Category: business coach

Don’t Just Network, Host Your Own Event

Scott Asai3 Comments

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The most effective way to grow your business is to network, network and then networks some more. Don’t believe us, just press pause for ten minutes and pose that same question to ask any number of business owners, forums and corporate consultant – the answer will be the same. Why? Because who you know far outweighs what you know. Period.

The only problem when it comes to networking is being taken seriously by those you want to talk to most. It is a credibility thing. Luckily for you, there was a simple way to fix this: hold your own networking event. Think about it. You become the host and you will get catapulted up the ranks and slapped with the label “business leader”.

Here is how you can pull off a successful networking event first-time around:

Make Attending Simple

This is probably the most crucial part of it all; having your attendees register in advance. That way you know that there are X amount of people committed to coming, which means you can plan your budget and your event much more accurately. It is also really easy to achieve with an app like Eventbrite. Not only is registering simple, those that sign-up also get a reminder by email.

Pick The Perfect Venue

The main things to consider here are price, accessibility, parking and the ambience of the space in general. Basically, you want to alleviate as many potential frustrations ahead of time. As a little tip, approach some of the nicer hotels in your desired location and find out what the minimum bar spend needs to be in order to get their lobby free of charge. Holding a networking event at their place is good for their business too.

Check People In

There is a bunch of reasons why having a check-in is beneficial, even if the event is free. First and foremost, it is for security reasons, especially with the state of current affairs, so speak to some security companies. Of course, it isn’t all negative because having a check-in will let you see the numbers and, if you ask for their email addresses as proof, you can follow up with attendees and announce future events. Don’t make too much fuss if they don’t want to hand over their email, though. Oh, and one more thing, make sure the person at check-in is warm, inviting and personal.

Your Role Is Huge

You have to meet everyone. That means everyone. Introduce yourself, make them feel comfortable and make sure the conversation is focused on what they do, not you. That is the trick. The better you are at listening, the better you are at conversations, which is how you want to be remembered. The other thing you need to make sure you are doing is connecting people with one another because that will be people’s measure of success when they walk away. Get the product designer in front of the patent attorney and the freelance copywriter in front of the marketing director. People are going there to network, so make sure that is happening.

Put The Maximum Effort Into Maximizing Efficiency

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Efficiency and saving energy are two fundamental factors that you have to keep in mind when you are running your business. You need to make sure that your business is as efficient as possible for a few reasons. First, and arguably most importantly for you as the business owner, keeping things efficient is going to help you save money. It will make sure that if you do have heavy costs, they are not caused by your energy bills going through the roof. If you think about it, it is remarkably easy for energy bills to grow out of control for companies. For the moment, let’s just consider the possibility of a steel factory. Imagine how much energy a place like this would use every single day. Indeed, bills could range in the thousands so any save that you could make would definitely be worth considering.

Another reason for energy saving would be public perception. It’s fair to say that a lot of people are eager to do what they can to go green these days. Homeowners think carefully about what tech they buy for their property while wondering whether the businesses they buy from really are green. You might have even noticed that a few companies are using green messages in promotions for their businesses.

Of course, there is a third reason why going green might be important, and that’s simply a matter of doing your part to help the planet. It’s no secret that there are serious issues with how much energy we are using as a worldwide population. It is up to business owners to take the big steps we need here.

So, the question now becomes, what can businesses do to go green and be more efficient. The answer is a lot, and this is true no matter what type of business you’re running. Whether you’re working in a factor or operating from an office, you can improve efficiency in a variety of a great and small ways.

Going Renewable

You should definitely think about introducing renewable power into your business model. Renewable power covers a wide range of different energy possibility though arguably, the best for business owners to consider would be solar energy. This is just a matter of investing in solar panels for the roof of your home. Solar panels will provide you with a constant source of energy that you can use to greatly reduce your electric bills.

The main hurdle for solar power is going to be the initial installation cost of this type of technology. It costs thousands to install solar panels on the roof of your business building. Or, to set up solar energy farms if you have space and land to do so. However, there is good news on that front. Governments as well as environmental groups are offering subsidies and incentives for business owners to take this opportunity to go green. As such, it is possible to limit the cost significantly and still reap the benefits from investing in this technology. Once you invest in the tech, you’ll start to see your energy bills decreasing significantly as you’ll be able to provide your own energy to power your business.

