StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article | Why Online Tutoring Is the New Effective Way to Make Money at Home

Why Online Tutoring Is the New Effective Way to Make Money at Home

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article | Why Online Tutoring Is the New Effective Way to Make Money at HomeWhen we think of someone working two jobs, we often picture people working in retail or the food service industry, or someone who is trying to break into acting and doing another job on the side. While these are all real-world examples, the reality of job juggling is a lot different than we assume. In fact, in the US there are about 13 million double-job holders that are working multiple jobs to make ends meet.

How popular is the gig economy?

The gig economy has been exploding recently, leading many people to picking up two or even three jobs to help make ends meet or to pay down their debt. Intuit performed a study that predicted that, by 2020, 40% of American workers would be independent contractors doing short-term, contract-based work for companies near and far.

While some people may think of this as misery inducing, the gig economy actually provides a lot of flexibility to a younger workforce that is demanding a more sustainable work-life balance. Gone are the days when people could start at a company at 22 and stay there until retirement. With our work rapidly shifting from a local to a global perspective, workers are finding themselves cashing pay cheques from far-flung employers who may only pick them up for a couple contracts before they move to another employer. This is perfect for stay-at-home parents who still want to contribute to the family’s income, people who prefer to travel too often to maintain a traditional office job, or for spouses of military workers or other workers who are forced to move on a regular basis.

The explosion of the gig economy is mostly thanks to a more mobile workforce due to our advances in technology. With reliable high-speed Internet, smartphones, and laptops available to almost anyone, anywhere in the world, working from where you are has become much more feasible.

Where are the biggest changes happening?

One of the biggest increases we’ve seen in the gig economy has been within the teaching and tutoring community. People with the skills to tutor people can help students across the world learn languages and basic skills like mathematics and science concepts. While it used to be that utilizing those skills meant moving to far-flung countries, you can now do it from anywhere with a decent Internet connection. However, you want to make sure you’re not going to end up accidentally giving away your services or getting ripped off. Money Done Right explains how you can earn money from tutoring without losing out.

Most people assume (incorrectly) that being an English tutor or offering tutoring in a subject means you have to be a teacher, but often it just means you need to be patient and skilled at what you’re trying to teach. This is a great way for college students to earn extra income while bolstering their own skill set.

But does it count in the “real world”?

Wondering if distance tutoring counts as something you can put on your resume? It does! A job doesn’t have to be with a large or local company to still be a real job. If you can demonstrate the skills you learned and what was expected of you, a part-time, distance contract can add just as much value to a resume as any “traditional” form of employment.

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article | 3 Ways To Harm Your Online Marketing Campaign Before It Gets Going

3 Ways To Harm Your Online Marketing Campaign Before It Gets Going

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article | 3 Ways To Harm Your Online Marketing Campaign Before It Gets GoingIt’s often seen that social media marketing opens up a massive amount of marketing potential. That is true to an extent. Now customers potentially hold your miniature-billboard in their pockets, and throughout many social media timelines may see the product you are offering. However, while this sounds easy, it’s important to understand what you are now competing against.

You are competing against other notifications and ‘skip ad after five seconds’ video options. You are competing against consumers are effective at ignoring marketing due to being bombarded with it day and night, at least in most countries around the world. You are also at the whim of simply being too boring, not engaging enough, or not as clear as you could be regarding your business messaging.

This means that without care, you could harm your online marketing campaign before it even gets going. That’s unlikely to be a scenario anyone wants. So, let us help you subvert that with the following advice. We only hope it can help you reach the business heights you have been dreaming of:

Fail To Find A Clear Message

You might have some art-school ambitions in you, but it’s not up to the audience to try and figure out what product you are selling or what the point of your entire messaging was. Even vague, suspense-building campaigns, such as Orange, one of the UK’s most famous telecom firms in the mid-2000s, announced its launch by placing Orange squares on billboards allowing people to question what that meant. However, pretty soon they revealed their intent, and allowed people to see what their presentation was, until there was no doubt in the mind of those who had previously questioned this approach. Isolate your message, because when distilled, it can have the most impact.

Fail To Care About Sudden Trends

Social media moves at a staggering pace these days, and is also one of the most lucrative means of marketing your business. We would recommend utilizing expert social media analytics to stay ahead of the curve, allowing you to focus on your approach with dedication and care. Staying relevant and able to keep on top of data points, of building a picture regarding your audience and also keeping forecasts of activity in mind can help you truly become the business that catches the early worm.

