Successful Blog

Build a Foundation that Will Grow with You

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Like love, the course of running a successful business never did run smoothly.

Chalk it up to the sheer number of variables – on both a macro and a micro level – that a business has to deal with. Regardless of how much time and effort you pour into planning things out, success is never going to be linear. Instead, it’s dotted with peaks and troughs, twists and turns. And those peaks and troughs can seem magnified unless your business is agile and flexible enough to handle change with aplomb.

That flexibility and agility is rarely a happy accident, but rather the result of hiring a freelance risk management consultant and a concerted effort to build a foundation that is able to adapt as circumstances change and your business grows.

Here are three essential skills you’ll need to ensure your foundation is one that can grow as your business does.

Take your brand identity seriously

Your brand is your biggest asset. Creating a recognizable brand identity is key to everything: Rankings, conversions and sales.

The first step is investing time and effort into finding a name that sticks in mind, creates niche associations and is fun to brand. From there create a cool logo, color scheme and design. This company name generator will help with all of that:

Learn how to build the right team

We all know that finding the right talent is a crucial aspect of building a successful business. However, when you’re starting out and don’t have the resources and skills of an immense HR department at your disposal, it can be difficult to know how to find – and retain – the best of the best.

One thing that tends to trip up small or new businesses is the belief that the only way to attract top talent is with top dollars – something that your business just might not have yet. However, a survey by Flexjobs found that, of the 1500 people surveyed, 20% of those would be willing to take a 10% pay cut in favor of flexibility in working conditions, and 22% would be willing to forego health benefits.

Ultimately, building a great team doesn’t mean hiring those with the most prestigious qualifications, or spending big on salaries. Instead, place your energies into two areas: building flexibility into the roles you create so you can be sure to attract great talent, and hiring staff who are a good personality and culture fit. Adopt a virtual phone system to keep your team always connected, even if they are on the move. Use collaboration platforms to foster knowledge exchange.

Learn to compartmentalize

In the early days of your business, you’re probably going to be wearing a lot of hats. Depending on the nature and scope of your business, you may be salesperson, bookkeeper, marketing manager, customer service rep and director, all at once. And when you’re performing multiple roles at once, it can be hard to separate them out once the time comes to hire help.

What you need to do is compartmentalize. For each role you’re performing, determine the core activities and tasks that define that role. As your business grows, you’ll add more and more tasks to that list, which will make writing position descriptions when you’re ready to hire staff infinitely easier.

This advice also comes in handy when you, inevitably, need to work on separating your work and your personal life. If you’re juggling, say, being a parent and running your own business, you may want to take the time to write out the tasks you perform as a parent, and those you perform as a business owner. That way, you can assess whether you’re focusing on the right things at the right time.

Learn to document your processes

In almost all fledgling businesses, there’s a great deal of tacit knowledge – that is, information, processes or procedures that are undocumented. For example, you may know how to update your website, or change the outgoing voicemail message, or which suppliers can deliver at short notice.

Relying on tacit knowledge, however, leaves your business vulnerable. The director of a company I used to work for was inordinately fond of asking his employees, ‘What if you get hit by a bus tomorrow? Will anyone know how to do your job?’

It’s a valid – if morbid – point

Documenting processes, while time-consuming and frankly a little dull, is crucial to the success of your business. Keeping in-depth, up-to-date documentation on processes and procedures (you can find an easy 10-step method for documentation here) makes coping with change and growth a far less stressful experience.

It also means that, when things go wrong, you can easily backtrack and ascertain where things went wrong.

Image: Pixabay

Lay the Best Foundation for Your Business

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Starting a new business is both exciting and daunting at the same time. Any budding entrepreneur will likely be full of energy at the beginning and at the same time, scared of any possible pitfalls.

It is an emotional time and the wave of energy and determination must be directed towards productivity.

The first 100 days of your new business, commencing on the day you commit yourself to turn that wonderful idea of yours to a reality, need to be spent wisely on tasks that would eventually be your basis of reference for the next months and years to come.

It is therefore necessary and vital that you do the steps correctly and timely to give yourself a head start and get the ball and momentum rolling.

Here are some guidelines on what to do once you have commitment to bring that bright idea of yours into a money making venture.

