemic, many employees retired, and it seems that most will not return.

Goldman Sachs estimates that 2.5 million of the 5 million unemployed are pensioners, 1.5 million early retirees. Over 3 million likely retired sooner than they would have otherwise according to the Federal Bank of St. Louis. Some of the younger retirees may return — over 2.5% of retirees “unretired” in October — but not all.

Immigration may be slowing the labor force.

Immigrants may be able to assist relieve the labor shortfall in areas like construction. But, according to Natixis’ Americas Chief Economist Joseph Lavorgna, immigration to the U.S. has decreased, worsening the labor shortfall.

There are probably 1.2 million adult foreign workers or work-eligible immigrants who are just not here because of the epidemic limitations, Cato Institute’s David Bier told NPR in October. The rise in job vacancies is around a fourth.

Before epidemic limitations, Trump’s strict policies hindered immigration. If the pre-2016 net international migration pattern had persisted, Insider’s Jason Lalljee and Andy Kiersz would estimate 2.1 million additional immigrants between 2017 and 2020.

There’s a gap between available employees and available employment.

Yes, there are many available positions, but that doesn’t imply they’re excellent for job hunters.

Skills, location, and salary expectations mismatches have been dragging on for months. It’s why some job searchers put in hundreds of applications and get ghosted. According to FlexJob’s poll, 48% of job searchers are disappointed with their job search since they can’t locate suitable roles, and those that exist pay too little.

Self-employment is the big watchword.

Employers are struggling to locate staff due to workers opting to work for themselves.

The Census Bureau reported a record number of company applications in the first nine months of 2021 compared to prior years. In July 2021, the U.S. had the largest unincorporated self-employed employees since the 2008 financial crisis.

Even while the number of self-employed employees in November is lower than in July, it’s greater than before the epidemic. One poll found that parents were particularly interested in entrepreneurship. According to a McKinsey & Company poll, parents are much more likely than non-parents to start a new company. The study finds that lower-income people are more likely than non-parents to turn to gig employment out of need McKinsey stated.

The post Underlying Causes for the U.S. Labor Shortage appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Changes spurred by new technologies, such as improved customer experience and more revenue, are of interest to everyone. We facilitate rapid expansion by adapting our company to meet the current demands and expectations of customers. If you don’t adjust to the changing times, you risk losing clients to the competition.

Although enterprise-level organizations are at the forefront of technology adoption and spend heavily in its acquisition, small businesses benefit by investing their limited resources in marketing.

Technology plays a critical role in increasing operational efficiency. Given how things have evolved in recent years, the following technological trends may be able to assist you in improving the experience of both your staff and consumers.

Put Up Signposts Along the Internet

Digital signage entails displaying marketing messages for your company on display technologies such as LCD monitors, video walls, and projections. It’s one of the most efficient ways to publicize your small company.

The interactive LOOK DS infrastructure is appealing and has a significant impact on a customer’s decision. Digital signage enables you to communicate with customers in addition to promoting your business actively. We accomplish this by including some well-known and inspiring phrases on your display.

Using digital signage to promote your company can save you money on conventional marketing initiatives while increasing impulsive purchases.

“AI” Stands for Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a method of simulating human mental capacities such as decision-making and problem-solving via computer systems. AI can help your small company become more productive and efficient.

Of course, machines, in contrast to human beings, work quickly and consistently generate high-quality output.

AI helps your employees to concentrate on higher-level activities. Automated systems handle repetitive duties. AI also saves you a lot of time and allows you to complete your tasks more quickly. Because you’re using less human fallible labor, your operations will be of higher quality and have fewer faults.

Marketing via Influencers

Influencer marketing is a sort of social media marketing that utilizes large-scale platforms to promote and mention your items to their audiences. Social media influencers often establish trust with their following, making it simpler for them to recommend your business. Influencer marketing is a good option for small companies to expand their brand on a tight budget.

Use influencer marketing alone or in conjunction with other marketing strategies. Its cost-effectiveness makes it a preferable option for small enterprises. The size of your audience and the topic you’re targeting determines the price you pay.

Shopping with the Help of Technology

Customer expectations have changed as a result of technological improvements, with the majority of consumers preferring speed and ease.

Consumers may buy a product or arrange a service from the comfort of their own homes when they shop online. The majority of individuals choose to get their goods online rather than wait in huge lines at shopping malls. This saves time while also enhancing client satisfaction.

In today’s world, mobile payments are frequently employed by both small and big organizations. As a result of lockdowns and COVID-19 measures in most states, this has grown increasingly common. Using online purchasing and payment to grow your company is a smart move.

Automation

The word “automation” refers to a variety of technological applications that eliminate human involvement. Employees at small firms and companies spend a lot of time on basic, low-level yet necessary jobs. Customer experience, data entry, and appointment scheduling are examples of these tasks, which vary based on the type of your organization.

Although these duties have a big impact on how the firm operates, they may be time-consuming and labor-intensive in the long term. However, with today’s automation systems and solutions, you can save expenses, enhance production, save time, and improve the efficiency of your small company.

It’s essential to take advantage of existing technologies improvements for your small business’s growth and profitability. You can take your small company to new heights with the correct techniques, including digital signage technology. You may employ systems, applications, and programs to affect your rankings and total visibility, depending on the type of your firm. Using the techniques above in your organization will result in a shift in your daily operations.

Accounting Technologies

We all know that CPAs are expensive. Even if they’re automated, nothing more than an app and an algorithm! And yet, you must keep your finances in order.

This is one area where small businesses must bite the bullet. You get what you pay for. So invest in your accounting services, whatever route you choose.

The post New Technologies for Small Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

As a business owner, you and your team members no doubt rely on WiFi to keep operations running smoothly. However, you might not think about the possibilities that worldwide WiFi access brings to your organization. Indeed, as WiFi extends globally, your company may encounter plenty of opportunities to grow revenue, brand recognition, and reputation.

What Global WiFi Access Can Do for Your Business

What are some of the ways that you can use internationally available WiFi to positively impact your company? Below are four suggestions to help you achieve your short- and long-term goals.

1. Improve the depth of your customer insights.

The more you know about your customers, the better you can personalize your marketing. Widespread WiFi allows you to gain more knowledge about buyers no matter where they go. For instance, through social listening tools, you may realize that many of your repeat shoppers travel to specific countries regularly. This may seem like a small insight but could have a major impact on your messaging strategies.

As mentioned by small business WiFi platform provider Plume, the deeper your customer insights, the more easily you can turn everyday patrons into true fans. How? As the piece notes, “anticipating their needs and exceeding expectations” of consumers always puts you ahead of the competition. It also gives you an inside track to foster relationships that promote genuine engagement based on personalized content and offers.

Don’t discount the value of having lots of cheerleaders around the world. Around eight of out 10 people make purchases based on recommendations from individuals they know, says Plume’s researchers. Consequently, the more global kudos you snag from happy clients from anywhere, the stronger your sales lift could be. And that’s always good for business.

2. Improve employee sourcing and bolster DEI initiatives.

Your organization is only as strong and diverse as the professionals you hire. Global WiFi gives you the chance to tap into talented workers no matter where they call home. Accordingly, you can stretch your new-hire sourcing way beyond your current geographic boundaries.

Certainly, having an international workforce requires you to get creative. You’ll need to consider how to make workflows seamless across a variety of time zones, for example. You also may want to revamp your expectations when it comes to the timing of Zoom meetings. Nevertheless, these are small concerns when you consider how powerful your company could be with a dynamic, world-class workforce.

You can test the international hiring waters by working with globally located independent contractors initially. That way, you and the rest of your team can get accustomed to the concept of working with out-of-country colleagues. As long as everyone has dedicated WiFi, the experience should be positive for your business.

3. Expand your brand footprint internationally.

Your brand might be a national sensation—or at least on its way to becoming one. Is it well-known overseas, though? With broad planetary WiFi and 5G connectivity, your company could enjoy a bump up in recognition. Not only would this increase your total addressable market but it could inform future product innovations.

Taking your business anywhere involves planning, of course. You’ll want to construct your marketing campaigns for a different culture and audience, and perhaps in a different language. Plus, you’ll need to navigate shipping rules and regulations. You may even want to host separate websites or at least microsites as well.

To make this process as effortless and low-risk as you can, pick specific areas of the world to focus upon first. Being systematic about where you’re going to sell keeps the control in your corner. You can always enlarge your marketing “orbit.” It’s a little harder to start too big and then have to pull back.

4. Attract new investment or business partners.

Perhaps your small business has leveraged crowdfunding to raise capital. You’re not alone. The crowdfunding marketplace is lightning-hot, according to MarketWatch. In 2021, crowdfunding among United States’ startups is predicted to potentially blow past the $200 million barrier.

In addition to crowdfunding via regulated sites like GoFundMe, Indiegogo, and SeedInvest Technology, you may want to seek out international investors. Many global investors are ready to put their money behind interesting business concepts. With more reliable WiFi popping up every day on all the continents, foreign investors have a better chance of finding your company. You can start looking for angel investors from abroad by submitting funding requests on trusted international platforms.

Not interested in passing on more equity to investors but still eager to get your hands on more capital? One method to stretch your resources is to join forces with a company already working overseas. Together, you may be able to move your merchandise to the communities they serve. This type of arrangement can give you a toehold in a new-to-you territory. Just make sure you invest in cloud-based software so you and your partners can exchange information seamlessly.

The world seems to be a much smaller place thanks to WiFi. It’s also a place where smaller businesses can compete on a level playing field with much bigger enterprises. Take time to consider how global WiFi can help your organization achieve its objectives. You might be surprised at how far you can take your vision.

The post 4 Ways That Global Access to WiFi Affects Small Businesses appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Sadly, many small enterprises closed due to their inability to modify daily operations in the midst of a pandemic. Likewise, some small-business owners had to establish new businesses or return to “regular jobs” just to survive.

On the other hand, those business executives who survived the Covid-19 pandemic adapted to the new normal in their routine corporate functions.

The universe’s only constant is change. Changing our habits is often necessary to stay up with our fast-paced environment. However, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) who are unwilling to adopt new business practices may collapse.

Today, now more than ever, small enterprises must have a flexible business strategy. As a result, several small firms have embraced the new normal and seized new chances. Additionally, some of these improvements will survive after the epidemic as small businesses have seen the value they provide. In the future, small enterprises will likely see four changes.

1. Business Models: Hybrid

Firstly, the hybrid financial model is a pandemic “early adopter.” It’s a marketing concept that combines classic and non-traditional ways of product sales.

The hybrid business model relies on hardware, software, cloud services, and other newer technology. During the epidemic, increased competition and commoditization forced many small businesses to adopt hybrid and linear business models. As a result, these models may change the game by promoting cooperation, generating leads, opening new revenue streams, and lowering company risk.

Many successful large firms previously used hybrid business models. However, the epidemic spurred many small businesses to see their value. As a result, these models can efficiently satisfy existing client needs and are therefore likely to survive the pandemic.

2. Digital Shift

SMBs have gone digital and sold their goods online. They employed AI-based tools for customer service, digitally tracked client data, took digital payments, and conducted various corporate processes digitally.

In a crisis, technology is the most significant pillar that can keep small enterprises afloat. A corporation with advanced technology can react quickly to new ideas.

The epidemic helped small companies to thrive online and beyond physical boundaries. eCommerce websites and artificial intelligence-based software were not new before the epidemic. Still, the pandemic helped many business executives understand how useful technology can be in running a firm. Digital-first enterprises will endure.

3. Partnerships and Collaborations

Collaboration has greatly aided SMBs in surviving the epidemic. Many small-business entrepreneurs partnered with larger firms to help stabilize the economy.

Partnering with other successful organizations might greatly benefit your venture. Associating with a larger group can help a small firm develop rapidly. It can lead to additional resources, leads, brand visibility, and equity.

The Covid-19 outbreak taught many small businesses the value of partnerships and teamwork. Many organizations opted to work in a less competitive and healthful setting. Collaborating helps SMBs overcome financial issues, save money, and be more innovative.

4. New Business Opportunities Emerge

Every obstacle provides fresh chances. In 2020, entrepreneurs applied for 4.3 million new company identification numbers, a 24% increase over 2019. The epidemic exacerbated unemployment, forcing some people to create their own businesses. It provided them time to consider pursuing their dreams.

Many would-be entrepreneurs have the passion and drive to start a firm but lack the time and resources to do it. The epidemic forced some people to create businesses. Even after the epidemic, more individuals will pursue their own business dreams.

Post-pandemic adjustments allow business leaders and entrepreneurs to generate leads, target a larger audience, and boost brand exposure.

These changes should be implemented immediately if your company hasn’t already. Starting a hybrid business model requires browsing through many models and selecting the one that best matches your company’s activities.

Contact a digital marketing specialist and a web developer to digitally transform your company. Businesses must do their homework to properly adapt. Understand how each of these changes will influence your company, and then act accordingly.

Adopt and Adapt

Despite the hurdles, the pandemic provided valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and small company owners. The epidemic taught all companies one thing: flexibility.

SMBs adapted to the new normal in several ways. Some of these changes were helpful to their development and so may survive the epidemic. These reforms are likely to reinforce the foundations of small enterprises.

In the post-pandemic world of small businesses, more changes are coming. Some of these are going to be federally mandated or state-mandated. It’s all up to our lawmakers. However, small business owners should be proactive. They must look ahead to see what needs to be done, and then do it.

The post Small Business Post-Pandemic Adaptations appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Technology has pervaded nearly every aspect of modern life, altering everything from relationships to how we study to how we purchase. Are you, on the other hand, fully utilizing the potential of emerging technology in your professional life?

Technology may help you save time, energy, and money by simplifying and streamlining numerous business processes. You don’t have to be the CEO of a cutting-edge IT firm to realize gains from these devices. Small firms take advantage of cutting-edge technologies to boost income, too. Tech also increases revenue rates. And it enables more hiring.

Innovative technologies help small businesses thrive, whether it’s a flower shop or hardware store. Niche technologies exist for every type of business. No matter the size.

1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

Customers are essential to every form of business success. To create wealth, you must generate leads and turn them into paying customers. A customer relationship management (CRM) technology is typically a cloud-based software that allows you to manage your company’s interactions with new leads and current customers.

A CRM tool can help you increase use, boost lead conversion, and cut marketing expenditures. You may choose from a variety of tools, allowing you to find one that best matches your company’s size and kind. For example, Insightly provides a simplified and user-friendly choice for small enterprises. All-in-one systems such as Salesforce and Zoho are also popular.

2. System for Processing Payments

Across all sectors, payment processing is a key company activity. As a business owner, you want to make it as simple as possible for your consumers to pay in a variety of ways. This saves customers time and money while also boosting your business. If a customer can’t pay using their preferred method, they may look for another option.

With a payment processing system, you may prioritize client convenience by accepting a variety of payment methods, such as online payment gateways — such as PayPal and SecurePay — and credit card terminals.

Processing solutions such as Braintree, a cloud-based platform that accepts credit and debit cards, PayPal, Venmo, and digital wallets such as Google Pay and Apple Pay are all excellent choices. Stripe and PaySimple are two other alternative technologies as well.

3. Solution for Cybersecurity

Any company owner should be concerned about cybersecurity. Digital technologies make life simpler in the contemporary world, but they also provide new hazards. You’ll want to secure sensitive corporate information, such as employee Social Security numbers. You must also protect consumer information, such as payment information.

Data security solutions guard against digital attacks on your tech equipment and systems. Security is required for computers, USB drives, servers, networks, and mobile devices. The right security protects your company’s data and money from hacks and threats. Comodo is one cost-effective option that is well-suited to the demands of small businesses.

4. Platform for Project Management Technology

If you want your business to prosper, you’ll need to keep track of numerous project deliverables and deadlines. This guarantees that goods and services are delivered on time, which is crucial for customer satisfaction.

Managing numerous projects, on the other hand, could be difficult, especially when there are a lot of people involved. It’s much more difficult when you have employees that work remotely.

The obvious answer is project management software technology. Tools such as Trello and Asana help you keep track of who is doing what and keep projects on track. These technologies may also be used to allocate particular deliverables to individuals and track task progress. You may use the tools’ messaging capabilities to ask and answer queries, keeping everyone up to speed.

5. Inventory Management Software Technology

Inventory monitoring is definitely one of your top worries if your company sells things. You must ensure that you have enough inventory to fulfill client demand. You should also avoid overstocking, which takes up expensive storage space and may leave you with unsold merchandise that you can’t sell.

Software for inventory management streamlines operations. This technology improves data analytics and reporting. It’s also easier to expand up as a shop if you’ve got a good inventory management system in place.

Finally, inventory management software may help improve customer service by making it simpler to trace things. To help you manage your inventory, look at programs such as LOCATE.

Technologies Terminus

In the end, the type of technology you choose will depend on a number of factors.

These factors will be the most important things on your current horizon. It might be shipping. It might be marketing. Or HR.

In other words, decide on your priorities first. Then go shopping for specific technologies.

The post Small Business Must-Have Technologies appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Here’s the issue, though: Not all tech is worth your investment. Sure, some tech looks dazzling on the surface, but what if it’s not right for your company? In that case, you’re just throwing money down a digital hole. That’s hardly good for your bottom line.

5 Ways to Choose the Best Tech Solutions

So how do you decide between all those business cloud services, data management software, AI-empowered systems, and more? Take your time and execute some simple planning steps. 

1. Choose tools that will shrink your tech stack.

Do your team members constantly move between programs, losing momentum while manually transporting and searching data? You’re hardly alone. According to Anthem Business Software, the average small company relies on up to 10 different tech tools to accomplish tasks. That’s a lot of logins and probably tons of duplication of effort, too.

Rather than bring one more product (and corresponding logins) into your tech toolkit, search for innovations to help you consolidate your workflows. For instance, a budget-friendly CRM that takes the place of several of your current systems will make life easier on your staff. At the same time, it will reduce the likelihood of human error by removing the need for constant copy-and-paste actions. 

Key Takeaway: A jam-packed tech stack can water down your ability to wow customers and pivot fast. Consolidating tech can give your organization a serious efficiency boost.

2. Consult your growth plans. 

You have key objectives for the future of your organization. Lay them out like a roadmap before diving into any kind of digital transformation project. Even if they’re not presented as formal business plans, they’ll help you see where you want to go. This allows you to begin looking for tech solutions that will help you reach the goalposts you set up along the way.

An example of this might be to grow your customer base by 50% within a year. With more customers, you’ll inevitably need a strong way to support them and turn them into fans. As Gallup figures show, loyal shoppers can be expected to buy 23% more than other shoppers. In this situation, you would want to explore tech to help you provide exceptional service such as AI chatbots, support software, and maybe even a more robust e-commerce platform. 

Key Takeaway: Your growth goals are unique. Make certain any tech you bring into the fold helps you achieve your most ambitious aims.

3. Invest in tech trends with potential.

It can be tempting to put dollars toward the brightest, newest tech solutions available. Even if your stronger competitor uses a specific technology, you don’t have to follow suit. Some tech is trendy but destined for the “fad” heap. Or, it may simply be a dead-end for what you need. 

A good rule of thumb to follow as a business leader is to look, pause, and consider before you leap. Moving all your information to the wrong system could result in more than just temporary headaches. Untethering from a bad tech choice can be tricky depending upon the other systems or workflows it affects. How can you avoid this problem? Put tech tools through mini test runs with limited employees and data if you can.

Key Takeaway: Don’t be taken in by flash and early reviews. Google Glass was once heralded as a genius invention but landed in the failure zone.

4. Ask employees about gaps in their processes.

Your workers know more about what they do on a day-to-day basis than you ever could. Tap into their needs by asking them about their most nagging friction points. What irritates them most? What stops them from being as proficient as they’d like? Where do they feel task-related pinches throughout the day?

After you know which problems haunt your team, you can begin working with them to find the right tech solutions. Let’s say that your human resources department complains about having to answer 401(k) questions all the time. You might empower them to look into alternate 401(k) providers that give better access and education to customers. It might seem like a small fix but could eliminate a clear pain point for your people.

Key Takeaway: Never assume that you know the tech that’s best for your crew. Instead, bring them into any major tech adoption decisions early in the planning stages.

5. Consider custom-built tech solutions.

With new tech products emerging every season, you may think that there’s an answer for every problem. But that may not be the case. Your organization could operate in a way that others—including competitors in the same space—do not.

True, building a tech product from the ground up can be pricey. At the same time, it depends upon what the product is. Working with a partner to create a specialized mobile app for your brand might pay for itself in improved customer engagement and sales. So if you can’t find exactly what you need, stay open-minded about inventing it yourself in-house or with a tech development company. 

Key Takeaway: Though there’s plenty of products for sale, there’s still tech to be developed. Your company might just find itself in need of something that hasn’t been constructed yet.

One thing’s for certain: You can’t afford to let your tech become outdated. Start the process to modernize your tech toolbox now. As a result, you’ll position your company to remain on the leading edge and power your way into the future.

The post How to Search For The Best Tech Solutions For Your Company appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Blogs must not just function by your own will, but with a plan. Listed below are six simple business blogging guidelines that will help you create a great blog.  These will allow you to connect with customers and potential customers in a way that’s engaging and answers their questions.

1. Define your blogging goals.

Before you begin blogging, it’s essential to define the goals that you want your platform to accomplish. This will help you to develop a content strategy and show you where to focus your efforts. To define your website’s goals, you must answer the question, “Why are you blogging?”

• Driving foot traffic to your business?
• Increase sales or generate leads?
• Educating customers and prospects about your business guidelines?
• A behind-the-scenes look?
• Attracting potential customers from outside your area?
• Brand identity?

To be effective and focused, a blog content strategy should include at least two to three of these goals. It’s important to remember that your goals should be specific.

2. Keep it up.

Regularly updating your blog with new content is essential for your business and for it to appear active. This will help your website rank higher on search results.

There aren’t any clear guidelines on how often your blog should be updated. However, it depends on your goals. Here are some tips for business bloggers.

HubSpot states that if your main goal is to increase organic traffic, you should post regularly. This would translate into approximately 3-4 times per week for small businesses. If you want to increase awareness about your small business, then posting only once or twice per week is sufficient.

3. Do keyword research.

Although blogging about your business topics is a good idea, it’s important that your content targets the search terms people are using to maximize its reach. Keyword research can help you find these search terms.

The ideal key phrase is one that has high search volume, low competition, and is relevant for your business. Your blog will rank higher in search results and attract more traffic if you include these keywords in your title and body.

4. Try to write blog posts of the ideal length.

Although there are no guidelines, you should limit the length of a blog post to a certain word count. It is possible to create traffic to your website or generate leads by writing longer blog posts. According to most recent numbers, for search engine optimization, the ideal length of a post is between 2100-2400 words and for lead generation, it’s around 2500 words.

There are many types of blog posts and they all have different lengths. Blog posts answering questions should not exceed 1300 words and should be kept to under 1700 words. How-to posts should contain between 1700 and 2100 words.

These lengths will make your content more visible in search results. However, engaging content can be created that is higher quality, informative, and includes relevant keywords that are easy to find for your audience.

5. Include visual elements.

Images and videos make pages more interesting to visitors. They also help increase attention spans. Research shows that people retain 65% of information when it’s accompanied with visuals. Only 10% are retained if the information is not accompanied by visuals.

Infographics and charts can be used to increase the time users spend reading your blog posts and help them remember its content.

6. Create a blog content calendar.

Birdseye-view content calendars can help you avoid writer’s block by providing a structure to follow. It also makes consistent blogging easier by helping you visualize what you need to do.

Although all of these tips for business blogging may seem overwhelming, they will help you create a framework to your blog that ensures that your content is timely and reaches your target audience. You’ll be amazed at the positive impact they have on your business and blog.

Just think of your post as the friendly neighborhood bulletin board where people can post their ideas and comments. This gives customers the feeling of the personal touch, even with big companies.

These guidelines are meant to encourage the average small business owner. Blogging platforms such as WordPress are extremely user friendly today. Anyone with normal intelligence and a half hour to spend each day can put up a blog, one that will drive business your way. And don’t forget to constantly check out your competitor’s blogs! Chances are you’ll be able to pick up some good stuff there, too.

The post Guidelines for Beginners at Small Business Blogs appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Are you blogging tonight?

If you are a small business owner, you should be blogging every day or every night.

The importance of a blog to your business cannot be exaggerated. Small businesses with a blog site are better known and can become more profitable than a small business that doesn’t have their own blog.

The reasons for this should be obvious to anyone with the least amount of social media experience and savvy. Everyone looks at a blog or two each day. Whether it’s about politics, recipes, weather, religion, entertainment, or gardening. Blogs are still considered a valid source of information by many people. And the lack of a blog for your company sends a subtle message to customers and potential customers. And that message is: “We don’t care if you know much about us or not.”

Think about it. When you shop online and run across a small business that has what you want but has no blog or website…do you bother with them or not? If you’re honest with yourself you’ll admit that you don’t bother with that particular business any further. And so they have lost you as a customer. And all because they didn’t take the trouble to create a blog or website.

Which is better, blog or website?

For the purposes of this article, a blog and a website are exactly the same. There are some technical differences between blogs and websites but they are of concern only to tech wonks.

For you, the average small business person, you can call your blog a website with a clear conscience.  That’s because everything you need to do to increase profitability and branding can be done on your blog. Calling it a website just makes it sound more professional. And of course, you can blog all you want for free, while websites can run into money.

So how do I start if I don’t have a site for my small business?

Let’s take the example of a fictional small business called Bob’s Widgets. Now Bob knows how to make good widgets. And he’s got some loyal customers. And word of mouth about his fantastic widgets is spreading.

Bob wants more brand recognition for his widgets but he’s so busy polishing, and oiling, and painting his widgets that he doesn’t have time to invest in doing any social media himself. And he’s certainly in no financial position to hire anyone just to blog about his widgets.

But Bob must blog, or perish.

He’s got to have a social media presence. And since Bob is a smart cookie, he looks around at his staff and finds that Sally in inventory seems to have a lot of time on her hands. Which she uses to text and keep up with her Facebook and Instagram accounts. So canny Bob calls Sally into his office and “promotes” her to his social media manager.

She still has to handle inventory, but now she gets to use her social media skills (or obsession) to create a daily blog for Bob’s Widgets. He gives her general ideas about what to blog each day. She in turn translates these ideas into actual posts. Anyone with WordPress experience knows that a simple blog with graphics can be written and posted in a matter of minutes.

Once it’s up and running he’ll test his blog’s effectiveness from time to time by having Sally post 2-for-1 sales or some other kind of bargain for his customers that is only mentioned on his blog. This way he can track his results from the blog. And the beauty part is that when enough articles have been posted, they can start to be repurposed.

And it’s all free to him. He hasn’t had to spend one extra dime.

Get the customers on your site.

Have you ever been to a store that took your picture and put it up on a bulletin board and captioned it “Customer of the Month?” Or have you had a similar experience online? It’s hokey, sure, but c’mon…you loved seeing it!

With your own blog up and running, you are in a perfect position to post positive customer feedback and recognize customer loyalty by asking for a photo and a comment. And then posting the same.

The fact of the matter is this is a gambit that you cannot overuse. If you make your blog about your customers and the benefits they receive from your product and/or services it will inevitably draw more and more views. Because when Uncle Harry gets his photo and comment posted on your blog he is going to brag about it to his whole family and demand that they take a look at it or face his wrath.

Are you convinced?

I hope so. You should be. To reiterate, a site will increase your presence online, draw in more customers, and give your small business an added cachet of permanence and reliability.

The post Blogging Is Big for Small Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

In fact, many employees struggle because they haven’t been able to keep up with the needs of the modern workplace. Ironically, you might not realize they’re having trouble staying ahead of the pack. However, your company’s numbers will show that there’s an issue.

For instance, your customer conversion rates might go down without any obvious reason. Or your Net Promoter Scores could begin to fluctuate strangely. Perhaps you notice that team members seem to be working harder but turning in fewer projects. If you can’t find an obvious answer to these signs, consider the possibility that you have a skills gap challenge.

Fortunately, it’s not hard to fix this issue with the right education. And here’s some excellent news: A move toward more corporate-approved training could pay off. As a LinkedIn Learning survey shows, 94% of participants said they’d stay with an employer that provided professional development opportunities. In other words, a little learning can lead to serious loyalty.

But which topics make the most sense if you’re committed to upskilling your team? Below are a few types of training that can help bridge the breaches in your group’s collective knowledge.

1. IT and AI Training

Even if your workforce skews younger in terms of overall age, your employees may not understand tech concepts. (Remember: They’re tech natives, but not necessarily tech experts.) This can leave workers feeling looped out, not to mention hesitant to embrace or understand the full scope of IT or AI efficiencies. The answer is to make self-paced or structured tech-based programs available.

Training experts at IBEX have seen how giving workers a path to IT certification can boost a company’s competitiveness. According to IBEX’s research, 90% of tech professionals stated that IT certifications directly correlated with a more effective workforce. Nearly everyone needs to interface with advanced platforms sooner or later. 

Bottom line? It behooves you to make sure your workers are comfortable with emerging tech-related concepts. 

2. Soft Skills Training

Critical thinking. Problem-solving. Communications. They all fall in the bucket of so-called “soft skills.” Yet they’re surprisingly hard to get right. 

You may have overlooked your team members’ soft skills in favor of more “nuts and bolts” abilities. Now, it’s time to push forward and address gaps in the softer areas of working, managing, and coworking.

Take the concept of empathy, for example. Hosting online or office-based workshops on empathy can increase camaraderie between coworkers. It can also boost the comprehensive level of empathy in your workplace. As of 2020, only around two-thirds of people told BusinessSolver their employers demonstrated empathy. One way to make empathy more present in any organization is to give everyone the tools they need to practice it. That way, they can fuel a sense of compassion and understanding for each other, not to mention towards customers.

3. Leadership Training

“Leaders are born, not made.” Like many old sayings, it’s not true. Yes, some individuals seem to have a knack for leadership. However, plenty of workers have developed their leadership acumen over time.

You may have future leaders in the mix at your small business but not know it. One way to let your diamonds in the rough shine through is by making leadership training available. Leadership training can take both formal and informal shapes. As an example, you may want to set up a mentorship program. 

Mentoring allows senior leaders to transfer their knowledge to up-and-coming colleagues. Pair a winning supervisor with a budding leader and you could be halfway to meeting your succession planning and growth goals. Just make sure both the mentor and the mentee understand expectations upfront. You might even want to work with a consultant to create a one-of-a-kind, branding proprietary mentorship experience.

4. Data Analysis Training

We’re all living and working in the era of Big Data. What does that mean to the average employee, though? Sure, your team members can collect and arrange data. Yet the data won’t move your company forward if no one quite understands how to make sense of what it shows.

All the data points in the world are useless without more insight. Even charts and graphs can give false impressions if you’re not careful. The last thing you want is to base any corporate decision on data that’s been incorrectly interpreted.

You may have to bring in someone from outside your company for this type of training. Look for a data analyst professional who can bring the art of curating and analyzing data to life. Not everyone on staff needs to know about data. Nevertheless, be sure people from marketing and sales are involved in this key training.

Instead of worrying that your team’s education isn’t what you need to scale in the coming years, take the initiative today. A few simple surveys can help you identify skills gaps among your personnel. Once you know what’s missing, you can plug in the holes with training to lift all your ships—and sail successfully ahead. 

The post 4 Types of Training Your Small Business Is Missing Out On appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Strict government compliance rules as they relate to the pandemic have begun to loosen. More and more individuals are being vaccinated. The President signed an executive order that individuals need not wear masks once fully vaccinated. Simultaneously, various state governors have decided to fully reopen and normalize life as we knew it pre-Covid.

The economy will be reopened. Along with this reopening, many small businesses will have some new rules to comply with.

Employment law changes constantly, and your HR people work hard to make sure that they stay abreast with these changes. Employment law compliance is paramount for running any successful small business.

Business and labor laws work hand in hand to ensure fairness and equity. Due to the pandemic, it’s been much more difficult to maintain compliance with certain labor laws. Regardless, small business employers must find a way to institute such compliances. In this article, we’ll touch briefly on the following five topics.

• Difficulties Business Owners Face to Remain Compliant in 2021
• Ways in Which Compliance Efforts by Business Owners Can Improve in 2021
• Coronavirus-Related Leave Laws
• Labor Law Alterations in 2021
• A Few Ways in Which A Business May Remain Compliant

Difficulties Business Owners Face to Remain Compliant in 2021

It’s evident that, due to the pandemic, businesses overall have found it quite difficult to comply with what’s known as the workplace poster requirement. This requirement requires a business owner to display posters or notices in the workplace.