Fail To Incentivize

It might be that you are happy to offer a 10% off code to those using your services for the first time. This is a solid incentive. But instead of factoring that into the price and not mentioning it, mention it as you should. Show that Twitter users have their own code if they follow your link, or perhaps even more concessions made to those who have tried to learn more about your business. This can help you reward those who engage with your firm, slowly investing them and heightening the chance that they will return.

With this in mind, we hope you can solidify your online marketing campaign, and avoid issues before they happen.

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article | Why Your Online Presence Needs Maximizing

Why Your Online Presence Needs Maximizing

It doesn’t matter what sort of business venture you are hoping to launch, from a restaurant to a street food van, and from a tee shirt printing company to a freelance blogger, you will need to hone your online presence. Being online and visible is vital in the twenty first century. Your main market will be the millennial. These are individuals who are keen to get online as much as possible and utilize every aspect of the web to source their news, their services and their shopping. You need to ensure that you can tap this market.

The millennial demographic will communicate with their potential market online and will be keen to source companies via reputation. Your online presence can enhance your ability to appeal to the millennial market. Take a look at how you can maximize your online presence.

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Website Development

The face of your business will be your website. While you could have an all singing and all dancing website with most impressive of flash animation, this is pointless if your navigation is cumbersome and it takes an age to get to your shop page. As a rule of thumb, you should keep things as simple as possible. Have a short and simple menu and make it easy to get to your shop page within two clicks. You need your website to be attractive, but don’t worry about this so much that you forget about functionality and ease of use.

The most important aspect of your website is its visibility. Your website could be phenomenal, but what if no one can find it? Instead, you need to consider what is it worth to rank #1 in Google? The answer is everything. Google is the number one search engine that all Internet users have on hand should they need to locate a business or have a question that needs answering. Google always has the answer. Forget Lycos and AskJeeves. Times have moved on, and Google has emerged the winner.

You need your website to be searchable. So how do you compete with your already established industry rivals? You need to harness the power of SEO. If this sounds like a whole different language to you, consider outsourcing this business function. This could be money well spent. Otherwise, you could find yourself wasting a small fortune on an AdWords campaign that is not fruitful. An off site specialist will formulate a strategy to help you achieve your aims, whether this is enhancing your following on Twitter or converting more hits to sales on one particular product. Your online presence needs to have your website at the center of everything within your digital strategy. This is the platform that will result in sales and leads.

Social Media

Your social media channels are a great way to feed traffic towards your website. Ensure that you have a Twitter feed, an Instagram page and a Facebook account. These channels will allow you to display your wares, communicate with customers, post relevant content and promote discounts and offers. All of these strategies will help to direct more traffic to your website, and will enable you to increase your following online. With more shares, you will reach a greater number of people within your niche market.

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Reputation

Being online means being at the mercy of the elements. Nearly everything online is public from the comments on your Twitter feed to the remarks under your Instagram snaps. If someone chooses to review your product or customer service, it will be visible for all to see. You cannot expect a potential customer to pay a premium for your services if you have a swathe of negative reviews. You cannot allow it to get to this point, as the first thing people will check out about your company will be the reviews.

Ensure that you under promise and over deliver. If you know that you can deliver a product in two days, state that you’ll have it on the customer’s doorstep in three. This way, you can make it appear that you’ve gone the extra mile when your customer has a pleasant surprise a little early. Add an incentive, a voucher code or a freebie, and focus on customer experience. Get this right, and the positive reviews will flow in online, resulting in a more glowing presence to show off to your demographic.

You shouldn’t forget the more traditional methods of marketing, but your online presence should be the main focus in your early years as a startup. Get this right, and your business will thrive.

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business | Entrepreneurship | Keep These 7 Things In Mind Before Starting An Electronics Repair Business

Keep These 7 Things In Mind Before Starting An Electronics Repair Business

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Keep These 7 Things In Mind Before Starting An Electronics Repair Business

Starting your own electronics repair business can be a daunting experience. Business registrations, gaining customers, making them come back for your service, and updating the company’s system are just a few of the things that will keep you occupied. To help you become successful in your electronics appliance repair business, here are 7 things that you must keep in mind.

1. Get Information Via Market Research

Knowing your market can help you get near to success in no time. Having enough knowledge about the latest trend and if your service is in demand can help you decide whether it is best to keep or quit your current job to start your own business. Surveying to check on how many of your competitors are currently in the area will help you find the best location for your business. Look for a place that has fewer market shares to gain more customers. Also, you have to be certain that people in your area will opt for repair rather than buying a new unit or equipment. Check if the repair volume in the market is considerable enough for you to start your own business.

