Professionalisms
How To Convert Your Innovation Into A Running Business
Saad Amanullah Khan, author of "It's Business, It's Personal: From Setting a Vision to Delivering it Through Organizational Excellence" says one of the greatest challenges any start-up, entrepreneur or an existing business can face is how to convert their innovation or unique idea into an actual running, profitable and sustainable business.
5 Ways Artists Can Work Like Entrepreneurs
“How am I going to make a creative living and a life?” is a question that can be daunting for artists, writers, performers and musicians at all stages in their careers, whether just starting out fresh, mid-career, or choosing to focus on artistic work full time after a lifetime of balancing it with other jobs. Laura Zabel, founder of Creative Exchange shares a toolkit that can help.
Sales Success Begins And Ends With Engagement
As a sales leader, Kurt Bilafer's professional life is filled with quotas, metrics and dashboards. But if the Global Vice President Sales & Success at WePay had to pick just one thing he's optimizing for, it would be engagement.
Creating Brand Ambassadors From Within
Creating brand ambassadors from within your company will not only boost employee morale and get them excited about a re-brand, but it also works to engage clients and inform potential clients about the company’s new direction, insists Brandon Moxam, Director of Brand Development at U.S. Lawns.
How To Lose Email Subscribers In 10 Days Or Less
When deciding how to organically build your list, marketers go back and forth between the single or double opt-in methods. John Thies, CEO and co-founder of Email on Acid says they practice the double opt-in method in their lead generation efforts and it has worked well for them.
Five Small Innovations That Can Make A Big Difference In Your Company
An innovation can be a revamped business process or a tweak to a manufacturing technique or a change in the way you work with a supplier — as long as it adds to customer value, it counts, says Patrick Stroh, author of "Business Strategy: Plan, Execute, Win!" and "Advancing Innovation". He shares five small innovations that can make a big difference in your company.
What Do A Company’s Core Values Say About Its Culture?
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to creating the right company culture. However, defining your values that will be the building blocks for your culture early on is integral to the future success of your company, particularly as it achieves new stages of growth, says Amy Zimmerman, Global Head of People at Kabbage.
4 Major Mistakes Established Companies Make
There are common, detrimental characteristics present in many established companies that seem to evolve over time — even though no one in these companies has set forth an explicit strategy or plan to create them. Steven D. Goldstein, author of “Why Are There Snowblowers in Miami?“ points out four major mistakes most traditional companies make.
Why Every Business Needs To Become A Platform, And How To Do It
Although on the surface these companies appear to have completely different business models, they all share one very powerful component: a scalable online platform connecting people and ecosystems. Kurt Bilafer, Global Vice President Sales & Success at WePay says businesses can evolve to become a platform company by thinking about their business through these three lenses.
Money Management Tips For Virtual Assistants & Small Business Owners
Smart business owners know the importance of good money management and apply tactics in their business to actually help them. Diana Ennen and Kelly Poelker, co-authors of “Virtual Assistant, The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA“ shares some tips to help.
Don’t Miss Your Window Of Opportunity
If you are looking for new opportunities to market your business, the answer may be right in front of you. Your store window opens a pathway to get your message to consumers on a daily basis and should be used as a promotional tool for your business, says Lea Schneider.
5 Ways To Unleash Your Creativity Through Humor
Through comedy’s many forms, we can infuse a variety of influences into the creative approach we take when solving problems, writing content and promoting new ideas. Will Becker, Copywriter & Social Content Strategist at Trepoint shares five simple practices to help you unlock and unleash your creative skill sets through humor.
Fail To Plan, Plan To Fail: Designing An Implementation Process
Every business venture needs a solid plan to gain success. It is especially true during the initial stages of incorporation that a good solid plan is in place. If no plan is in place, your venture has minimal chances of succeeding.
Five Powerful Tools For Tough Negotiations
Whether you’re trying to work out the terms of a sale, a contract or a job, preparing yourself for the hardball tactics employed by opposing sides can help you avoid an impasse and bring a good deal safely home. Prof. Deepak Malhotra, author of the bestselling book "Negotiating the Impossible" shares 5 ways to avoid the hardballs (or make a hit when they’re hurled).
Do Small Businesses Need SEO Services?
Due to the evolving nature of SEO, keeping up with the latest changes is a full-time commitment that would take you away from your primary concerns. This is why you need to find an SEO expert no matter how small your company, says On Yavin, founder and CEO of Online Performance.