Create a Business Plan

You may think yourself as a genius but it is still important to write the things down associated with your business idea and formulate a plan . Tackle the basics first, figure out your core business, your competitive advantage, narrow your target market, sort out a general marketing plan, work on the finances.

Seek a second opinion from a trusted friend or a business mentor once you’ve made a plan and be open to their insights. In the course of writing down your thoughts, you’ll discover the philosophy you want to adopt when doing your business. Perhaps you can write that down into a mission vision statement.

A good plan may just be the key to your success so check and review your plan very well, take your time. It is better not to rush this part as the opposite may cause you trouble in the long run. Use this time to think about the organizational chart as well.

And once your business has started, it is wise to refer to the original plan once in a while to assure you are on the right track. And should you need to revise some items due to different market conditions and other factors.

Select a Good Company Name

At this modern times, not only should you make your business name unique and catchy. You also need to consider a matching domain name and whether it is still available.

Likewise, the email addresses to use which normally bears the business name too. All these online labeling should not be too long or complicated.

And since most businesses nowadays need an online presence in order to thrive, you need to submit your name to Google to index your website. Then there are business cards, brochures and invoices which may require a logo.

That is why the right company name must me chosen as a lot relies on it. You can refer to your business plan for inspiration.

Register Your Business

To formally mark the first step of probably the most important project in your life, register your business at to the proper government department.

Gather all the requirements to guarantee that your work is legit and is open for business. Once registered, you are able to casually market your business to friends and family.

And hopefully they will spread the word that will reach potential customers who may just give you a call soon and just in time when you are all settled down and ready.

If you are into local business, make sure to verify your business with Google Local, Bing Local as well as most important local directories like Yelp and DirJournal. This will ensure your business will be visible to your customers on maps as well as drive traffic to your site.

You don’t have to go local, of course. Thanks to the Internet and Cloud PBX, any business can go global.

Determine the Type of Business

With a business plan at hand, you can determine what type of business will work best. You can opt for a sole trading or a partnership depending on the situation you are in. Picking the right structure will impact the way you do business.

So read up on the difference, advantages and disadvantages of each. Know what are the legal repercussions and what extra work or insurance you may need to take as a result of your choice.

When in doubt, consult a business adviser or ask a local government department for further information. You cannot afford to miss out any important details.

Set up the Foundation

What’s your initial investment is going to be?

Common startup costs include:

  • Incorporation fees: Under $300
  • Marketing: 0% to 10% of total budget
  • Website: About $40 per month
  • Insurance: An average of $1,200 per year
  • Taxes: Variable, but 21% corporate tax rate

You may be able to save here and there. For example, you can save money by hiring a digital marketing company that’s located outside of the United States.

Keep the Faith

Have faith in the process and do not give up should you encounter any pitfalls. Learn from your mistakes and do it all over again.

Customers will not be lining up right away unless you are giving out scrumptious hotcakes. It will take time and a lot of effort on your part to finally make your mark on your niche and for people to take notice of you.

Keep a positive outlook and always observe quality of your service to keep the customers satisfied and coming back for more.

How to Generate Online Leads for Your Local Business

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I was thinking the other day about lead lists. Do you remember those? They were lists compiled by marketing or sales agencies, occasionally by individuals, then sold.

The idea was to have a huge list of potential customers right there at your fingertips, cutting out the work involved in generating your own leads.

Unfortunately these lists were sold to everyone who searched for them, making them an over-saturated collection of names and email addresses that did more harm than help.

The truth is that lead generation takes effort. We can’t take shortcuts and expect results, because the process of finding leads is such an important and necessary part of the overall process.

Does that mean we can’t find ways to do it a little more efficiently? Not at all!

Set up your site

It is astounding how many local businesses still have no websites to link to from their Google Local or Yelp profile pages.

In any digital marketing strategy starting a website is fundamental to any business.

Use this cool brand name generator to set up your brand identity and go from there!

namify

Utilize other forms of media

Take your time to make the most of your social media profiles:

  • Add your address and phone number wherever you can!
  • Keep your response time prime. On business pages there is a little box by the Send a Message option that states how long pages respond. You want yours to be immediate. So make sure you are keeping up on those direct messages.
  • Take advantage of pinned posts. You can pin a post to the top of your page, where every other post will fall underneath it without dislodging its spot. That allows you to provide a message to everyone who visits your page… like maybe a CTA to visit your site?
  • Use GREAT branded images. People can sometimes skimp out on adapted logo images for social sites. You need to go the extra mile here and make sure it is the highest possible quality. There are a variety of WordPress plugins which you can use for that. Colorlib has a great collection of those!

