The Most Important Areas Of A Business

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When you’re managing your own business, it’s important that you know where to focus your attention. It can be very overwhelming at times because there are so many different things that demand your insight and skill, but one way to know how to manage all of that, is by setting out your priorities. While everything is important, some require a bit more concentration than others. The sooner you figure it out, the sooner you can ride your way to success without a worry in the world, because you’ll have everything covered and under control.

Here’s what you need to know.

Your product

How do you intend on selling something successfully, if the products aren’t any good to begin with? That will just make your job even harder, as no one wants to be pushing a dead weight around that nobody wants. Every good business starts with a good idea, so make sure that your product is something that people feel that they need within their lives in order to make it better. You want to be able to fill that void, and make them realise that what you’re selling is what they have always been longing for.

Your target audience

You should know exactly who your target audience is before you even attempt to connect with them. Who are you making your product for? What kind of lifestyle do you imagine them to live? What kind of personality do you think they have? And what age range do they belong to? It may sound rather personal – but it has to be otherwise you won’t be able to engage on a deep level. The better you know someone, the easier you can cater to their wants and needs – and that’s the key to building up a great relationship between yourself and the consumer.

Your money

As soon as you start to make an income, things begin to change. You will be dealing with numbers that need to be understood, because the moment you earn, you are expected to pay tax and insurance. So it’s vital that you keep an eye on what is going into your account, and more importantly what is going out. This can get tricky sometimes as there can be some confusion, this is why you should create a paystub, because that monitors all the little details so that you don’t need to stress yourself.

Your marketing

Failure to market yourself properly will mean that you’re not allowing people to see you in the best light, and you wouldn’t want to do anything that tarnished your business – especially not by accident. So you need to ensure that you market the correct way that leaves people wanting to experience what you’re selling. Social media is the most effective way of marketing, but you must understand how it works in order to achieve your desire. The content you post is what people will judge you off immediately, so you need to be posting things that are eye-catching and intriguing, while giving people valuable information about what it is that you’re offering.

Internet Based Businesses: Where The Real Money Is!

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There are millions of sites out there that suggest ways to make money online. However, few are geared towards the creation of online businesses that can return a genuine profit over the long-term. In fact, you will often find that the majority are about ‘get rich quick schemes’ or ‘side hustles’ that are only designed to be a part-time way of enhancing a person’s income. This is strange, given the fact that there are some truly genuine ways to use the internet to create a prosperous business that will thrive over time. Luckily, we know where the real money is online, and you just have to read on to find out how you can get in on the game.

E-commerce

One way of setting up a viable business online is it go the e-commerce route. E-Commerce is where you sell products online at a profit, although there are a lot of different ways that you can do this in practice.

One is to set up your show on a ready-made platform and run your business through that. Popular choices in this area include eBay, Shopify, and Amazon whose FBA service not only helps you to sell your good but to store and deliver them as well. Something that can make things easier for those looking to set up their internet based business from home as they don’t have to find space for stock on their property.

Of course, there are other options for e-commerce as well. These include creating your own website to sell on, as well as getting a more well-known company to stock your products under their name. Something you can read more about here.

Service providers

Providing a service is also a good solid base for an internet company that is likely to go the distance and bring in a decent profit. That is as long as you pick the right service to offer.

Establishing which service will sell is something that may take some market research. Although services such as web hosting, professional social media management, and creative work such as illustration, writing, and video creation are particularly popular at the moment.

Professional video creation is one option for your online business.

Then there is always the option of setting yourself up in the role of exchange between clients that need and individuals offering these services. Something that site like Upwork, PeoplePerHour, and Task Rabbit have monetized to great effect.

Pay per call

Lastly, pay per call internet based business are also something that can do well in the long term, especially if you get a following of decorated customers that call in on a regular basis.

Of course, many people stay away from this type of offering because it is traditionally associated with the less seemly side of the internet industry. However, as you are in charge, you have control over the choice of service and the prices you offer. That means you can easily focus on things like advice, life coaching and work of self-esteem rather than the traditional tarot card, psychic, and other unmentionable services that are often associated with this type of online business.

The World Of Websites: Everything You’ll Ever Need To Know

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As a business owner, you know that you need a website. The internet is definitely the future, and it has been for some time. So even when your business is offline, and you have a physical store or office, you know that you’re missing out on a huge chunk of custom by not being online. But at the same time, when you are an online business, you know that simply having a website just won’t do. You have to get it right, know the ins and outs of websites and what you need, and be able to create the best possible site for your business. And when you’re not all that well versed in technology or the internet, it can feel a bit overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be.

Websites can often seem complicated at first. Because they involve code, plugins, development, widgets and more. Whether you want to know exactly what a widget is and why you need it, or you want to be able to drive a significant amount of traffic to your website, you’ll need to do some research. But when that tends to tire your brain, you might like to have it handed to you on a plate, in one concise article, right? So here it is – everything you need to know about the world of websites.