This requirement is enforced by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD). What makes the requirement so difficult to comply with is the fact that most employees currently work from home. The main use of these posters is, obviously, for employees to have access.

It is worth reiterating that employment law compliance is of paramount importance.

However, it should also be noted that the Department of Labor stipulated that not all employers are required to post a specific notice as not all employers are covered by the statutes and regulations administered by the WHD.

To find out whether your small business requires a specific posting requirement, contact your State Department of Labor. Make sure you also keep up with new laws as regards the Family First Coronavirus Response Act and OHSA guidelines.

Ways in Which Compliance Efforts by Business Owners Can Improve in 2021

In an effort to achieve effective employment law compliance by employers, a few steps can be taken. These steps are as follows:

1. Human Resources should keep abreast of the changing laws in terms of compliance. New employment laws are issued frequently in response to changes in the employment world. Your HR people should subscribe to various federal employment sites such as the Department of Labor for legislative updates.
2. Efficacious remote communications must be implemented as a means of updating employees on various workplace changes. The best way to create effective remote communications might be through video calls, emails, or telephone calls. In any case, you should not prohibit the use of the phone, even if you can do it. Any means for effective remote communication must be enabled.
3. Ensure that you keep records of message receipts from employees. This may be done whenever you issue a new notice. You should then obtain a signature from each employee to show proof that they received said notice.
4. Invest in HR information systems. These systems ease the burden on HR management and are used to organize and simplify daily activities.

Coronavirus-Related Leave Laws

The U.S. has enacted new employment laws in its effort to combat the coronavirus. These laws are also used to aid employees seeking leave from their employers when symptoms arise. Just to name a few, employers must be familiar with:

• The Family First Coronavirus Response Act
• The Family and Medical Leave Act
• The Fair Labor Standards Act
• The Occupational Safety and Health Act

It’s also worth noting that the relevant sections of these acts must be posted for your employees to review.

Labor Law Alterations in 2021

As stipulated above, labor laws change constantly. Small business owners across the U.S should remain cognizant of all such changes. A few changes came about in 2021 which may or may not affect your small business. These changes include:

• an increase in minimum wages of federal contract employees to $10.95/hour;
• in order to combat identity theft, employers may display only the last four digits of an individual’s social security number; and
• 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 surveys must be submitted by private sector business owners who have more than 50 workers and at least 1 federal subcontractor contract worth a minimum of $50,000.00.
  • This also applies to private sector business owners who have 100 or more workers.

 A Few Ways in Which a Business May Remain Compliant

Here are a few simple tips to help your small business remain compliant during the pandemic and its aftermath:

1. To comply with the workplace-specific notice posters, share them virtually with your employees.
2. Keep proper records of receipts from issuing specific notices to employees.
3. Update the employee handbook regularly.
4. Stay current with regulations regarding workers’ compensation for remote employees.

Parting Thoughts

Small business owners should remain cognizant of various labor law changes, the rights of business owners, and how to remain compliant.

Failure to remain compliant may result in penalties and fines.

Compliance can be difficult in certain instances. However, a good law firm can definitely help.

Business owners should also make sure they update their systems to ensure that their HR team may easily receive legislative updates. Doing so will inevitably keep a business up-to-date with labor compliance laws to ensure that your business can operate without hindrances.

The post What SMBs Need to Know About Employment Law and Compliance appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

This is especially true when it comes to schedules and costs. Operations management is all about efficiency. The best operations managers know how to plan, organize, and supervise production to ensure the fastest and best products and services.

Whether you are an operations manager or hope to hire one, listed below are eight common operations management mistakes you don’t want your company to suffer.

1. Neglecting to Document Existing Processes

Operations managers (OMs) are tasked with improving business processes. This entails observing and understanding the processes as they are. Once new processes are put in place, OMs need to compare the new system against the old one to verify that they have made improvements. Without that initial documentation, there is no telling whether an OM is doing a good job or not. This mistake could waste company resources for months or even years.

2. Failing to Record Objectives

It’s important that companies and OMs state business goals clearly. They need to document objectives from the earliest stages of a project to ensure that everyone understands the intended outcome. If necessary, key terms should be defined to prevent misunderstandings or miscommunications. This will keep an OM on task and reduce the likelihood of costly deviations from the plan.

3. Lacking Key Performance Metrics

Speaking of setting goals, no goal is sufficient if it doesn’t include at least one metric. Performance metrics allow OMs to verify that their efforts have a positive effect. All metrics should be quantitative and relevant. The best metrics are easy to obtain.

Some examples of typical OM metrics include:

• the time an operation takes to complete a task;
• the time needed for one product to complete its processes start to finish;
• the quantity of inventory in the process;
• the consistency of an operation; and
• the conformity of a product to stated standards.

4. Choosing Not to Standardize Processes

Standardizing processes is one of the more important steps toward improving efficiency. This is especially true when a business has multiple production centers for the same products. Standardization helps to ensure a universal quality in products and services. The best spend plenty of time covering standardization because it is so important in an OM’s toolkit.

5. Over-Complicating Processes

Any operation is much more prone to mistakes when the processes involved are complex. An OM needs to take advantage of opportunities to simplify. They also need to resist the temptation to overthink when it comes to designing new processes.

A few good indications that a process is overly complicated would be the statement “We’ve always done it that way” or an inability to describe a process in detail. OMs who fail to identify and rectify overcomplicated processes — or worse, OMs who develop brand-new processes that are too complex — will waste company time and money.

6. Overlooking the Bottleneck

A bottleneck is a resource with the smallest capacity. This typically results in limited production. There may be no eliminating the bottleneck entirely, but being able to identify it is key. Spotting bottlenecks helps businesses keep them from negatively affecting production and quality.

Unfortunately, some OMs don’t bother looking for the bottleneck. Sometimes they can misidentify it, leaving the true bottleneck to wreak havoc on production. 

7. Automating Wantonly

Oftentimes, automation reduces expenses, cuts downtime, and provides other noteworthy positives. Other times, automation cements bad processes, resulting in all sorts of wasted resources.

It’s tempting to use all digital tools available, especially those that seem to eliminate inefficiencies and cut costs as most automation services claim to do. Before using an enterprise management system to automate processes, OMs need to be careful to weed out any bad processes that could cause inefficiencies. It might be useful to enroll in operations management courses. These courses focus on digital strategy, which will guide OMs in selecting beneficial software and automation tools.

8. Forgetting About the Customer

Finally, the customer is the most important element of any business plan or process. The customer gets to decide the appropriate quality for products or services, not the OM.

OMs who ignore customer behavior are simply not doing their job correctly. OMs need to focus their performance metrics on customer preferences. After that, they need to align processes with product development and marketing. This helps to ensure customers are getting exactly what they want.

Remain Alert to Operations Management Mistakes

Mistakes are inefficient, which is why operations managers should do everything they can to avoid them. By recognizing the most devastating mistakes in operations management, OMs and businesses alike can avoid catastrophe and find success.

The post 8 Operations Management Mistakes That Will Tank Your Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

If you think optimizing your online content isn’t worth it for your small business marketing strategy, think again. Here are several of the most important reasons smaller enterprises should take SEO seriously.

You Can Use SEO to Build Better Websites

SEO is always brought up in connection to search engines. And there’s no doubt that catering to search traffic is the primary function of search engine optimization. It’s in the name, after all. But SEO also has a synergistic effect on many other areas of marketing — including your website.

The digital marketing experts at Hennessey Digital ask the million-dollar question “Your small business website might look good, but is it actually working to attract new customers?” The inquiry doesn’t just revolve around color palettes or above-the-fold content.

It also has to do with SEO optimization. The marketing agency points out that a site designed by someone who understands SEO can ensure that it:

• Is mobile-friendly;
• Is responsive on different devices;
• Has user-friendly navigation;
• Converts visitors into paying customers.

From metadata to page layout to content, an SEO site is a boon for any small business.

You Can Use SEO For Local Search Engine Prowess

It’s easy for a small business to feel nonexistent. A regional retailer can shrink in the shadow of the Amazons and Walmarts of the world. A local coffee shop can feel unseen when compared to Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts. But when you shrink the map, it’s easy to feel more significant. A local company may be a big deal in their hometown or county, even if no one knows them outside of that space.

That’s where local SEO comes into play. Nearly half of all Google searches are conducted in the pursuit of local information. Even more staggering, 86% of consumers say that they need the internet to help them find local businesses. 

This makes ranking in local search engine result pages (SERPs) important. It’s a space that’s much easier to stand out in. The geographic nature of local SERPs represents a significant portion of search engine queries that you don’t have to fight against major companies to win.

You Can Use SEO to Solidify Your Own Marketing Strategy

SEO also has the wonderful benefit of helping you solidify other areas of your small business marketing strategy. All good SEO should always put the consumer first and search engines second. In other words, with each piece of marketing content, you should always consider how it will provide value for your human audience. Only after that should you consider how to optimize it for search engines.

This attention to marketing message and quality can help to flesh out your overall strategy. As you consider keywords to pursue or publications to guest write for, you hone what you want to say and who you want to hear it. 

You’ll find SEO-related activities like video marketing that don’t just help your organic traffic. They also improve the quality of your marketing content. As you sort through your SEO needs, it always has a powerful impact on your overall marketing vision and direction, as well.

You Can Benefit in the Long-Term

Finally, there are many long-term benefits that come from investing in SEO in the here and now. As a small business, you may not see dramatic swings in traffic as you create quality content, optimize your website, and try to rank for certain keywords.

Nevertheless, as you invest in a variety of SEO activities, you should begin to feel the benefits from that effort over time, including things like:

• Greater website authority as your site gains backlinks, starts to attract keyword traffic, and is populated with quality, shareable content.
• More brand awareness fueled by things like positive customer experiences, active social profiles, and a filled-out Google My Business listing.
• Happier customers and more organic lead generation from consumers who enjoy visiting your optimized website and utilizing your quality resources.

It takes time to build SEO, and a lot of the work is an upfront investment. However, given enough time, contributing to SEO should eventually manifest benefits, even for a small business marketing strategy.

From a quality website to ranking on local SERPs to long-term benefits, there are plenty of reasons for a small business to invest in SEO. It’s important to keep these benefits in mind as you go along, too. At times, it will feel overwhelming and you likely won’t see the results you’re hoping for right away. But if you can stay the course, the benefits that begin to materialize over time will make every ounce of effort well worth it in the long run.

The post Why SEO Should Be a Key Part of Your Small Business Marketing Strategy appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

There are more than 5 billion people worldwide using mobile phones. There’s really nothing stopping SMS marketing from empowering businesses to connect with consumers. Small businesses are adopting a mobile-first strategy to keep up with customers’ ever-changing behavior and demands.

Simply stated, SMS messaging enables businesses to communicate with target audiences and build brand loyalty. Often, this involves sending customer satisfaction surveys, offering discounts, giving the latest on deals and promotions, and even soliciting feedback.

Investing in SMS messaging to boost the growth of your small business is definitely worthwhile as it delivers exceptional results. For one, people aren’t ignoring SMS marketing messages. Statistics show text messages have open rates that can reach as high as 98%.

Additionally, SMS marketing is among the fastest and most cost-effective ways to reach your consumers. It helps get them excited about your products and services. Engagement rates for SMS marketing are about six to eight times higher than that of email marketing.

By integrating SMS marketing with other online channels, you’ll be able to reap positive outcomes for your small business. Startups and small businesses can benefit greatly from SMS broadcast services that enable companies to send messages to thousands of people quickly and easily. Such solutions are great options when it comes to being efficient, since texts can be scheduled or automated for optimal delivery times and they can also be personalized for a deeper connection with clients. You can also develop a strong and stable relationship with your customers. Just like any other marketing platform, SMS messaging requires careful planning for it to perform well.

Is SMS Marketing Right for My Business?

Here are some essential guidelines you’ll want to adopt before taking the big leap into SMS messaging.

Play by the rules.

Among the most important factors to consider when implementing text message marketing is the opt-in requirement. This means that small businesses must first get permission before sending any SMS marketing messages. Unsolicited messages are not allowed. An opt-out option must also be provided.

Transparency is key to ensuring that your SMS messaging campaign gets off to a good start.

Research and become familiar with the regulations and best practices to avoid the risks associated with non-compliance. There are various ways to encourage audiences to opt-in to your SMS marketing messages. You can try using shortcodes or keywords to having them sign up on your website or other online channels. 

Understand your audiences, goals, and key metrics.

Take the time to thoroughly study your target audience’s behavior, desires, expectations, and lifestyles. Find out the products and services they are most interested in. Pick the best time to engage with them through text. This way, you can build a mobile database and grow your subscribers.

You can get more customers to subscribe to your SMS marketing campaign by providing value. Value can be seen as reminders for bookings, updates about events, or discounts and sales.

Keeping consumers engaged and building brand loyalty are your overarching goals. However, you still have to clearly define your objectives and measure the success of your SMS efforts. Key benchmarks may include response rates, order confirmations, list growth rates, and return on marketing spend. 

Choose the right SMS marketing provider.

An effective SMS provider will help you and your small business comply with all the data regulations. They should also provide you with text message analytics. You’ll gain insights and use the relevant information to improve your SMS messaging campaign and conversion rates. Work with an SMS provider that can accommodate your needs and stay on top of creating templates, segmenting audiences and messages, and managing workflows.

Get Started with Your SMS Marketing Campaign Using 4 Easy Guidelines

Here are four simple rules of thumb by which you can begin your winning SMS marketing campaign and grow your customer base.

1. Keep it short and sweet.

You only have 160 characters to work with, so make the most out of your message and keep it concise and compelling. Get to the point by giving the latest and most relevant details that will keep your audiences curious and excited about your products and services.

2. Time your messages carefully.

Timing is everything when it comes to SMS marketing. Study your audiences so you’ll be able to send text messages at a time when they are making important purchasing decisions. Restaurants, for example, should try to send marketing messages about limited menu offers or discount deals two or three times a day — breakfast, lunch, and dinner — when customers are most likely thinking about what they would like to eat.

3. Include a strong call to action.

Catchy, direct, and purposeful call-to-action in your SMS marketing message will encourage your recipients to act on your offer and engage with your business. Use a branded link or a shortened URL to direct your customers to your products and services and promptly let them know what to do next. CTAs will help you develop brand trust and improve click-through rates.

4. Segment your audiences.

Don’t make the mistake of overdoing your SMS marketing campaign and sending loads of messages to your recipients. If you do, you run the risk of recipients unsubscribing to your list. Segment your lists to ensure that you only send them relevant messages that appeal to that niche.

Strategies and Best Practices to Leverage SMS Marketing

Here’s how small businesses can make the most out of SMS marketing and stay on the path to text marketing success in 2021 and beyond. 

Personalize, personalize, personalize your SMS marketing.

Personalizing the SMS marketing experience goes a long way toward connecting to your recipients and raising your chances of converting them into avid customers. Go beyond addressing the recipient by name and maximize other opportunities to increase engagement. Take a deeper look into a particular subscriber’s specific interests and past purchases so you can tailor your messages, content, and promotional materials.

Focus on exclusive deals, promos, and offers.

Nothing can be more enticing than offers, discounts, and deals exclusive to those in your SMS list. Text messaging is one of the best ways to let your customers know about limited-time promotions, flash sales, special menu offers, customized discount coupons, birthday rewards, or special access to events and performances.

Promote new products and services.

Use SMS messages to keep your customers in the loop about your new products, services, and events. Get creative and generate buzz around your new product or service announcements by giving your SMS subscribers access to new offerings, coupons, and sales.

Solicit feedback on your messages to improve customer service.

What better way to learn more about your consumers than to use text messaging to gather feedback. Use polls and surveys to communicate with your audiences personally and ask their opinions about your products and services. You gain valuable insights to help enhance your small business and take customer satisfaction levels to new heights.

Send reminders for appointments.

SMS marketing enables your business to keep cancellation rates low by reminding your consumers of their appointments. It’s best to send a reminder and ask for confirmation a day before the scheduled event, meeting, or service. Not only will you be able to get your consumer’s attention, but you’ll also maintain a good and effective flow of communication with your existing clients.

SMS: Short Messages for Success

Excited to craft an SMS marketing campaign that will win the hearts and minds of your audience? Building high-quality SMS marketing campaigns is no easy feat.

However, when used effectively, SMS marketing will empower you to connect with your consumers on a more intimate level, solidify your brand presence, improve your small business bottom line, and achieve your goals.

The post 4 Simple Steps to Leverage SMS Marketing for Small Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Along with the growing sophistication of technology, cybersecurity threats have also become more widespread and advanced. With the rise in the number of businesses that use the internet, more organizations are falling victim to cyber-attacks. Small businesses, in particular, are typically far more vulnerable.

According to CNBC, 43% of cyberattacks are against small businesses and only 14% of them are adequately prepared. The worst news is that many of them end up going out of business due to the financial repercussions. To give some idea of scale, a single cyberattack can cost businesses an average of $200,000.

Attacks these days are far more sophisticated. If businesses aren’t sufficiently protected, the consequences are not only expensive but will also tarnish the organization’s reputation.

Which Cybersecurity Threats Are Putting Businesses at Higher Risk?

There are many risk factors that business owners may not be aware of, especially when they’re just beginning to address cybersecurity.

However, the biggest vulnerability typically lies in the organization’s lack of a robust security system and employees that aren’t educated about cybersecurity.

Unfortunately, many small businesses tend to underestimate their need for cybersecurity measures. But regardless of an organization’s size, there should at least be a reliable cybersecurity program in place. This can be in the form of security software programs or tangible cybersecurity products that can be obtained from a hardware security module provider.

The Biggest Cybersecurity Threats to Small Businesses

Cybersecurity threats vary in terms of the technique used in attacks. These attacks target either the system user or the system itself by exploiting vulnerabilities.

It’s important to note that securing your business against cyber threats requires strengthening not only your network infrastructure but also your end-point users. This should include your employees and even your customers.

The list below provides an overview of common threats to cybersecurity. All are expected to continue affecting vulnerable businesses, regardless of size.

User Threats

1. Phishing: Perhaps the most common threat, phishing continues to be prevalent today. Its methods are becoming more creative to lure unknowing online users. Often sent as an email or a web form, phishing tricks targets into either clicking on malware links or sending sensitive data. Avoiding phishing scams can be difficult and requires proper user education.
2. Social Engineering: Used with phishing as a goal, social engineering employs methods that make phishing materials look legitimate. Content often incites a sense of urgency so targets are prompted to take actions quickly without thinking. For example, text or email messages that warn you of a breach in your account and ask you to click on a link to fix the problem. Just like phishing scams, social engineering tactics are carefully planned. They can only be avoided by sufficient training.
3. Insider Threat: These threats involve endpoint security vulnerabilities within an organization. The most common cause is a lack of awareness among employees. When staff members don’t know any better, they may unknowingly download malware into an organization’s system or even cause data breach incidents.
4. Identity Theft: This is often the end result of data breaches and successful phishing attacks. Stolen personal information is used for fraudulent activities. This is especially true when the breach involves financial information such as credit card details.
5. Malvertising: Malicious advertising materials often lurk in browsers and social media. Once a user clicks an ad, they may be prompted to download malware or be directed to malicious websites or servers. Spotting this type of cyber threat is often a challenge. It’s important for all users to be extremely careful when clicking on ads.

System Threats

1. Cloud Attacks: There are many threats to cloud servers as they’re directly accessible via the public internet. Cloud attacks often result in server breaches that compromise data on a larger scale. They’re also often initiated by organized cybercrime groups. Although cloud attacks usually target larger enterprises, small businesses that use shared cloud servers are more vulnerable. This is especially true when there are no security protocols employed on the client’s end.
2. Deep Fakes: An emerging threat typically used for fraud, deep fakes make it possible to flawlessly superimpose faces on another body. Criminals use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create convincing videos that can be used maliciously. AI-enabled software can also be used to create fake audios that resemble another person’s voice.
3. Zero-Day Exploits: These are direct attacks on system vulnerabilities that most targets are not even aware of. These vulnerable points are often spotted by hackers who are looking for organizations with security weaknesses they can exploit. Fortunately, these vulnerabilities can also be identified by developers or ethical hackers. Once spotted, they can be patched up before an attack takes place.
4. IoT Attacks: This scheme uses bots to attack internet-enabled devices. These attacks often target web and mobile applications and exploit weak authentication methods. This is especially prevalent in apps that lack encryption such as SMS messages.

What Business Owners Can Do

Although it’s ideal to establish a solid security system right from the start, it’s never too late for business owners to consider beefing up cybersecurity. If you’re the owner of a web-based business, you can start by consulting cybersecurity experts and professionals.

It would also pay to invest in a robust security system that can protect your organization against the most common cybersecurity threats. Your cybersecurity program should also provide analytic data. Analytics can help you gather useful information that will help you improve your security protocols where needed.

Most importantly, educate, train, and update your workforce regularly about the most important cybersecurity practices and how they should respond to potential threats. It’s also ideal to enforce security protocols in the workplace and encourage accountability among every worker. Effective cybersecurity involves both the system and its users. When one is weaker, it can compromise the other, and the rest of your organization.

The post The Biggest Cybersecurity Threats to Businesses This Year appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Of course, you should trust the process. Big things take time, but you should spend your time on things that are making the future of your brand brighter. Don’t take shortcuts to success such as buying followers on your social media accounts or posting fake reviews.

Instead, invest time in things that will improve sales and grow your audience. For example, creating social media promotions, creating your own online surveys, interacting with potential clients, and writing your business plan.

What’s a Business Plan Template?

A business plan template is a plan for the quick setup of a business plan for your brand. It contains all the elements for the fast growth of your brand, including marketing plans to introduce your brand to the public. Having a business plan template is helpful, especially for people who are new to the business world. Most of the templates are free and are easy to find. You can find a lot of them online. You just need to do research and decide which plan is the best choice for your product or service.

Top 10 Business Plan Templates for Small Businesses

Templates are here to make grinding out your business plan easier. All you need to do is decide which plan you need and stick to it. Success might be right around the corner.

1. Hubspot

Hubspot provides a template that can help you with creating your business plan. This brief business plan template enables you to formulate your core message and provide investors with the information they need about your business. And the best thing is that the Hubspot template is free.

2. Course Hero

Course Hero’s business plan is great for people who just need to insert information about their product or service. What makes this plan better than others is that it’s both detailed and easy to set up. It’s free and available for immediate download.

3. The Balance’s Simple Business Plan for Entrepreneurs

Balance’s Simple Business template is a great choice for people who need help writing an organization’s description, labor requirements, and making sales strategies. Downloading the standard plan is free.

4. SCORE

If you Google search for the best business plan template, you’ll most likely find SCORE’s. This business plan template can help you find out if your business idea has any weaknesses and also identify opportunities for your business you may not even have considered. 

5. Bgateway

Bgateway (Business Gateway) provides a template that can help you from starting your brand to increasingly more complex tasks. It’s even helpful for people who want to raise funds to start their business. Bgateway offers a free plan on their website.

6. Bplan

On the Bplans website, you will find a template that can help you with each step of your plan and show you what an SBA-approved business plan should look like. It’s free to download and easy to follow.

7. Pandadoc

On the Pandadoc site, you will find seven free templates that can help you with your business growth. No matter what kind of business you have, you can find the one that is useful for you. Pandadoc provides business plan templates for bakeries, coffee shops, restaurants, and more.

8. The Business Plan Shop

The Business Plan Shop offers a detailed business plan sketch built for entrepreneurs who’ve never had experience writing business plans before. You can make your business plan for free.

9. Wise’s Business Plan

On the Wise website, you will find a template that can help you set your company goals. Using this template can show investors how you expect to expand your brand. It’s free and easy to use. 

10. ThinkBusiness’ Free Template 

Last but not least, ThinkBusiness has a great template to download. This template is great for beginners and is also very detailed and easy to set up. It’s free and you can start using it even if you have no experience in writing business plans.

Focus on What Makes Your Product or Service Unique

The templates listed above are great resources for small and medium businesses. There are tons of free templates available online, you just need to take time to research and work on your brand. Invest time in things that you believe have a bright future, be unique, make yourself known, and success will be a matter of time.

Growing your new business will require work and dedication, too. You can make this easier given all the sites and help available for free online. However, you should not stop there. Make another commitment to learning something new every day about marketing and improving sales.

The post Top 10 Business Plan Templates to Get Your Small Business Started appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

If you’re considering scaling your small business, especially as quickly as possible, you want to go about it the right way. Here are a few essential steps that you should take into consideration before you start.

1. Identify the Need

Scaling a business is a normal activity. Doing so quickly, though, can add significant stress and strain to your operation. That’s why the first thing that you want to do is slow down and consider if scaling at a rapid pace is the best decision for your business at this moment. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to see if now is the time for quick growth:

• Do you have a brand new startup or is your small business fully launched and well-established?
• Do you have consistent business processes in place?
• Are those processes and your other business tools scalable, or do they need to be upgraded or even replaced as you grow?
• Do you have a solid team of employees that have bought into your vision?
• Do you have funding and/or revenue that you can count on as you scale your operation?

It’s important to ask these questions before investing in growth. If you find that now isn’t the time to grow in an aggressive manner, you can avoid wasting resources or, even worse, setting your new business back.

2. Start With Your Brand

If you find that you are in a prime position to grow, the first place you should start is with your brand. Your company’s brand should be a consistent and clear reflection of your vision, mission, and goals. As Bob Goldwater, partner at Goldwater Law Firm, concisely puts it, the concept of branding boils down to “clearly communicating what we are all about and then standing behind those statements.”

Goldwater goes on to connect branding to things like authenticity and focus. A clear brand helps you avoid drifting from your objectives (more on that further down). It can also differentiate you and help you stand out from the competition.

If you want to scale your company, start by ensuring that your brand is developed, fleshed out, and on point. This gives your organization a clear identity as it begins to grow and change.

3. Create a Plan and Set Goals

Branding is an important high-level aspect of successful growth. However, when the rubber hits the road, you’re also going to want to have a clear plan in place. This helps you stay on track and remain efficient as your organization gains momentum.

A growth strategy can consist of many different things. Your sales team, HR department, marketing reps, back office, and many other areas of your company will need clear direction as you grow together. Creating a comprehensive growth strategy is a critical part of successfully growing your enterprise. This should include things such as:

• Identifying and building on your existing strengths;
• Conducting market research to define your ideal customer and find new market segments worth pursuing;
• Studying your competition to see how they’ve managed their growth;
• Securing existing revenue streams and finding areas where you can gain new income.

Along with these, you also want to set the metrics that will define success. Find key indicators that allow you to measure the success or failure of your growth efforts. This could be sales growth, new SKUs, or any number of other activities. However you choose to set your goals, always remember that the most efficient growth is measurable growth.

4. Review Your Internal Systems

Scaling always puts pressure on how your business runs. A tool or method that works well now may not work well in a larger organization. With that in mind, always consider how you can prep your internal activity for the demands of a scaling operation, such as:

• Outsourcing activity: Find the areas of your business, such as distribution or marketing, that you can outsource as the demands of your company grow.
• Investing in tech: There are countless pieces of tech that can make scaling easier, such as finding an automated small business payroll solution to help your accounting team.
• Hiring the right people: Creating a recruitment strategy is key, as you want to invest in quality talent that also lines up with your vision and can support your growing business’s needs.

There are many ways that you can prep your company’s internal operations for a season of growth. Once you begin growing, you’ll be glad you put in the effort ahead of time.

There’s no end to the number of tips that you can find when it comes to scaling a small business. However, any growth strategy should always start with these four considerations. 

Assess if now is the right time to grow. From there, review your brand’s readiness for growth. Then create a thorough growth strategy and set achievable goals. Finally, review your company’s internal systems and consider where you can use tech, outsourcing, and hiring to smooth the path to future growth. These four tips can help you start your next growth cycle in the best position possible.

The post 4 Tips for Scaling Your Small Business Quickly appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Landing a corporate customer offers a ton of revenue security. Large enterprises are more financially stable than small or midsize businesses. They’re also likely to buy your most elite product or subscribe to your most expensive pricing tier. At the same time, cross-selling to other silos within their organization also becomes a possibility.

Make no mistake, all of these will transform your business. It will benefit your cash flow, your growth prospects, and your ability to attract other high-value customers.

In this article, we’ll take a look at ways you can remove common obstacles many businesses face as they pursue their first enterprise client.

1. To Win an Enterprise Client…Know Their Business

First thing’s first. You must understand your prospect’s business or your pitch has no chance of success. And I’m not talking about just being familiar with their history, their marketing material, and their roadmap.

If you want to show how you’re going to be valuable to an enterprise, you need to have remarkable insight into their operations and strategy. You need to know the objectives that drive them. You need to demonstrate that you understand the mechanisms required to get them there.

Fortunately, publicly traded companies always have highly detailed information available via their investor relations (IR) departments.

Another approach would be to Google the company’s name and look at their News results. Big business makes big news, so there’s likely going to be a wealth of up-to-date information on your prospect.

2. Understand and Articulate How You Can Add Value

Once talks with your prospect start picking up momentum and you get face time with decision-makers, the conversation should not be about you and what your company offers. This is not the time to go through a rehearsed sales pitch where you quote figures and cite case studies.

Yes, there’s a time for this spiel, but once you’re sitting in front of someone working in procurement, that time has gone.

The deeper you get into discussions, the more you need to steer the topic of the conversation toward the specifics of how your product or service will benefit them. At this point, they don’t care that you reduced administrative overhead costs by 15% for one of your other clients.

What they want to know, whether they’ll say this to you or not, is: 

• How can you make our lives easier?
• What will you do to you make us more profitable?
• How will you protect us from the risks that are unique to our industry?

In short, you have to speak their company’s language. To do this, you need to have insight into their world. You’ll also need remarkable knowledge of your product’s capacity to make it better.

Practice these conversations. Meet with your colleagues and other industry specialists. Be ready to preempt every single question they may throw at you. Have smart, insightful, non-generic answers prepared for them.

3. Fine-Tune Your Company Image

Involve a branding specialist to ensure that your company’s public-facing presence is up to standard. This process typically involves a thorough audit of everything “out there” that could shape the public’s perception of your company and its reputation.

There’s a lot to this. There are websites, social media accounts, news mentions, press releases, the tone and content of your blog, even the online profiles of your management team.

In some cases, it might be worth the effort to start positioning your CEO as a thought-leader in your industry. 

Yes, this could take a while. However, the positive reputational impact of speaking at a conference or taking part in a round-table discussion with other experts can be huge.

Even simply building a solid, thought-provoking presence on Twitter will sometimes be enough to make your prospects take your brand a little more seriously. Make no mistake, your company’s leadership will be Googled.

4. Be Prepared for Serious Scrutiny from an Enterprise Client

Large organizations are extremely cautious when integrating their systems with an external party. Corporate governance often dictates that an absurd amount of auditing has to happen before a deal with a vendor is finalized.

This is most keenly visible in the digital security arena. If your company offers a solution that needs to be integrated with your prospect’s technical environment, be prepared to be placed under a very powerful, very intimidating microscope. Onboarding a new technology vendor is a lengthy process that typically kicks off with something called an Enterprise Security Questionnaire.

Don’t be fooled by the term. This is no one-pager with Yes/No answers. Your commitment to cybersecurity will face a level of scrutiny you may not be ready for.

Experts in cybersecurity cite this as the number one reason new customers contact them. Any potential enterprise client will assess your technical environment and, often, a small business is simply not ready for this.

It’s often a good idea to involve a consultant even before the questionnaire hits your CTO’s desk. As negotiations start heading into the closing phases, be proactive. Hop on the phone with a company that knows the questions enterprise clients are going to ask.

5. Understand the Impact a Long Sales Cycle Will Have

This is a biggie. Be prepared for many of your resources to be tied up in negotiations that can go on longer than expected. Much, much longer.

A long sales cycle will affect every company differently. It’s not always possible to preempt how this will impact other areas of your operations. The best approach is to stay aware of the risk and to never base any predictions on having the deal finalized by a specific date.

Also, tread carefully if your company somehow becomes dependent on closing the deal with an enterprise prospect. It’s understandable that this could happen. If it does, do whatever you can to avoid letting your prospect finding out. Desperation is not a good look in the business world. What this scenario says about your company’s ability to plan (amongst other things) isn’t great.

Signing Your First Enterprise-Level Client Will Require Patience

The sales cycle for landing a big fish is lengthy. Things move slowly at big corporations for a variety of reasons that can be both understandable and infuriating.