But don’t just stop there: Integrate your online and offline marketing efforts whenever you can. It is shocking to see how effective TV and radio ads can be on a local level. If you happen to be in a position to run ads, or you have been already, put your URL in there, then mention your social media pages.

Make sure it is all very easy to remember, though! No one is going to visit if your URL or social media tags are overly complicated.

Create an app that can be used both online and in stores

Apps are pretty much the standard these days, as it is rare to come across someone who doesn’t have a smartphone. Even brands like McDonald’s have created apps, which allow people to order food in ahead of arriving, or use QR code coupons to take advantage of deals you can’t find anywhere else.

Having an app that can be used both in and out of physical stores nicely ties together those leads, while giving you a goldmine of customer information that normally you would have to pay a marketing agency to find for you.

Find other local businesses to cross-promote with

There is a restaurant that also has a food truck that sells to local businesses during lunch time, traveling from lot to lot for fifteen minute intervals. They also have a static location that is mostly ignored.

In order to improve their sales at the actual restaurant they teamed up with a local brewery that creates craft lagers that have been growing in popularity. They offer half-off appetizers with the purchase of one of these beers, at one per table.

The brewery also offers this promotion on their end. You can pick up a coupon from their on-site store for the half off appetizer when you go into the shop. That way people don’t have to buy the beer during their meal but can still get the benefit.

All of this is promoted – you guessed it – online. It is a great example of how you can integrate cooperative strategies both online and offline for the mutual benefit of both brands.

Other businesses are looking for the same chance for backlinks that you are. Cross promotion can be a great way to get that. Say you own a bike shop that is known for bikes of all types and purposes. In your city there is another shop that is known for outdoors gear like tents, hiking boots, etc.

You two can combine forces to offer discounts for goods at one another’s store, or perhaps come up with a bundle package that appeals to mountain bikers. Post about this cross promotion on social media and one another’s websites for some powerful backlinks that also lets you each target one another’s established audience.

Use local directories to find those local businesses to partner with!

Inject yourself into local communities

A nearby Atheist group was looking for local sponsors to provide event spaces and items for their community get-togethers, parties and charity galas. About a dozen local companies obliged and have given food, merchandise and free use of business space for parties.

Every time an event is hosted these companies are named as sponsors online through social media, newsletter emails, on their official site and during reviews. This is a great opportunity for online presence building for those businesses and that is resulting in an increase in the local companies getting involved.

Local communities of all types are a perfect platform for visibility, while building a feeling of goodwill with local customers. Many of those businesses also gained lifelong customers. One local burger joint providing food for the past several events have credited that particular organization for an almost doubling of their weekly sales!

Small businesses have a great advantage of using online marketing these days! So don’t neglect those opportunities!

Image source: Pixabay

How to Build up Your Career by Showing Off Your Uniqueness

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How to Build up Your Career by Showing Off Your UniquenessYou have probably read every online article and magazine tip rundown on getting an employers attention that has been written in the last several years. I know that I have.

But I have noticed that the same advice is constantly given: firm handshake, eye contact, seem relaxed but diligent, remain pleasant but not too casual, ask questions about the job, etc. What they fail to mention is how to show that you are better for a position than all of the other people using the same tactics.

That is always the problem that people forget when it comes to interviews or applications, whether in the workforce or freelance. It isn’t about impressing with confidence, at least not that alone. It is about making it clear that you have something that you can bring to the table that no one else can. In the end, what you are selling is your uniqueness.

Finding Your Unique Abilities

Being clear with someone else is impossible if you don’t first know what you have yourself. Before you present your application to a client or employer, you need to take some time to list all of those special things that make you you. What can you bring to the job that no one else can? What make you unique? What qualities do you possess that they should come to appreciate and rely on?

This can be anything that is listed as a skill, talent or personality trait. If you are dedicated, tell them so. Reliable and upbeat, tenacious when dealing with a problem, or just pleasant to work with. When listing skills, be explicit but honest. Don’t say that you can type 90 words per minute if you mean 60. Don’t say you can take on more work than is realistic. Never lie about work you never did. The trick is to impress them with real qualities you possess.

