Is the Business Card Close to Extinction?

SAN DIEGO, CA - FEBRUARY 5: Job searcher Gen... 

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Staying up to date on market trends while trying to predict what will work best for your business is a clever skill to develop. Many companies, from small ventures to corporate conglomerates, are wired and online. Business marketing takes on a whole new life.  Are classic methods of advertising dwindling into the past? Let’s look at the business card today.

Technology is always advancing. When a new form of an old method is revealed, the significance of the previous one is questioned. For instance, now that texting and social networking is rising, people wonder if email is the dinosaur online. There was a time when a handshake and card exchange provided an invaluable self promotion tool. Currently, many people open their laptops to connect both socially and professionally.  Often their first line of self promotion is a carefully created profile, in tandem with clever Tweets.

There are mixed feeling as to whether cards are obsolete. Digital cards can be sent over email or between cellphones. The iPhone app Bump is a way to send your personal information to someone else via your cellphone. Bump, which has over ten million downloads since last March, was the contact method of choice at the South by Southwest interactive conference in Austin last year.

Maybe going paperless with a digital business card or virtual fist-bump of pertinent information is the path that interpersonal connection is heading down. But for some people, the personal touch of a business card still hold impact. Are business cards dead? Depends on who you talk to. One thing is certain. Looking into modern options can place you up on the game.

 

Filed Under: Business Costs, Corporations Tagged With: , ,

Effective Commodity Trading Strategies

When you enter the world of commodity trading, you really need to have a set trading strategy in order to make money. Within the world of commodity trading there is really only two set and proven strategies – range trading or breakout methodology.

The range trading strategy in commodities is a very common way to trade. With this strategy you will buy stock at the bottom of the range and then sell at the top of the range. When you are buying stock near the bottom of the range you are usually buying stock that has been oversold and is very cheap. You would then turn around and sell and trade commodities online after it has been overbought to make a profit. While this is a great method to follow because it poses little risk; this rarely offers a big reward. You are likely to make money using this strategy but will not make large sums of money using this strategy.

Trading breakouts in commodities mean that you will buy a commodity that has recently reached new highs and sell a commodity that has reached a low. As commodities that are reaching highs and lows are easy to spot when you trade commodities online this is a fairly easy strategy to follow. The proven record behind this trading method is that all commodities will experience highs and lows and you can make money following the trends. The reverse is also true though – you have to be aware of what trends will be happening in the future to keep making money

 

Filed Under: Business Costs Tagged With: , ,

Financing Your Startup

So you want to own a business, do you? Do you really think you have what it takes to build something that will last a long time, make some real changes in this world, and provide people with something great? If you do, you have the cocky streak necessary to start something that could go a long way in this world. If you want to, you might even create a billion dollar business one of these days. But do you really have what it takes to make something that big happen? Unfortunately, most people don’t.

For a lot of people, the idea of chucking it all and going down their own path is just too scary to even think about. For them, the idea of going a week without a steady paycheck because they have to fund the business is enough to make a payday loan seem like the only way they will survive at all. For far too many people, this is the kind of thing that drives them—the fear of being without “a job.”

However, you can potentially rise above this working class mindset, and build something greater than a pension that probably won’t happen. When it comes to financing your startup, you have got to be willing to put everything you have on the line for something you want more than anything. You have to be willing to risk it all for something greater than you have ever imagined. This is one reason why most people fail at business. They are not willing to risk everything for something that may never happen. Are you willing?

Filed Under: Business Costs, Small Business Tagged With: , ,

7 digital friends that your business will need to succeed

Every business needs support, whether it is from a strong workforce or digital applications that can help you manage your processes. There are a wide variety of companies that provide digital solutions to your business needs. Every company these days needs a few select ‘digital friends’ to help it grow and these are some of the best companies out there that can support your firm.

●      Dropbox – This iPhone app allows users to save files onto their own personal computer and then access them remotely via mobile devices. This can be a particularly useful app if you need to read large files on the move that are too big to be emailed.

●      Clockin – An excellent app for freelancers, this service automatically logs the amount of time you spend working for an individual client, helping you keep your invoices accurate and reliable.