The truth is that large organizations are immensely risk-averse. They take new partnerships incredibly seriously as accountability is a big deal for them. As a result, the tactics we talk about in this article represent a lot of effort on your part. Get comfortable with this.

To create the optics you need to be taken seriously could take months, if not a year. You might have to make some challenging internal changes to align your operations with your prospect’s regulatory needs.

This is the price smaller businesses have to pay as they start wading toward the deep end of the corporate swimming pool. Know what the sacrifices are and be prepared to make them.

Fortunately, the benefits of succeeding in your pursuit of an enterprise client are immense. There’s no doubt about that.

The post How to Win an Enterprise Client to Transform Your Small Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

In situations such as this, keeping SME tech requirements up to date is more than a bit difficult. It’s also a challenge to make sure that your SME doesn’t stall out due to poor planning, lack of funds, or lousy execution of technology. Failure to make provision for SME tech requirements is a serious matter, but you can stay ahead of the curve by paying attention to the basics.

SME Tech Requirements Tied Tightly to Funding Model

Many SMEs are bootstrapped by their founder(s) and survive as long as they can. These SMEs hope to hit paydirt with a first-time product taking off. The plan is to have a successful initial launch and release a series of follow-up products after that.

Others seek venture capital funding. These SMEs may obtain a fixed amount of capital to spend per funding round. After that, they quickly need to give away more share capital to secure the necessary funds to expand their tech capabilities.

As such, not all SME companies are created equal. Different solutions are often required depending on a number of factors. These include the size and scope of the business, how many employees are on staff, where they’re located, and the exact nature of the work needed to produce a product. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, which doesn’t make budgeting for SME tech requirements easier.

Desktop or Cloud Solutions?

Many software providers have switched their development priority from software installations to a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform.

Desktop Software

While some software developers distribute installable software, many have switched to digital downloads or a subscription model. This applies most to specialist software from long-standing developers.

If enough of the established user base prefers installed software and dislikes a cloud-based SaaS option, that company may continue to offer both options. Most software providers, however, are picking one option to reduce the cost of maintaining two versions of the same software.

Cloud-Based SaaS

The move to SaaS is something that many SMEs are embracing for their tech requirements. In some respects, SaaS is easier to manage than a series of licenses that need to grow whenever a new employee is added.

However, web-based cloud services are not perfect. This becomes obvious when there are software outages and major sites go offline for several hours. Thankfully, these interruptions to service are few and far between.

Theoretically, a company could continue to use installed desktop software even if a major SaaS provider went down. In reality, companies with a widespread network outage issue that takes their site offline would likely be using cloud storage within their desktop app. In that case, the software would also become unusable.

Nowadays, desktop software doesn’t typically provide the offline-only service that it did a few years ago. CEOs responsible for meeting SME tech requirements should reconsider the use of  installed desktop software.

Are Subscription-Based Models Better?

Subscription models for software have largely become the norm. Microsoft, for example, switched from selling desktop versions of Office to the Office 365 online suite of apps sold via subscription. This felt quite new at the time, even revolutionary, but has since become a common delivery model.

Now nearly every software provider offers a subscription model. For SME companies trying to meet their tech requirements with limited capital, it can all seem like a bit much.

The tiered nature of priced packages is also a factor to consider. Many of the most useful features are reserved for the higher-priced plans. For SME businesses, this all too often means moving up several tiers just to get the features they need.

The Case for SME Use of Specialist Software

While software packages such as Microsoft Office 365 serve a general need, there’s a respectable case to be made for choosing specialist software designed for specific use cases, industries, or something similar.

Specialist Over Generalist Software

The argument for specialist software to meet SME tech requirements is that developers usually know the targeted industry intimately. They have regular contact with software users and leverage that experience when updating packages with new features. Because they use rapid software development techniques, they’re able to release new updates on an accelerated schedule. This offers a huge benefit to SMEs wanting to do more with their software.

As a result, developed technology solutions, especially on the software side, are less required now. Specialist software is usually sufficient.

Using Digital Marketing as an Example

Someone who works in the digital marketing space doesn’t necessarily have a job at a digital/SEO agency. They might work in data analysis, social media, brand management, or advertising. A digital marketer such as this has probably studied for a master’s in marketing online with no GMAT or GRE requirement. A degree such as this would provide the broad knowledge necessary to perform such a wide range of work for a business or agency.

Within the masters in marketing online curriculum, they’d have learned how to use specialist software to perform various tasks. Some of these might include Ahrefs (an SEO SaaS to monitor backlinks pointing at the company’s website and provide information on competitors), HootSuite (a social media account manager), SERPRobot (a Google search ranking checker to verify what search terms the company is ranking for in Google), and Google Analytics (to obtain information on recent site visitors).

While there may be a single solution to provide all these software services, it’s unlikely that it would provide a best-in-class solution. In each case, there are affordable subscription plans to access these solutions for a digital marketer. 

SME Tech Requirements for Multi-Tasking Remote Workers

When it comes to multi-tasking, employees who are not always stuck in the office using the corporate network have more flexibility with how they work. For example, if an SME has remote employees, then using cloud-based software tools in combination with the pre-installed software on the laptop might make sense. With so many services in the technology space now run using a web browser to access the SaaS, it doesn’t necessarily make good fiscal sense to outfit your team with powerful hardware.

Workstation or Laptop?

If you think of a workstation as the least powerful laptop available, these are suitable as a portable hardware solution when everything is cloud-based. SME tech requirements can be met with low-end equipment.

However, care should be taken when planning the technology requirements of the SME in this regard. If an employee will need to work confidentially, then more powerful hardware is usually required.

Windows or Mac?

In most industries, there’s still a preference for Windows-based systems. This is partly due to better mass marketing. The combination of Intel and Microsoft influencing the hardware and software choices of businesses worldwide continues to exert its influence.

Mac is a valid choice, but their hardware has never been considered “inexpensive.” Running Mac servers is a specialty item, too. This can be done in-house or via a hosting provider but, again, it’s considerably more expensive than other options.

While some industries, such as digital marketing, place a strong emphasis on Mac hardware and software solutions, even these typically have either Windows-based installable software packages and/or a SaaS solution that anyone can access.

Making the Hardware Choice

Sometimes, the choice of a hardware platform to meet SME tech requirements is dictated by the software necessary to run that business. However, this is rarely the case now.

Normally, a Windows PC with sufficient power is best. An i3 or i5 machine is enough for most employees to get their work completed. Only in the most demanding cases — such as video editing — is something more powerful needed.

SME Tech Requirements: Some Closing Thoughts

Technology too often confounds a non-technical CEO. When meeting the tech requirements for an SME company, it can get very confusing in no time. There’s not always someone available to explain the choices in layman’s terms. The bottom line for technology requirements is to use what’s required to get the job done.

Computers last a similar amount of time when purchasing major brands at the middle price point. Cheaper components are used for the budget models.

For software, everyone seems to be selling subscription-based models and pushing companies to move up the tier. Look carefully for the features staff need and will use, rather than getting an expensive plan just so you can have it all. It’s simple enough to move up a subscription tier later (or down again) without wasting money.

Lastly, sometimes it’s useful to hire an experienced technology advisor to provide a report on what’s actually needed for your SME business. They should have a clear sense of the minimum needed to operate the business without overloading it with a complicated excess of technology that doesn’t offer a solid ROI.

The post SME Tech Requirements: Balancing Cost and ROI appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Marketing

Unless you are already a marketing expert, outsourcing this key role can be an incredible asset. Small businesses rely on many forms of marketing to reach new people and convert them to customers. There are many types of marketing, but some of the best to outsource are these:

Digital Marketing

Hiring a digital marketing expert can bring your business to new heights quicker than you can alone. Their expertise helps attract the right clientele and boost your brand awareness so more people know about you. When you need digital marketing services, it’s important to find a firm that offers what you need and can show you case studies for their results with previous clients. It also helps to find a firm that may have experience with your type of business and customer profile.

Content Marketing

Content marketing utilizes useful and relevant information to draw in customers. These can be in the form of blog posts, informative articles, e-books, videos, podcasts, and more. The content should be produced in a regular cadence and distributed through many different channels to all the places where your target audience is. If writing and creating media isn’t your field of expertise, it’s a great task to outsource.

Social Media Marketing

Another important area of marketing is social media marketing. With all the different social media platforms, this can get confusing and overwhelming quickly. When you outsource to a social media marketing expert, you can rest assured your investment will be well spent and your business can grow.

Web Design

Creating an appealing website is a little bit art and a little bit science. A good web designer can make your website look and feel cohesive and unique. They can also create a look that appeals to your target audience. When you outsource web design services, you’ll get their expertise and skills along with more free time to focus on other areas of your business.

IT Services

Most small businesses don’t hire full-time IT staff to get started. But when technology breaks, it’s vital that you have a team who can help you fix it quickly. Broken workflows, apps, and websites can cost you a lot of money in lost sales. There are many facets to IT services including tech support, cybersecurity, and coding. Each of these IT services helps your business succeed.

Accounting

Do you dread taxes each year? Then outsource it. Accounting incorporates many different aspects of business finances. Hiring a professional accountant to handle it can save you more money than you spend. Business taxes are complex, and there may be multiple tax deadlines you need to consider throughout the year. A good accountant will ensure that your quarterly taxes get paid, that your payroll taxes get paid, and that you can keep up with the annual changes that make filing taxes so tricky.

Payroll

Outsourcing payroll simplifies the process of paying your employees. It ensures you take out all the proper taxes, pay your employees the right amount on time, and that you don’t need to spend time doing it each week. Furthermore, if you have a complicated payroll, or hire internationally, it is well worth your while to recruit international payroll services for peace of mind and total accuracy.

Bookkeeping

Some businesses don’t bother with bookkeeping, but this regular maintenance of your business finances helps you see where your business is doing well and where it is not. By outsourcing bookkeeping, you can easily find areas that need more financial attention and ones that need less. You’ll be able to see how your spending is comparing to the budget you set and what you can do to ensure you don’t overdo it.

Legal Services

While you never imagine you’ll need a lawyer, it’s best to have one on retainer for your business. Things happen. Vendors may sue, customers may pursue legal action, and you may simply need a solid contract written up. Outsourcing legal services can save you from headaches and possibly from even losing your business. A great business lawyer is an asset that can help you navigate copyright and trademark laws and even file for them on your behalf.

Customer Support

Happy customers buy more, and they tell their friends. If you want your business to grow, it’s important to either hire someone or outsource customer support. Outsourcing this important role gives you more flexibility in running the other parts of your business. You can rest assured that someone is responding to customer emails and phone calls and helping them with their purchases and complaints. It also helps you if you need to go out of town and gives you more flexibility and freedom as an entrepreneur. You’ll have peace of mind that your customers are taken care of even when you aren’t available.

Things You Don’t Enjoy Doing

When you really hate doing particular tasks, you are more likely to procrastinate or not do it at all. This can be especially problematic for small businesses. Growth requires having systems and processes in place that can be scaled. Outsourcing key roles give you more time to ensure that the processes you have in place are giving you the results you want for your business.

If you dislike administrative tasks, find a good VA to take it off your plate. If you don’t want to do your own accounting and payroll, there are companies who can fill in the gap. It’s easy for entrepreneurs and small business owners to try and do everything themselves. It’s more valuable in the long run to find skilled and capable people to come alongside your business. Outsourcing to professionals helps you enjoy your business more and get more accomplished.

The post 12 Important Roles Small Businesses Should Outsource appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

While it’s important to find a way to do business as usual, it’s also important to treat your staff with dignity and respect during what can be very trying times. Small businesses are usually like close-knit families who experience the good, the bad, and the ugly together. There are numerous ways to support your staff during emergencies and still get the work done that you need.

Time off

One of the scariest things for employees and business owners is needing time off. Staff members are scared to lose their job if they take time off and business owners are afraid of losing productivity. But one of the best ways to help an employee during an emergency is by offering an adequate leave policy in the event of a true emergency. While this may only be feasible for a few days to a week or two when you’re running a small business, it can alleviate a lot of pressure from your staff member.

As a small business owner, you may be able to use a staffing agency to help fill in the gap temporarily. Training can be hard, but the right skills can go a long way to helping you do business when your regular employees are out of the office. This can be especially helpful if you can offer extended time off or a leave of absence.

Reduced hours

Grief and medical emergencies in the immediate family can each impact employee productivity. Reduced hours can help staff work but still take the time they need to handle their grief and to take care of sick family members. If they are the one who is sick or injured it can also give them time they need to heal without overworking. Reduced hours can often be seen as a punishment, so it’s important to offer staff in need the option to work less if they want it.

You may think that less hours will mean less productivity, but in some cases, those hours are very well spent, and you’ll find that employee morale will improve. This better morale can cause employees to work harder in shorter bursts and get a lot of work done.

Work From Home

If they need a different working arrangement to help oversee care or to get better themselves, but they can still work, then perhaps you can allow them to work from home. Not all jobs are good for this option, but for those who can, it’s a tremendous help to employees experiencing an emergency. As a small business owner, you may be concerned and wondering if your staff will get work done remotely, but it’s important to trust the people who work for you. You can easily gauge their work from home productivity when the work is still getting done.

An alternative is to do a temporary work-from-home arrangement or offer a partial work-from-home with some time in the office as well. These options allow you as the small business owner more time to assess how the employee is doing. It also gives you the opportunity to ensure the workload is getting done and it’s not too overwhelming in the midst of a crisis. When employees are empowered to work partially from home or have the flexibility to leave work in a moment’s notice due to a medical alert they usually pay their employer back long-term with hard work and gratitude for the short-term flexibility and understanding.

Benevolence Funds

Many large corporations allow their staff to give into a benevolence fund to help employees during financial crises. Having a benevolence fund gives you the small business owner a way to help your people when they need it. These funds could be given to help cover a medical bill, to pay for food, a plane ticket to go to a funeral, and so much more. It’s up to you to create policies around what the benevolence fund will pay for and how to disburse it to your staff.

Payday Advance Apps

Many companies now offer a way for staff to get their paychecks early through payday advance apps. These apps are an excellent option for those times when an emergency hits between pay periods. With a payday advance, staff are drawing from funds they know they will have based on their hours already worked. Some of these apps let people transfer money to their bank accounts daily. Others only let them take one or two advances per pay period. These advances can come with variable fees. But by offering these apps to your employees, they can rest assured that they always have access to their funds for hours worked even if it’s before payday.

Pay Employees Early

Another option if an employee has a financial emergency that you can help with is to simply pay them early. While doing payroll in advance may cost you more, it helps you take care of your employees in a tangible way. Small business owners can choose to pay based on what’s already been earned or on the total projected amount that would be earned by payday. Paying early may impact your business cash flow. This is one of the reasons it’s important for small business owners to have funds in the bank is to ensure there are never any problems with payroll. This can also benefit you in the event of unforeseen circumstances where your employees need to be paid early.

Pool Resources

Since most small businesses create a tight-knit community culture, other staff may want to help their co-worker during an emergency. Take up a collection from your team for that need. Those pooled resources can help tremendously.

There’s a saying that people may not always remember what you say, but they will remember how you made them feel. When you help your employees during a crisis, they will always remember feeling cared for. Small businesses may be limited in how they can help, but there are options out there that don’t cost you anything except for a compassionate heart and a little creativity.

The post 7 Ways Small Businesses Can Support Employees During Family Emergencies appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What does that mean for you as a startup or small company? Your presence on YouTube matters. In fact, it matters quite a bit from a marketing and sales perspective. According to the site’s own statistics, viewers collectively watch more than a billion video hours daily. These are people hungry for information about a variety of topics, including those related to your products, services, and industry.

To sate the appetite of watchers and seekers on YouTube, you’ll need more than a business-focused channel. You’ll also need a plan to attract eyes and potentially become a top performer in your niche. Fortunately, getting an initial promotional bump shouldn’t take more than a few months if you follow these strategies.

1. Stay brand-true.

When first-time visitors land on your YouTube channel and videos, they deserve a taste of your brand. Be sure that everything from your thumbnail logo to your Canva-created banner to your graphics are brand-consistent. Delivering an unmistakable brand concept from the get-go helps you appeal to your target audience. It also differentiates you in whatever categories you belong.

2. Budget for YouTube advertising.

It’s tempting to reduce costs by trying to beef up your views and subscribers organically, particularly if you’re bootstrapping a corporate venture. Nonetheless, don’t discount the value and ROI of YouTube ads. As AdOutreach’s Aleric Heck notes, you’re best served putting your budget towards the advertising itself as opposed to fancy equipment. He recommends simplifying your ad videography and putting your dollars into highly targeted YouTube ad campaigns. You’ll get a lift and make your budget stretch much further by investing in what can produce real results.

3. Develop a welcoming intro trailer.

Never miss an opportunity to make an impression on your viewers, right down to the intro trailer on your brand channel. The best trailers are short and sweet. They’re meant to educate the viewer on your company, giving a 30,000-foot viewpoint. Save the nitty-gritty stuff for your video content. Users only need a palate-pleasing taste of what you do from your trailer, not the full-fledged buffet.

4. Brainstorm simplified content based on customer FAQs.

You know the biggest questions your customers ask. “How does this work?” “Can I do this at home?” “Is this a good fit for my family’s needs?” Use those FAQs as springboards to create content for your initial videos. Don’t worry whether or not the topic seems too basic. A straightforward 30-second “how to” video shot with your smartphone could drive far more interest than a clever, but unnecessarily convoluted, commercial.

5. Lay out a content management calendar.

Ideally, you’ll want to populate your YouTube channel with as much video content as possible. But the reality is that you might find it hard to film some weeks. To ensure your videos drop on a regular basis, construct a content calendar. Then, shoot numerous videos ahead of time. For instance, you could take a Wednesday afternoon, film 10 videos, and call it a day. They’ll be ready for you to use (after a round of editing, of course.)

6. Remember all that SEO 101 stuff.

Guess what? SEO isn’t just for your website. It’s also vital to getting visitors to your YouTube channel. Tag your videos, use keyword-rich descriptions, enable transcriptions, and take advantage of any opportunities to construct unique content. Double check the way you name your videos, too. Each video needs to be keyword specific so bots and humans know how to categorize it.

7. Make your voice heard.

If you allow viewers to comment on your videos, set aside time every few days to respond to their feedback. This type of monitoring isn’t just good manners. It’s also a way to communicate with users. Even if someone writes a negative comment, answer it with compassion, humor, or—at the very least—professionalism. 

8. Remind viewers to become subscribers.

How many times have you enjoyed a YouTube video only to click out without subscribing to the channel? It happens frequently. Yet it doesn’t have to be inevitable. Instead of allowing users to just go on their merry way, remind them to subscribe with a YouTube card or other effective device. Asking for them to support your channel will boost subscription rates, which will in turn increase your brand authority.

9. Leverage the power of playlists. 

As you begin to amass plenty of videos, you’ll want to organize them into groups. Those groups are essentially playlists that viewers can use to navigate your channel. It’s not uncommon for viewers to watch every video in a playlist devoted to a special topic. Over time, you may want to rearrange your playlists to stay up with trends.

10. Link to your videos obsessively.

Want viewership to skyrocket? Here are two words to keep in mind: embed and spread. Embed videos on relevant pages throughout your website, such as within a blog post or on a product page. You may also want to embed your latest YouTube content in a MailChimp email as part of a messaging blast. In addition, plan to spread the word on all your social channels whenever you release another video.

Now’s not the time to get camera shy or think you need to go to filmmaking school to own a piece of the YouTube pie. Any small business can build a brand presence fast on YouTube. The sooner you hit “record,” the sooner you’ll reap the rewards.

The post Break Into YouTube: 10 First Steps for Small Businesses appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

In the case of small businesses, their less secure networks make it easy to breach the data. Also, lack of expertise for proper security, low budgets, lack of awareness of the risk, imperfect employee training, and failure to update security programs are a few more elements that pose risks.

Common Cyber Attacks That May Target Your Business

Cybercriminals use new forms of cyber attacks every day, but there are common ways your small business could get breached.

• Phishing Emails or Business Email Compromise Scams

Verizon’s 2020 Data Breach Investigations Report suggests that around 22% of breaches in 2019 were caused by phishing. Consequently, 86% of organizations experienced business email compromise (BEC) attempts. Phishing attacks harm both individuals and organizations. 

For BEC scams, hackers generally use subject lines that include words like request, urgent, payment, attention, and important. With these subject lines, cybercriminals encourage email recipients like you to open a malicious attachment or a malware-laden website. Specifically, they want you to open one that could download ransomware.

• Watering Hole Attack

Hackers look for genuine websites in which targets show interest, and then they turn the site into a malicious website. When the user clicks on a link, downloads a file, or discloses any information on that attacker’s site containing malware, the cyberattack is successful. 

These kinds of cyberattacks are not common. However, they pose a significant threat for you because they are very tricky to detect.

• Drive-by Download Attack

Here, a malicious website tries to install software or code on your computer without your permission. Such an unintended download, even without clicking anything, leads to a cyberattack. 

These attacks happen when your operating system is outdated. They can also happen when proper security systems are not followed on your business’s devices. 

Key Cybersecurity Tips for Your Small Business

You can achieve cybersecurity for your small business with the best practices. To stay away from being a victim of a cyberattack, you should try to employ the following cybersecurity practices for your business.

1. Educate and train your employees with cybersecurity practices.

Train all your employees who access the network on your company’s digital security best practices and security policies. For example, you should emphasize the need for strong passwords, the regular updates on the latest protocols, etc. 

Also, you should strictly employ security policies such as appropriate internet usage and the handling of vital data, like customer information. Get a document signed by each of your employees that states you have informed them about the security policy. Then, they will be accountable and pay the penalties if they violate the rules. 

2. Provide firewall software and support for your internet connection.

A firewall is the first important element when it comes to preventing cyberattacks in your business. This set of related programs acts as a barrier between your data (on your network) and outsiders or cybercriminals. Enable the operating system’s firewall, install standard firewall software, or even go for an internal firewall for additional safety. You should also make sure that the home network, for remote employees, is protected by a firewall as well. 

3. Install anti-malware and antivirus software for your business’s protection. 

Even though your employees know they should never open phishing emails, it does happen accidentally. Phishing attacks invite malware on your employee’s computer when the link gets clicked. Therefore, you should install anti-malware software on every device and your network. Also, make sure your anti-virus software performs a scan after you install each update. Furthermore, you should install software updates as soon as they are needed.

4. Be ready with a plan for your mobile devices.

You should implement a BYOD policy that focuses on security precautions, if you allow BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). Your policy should also include wireless wearables such as smartwatches or fitness trackers. 

You need to prioritize imperative security norms for your business. This is especially the case if mobile devices have confidential information and are accessing corporate networks. Your employees should password-protect their mobiles, follow your company’s password policy, encrypt data, and set up automatic security updates. Additionally, you should encourage them to set up security apps. This will help prevent breaches while accessing the public networks. 

5. Regularly backup your key business data and information.

It is recommended that you require regular backup of the crucial data on all your computers. This is vital to prevent the losses of cyberattacks. Your company data, such as your word processing documents, your databases, your electronic spreadsheets, your financial files, your accounts receivable/payable files, and your human resources files, contain critical information you can’t afford to lose. You can choose to do automatic data backups. But, if you don’t, you should at least do it weekly. Also, backup data is stored in the cloud. You should store your backups in a separate location to be on the safer side in case of natural disasters. 

6. You should use strong and unique passwords.

Make sure that employees use unique passwords and regularly change them after three months. Try to use numbers, upper-case letters, lowercase letters, as well as symbols to create a strong password. Verizon’s 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report suggested that 63% of data breaches occurred because of lost or weak passwords. 

7. Implement multi-factor authentication on your devices.

The multi-factor authentication provides you extra protection, and you should apply it on major network and email products. This is in addition to your employees’ password. Your employees’ cell numbers are a good option. This is because it is hard for a hacker to get both the PIN and the password. 

Conclusion:

As cybercriminals are getting smarter every day, your small business shouldn’t skimp over any of the above best practices for cybersecurity. All of your employees should make it a top priority. Protecting your data is mainly in your hands!

The post Cybersecurity for Your Small Businesses appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Thanks to the pandemic, 60% of shuttered small businesses may be gone for good. Tens of thousands more are holding on by a thread. Every small business saved is a bright spot not just for the entrepreneur, but for their employees and the local economy. 

Many struggling small business leaders have reacted by cutting hours or staff. But only with the right tools can a small crew keep the ship sailing. While every small business is different, these five software tools are worth scraping the bottom of the bank account for:

1. Contact Center Software

First things first: How are you going to reach customers when they can’t physically visit your store? 

Phone calls and online outreach are safer options for everyone. Contact center as a service software makes omnichannel communication possible on any budget. Tools that track prior interactions with customers let any rep who answers the phone pick up the baton. 

Other features to keep an eye out for include analytics and customer profiling. Reports can provide an overview of how your employees are interacting with customers and where opportunities lie to build stronger customer relationships. Profiles can also give you insight into who your typical customers are, making it easier to attract more people like them. You can have a guide from fundingwaschools for more info.

2. Social Media Marketing Software

When you know who your customer is, marketing becomes that much easier. The next step is to choose channels and tools that are cost-effective. For small businesses, social media marketing makes getting the word out as easy as clicking “post.”

Before deciding on one, learn which platforms your customers like to use. There’s no point in investing in a Snapchat-specific tool if your users are only on Twitter and Facebook. Try to cover as many relevant platforms as you can in a single tool, which will make your team more efficient. 

3. Project Management Software

You know what’s a waste of money? Trying to track every project your team takes on through clipboards and emails. Letting a single job slip through the cracks can mean future business will be lost.  

If you are still leaving project management up to each employee, it’s time to invest in project management software. Keeping your team’s projects housed in one central location will save everyone time and stress. 

There are dozens of project management software options out there. Figure out which parts of projects are the most difficult for your team: If collaborating remotely is a chore, for example, you might look for a tool with native video conferencing capabilities or Slack integration. No matter your needs, look for a project management program that lists tasks, who is assigned to what, and deadlines. 

4. Accounting and Payroll Software

Especially when money is tight, you need to manage every penny like it’s your last. Investing in payroll services and accounting tools can simplify the financial side of small business ownership. What’s more, smart accounting software can help you take advantage of tax incentives and deductions you might not have known about. 

The good news is, many tools in this space cover multiple bases. Opt for a do-it-all financial hub that covers payroll, invoicing, bookkeeping, and filing taxes. Some of these tools also span HR tasks, such as benefits administration. If you’re ever audited, you’ll be glad you’ve got it all in one place. 

Ask your accountant which tool he or she prefers. Some accounting firms have partnerships with popular providers, which can help you save even more money. 

5. Supply and Inventory Management

These days, not all small businesses sell physical products. Even those that don’t, however, need to stock supplies like paper, ink, and company computers.

No matter what your company does, it has valuable property to keep tabs on. Product SKUs and “property of” labels are only half the picture. Once you’ve tagged everything, you need a tool to ensure nothing is lost or stolen. This software can also help you prioritize damaged or old items in need of replacement. 

When purchasing this tool, think about access permissions and user profiling features. You don’t want to be the only person who can update the system when something is broken. On the other hand, security and theft concerns mean you also want to limit who can delete items from the database. 

As a small business owner, you can’t do it alone. But when money gets tight, you also can’t afford to hire a big business-sized staff to help you out. 

What you can afford are software tools that make everyone more efficient. Choose wisely, and you’ll keep your staff lean without compromising your commitment to your customers. Do that, and you’ll keep your business in the black no matter what happens to the economy. 

The post Struggling? These 5 Tools Can Keep Your Small Business Afloat appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

While the ambition, the passion, and the concept are right, the reality that many small enterprises still fail is an ever-looming guillotine. No one gets into business to fail, but the statistics, the current economics, and even the world’s needs can change with the wind, and what might be great today can be vapor tomorrow. 

The Help You Need

That is why a smart small business owner needs some help. And for the savvy entrepreneur, the software is the answer. Small business management software is one of the best tools to own if you want to keep an eye on all aspects of your business correctly. It lets you watch inventory, budgeting, revenue, and even employee effectiveness.

It can include options like extensions to payroll software for small business needs that will help you effectively track your employee’s earnings, taxes, and so forth. It can link you to the best SEO software for small business marketing to get your brand higher on Google and Yahoo searches. And some of these programs are even free with the initial software.

What it means for you is you have a resource, a support system, and a guide that can help you with the intricacies of your business, especially the money aspects, and help you stay on top of things, without being an overbearing micromanager. It does the managing for you. 

Small Business Software That Works for You

Just because you buy the best accounting software for small business finances doesn’t mean you get to let fate take the wheel. You are still the ultimate control engine of your enterprise. And the software is nothing more than a helper. Letting it run the show is tantamount to allowing waves to steer a ship. Eventually, you are going to hit the rocks. You must be at the helm.

In that respect, here is a list of great small business software possibilities, along with other technologies, for your new endeavor:

1. Management Apps

Feature-rich management apps software is designed to improve the customer relations side of your company. While the market is heavily saturated with these programs, there have been many new industry developments. They use automation to trim hours of data entry off your plate and are very easy to use.

2. Integrated Voice Searching

Have you ever used a voice text program? Did it have issues with odd words that don’t usually come up in your native tongue? That is because most are only programmed for common words. Slang, swear words, and unique names give it trouble. When choosing your business’s name, having one a voice search will understand will help with search engines. 

3. Social Media Marketing

There are two ways to market with social media. You can use Facebook Ads, link it to your company page, and make a clickable option for people to get instantly transferred to your site. The other is through Facebook Messenger. Messenger can be used to offer products and discounts and raise awareness for exciting things yet to come. 

4. Square Is Your Friend

Square hit the landscape helping smaller businesses take credit cards instead of losing a potential transaction. Now they have an integrated installment option, allowing customers to pay off larger ticket items over time. The retailer gets paid, the customer gets what they came for, and everybody wins.

5. The Future Is Now

Two letters that will change your entrepreneurial model forever: A.I. Artificial intelligence has been a part of the working world for quite a few years, integrated into the software, giving birth to new concepts in automation, and improving internal operations, almost invisibly. If you didn’t know it was happening, you might be understandably concerned. Don’t be. These “thinking machines” are geared to help, not to hinder. 

6. Remote Options

With the use of automation, A.I., and external shipping, working from home is not only a real option but also the preferred option for many entrepreneurs. They can run their store, have everything shipped to the customer, and do it all from their home office, while in their pajamas. Is it professional? Maybe not. But if there is an issue, like perhaps a worldwide pandemic, it is a nice thing to have.

The Freedom to Choose

One of the best aspects of software is the variety. There are tons of products in every part of your entrepreneurial needs. If you need accounting, there are plenty. If you want an excellent payroll program, walk through your local electronics store. And even better, getting small business software free online is an ever-present opportunity. 

So, what is the best software for small business? It depends on what you know, what you need, and what you can afford. Some programs are fantastic and won’t cost you a dime, although the add-ons can add up. Others can cost a mint but are comprehensive. Figure out what you need, shop around, search online, and be specific. The right choice is out there, just waiting for you to choose it for your endeavor.

The world may have changed, but small businesses haven’t. There is still the dream of being your boss and doing whatever it takes to make that a reality. Resources pop up almost daily that are designed to help. If you are a struggling entrepreneur, you need only to find the one that will give you a leg up and assist with your needs. And it might just give you a way to overtake your competition. 

The post Technologies Small Business Owners Should Consider Using Today appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

In order to mitigate the financial effects caused by the confinement as a result of the pandemic state by the Covid-19 is recommended to use the best money transfer so that the purchase processes of your companies are accelerated generating a better confidence in your customer.

We’ve developed a list of five tips that will help your small business succeed after COVID-19 is no longer impacting the world economy.

1. Restore Your Business’s Credit Worthiness

Your small business’s ability to access capital is more vital than ever. As we emerge to a post-COVID-19 world, it’s critical that small business owners can obtain funds to cover costs, revenue gaps, and other financial obligations. While interest rates are now lower than ever before, banks will be hesitant to provide financing in such a turbulent market.

If your business has already run into financial issues, you may be missing payments on your debt obligations or other bills. Unfortunately, this can have a negative impact on your business credit score, which will impact your ability to borrow money in the future. Restoring your creditworthiness as a business owner will be paramount to your success.

To do so, it’s critical to work with lenders, suppliers, and other creditors to work out arrangements that won’t impact your reputation or bottom line. Initial signs point towards many businesses being flexible with clients to help them avoid bankruptcy, defaults, and other financial stresses.