Innovative Processes

You can also make sure that any products that you use in your business are going to be as efficient as possible through new, innovative production processes. We can look an example of this in the industry of logistics. Let’s say that you are shipping products all over the world, transporting them by air. Now, since drones haven’t yet reached the level we need them to be to travel across oceans, that means you’re reliant on airplanes, and they use a lot of energy. But what if you could reduce their usage drastically? Well, as it turns out you can. Airplanes are powered by turbine engines, and one of the key ways to make sure that they are more efficient is to allow them to cool down more rapidly. You can do this with tiny laser point holes in the engine itself. So, with custom laser drilling, it is indeed possible to make a plane more energy efficient. While this is a change in the manufacturing industry, a change like this is going to impact a variety of other business models too like logistics. It’s just one example of how a single innovative use of tech can lead to massive energy savings for businesses.

Though perhaps we should set our sites a little lower and look at smaller savings.

LEDs And Other Simple Tech

If you constantly find that your electric bill is sky high, you might want to think about ways that you can save small amounts of energy. There are a variety of ways to do this from using LEDs in the office to investing in new personal tech. Let’s start by thinking about LEDs. LEDs are great, and you are probably already using them to reduce the electrical energy costs in your home. With LEDs, you can get thousands of hours of light with very little energy used. Imagine if every light in your office was an LED. Just think about how much you could save.

For office business, you might want to think about getting rid of those old computer monitors and instead, getting laptops for your employees. Laptops use a fraction of the energy of other larger computers and more importantly can be disconnected from an energy source completely. Modern laptops will last for ten plus hours before they need to be plugged in and as such can save you a great deal.

Recycle For Great Savings

Or finally, you could think about introducing more recycling into your energy model. Recycling is in your best interest as it will limit how much waste you have to take to the landfill each year. It may seem like right now this isn’t costing you much money at all. But governments are starting to take a hard stance on this type of wastage. It is only a matter of time before you start to feel the weight of this cost.

As you can see then, there are small and large ways you can save energy in your business model. From fantastic innovative ideas to simple suggestions, it is in your power to go green.

Transform Your Business Success With These Tips

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Owning a small business is a big deal. It doesn’t matter whether you are a one-man band working solely on your business from the spare bedroom, or you are a running a small team from a personal office on high street: your business is a big deal. If you’re seeing your business struggle to make it in your industry, it can really put you onto a downer. Taking your business from small fish to impressive shark takes some time, and the best way to make people see that you are a serious company is to dare to be different. Differentiating your business from others in your industry is going to propel you higher, as you can show customers that you have something more than all the others. Look at the competition around you and make a point of doing better. For the most part, people copy the competition (well, almost copy them) to make themselves just as successful, but no one wants to be the Pepsi to the Coca-Cola, right?

Transforming your business from one that is failing to one that is successful isn’t a simple task. A business itself takes an awful lot of work to get it to a popular status. Taking what you can do to make a profit and magnifying it is going lead you to the profit you want. Concentrating on what is lacking in your business and transforming those areas is the way you are going to be able to change your entire chances at gaining a profit and the popularity you’ve always wanted. So, how can you transform a business you’ve worked so hard at putting together? We’ve put down some of the ways you can ensure that you pull your business out of the rut it’s stuck in and gear it in the direction that you want it to go.

Employees – Start Here

People are a resource, and if you are planning on hiring new people to expand your business and grow into bigger premises, you need to understand that fact. People are going to completely change the face of your business and how you manage it, simply by bringing in their ideas and opinions. Employee engagement is probably one of the most important areas in your business that you need to invest. Online training being offered is one thing when it comes to training them up on the job, but what about what they want for the future? Hiring in new people to manage teams and run things for you is part of the excitement of running a business. You want to bring on people that work well together and gel as a team, but you also want to get to know employees rather than just have them work for you. Outside the office, people you hire have lives, families, friends and hobbies that they are passionate about. By taking the time to get to know your people on a personal level, you are going to be able to invest better in their future. By doing this, you’re going to transform your business as a whole. How? Happy employees make for empowered, motivated and brilliant employees.

Technology Bites

Moving your offline business to an online one is the first step that you need to take to maximise your business exposure and profits. Customers want to find you, use your services and recommend you to other people. If you aren’t accessible, then you can’t wonder why your business isn’t working. We are living in a digital world, and it’s this world that we have to adapt to now. What worked for businesses ten years ago will not work now, because the world is changing. All entrepreneurs can appreciate the fact that the world is changing and evolving, and you don’t have to be a tech genius to figure out how to keep going in the new business world. Make a point of taking courses and qualifications to teach yourself everything that you need to know and take your newfound knowledge into your business. You see, just because the world is skipping ahead, doesn’t mean you have to stay still and allow it to pass you by.

