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Managing Your Business Better In A Post-COVID World

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Post-Covid|Managing Your Business Better In A Post-COVID WorldThe battle with COVID-19 is far from over. There is a long way to go before the world can confidently say that it has a handle on the virus and that life can return to normal. However, many businesses are cautiously looking towards the future, and how they can adapt the way that they work in light of the pandemic, and the changes that we may have to make in the future.

The way we work has changed completely. While most companies were already moving towards being digital, this has accelerated the process somewhat. What other changes can you implement in a post-COVID world to help you to manage your business better?

Take feedback on board

It can be difficult to ask for feedback. After all, no one wants to hear what they are doing wrong, even if it is for the good of their business, but it really can make a significant difference.

The most obvious place to start with this is on your reviews and social media pages. If the same comments and criticisms about a particular product or business product keep cropping up, take heed and do something about it.

However, you can also create a focus group, made up of your target audience, and ask them what they think you are doing well and where they think you could improve. Above all else, take the feedback on board. Customers like to know that their opinions matter, so show them and tell them of the improvements that you have made based on their feedback.

Outsource tasks

Small business owners wear so many hats, and sometimes, one can slip and make the whole thing fall apart. Stop trying to do everything yourself and outsource. What is the point of you sitting there staring at a spreadsheet full of numbers that you do not understand when you can search for things like ‘a bookkeeper near me’ to do the hard work for you – and do it better!

Aim for a better work-life balance

If there is one thing that the coronavirus pandemic has taught us, it is that nothing is more important than our health. When you are not healthy, you can’t work as productively or efficiently as you could, so it is not only in the best interests of yourself and your family to stay healthy, but your business too.

One of the biggest health issues affecting business owners is burnout. As mentioned above, they wear so many hats and try to do so many things that you can end up burning out, which can be terrible for our health. Make sure you take time to be you, and not just a business owner.

Stay positive

We are in a situation like no other, and no one has any idea what the future is going to hold. There are undoubtedly going to many challenges in the road ahead, and sometimes, you may well feel like quitting. However, try to stay positive. You are far from the only person or business experiencing feelings like this, and while some will end up closing, many will survive, and come back stronger than ever.

7 Link Building Strategies To Try Today

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Link Building|7 Link Building Strategies To Try TodayLooking for the best link building strategies? Trying to develop a powerful external link building strategy?
If you’re looking for ways to boost the presence of your website in search engines, then it’s important to realize that building backlinks will be critical. Unfortunately, it can be tricky to get backlinks to your site and many website owners don’t know where to start.

Luckily, we’re here to help you out. Here are 7 easy link building strategies that you should try today.

1. Ask Directly

One of the top link building strategies you can use to get backlinks for your website is to try asking for them directly.
For example, if there is already a mention of your website elsewhere on the web but no link is included, you may want to ask the website owner to add one. You may also want to check for broken links that are directed towards online resources and offer your own content as a replacement.

2. Write a Guest Post

Guest posting is another tried-and-true way to get a backlink to your website.

With this strategy, you’ll offer to write a blog post for another website or blog. In return, they’ll often link back to your site or let you add links to your site within the article itself.

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3. Create Shareable Content

Believe it or not, simply writing great content and posting it on your site is a great way to gain backlinks.

By writing content that is incredibly sharable and provides valuable information, it will be more likely that other site owners will discover it and link to it as a resource.

4. Call Out An Influencer

One of the best ways to get links naturally is by directly calling out some of the bigger names in your industry. By mentioning an “influencer”, that person may end up checking out your site or even linking back to your original post.

To do this, you may want to write a round-up post that lists the top leaders or bloggers in your industry. Then, make sure that you let each one know about their spot on your list using social media.

5. Make a Killer Infographic

While writing great articles can be helpful for getting backlinks, sharing infographics can be even more effective.

Consider creating an infographic that showcases facts about your industry, and then share it. Infographics are typically chock-full of valuable information and many other bloggers and website owners would often be happy to link to it in a blog post of their own.

6. Post in Forums

If done in a genuine and non-spammy way, posting in forums and sometimes linking to your site can also be helpful for getting backlinks.
While some of the links you’ll post in forums will be no-follow, they can still be very valuable for boosting your backlink profile.

7. Comment on Blogs

Commenting on other blogs on the web and including a link back to your own site can also be a great strategy. Like with forum posts, however, it’s important that you only post in an authentic and down-to-earth way.

Also, ensure that the blogs you’re commenting on are actually relevant to your industry or niche.

Boosting Your SEO With These Link Building Strategies

While there is a lot to think about when attempting to boost your site’s SEO, using these link building strategies should be a big part of the puzzle. By putting in the extra effort to build quality backlinks, your website will likely reap the rewards in the months and years to come.