Being open and honest BUSINESS NEWS may help you avoid damaging your business’ credit score. It’s important to put as much focus as possible toward navigating your business without incurring too much damage.

2. Encourage Card Payments

As consumers return from lockdown, they may be apprehensive about handling physical items in your store. If you own a business that has traditionally taken a large number of cash payments, it might be time to consider pushing consumers toward using credit cards and other digital payment methods.

Having EMV payment options and other convenient credit card processing platforms is an excellent way to reduce hand-to-hand contact for your customers. Not only will this help your customers stay safer, but it will also ensure you reduce staff exposure to undue risk. As a responsible business owner, it’s critical to protect staff safety when we emerge to a post-lockdown world.

3. Focus on Your Customers

It’s impossible to predict the full business landscape in a post-COVID-19 world, but it’s safe to say that consumers may be a bit shy before the economy makes a full recovery. This means that business owners will have to be particularly wary of consumer demands and preferences.

If you want to compete for a scarce number of consumers, it’s essential to bring them what they want. Making the shopping experience more convenient is an excellent way to ensure customers give your brand attention.

If you’re still operating during the crisis, make sure to take note of what customers appreciate. Offering fast, reliable services in a pandemic situation can go a long way in helping your brand remain resilient through the crisis.

4. Don’t Waste time

No matter what, it’s critical not to waste time. Depending on your small business’ location, you might not be operational at this time. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be planning for a post-COVID-19 world – it’s essential to take advantage of downtime.

It’s important to view this as an opportunity to revamp your business into a more efficient company that can offer more to its customers or clients. Finding a way to remain successful in a considerable downturn can be applied to many other financial crises.

If you’re worried your services or products won’t have the same allure in a post-COVID-19 world, this is the perfect time to reconsider your approach. There are countless small businesses repositioning themselves in various niches and industries that they believe have a future.

There’s no doubt that small businesses will be struggling to emerge successfully in a post-COVID-19 world. For this reason, focusing on preparing your company as much as possible may help you rise above the competition when the opportunity presents itself.

5. Continue Searching for Digital Capabilities

While many states are starting to emerge from lockdown, this doesn’t mean that consumers will have the confidence to enter brick-and-mortar locations. Ensuring that customers feel safe inside your store can go a long way in instilling confidence in your business, but it might not allow you to capture the amount of market share that you need to remain profitable.

For this reason, it’s essential to keep tabs on digital solutions that can help you gain market exposure in a world where physical shopping might not be as prevalent. Setting up an online store, processing to-go orders, and a host of other ideas can help you position yourself in a post-COVID-19 world.

This also means increasing your online payment facilities. If you’re not currently accepting online credit card payments, now is the perfect time to upgrade your payment capabilities.

As more consumers turn towards eCommerce for everyday needs, this is a trend that might last long into the future. Offering quick and secure digital payments to your customers can help you facilitate online transactions and avoid barriers to new customers or clients.

Meet Your Challenges Head On

As a small business owner, your previous business successes are a result of your resilience and commitment to competing in your industry. While there’s no doubt that COVID-19 will create new and unfamiliar challenges in the business landscape, you should view this as another opportunity to improve your business and its approach to your industry.

For business owners that continue operating in a post-COVID-19 world, the experience of this global pandemic may provide valuable lessons on how to build a resilient business model that can withstand the pressures of an unexpected loss in consumer confidence and overall demand.

By meeting your challenges head-on, you stand the best chance to improve your business in the future.

The post 5 Tips On How To Make Money For Small Businesses Post COVID-19 appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

When everyone’s trying to get you to open your wallet, it can be tough to know which expenses are actually worth it. The solution? Focus on investments that will make a difference to your business’s bottom line — whether it be by enhancing productivity, cutting costs, or avoiding risks like employees overworking, this can be a very bat headache for your wallet .For many cases in which Wrongful dismissal occurs, the violation is overlooked.

trader training will help you play your strengths and create an edge on your way towards your goals of having greater profits. This kind of training will aid a trader the advantage of avoiding in falling into trap of some of the big companies in the industry.

With all the hassles and difficulties brought about by trading, it is but necessary that you find ways that will help you perform without the need of much effort. Everything in life comes with some element of risk and it’s true to say the stakes are somewhat higher in trading online. You can read more about the risks and how to take caution here: https://traderoomplus.com/is-online-trading-safe/. You will have all the luxury to make more money whilst relaxing and comfortably attaining the highest trades. This kind of trader training allows a trader to get into lesser duties yet, acquiring all possible profitable trades. you will get best trader training if you are wondering about why train with Axia Futures, do visit.

This can also help in learning how to do business given a small amount of money. This would entitle a trader to have less tendencies of losing and greater chances of obtaining the most price trends without worrying too much of the cost and value. This means that traders are subject to earning more profits with lesser value yet, with rapidly and in a short span of time. This is a place where not all traders can go in. With the higher amounts of funds they invest it would be very difficult for them to access this spot. Thus, more of the earnings will surely go to those with lesser amount of funds. Another way to increase your finances is contacting a professional marketing company and ask to get listed in online business directories like RankPivot.

trader training has gained popularity for one can trade in the market with lesser amount of money and bigger tendencies of winning. This doesn’t obviously take away all the risk, so don’t invest too much money if you are just beginning. There will always be risk involved, that’s what investing is all about but there is nothing wrong with doing your correct research beforehand.

They may cost money, but these seven expenses are worth it for small businesses:

1. Analytics software

Don’t guess whether your company is on track to achieve its goals; measure it. Until you put hard numbers to areas like sales, marketing, and product development, you won’t truly know what’s working, personally I fully suggest working in partnership with digital marketing agency Boston.

Data science tools exist for everything from SEO to social media management. Prioritize areas for analysis, and choose tools based on a few factors:

• Features: Does the tool do what you need it to do? Even a cheap solution is a bad investment if it doesn’t address a need.
• Price: Can you afford the tool? Most SaaS tools are billed monthly. If the package you truly want is out of reach, ask yourself whether a basic edition would work.
• Usability: Software is useless if it isn’t used. Get feedback from team members who will use the tool before buying in.
• Support: If you run into issues with the software, will the provider help you solve them? 

2. Office technology

Updated technology is secure technology. And because new computers tend to be faster and easier to use, they can also boost your team’s productivity. You may consider looking at online marketing courses if you want to expand your marketing skillset.

Don’t skimp if you know your team needs a certain type of computer. Most creative software is made for Apple products, for example. Buying Windows machines for your designers could force them to spend hours per week dealing with bugs.

New computers are expensive, of course. Trade in your Mac or other Apple products to offset the cost. Small businesses don’t have a ton of extra money lying around, but investing in high-quality technology can be worth it if it helps the company run more efficiently.

3. A small business attorney

For many small businesses, the end of the road is but one lawsuit away. Don’t take the risk. You can find here the best corporate law firm Singapore.

Although you can find templates of legal documents online to use, they’re no substitute for professional legal advice. If you hire a business lawyer from SPZ Legal before you have legal issues, that person can get to know you and your business, steer you away from potential hazards, and immediately jump in when a problem arises.

Entrepreneurs juggle a zillion things, so glossing over the idea of adequate legal representation before a crisis is a common, but fatal, mistake. You’ll want to choose someone who’s familiar with your industry and experienced with the type of contracts you regularly draft. Keep in mind that business attorneys can also help you negotiate a fair price when you want to acquire another company or sell part of yours.

4. A certified public accountant

After payroll, taxes and South Carolina business insurance are some of a small business’s costs. First-time entrepreneurs, in particular, can find clarity by hiring a CPA. 

Many small business owners lose thousands of dollars each year by doing their taxes themselves. Aside from delivering tax savings, CPAs also provide representation and audit protection in case the IRS comes knocking. Professional financial advice, at the very least, is worth the cost of working with an accountant.

5. Marketing

A surprisingly large number of small business leaders assume that, simply because their doors are open, customers will show up. But no matter how valuable the company’s products or services are, consumers have to know about them in order to buy them.

Be sure you have a competent marketing agency or a thorough in-house plan before you start spending. Do your research and think creatively: What channels do your customers pay attention to? Where might your products or services stand out? Newsletters, organic content marketing, reduced-rate radio spots, and word-of-mouth marketing are all inexpensive options.

Blog marketing can be quite complicated for anyone that has never even blogged before. If you are considering getting into small business blog marketing, you will want to first have a blog and see what that is like before you get into something more. Blogging requires dedication and patience. You have to update your blog on a regular basis in order to keep your readers happy. Doing so will keep them coming back for more and to see what you have new to say.

Small business blog marketing consists of blogging about your business. It definitely is a great tool that you should use to get your business out there and known by others. However, you will need to be patient because it is a long process that will require much of your attention. Just because you have a blog does not mean that someone is going to find it and read it. You are going to have to make it known. If you have a website for your business, you can link your blog to it and that will let the ones that know about your business and business website know about your blog as well.

Small business use blog marketing tactics and is something that anyone can do. There are affiliate blog tactics for WordPress marketers and online businesses that could help you out improving the results of your business. Having a blog and keeping it up to date with the latest information is not hard. All you need to have is a plan and you will be set to market any type of business from your blog. Whether you are selling a product or a service, it does not matter.

So you are probably wondering how you are going to accomplish this small business blog marketing. When you are marketing a blog, you pretty much do it the same way that you would market a website. It is going to need keywords, and content. You can write the content yourself, or pay someone else to write it for you.

6. Quality contractors

Labor costs take a bigger bite out of most small businesses’ budgets than any other category. Salary, bonuses, commission, benefits, profit sharing, and other human resources functions are costly. 

Given those costs, it’s crucial to hire people who are not only aligned with your business goals, but who also have a strong work ethic. If full-time employees are too expense, consider contractors, which can save a company around 30% on labor costs. 

Think, too, about what can be automated. Things like email marketing, payroll, and invoicing can all be automated to some degree, allowing you to spend more time on your core business. 

7. Tech support

Small business owners are used to doing it all themselves. Unless you’re a tech genius, it’s wise to outsource your data storage and security needs to the professionals. Mistakes in these areas can be catastrophic. With Axxel Marketing Singapore you are able to get the best website for your business online and also improve your service and communication with your clients.

You should have constant access to your documents. Customers should be able to find your company online 24/7. Chatbots offer an always-on customer support solution. 

Although frugality is important in the small business space, certain expenses are well worth the cost. Use your resources wisely, and you’ll thrive today — and long into the future.

The post Marketing: 7 Expenses That Are Worth It as a Small Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Technology continues to change the way companies do business every day, and it’s poised to become even more influential as time goes on. No sector is safe from change, and it’s important to have a plan in place for dealing with any potential continuity issues your business may face. 

If disruption were easy to predict, it wouldn’t really be disruption. While there’s no surefire way to know what’s next for your business, there are a few key factors to keep a close eye on, including: 

Cybersecurity

The number of targeted large-scale cyberattacks increases 27 percent annually, but that number is hardly surprising to anyone who reads the news regularly. Yahoo, Equifax, Sony — the list of major companies affected by poor cybersecurity seems to grow almost daily. 

This isn’t just a problem affecting the big players, either — 55 percent of business experienced a cybersecurity breach in 2015 and 2016, with each attack costing, on average, $2 million in recovery costs and damage to normal operations. Investing in adequate digital security infrastructure may be costly, but it will almost always outweigh the potential harm a breach would do to your business. 

As operations become increasingly digitized, your business is at risk. If your company is doing business more frequently on digital platforms, digital threats should be one of your biggest disruption concerns. 

Government Regulation

It’s not the kind of disruption we tend to think about, but government regulation has a massive impact on who wins and loses in any industry. Think about the 2018 Farm Bill and how it legitimized and legalized large portions of the hemp and CBD industries overnight. Any movement from world governments can have a massive impact on the way your business operates.

Tabled legislation like the Green New Deal could affect anything from energy costs to building materials. You should be keenly aware of how the government sees your sector and how it might influence the way you do business. Changes in spending, subsidies, or even legality can turn everything upside down — be prepared for it by keeping an eye on tidal changes happening within your industry. That’s an early signal that the government will take notice. 

Artificial Intelligence

When a group of experts was asked whether it thought AI would cause a net loss or a net creation of jobs by 2025, the members were split on the issue, 48% to 52%. The contention around the impact of artificial intelligence is obvious, but one thing is certain: It’s already changing the way business is done. 

AI has already started increasing the value of user data, eliminating the need for menial tasks and beating humans at just about every game imaginable. Calum Chace, one of the world’s top futurist speakers, has long researched the relationship between computer and human cognition and determined a serious possibility of human unemployability in the face of increased automation. AI may affect every business differently, but it’s something all businesses should be prepared for. 

New Partnerships

Partnerships might be old news in business, but they’re increasingly happening in new and innovative ways. Fifty-seven percent of disruptive business are making innovation happen by branching out of their organization. Whether it’s through acquisition or alliance, innovative partnerships are bound to shake things up in a big way. 

Take Burger King, for example. Its partnership with startup Impossible Foods facilitated the creation of the Impossible Whopper — a vegan burger that looks and tastes like real beef. While some might see this as a gimmick, the numbers say otherwise: Foot traffic at franchises offering the Impossible Whopper increased by 18 percent, while foot traffic at others fell by 1.75 percent. 

Innovators like Impossible Foods are hungry for the opportunity to showcase their offerings on a larger scale, and its partnership with Burger King shows how successful combinations like those can be. Look for potential partnership opportunities in your sector — how could they affect the way you do business, and are you prepared for that kind of shift?  

If you knew how you were going to be disrupted next, you’d never be disrupted at all. While you can’t be sure what’s coming next, you can take notice of fast-moving segments. Remember that disruption waits for no one.

The post How Will Your Business Be Disrupted Next? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

With open positions at an all-time high, hiring is expected to become more competitive for 74 percent of recruiters in the next several months. Maintaining an edge doesn’t just mean offering the highest salary or most benefits — it means using the right hiring techniques, like getting help from a cloud talent recruiting agency, to find the right people for your position.

Bringing a new employee to your team is a long and difficult process, and many companies still use outdated practices. If you’re looking to hire the right way, make sure to:

1. Identify your business’s needs.

Take a step back, and determine what caused you to want to make this hire to begin with. Is there simply too much work to be done for you to do it all? Do you need someone with technical knowledge that your business doesn’t already have? While it may be obvious why you’re adding someone new to the payroll, asking questions like these can help determine what kind of hire is right for your business.

The point of these questions is ultimately to determine whether a full-time employee is what your business needs. Expanding your company is expensive, and it’s almost always cheaper to outsource or hire contractors for small-scale work. Full-time employees are a major cash investment that also require extensive work in getting integrated into the culture of your office. If your business’s need is long-term or specialized or requires hands-on work from multiple workers, a new hire might be the way to go. 

2. Determine the actual cost.

It’s common knowledge that taking on new workers is a massive expense, but it’s not always easy to tell exactly what that means in terms of dollars and cents. Between salary, benefits, insurance, and other expenses, calculating the ROI of a new hire is a murky process. 

Going over expense sheets for current employees is a good place to start, and tools like OnPay’s employee gross-up calculator can make the number-crunching easier. This is a model you can also spread to existing employees: Once you have the likely ROI for a new hire, compare that to the ROI of existing employees. Knowing how much a new employee will contribute to the value of your company is critical information for deciding what kind of hire to make.

3. Get the job description right.

Getting the position listing correct from the beginning can save you lots of time down the line. Work closely with HR and the team the position is part of in order to get the specifics of the job description correct; you don’t want to alienate anyone with poor use of technical language or unreasonable requirements. A poorly written job posting can easily attract the wrong applicants. 

Tools like Indeed’s job description template are a good place to start for crafting the structure of  your posting, but the description itself requires some heavy lifting on your part. Think about what you value most in your current employees — is it their knowledge? Friendliness? Education? Indicate in the job description that you’re looking for employees who have the same qualities as your best workers. 

4. Hold the right interview for the role.

The classic interview model is broken. One-third of employers state that they know whether they’ll hire someone within the first 90 seconds of an interview, despite that not being nearly enough time to know what someone is capable of. As tempting as it can be to make hires based on appearance, demeanor, and “fit,” consider taking a more contemporary approach to interviewing.

Working interviews are becoming increasingly popular, with employees working in the office for anywhere from an hour to a week to demonstrate their professional capabilities. More technical roles often include assessments like programming challenges, which show specialized knowledge as well as problem-solving ability. Develop an interview that tests for the qualities you’re looking for specifically. (Remember that any work needs to be paid.) Before finalizing the candidate, most of the companies tend to prefer background check of the candidate. Background checks need to be made all of the time. they’re finished employment reasons and that they are finished volunteers. Companies need to confirm that folks are the proper ones for them. Landlords can also do background checks. Background checking is that the procedure which involves finding and collection of all quite criminal, financial also as commercial records of an individual . Usually, these records are used for employment screening of a person before hiring. Employers bring into play these checks to guage a candidate’s character, qualification, and fitness also . A record check of a person is important to be evaluated if he’s seeking employment involving high security or trust like government, schools, airports, etc. Hiring professional background screening company to perfrom  your background checks for you and obtain your results delivered subsequent day.

5. Don’t neglect onboarding.

The facts supporting the importance of onboarding are striking — new employees who go through onboarding are nearly 70 percent more likely to remain at a company after three years than those who don’t. Yet 35 percent of companies continue to spend no money on onboarding whatsoever. Maximizing the ROI of a new hire is impossible if new employee retention remains low, so onboarding should be a nonnegotiable part of every new hiring process.

Onboarding isn’t just about keeping employees around; it’s also about getting them working well. A good onboarding process should include training components that maximize a new hire’s productivity as quickly as possible. Transitioning to a new position can be jarring, and a well-developed onboarding process helps ensure that employees are ready to do their best work as quickly as possible.

Hiring a new employee is always a risky task, so it’s important to refine every step of the process to ensure that the role is going to the right person. Hiring doesn’t end with a handshake, however, and it’s just as important to set your new employee up for success from his or her first day on the job. A new hire isn’t a momentary expense, but a long-term investment in the future of an individual — and your business as a whole.

The post 5 Things to Consider Before Hiring Your Next Employee appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Where to Look for Leverage

If you don’t want to overbuy to reach a certain order amount, you have three options to get a national supplier’s attention:

1. Provide more than money.

Enterprises don’t just need revenue. Think about what else you might be able to offer: Are you developing an invention they might be interested in? Could you swap products or services? Might you be able to help them hit their marketing goals?

Had it simply asked to buy gold from Dell, Bayou With Love almost certainly would’ve been rejected. The boutique apparel startup, however, has something that the typical metal recycler doesn’t: a social mission. Because Bayou With Love builds its products only from sustainable, recycled materials, Dell agreed to provide it with gold recovered from motherboards. Bayou With Love gets gold at below-market costs, while Dell gets to brands itself as environmentally conscious.

The key to this strategy is connecting with the right stakeholders. Dell’s B2B sales team might’ve seen little reason to work with Bayou With Love, but its marketers sure did. Before reaching out, get a copy of the company’s organizational chart. If you might be able to help with innovation, for instance, find out who the CIO is and email her directly.

2. Join a GPO.

The second way to work with national suppliers is the simplest, but it involves giving up some control. By joining a group purchasing organization, you benefit from pre-negotiated agreements and more assurance that suppliers will hold up their end of the bargain. You get bulk discounts, even if you make a relatively small purchase.

Because GPOs handle contract negotiation, however, they also choose which vendors they work with. Vertical market GPOs serve a specific niche: A hospital association, for example, might only offer buy ionamin phentermine online medical supplies. Horizontal GPOs go broad, covering business needs that are common across industries, like computers and cleaning supplies. Although both types tend to partner with national suppliers, many don’t work with local companies. If you’re set on nearby or niche suppliers, expect to maintain those relationships yourself.

Beware, too, that some GPOs charge a membership fee. Under that model — think Sam’s or Costco — buyers essentially pay for the opportunity to play. If you go the GPO route, look for one that recoups its costs from suppliers.

3. Convince small businesses to buy in.

If you can’t come up with a partnership opportunity, look to the other companies in your network. If you’re part of a startup group that’s outgrown co-working, you probably know a lot of entrepreneurs in need of office furnishings. Together, you might need enough desks to perk the ears of a national office supplier.

This strategy doesn’t just work with products, either. Because major health insurers don’t like to provide group plans to mom-and-pop businesses, small companies have begun banding together to purchase employee health insurance.

The challenges with this approach are twofold: First, small companies in the same industry and geographic region tend to see one another as competitors. Getting them to cooperate can be difficult, even if it’s to their mutual benefit. Second, putting together bulk orders takes time. Which company is going to take on that responsibility, and how should the others compensate it?

If national companies give you the cold shoulder, don’t give up. Their sales team might have written you off, but other stakeholders may be open to suggestions. And if you can’t find your own way in, partner with colleagues to stand out or join a GPO. Don’t neglect these options if you want to save your company some money.

The post How Companies Can Get Around Minimum-Sized Orders appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

However, over the past few years, and in recent months more and more companies are offering business owners ONE place to manage their businesses.

These solutions, which include marketing, finance and often collaboration are low cost, easy to use and perfect for small service providers.

These entrants include:

• Zoho One
• Thryv
• Keap
• Wix Ascend

These solutions are not JUST for marketing, as Surefire Local, MailChimp, Active Campaign, HubSpot nor are they just finance such as Freshbooks, Xero, and Quickbooks but they’re all in one and simple to use.

There’s not ONE right answer.

Some businesses want a “best of bread” solution that offers a full and robust marketing feature set. Some businesses want a best of bread financial management solution.

However many smaller businesses, 1 – 3 person companies just need and want something very simple. They don’t want to pay 5 different vendors or deal with 4 different services.

This is the market Zoho One, Thryv and Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) are now in. You’ll see more and more companies entering this space.

The post All-In-One Integrated Business Solutions for Small Businesses appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

According to the National Social Anxiety Center, 73% of the population suffer from public speaking anxiety and the fear of “judgment or negative evaluation by others.”

Aren’t you glad to know you’re not the only one? The good news is that you don’t have to navigate public speaking on your own. There are tons of resources, many of which are free, to help you improve your public speaking skills.

University of Washington’s Introduction to Public Speaking

This introductory course was designed with nervous beginners in mind and helps students transform into confident public speakers. Taught by Dr. Matt McGarrity from the University of Washington’s Department of Communication, this popular course covers understanding speech, illustrating and delivering your ideas, overcoming your fear of public speaking, making ideas compelling and memorable, and developing great delivery. The course is made up of five 2-hour lectures and is offered on Coursera for $79. You can opt to audit the course for free, but you get no course materials or certificate.

Talk the Talk

FutureLearn hosts a free 6-week course that utilizes resources like TED Talk videos to show students what effective public speaking looks like. The online course is interactive and you will be expected to participate with other learners. At the end of the course, you will walk away with a “powerful presentation you have created and can be proud of, which you can take away with you and present with confidence in your academic, professional or personal life.”

Six Minutes

The “Six Minutes” website, created by Andrew Dlugan, is a wealth of knowledge for those looking to refine their public speaking skills. The website has an abundance of articles from speaking coaches, university professors, and professional speakers that cover an array of topics including:

• delivery techniques
• effective presentation
• speaking habits
• and audience engagement

The Accidental Communicator

Dr. Jim Anderson’s Blog “The Accidental Communicator” is an excellent free resource for improving your public speaking skills. Dr. Anderson graciously shares 25 years worth of career experience working with speakers and audiences. Sign up for his newsletter and browse his articles for tips and inspiration.

Toastmasters International

Toastmasters International is an organization that operates worldwide with the sole purpose of helping people become better public speakers. With over 16,400 clubs spanning 141 countries, finding a local branch shouldn’t be too difficult. If you can’t find the time or a club located near you, their website has a number of informative and helpful articles that you can access for free.

Orai

AI is changing the game all over the board and public speaking is no exception. Orai is a mobile app that acts as your personal AI speech coach. Use the app before any speech or presentation to get instant feedback. The prize-winning app was created with input from over 100 speaking coaches and offers encouragement and insight which makes practicing fun and rewarding. The app listens for pauses and filler words like “um” and “uh,” analyzes speech clarity, lets you know if you’re talking too fast or too slow, and measures the energy level of your voice. The app is free and is one tool you can’t afford not to take advantage of.

Beautiful.AI

Whether you’re looking to present at a large conference or a in front of a small conference room, visuals help. Once your speaking skills are up to snuff, it’s time to make sure your slides are helping your presentation, rather than hurting it. Simply said, PowerPoint is out and Beautful.AI is in. Beautiful.AI can help you take your presentation to the next level, fast. Instead of using the same old PowerPoint template, you can use slides that look professionally designed. The best part? you can sign up for free, it’s fast, beautiful and even easy to use. No brainer, right? 

The post 6 Easy Ways to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills For Free appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Big data is key to competing successfully in today’s market. While it’s true that small businesses may not have the same resources as larger enterprises such as researchers, data scientists, and analysts, they do have access to a broad range of data collection and analysis tools that can help level the playing field. You don’t even need expensive or fancy software to do the job. Le Wagon can teach you data science completely and you will able to work in data science as per the industry standard.

Understand Your Customers

Small businesses can leverage big data to better understand customer behavior, propensities, and preferences but for this it is necessary to use business intelligence tools like the ones found at https://www.microstrategy.com/us/resources/introductory-guides/data-visualization-what-it-is-and-why-we-use-it. Equipped with this information, businesses can customize the customer interactions more than ever. This is increasingly valuable as consumers demand a more personalized experience. Knowing your customers’ wants and needs will also help you better develop your products to suit their needs. Analytics can also prove valuable in targeting new customers and help you understand how and where you are losing engagement on your website.

Refine Your Marketing Strategy

Big data can help you make better marketing decisions for your company. Big data makes it possible to know the demographic details of who is buying from your business. You can see trends related to certain age groups, ethnicities, geographic locations, or income brackets. This information can allow you to target certain groups with marking strategies that are website design specifically with customers who live in a certain region, for example, in mind. Getting the right message to your customers is essential to getting them to buy from you.

Social media is another marketing bubble that big data is bursting. Nearly all of the major social media outlets, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…etc., provide their own version of data analysis. See which ad campaigns are reaching your customers and if they are working well for your business. New features, like Facebook Stories, are a fantastic way to gain free insight into who is engaging with your brand online. Leveraging big data in marketing is changing the game and you don’t want to get left behind.

Quality Over Quantity

Leveraging big data is about more than having access to unlimited information. It’s about receiving quality information in a timely manner and being able to understand and apply it to make your business better.

Big Data Doesn’t Have to Cost You

Big data has a lot to offer, which must mean it comes with a hefty price tag. But, luckily for small business owners, that isn’t true. There are plenty of free tools to help you gain insight into your customers’ behavior on your website as well as social media. AI has made it possible for big data to be accessible to businesses of all sizes.

• Google Analytics offers a free service that is easy to install and requires very little maintenance. It provides insight on website traffic and source, session duration, bounce rates, and conversions.
• MixPanel is another great analytics tool that tells you things like at what point site visitors are dropping off or if they are filling up their shopping carts but abandoning them at checkout.

If your small business isn’t taking advantage of all that big data has to offer, now is the time to jump in. Big data provides valuable insight and takes out the guess work—you know what customers respond to and what’s not getting their attention–allowing businesses to make more informed decisions.

The post How to Leverage Big Data in Small Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

In the world of entrepreneurship, it is essential to recognize that failure is possible — it’s a common experience for business leaders. According to Statistic Brain, more than half of U.S. companies fail within five years. CB Insights lists the top three reasons for startups shutting down as no market need, running out of money, and not having the right team.

What sets successful entrepreneurs apart from those who fail is the ability to evaluate mistakes and overcome them. To avoid becoming a cautionary statistic, entrepreneurs must learn from those experiences.

Failure Is Not the End

My career had humble beginnings. I started working an entry-level office job at my parents’ company, which allowed me to learn skills and perspectives that have helped me manage and relate to people with similar responsibilities.

While entrepreneurship definitely can be a rollercoaster — my own experiences support this — successful leaders must find ways to weather the highs and lows of business. Anxiety and depression are common among entrepreneurs, even when their startups are performing well. And when their companies fail, the fallout can be devastating.

Leaders in business have recently begun sharing their own experiences to break the stigma surrounding depression and anxiety, https://www.papsociety.org/xanax-alprazolam-1-mg/. Former MySpace VP Sean Percival shared an incredibly personal message on his website: “I was to the edge and back a few times this past year with my business and own depression. … If you’re about to lose it, please contact me.”

Every person processes emotions differently, but it’s universally crucial to take the time to recover after a business failure. When you do make a mistake, learn from your experiences. Decompress from the situation, be honest with yourself, and find ways to proceed down a more fruitful path.

The Good, the Bad, and the Successful

What distinguishes good entrepreneurs from bad entrepreneurs is how well they’re able to cast a critical eye toward their missteps. Business leaders must be willing and able to learn from their errors — even fatal ones.

Thankfully, you don’t have to do it all by yourself. Technology can be an incredible asset, particularly when entrepreneurs need help taking stock of what went right and wrong. Here are five useful tools that can help you learn from even the hardest of hard knocks:

• Organization software
  Calculated risks are a vital component of business success. Free organization software applications allow you to remain organized and understand which risks are worthwhile. They can also help you maintain an orderly and efficient schedule.
• Idea management
  As a leader, you need to maintain a team focus on the ideas that are most profitable so you don’t waste energy and resources. Tracking business goals can make you 80 percent more likely to achieve them. Make sure they are shareable and accessible for multiple users, which is easy thanks to tools like Google Drive and Evernote.
• Money management
  When it comes to money management, the bottom line is to go online. Comprehensive accounting software, online invoicing services, and online tax services can all help you cut costs dramatically.
• Collaborative tools
  Communication is critical in any company, and new technological tools allow you to bring your team together in creative ways. Webinars and online business training enable your team to stay on top of material without the need to travel. Teleconference calls, messaging platforms, and cloud storage all ensure streamlined communication and file access — unaffected by distance or remote working.
• Pricing your product
  Many small businesses regret charging too little in the beginning. While some people assume more expensive products will attract needier clients, the opposite is true. Customers who monopolize support resources are often the ones looking for lower prices. The best way to research different conversion rates and pricing options is by using a tool like VWO or Optimizely.

By using these tools to identify and avoid missteps, you can correct any issues before they sink your ventures. During the process, remember that business setbacks are natural. The difference between those who succeed in the long run and those who do not is the ability to learn from those mistakes. Resiliency and self-care — along with using the best tools available — can earn you a substantial and sustainable business career.

Authored by:

David Disiere is the founder and CEO of QEO Insurance Group, an agency that provides commercial transportation insurance to clients throughout the U.S. He is a highly successful entrepreneur who has launched business endeavors in the real estate, oil and gas, agriculture, and automotive sectors. David is equally passionate about philanthropy, and he works to help underprivileged children through the David & Teresa Disiere Foundation.

The post 5 Ways You Can Use Technology to Learn From Business Failure appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

“As connected as we are now, there is still a fundamental disconnect between people and the companies that attempt to reach them through these technologies.” -Danny Chan for Huff Post

In a world of social media and digital technology, it almost seems counterintuitive to focus on human connections. But, the reality is, business owners have to be more aware, and work harder than ever, to build and maintain connections with customers and to be as human as possible in this digital world.

Quality Over Quantity

One quality, in-person exchange with a customer will build more trust and go farther than 1,000 unopened emails. A firm handshake, eye contact, and a friendly smile make you so much more relevant to a customer than an unnoticed aggressive email marketing campaign. Since we do operate in a digital world, face-to-face interactions sometimes aren’t an option. Pick up the phone. Not to send a text message, but to make a good, old-fashioned phone call. To your customer, you just took the time to show them that they are worth your time, and they know your time is precious.

Try Something New and Go Live

When it’s not possible to make direct contact with your customers, social media has wonderful tools for connecting with your audience in a way that resonates with them. A step above Stories, Live streaming is changing the marketing game. You can deliver information to your customers in real time! Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all have live functions. Tap into this fantastic resource and let your customers into your personal, or your brand’s, world. Live streaming is designed to be interactive. Users can comment during your stream and you can respond to their questions. It allows you to have a conversation.