Getting Setup

If you’re yet to launch your own website, then this section is going to help you to get started. If you have, then you may find that you can improve and enhance what you have by following these steps.

Hosting

First off, you’re going to want to make sure that you get some hosting in place. You may be considering setting up a free website, but this isn’t really the best choice when it comes to professionalism and being able to grow in the future. In fact, it’s only ever going to hold you back. Instead, you need to look into web hosting options as listed in that post, and choose a hosting plan that suits you best.

Choosing A Domain

Along with hosting, you’ll also need to find a domain. When you have your own website domain name, your site will look more professional. To do this, you can find expired domains with someone such as FreshDrop or search to see what is currently available. And choose carefully, as you will ideally want your domain name choice to stay with you.

Building The Website

Your final step in getting setup is choosing how you’re going to build the website itself. When you take out hosting, you may find that you’re given a range of options by your hosting provider, so this will help you to decide. You may also find that WordPress, in particular, is an easy to use and manage platform to build your website from.

The Design

When you’ve got the framework of your website ready, it’s time to think about how you want it to look and what functions you’d like to be able to have.

The Look

This is where you can start thinking about the colors that you like, a logo, your font choices, and what kind of image you want to give off on your website. Unless you are experienced with code, which we are presuming you are not, you’re going to want to look into a template that you can use here instead. This is often an inexpensive way to get a design on your site.

The Functions

At the same time, you need to be thinking about the key functions your need your website to do. There are a range of website features that are important, and you will be able to find widget and plugins to help you add this in. Essential, these are small pieces of software that allow you to add a particular function to your website, such as an email subscription tool. So work out what you want your website to have, and find the right plugins to help you do to do.

User Experience

As you start to move forward with your website, you’ll want to make sure that you’re thinking about the user journey. This is how visitors of your site move around the website and effectively use it. As you start to gather this information, you may even want to hire a developer to help you edit your template or create a new design that will suit your user journey better.

The Content

You’re also going to need to populate your website with content. There is a range of information that you will need to include, so let’s go over what that will be.

Pages

From browsing the internet yourself, you’ll know that websites need to have different pages. When you’re building your site, there will always be a range of pages that you need. Alongside your product or services pages, you need to have an about page, as well as an FAQ, testimonials, and even a privacy policy page. So be sure to get writing these as soon as you can.

Blog

Whether you want to add this in before you launch or later on down the line, having a blog for your business is a really great idea. Not only will it help with your SEO (we will go into more detail about this in the next section), but it also gives you content to share with your customers and site visitors too.

Contact Information

A contact page is one of the important pages that you will need to have on your website. But your contact information is often the most important kind of content that you need to include across your blog, and not just on that single page itself. You’ll want to have your information visible on the homepage, as well as links to your social profiles. You never want your customers to have to dig for your details, as they may choose to just give up if so.

Traffic Driving Strategies

Now that your website is essentially up and running, you need your customers to find you. But how? Here are a few ideas on how you can start generating traffic to your website.

SEO

In order for your website to show up on search engines like Google, it has to be optimized. And that is exactly what the practices of search engine optimization (SEO) do. To make sure that you’re optimizing your content and site as you’re building it, be sure to use this SEO checklist as you go along. This will help you to show up in searches and generate traffic to your site.

Social Media

Next, you’re going to want to turn to social media. Because you can actually generate some traffic from social media if you take the right approach with your marketing. You’ll want to make sure that you’re applying tactics that will engage your followers and lure them to your website. Yes, it can take time, but it’s actually quite fun to test out different ideas and see how they do.

Online PR

Finally, you’re going to want to think about doing some online PR. This fits nicely in the above two points. Getting links to your website from other sites will help with your SEO, and collaborations on social media and with other businesses or influencers can help you to generate some online PR and bring visitors to your site.

The Importance Of Analytics

Finally, you’re going to want to get to know your analytics. Why? Well, they are essential for you to be able to find success with your website. So let’s see how you can do that.

Knowing Where To Look

As you set up your website, you will find that you have some tools right there in your dashboard (particularly if you’re using WordPress). You will be able to see how many visitors you get and sometimes even where they came from or what links they’re clicking on. But, you need more. Registering for Google Analytics (GA) is important here. GA allows you to see how many hits your site has had and by how many people, how they found you, what pages they’ve been on, and what they have clicked onto. This data can then be hugely important to improving your website.

Using Your Analytics

Once you have got your GA hooked up, you’re then going to want to read something like this guide that will help you to get the most out of your analytics. This data is invaluable and can help you to understand your customers better, which will then help your website to meet their needs.