Looking for more SEO ideas and strategies? Start reading through our blog now to find more helpful SEO tips and advice.

How to Start a Painting Business From Scratch

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Start a Painting Business|How to Start a Painting Business From ScratchIf you’re handy with a brush and paint rollers, you may want to consider going into business for yourself as a professional painter. Your startup costs will be negligible and there’s a huge market out there for you. What do you have to lose?

However, you may feel a bit hesitant to jump on this opportunity if you don’t know the first thing about starting a business. Don’t worry, learning how to start a painting business isn’t incredibly difficult. And we’re here to help.

Keep reading for everything you need to know.

1. Research the Local Painting Market

Before you dive headfirst into the professional painting industry, you need to make sure there’s room in your community for your company. You also need to find out more about the costs of doing business, who you’re going to market to, and how much you can expect to earn with your company.

Ask yourself some important questions:

  • What is the local competition like?
  • What are they doing right/wrong?
  • How can I be better/different?
  • Who will I market to?
  • Do I have a niche in the industry?
  • How much money do I need to get started?
  • What are the costs of day to day operations?

Successful businesses are built on in-depth market research.

2. Create a Business Plan

Next, you need to create a business plan to serve both as your business blueprint and as your means of financial assistance. Creditors, lenders, and investors will want proof that you know what you’re doing. They’ll use your business plan to determine your credibility and the potential of your business.

Make sure it includes:

    • An executive summary of the business
    • A description of the business
    • Your market research and analysis
    • The structure of your company (organization and leadership)
    • A description of your services and products
    • Your marketing strategy and analysis of your target audience
    • Your funding requests
    • Financial projections of your business (ranging from the first year to several years)

Don’t skimp on your business plan, there’s a lot riding on it. It needs to be thorough and well-researched.

3. Get Financed

As noted, learning how to start a painting business may mean getting the startup funds you need. With your business plan in hand, apply to your bank for a small business loan. However, if you get rejected here, all is not lost.
There are several other options, such as:

  • Private investors (friends, family)
  • Angel investors
  • Crowdfunding campaigns
  • Personal loans
  • Trade future services for startup funds
  • Etc.

If you have poor credit and bad luck with investors, get creative to earn money to finance your business.

4. Take Care of the Logistics

Once you get the funds you need, you can start taking care of the logistics. For example, you can start procuring the official certifications you need to operate legally. In most states, you need a specific license to be a professional painter on top of the business license you need from the city.

You’ll also need to look into liability insurance for painters. This will protect you financially if you inadvertently cause damage to a customer’s home or business.

5. Start Marketing

Finally, learning how to start a painting business and make it successful means learning how to market to potential customers. You must strive to gain brand recognition within your community. They need to think of your painting business logo when they think of professional painters.

Here are our top marketing suggestions:

  • Build a user-friendly website
  • Perfect your website SEO
  • Get on social media
  • Use PPC and SEM marketing
  • Create a blog on your site

Experiment with different methods of marketing to determine what works best for your business. Don’t be afraid to invest resources in building brand awareness.

Looking for More Tips on How to Start a Painting Business?

Are you new to the world of entrepreneurship? Don’t feel bad, everyone has to start somewhere. Fortunately, there are people like us around to help.

Our blog is designed to help people like you carve their way into the business world. Whether you want to know how to start a painting business or are looking for the best marketing tips, we can provide answers. Be sure to check out some of our other articles before you go.

Top Reasons Why Selling a Small Business is a Good Idea

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Selling a small business|Top Reasons Why Selling a Small Business is a Good IdeaIf you’ve ever considered selling a small business, look no further.

People sell businesses for a variety of reasons, but most of them revolve around getting away from something. While you may think that you’d only sell a business if you’re getting a lot of money, many people sell theirs because of personal issues.

Running a business is difficult, so you may find that it isn’t worth getting stressed out. You could also have a falling out with someone in the company, making it difficult to focus on what needs to be done. So how do you sell your business and justify it?
Read on to learn some of the top reasons why selling a small business is a good idea!

Avoid Potential Losses

One of the main reasons why people sell their small businesses is because they want to avoid losing revenue. A loss in revenue is bound to happen at some point in a company’s lifestyle, but it’s best to get out if the revenue is in a constant decline.

Several things can cause your business to start losing revenue. If there’s a shift in consumer interest for a certain product, your business may come out short. This is why it’s crucial to monitor consumer trends at all times to prevent this from happening.

Your business can also suffer if the economy declines. When an economy declines, people are more concerned with holding on to their money rather than spending it. In cases like this, revenue losses are inevitable.