Don’t Forget About Yourself

While we’re over here focusing on how to maintain the human connection with our customers, it’s equally as important for YOU, the small business owner, to maintain human connection. Being a small business owner can be a lonely existence. All of your free time is spent building up your brand. You’re tight for cash because you’re using all of your funds to fuel a new start-up. It’s so important to take time to invest in human connection for yourself. If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few ideas:

• Start co-working—it’s where remote employees who generally aren’t otherwise connected, gather to work side-by-side. It can really help create a feeling of “office morale” that you may be missing.
• Attend industry and networking events—you’ll get to chat with clients, stay relevant on current industry standards, and you will probably make some great business contacts that might turn into friends.
• Reach out to other small business owners in your community—if you’re lonely and looking for support and human connection, chances are there are others in the same boat.

The post Human Connections in a Digital World appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

1. Use “immediate expensing” to make strategic long-term investments.

The recently-passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) now allows businesses to immediately expense depreciable tangible assets — things like manufacturing equipment, or computers — in the year in which they’re purchased. In previous years, small business owners were required to depreciate tangible assets over the life cycle of those assets. This means that now could be the ideal time for your small business to invest in the technology, equipment, or other resources it might need for expansion. The new allowance is currently only set to last through 2022, after which the “original use” provision will be reinstated. Under the old rules, only the first owner of a depreciable tangible asset is able to qualify for immediate expensing.

2. Eliminate debt and build up cash reserves.

With the corporate tax rate reduced to 21% earlier this year – plus a significant boost in available deductions for capital equipment — small business owners should have more cash on hand to continue to invest and grow their businesses. Savvy owners should use some of that cash to pay off credit card debt, mortgages, or Maine Fha loan . Doing so can help get businesses on better financial footing and can help secure additional credit when needed. Alternatively, businesses can build up their existing cash reserves to increase flexibility and ensure a better-stocked “rainy day fund.”

3. Keep current employees happy, and consider hiring new ones.

When the unemployment rate gets as low as it is currently, it can be a challenge for companies and small businesses to hire and retain qualified, knowledgeable employees. Business owners can get ahead of this challenge by keeping their current employees happy and motivated. Since the passage of the TCJA earlier this year, hundreds of businesses have passed corporate tax savings on to employees, through increasing wages, boosting contributions to 401(k) accounts, and/or adding new employee benefits. Moves like these can help businesses retain their best team members while simultaneously creating a more attractive work culture for potential new hires.

4. Take control of company financials and strategic planning.

It can be daunting to navigate the intricacies of tax requirements, deadlines, and tax strategies available to small-business owners. That is why it is critically important for entrepreneurs either to take a crash course in accounting themselves or to surround themselves with knowledgeable, creative professionals that can maximize their business’s potential and take cumbersome administrative tasks off their plate. At Infinit Accounting you will get a best outsourced accounting service.  Utilizing services like 1-800 Accountant can help small business owners concentrate more on developing new business and providing solutions to clients, while a team of qualified tax and accounting professionals manages the company’s bookkeeping, taxes, and overall financial health. Cindy Hoskey, the founder of Agile Dragon Consulting, said she felt “insecure and nervous” about the accounting side of starting her own business. After beginning a partnership with 1-800 Accountant, Hoskey says: “I have the confidence I need to know I can both succeed in my business as well as take care of my family.

Mike Savage is CEO and co-founder of 1-800Accountant. He was previously employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mike received a 2018 Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award honoring the Top CEOs in the category of small and medium-size businesses (SMB) in the U.S.

The post 4 Ways for Small Business Owners to Capitalize in a Resurgent U.S. Economy appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

• Autonomy,
• internal promotions,
• greater job satisfaction and opportunity,
• easy access to management all top the list.

Glassdoor has just released its “2019 Best Places to Work” guide for business with 1000 employees or less. The rankings distill over 45 million anonymous company reviews from former and current employees who were satisfied with their work place and management strategies. If you are planning on starting your own business, then you should keep your employees motivated with rewards like these businesses, you can contact a Corporate Plaque Supplier for those special occasions if you need great bronze plaques. If you’re on the hunt for a new job, here are 12 of the small businesses to work for:

Cyber Security

Especially relevant and increasingly more important, the cybersecurity field is rapidly expanding and small businesses are leading the pack.

Sail Point Technologies

SailPoint helps organizations securely and effectively deliver and manage user access
HQ: Austin, TX
Year Founded: 2005
Number of Employees: 501-1000
Employees Say: “SailPoint is the greatest place I have ever worked. The leadership values each person and fosters an environment of innovation.”

Our research found that new technologies are creating new areas of risk for organizations https://t.co/OMura3YCpW pic.twitter.com/2Rif5A0Ar5

— SailPoint (@SailPoint) December 13, 2018

AI/Machine Learning

“Machine learning is still the number one trend for businesses of all sizes.”-www.i4u.com AI is still a relatively new concept, which means the opportunities are endless!

Moogsoft

Moogsoft is an AIOps technology developer that helps enterprise IT Ops and DevOps teams become smarter, faster, and more efficient.
HQ: San Francisco, CA
Year Founded: 2012
Number of Employees: 51-200
Employees Say: “Looking forward to see where Moogsoft goes and am excited to be along for the ride.”

Learn how Moogsoft #AIOps provides KeyBank with real-time insight across their entire monitoring stack.

— Moogsoft (@moogsoft) December 18, 2018

Advertising and Marketing

Marketing and advertising are changing rapidly with the social media revolution and these businesses are staying ahead of the curve.

Horizon Innovations

A forward-thinking marketing and advertising firm.
HQ: Jacksonville, FL
Year Founded: 2012
Number of Employees: 1-50
Employees Say: “There are a lot of great reasons I work here. The biggest one is the opportunity to move very quickly. I’m already getting promoted and I haven’t worked here that long!”

Looking for Entry Level jobs? We’re hiring! https://t.co/VVrOxaDoNx pic.twitter.com/uTRd4Zcg8d

— Horizon Innovations (@floridahorizon) December 17, 2018

Marketing 360

Marketing 360 is a small business marketing platform that specialized in design, marketing, and CRM.
HQ: Fort Collins, CO
Year Founded: 2009
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “Great hours, wonderful culture, consistent raises, awesome leadership, consistent feedback, and lots of resources on how to improve. I can’t say enough good things about my experience so far with the company.”

Design of the Day: Homepage design concept for a tattoo parlor by our talented designer Rachel Tschanz. pic.twitter.com/hLl0XJayqc

— Marketing 360® (@marketing360) December 18, 2018

GetUWired

GetUWired is a full-service Internet marketing firm.
HQ: Dahlonega, GA
Year Founded: 2003
Number of Employees: 1-50
Employees Say: “GetUWired has an incredible culture of motivated professionals that work in a tribe mindset.”

We’re looking for a couple of new Junior Full Stack Developers to join the Tribe in early 2019. Do you have what it takes? https://t.co/mwKA9ohaIq https://t.co/Qqr6UcrWTd pic.twitter.com/hp9DzJi8ce

— GetUWired (@getuwired) December 18, 2018

Software Development

Software developers are in high demand and there is no indication that the demand will wane any time soon.

Silverline

Silverline leverages best practices with significant expertise in the Financial Services and Healthcare industries.
HQ: New York, NY
Year Founded: 2010
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “Salesforce consulting at its best. Silverline is run extremely well. The seasoned leadership team is top-notch. Additionally, benefits are fantastic for a company this size.”

Continuous delivery is the guiding light and your technology, people, and processes are the navigational tools that get you back on track. The next #10Keys blog is here, and it’s a good one! Check it out: https://t.co/yd85Xl26er pic.twitter.com/TjEXbOys2A

— Silverline (@silverlinecrm) December 13, 2018

Weave

Weave provides a unique office and client communication tool with the goal to bring local businesses and the communities they’re in closer together.
HQ: Lehi, UT
Year Founded: 2012
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “Amazing culture with caring people. Plenty of fun perks like free snacks and massage chairs but when it comes down to it this is a company that recognizes that there is more to life than work. They care about their people and are willing to put their money where their mouth is. This translates into things like an unparalleled maternity/paternity package and great health care.”

“Very seldom do I care about the resume. I want to know the person,” said our very own @Bobbycooper81 at today’s event. Huge thanks to Inside Real Estate, https://t.co/iiOIrDOwHZ, and @degreed for participating in the Customer Success Panel at Weave’s headquarters. pic.twitter.com/FllhBjS4qx

— Weave (@getweave) December 18, 2018

Service-Based SMBs

People will always be looking to buy services. However, the buying experience is more important than ever.

Sundance Vacations

Sundance Vacations crafts destination-based travel and vacation plans.
HQ: Wilkes-Barre, PA
Year Founded: 1991
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “Sundance Vacations is the most upbeat positive company I have ever worked for. Great pay. Good benefits. Promotions from within the company.”

If you love adult beverages, Drink Williamsburg would be the perfect activity for you to bond with your significant other and have a great time! https://t.co/z1qpFXI44K pic.twitter.com/VCxgvzM3vd

— Sundance Vacations (@travelsundance) December 14, 2018

Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds provides an employer-based technology solution that connects members and their families to high-quality health care.
HQ: San Francisco, CA
Year Founded: 2011
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “It’s not just a job, the Grand Rounds office is a community that gives and comes together.”

Proud to be named to @Wealthfront’s 2019 Career-Launching Companies list for the 4th year in a row! https://t.co/iRRhuKc7BR

— Grand Rounds (@GrandRoundsInc) December 18, 2018

driversselect

driversselect is a late-model, low-mileage vehicle retailer.
HQ: Grand Prairie, TX
Year Founded: 2004
Number of Employees: 51-200
Employees Say: “I still can’t believe that such an amazing place exists in the car business. We are not employees we are family. Not only are you allowed to be yourself you are encouraged to do so.”

Congratulations to the newest member of our family – EchoPark Houston opens today! If you’re in the market for a “nearly new” car and want an exceptional deal and guest experience in… https://t.co/AGLU1d8AQ1

— driversselect.com (@driversselect) December 7, 2018

Finance

The big banks don’t own it all. There are some really great financial institutions to work for that are also small businesses.

NBKC Bank

A community bank with a focus on innovation, creativity and a culture of caring.
HQ: Overland Park, KS
Year Founded: 1999
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “Good work life balance and ability to earn ‘work from home’ days”

We’re honored to be named a @Glassdoor Best Place to Work! See why our company made this year’s list. #BPTW https://t.co/5n3gkn0fiT pic.twitter.com/2V1Zh3s6Im

— nbkc bank (@nbkcbank) December 5, 2018

South Carolina Federal Credit Union

A community bank that aims to anticipate and provide simple solutions for members’ financial needs.
HQ: North Charleston, SC
Year Founded: 1936
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “The benefits are absolutely amazing but the environment is what I love most about working here. It’s unlike anything I’ve experienced anywhere else. Team Blue is more like a family than a company.”

Is a new #job on your wish list? This week’s #opportunities:

• Financial Service Rep
• Contact Center Rep
• Financial Center Manager
• Lending Quality & Appraisal Specialist
• Employee Benefits Client Manager

Apply online at https://t.co/8FPtvPlJ93.#careers #nowhiring pic.twitter.com/lEOPs7iwwD

— SouthCarolinaFederal (@SCFederal) December 11, 2018

The post 12 Best Small Businesses to Work For in 2019 appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Brick-and-mortar business

Brick-and-mortar businesses have a physical presence and offer customers a face-to-face experience. Some examples would be restaurants, gym studios, and storefronts. If you’re more comfortable having customers walk into your business this may be the best choice for your startup, so if your next buisiness is going to be a restaurant, then you should learn more about Shawarma Press.

Location is said to be the most critical factor in the success of a brick-and-mortar business. For more insight on how the brick-and-mortar model is structured, you can take a look at an F45 franchise for sale; the F45 fitness franchise is one of the fastest growing in the industry, with over 1200 franchises across the world.

Home-based business

Technology has made it possible to operate a business almost anywhere, creating a rise in home-based businesses. Apart from the convenience of working from home, this franchise model can offer you several other benefits such as lower start-up costs and overheads, and tax advantages. While this type of setting may be great for some people, for others it may be inconvenient, such as in cases where there are many distractions at home.

“Home office working isn’t for everyone. It’s best suited to someone who is organized, self-disciplined and committed to their business. If that’s you, the flexibility and freedoms offered by a home-based franchise could be the perfect fit,” says What Franchise.

To make a home-based business work you would need to set up a private workspace where you will have minimal distractions.

Mobile business

Do you like the idea of operating out in the field? Do you cringe at the idea of being stuck in an office all day? This franchise model may be just what you’re looking for. According to Entrepreneur, not only can mobile businesses be flexible, but they also offer lower startup costs.  Some examples of mobile businesses are food trucks and maintenance services.

Due to the fact that mobile businesses don’t offer the benefit of walk-in traffic, but need to generate all of their business with outbound marketing efforts, you should ensure that your franchisor offers a great marketing program, if this type of model is of interest to you. You can make use of technology to maximize your efficiency.

According to Entrepreneur, the majority of franchise owners say that their

“business lifestyle was a determining factor in their choice of a business model”.

To get a good feel of how each franchise model operates, it’s a good idea to visit an existing franchise, before proceeding with your choice.

Written in partnership with F45.

The post Which franchise model is right for your business? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

1. Customer Experience Matters

According to Salesforce’s “State of the Connected Consumer” report, “Eighty percent of customers say that the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services.”

The report also reveals that 57% of consumers have stopped buying from one company because they had a better experience at another retailer.

As an eCommerce small business, it’s incredibly important to treat each customer as a person rather than a number. It should come as no surprise that people value experiences. Use this principle to gain a leg-up on the competition. For many, holiday shopping brings back feelings of nostalgia. While you can’t recreate The Miracle on 34th Street, you can make your shopping experience unique and enjoyable.

2. Outstanding Customer Service

One thing customers fear losing when shopping online is the warmth and personalization of a brick and mortar store shopping experience. To increase holiday sales, offer unrivaled customer service by:

• Follow up purchases with a personalized thank you note or email
• Put the important information at their fingertips. If they can’t find things like shipping information, return policy, sizing guides…etc., right away they will get frustrated and walk away from the sale
• Because holiday shopping happens in a pretty small timeframe, offer a direct phone number so customers can call with time-sensitive and urgent issues
• Offer a live-chat feature on your site so customers can get answers to questions immediately
• Leverage social media support. Although customer complaints will be out there for the world to see, you have an opportunity to prove to new and existing customers that you take customer service seriously and resolve issues in a timely manner. You can really make your business stand out with quality support conversations on social media

3. Seasonal Social Media

The holidays are a great time for seasonal social media content marketing campaigns. It’s important to stay connected with your audience if you hope to increase holiday sales. Be sure to optimize your content for your audience. Tailor your social media campaigns for the holidays to keep your brand relevant. Small changes like a holiday-themed profile picture, holiday messages, or pictures of your products in holiday gift wrap go a long way.

4. Go Local

Even though you may not operate out of a brick and mortar store, you can still capitalize on some of the advantages of local businesses during the holidays. Analyze which areas are your largest markets and run a promotion for that location. Just because you are based out of Maine doesn’t mean you can’t sell swimwear during the holiday months, you just have to target the right demographic such as consumers in Florida or California. 

5. Look at Your Conversion Rate

Use a free tool like Google Analytics to see where you can optimize conversion rates on your website. Track things like your bounce rate. Google Analytics gives insight into how much traffic your site has and how many visitors “bounced” because your site didn’t have what they were looking for. You’ll also be able to see how visitors are getting to your site whether it be a Google search, social media site, or an advertisement. Do you have a high rate of cart abandonment? Go through the checkout process yourself and see if there are any areas for improvement in your check out process.

6. Optimize for Mobile

People spend more time on mobile devices than any other platform. If your online store isn’t optimized for mobile, fix it immediately!

In 2017, 56% of traffic came through mobile devices, but mobile devices only generated 33% of the revenue.

This means that people are using mobile devices to shop, but not purchase, probably due to a messy mobile checkout process. Make it easy for customers to go from seeing your ad on Instagram to buying your product right from their mobile device to increase holiday sales.

The post 6 Quick Tips to Boost E-Commerce Holiday Sales appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Proprietorships and Partnerships

A sole proprietorship is a common business structure. It is taxed like an individual since it is owned by one person, and it’s easy to create and regulate. However, a proprietor has unlimited personal liability, meaning they’re liable for everything. It can also be difficult to obtain long-term capital. Furthermore, it is challenging to transfer ownership from a sole proprietor. This means that it’s very likely the business will die with the proprietor.

General partnerships are very similar to proprietorships. The main difference is that they are owned by two or more partners instead of a sole proprietor. They are still simple to create and have the tax benefit of being taxed as an individual. General partners maintain control of the company. The cons are the same as those of the proprietorship: unlimited liability, difficult to obtain capital, and illiquid (or difficult to transfer ownership).

A limited partnership, LP, is a special form of partnership. The partners have limited liability, but no control over the firm’s operations. This type of business is popular for risky industries, such as oil drilling, mining, and real estate.

Corporations

A C-corporation typically referred to as just a corporation, is actually viewed as a person. They are chartered by the state and are, believe it or not, citizens of the state where they formed. Legally speaking, a person is someone who can sue and be sued, pay taxes separately, and contribute unlimited sums of money to a political campaign. A corporation also has all of these characteristics, technically making it a person. The pros of a c-corp include unlimited life, transferral of ownership (through stock), limited liability, and ease in generating large amounts of capital.

Like LPs and partnerships, an S-corporation is a special form of corporation. It’s essentially a loophole for small business corporations. They avoid paying the double taxes that corporations experience by passing their income through their owners for taxation. However, there can only be a hundred stockholders or less who are US citizens or resident aliens.

A limited liability company, or LLC, is another newer special corporation. Like S-corps, income is passed to owners for tax purposes. Their owners can include foreign entities and shareholders rather than solely American citizenry. The key point, however, is that they have limited liability.

More On LLCs

It’s foreseeable that limited liability companies will take the place of S-corporations and partnerships. This type of business structure is attractive because it contains a combination of benefits. These advantages include:

• Reduced liability
• Reduced complexity
• Pass-through taxation
• Officiality
• More owners

As with most things, there are some downsides associated with LLCs. Some disadvantages include difficult equity compensation, investor oversight, and the need for a new employee identification number (EIN) and respective bank accounts. An easier way to control your workers compensations is to consider implementing this return to work program.

Most startups and small businesses can reap the benefits by registering as a limited liability company. If you think the LLC business structure may be right for you and your business, learn more in the infographic below provided by Fundera. The visual also includes a flowchart that can help you decide whether you should form an LLC or consider other options.

Authored by:

Meredith is Editor-in-Chief at Fundera. Specializing in financial advice for small business owners, Meredith is a current and past contributor to Yahoo!, Amex OPEN Forum, Fox Business, SCORE, AllBusiness and more.

The post Do you need an LLC for your small business? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

With increased competition, constantly changing algorithms and search engine rules, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) now requires much higher expertise to handle it.

Having realized this fact, many marketing companies like web developers, PR firms, web hosting companies, etc. – all which used to carry out their clients SEO processes (along with their specialized services) by themselves, now agree that SEO is a process that is better left to the specialists in the industry, thus, relieving the burden off their shoulders. But I will recommend you to go for that company, who can provide you White label PPC. According to experts, a white label PPC company can give you better result can compare to another companies like RankJacker.

Find Your Niche

While it’s always best to work in a niche you’re passionate about, not every entrepreneur knows what they want to sell and to whom. You shouldn’t despair if you don’t have a clue what type of online business you want to start.

According to this article, the selection of a product or niche is one of the hardest things you’ll have to do. With the right questions and a bit of brainstorming, the right idea (or ideas) will come sooner than you think.

Here are some of the questions that should put you on the right path:

• Are you looking to attract only local audiences or do you want to go national/global?
• What’s the main thing people complain about when it comes to services or products in your area?
• Which commercial niche presents interest to you? (it’s always best to select a niche you know)
• Can you improve upon the niche you select?
• Is the niche popular on Google? (are people interested in searching products or services?)

These questions will help you get a rough idea of your skills and the possibility to be successful with sales as amazon.com is with the oscillating tool online sells.

Research, Research, Research

We can’t stress this enough! The research will provide the knowledge needed to understand the product/service and its audience.

You should start with online stores that sell a similar product or service, and reverse-engineer their marketing strategies. Also, learn from other successful online entrepreneurs who managed to replicate their initial success in other online businesses, click for source.

Next, learn about the market surrounding your chosen product/service and understand how the people who buy/use it think. Also, get in touch with the audience (using message boards, forums, blogs, and other tools) and ask for their opinion and feedback.

Furthermore, once the site is up and running, you will also have to invest in paid adds and online marketing strategies to tell the target audience about your new and exciting product. While it may sound a bit worrisome, the investments you’re making, in the beginning, are of paramount importance to the well-being of your online business in the future, so try to avoid skimping on quality. If you’re looking to try out solo ads anytime soon, make sure to try out Harshwardhan’s traffic at https://oursoloads.com/.

Producer or Reseller?

As a reseller, you work with a product (or products) that’s already been tested. Choose the right type of products, those that people are familiar with. Customers will sometimes buy based on the product’s reputation (which will help your site).

As a producer, you’ll also have to factor in production and storage costs. Not to mention, your marketing strategies have to be more extensive. However, if the product is well-received, the benefits are trifold towards the ones you get as a reseller.

So, before you start an online business, first understand the risks, costs, and rewards of each of these roles.

Define a Brand Persona

With the outline in mind, you can now move towards the next step, which is creating the e-commerce store.

The first step is to establish your brand’s persona (or personality). This is how customers will perceive the brand and it must be unique and strong, so it sticks with anyone who gets in contact. Employ a industry expert from companies like Eztuto who can assist in designing the perfect logo that will resonate with the color schemes and persona of your business. They take pain in understanding your business before getting into designing so have a look at their website.

For instance, Tesla is a brand well-known all over the world as being a bold rule-breaker and a pioneer in the field of engineering. Furthermore, they are often associated with Nikola Tesla, the famous kind-hearted inventor with a brilliant mind and a wonderful personality.

On the other side, Amazon is known to be the giant online retailer that’s easily available and accessible to anyone all over the world.

One interesting fact is that both businesses (Amazon and Tesla) were started from scratch by passionate people, who knew how to implement their vision of the future. And these are the kind of people from whom an online entrepreneur would have a lot to learn!

Bring Your Brand to Reality

Up until now, all the concepts we discussed border on the abstract. You have an idea and a brand persona, so it’s time to take steps towards more concrete elements such as a brand name and logo. Both should fit the brand persona and resonate with the target audience.

For example, Bella & Duke Dog Food is the brand of an online store selling dog food, but it’s also a commonly used dog name. As a result, it will resonate with dog owners and they will easily understand what the store is selling.

Store Setup

Armed with a name and logo, you’ve finally reached that step where your store can come to life using a domain name and suffix (.com, .net, .info, and so on). You’ll also need to invest in good hosting, select an e-commerce platform that fits your needs,  and hire a professional to build the e-commerce site of your dreams. If you’re looking for professional help to incorporate more internet marketing in your business, check https://www.alliancedmc.net/.

Authored by:

Stewart Dunlop is a full-time content marketer at Foundr and part-time reader, gamer & footballer in his free time. He enjoys sharing his thoughts on business, entrepreneurship, and marketing.

The post 6 Actionable Steps to Start Your Own Online Store appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

These tracking techniques bypass online privacy rights by hiding terms of agreement discretely in the site’s footer – with a visit used to trigger consent. The grouping of your personal data also exposes you to a high level of risk in the event those tracking tools and/or companies experience a data breach.

If you’re wondering how safe your information is, Google, Facebook, Target, Macy’s, Adidas, Sears, Kmart, Best Buy, Panera Bread, Sonic, Whole Foods, and Arby’s have all been hacked – the majority in the last year – exposing the personal information of their customers.

While it may seem like your personal data is doomed to fall into the wrong hands, there are a few ways you can cover your tracks and protect your privacy. Here are three ways to hide your digital fingerprints:

1. Regularly clear your cookies and browsing history

A ‘cookie’ is a message that web servers send to your web browser when you visit a site. Your browser stores that message until you go to a new page then sends it back to the server. Think of it as a nosy neighbor reporting on where you’ve been. While traditional tracking relies on browser cookies that are tied to a single device, today’s tracking technology can identify you across multiple devices. Clearing your cookies and browsing history on a regular basis only protects you from older tracking tools, but leaves you exposed to the more modern and powerful tracking threats being used today.

When you clear your browser cookies and history, you delete this information from your browser – like shutting the windows and locking the door so that neighbor can’t see what you’re doing. These tend to build up over time, so (added bonus) clearing can also sometimes increase the speed of your browsing.

2. Browse private or ‘Incognito’

For additional privacy protection, use private browsing mode, available on all popular web browsers (Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Internet Explorer). Private browsing mode will allow you to browse the web without storing any cookies or history data after you close the browser window, which can cover your tracks on the front end and help save a few clicks later.

3. Use a privacy tool

Some modern tracking tools are so advanced that clearing your browser history and cookies doesn’t protect you. These tools use a technique called ‘device fingerprinting’ to track and match your behavior from different devices – so they know it’s you whether you’re using your phone, your laptop, or your tablet.

The good news is that tools like TrackOFF now exist to hide you from being tracked and targeted. These tools use state of the art algorithms to alter your digital fingerprints in real-time so that you look like a different user every time you visit a website. That helps keep your information safe from being profiled and easily found in the event of another major hack.

Protect your information from being gathered and falling into the wrong hands by taking advantage of browser settings and privacy tools. That way when the next major breach happens, you don’t have to worry.

Authored By:

Chandler Givens is the CEO & Co-founder of TrackOFF, a data privacy company that offers the most advanced protection against the newest online tracking threats.

The post Your Fingers Have Digital Prints. Here’s How To Protect Them. appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Use the unexpected turn in your career to do something great! Perhaps you’ve always wanted to start your own business, but you were comfortable at your job and the pay was good. But, now you’ve been forced out of your comfort zone. Time to turn lost job lemons into lemonade. This might be the perfect time to take the next step in becoming your own boss and to commit to building the your own business.

Building a business is no small feat.

The good news is, according to the Small Business Administration, there are 29.7 million small business owners in the United States.

Many have walked this road before you and have been successful, which means you can be a successful small business owner too. If you do choose to start your own business, here are the answers to a few questions you may be asking yourself:

1. What am I skilled at?

Take an inventory of your professional skills and determine 2 or 3 things that you do best. Think about things that you do better than anyone else. This can be the foundation or a “hint” of what you might want to consider selling. You have years of knowledge and experience in your HEAD. Someone, some company, needs that skill set. You have to sell it to them. Some skill ideas?

1. • Finance.
   • Project management.
   • Design.
   • Baking.
   • Crafts.
   • Marketing.
   • Programming.
   • Logistics.

2. What am I passionate about?

Maybe you’re skilled at finance but you hate it. Can you find the right combination of what you’re skilled at and also excited about doing? As you start and grow your small business you’ll want to get out of bed EXCITED about the workday that lies ahead. Write down a list of what you enjoy doing and cross check it with your list of skills. Where do things intersect?

3. What problem can I solve?

For example, a hotel solves the problem of safe accommodation for people away from their homes. A speech therapist helps those struggling with communication to learn to communicate better…etc. Are you equipped to solve a problem better than those already doing it? Is the demand for your product or service great enough?

4. How can I market my small business?

Sales is the ONLY way to have a successful business. You must have a plan to GET new customers and have customers as repeat buyers and who will refer business to you. Write on a piece of paper what your ideal customer will look like.

• What’s the DEMOGRAPHIC profile (how they look, where they live, how old they are, their socioeconomic level, their education level, etc.)

• What’s their PSYCHOGRAPHIC profile (how they think and act). Seth Godin says it best, “people like us do things like this.”

Now that you have these 1, 2 or 3 types of customers in mind – go FIND them.

• Where are they?
• Busy moms dropping off kids at daycare centers?
• Single wealthy females?
• Older men looking to sell their companies?

There are lots of ways you can market your new business. Word of mouth (tell everyone!). Ask for referrals. Have business cards, a good website, and social platforms. Test buying advertising on Google search or a social media platform.

5. Business operations

Business is not that complicated, but yet it is. Here’s what I mean: To succeed at business, at the most basic level, you need to understand the basics of marketing, business finance, and operations. Here are a few things to consider:

• How will you make and deliver what you’re selling? Whatever you’re selling, how will you deliver it to the customer? Are you going to do consulting? Creating an online course? Go to the offices of your clients? How will you create and deliver your product or service? If you have a product business and you’re manufacturing it, you’ll need to REALLY study the entire business of manufacturing, fulfillment, supply chain…etc.!
• What’s the cost? Knowing how much to sell your product/service for is important. Price is a function of your brand position in the marketing – the $5,000 Tiffany’s ring or the $279 Walmart ring. Also, it’s about your profit margin and ensuring you’re MAKING money on each sale.

6. Business Legal Entity

It’s important that you establish a business legal entity – LLC or S Corp so you can have some shield of protection to separate your BUSINESS from yourself personally and your family. Also, set up a separate business bank account.

7. Your Team

You might start out by being a solo entrepreneur but as you get further along, you’ll need a team to help you scale and better serve your customers. I’ve found that for very small businesses (which I am) as opposed to those who are growing to a 50, 100 or 2,000 person company, you should at the very least have an executive assistant to help you. For other things, you can easily work with freelancers for specific needs such as design, marketing, and content.

8. Get Help Starting Your Own Business

If you’re new to business, and not sure where to start or what to do, take the time to visit SCORE.ORG at one of their hundreds of offices or online. They offer free help to get your business started with personal mentoring and coaching. Another great resource is your local ASBDC (Small Business Development Centers) which offers free counseling and low-cost training to new entrepreneurs.

9. Resources and Quick Tips

Personal branding

It’s important to market your small business and yourself (especially if you’re doing coaching or consulting). While your business’s brand is, of course, important, as a very small business, it’s even MORE important to focus on your personal brand. Here are some great resources on how to build your personal brand:

1. 1. Black Enterprise
   2. Smart Hustle

Marketing assets

One of the most important things you can do when starting or growing a business is to get your information out there. Luckily, in the digital world we live in, there are so many tools you can use to ensure your small business thrives. Here are just a few:

1. 1. Business cards – Moo.com, VistaPrint, Staples
      
   2. Websites – Wix or Squarespace
   3. Customer relationship software – Zoho, Salesforce Essentials, Infusionsoft
   4. Social platforms – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Check out Ramon’s talk on social media marketing for some really helpful ways to use social media to market your business, here.

Finances

In order to have a successful business, at the end of the day, you need to know where your money is going. But, managing your small business account doesn’t have to be hard. There are software programs out there like QuickBooks, Freshbooks, Xero…etc, that basically do the work for you, and investing in one is a wise decision every small business owner should consider. Along with a software program, if money isn’t your thing, get help! Start with a sort of “Business Finances 101” to make sure you are heading in the right direction. Score.org has a ton of financial resources to take some of the stress out of crunching the numbers, here.

Hiring

If you’re looking to expand your team, Upwork is one of the best platforms for finding freelance professionals to help you grow your business. Find someone for a one-time website update, or find a long-term freelancer to help manage your social media accounts, marketing, or blog content production.

The post You’ve Been Fired. How To Start Your Own Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What’s one creative way to get rid of old (but still functioning) computer/ tech equipment when upgrading your office’s machines?

Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC)  is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year and have created tens of thousands of jobs. Learn more at yec.co.

1. Pass It On to a Startup

Find an early-stage company with limited capital, and pass it on to them. Give them a boost when they need it most, and hopefully, the karma will continue. – Ben Lang, IT Kit

The post Upgrading Your Tech Equipment? 9 Creative Ways to Repurpose Old Gear appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Stuart joked that their products are so well-made they, “kind of go to sleep for you! The feel of it, the hand of it, it’s really, really exquisite stuff.” One of the benefits of being a domestic manufacturer in the U.S., is that Matouk can personalize their products. Many of their customers are high-profile designers who, “take interior design seriously and they want a look that’s completely their own and we can deliver on that.”

Growing Up at 90

Matouk had been selling wholesale to retailers like Macy’s and other brands for over 90 years. 5 years ago, they faced a new challenge when they decided to start reaching the customer directly. Traditionally they sold wholesale to independent retailers in places like Bloomingdales. But Stuart shared,

“As everybody knows, independent retail is really changing, is going through a sea change right now, the Amazon effect.”