Connecting With Customers
There are three ways to find out what your customers want, feel, and think: through phone interaction, field trips or onsite visits, and by being your own customer. Steven D. Goldstein, author of "Why Are There Snowblowers in Miami?" talks us through those three ways.
The True Cost Of Poor Leadership
Bad leadership can be the result of insufficient training, an inadequate understanding of the business, and weak management skills. So, what exactly is bad leadership costing your business and what can be done to safeguard against it?Will Bridges, HR Consultant at Unum, explores.
How Video Conferencing Can Take Your Business To The Next Level
As your business grows, the need for video conferencing across multiple sites becomes essential. Having the right solution in place can help take your business to new highs and keep a healthy spirit of collaboration alive and well. Nicole Swartwout, partner at CallTeks shares a few ways your business can make the most of the benefits of video conferencing without burning out your IT department.
Why 2016 Will Be A Turning Point For Startups And Other Software And Tech...
With tax filing deadlines right around the corner, and with tax planning still on everyone’s mind, alliantgroup Senior Associate Director Margorie McLenan believes now would be the perfect time to remind entrepreneurs and executives in the software and tech space of an opportunity that could be the difference in ensuring the future success of their businesses.
Don’t Let Slow Load Times Limit Your Potential
An e-commerce website earns or loses business in part based on how quickly it responds. So how do you ensure that your e-commerce site runs at optimal speed while still delivering the graphics-intensive experience that sells your product? Josh Hatfield, Senior Manager, Digital & Cloud Sales at Hostway Services, Inc. highlights five elements to consider to get the most speed out of your e-commerce site.
Cleanliness Starts At The Top: How You Can Keep A Tidy Business
cleanliness doesn't just impact a customer's perception of a business — it also has a direct impact on the business as a whole. Cris Burnam, president of StorageMart shares six ways cleanliness can lay the foundation for business success.
The Power of “Old School” Service: Four Reasons Your Business Should Bring It Back
Companies are more tech-savvy than ever, but customers still crave old-fashioned service (albeit with a modern spin). Customer experience thought leader Joseph Michelli says that if you want your organization to thrive, you'd better go retro in your service delivery.
When Security Can Become Your Business Differentiator, Everybody Wins
Many of the most exciting and innovative solutions to current cyber security problems are being produced by small and medium sized businesses, Mark Seward, VP of security solutions at Anomali asserts.
3 Tips To Overcome Go-To-Market Obstacles
Throughout his entrepreneurial journeys, co-founder and CEO of SteadyServ Technologies Steve Hershberger has found that there is a rule of three, or a three “phase gate” process he has followed that has allowed him to conquer the impossibilities in each new business venture.
Why Your Staff Must Love Customers
Your front line staff are there to ensure that every time a customer interacts with your business, the experience is good. And that means a culture of ‘loving the customer’ must be inherent in every successful organisation. Ian Cowley, managing director of cartridgesave.co.uk shares his top tips for creating a customer-friendly culture.
How To Be A Successful Consultant
Being a self-employed consultant is quite different from working as a team at a regular job. The work functions are not distinctly demarcated and an independent consultant takes up the entire gamut of client requirements right from acquiring them to understanding their requirements and fulfilling their needs. Anand Srinivasan, founder of LeadJoint.com shares some ways to bridge this gap and become successful as a consultant.
6 Tips For Business Branding Success
Business branding images make an emotional connection with prospective clients. If you succeed in doing this, you will not only improve your reputation or sales, you will also win their loyalty, says Zahrina Robertson, author of "Magnetic Branding: The Complete Guide for a Brand that Attracts".
The Power Of Mind Mapping In Decision Making
Mind maps can help you visualize and document all connected information to a decision, and will guide your analysis of the situation, with clear documentation of pros, cons, risks, resources and outcomes. Joel Roberts of Seavus shares more.
4 Reasons Potential Customers Don’t Trust Your Website
If you are running a website and you are afraid that it is driving away potential customers, Cameron Johnson highlights four reasons why this could be happening.
Why Content Marketing Evaluation Should Start With A Good Plan And Research
Evaluating your content marketing efforts starts the moment you decide to launch content marketing, says Kim Keller, APR, content marketing specialist with Wasp Barcode Technologies.