●      Echosign – If you need a wide range of digital business solutions, this is the company for you. One of the firm’s most popular pieces of software is its electronic signature service. This allows the remote signing of any digital contract by a user, saving on the cost of printing long documents and then faxing them back. The service can also cut down on administrative costs and save time.

●      iTeleport – Have you ever left your house in a rush and then realized that you left that important presentation on your home computer without bringing a copy with you? This app can solve this problem for you forever! You can use this service to log into your computer from your phone. You will need to set up a security code and password on your computer, but once you have done this, you can save and edit the files that are stored there and send them from your computer to your phone or another destination for use later.

●      BlackBerry Messenger – These days, a BlackBerry is a key purchase for any serious businessman. Being able to keep in contact with your clients on the move is essential for the growth of any firm. This app provides you with an unlimited number of free text messages that can be sent from any BlackBerry user to another – great for keeping in touch with important clients, as well as saving you money!

●      Google Mobile Apps – Google’s services are some of the most used on the market, and this app provides you with mobile access to its most popular features. Using this, you can access Gmail, Google Reader and Google Maps all from your phone from any location where you have a signal.

●      Tungle.me – Keeping on top of events in your calender is important for any businessman. However, how can you be sure that your colleagues and clients know your whereabouts and can reach you when you are available? This app allows them to access your personal calendar, where they can book appointments or rearrange meetings for a time that suits everybody.

The modern businessman can now streamline many of his business processes by using services from online companies, and these are some of the best. Which will you incorporate into your business strategies?

Filed Under: Business Costs, Small Business Tagged With: , , ,

Offline Marketing Techniques That Still Work

While the majority of businesses are turning to the Internet to do the majority of their marketing, you can still build a good reputation offline as well – it will just take some creative effort on your part. Here are a few offline techniques that still work to effectively market a small business.

  1. Several thousand well-designed fliers. While fliers are nowhere near as effective as online techniques they can still bring in a few targeting customers. The important thing to remember is that you will have to do some market research first – you ideally want to hand them out to a very targeted demographic.
  2. Simple business cards. If you are going to get a couple hundred business cards printed it is important to remember to keep it simple – no crazy designs. Their only function is to pass on your contact information to a prospective client.
  3. Well thought out billboard advertisements. People still have to commute to and from work every day, which makes billboard advertising a viable method. However, it is very important to create a very targeting, well thought out ad before you pay the money to rent the sign space. No one is going to be interesting in your business if they cannot tell what it is about at first glance – after all, they’re supposed to be paying attention to the road!

The most successful business owners use a mix of online and offline marketing techniques to promote their small businesses. The important thing to do is test each method out – some will work very good for you and others will be complete duds.

Filed Under: Marketing, Small Business Tagged With: , ,

How to Market Your Business Online

There are all kinds of different ways to market a business – some are more successful than others! However, the majority of all successful small business owners have one thing in common – they have accepted the Internet as a viable way to advertise their growing business. Here are a few tips to help you get started in the right direction to marketing your business in the online world.

  1. Create a website. A well-designed website can help you build a lot of trust with new customers. Likewise, a poorly laid out one can definitely detract from your sales because it turns off new customers. However, there are plenty of designers for hire that can build your site for you if you don’t already know how to do so.
  2. Take advantage of a blog. Blogs are a great way to keep your returning customers in the know about any upcoming events, new products or changes in policy. However, it is very important to remember that your business blog should not include personal posts about your daily life – save that for a different, more personal one.
  3. Get involved in forums. There are all kinds of forums out there – so many that there really isn’t any interest that is not covered by at least a sub-section! You can build a lot of trust and rapport for your brand if you actively participate in several related forums that coincide with your business.

All of the above ideas are great ways to help your potential customers learn more about you and your business. However, they will all take periodic maintenance if you want them to bring the desired results.

Filed Under: Marketing, Small Business Tagged With: , ,

How to Determine If You Need Employees

Eventually, every small business owner will have to determine whether or not they should hire on a few employees to help lessen the growing workload. The thought of extra hands to help is easy enough to think about, but actually knowing when the time is right is a completely different story. Here are a few tips that can help you decide if you need to make the plunge.