Matouk was charting new territory and had to evolve their business to compete in the new marketplace. So, 5 years ago, when they started selling direct from matouk.com, Stuart admitted they quickly realized that, “for the first time we needed to create a relationship with a customer.” Their formula for building relationships with customers is pretty simple:

1. Make great products and have a great product experience that’s one of a kind, that can’t be beat
2. Create great brand experiences
3. Market to the customer. When they call into our service center we need to know who they are, recognizie what they like, when was the last time they called.

In order to maintain those hard-won relationships, Stuart remarked that Matouk relies on systems, and that’s where the Salesforce platform comes into play.

From Sticky Notes to Salesforce

Stuart emphasized that, “Information is key at all corners of the business, whether you are using it to service your customers, to market to your customers, to run the business better, or to make better decisions.” Prior to implementing Salesforce, Matouk didn’t have the visibility into the information—which meant they couldn’t act on it.

One-Stop Shop

“We not only moved our CRM system up to Salesforce, but we moved our entire operation entity up to Salesforce.” So now, they’ve got all of their data sitting in the same exact place and “it has access to all the technology that surrounds us and it’s in a turn-key way. So, we don’t have to worry about upgrading, or patching, or pulling this in here.”

With Salesforce, they also have access to Einstein. Einstein is Salesforce’s platform for machine learning, AI, and automation. “How many people can say their 90-year-old manufacturing company has access to next-generation Artificial Intelligence?”

Stuart appreciates that one of the beauties of being on the Salesforce platform, is that it can connect a business to everything. He shared that, “it really connects our company to not only the customer and our vendors, but to all the technology teams out there.”

It Scales Well

Matouk is a small business of 150 people based in Fall River, Massachusetts. They’ve chosen to build on the Salesforce platform because they know and understand how it can grow with their business. “It’s going to keep innovating and allow us to keep innovating as well,” adds Stuart.

Tip for Small Businesses to Grow

Stuart has some great advice for businesses looking to grow. He said, “The goal of any business is to think like a startup. You want to create that in your culture. You want your people to think like they can change the world no matter what they’re doing in the business. In order to do that they need the right tools. The benefit of moving to a platform like Salesforce is that it enables everybody to think creatively, like an entrepreneur.”

The post High-End Home Fashion Head Gives Insights on Selling Direct appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What’s your pipeline management process?

To be successful, a sales team needs to know their procedures. If you haven’t ever told your sales team the process that they are supposed to follow, how are they to know they are supposed to follow it? What you need is a pipeline management tool, or a customer-relationship management tool.

With a CRM, your sales force knows what to do at every step of the sales process. In most small businesses, a sales process exists. But, in many cases, it exists in the business manager’s or the business owner’s head. If that’s the only place the process is, it does not do anyone any good.

Why a pipeline process works.

When the process is accessible, small businesses have more effective sales conversion. Joe Malcoun with Nutshell knows this to be true. How does he know? He is the CEO of Nutshell, a company that designed software that makes sales automation simple. The qualified appointments, successively assist the corporate in acquiring clients.
Appointment setting agencies concentrate on many techniques of lead generation like social media researching, targeting customers, reaching out through various modes and channels, negotiation, leveraging contacts, network building. The appointment setters are often external agents or in house agents who concentrate on generating contacts and leads and fixing appointments for various initiatives within the company. The revenue model for the appointment setting agencies may be a commission out of the deal or a hard and fast price just in case the appointment is of non-monetary outcome. The appointment setting is a crucial task in many occasions for finalizing deals and speeding the method of business negotiations and interactions.

Get to know Nutshell.

Nutshell has a user-friendly design, so the features are not overwhelming. It makes the sales process easy to archive and automate so employees know who is working, what they are doing, and how they are succeeding. All of the unwanted noise that exists in other CRM tools has disappeared in the Nutshell software.

The Nutshell CRM software is not a one-size-fits-all app. It actually can be adjusted to fit the needs of small businesses. With the intuitive wizard, business owners just have to answer a few questions to get their sales process successfully recorded. Then, the sales force can get busy converting leads into sales, which is what they do best.

What can you do to better your sales process?

Unfortunately, businesses that do not use a CRM are often too busy doing other things instead of focusing on making sales. With Nutshell or another smart CRM, the sales force no longer has to worry about:

• Scheduling
• Emails
• Confusing spreadsheets
• Time-consuming tasks
• Learning the sales process
• Guessing what to do next

When small business owners are ready to invest in a CRM, they should look into it with their sales team. With the sales team, the business owner or sales manager should write down the sales process. Then, the sales team should try different CRM products so they can decide what meets their needs. If the team doesn’t like a program, then it would not be smart to buy it.

The post An Easy Way to Better Your Sales Process appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

With the small profile and integrated hardware, Square Terminal is attractive to all kinds of business: think restaurants that want to add tableside ordering or beauty salons that want to let customers pay from the chair. The small size also makes it great for kiosks and other retail environments where space is at a premium. That’s not even mentioning the doctor’s office and other professional environments that don’t have space or need for a full POS system.

Square Terminal runs Point of Sale, the company’s free POS app. It also offers limited compatibility with Square for Restaurants, the premium iPad POS app. There are a few limitations to Square Terminal’s supported features, but it offers everything merchants need to process payments without any additional hardware or software.

How is Square Terminal designed?

Square Terminal has a small but very usable 5.5-inch screen. Its slim profile won’t take up a lot of space and Square claims the battery is designed for all-day use. Merchants can accept magstripe, chip card, and contactless transactions without any additional hardware.

Overall, the design should be familiar to businesses that have used a traditional credit card terminal. However, Square Terminal improves the experience by offering an option to collect receipt signatures digitally. The full screen also allows customers to review their entire purchase by item, rather than just seeing the final total.

Square also offers optional accessories for the Terminal, including an adjustable countertop mount and a belt clip for mobile employees (such as restaurant servers).

How much does it cost?

Square users will be happy to learn that the pricing is very affordable. If you’re a merchant new to Square and choose Terminal, you’ll receive a $300 processing credit. Square offers financing for hardware over $49 and flexible terms to better manage cash flow and costs.

When it comes to any credit card payment system, processing fees is where the rubber meets the road for merchants. With Square Terminal, expect to pay 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction, rather than 2.75%. That means merchants with an average ticket size less than $50 will end up paying more per transaction compared to the traditional 2.75%. However, some of the other benefits to Square Terminal, such as 24/7 phone support, might offset the costs.

Whether Square Terminal is the right credit card processing system for you really depends on your business, revenues and pricing structure. However, it’s clear the design will appeal strongly to certain niches. Take to the time to do your research and make the best decision you can.

Authored by:

Amad Ebrahimi is an entrepreneur, business owner and founder of Merchant Maverick, a highly successful business and financial review site which has helped over 1 million business grow since 2009.

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Know Your Strengths

Scott serves a very niche market and has been very successful focusing his efforts on Zen Cart development and customization and on small businesses doing a certain kind of selling who need a professional developer to help them or to support their site. Scott gave an example of how he supports several customers who use a drop shipping model and how with that, “you want a certain level of automation because you don’t want to be handling each of the orders yourself.” Scott has helped his customers by automating the back-end ordering, shipping, and tracking processes for them so their businesses run more smoothly.

Scott helps growing businesses reach a higher level of automation. Scott remarks that as a small business owner, you very well could customize and manage these processes yourself, but “I’m an expert in this and you’re not.” He affirms that it’s better for his customers to spend their time running their businesses and doing the things they love rather than spending time on the things they could be hiring him to do for them.

Salesforce is for the Smallest Businesses

Salesforce Essentials is designed for even the smallest of businesses. The Software Guy is as small as a small business can get. Scott runs the whole show by himself.  He is essentially able to do this by using Salesforce. Although Salesforce is an enterprise solution, they have a scaled-down version called Salesforce Essentials, “which I’m using to keep all my customer data organized.” For years, Scott shared that he used five or six different solutions to keep up with his customers, such as Dropbox, Google Contacts, and spreadsheets, and he “got fed up with it!” He said that by using all kinds of different data repositories for his customer data, he kept losing things. “It’s very hard when all the data is in disparate places, to keep track of things.” So, he adopted Salesforce SMB Essentials in order to streamline his operations. Scott’s words for small business owners who don’t yet employ Salesforce Essentials, “You will be so happy you’ve moved all your data into one place…it’s just such a better way to operate.”

We asked Scott to take off his “tech hat” and talk about how easy Salesforce Essentials is to setup. Even for the small business owners who are not as tech savvy, setting up Essentials is relatively simple. Scott even released an open-source version of the import he did.

Successful Selling Online

Scott advised that small business owners think about how to differentiate yourself and utilize it in order to be successful selling online. If you want to compete, figure out how you can bring value to that market. Whether you’re an expert in that space, you’ve done a lot of reading, you have a lot of contacts, or you have a good buying relationship with a manufacturer, “it’s especially important for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs to differentiate as sharply as possible because there are so many players in the marketplace, and so many vendors providing so many services.”

The post How to Stand Out in the World of Online Selling appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Solutions for small businesses

One of those was SAP Concur. While many large businesses are just too big to care about the success of their smaller counterparts, SAP Concur thinks differently. This company creates solutions for small businesses to take control of their expenses. SAP Concur provides automated invoicing for expenses and accounts payable. It also helps small businesses manage their travel expenses. All of this is done with innovative technology.

Growing relationships between small and large businesses

The senior vice president and general manager of SAP Concur, Christal Bemont, took time to talk to Ramon Ray about the growing relationships between small businesses and large ones like hers. Concur was once an independent business that was purchased by SAP. The organization continues to do this, but with the full resources of SAP behind it.

Bemont was ecstatic about the growing relationships between small, medium, and large businesses. Large businesses like SAP envy what she called “agility” in the small business world. According to Bemont, that agility makes small businesses “Nimble and scrappy … easier to be innovative and athletic.”

Becoming innovative and agile

Large businesses often have too much bureaucracy to be innovative. But, small businesses do not have to answer to anyone. This is what larger businesses envy.

Along with figurative agility and athleticism, small businesses are also turning heads for literal reasons. The makeup of small businesses is changing as more minorities, women, and millennials are becoming entrepreneurs. Hopefully, large businesses will take notice and include these dynamic populations in their mix, too.

It is easier for small businesses to compete in the local, national, and global marketplace because of technology. With Business Agility Consulting and technology, small businesses are filling in the holes that large businesses overlook.

The keys to business success

Bemont believes that large businesses will begin acting like small businesses to develop agility and to innovate in ways they never have been able to do. Since small businesses do not have access to a large workforce and the sheer amount of information that large businesses have, large businesses still have an advantage. The key is how that workforce and the information is delegated.

There are several keys to success for both small and large businesses. Interestingly, they are similar, other than in their scope:

• Passion
• Leadership
• Innovation
• Delegation
• Teamwork

As with all organizations, the people that are in any business will help it succeed or drive it to failure. When businesses hire the best people, innovation is easy. With great people, leaders are able to step away from day-to-day procedures and work on new ideas because of trust. SAP Concur helps those leaders and their great people set visions, be disruptive, and get results.

Check out more of Ramon Ray’s interviews from the B2SMB Conference.

The post Small Business Agility Attracts Large Businesses appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Although Bernard and his business partner, and wife, started ICSPlus in their spare bedroom 13 years ago, they have grown into a successful small business due in part to the integrative capabilities of Salesforce.

Salesforce Can Do It All

“The easy question is, ‘what don’t we do with Salesforce’ at this point,” said Bernard with a laugh. Because every project ICSPlus does is completely custom, there is an enormous amount of information to bring that requires interfacing with a number of different people on the projects.

“We’re talking to so many different systems, there are so many different points of the lead, on different things so being able to find out who’s doing what part of the project at any time [is important].” Bernard shared that Salesforce technology gives ICSPlus the convenience of a consolidated view. Bernard uses Salesforce for more than sales. “Although we do it for the sales side, we actually use it for the service and as our project management system as well.”

Project management is essential in running a service-based small business. Bernard shared some solid advice, “You can’t tell the customer, ‘I don’t know.’” By leveraging Salesforce as a project management system, Bernard is able to, “keep all the moving parts together on one platform so I could get one single point of truth to find out who’s on this project. Our entire project management system is on Salesforce.” Did you know Salesforce was so versatile?

Using Salesforce as a project management system allows Bernard and ICSPlus to have cases, servicing, and invoicing all on the same platform. The result is that all of the data comes in and consolidates in one location enabling Bernard to then conveniently review and digest the information.

You Don’t Have to Do It Alone

There are people and business out there looking to use Salesforce, but they’re struggling. We asked Bernard, “what didn’t they do right?” He wisely responded, “You didn’t ask for help.” There are so many resources available to make Salesforce easy to use. You can do it yourself. Bernard gave the example that he posted a question on the message board and by morning had 7-8 incredibly helpful answers. If you find you’re still having a hard time, you can get a consultant. But, Bernard said to ask yourself, “’what do I need?’ and if you get stumped, ask for help.”

Businesses Who are Growing

Bernard had some great advice for businesses who are developing and going through the mountains and valleys of growth. He emphasized the importance of having your data accessible, accurate, and reliable. “You’ve got to have that data. Without the data, you don’t know what you’re doing.” He also relayed that you need to read the data and be able to see what the data is telling you. “Make sure your information is up-to-date and accurate so you can make a good, informed decision.”

The post How This Small Tech Powerhouse Uses Their CRM To Do More appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Here are five characteristics of a scalable online business.

1. Sound customer-acquisition cost ratio

Every customer you get costs a certain amount to acquire, even if the cost is indirect. For example, you might spend money on online ads to drive new customers to your website. Divide the cost of the campaign by the value of new customers it brings you to get the customer-acquisition cost (CAC).

The ideal CAC ratio is 3:1, meaning that the value of your customers should be three times the expense of acquiring them. If you spend $1 per customer and make only $2 per sale, your profit margins are too slim. To improve the margin, reduce the amount you spend per customer or increase your prices to realize growth. Today, the influence of social media and search marketing has allowed online businesses to bring in customers at lower costs. These kinds of approaches could improve your CAC ratio.

2. Highly automated systems

Technology has the power to reduce expenses, increase productivity, and minimize risk. Whether you automate shipping, banking, social media posts, or sales leads, the move toward automation allows you to save time – and, as they say, time is money. For example, automating lead generation and pushing prospects down a sales funnel, keeps you from wasting energy on leads that are unlikely to purchase. Instead, automation allows you to garner more legitimate customer opportunities.

Automation can come in many forms and can be as simple as choosing a more-automated phone system. Start with the basics, but keep in mind that companies that undergo a full digital transformation are more equipped to grow at faster rates.

3. Business services that can grow with your company

You need a number of services to run your online business, not the least of which are your internet and phone services. Make sure to enagage with imminentbusiness.com, they  can handle the demands of serving customers (and employees) at a higher volume. Reliability and flexibility are paramount to scaling an online business — outages or bandwidth issues translate to lost sales and dissatisfied customers.

4. Loyal customers

Which brings us to our next key factor: your customers. One of the most overlooked yet most powerful aspects of growing a business is customer retention. According to Adobe, a massive 40 percent of an ecommerce store’s revenue is created by only 8 percent of its customers. Upselling is an estimated 20 to 35 percent more cost-effective than finding a new customer. A regular customer that comes back week after week is more valuable than a brand-new customer, with their first-time CACs. If your business has high customer retention, then it can be scaled more easily — you can focus on lead generation with a steady, reliable base to build upon.

5. Adaptability

Let’s face it — small business owners need to be scrappy. You need to stay on your toes and make use of every dollar earned. This means constantly assessing and re-assessing where money is spent, how to cut costs, how to bring in and keep customers, and even which products and services you offer. When you can quickly pivot and respond to the trends in the market, you keep your business in the running. Being locked into a long-term lease or manufacturing contract, for example, could limit your ability to grow.

If your online business has these characteristics, congratulations — you’re well poised to scale your company to widen your reach and achieve new heights! If you struggle with your scalability strategy, work toward these ideals and watch for the results.

Authored By: 

Patrick Hearn is an Atlanta-based tech writer for Comcast Business who also runs his own small business. When not researching the latest business solution, he can be found at the latest coffee shop trying the newest pour-over. 

The post 5 Attributes of a Scalable Online Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Online Retail Implications

With the growth in online retail shopping, more and more small businesses need to concentrate on their online reputation and marketplace. Unless the physical storefront of a small business is extremely successful, the majority of a business’s focus may need to rest in a great online experience. Without a total package to offer, a small business may lose its ground in a quickly changing retail world.

Sometimes the lack of an online storefront, or subpar availability to shop online, can cause problems for a small business. Many times, consumers will check out a small business or a ‘locally owned’ shop online before deciding to make a trip to see the store itself. If the online presence of the company just doesn’t cut it, then consumers may be quick to mark the business off the list.

What all this means is that small businesses are needing to invest more in their online marketability and how they conduct their day to day business. This includes shipping options for those who may not have shipped to the customer before. This could also mean offering preordering options when a business would typically only sell what would be in stock for a physical location. You should considered all of these factors when creating an online presence to keep up with the technical business world.

The Online Shopping Experience

The downside to online shopping is how easily it can make or break a business. For small businesses, this can be incredibly critical for the long-term success of the business. One bad experience can cause a severe blow to one’s reputation, despite having a good repertoire otherwise. Sometimes, a single bad online shopping trip can ruin a business.

With the world living through social media, consumers will rant or rave about a business using social platforms. If they have an easy going and great experience, they may or may not leave a good review. This helps boost your company a little. If someone has a bad experience, they are far more likely to voice this online. This can cause a far larger amount of harm to a business’s reputation.

Post Purchase Issues and How to Address Them

Most online purchases issues come after the purchase is made. Most of the time consumers have no complaints about the process of finding an item they want and buying it. Odds are their problems come the minute after the ‘submit order’ button is pressed. These issues range from untimely delivery, costly shipping, and lost items, to name a few. Small businesses especially have to think ahead to try to navigate around the potential for these problems.

Shipping will likely forever be a sticky subject when it comes to online retailing. Simply put, shipping can be costly. The consumer wants to pay as little to nothing for shipping as they can, and they want their orders to be delivered yesterday. This is just the ugly truth to the mindset today’s consumers have. Many customers can be turned away if they deem shipping costs to be too high. They can also be deterred if the expected turnaround time isn’t short enough for their needs.

In fact, 90% of consumers are likely to change their mind about an online purchase if they feel the shipping options are not cheap or fast enough.  

Subscription Boxes

Contributing to the dissatisfcation with shipping costs and convenience are the well-know subscriptuon boxes. In a Pitney Bowes study on e-commerce, they found,

“27% of online shoppers are subscribed to at least one such service, including 51% of millennials and 47% of households with children.”

We all know the boxes, from Birch Box to Bark Box, we can subscribe to anything from clothes, to makeup to dog food. So, how will small businesses cope?

The problem for small businesses lies in capital. As in there may not be enough of it to back the company providing cheap or free shipping options. There has to be a balance for the small businesses to continue to profit and grow from offering an online retail experience. On the other hand, this can sometimes be difficult to find. One possible solution could be to eliminate a physical storefront. If there is a promise for success by switching to an exclusively online business, as long as the kinks are all smoothed out, then it could be wise to lose the overhead costs of a physical store to opt for building up the online experience.

The post Online Shopping: How Different Factors Can Impact Your Small Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

First, what is 5G?

5G s the 5th Generation of cellular networking. Just as every new release and generation of cellular networking has changed the way we interact with the internet and our phones, 5G will do just that.

TheVerge.com explains that even more than being the 5th generation of cellular networking,

‘“5G” is an agreed upon set of standards defined by the International Telecommunication Union (the ITU) and the 3GPP, who work together with hardware companies and carriers to define what exactly a 5G network actually is.’

Verizon’s 5G Launch

Verizon has been working on their launch for quite some time, continually pushing their partners and others in the field to do more, faster. Currently, Verizon is spearheading the 5G network world with its 5G Technology Forum and 5G Labs, working together with other companies and developers to bring the 5G Network to fruition. Rather than wait on the competition or sideliners to bring what they have to the table, Verizon has decided to bring about the launch of 5G Home to get the ball rolling for the 5G world. There is no doubt, however, that we will soon see 5G networks from many other providers, all with various add-ons. You an even compare broadband plans online at Usave to get the cheapest and reliable plan too.

In early-mid September, 5G Home was available for ordering ahead of the official launch date. Initial users were part of an offer called the “First on 5G” members, who received three months of 5G Home Service for free. Following the introductory period, Verizon customers could add the service to their plan for only $50 a month. Those customers interested in the network who were not Verizon customers could get the service for $70 a month.

What does 5G mean for Small Business?

With the rate of mermobil and digital nomads growing, many small businesses are beginning in homes. Entrepreneurs often don’t have the seed money to open a storefront right off the bat, so many begin in their home. With a 5G home network, the speed and efficiency at which you can conduct your business will increase dramatically. You will be able to manage your business with the comfort and reassurance of a reliable network.

For more traditional brick and mortar small businesses, transiting to a 5G networking isn’t just a simple upgrade. 5G will bring about crazy fast speeds– some estimates claim up to 10 gigabits per second on a given device.  With 5G, companies can now customize networks based on the devices they’re using and their individual needs. Lag times will almost cease to exist, and customization will become king. Small businesses will soon become inundated with offers from startups and large providers with tales of how 5G will change the game– and it just may.

The Future of 5G

Verizon is currently setting the pace for the rest of the 5G world. Planning to launch a series of other 5G services, Verizon has made it known that a 5G mobility plan is in the works. Verizon has already made leaps and bounds into the 5G world including making the first 5G video call, the first 5G data transfer, and even the first Hologram call. (What!?)

There is no doubt that other companies are working on similar projects sure to be just as promising. AT&T has hinted at a launch later in the year of their own 5G network, and are even working on improving their 4G network as a stepping stone to 5G. There is soon to be a technological 5G arms race amongst competing companies, with the promise of competing offers, incentives, and specialized features across the board.

Thеrе аrе many factors affecting уоur іntеrnеt ѕрееdѕ, ѕuсh аѕ peak usage tіmеѕ, numbеr оf connected dеvісеѕ аnd uѕіng Wi-Fi. A hіgh-ѕрееd internet рlаn is one that саn wіthѕtаnd thеѕе ѕtrаіnѕ on уоur соnnесtіоn аnd ѕtіll give you plenty оf speed fоr all уоur оnlіnе асtіvіtіеѕ.

Fоr mоѕt hоuѕеhоldѕ, high speed internet provider with dоwnlоаd speeds of 100 Mbрѕ wіll gіvе еvеrуоnе the ѕрееdѕ nееdеd to engage a variety of online асtіvіtіеѕ аt thе same tіmе. Hіghеr ѕрееdѕ, lіkе the 1,000 Mbps max ѕрееdѕ оffеrеd wіth gig іntеrnеt plans, will give you еvеn more оf a ѕрееd buffer ѕо уоu can аlmоѕt аlwауѕ соunt оn a fаѕt соnnесtіоn.

With the bar set high speed internet provider and the race started, it will be only a matter of time before the next 5G possibilities are launched and reaching into the stratosphere for success. This all is great news for the small business world. Having these technological advantages and advances at your fingertips will only prove most efficient and promising for your small business. Take full advantage of any 5G services that you can, as a small business that is up to date in a technological world will be able to grow rapidly and successfully.

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What can small businesses learn from the big company? Take it from a pro: Suha dishes out 4 tips to succeed in the ever-evolving era of social media.

Know the Difference

Suha’s first tip to bring success to your small business through social media is to, “make sure you know the different strategies of every single channel.” There are many social media platforms out there today and they are all so different. You can’t treat every channel the same. Social media sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook have changed their algorithms over the years and they each prioritize content differently. Which means that your social media marketing strategies from 2 years ago aren’t going to cut it.

For example, Facebook wants brands to act like people. Suha has some great insight and she shares that Facebook wants brands, “to drive conversation, they want them to jump into conversation.” She suggests, “A great way to work with that is to have videos that ask questions so your audience can answer them.” As a result, your post then shows up higher in your followers’ feeds because it’s sparking conversation. Facebook is trying to build community through your digital marketing efforts, so definitely Incorporate and build that into your strategy.

Create Compelling Content

Everybody likes a good story. The best way to promote your business on social media is to tell a story and to get help from professional Instagram Services. Aside from images, videos are increasingly being published on Instagram. Instagram Views offer views for your videos to face out from the gang .Visit us to get more Instagram views. Don’t miss any opportunity, do this with everything you put out there. Suha says it’s important to not just, “promote your product. Tell a story of who or what the product is about. Have somebody evangelize it, tell their success story with it.” She also emphasizes that small businesses should always inspire emotion and creativity with every single thing that they post.

Elevate and Recruit Influencers

It’s important to find the right influencers. Suha shares that micro influencers may be the next big breakthrough for your small business on social media. But, not to worry, you don’t need to be petitioning a Kardashian or Will.i.am to promote your product or small business. Suha advises instagram infulencer marketing to really tap into the world of micro-influencers. Micro influencers may not have millions of followers. But, what they do have can be extremely valuable to your business. Micro influencers represent niche markets and they come with engaged audiences. You stand to gain the most from these kinds of influencers. They have all the right ingredients, “specific to your industry, specific to your market, resonate with your audience, [and] relevant content,” Suha reiterates.

Invest and Keep Testing

Don’t let the word “invest” scare you off. Even if you don’t have a huge budget, you can still apply this principle. Suha states that “the great thing about social media is that you really don’t have to invest that much in order to see ROI.” A small amount will produce a noticeable return. Just $5-10 on Facebook will get you far. Keep testing what works. If you’re pumping a lot of money in a certain direction, but aren’t seeing results, pull back, reevaluate, and try again. This is something you will have to do periodically, even if you think you’ve found the winning formula, as social media continues to grow and change, seemingly right in front of our eyes.

The post Salesforce’s Social Media Ninja Dishes Her Best Insights appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What’s one innovative solution you use to check in with your remote team, and how is it effective?

Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year and have created tens of thousands of jobs.

1. Monday

Monday is an amazing project and team management tool we began using a few months back. It is extremely intuitive and visually appealing. Monday allows us to see what each team member is working on, communicate with one another, review deadlines and more. This tool has proven to be extremely effective in managing our team that is composed of both in-house and remote team members. – Duran Inci, Optimum7

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Why is SMB Important to Salesforce?

While you may have thought Salesforce was only for big enterprises, the company’s leadership is also highly committed to helping small businesses make their dreams come true. Did you know Salesforce started as a small business? If that wasn’t enough of a reason, small businesses were their first customers. Salesforce has over 150,000 companies who started out with Salesforce as small businesses. Meredith shared that small businesses and SMBs are, “the heart and soul of Salesforce” and after hearing her conversation with Ramon, we couldn’t agree more.

So, What is SMB Essentials?

Here is what you need to know about SMB Essentials and how it can work for your small business:

1. Meredith calls SMB Essentials “a new best friend for small business.”

SMB Essentials is designed and built with small businesses in mind. No matter the size of your operation, whether you have 200 people, 50 people, or 2 people, this product is perfect for your small business. Furthermore, they designed it specifically for small businesses, but you still get the beauty of the platform and the benefits of being part of Salesforce.

2. Get Access to Salesforce AI.

One of the benefits of being part of such a large company like Salesforce is having access to their AI. “It doesn’t matter if you are one user, you get AI at your fingertips,” Meredith continues, “It is powerful stuff.”

3. It’s Easy to Use

Essentials takes everything Salesforce has to offer and makes it easy for small businesses. Meredith said it herself, “we built it so it’s easy.”

4. We used it!

We tried it out and it is so easy! Set up is incredibly simple. With just a click of a button, it’s out of the box and ready to use! Essentials connects to your Gmail or Outlook account and that’s it, it’s done. It’s reading your emails and creating tasks for you. Isn’t that incredible?

5. You can set up a Help Center in less than 5 minutes!

You can even use the reports dashboard, to analyze your data. SMB Essentials is a total upgrade from post-it notes and spreadsheets, because, as Meredith so accurately put it, “you can’t get reports from a spreadsheet.” Meredith promises that the best part is, you don’t have to tech-savvy to use SMB Essentials. “Anybody like me or you can do it, and I’m not technical,” she says.

Meredith is all about helping you save time with SMB Essentials. “You’re trying to do a job, and we are here to help you do your job, and really automate those mundane tasks.” This automated, admin-list product will give you more time to focus on your customers. Meredith and the Salesforce team are dedicated to making the “path of success” broader for small businesses everywhere.

The post SMB Essentials- “A New Best Friend for Small Business” appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Every business owner should go into a vendor partnership with a clear understanding of the details. When considering a potential software as a service (SaaS) vendor, what’s one security question that should always be asked?

Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year and have created tens of thousands of jobs.

1. Where Is Our Credit Card Data Stored?

Get a guarantee that your provider won’t store your credit card details on its own server. In a best-case scenario, a provider will use a payment gateway or vendor’s server for processing and maintaining all of your information. Though no measure is cyberattack proof, most of these third-party vendors have the appropriate security and infrastructure in place to handle your sensitive data. – Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker

The post 13 Important Questions to Ask Before You Sign Up With a SaaS Provider appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Ken’s Story.

If you’ve been watching TV lately, perhaps you’ve seen Capital One’s new advertising campaign, featuring Ken Jacobus, CEO of New Hampshire-based small business Good Start Packaging, who redeemed $36,000 in cash-back rewards in 2017 with his Capital One card and used that cash to pay for health insurance for his team, showing appreciation to his employees and giving his business a competitive edge in hiring. Capital One’s Spark Cash Card is a credit card specifically designed for businesses that gives 2% cash-back on everything you buy. With the Spark Cash Card, you can afford to give your hardworking employees the bonuses they deserve. You can buy them lunch once in a while to thank them.

Ken Jacobus inspired Capital One to ask small business owners, how they use the cash back rewards from their Spark cards to fuel business progress, take care of employees, and ultimately seize the competitive edge offered by 2% unlimited rewards.

Capital One’s Power of 2 Contest.

To gather those inspirational stories, Capital One just launched The Power of 2 Contest. Share how you use your cash-back rewards, here and you get the chance to win:

• First prize of $50k,
• Second prize of $25k, and
• Third prize of $15k.

Remember to submit before the November 3rd deadline for your chance to win – or peruse other entries for inspiration on how you can use cash back rewards to drive your business forward.

There is no purchase necessary and the submission phase ends 11/3/18. The contest is open to residents, 18 years or older, in the 50 US States and DC who are Spark cardholders.

Remember to sign up for the Power of Two – Capital One Contest, here!

Published in cooperation with Capital One.

The post The Power of Two – Capital One Contest – Win $50,000 to Grow Your Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

1.   StartUp – True to its name, Startup is a podcast centered on getting started in the small business world. Covering a wide array of topics related to small business ventures, this podcast really steps out of the box and addresses so many things in the process. Even if not every episode is something you can relate to, odds are that someone out there, probably many someones, are in the exact situation that is being described and could learn so much from this eclectic group. That’s what the podcast is all about – helping people from all walks of life address the various issues that could come up during the course of getting a business up and running.  

Episode to try – Running a Family and a Business

2.   Entrepreneurs on Fire – John Lee Dumas, self-dubbed ‘JLD’, aims to get young people fired up to get their businesses started and to make them happy in their success. JLD works to inspire others to make their life follow their dreams. In the interviews for his podcast, JLD and his guests cover the main objective of going all in with your ideas. The common denominator among successful startups, to JLD, is going 100% into the new idea with every intention of being successful. JLD will explain how to work hard for what you get but to work smarter in the process as well.

Episode to try – Be Your Own CFO: Take Control of Your Personal Finances

3.   Office Hours with Spencer Rascoff – As a podcast that works like a roundtable discussion amongst several successful business leaders, Office Hours, seeks to address some of the toughest questions new businessmen and women will face early on when starting their business. Spencer sits down with some of the biggest leaders in the business industry to discuss what it takes to get to the levels of success they have. Through their own experiences, these CEOS and business owners provide crucial insight into the workings of a business and of being a great leader.  

Episode to try – Adena Friedman, President and CEO of Nasdaq

4.   This is Your Life – With the disclaimer that this podcast no longer has new episodes, we still love this one! They also have started up a new podcast which spins off of this called Lead to Win which dives into how to succeed in your new business along with some other great life advice! This is Your Life focuses on daily trials and tribulations associated with balancing getting a business off the ground along with your family and home life. Little did we realize that the day in and day out of your home life can greatly impact your financial standing with your business. Michael Hyatt and his podcast work to help you navigate this path and come out on top.