Set up Your Digital Identity

Having your own site is so important because people will be able to find you and discover everything that you do.

Namify is a great site that will allow you to generate a business name representing your expertise. The tool will also help you create your logo and define your visual brand identity.

Namify

Showing Off Your Uniqueness

Everything you say will need to be proven. Some of it will be over time (such as with your personality traits), but some can be shown easily right away. Some ways you can do this are:

  • References to past clients or employers.
  • Websites that you have designed.
  • Articles that you have written have ownership of or a byline attached to.
  • A description of a former job or project.
  • Screen caps, copies, prints of samples of a completed work.
  • Your business communication practices that includes a professional email signature and a business email address
  • An online or physical portfolio.
  • A networking profile with connected employers and clients, such as LinkedIn.
  • Providing a discounted or free sample in the genre of their choice.

Keep track of your notable mentions and achievements and monitor influencers in your niche. Use a solid monitoring dashboard to keep yourself motivated and updated. Cyfe can be set up to monitor your niche influencers and career opportunities: Set it up to see your dream companies’ updates on Twitter, monitor their employeers and official hashtags and more:

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Read more about using Twitter for career building here

As Content Mart rightfully put it,

You only have one first chance to make one first impression that lasts a lifetime.

Filling in the Details

If you have stories of past projects or jobs that went well, have a couple of stories ready to regale them with. If it is related to the position you are applying for, all the better. Just make sure to be honest, never embellish the details, and be specific.

If you are asked to explain why a position ended, such as being fired, quitting or being laid off, be open about the details. Never point the finger of blame and be gentle with your explanation. If you made a mistake own up to it, but tell them how you learned from the experience and it will help you in your future endeavors.

Giving these details can be highly beneficial. It paints a more complete picture of who you are, and can help them to build trust while getting to know why you are the best person for the job.

Always Seek Opportunities for Personal Growth

These days you have so many opportunities for professional growth, it’s crazy! The best part is, you don’t have to leave your home to get a new degree or get certified.

Check out sites like Udemy for a variety of courses, Lynda and many more.

For a huge variety of professional online courses, Southern Cross University Online is one of the best options.

Showing You Have What it Takes

When it comes to a job in the workforce, you are usually safe with being direct about past experiences. They can fill in the blanks by speaking to people who you worked for in the past, contacting references and asking questions. But when you are a freelancing looking for contracts or minor projects, you have to show them a different way.

What you should do is come up with examples of how you worked through other projects. The areas you want to focus on are your reliability, your ability to work to deadline and how you can solve problems on your own. These are all very important on independent contracts, as you are completely responsible for everything from the beginning to the final product.

Freelance or Workforce, Show You’re Unique!

In the end, you are showing that you are special, you have what it takes to get the job done better than anyone else, and you can deliver results. This is all based on you being unique, and so you should always show how those qualities that make you you are the ones that will get things completed the right way.

If you are able to get that across, then there is nothing you cannot achieve.

Image source: Pixabay

How to Know if Your Marketing Strategy is Working

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It’s easy to be impatient, but you know you can’t expect to see amazing results from your marketing strategy overnight.

Results take time, but as a small business, you don’t have a lot of time to waste. This creates a dilemma – how long do you wait things out before making changes?

Your success is riding on a steady incline on your income graph. It won’t be too fast, but it can’t be too slow. Changing up your marketing because you aren’t getting immediate results can potentially drive you into debt.

The trick is looking at the numbers, knowing what to expect, and understanding the impacts that small tweaks can make when they’re enacted at the right time.

Keep an inquiring mind

Many businesses use survey questions with their customers. Large businesses tend to offer small rewards for feedback, but that may not be feasible for your small business. Try offering one prize through a feedback based raffle.

There is a core question you want to ask to measure your marketing success, and it’s a simple one: How did you hear about us?

This one is self-explanatory. If your customers are referring to your advertising, you know it’s reaching at least some of your desired market. Get to know this market, and tailor your marketing towards this group for maximum success.