Redecorate Your Space

As a business, you need to look around at the way you are working and make changes. A cluttered, badly decorated office is not going to inspire you or the people who work for you. Clearing out your office space from files, old equipment and bad furniture and giving the whole place an overhaul can change a lot of things for you. It’s a psychological thing, here, as you will thrive off the changes that you make to your space. You can feel confident and cleansed in your head as well as physically in your office, and that alone can inspire you to transform the way that you do things. When you clear out the paperwork and the files and scan everything into an electronic hard drive or cloud system, you create a physically minimalist space to work from instead. Cloud storage makes it far easier to share the information that you have with customers and other businesses in your field, and this step into the future with your business will eventually make the transformation it needs.

Go Back To School

We mentioned investing in training for your employees, but what about you? Owning a business doesn’t give you the authority on everything that there is to know in the business world. Taking a step back from what you do and going back to education can help you to change things for yourself, grow your own knowledge and impart that new wisdom to the masses. You may not be too savvy about social media, so a course in the best ways to utilize social media for your business is going to change the way things are done. The more knowledge you have, the better off your business can be because it can only evolve as far as you are willing to. There are so many ways you can educate yourself now, from online courses to college night school classes to teach you the things that you really want to know.

Network!

Being in business means getting to know people who can do what you do and learning from them. Connecting to other businesses and reaching out to companies that do something similar to you can mean you make connections that you wouldn’t imagine would work out for you! Reach out to a business leader that you admire and create links with them. Eventually, you could empower each other’s businesses by posting on blogs for each other and share ideas about how you can work together. You shouldn’t feel threatened by people in the same industry as you – just because you have a similar business idea doesn’t mean you’re a threat to each other. Work out how you can support each other, and you’ll find your business far more profitable.

Learn To Share

Are you someone who is protective over your business? While that may be a nice way to keep in control of things, you’re going to end up isolating anyone who has an idea for your business that you don’t approve of. You need to learn to delegate your own weaknesses to other team leaders in your business and share the workload. You are not an authority in business as a whole, even if you are the ultimate font of knowledge about how you want your own business to run. By keeping a protective hand on your company, you’re going to burn yourself out far faster than you could imagine; and that’s not what you need for success. Share the tasks with other team leaders and you can breathe life into your company and keep it fresh.

Take Your Own Advice

One of the biggest ways that you can transform your company is to learn to take your own advice. If you are telling other people in the same field to slow down and relinquish control to others, learn to take your own advice when things feel overwhelming. Look into why your business is slowing down and don’t be afraid to make changes. Change isn’t always easy to stomach, but it’s going to be the one thing you need to embrace to improve the performance of your bottom line. Never be afraid to take a fresh approach, even if that includes branding and marketing differently to the way you have always done things.

Your business doesn’t have to be a failure, but if you choose to stick in the mud and refuse to change with the times, you’re not going to have much of a choice. You are not going to win prizes by being stubborn, nor are you going to win the loyalty of customers. The only way is up in business and if you take the time to learn more about yourself and your employees, you’re going to go past the stars you’re aiming for and do better than you could have imagined.

A Great Startup Is…

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Launching a new business venture is a truly exciting time in any entrepreneur’s life. However, the statistics show that the vast majority of ventures fade into the darkness within the first few years. If yours is going to be different, it needs to tick all the boxes. Fact.

Every startup should follow its own path, but there are a number of attributes shared by all success stories. Here are some of the most crucial elements that you must aim for.

A Great Startup Is… Financially Conscious

Virtually all businesses have to endure a period of establishing itself to a point where it turns a profit. Having a suitable level of starting capital is pivotal, but it’s not the only key factor. Many companies succumb to those early pressures and, in many cases, it’s due largely to a lack of control over expenses. Whether it’s finding cheaper office rentals, web hosting, or insurance doesn’t matter. Every dollar counts, and it’ll also encourage the right habits for long-term sustainability. Given that money is the main motivator behind all ventures, ignoring this element could spell disaster.

A Great Startup Is… Aware Of Its Place

It takes time for a business to grow its customer base. However, the challenge becomes a whole lot easier when the brand and content are geared towards the target market from day one. Market research may actually show that your core audience is slightly different to what you assumed. Still, pinpointing that niche is sure to work wonders for the immediate and long-term future of the company. Not only will it stop you wasting time and effort on people that aren’t interested, but it’ll also make clients feel closer to the company.