Episode to try – Banish the Guilt About Making Money

5.   Mixergy – This podcast was created by a group of individuals from all sorts of backgrounds to collectively help new entrepreneurs in and through any situation.  These people come from all walks of life, have various experiences in business, and collectively are able to provide insider knowledge about how to overcome various struggles and hardships along the way. These individuals are able to explore the depths of what is going on with a business to help you address what you need to work on for your own business. This group strives to get you to think like a successful business owner and to take charge of your dream by taking action first.

Episode to try – How to start a business during the most stressful period of your life (Writer’s Note: Because we ALL decide to do this, am I right?!)  

Can’t get enough of podcasts? Don’t miss this…

The post Top 5 Financial Podcasts for Small Biz Owners appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Visa has.

And, Visa has found that after a natural disaster, 40% of businesses that were affected by a disaster do not reopen immediately after a disaster. The impact of a natural disaster lasts, as 75% of business without a plan of action post-disaster actually fail three years after the disaster.  Creating a natural disaster plan is a necessity for businesses in hurricane zones, tornado alleys, and areas where fires are common. Visa surveyed small business owners to learn about the impact of natural disasters. The findings showed that businesses needed approximately $850,000 on average to rebuild their businesses after a natural disaster. With numbers like that, it is easy to see why so many never reopen.

As a response to these shocking statistics, Visa created a program called “The Visa Back to Business Project.” This program is designed for small businesses that see a loss of revenue after a natural disaster. Since nearly all businesses lose revenue after a natural disaster, this program could become a factor in re-establishing a way of life for not only businesses but their employees and those who frequent these establishments.

To help disaster-affected businesses, Visa shares their statuses in a database so consumers can support them. This support can come from anywhere in the country. Interested consumers simply search for a business here. Consumers can search for specific disasters, or they can choose a type of business to support. The current list includes businesses affected by floods, fires, snow storms, and severe storms. When possible, Visa includes the website of the affected business so consumers from all over the world can offer support.

It is appropriate that Visa launched this program during National Preparedness Month. With hurricane season in full force, it is a good idea for all businesses to take time to prepare for natural disasters. Whether your business is in an area that gets an excessive amount of snow or is prone to flooding, now is the perfect time to prepare for what could happen by creating a disaster plan. Hopefully, you will never have to use your plan, but there is nothing wrong with being prepared. No one expects a disaster will happen to them, but when it does they are grateful for having flood insurance, emergency procedures, or their data stored in a secure cloud server. It is better to be proactive and prepared than to try to follow through after a disaster. There are several tips for disaster preparation here.

Authored by: Kristen Bentley, Reporter, Smallbiztechnology.com

The post How Visa Helps Small Businesses Get Back to Business after a Disaster appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

This emerging trend of e-commerce has been putting small businesses, who are already facing heightened competition as a consequence of global growth, at a significant disadvantage to larger businesses. While large businesses have the funds and resources to open warehouses all over the country, or to purchase the services of career warehouses (which require long-term volume and time commitments, as well as individual contracts for each warehouse) so as to get items to customers as efficiently as possible, small businesses cannot afford to do so. As a result, small businesses often must ship items from far-away locations and take days or weeks longer than their larger competitors to reach customers. According to Dotcom’s Distribution’s 2016 study, 87% of online shoppers say delivery time affects their decision to buy a product and 44% of online shoppers say quick delivery increases their trust in a brand. Bloomberg News claims that 60% of buyers expect 1-2 day delivery. Research by KPMG’s network of independent consulting firms, published in 2017, states that 43% of consumers cited “delivery options” as the most important factor in deciding where to purchase an item from online, following only “lowest price” at 57%. While large corporations are making moves to meet this demand for quick service, smaller companies have been left in the lurch with few options — that is, until UPS announced the launch of Ware2Go, a new service specifically designed to level the e-commerce playing field.

Ware2Go, which launched on Tuesday, August 28th, works by acting as the middleman between warehouses and small merchants. By providing large quantities of inventory from a number of small merchants, Ware2Go is able to get better deals for merchants, as well as bypass the barriers of minimum inventory and minimum time holding inventory in warehouses. Ware2Go vets warehouses so clients don’t have to, and in addition to storage also provides pick/pack fulfillment and shipping, as well as guaranteed UPS 2-day delivery services. Additionally, merchants have only one contract with Ware2Go instead of individual contracts with each warehouse they want to do business with. Ware2Go accomplishes this by creating a network of warehouses all over the country that have space they would like to fill.

To use Ware2Go, merchants and warehouses must both create accounts and answer questions about their needs and capabilities. Merchants provide details about their products, orders, space requirements, and specific delivery needs. Then, they can upload and manage their inventory and order across the whole network. The Ware2Go platform matches warehouses with merchants and simplifies communications to make inventories easy to manage for all parties involved.

“As our customers have much more complex supply chains,” UPS Chief Transformation Officer Scott Price explains in his August 28th Bloomberg interview, “they look to UPS to help them simplify that complexity, which is why we believe the end-to-end service single price approach will be part of the solution for those customers.”   

While Ware2Go is only the latest of many tools designed to minimize the barriers to entry for small businesses in the rising – and increasingly competitive – e-commerce industry, Ware2Go’s launch is so significant because it eliminates one of the most daunting obstacles, and likely will stimulate small business growth all over the nation. While the ultimate effects remain to be seen, Ware2Go intends to be a game-changer for both small businesses and the American economy as a whole.

The post Ware2Go: UPS Launches Flexible Warehouse Fulfillment Solutions appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

How to proceed with a startup plan?

The following tips will help you start off with your business ideas:

1. Determine if you are ready

When you are planning to start up your own company, there will be changes in lifestyle. You will find personal and professional changes. It comes with financial commitments, dedication, time consumption, and much more. The success and failure of every business primarily depend on your abilities to take initiatives and capacity to work towards it. The business and economic conditions are definitely significant factors, but they come after your own initiatives.

2. Assess ideas and business skill

You need to do a market survey to figure out if your business ideas can flourish. You need to know your industry, competitors, analysis demands, and find potential customers. Figure out the SWOT analysis that includes strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats of the market and your business.

You need to be open and unbiased while doing your research. If you examine that your business idea has more chances of failing, it is smart to drop the idea. Even if you have your heart into the products you wish to sell or service you want to provide, you can’t risk losses. You need to know about company formations to get an idea of how to analyze and startup a business. Tips and ideas will help you get the right direction.

3. Build a business plan

Initially, this might seem to be a lot of work for you, but a prepared business plan can save money and time. It secures funding and gives you major contracts. You need to know more about business planning to understand how you can proceed. These can come with expert advice and suggestions from people who provide these services. You can also ask your friends and relatives for suggestions.

4. Choose business structure

Once you establish your business ideas, you need to decide on the structure that helps your business in special circumstances. These include registration of the company, tax implications, licenses, and a lot more. You need to know how to authenticate and register your business and get things rolling by getting in touch with Virtualauditor Experts in Company Registration.

5. Build support team

You must surround yourself with honest and dependable advisers who resolve startup issues. They will assist you as your business develops. It can include your accountant, industry association, lawyer, and other important people.

6. Figure out finances

You need to figure out your capital before you set up your business. You also need to know how to manage finances. It is a crucial part of the startup and usually an investment that you put in or take a loan for. It is an asset that you need to multiply with time and the stepping stones of your business. Assessing funds is crucial and forecasting growth is important. You need a proper plan to channelize your actions and make investors rely on you.

7. Marketing

After all the basics are covered, you need to find ways to market your business. From small to large business, each one needs marketing to reach out to people. You need to spread the word about your products and services so that potential customers know you and can buy what you offer. Advertising is a selling point and there is a lot involved in it.

These were the starting steps that will help you shape up your business. Once your business starts rolling in the right direction, you can expect revenue.

Published in partnership with 1st Formations

The post 7 Steps to Creating Your Own Startup appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Unlike larger companies with more resources and full-fledged HR departments, small companies typically stop looking into any additional employee benefits after health insurance is set up. There are many misconceptions, as well as very valid reasons, that this is the case: perceived high costs, administrative burden, and lack of employee interest are issues that are typically exacerbated at smaller companies.

However, given recent advances in technology and financial literacy, consumers are demanding more out of financial institutions, in terms of accountability, accessible pricing, and ease of use. This means 401(k)s have become a more realistic and appealing option, even for very small businesses. They’re now able to catch up to larger companies and take advantage of all of the benefits of this type of plan just as effectively – it’s been long overdue!

With year-end planning just around the corner, here are some things to consider when thinking about implementing a 401(k):

Tax Benefits for Employers and Employees

This is the #1 reason to set up a 401(k) as soon as you can. Every year you delay setting up a 401(k), you’re missing out on investment gains and tax savings. These are oft under-appreciated, huge financial upsides for both business owners and their employees.

1. Long-term individual tax benefits: Employees (owners included!) are able to invest their money into the 401(k) before taxes are taken out of their paychecks. This means when they retire and start withdrawing money from their 401(k)s to live on, they will be taxed at their income tax rate at the time of retiring, as opposed to their current (typically, much higher) income tax rate.
2. Short-term individual tax benefits: Each year, any pre-tax contributions made to a 401(k) account can be deducted from their taxable income, which means that they will pay less in income tax. Employers can also receive corporate tax deductions for contributions to their employee accounts and even receive a flat tax credit (up to $500/year) for the first three years of a new plan.

No HR Department Needed

Even if you’re not a huge corporation with an HR department focused on taking care of benefits and payroll, a 401(k) is still a realistic possibility. Historically, large financial institutions have entirely owned the 401(k) market and were mostly interested in creating products and services (and therefore, pricing structures) focused on large companies with in-house resources because they were more profitable to work with.

However, in recent years several new 401(k) startups and even small business 401(k) offerings from large financial institutions have sprouted specifically focused on creating 401(k) options to suit small businesses. At Human Interest, we’ve designed our 401(k) product and services to suit our small business clients. We work exclusively with small businesses across all industries and understand that they have very different needs and considerations compared to those of a large company.

Everything that touches 401(k)s – payroll, compliance, employee management, and more – needs to be adjusted to suit the reality of small business operations and budgets.

The Lower Fees Trend

The intricacies of 401(k)s aren’t common knowledge, and unlike a concrete “product” like a hamburger, it’s often fairly complicated to understand just how much a 401(k) should cost and who is responsible for paying. Some of this is intentional – unfortunately, it’s all too common that the financial industry is able to profit off of keeping their clients in the dark and using fine print to their advantage. Luckily, on all fronts, 401(k) fees are decreasing due to consumer demand for greater transparency and accountability.

To put 401(k) costs into perspective, the closest comparison is health insurance, in that it’s an employer-sponsored benefit that is paid for by both employers and employees and there is some degree of ongoing costs in the form of premiums, co-pays, and differently priced plans to choose from. On that same note, when you’re shopping for a 401(k), make sure you understand exactly who is paying for what features and services you will be receiving in return. In particular, find out if the 401(k) provider serves as a fiduciary – if not, it means that they’re allowed to receive kickbacks from the investments they recommend, which means your employees may be stuck paying high investment fees.

Interestingly enough, many people are surprised to learn that a 401(k) for an entire small business can cost less than what is paid for a single employee’s health insurance.

Simply put, a 401(k) is a thoughtful, strategic benefit that has a proven impact on recruitment and retention and provides a concrete financial benefit to employers and employees. Most importantly, it’s no longer only reserved for large businesses. Thanks to the growing number of tech-enabled products, it’s no longer a burden for employers, even those without an HR dept, to offer employees a robust 401(k) benefit. While you may have explored this option in the past or had it on your to-do list for several years, recent trends make it more realistic than ever for small businesses to offer a high-quality 401(k) and ensure their employees are able to plan for their financial futures.

Authored by Roger Lee, CEO and Co-founder of Human Interest

Roger Lee is the CEO and Co-founder of Human Interest (formerly known as Captain401). Based in San Francisco, Human Interest helps small businesses all over the country offer 401(k)s to their employees. Roger and his team focus on increasing 401(k) access through a high-quality, affordable solution that lowers the administrative burden for businesses and prioritizes employee experience and education. He was formerly a co-founder at Thunder and has a degree in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University.

The post 401(k) for Small Businesses: It May Be Easier Than You Think appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Double-entry Accounting (Just in case you are wondering what it is!)

Double-entry accounting is a standard industry practice that balances cash transactions across two or more accounts: a reduction in one account (Expense) will balance an increase in another. Thus, the accounts are always kept balanced. If you want a deep dive into this practice, read about it here. For those looking for assistance in accounting then consider contacting these accounting firms in chicago.

Approachable Accounting: The Customer-Centric Approach

FreshBooks has introduced a standard industrial double-entry accounting for such business owners who are great at running the business operations but not necessarily great at accounting. Although they have introduced a standard industry practice, they have turned it more towards the business owner & adhered to their trademark simplistic & no-frills approach. Therefore, they have branded their platform as “Approachable Accounting” using a cloud accounting software system.

FreshBooks, unlike other cloud-based accounting software solutions, revolves around the business owner & makes the process “easy-to-understand” & “easy-to-practice” for him/her. So, FreshBooks Platform has stripped off the conventionally used heavy, complex accounting algorithms and focused on integrating a user-friendly simplistic outlook. FreshBooks approachable accounting is an easy, simple, seamless & non-intimidating process that helps you in recording not only your day-to-day transactions, invoices & costs but also in keeping an account of liabilities and assets. FreshBooks offers a warm & inviting interface that allows you to integrate all your finance related data seamlessly into the system without having to bother about the complex accounting practices. At the back-end, FreshBooks algorithms are tirelessly at work, doing all the essential, complex calculations for you, so that you are on top of all your financials including tax time, invoices, cash transactions & beyond.

The “Approachable Accounting” Features

1. The Core Accounting Features –The Invoice-based Transactions

The following 3 double-entry accounting features make up the backbone of FreshBook’s accounting engine & maintain all the records for you while you remain free to on running your business:

• The Chart of Accounts: This is the list of accounts your business has acquired over time. The Chart of Accounts holds key to all the information regarding the assets- liabilities, equity, revenue and expenses pertaining to each of these accounts. This helps you with the day-to-day maintaining of your business accounts so that you can pull out the data whenever you need to. This is a search-friendly list and information about any account can be filtered out according to date You can get the step-by-step Guide here.
• The Trial Balance: This feature handles all the transactions in your business, the in-flow & outflow of funds, debit, credit etc. to ensure that your accounts are balanced. Any discrepancy is highlighted as an error. This is a very important feature for tracking your financial settlements. A detailed Guide on how to use Trial Balance is right here.
• General Ledger (GL): As you might have already guessed, this Feature is all about providing a bird’s eye view on your entire gamut of business transactions that help you prepare your financial statement. The accounts that are maintained by the GL are assets (fixed & current), liabilities, revenue, expenses, gains & losses. With GL’s help, not only can you prepare the Accounts Report, but also export or print it for further discussions. This is also a search-friendly system & helps you to filter out the records according to a date Read about how to use it here.

2. The “Other” Revenue Tracking Features – Non-Invoice Transactions

This feature helps you to keep your books on the non-invoice-based transactions that often come in drips & make it painful to account for. This revenue, of course, cannot be neglected since, in due time, these add up to become a sizeable portion of your income. This FreshBook feature makes it super-easy to account for the “Other Revenue” & help keep your books clean, particularly for tax purposes. The data entries are color-coded so that it becomes easier for you to investigate the data and track the source. Look here. 

So, if you are a small business owner who runs the show by himself/herself, managing all the verticals of a business across marketing, operations & accounting, FreshBooks Platform is surely for you. You might agree that when you are managing the entire show, you tend to neglect that vertical of your business that appears to be the most unappealing. Many times, ACCOUNTING becomes THAT vertical & so the regular book-keeping goes for a toss. The best option is to delegate it to an expert who is a pro at accounting & does it for you, of course at a price. The next best option is to delegate it to “FreshBooks” & get your accounting done at the backdrop while you focus more on the Business Operations, the part that you like doing most.

Authored by: Paromita Ghosh, reporter, Smallbiztechnology.com

The post Approachable Accounting: FreshBook’s New Take on Small Business Accounting appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The number one thing smaller business (and all brands) can do is to treat customers like humans instead of transactions on a spread sheet. There are challenges in gluten free living. The biggest challenge is being social! I find there is a great deal of stress to dinner especially when we are invited into a friend’s home. So much of what is prepared, simply cannot be eaten and the host seems to get insulted! Doing your best to explain to them about gluten sensitivity, yet for many they just do not understand. It is not a fad thing, it is not a weight loss thing, and it is a health thing. Phentermine can be addictive and should only be used for its intended purpose. Strictly follow the dosage of the drug. Do not abuse Phentermine – it can be dangerous for your health. Being called radical, and even called a health nut! Many people judge for the health choices that a person living with gluten sensitivity makes and not in a good way. Yet these same people that judge seem to have all kinds of health problems! It simply does not make any sense! Social frameworks, including friendships and relationships, are an important part of the detox and rehab processes. Significant challenges can occur in the social sphere immediately following detox, but they can be overcome. Drug detox, in the strictest sense, consists only of the procedure of eliminating the drug from the body, it is often confused with rehabilitation, the larger process of which it is a part. But it is only a first step, and long term success depends on many factors. Thus, one must consider larger issues which are not part of the actual procedure. Major difficulties can be in the patient’s friendships. It is well known that, even after a successful detox, if the patient is again friends with other drug users, relapse is greatly increased. Ending such friendships is difficult, but often it must be done. Likewise, the recovering addict must assess his or her romantic relationships. Here is the best example of what we do, visit once. Is a significant other supportive of the recovery effort? Is he or she a user, or friends with others? A supportive home life or romantic partnership can be a positive factor in successful recoveries. The lack of such support makes recovery difficult at best. Another difficulty lies in establishing new social connections. The patient may feel misunderstood or isolated, and if it is known in the community, the former drug use may cause some may shun to the friendship or romantic advances of the recovering addict. Other social groups can act as positive support for the recovering addict, treat depressed with the tianeptine capsules. Family members, churches, activity and volunteer groups or clubs, and classes can be great sources of positive connections, and working out at a gym can be a big part of the social recovery, providing the benefits of better physical condition and stress alleviation.

He explained that small businesses value relationships with customers, long term relationships.

If we remember that your CUSTOMER being a FAN should be your ultimate goal. The more you celebrate your relationship with them, the more you’ll be successful.

Nicolas said that instead of being so focused on selling a service to your customer, think how you can add value to their experience. This value leads to further awareness and more organic growth for your company.

The post Treat Your Customers Like Humans, Not Transactions – Sid Lee Exec appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Her number one tip, and what Birchbox does so well, is that we need to create fans – raving fans.

Small business growth comes from our current customers. Selling one customers is “easy” but getting the customer to come back again and again and refer others is so important and essential.

Ask yourself, what does your brand stand for and how can we deliver an experience to our customers, way beyond the product itself.

If you do this right, your brand’s products or services will become something that they care about so much more for their lives that they can’t help but tell other people about their experiences.

In this way you not only have a customer but you now have a fan.

How to do this? Know your customer. Find out what motivates them to buy from you and why they picked you as opposed to the competition.

It doesn’t take any money to do customer research, just pick up the phone and ask five customers. Five customers is better than no customers.

The post Create Raving Fans Says Birchbox Chief Customer Officer appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Hence, it is not easy to convince the investors, be it the angels, venture capitalists, banks, government organisations or your own aunt to hand over the funds to you & empower you to run your own show on their funds. While the variety & intensity of challenges in fundraising can be different & that you may have to figure out on the way, here are a list of 6 mistakes to avoid on this journey of fundraising, inspired as shared Meredith Finn Vice President at Salesforce, who leads their investments into other companies.

Failure to adequately touch upon 3 key items in your pitch: Team, Product and Market

Investors generally evaluate these three things (Team, Product and Market) when they take a look into a business idea for investment:

TEAM – Investors consider the Team to be of utmost importance when funding a business because they believe that the Right Team can champion a business to success whereas the Wrong Team can spell disaster! It is extremely important for them to have an idea about “Who is Who” on the team & where each of the team member has his/her expertise on. The team that runs the show is a very important asset for the investors to build trust and hand over their funds to you for running your business. For example, if the team members have awesome industry, technical or domain experience relevant to the business, its easier for the investor to trust that team. Also, whether the team members are collaborative enough and have spent considerable time with each other is an important consideration for the investor to evaluate the investment proposition. For the investors, a strong team is equivalent to a strong business. So, the team composition is crucial to the success of your fundraising efforts.

MARKET – The market that your business will cater to is another HUGE consideration for the investors for evaluating investment options. As a rule of thumb, a multi-billion-dollar market is always the safest bet to net an investment. The benefits of addressing a big market (Read Billion-Dollar) is pretty straightforward: the bigger the market, the bigger is the playing field for you and share with your competitors since monopolies (e.g. Google’s global share of search) are incredibly rare. As a result, everyone gets a pretty good share of the entire pie (market) and be satisfied. If you are able to earn a good revenue and mark up your profits, it will not only benefit you but your investors as well. Remember, the investors need to make money off your business and relish the Return on Investment (ROI) as much as you do. The most important advantage of equity market is the diversification of investment, with the help of clear research and expert guidance investment in equity is safer and easier. The equity cannot be bought unless a company issue shares on public notification. Certain companies issue shares only through broking system. Companies sell its shares through brokerage system to small brokers who then sell their shares to public in trading account. A stock broker is agents between you and stock market. Stock broker play a important role in online trading. They charge brokerage according to the services rendered. Use online compare brokers tool to find the right stock broker for your needs. Trader should concentrate on the facilities and the quality of the services provided by the broker on priority than the price or charges. The charges may differ depending on the service rendered. a stock broker provide assistance by means for trading

PRODUCT – The PRODUCT or SOLUTION that you are offering is expected to solve a PROBLEM that your customers are facing. Your solution must provide a unique solution to the problem & therein lies the value of your innovation. Ask yourself the following questions to evaluate your Solution:

1. Does your solution have a unique technical or competitive advantage with a clear differentiation from other similar solutions in the market?
2. Will your solution place you in a dominant position in the target market segment so that you can command a favourable price from the customers?
3. Do you have any viable evidence to prove the above mentioned technical or competitive advantage?

NOT KNOWING YOUR DATA

Apart from the core revenue and profitability metrics that are absolutely a must to know, it is advisable to stay abreast of the core metrics that drive your business. The investors are experienced in running & overseeing different types of business ventures & so have an all-round exposure to business environment. While they are still deciding whether or not to get into the battle field alongside you, you have an opportunity to impress them by proving that you have a great working knowledge and control of your business. Use a data-driven approach to explain the business proposal to your investors. This will help them to build confidence in you and your business so that they can quickly reach to that important decision of writing THAT cheque for you.

Here is a list of key metrics that you must have a hang on:

1. Number of Customers: How many customers have you been able to impress currently?
2. Customer Churn: Percentage of customers who discontinue using your solution within a given time period. For a business to perform well, the New Customer Acquisition Rate must be greater than the Churn Rate.
3. Average Contract Values: Average Annualised Revenue per Customer Contract
4. Average upsells: Average annualised value of add-on purchases
5. Length of Sales Cycle: The process of selling your solution to the customers encompassing all activities associated with closing sales
6. Quota Achievement of Your Sales Team: Dollar figures (monetary) or number of units (volumetric) actually sold to customers
7. Customer Satisfaction: Last but not the least, this is a metric that determines the success of any particular product/solution & thereby any business. A quantitative representation of whether your solution was able to exceed your target customers’ expectation can be used to address this key business metric. It can be estimated in terms of “Net Promoter Score”: an index that ranges from -100 to +100 that measures the customers’ willingness to recommend a particular solution to others.

NOT SHARING A BIG ENOUGH VISION

This is an important strategy that you must design in order to communicate well to the investors about your current area of focus as well as your vision to scale up your business in the near future. Investors are interested in the ROI & so before they put their money in your business, they will be curious to know about your future plans so that they can envision their exit from the business & make quick cash. You have to balance your sales pitch to the investors in such a way that it caters to both the points of interest: the short-term goals in which you will be expected to share how you are taking steps to achieve success in the present times as well as how you are preparing to go all out & scale big in the near future. It is important to remember that if the investors are able to believe in your short & long-term goals, they will not hesitate to write that big fat cheque for you.

NOT UNDERSTANDING THE TYPE OF CAPITAL YOU NEED TO RAISE

Although Venture Equity is one of the most celebrated options of fundraising, it usually come with a lot of conditions – equity dilution of the founders and quick and large exits that you are expected to satisfy. So, it is extremely important to understand how & in what way you are going to use the funds that you are raising and accordingly work out a specific estimate for the  amount of funds that you will be asking for. If you are not in for these conditions that Venture Capitalists will channelize you towards, then it is wise to consider other forms of funds that you can raise for growing your business. Some of the top alternate options are venture debts, bank loans, crowd funding. As long as you can manage, bootstrapping is the best option that you need to consider in order to retain 100% equity & control of your business with yourself.

NOT DOING YOUR DUE DILIGENCE ON INVESTORS

You need to carry out the due diligence on the investors that you are planning to approach for fundraising purposes because not all VCs are created equal:

1. There are investors investing at different points in the lifecycle of businesses – Seed stage, early growth, late stage growth etc.
2. There are investors with considerable experience in a particular niche & prefer sticking to it: B to B, B to C etc.

Think of investors as partners & not as guys who offer funds for your business. You have to carefully select the investors whom you would like to work with for at least the next 10 years of your business partnership knowing well that they will have a significant amount of influence & control on your business since they will be holding significant proportion of stakes in your business. It is somewhat like “dating before marriage” as Meredith puts it. A right match will go a long way. So, in addition to estimating how much funds you will be raising from a potential investor, you will also have to think about how much value the investor will bring to the table in terms of access to industry know-how, talent & network of key resources. After evaluating all of the investors on your radar individually on all these above terms, select the right candidate for an awesome business exposure & experience.

NOT ALLOCATING ENOUGH TIME OR NOT HAVING A PLAN B / C AND D!

Expect fundraising to be a long process & not an instant fixing hack. You need to give sufficient time to the investors to evaluate not just your business proposition but also yourself. The best way is to keep the channels of communication wide open & keep interacting with them in order to build relationships even in between rounds so that you aren’t crunched with introducing yourself and trying to convince them to give you money in a few weeks.  Manage investor relationships like customer relationships – stay in touch and build them over time.

Last, but not the least, it is important to bear in mind that in spite of doing all the homework in preparing an attractive business proposal to woo the investors, all efforts may fail if the investors are not convinced about the value of your business. Be prepared to fall back on a few backup options under such scenarios. Keep your spirits high!

Keep this list within reach & pull it out every time you need to go for a fundraising round & face the investors & their barrage of questions. Don’t make these 6 mistakes, believe in yourself, prepare in advance & enjoy the fundraising process.

Authored by: Poromita Ghosh, Reporter, SmallBizTechnology.com

The post Salesforce VP of Investments Shares 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Fundraising appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

For businesses, this rise in popularity of online subscriptions presents an opportunity for significant growth. Capitalizing on this very trend has helped Freedom enable users to reclaim 10 million hours of their time from distracting websites.Freedom launched as a tool to block distracting content on desktop computers so internet users could concentrate on the work they set out to accomplish. As more of our work migrated online, we started seeing a significant rise in demand for the product.

The way customers consumed content also began to shift with the increased adoption of mobile and tablet devices. For example, in December 2010, U.S. internet users spent a total of 543 billion minutes online, with 74 percent of that coming from desktop computers. By December 2016, usage skyrocketed to 1.50 trillion minutes, with just 31 percent of that from desktops and the remainder from smartphones and tablets.

These shifts in behavior presented a strong need for us to offer multi-device functionality for customers, which called for a requirement to design pricing that was suitable for device-specific usage. With the growing adoption of subscriptions, we decided to take a plunge and make a shift to a recurring revenue business model so customers could pay us a monthly fee to block websites across multiple devices.

What We Learned: The Need For a Customer-Focused Subscription Solution

One of the earliest lessons we learned after making the shift to subscriptions was that under a subscription model, monthly recurring revenue is directly related to customer retention rather than one-time sales. Every member of our business began to have a role in expanding and retaining our customer base and revenue. Streamlining the subscription experience while making it easy for our team to control customer subscriptions became a priority for us.

The original online payment gateway we selected to manage subscriptions was initially helpful, but we quickly realized we needed a more comprehensive solution that would scale with our expanding business and give customers the options and flexibility they demanded. Managing subscriptions on top of a payment gateway alone fell short of our needs and forced us to compromise on the subscriber experience.

We then switched to Chargebee’s subscription management service, which was a strategic decision that proved beneficial from a business perspective. Chargebee has improved our subscription conversion rate by helping us enhance our product’s capabilities and its overall subscription experience.

How Our Subscription Management Product Drove 30 Percent Growth

Your subscription management product can be an effective lever to accelerate acquisition, monetization and retention. At Freedom, we’ve configured Chargebee to help us move the needle on these three core business levers by focusing on the following strategies:

Multiple Payment Options

Adding diverse payment options has evolved into an important acquisition strategy for us. In today’s growing digital landscape, consumers have vast differences in payment preferences. Some customers prefer to pay with a credit or debit card, while others prefer a web-based payment service such as PayPal or Amazon Pay. By adding multiple payment options, we were able to onboard international customers and scale globally.

Under the subscription model, we also encouraged users to set up backup payment methods for recurring charges. This helps recover revenue that could have otherwise been lost.

Flexible Pricing

Offering discounts is an effective way to drive acquisition for B2C businesses. We extensively used the capabilities of the subscription model’s coupon functionality to test different coupon codes and discounts, such as limited-time access to promotions, or one time, limited validity offers. We also had a giveaway boost through a site called yourdailygiveaway.

We also tested several pricing strategies to help drive monetization and upgrades, and subscription analytics has helped us understand how customers responded to pricing. For instance, we found that some customers prefer paying a monthly fee for our product, even if our annual plan was cheaper in the long run.

Using a subscription management tool for pricing experiments helped us drive revenue from new customers while still honoring existing customers by grandfathering them in on the old price.

Self Management for Subscriptions

Offering customers an easy way to manage their subscriptions can significantly improve user experience. Expecting customers to manually upgrade via customer support teams creates friction in the upgrade experience, causing some of them to drop off or delay their upgrade. Offering a built-in customer portal has helped us empower customers to manage their own subscriptions, while our customer success team is freed up to focus on more strategic initiatives.

Transactional Emails

Transactional emails can be a great way to communicate and engage with customers while helping recover revenue. We use transactional emails to communicate with customers about the details of their transaction and send one-click card update emails, reminding them to update credit card information if their card is about to expire. At Freedom, we’ve used Chargebee’s Engage toolset to drive up-sells, retention and revenue through email.

Optimizing our customer subscription experience and internal subscription management process helped us grow the business by 30 percent. While shifting our business model away from one-off sales and moving to subscriptions has been a key factor in our business growth, creating an enhanced experience with a subscription management system helped us identify areas to further accelerate adoption and retention.

The fundamental nature of the recurring revenue business model creates opportunities for long-term customer relationships, and using a subscription management system has provided us with an added layer of operational efficiency to leverage these opportunities better.

Authored By:

Fred Stutzman, Founder and CEO of Freedom, a platform that enables people to be more productive by managing digital distractions.

Fred Stutzman is founder of Eighty Percent Solutions, a LAUNCH Incubator company which builds the innovative productivity software Freedom and Anti-Social. Previously, he was co-founder of ClaimID.com and technology researcher at UNC-Chapel Hill and Carnegie Mellon University. He holds a Ph.D. in Information Science, a graduate certificate in quantitative research, and a B.A. in Economics. Currently, he is adjunct professor at UNC’s School of Information and Library Science, where he teaches courses about privacy and social media.

The post How One Business Gained 30 Percent More Customers by Turning to Subscriptions appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

SMBs and Pinterest – A match made in heaven

For SMBs, the platform is a crucial marketing toolbox because it works as a visual discovery engine and helps the customer find what they love. In 2017, 67% of the Pinners discovered new brand or products from business content on Pinterest.  Whether you’re looking to increase the brand awareness,  drive the web traffic to your website, or drive customer engagement – Pinterest in your one-stop-destination.  The social media platform effortlessly makes the promoted content as useful as the organic content.  Furthermore, Pinterest caters to SMBs with tools to optimize results and make the most of marketing budgets.