  1. There are a lot of small tasks that are weighing you down. When you analyze your workday and realize that there are a lot of automated tasks that are just taking up too much time you may want to consider hiring an additional worker. However, always remember that you will still have to teach them how the tasks are meant to be completed so that you can fully trust them to run that side of business.
  2. You have enough income to support another person. It is very important to remember that an employee will depend on you, week after week, to provide them with a steady pay check – or at least what was outlined in the contract they signed when they were initially hired. You cannot fail to pay your employee when you don’t make enough.
  3. You’re ready to grow your business. Hiring employees can help you expand your business further than you could alone.

Hiring an employee is not for every small business owner – there are some situations that play out better when they are operated by one person as opposed to many. Due to the nature of small businesses, it is entirely up to you, the owner, to hire anyone – no one can make that choice for you.

Filed Under: Corporations, Small Business Tagged With: , ,

How to Outsource Your Extra Work

With everyone always telling you to outsource your work you are probably wondering where you can find qualified workers, right? Fortunately, it isn’t nearly as difficult or as complicated as it sounds! Here are a few great places to start your search for the perfect workers to outsource your tasks to.

  1. Online job boards. There are a lot of free and paid job boards where freelancers can bid for various jobs. The nice thing about most of these sites is that they give the freelancer a chance to post a profile and a resume that detail their work experience – this makes it very easy for you to skim through applicants to find the right outsourcer for your needs.
  2. Any forums that relate to your business. The important thing to remember about using forums is that you have to build trust before you can start posting jobs – no one is going to want to work for you if you only have 2 posts prior to your listing because they will question whether or not you will actually pay them.
  3. On and offline classified listings. The online classified listings are generally a faster way to pick up potential outsourcers. However, it is very important to remember that you will get spam replies if you create a listing.

Finding a worker is not difficult – finding one that meets your standards can take a little bit longer. However, once you find a good team there is no reason to keep looking for more workers – just train the ones you have and treat them well!

Filed Under: Corporations, Small Business Tagged With: , ,

Tasks That You Should Be Outsourcing

When you first set out to start your business you will probably have to do all of the work yourself – after all, it hasn’t brought you any profits yet. However, once you start to see some money trickle in you should seriously consider putting some of that money back into your business to help it grow. Here are a few simple tasks that you should ideally work up to outsourcing when you have the funds.

  1. Simple marketing tasks. There is no need to create the fliers, post in forums, or write the blog posts yourself – especially if your time is needed elsewhere to expand your business. There are plenty of qualified individuals who specialize in each little task. However, it is still a good idea to explain the way you want it done so that they are on the same wave length.
  2. Maintaining a company website. Keeping a site up and running takes a lot of work – not necessarily hard work, but very tedious, repetitive work. You can free up a lot of your time by hiring someone to post new products, write articles and correct small glitches for you.
  3. Follow up calls with new customers. Keeping in contact with new customers is very important – it can ultimately be the deciding factor that makes a client a repeat customer. However, you don’t need to send out the calls or emails yourself if you really do not have the time.

You don’t have to outsource any work if you don’t feel comfortable doing so – some small business owners never do! However, if you think you could benefit from at least trying it out there is a lot of potential profit that you can gain.

Filed Under: Corporations, Small Business Tagged With: , ,

Things to Consider Before Starting a Small Business

A small business can be one of the best things that you ever start in your life. However, it also has the potential to be one of the worst if it throws you into debt because it was poorly planned. Here are a few things that you should consider thoroughly before you take the leap as a startup company.

  1. Small businesses take a lot of time to grow. When you first open your doors no one will know about your business. A strong customer base takes a long time to grow – you cannot expect it to happen in the first few months. This is why it is so important to run your business with honesty and integrity – no one wants to give their business to a cheater.
  2. There will always be marketing tasks to do. You cannot expect your business to grow without actually doing some of the dirty work yourself. Fortunately, most marketing tasks are completely automated and are ideal for outsourcing when you have sufficient funds to do so.
  3. You may not see any profit right away. There may not be any profit for the first year depending on the business that you start – you should at least expect zero profit for the first several months while you are still getting everything planned out. However, if you stick with it you may be pleasantly surprised with your first paycheck.

If you don’t mind any of the above prospects then by all means, start a small business! Owning your own business can create a lot of financial freedom that would not otherwise be possible working underneath someone else. However, they take a lot of time and effort to truly see them hit their potential.

Filed Under: Small Business Tagged With: , ,
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