2. Having Enough Customers Before Starting

Put effort to gain enough customers before starting your business. A strong customer base that can give you a regular income and sustain your monthly expenses can be a good sign that you can already stand on your own. Earning new customers will take time and if it takes a much longer time than you expected, it may have a big effect on your business’ financial support. This tip particularly applies to businesses with no solid financial backup and may not apply to all.

3. Seek Advice From Pioneers

Be humble enough to ask for advice, opinions, and suggestions from those who are already successful in running a business. Always make room for improvement even if you feel that you have already achieved something. Try talking to those who are pioneers in the business field and get ideas on how to keep your business rolling. You will learn new tactics and you may be surprised by their humble beginnings. They may also give you a hint on what to avoid or how to face challenging situations that may put your business at risk of shutting down.

4. Make Friends Not War

Competition in the field of business is not new but it does not mean that you will treat all of them as your enemy. Being friends with other repairers can help you discover things that can improve your repair business. Information such as where can you buy inexpensive spare parts such as Current Sense Resistors, learning new techniques in fixing electronic problems are some of the benefits of being a good friend to other electricians.

5. Avoid Blaming Others

Avoid blaming others when you lose from your competitors. It is better to honestly examine yourself if your service is high enough to satisfy your customers. Are your repair fees reasonable or is it too expensive? Do you wear a smile when potential customers come to your shop to inquire? These are some of the things you may consider to help increase your sales.

6. Invest On Repair Tools Or Equipment

Do not settle for weak and low-class repair tools. You may lose your customers when your equipment keeps on breaking. This may damage your good reputation. Invest in durable tools and test equipment that can help you solve electrical problems quickly and accurately.

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7. Be Realistic With Your Goals

Expectation versus reality. Avoid unrealistic expectations because it can lead to frustration. In your infant stage, you cannot expect that you can make fast money. It takes time to make a business successful so do not give up easily. You can learn from your mistakes and eventually cope up with what is really good for your business. As the saying goes, “Quitters never win.”

May these tips help you become successful once you decide to put up your own electronics repair business. We wish you well!

StrategyDriven | Entrepreneurship | What You Don’t Know May Be Hurting Your Business

What You Don’t Know May Be Hurting Your Business

We tend to think of our companies in terms of what we can do, what we can bring to the table. However, while it is, of course, recommended to focus on those positive aspects of your business, you should also keep in mind that there are other things that’ll influence your chances of success. For example, the things that you don’t know. If you’ve got some blind spots in your knowledge bank, then your venture won’t be as watertight as it could be — and what’s more, you might not even know it. Below, we take a look at a few key areas where entrepreneurs often fall down.

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Your Competitors

You might think that you’re doing all the right things at your business, but are they as good as what other companies are doing? If you’re not actively keeping tabs on your competitors, then you should be. By checking the practices/products/services of other companies, you can see the areas in which you need to improve. Now, it’s not like you need to adopt everything that rival businesses are doing — just being aware and making sure you’re not falling behind will be enough.

How to Hire

You might have begun your venture as a one-person operation, but there will eventually come a point when you need to hire employees if you’re going to develop. If you’ve never been an employer before, however, then this might prove to be more difficult than originally thought. There are right and wrong methods for bringing a member of staff on board; get it right, and you’ll have an employee who can help push your company forward. Get it wrong, and you’ll have an expensive mistake on your hands. As well as knowing how to hire, you’ll also need to look at yourself, and learn how to work with others. You won’t get the full benefits of having an employee if you can’t properly delegate work.

Specialized Fields

It’s not possible to be all things for your company. You’ll be spreading yourself too thin if you’re the leader, the paper pusher, the receptionist, and so on. And there’s another reason why you shouldn’t take on all the tasks: some are specialized, and too important to be handled by a non-expert. We’re talking about things like your internet marketing. Because SEO is so important to the success of a business, you’ll want to work with a company such as Local Spark Marketing. Other areas of your business you’ll want to outsource include your accounting and legal matters – these are complex tasks that require expert hands to ensure they’re completed correctly. You may also find it very useful to take a look at this Data Analytics Infographic; it is so important to consider analytics if you want to be successful in your career. Understanding the big picture of how your marketing strategies impact certain target demographics, can really help you to hone in on your audience. Exploring the impact of data analytics might be worth the while if you want to specialize in this industry.

Where You’re Going

While you’ll want to mostly focus on the day to day tasks of your company, you should also keep an eye on the future. If you don’t, then you might find that it arrives and you’ve got nothing in the pipeline; you are just where you were two years ago. Additionally, you’ll also want to stay on top of any upcoming issues that may affect your industry in general.