Get smart with analytics

Analytics are useless if you don’t know how to read them. These figures, especially with social media and tracked advertisement, mean the world. It doesn’t matter how many people you’re reaching if you aren’t engaging with them.

Comments and interactions are what actually signify that your marketing plan is working. Hire a reputable digital marketing agency to help you set up your analytics and figure out the reports.

If you aren’t getting an active response, it’s time to change the way you handle your interactive platforms.

A business assessment will help you re-asses what you are doing now and come up with a better plan.

Measure your plans against your goals

You’re going to have no idea whether something is a hit or a miss unless you have a direct goal you intend to use as a measurement of your success. Before you start marketing, know what you’re trying to accomplish.

Maybe you want to see a ten percent revenue increase at the peak of your marketing campaign. Maybe you want to recruit 30 new valuable customers within the first half of your ad outreach.

Keep modest goals, but always know what exactly you’re looking for as an indication that things are going according to plan.

Make sure your demographic matches your platforms

Where are you advertising? How are you advertising? Who are you advertising to? If your advertisement is geared in areas where your target customers aren’t likely to see it, things aren’t going to work out in your favor.

Using web forms to collect your users’ feedback is a great way to find out if you are giving them everything they need. There’s an easy web form builder for you use for those purposes.

Minimal response may not be the result of a slow trickle of new customers, but instead the result of your desired customers missing your advertisement entirely. Know your demographic.

Understand how they want to observe and interact with marketing. If you’re looking for customers in all the wrong places, your return is going to be as small as possible.

If you find yourself in a marketing slump, it’s time to try something different. You need to make sure your new strategy is the right kind of different, instead of merely something else.

Look at your competitors and weigh their success against yours. Marketing success is a game of innovation, so sharpen your wits and get in the game.

Image source: Pixabay

How to Store, Publicize and Market Your Family Memories

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When someone starts talking about priorities, they usually list family right at the top. Every single day you are creating memories with your family that you will forever cherish.

If you are like many others, sharing these moments brings nearly as much joy as experiencing them!

With all of the advances in today’s technology, the web is the best resource for keeping a record of your family’s precious time together, whether through blogging or online scrapbooking via your personal website.

The first step is picking a domain name. This could be your surname, a phrase that means something special to your family, or even the names of your two crazy cats. Here are a few fun tips to pick a great family-related domain name.

Namify is a great site to check if you are trying to find a cool blog name:

Once you have purchased your domain name, you will need to find a hosting plan that fits your needs. Here is another useful resource to help you pick a cheap yet reliable hosting plan. Here are a few trusted shared hosting providers to choose from. Both of these steps are inexpensive and easy to complete.

Blogging

Some people seem to be intimidated by the thought of blogging, while others blog every minor detail of their life. There is no right or wrong approach. A blog is a great way to digitally capture your family’s most important moments.

You can write about:

  • Holiday get-togethers
  • Family vacations
  • Day-to-day life
  • The crazy antics of your toddler
  • The massacre the dog left in your laundry room
  • How your husband attempted to put new gutters on the house

Think you don’t have the time to blog? You can update a blog in less time than it takes to write a journal entry. There is also the added benefit of having friends subscribe to your blog instead of inundating you with calls about what you have been up to and who is hosting the Memorial Day barbeque this year.

It’s all right there at the click of a mouse. If you are interested in promoting your blog beyond your friends and families, here are a few marketing resources from @dirjournal to read to learn the trick!

Online Scrapbooking

Online scrapbooking is an enjoyable way to share and preserve favorite photos. Scrapbooking has really caught on over the last few years, but it takes a lot of time. There are materials to purchase, you need an area to work in, cleanup is a hassle, and if you make a mistake, it often can’t be undone.

Online scrapbooking doesn’t have to cost money. There are plenty of free downloads available – such as background templates, clip art, and special fonts. You can design scrapbook pages for any occasion, adding as much artistic flair as you want. The benefits of online scrapbooking go beyond clicking the ”undo” button to fix a mistake; unlike a regular scrapbook page, digital pictures will not fade, fall apart, or get lost in a box.

Twenty or thirty years down the road, all of this information will still be available right at your fingertips. Digital memory preservation keeps your treasured moments frozen in time. The internet is here to stay and it will only become better in the future. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about records stored on paper. Begin keeping your family memories online, where they will be available to enjoy for generations to come.