While you can change your business up to try and keep the interest of customers, you could also sell it to avoid further losses. Understanding how to sell your business will make this process easier because you can get a lump sum of money instead of hoping your business turns around.

Seek New Business Partners

When starting a small business for the first time, it’s common to see an owner partner up with investors. Unfortunately, not all business partners are compatible, and disputes can make it hard for an owner to continue operating the business.

If you have business partners that are constantly disagreeing with your decisions, the best thing you can do may be to sell your business. While this is a drastic decision, you’ll have to do it unless you have the money to buy out your partners.

However, those partners don’t need to give up their share of the company if they don’t want to. Before selling the business, ask them if there’s something you can do to take over their shares. If they own large portions, it’ll be much harder to buy them out because they have a larger impact on the business.

Change Your Lifestyle

Running a business of any kind is tiring as it requires more time than a full-time job. When you own a business, you have to dedicate your lifestyle around it so that you can be prepared if your business needs something.

For example, if you own a retail store that runs out of stock for a popular item, you’ll need to decide what the appropriate action should be. If a plethora of customers are trying to purchase it, you’ll miss out on a lot of income if you’re not around to take action.
Should you decide that running a business takes up too much of your free time, you can sell it to help you change your lifestyle.

Instead of having to keep track of everything and work with business partners, you can start focusing on other things that mean more to you.

Health is something that many people have in mind when they answer the question, “Why should I sell my business?” While running a business comes with many benefits, it can also be deteriorating if you’re someone that wants to focus on your wellbeing.

Invest In Other Things

It’s best to expand your portfolio so that you don’t need to rely on one source of income. The best time to sell a business is when you decide that you’re ready to use that money towards other things. Many people don’t know what happens to cash when selling a business, but it goes directly into your bank account.

Selling your business will give you a plethora of cash that you can then use for things like stocks, real estate, and starting another business. Small businesses typically don’t cost too much to start, so you can most likely jump back into another one if you have an idea for something else.

If you do have an idea, it’s best to sit on it for a while until you figure out how you’re going to approach it. Should you decide to sell your business to help you fund another business, you’ll need to know how much the other business will require to start. From there, you can decide how much you want to sell the business for.

Consider Selling a Small Business Today

If any of the reasons in this article sound appealing, you should consider selling your business. You’ll get a lot more freedom to do other things and you can relieve yourself from stress relating to the business. All you’ll need to do is think about how you want to approach the sale.

Creating something like a “selling a business checklist” will help you put together a list of things to do when you’re ready to start selling a small business. You’ll need to think about how much you want for the business and what you plan to do with the money.
Check out our articles to learn more about running your own business!

Improving Customer Satisfaction As An Online Business

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StrategyDriven Customer Relationship Management Article |Customer Satisfaction|Improving Customer Satisfaction As An Online BusinessProviding ultimate customer satisfaction when you have no face to face interaction with your clientele can often seem like a bit of a tricky task. Giving customers the best experience possible involves more than just being respectful in your tone, as every feature of your business, products and services contributes towards the individual opinion of the people you serve. Luckily, finding out exactly how you can improve customer service when operating a business exclusively online doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might initially believe, as there are a few innovative ideas that you can utilise to start making beneficial changes today. So, if you would like to find out more, then read on to uncover some of the best top tips and tricks to make the most of now!

Design Matters

One of the biggest factors that you simply mustn’t skip over is the design of your web store, as this is the first thing that a customer will see upon clicking your link meaning you must take the opportunity to give off an amazing first impression. Focus on creating a design that will work for different people from all walks of life, making accessibility a key feature to ensure that those with impairments and disabilities can just as easily navigate around your site. Utilise white or yellow tones as a background colour and a strong dark black or blue for text, as this will make the words jump out from the screen whilst being extra handy for those with difficulties such as dyslexia too. Picking a colour scheme that matches in with your brand or it’s products and services can be a great way to include a little style, so stick with a couple of shades and use these to highlight and draw attention to important features.

Providing Information

A considerable issue that may be holding you back from achieving your full potential as an online business is the lack of information that you provide to your customers. Simply posting your products or services with a small brief description is not enough to give potential customers faith in your business, and it can give off the feeling that you put just as little effort into the quality of the items you sell, too. Providing as much information as you can about the history of your brand, the origins of your products and materials, your environmental pledge and other key areas will allow customers to get a better understanding of who they are buying from. If you sell your products and services outside of the country, all of this information should be provided in the correct language for local customers to understand your business too – investing in the help of a professional translator such as Para Plus Translations can provide you with everything you need to maintain your quality customer experience all around the world.

Improving customer satisfaction as an online business has never been so simple when you are able to make the most of the top tips and tricks detailed above!