Continuing To Improve

Finally, you’re then going to want to make sure that you apply your data findings to tweak your site and get results. And you’re going to want to keep on refining your site and then finding new insights from your analytics over time to make sure that you’re always meeting your visitors’ needs.

It may seem like a lot, but when you approach your website in this way, by taking in the build, design, populate, promote, and refine stages that we’ve walked through, you should find that your website is exactly what you want it to be – successful!

Workplace Design Tips To Increase Profit Margins

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Were you aware that the design of your workplace is important for employee engagement and customer satisfaction? As a business owner it is important to consider and make adaptations to the aesthetics of your premises in order to increase productivity and sales.

Taking on the large financial commitment of a business premises is a big decision, so considerations around the aesthetics are essential right from the very beginning.

The aesthetics of your business premises are important as it is your “shop window” to visiting clients and customers. It is important to give a good first impression and look professional, tidy and organised. Employees are likely to be more productive and happy working in an aesthetically pleasing workspace and staff turnover may well reduce.

This article aims to look at ways of making your business look more aesthetically pleasing.

External

Even if your budget is minimal, it is important to make the external areas of your business premises look tidy and professional. Check that car park areas are well maintained and that pathways are well maintained by taking advice from a professional flooring company. Ensure walking surfaces are safe and free from hazards.

The entrance to your business property should be inviting. Have clear signage and good lighting facilities. Does your door look aesthetically pleasing ie no peeling paint or broken door furnishings?

On entering your building clients should be able to easily find directions to the meeting point. This could be done by positioning a welcome desk visible from the doorway, or clear signs directing them to your office space.

Internally

The internal aesthetics of your premises are important due to the professional image you wish to portray to your clients and visitors, but also for creating an area conducive to good productivity from your staff (and yourself).

Gone are the days when offices were designed by placing dark, dingy desks in uninspiring rows. Much more thought has been given to the modern office, the idea being that different zones can be created for meeting, collaborating, relaxing and working.

Modern offices are light and airy and make use of all natural light available. To make the space appear lighter, if natural light is at a premium, decorate in light colours, but avoid the traditional colour of grey. Try to bring the “outdoors in” by using splashes of colour.

Greenery

The colour green increases production and  performance as well as evokes a sense of calmness. Bringing green into your workspace can be achieved by painting a wall or even better by using plants. If your budget is high you could consider creating a green-space for your employees and visitors to relax in, by building an atrium, filled with plants and fresh air.

Space

If you are at the initial stage of looking at business premises, try to get as much space included as your budget will allow. Cramped offices are not conducive to good productivity and soon become cluttered. Staff need space to move around and change position occasionally. Overly small office spaces could also be unsafe due to trip hazards.

Hopefully by incorporating the above tips your profit margins will escalate and your staff team will be stable.

Choosing the Right Web Hosting for Your Website

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship ArticleLaunching a website requires more than simply choosing a domain name and uploading content you want to share. Choosing the right web hosting provider is essential when you want to get the most out of your online presence, regardless of the purpose of your website. Before choosing a web host that is right for you there are a few factors to keep in mind to ensure you make the right decision.

Budget

Consider the budget you have available for a hosting package and whether you prefer to pay monthly, semi-annually, or even annually. When you have a budget set in place, eliminate hosting companies that are out of your price range or that do not offer the space, speed, and bandwidth you require.

Shared Hosting vs. Dedicated Hosting

Compare both shared and dedicated hosting options when reviewing web hosts you are interested in. Shared hosting is often less expensive, but requires you to share a server with other individuals using the same web host. Dedicated hosting is a way to utilize a server of your own, increasing loading times without utilizing all of your server’s bandwidth when you are sharing with others.

Uptime and Reliability

Always choose a web host that boasts a 99% or higher uptime and reliability guarantee. Ensuring a web host is reliable and remains up at all times is essential when you want to leave a professional and lasting impression on your visitors and prospective online customers.

Features

Many web hosts offer feature such as free CMS (content management systems) including WordPress, WooCommerce, Drupal, and Joomla to help launch any website you envision with ease. Additional scripts for forums, eCommerce shops, blogs, and even online portfolios or photo galleries are also available with web hosts that provide free extensions and add-ons for all hosting customers.

Support

Find a web host that offers multiple methods of communication regarding support if you are ever in need. When you need support, having a live ticket system, email option, live chat, and phone number available are all possible with the right web host.

Customer Reviews and Testimonials

Check customer reviews and testimonials from various web hosts you are most interested in using to determine the hosting provider that is best for your website needs. Customer reviews provide insight into a web host’s customer service as well as the type of service they provide altogether.

Taking the time to compare various web hosts is a way for you to determine the package that works best for the website you have in mind and the uptime, reliability, and support you prefer. The more you know about individual web hosts, the easier it is to select a package that is optimal for all of your online hosting needs.