Let us understand, how the platform is lending a helping hand to the SMBs in their marketing efforts.

1) Chatbooks

The SMB captures memories from social media and brings them to life, recently ran a Promoted

Pin campaign and encouraged Pinners to bring their summer memories to life. The campaign was a massive success because the sales team witnessed up to 3x more clicks on their ads and 15% lower cost per clicks within the first 90 days of launching of their ads.

2) LitJoy Crate

The company which is a monthly book box decided to use Pinterest’s promoted pins to drive acquisition among their audience of women aged 20-35. LitJoy Crate achieved a CPA 70% lower than their average CPA on marketing channels, acquiring new customers for only $3-$5 per customer.

The sky is the limit for business using Pinterest!

How to get started?

The first step in the right direction is always crucial for an SMB. Here are a few tips for the newbies to use the platform to enhance their business growth.

1) Set up a business account

To set up a business account, you need the logo or the visuals of the products (for a profile picture) and a business description containing the link to the website, contact details, and location. For those who already own a personal account, converting to a business account is as simple as waving a magic wand. A business account outperforms a personal account because it comes loaded with additional features such as Pinterest analytics and Pinterest Ads.

2) Claim your website

Claiming your website on the social media platform unlocks an array of features such as Pin stats and Pinterest analytics. Learn more at Pinterest.

3) Set up your boards

If you want to make your board look professional, set up the board and categorize the Pins based on the products, audience segment or the topic.

4) Start Pinning

Don’t forget to create new Pins daily to help the Pinners discover your brand and Pins. Consistent activity on the social media platform is the key to reach the right customers at the right time. Furthermore, link all your Pins to the website as it will help increase the web traffic.

What Next?

Getting started on Pinterest is simple, follow these tips to leverage the maximum benefits from the social media platform.

1) New business profiles

Pinterest is thriving to make life easier for SMBs by helping them connect with their target audience.  Recently, the company launched a new business profile which is empowering the brands to take control of how their brand will appear on Pinterest. The new profile is allowing the companies to highlight the content they deem as necessary for their customers and want them to see first. Furthermore, the new profile offers a dynamic cover image that is helping in capturing the attention of the ideal customers.

2) Key metrics

Running a promoted campaign will never yield the desired results unless the SMBs track the progress of each campaign. A few key metrics will give deep insights into how engaged the Pinners are with the content. It will help the SMBs, tweak changes in their content strategy. To further assist the small businesses, Pinterest allows the companies to access valuable metrics on their Pins to make critical business decisions.

3) Following tab

Staying one step ahead of competitors always work wonders for SMBs and is probably one of the leading ways to discover new ideas and see what other brands are saving to attract their audience. And, for that Pinterest has a following tab – entirely focused on the people and boards you follow on Pinterest.

4) Promoted Pins

To further de-stress the life of small businesses, Pinterest offers the ‘Promote’ button, which helps a brand of any size to promote their Pins. Business can set up a promoted Pin in less than 9 seconds.

Pinterest is the goldmine for your bottom line because it’s a new way of flipping through magazines and scrapbooks, which quickly captures the attention of the customers. As an SMB, never overlook such a big chance to mint money, especially from Pinners who have the biggest spending power on the social media. The household income of 40% of Pinterest users is more than $100K. Don’t miss the golden opportunity!

Authored by:

Lisa Fong, SMB Marketing Lead at Pinterest
Lisa Fong leads the Pinterest SMB Marketing team focused on inspiring and empowering businesses to grow and succeed on Pinterest. She has over 12 years of experience in digital advertising, technology and marketing. Her passion for mobile ads led her career to adtech companies Google, Apple and Sharethrough. She received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. – headshot is attached

The post How To Make Sales on Pinterest. Think Like a Pinner. appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Paychex regularly conducts polls to analyze the business climate. Their most recent poll can be found here. Paychex polled businesses with 500 or fewer employees regarding issues relating to human resources, finances, and customer relations. In the poll, respondents could answer on a scale of 1 to 100 with 1 being completely pessimistic and 100 being totally optimistic. The overall business outlook was good, except when it comes to finding employees.

Paychex will continue to poll businesses on a trimester basis, with the most recent poll representing 500 randomly selected businesses for Summer 2018. These businesses were polled during the week of June 18 and June 27, 2018. The business outlook overall was 65/100. They felt that they were most optimistic about finding new customers, which was rated 69/100. Other optimistic ratings were about access to capital 62/10, capital investment opportunity 59/100, and the overall economy 60/100.

In the academic world, 60/100 is a D and a below-average score. But in this poll, 60 is a good number. Of course, it is not as high as 100, but it is closer to 100 than to 1, which is why it is considered an optimistic number. In the poll, businesses in the Midwestern and Southern states were more optimistic than in other areas of the country.

On the flip side, employers were not optimistic about finding new talent to fill their empty positions. They rated finding part-time or full-time employees at 31/100. Interestingly, they were notably pessimistic about finding contract or temporary employees. This rating was 16/100. There are ways to become more optimistic about finding new employees through recruitment and other “outside of the box” ideas.

According to the respondents, manufacturing businesses have the most difficulty finding qualified employees. For those companies to find skilled employees, they are turning to the schools that prepare them. They are looking for recent graduates with the skills and they are working with the schools to develop programs to train future graduates.

Some industries may have more success finding new employees, especially the restaurant and hospitality industry. They will be able to use the Shared Tip Law so employees in restaurant kitchens can also be tipped for their hard work. This will make kitchen jobs and other formerly non-tipped restaurant jobs more desirable. This new law does not apply to management and supervisory positions.

If the Business Sentiment Report shows the feelings of business owners, there is real optimism. Other than the trouble with finding hiring candidates, now might just be the time to start a new business and get in on the optimism about the economy, capital investments, and access to capital.

The post Paychex Survey Says Entrepreneurs Optimistic About Business Outlook, Ability to Find New Customers appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

A Vista Print report says – More than three-quarters of U.S. consumers say that shopping at or using a small business is important to them, with the impact these businesses have on the local community as the number one reason. This is according to a recent survey of 1,500 U.S. consumers conducted by Vistaprint, the leading online provider of professional marketing products and services to micro business owners, results of which were announced today in The Consumer Small Business Shopping Report. The report reveals what consumers across the country deeply value about shopping small – in fact, more than double the number of respondents cited local commitment over price as their top motivation.

See the full survey here.

The post Vistaprint Report Says Many Consumers Will Shop More Small Businesses in 2018 appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The Benefits of a Virtual Team

More and more companies are embracing the virtual worker concept and allowing employees to work from home. Just take a list at the top 100 companies in 2017 that are offering remote jobs. Businesses like Amazon, UnitedHealth Group, Hilton Worldwide, Xerox, Dell, and Intuit understand the benefits, and need, of offering remote work as an option to recruit and maintain the best possible employees.

Some of the overwhelming benefits of having a virtual team include:

• Increased worker productivity: the removal of distractions like impromptu meetings and loud co-workers, remote employees, and their manager’s report a definite increase in overall productivity.
• Lowers stress and boosts morale: 82 percent of remote workers report lower stress levels according to a survey by PGI. In addition, the survey also reported that 80 percent of workers had a higher morale and 69 percent reported lower absenteeism.
• It reduces employee turnover: According to a study published by Stanford University, job attrition rates fell by over 50 percent for a China-based firm with 16,000 employees.
• It satisfies millennial workers who demand flexible benefits and work styles: 68 percent of millennials surveyed by AfterCollege say that the option to work remotely increases their interest in an employer.

Each of these benefits is not only a boost to the overall operation of a business but also has a significant impact on a company’s bottom line. So let’s take a look at what managers need to know about effectively building a virtual team.

Two Keys to Building a Collaborative and Productive Virtual Team

According to an article by Alvernia University, there are two keys to building a more collaborative and productive virtual team that managers and leaders need to know: Structure and Communication.

Having an outlined team structure, especially for larger teams, is essential for ensuring team productivity and collaboration. Harvard Business Review recommends using a flexible, fluid team structure of multiple tiers that include a core (strategy and development), operational level (ongoing day-to-day workers) and outer network (temporary or part-time workers with specialized expertise). Having this type of defined structure brings together team members who need to collaborate for specific purposes.

In addition to developing a team structure, companies are strongly encouraged to have a written telecommuting policy. This allows employees to understand expectations on how they will work.

The second key to building a strong virtual team is communication. However, it is not just about ensuring that you have proper methods in place for facilitating communication, but that you are continually encouraging communication between virtual team members. Non-work communication can buy phentermine pakistan lead to building trust which leads to success. Therefore, managers and leaders should highly encourage both work and non-work communication through team building activities and interactions when in the office and other outside activities.

How your #smallbiz can build the best #virtualteam that is #productive and collaborative.
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Collaboration and Communication Tools for Virtual Teams

Tools play an integral part in ensuring that your team can collaborate effectively and remain productive, regardless of where they are located. Here’s a roundup of some of our favorite tools that assist virtual teams.

Communication Tools

To ease communication between virtual employees, companies can turn to tools like Slack or Skype. These real-time tools allow for individual or group conversations and the sharing of files. Skype also allows for the use of video and screen sharing so that team members can see one another and specific details they are discussing.

Project Management

There is an extensive list of online project management tools that businesses can use to organize their business projects. Two of our favorites include Asana and Teamwork.

File Sharing

Using an efficient file sharing tool not only allows team members quick access to the documents they need but the ability to collaborate by leaving comments and notes. Two great tools to consider are Dropbox and Google Drive.

By taking the right steps to implement the proper tools and best strategies, business leaders and managers can take advantage of a remote workforce to increase their business operations and bottom line. For those looking to improve their skill level and knowledge of today’s business functions and processes, consider pursuing an online MBA through an institution like Alvernia University.

The post How Leaders Can Build a More Collaborative and Productive Virtual Team appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

But we live in modern times now, and the spreadsheet, while it still has its place, is slowly becoming passé for many functions.

If you’re still relying on spreadsheets to organize data, manage finances, and keep on top of customer contacts, try these better solutions instead.

1. Invest in Accounting Software

Business schools still teach accounting using spreadsheets, and while understanding formulas may be necessary for MBA students, it’s not required for you as a busy entrepreneur. Spreadsheets become unwieldy after a certain point, and they can’t do even half of what good accounting software can.

For example, platforms like QuickBooks let you invoice clients and receive payments, sync your bank account info with your accounting system, and generate reports without spending hours in a spreadsheet.

2. Manage Customer Data

Staying on top of who your customers are, what they’re buying, and your communications with them requires more than a spreadsheet. In days gone by, you’d simply have contact details in a spreadsheet, but today, customer relationship management platforms like Insightly let you do so much more than that.

Need to find an email to a client? It’s right there in your contact file. Want to assign a follow-up call to your sales rep? Some CRM platforms have project management features baked in. Thanks to today’s CRM technology, we’ve moved away from passive customer contact to more active and integrative software, and that’s good news for all.

3. Create a Better Content Calendar

As blogging and social media have taken a more important role in marketing campaigns, we’ve seen a move toward using content calendars to organize efforts across different media. Spreadsheets have come in handy, though they require a lot of legwork to set up and manage.

A better way to get visibility into the calendar view of your content and social media is content calendar software. Brands like CoSchedule have developed sophisticated platforms that integrate with tools like WordPress and social media, and that give you the big picture view of the types of content you have scheduled.

4. Manage Projects Smarter

If you work with a team and use a spreadsheet to stay on top of assignments, you know that doing so usually requires more energy than it’s worth. You’ve got multiple people accessing the spreadsheet, and sometimes people can delete the wrong entries or not see notes they need to complete a project.

Project management platforms like Asana let you assign tasks to team member, communicate on projects, share files, and set deadlines. Nothing slips through the cracks!

We must give props to spreadsheets. After all, they lay the foundation for the technology that followed. But when there is a better solution, why not use it? Today’s software industry is chock full of innovative solutions that can make your life and your work much, much easier.

The post 4 Innovative Ways to Organize Data (NOT Using Spreadsheets!) appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Recently, I encountered another angle that I think some business owners would appreciate, after watching a session where Bethany Edwards, co-founder of Lia Diagnostics, pitched her business to the crowd at the 2017 SXSW Dell Experience.

Bethany and her team have developed a biodegradable, flushable pregnancy test; therefore her business resides in the complex area of medical products and regulations. This is a rapidly growing field; other companies in this space have developed tests for other health issues that patients might prefer to be discreet about, which has helped surge the at-home test market. I caught up with Bethany later on to get her tips for small business owners in similar areas where the products are complicated and highly regulated. Get the interview by clicking Play below.

In the video, Bethany also shares general pitch tips and advice for starting entrepreneurs. But if you are in a complex field or dealing with a complex product, here are Bethany’s specific tips for you:

1. Assume that people don’t understand the complexities.

Before crafting your script and materials, begin with the assumption that some or even all of the audience do not understand the technical aspects of your business or product.

2. Simplify your main message.

Since you are speaking to people who don’t understand the complexities, start by trying to explain the problem and your solution in the simplest way that you can describe it.

3. Avoid jargon.

If the audience doesn’t understand the complexities, they will not understand these technical terms; simplify your language.

4. Write as if you were explaining it to a kid.

When writing your script, picture someone who has no idea what you are doing, and try to find ways to describe the business succinctly but in a meaningful manner.

5. Practice the script but be ready to deviate.

Things may happen while you are pitching (for example, in Bethany’s pitch she lost some of her slides and had to wing it!). But you should also read your audience in real time and make on-the-fly decisions about what you should or shouldn’t include and when elaboration is necessary.

Bethany shares more advice in the video above. Her interview is the second in a series of 2017 SXSW Dell Experience coverage that we will be sharing in the next few weeks.

The post Advice from the 2017 SXSW Dell Experience: How to Pitch a Complex Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Are you setting them up for success? With these four tips and tools, you can improve workflows and make your team more productive.

1. Take the Project Management Out of Email

Project management is a huge time suck. You have to break down large jobs into small tasks and then dole them out to the respective team members. That’s not the hard part. What’s more difficult is tracking deadlines, who’s finished what, and the progress completed.

There are several free tools to manage projects for IT teams in small businesses.

One great platform is Trello. Trello is a project management app accessible on both the computer and on mobile devices. No matter where your team members are, they can access updates about specific projects, see deadlines, find the tasks assigned specifically to them, and get moving. Under each project you can use lists to track each team member’s progression, and assign individual tasks to the person responsible.

Asana is another project management tool ideal for team members. This tool has its own mobile app so team members can log in anywhere, anytime. There is a small learning curve, which shouldn’t be a hindrance for your IT team. Once you get your projects up and running, it’s easy to use.

2. Collaborate Virtually

These days, there’s no reason IT teams need to come together in a conference room to hash out projects that need completing. Save your team hours on drive times by collaborating virtually.

GoToMeeting is a great collaboration tool for bringing geographically diverse teams together online. Send each team member the login link and when you expect them to be on screen, and away you go. You can share your screen, connect on video for a face-to-face feel, or even mute teams if they need to keep working while listening to your message.

Skype is another great tool for connecting virtually. This offers the same features (albeit a little less robust) as GoToMeeting, without the price tag.

3. Share the Big Picture

IT teams tend to focus on problem solving. It’s rare they’re in the trenches with the overall strategy of the business, and that could be a lost opportunity. By looping them in via your customer relationship management (CRM) tool, you can show the importance of their work in keeping the customers happy and dollars flowing into the business.

Insightly is commonly used by small businesses to manage customer concerns with IT departments. Customer relationships teams connect directly with the people in the IT department who can resolve issues with checking out online, problems with the website, or other IT related difficulties. The IT department can see the conversation and have full insight into what the customer needs fixed. This saves hours eliminating the middleman and getting customers’ needs resolved quickly.

4. Allow Virtual Work

Today’s workforce should be less centered on when and where the person is working but whether the employee is getting the job done. This is especially true in the world of IT.

Most IT jobs can be done virtually, which means you can offer your team a tremendous perk by allowing them to work anywhere. Still, as a business, you want to track what’s happening and how many hours your team is spending on IT tasks.

Toggl is a free tool that can help you see the breakdown in hours for your IT team. Using this tool can help you get deeper insight into your IT member’s day than if he was in your office working. It tracks time spent on specific tasks so you can see exactly what’s draining his hours and assess where he could be better utilized in the company.

Time Savings Starts With Tools

Technology today continues to advance in a way that allows you to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time getting work done. By using these tools in your business, you set your team up to be more productive and more effective without working overtime.

The post 4 Time-Saving Tricks to Manage IT Teams appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Point being: You need to have a great website made by the best Dallas web design company or anywhere else where you prefer. But building a website can be a costly, difficult process if you don’t know what you’re doing, and it’s very easy to wind up with a design you’re unhappy with.

That’s why we’ve put together this simple outline of the basic steps of getting your website off and running. Here are some thing you’ll need to take care of, in the rough order that you’ll probably need to do them.

Finding a domain name

This can be the easiest part of creating the website, or one of the hardest, depending on whether or not the name you’re looking for has already been taken, and whether it has any solid variants.  If neither of those things are an issue, then the process is no more complicated that picking a domain name provider that works for you–from GoDaddy.com to NameCheap.com–and buying it. Usually you can choose to re-up your purchase once every year or every two years.

If many of the names you wanted are taken however, there is another track you can take. The first is to not get a “.com”, but to get something like a “.biz” or a “.org”. Many organizations do this to get the domain name they wanted while only having to change the last portion of the url, and it’s likely to be the most effective way to deal with this issue. Beyond that, you’ll simply have to get creative with your domain until you find one that fits.

Finding a web host

What exactly is a web host? Many people confuse a domain provider with a web host, and while they sometimes overlap, that’s usually not the case.

It’s probably best to explain it like this: The domain name is the name of your storefront. Your online storefront is your website, and the web host is the plot of land your storefront sits on. If this is all sounding confusing, don’t worry. Many web-building platforms now offer to host your site on their servers, or will have an easy way to have your site hosted on someone else’s.

Since you’ll most likely be going this route (it’s the most affordable/easiest for small business), let’s talk about some standard website building platforms.

Choosing a web-building platform

This is arguably the most important part of the process. There are many different platforms available for building a website, and many more people willing to make one for you. How do you pick the best one for your needs?

Well, first things first. No matter whether or not you have someone build your website or you take care of it from scratch, you should be able to easily change basic features on your website without involving someone else. Too often small business owners have someone build their website, only to realize they need to call the programmer every time they want to make a small change because the back-end is a mess, or they just don’t have the basic web skills to make it happen.

If you choose to have someone build your website, don’t be tempted to pick someone who designs decent websites mainly because they are cheap. Many “decent” sites can be a nightmare behind the scenes, and the second most important thing besides an attractive storefront is making sure the back is easy to navigate.

Designing the Website

Once you have your platform picked, now comes the hard work of designing an attractive storefront. This means taking care of everything to the basic design and visual aspects of the site, to how the pages layout, to even creating your logo. Depending on the complexity and how you’re creating the website, it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to get it in a position where it’s user-friendly and ready to go. With the increase in popularity of websites nowadays, more and more businesses are striving to find that expert Website Design Agency that will be able to provide them with a professional-looking website that is sure to catch the attention of clients both old and new. There are lots of different websites popping up the internet and with the demand steadily increasing; competition among all the website design agencies is fierce.

Driving Traffic to the Website

After you’ve done the hard work of getting your website is up and running, it’s time to get people to actually SEE it. There are plenty of ways to do this but the general version is that you’ll be using either organic or paid means to drive traffic.

Some good, low-cost options for driving traffic include advertising/growing social communities, using the google ad network, doing content marketing (i.e. creating your own blogs or other content and promoting it) as well as networking/linking with other complimentary businesses (for instance, if you run a motel, do a cross promotion with a local eatery to encourage your guests to go to and vice versa). You should design a traffic plan that matches the needs of your business, as not all methods will have success depending on what you are.

After all of this, your small business website should be ready for prime-time. If you’re looking for more information on how to drive traffic, take a look at some of our other articles specifically on driving your website traffic.

The post Building a Website from Scratch – 5 Things You Should Know appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Be Part of a Small Business Revolution!

Small Business Revolution was a project started by Deluxe in 2015, aimed at showcasing the stories of 100 exceptional small businesses. The event was held again in 2016 and became even bigger, with a competition where one town would win a $500,000 main street makeover. Wabash, Indiana was crowned the winner, and now Deluxe is sharing a special eight-episode series about the town’s revival! This is certainly an inspirational story, but you will also be happy to know that nominations are now open for the NEXT $500,000 small town, small business boost! Find out more by checking out this article.

Click to read $500,000, 100 Stories, and a Small Business Revolution in Small Town America

It’s Time to Reach More Customers

“The companies that are winning are the companies that know their customers.” That’s a quote from Jamie Domenici, the VP of Product and SMB Marketing at Salesforce. Recently, Ramon Ray interviewed Jamie, who had great advice for small businesses that want to reach more customers. According to Jamie, the three pillars of sales and marketing are Find, Win, and Keep, and you can learn more about that by checking out this article.

Click to read Find, Win, and Keep Customers: 3 Pillars of Sales and Marketing Success

Advice for Startup Software Developers

With apps escalating in popularity, software startups seem to be popping up all over the place. There is fierce competition and only the strongest will survive. Want to make sure your small business is one of them? In this article, Ramon Ray interviews Vinay Pai, the VP of Intuit Developer Relations who shares tips for how to build an ecosystem.

Click to read How to Build a Community of Software Developers: Intuit Exec Shares Success Tips

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Join the Small Business Revolution, Reach Your Customers & More appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

2017 Small Business Marketing Forecast

The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are growing colder, and although we may not want to acknowledge it, 2016 will soon be drawing to a close. In this article, we’re sharing a little of what 2017 holds in the way of small business marketing. It covers 10 of the trends you should look out for – and enough forewarning that you can get ahead of the game today.

Become a Super Boss

A recent Gallup poll found that only 32 percent of American workers are actively engaged at work, while the remaining workers are either not engaged or actively disengaged. You can break the trend in your business by becoming the best boss you can be – one that inspires, leads, and manages workers to be their best. This article explores several things you can do to be a better boss and encourage accountability in the workplace.

Get Going on your Mobile App Startup

The growth of mobile shows no signs of stopping, and research finds that consumers spend 85 percent of their time on smartphones in apps. Could YOU be the next big app developer? If you immediately said no because you don’t know programming and coding, we have news for you: you can indeed follow your dreams into the world of app development – just follow the tips in this article.

An End to Procrastination

It’s the beginning of the week, but if you are like most people, you have already worked a bit of procrastination into your schedule. Whether you’re actively avoiding a task or simply bombarded with other things that seem more important, procrastination can hurt your productivity and your business’s success. In this article, productivity expert Hugh Culver explains how you can lower your procrastination by blocking your time. It’s a simple time management hack that you are sure to love.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Small Business Marketing, Operations, Technology & Lifestyle appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Tips for Improving Your Likability

In this intriguing Smart Hustle interview, Ramon Ray spoke with Dave Kerpen who shared the many ways that becoming more likeable can improve your business – building trust with mentors and business colleagues, developing a company culture that empowers your employees, and listening to your customers so you know what they value and how to help them.

Click to read Dave Kerpen’s 5 Simple Rules for Being More Likable and Successful in Business

Must-Have E-commerce Tools

There are around 110,000 e-commerce stores online. How can you stand out in the crowd and grow a profitable small business? By using the right tools! This article covers six of the most important e-commerce tools that will help your online store run smoothly.

Click to read 6 Essential Tools for Every E-commerce Business

The Importance of Non-Revenue Assets

When asked what drives the value of your business, most small business owners say it is revenue, but in fact, much of the value of your business is locked up in non-revenue assets – whether it is equipment, processes, intellectual property, customers, or something else. These assets are particularly important when selling your business to a strategic buyer, so it is essential that you understand the non-revenue assets that will drive up value. This article shares three tips for doing so.

Click to read The Hidden Value of Your Business in Non-Revenue Assets

Boost Your Startup Valuation

Valuation is essential for startups because it helps build buzz and draw in potential investors and lenders. However, it is now easier than ever to start a business, so competition is fierce. This article teaches you how to guard the value of your startup with three important tips.

Click to read How to Make Waves with a Startup Valuation

At Smart Hustle, we strive to provide tips and insights on all aspects of running a business – advice specifically for small business owners.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Increase Your Likability, E-commerce Tools, and More! appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

New Business Has Slowed? Here’s Why

The key to business growth is acquiring new customers, so if you’ve noticed that things have slowed down, it’s time to take notice. While slow business growth can happen for reasons like an economic downturn, there are often business missteps that are to blame. In this article, sales guru Adrian Miller is sharing five reasons why you might not be seeing the new business you’d like. Figure out which are applicable to your situation, then use her advice to fix it.

Click to read 5 Reasons Why You Might Not Be Winning New Business

Connecting with Customers via Facebook Live

Video marketing is a hot trend right now, but do you know what is even hotter? Live video. The thought of appearing live and unscripted on camera in front of your customers might sound daunting. However, when you understand the benefits of live video (and the fact that your fears are largely exaggerated!), you’ll be ready to take the first step into this promising area of marketing. In this Smart Hustle interview, social media expert Kim Garst shares the benefits of Facebook Live and five tips that will calm your fears and get you prepared for your first live video.

Click to read 5 Tips for Using Facebook Live to Get Closer to Your Customers

Enhance Your IT Security Today

A sobering statistic for you: in a recent survey of 500 IT professionals, 30 percent said they believe there is nothing they can do to protect the security of their company. If you’ve ever felt the same way, it’s time to eradicate that self-defeating thought and take charge because you definitely CAN improve IT security at your business! In this article, cloud service LogMeIn is sharing four simple things you can do to greatly enhance the security of your company.

Click to read How to Improve IT Security in Four Simple Steps

So what is troubling you these days? Winning new business and sales? Forming better relationships with your customers? The security of your business data? These articles are sure to help, and for more tips and advice, catch new content over at SmartHustle.com.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Winning New Business, Facebook Live & IT Security appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Benefits of Mentorship for Small Business Owners

As a small business owner, you are already quite busy. Should you make time for mentorship? Is it really that important? If you want to succeed, the answer is yes. This article shares three important areas where a business mentor can help you learn and grow – a true eye opener for those of us who tend to do things on our own.

Click to read Don’t Go It Alone: How Having a Business Mentor Can Change Your Business

Tips for Attracting Mentors

A mentor is typically someone who is a ‘step ahead’ of you in the business world – they’ve been through it all and have lived to tell the tale. But how can you appeal to someone who is obviously very busy and get them to share their time and experience with you? The answer is by being a good mentee. In this article, guest contributor Ella Rucker shares five ways you can become a mentee that your ideal mentor cannot refuse.

Click to read 5 Smart Ways to Maximize Your Potential for a Business Mentor

Business Growth Tips from GlambitiousIAM.com

Glambitious I Am is an innovative network for female entrepreneurs who have a diverse set of professional experiences and are eager to share their advice with others. In this article, six members of the “Glambitious Power Circle” contributed their top tips for business growth. It’s no surprise that mentorship made the list (“Join a Group of Like-Minded Entrepreneurs” and “Find an Accountability Partner”), but to see what else made the list, you’ll have to read the full article.

Click to read 10 Business Growth Tips from the Glambitious Power Circle

An Inside Look at Entrepreneur Ramon Ray

Ramon Ray, Editor of Smart Hustle Magazine, is used to being the one who interviews others. In this twist, Ramon finds himself at the other end of the interview table! Zev Asch, President of Ledaza, sits down with Ramon to ask him about his entrepreneurial journey and other personal questions, like his biggest wins and mistakes, and who inspires him the most.

Click to read Zev Asch Interviews Smart Hustle Magazine Editor Ramon Ray: What the Entrepreneurial Journey Is Really About

The four articles listed above all have a common theme: mentorship. Having other entrepreneurs around you who inspire and push you is an important part of running a small business. In fact, we felt so strongly about this that we created the Smart Hustle Community to help business owners network and learn from each other! Check out the community here, and for more great articles, head over to SmartHustle.com.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: The Power of Business Mentorship appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What’s a small business owner to do?

If you’ve rode this roller coaster before, you have likely realized that you must take a slightly different approach depending on the season. While you always want to provide customers with a pleasant and positive experience, each season requires its own unique spin on promotions and marketing in order to lure shoppers into your store, whether physical or online.

In a recent article on The Business Journals titled How Staples Helps This Retailer Weather the Doldrums after Holiday-Sales Rush, I read about how one company uses Staples Print and Marketing Services to adapt to the seasons and give customers a positive experience.

A wise small business owner knows the value of planning in advance. Check out The Business Journals’ article to learn how a fellow business owner relies on Staples to boost sales through the holiday season and beyond. It is sure to spark some creative ideas for how your business can successfully ride the holiday sales roller coaster too.

This article was written in partnership with Staples; however, all opinions and experiences expressed are my own.

The post How to Ride Holiday Sales Through January and Beyond appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Businesses large and small love free marketing, where customers are willing and eager to sing your praises based on the positive experiences they’ve had with your company. But besides just providing great products and services, how do you drum up word-of-mouth marketing? This article explores five actionable things you can do to get more people talking about your business.

Click to read 5 Ways to Get People to Talk about Your Business

Instagram for Business

As a newer social media platform, Instagram still has many business owners scratching their heads. How exactly do you use a platform that focuses on pictures and hashtags to grow customers and awareness? The launch of “Instagram Stories” is actually opening up new marketing potential for small businesses, provided you know how to use it. This article explains what Instagram Stories is and how you can leverage it for your biz.

Click to read How to Market Your Business with Instagram Stories

Small Business Video Marketing Ideas

If you follow marketing tips, advice and news, then chances are that you run into the subject of video marketing all the time. Unfortunately, many small businesses aren’t sure where to get started. We’ve covered basic tips in other articles, but this one gives you specific videos you could create to promote your business, including new product teasers, customer feedback, and more. It is sure to give you some great ideas to help create your first marketing video.

Click to read 6 Engaging Video Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

Bonus Article: Must-Have Financial Roles

As promised, we also wanted to share an informative article for business owners who feel like they already have control over their marketing – and who couldn’t use a finance lesson now and again? This article, written by finance expert Jonathan Ankney, covers the three financial roles that you must have for your small business – and what happens if one of these crucial roles is missing.

Click to read 3 Financial Roles Every Business Needs to Maximize Success

Smart Hustle readers asked for more marketing articles, and we have been happy to deliver pieces on word-of-mouth marketing, Instagram, videos and more. What other topics would you like to see us cover on Smart Hustle? See what’s available on SmartHustle.com then share your opinion over at the Smart Hustle Community.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Marketing via Word-Of-Mouth, Instagram Stories, and Videos appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Protecting Your Small Business from Security Threats

Hackers are becoming more sophisticated, and new threats are popping up every day. How can you keep your small business safe? In this interview with Norman Guadagno from Carbonite, Norman shares three small steps any small business owner can take to prevent security threats including viruses, malware, ransomware, and hacking attempts.

Click to read How Small Business Can Prevent and Recover from Security Threats: An Interview with Norman Guadagno

Generating Buzz with Your Branding

Branding is one of the most important elements of creating a successful small business. Can customers immediately recognize you when they glance at your logo? How do you set yourself apart from the competition? What sort of conversations are customers having about your brand? This article shares five secrets of becoming a brand that people love and want to talk about it.

Click to read How to Develop a Brand People Will Love to Talk About

Selling Your Home-Based Business

When we think of selling a business, many of us picture a business that has a physical location in which the keys are literally passed on to the new owner. However, many small businesses in the United States are home-based. Is it possible to tell a home-based business too? Yes! This article covers some of the basics of selling a business as well as factors that are unique to home-based businesses. Follow these tips and you’ll be prepared to sell when the timing is right.

Click to read How to Successfully Sell Your Home-Based Business

The articles above will give you a lot to think about, whether it is protecting yourself against security threats, improving your branding, or preparing to sell your small home-based business. For other intriguing discussions on topics like operations, finance, marketing, technology, and sales, head over to SmartHustle.com to get the scoop.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Security Threats, Branding, and More! appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Using Google Analytics to Track Social Campaigns

Even though there are several social media management tools, the richness of Google Analytics reports make it ideal for tracking your social campaigns. Did you know that you can use Google Analytics to track network referrals, conversions, landing pages, and social plugins? This article tells you how to get started with Google Analytics, set up goals, and five top Google Analytics reports to look at to understand how your social media campaigns are going.

Click to read How to Track Social Media Analytics with Google Analytics