A Great Startup Is… Committed To Customers

As well as knowing its customers, a successful startup will go the extra mile to show commitment to its client base. This manifests itself in many ways. Showing consumers that you care will strengthen that bond. In turn, this will generate increased conversions and loyalty. Furthermore, you must nail down the customer care game at the earliest stage possible. Those interactions are vital for continued sales while they are the key to dealing with issues that could otherwise bring in lost custom. Many modern startups forget this, especially when working with a digital audience. In reality, though, this is the reason it deserves an even greater level of attention.

A Great Startup Is… Online

The success stories show that offline popups and services can achieve great success without even selling via the World Wide Web. On the other hand, the fact that we hear about those people shows that there is a need for online promotion. Generating visibility for your business is central to growing awareness, authority, and accessibility. Furthermore, it ties in perfectly with the concept of using money in an efficient manner as this type of marketing is often cheaper. Many businesses will actively find that online sales enable them to reach a far bigger audience too.

A Great Startup Is… A Team

In the interest of saving money, you may be tempted to attempt doing everything alone. In truth, though, employees are the one resource that can spearhead your business to far greater results. A successful recruitment drive will set the winning foundations in place. However, you can learn about team building and staff training to take things to another level altogether. With a skilled and motivated staff behind you, all aspects from productivity to client experiences will improve. Try to take the solo option, and you’ll find that progress is too slow to achieve any real success.

A Great Startup Is… Thorough With Its Products

Ultimately, it’s the products that will determine whether customers keep coming back for more. However, those items aren’t simply about what’s inside the box. The packaging is crucial for giving clients the comprehensive experience that they deserve. Consumerism is like an addiction, and the extra spark offered by pretty bottles and creative box artwork has a bigger impact than you’d imagine. You can request a quote for quality containers online to realize how cost-effective this investment can be. Seriously, if it boosts sales and loyalty, those extra pennies are vital.

A Great Startup Is… Unique

While it’s true that successful startups share a variety of key attributes, personality is still key. With so much competition on the market, failing to accomplish this aim will bring negativity. Most obviously, it will run the risk of your brand fading into the background as competitors push to the front. Having a brand ethos and identity needn’t stop you from staying professional. But if it helps you grab the attention and stay fresh in their minds, conversion rates will shot through the roof. Besides, it makes it a lot simpler for employees to understand the company as well as their roles within it.

A Great Startup Is… Prepared For The Worst

Nobody said running a business would be easy. Problems will surface from time and time, which is something you must accept. The only way to stop this becoming a major issue is to be well prepared. This can range from having backup electricity resources to having cyber insurance. Either way, those measures help protect the company for a far better future. In addition to the actual benefits, the emotional rewards of knowing the venture is in good health can make a world of difference. Without those potential distractions, you’ll be ready to focus on driving the vehicle forward too.

A Great Startup Is… Ready To Grow

It’s important to walk before you run in business. Nonetheless, the company naturally holds ambitions of long-term success. It might be some time before you think about turning the company into a franchise or adding the second line of products. Still, an appreciation of what’s required to achieve those future goals can help direct the operation. Better yet, it should also provide long-term motivation. Immediate progress is nothing if it isn’t followed by sustainability. With those positive plans in place, there’s no limit to what can be achieved. That truly is the hallmark of a winner.

The Wisdom Of A Passion Driven Business

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Some of us have passion in life that dominates above all else. It is the thing that gets us up every morning, and we fall asleep at night thinking about it. The dream, or so it is said is to be able to convert this passion into a career, thereby doing the thing that you love every day and getting paid for it. But how practical is this path for most of us in business? Not very, apart from the lucky and most talented few. However, there is another way, and that is to base your career or company on something that is close to or adjacent to your passion. Something that means you still get to be involved in that world and you can pay your bills. Read on for some suggestions that match this mould.

Your passion is football

Football is a hugely popular passion and hobby in The US, and many kids grow up playing the sports being pretty good at it too. However, there are only so many spots in the professional leagues, and that means, sadly not all who love and play the sport will make it. But if you can’t make your living playing professional football, what else can you do that keep you without that world?

Well, there is coaching for a start, OK you might not get to school the top teams, so you have never played for them yourself. However, youth and college leagues always need coaches, and you could even consider starting up a private academe to provide more intensive training.

Your passion is yachting

Sailing is a very particular interest, but a popular one nonetheless. Maybe some folks just have an affinity for the sea? Of course, like any other competitive sport getting to the top of the field often takes a lot of hard work, funding, and a little luck thrown in. Something that means most wannabe mariners won’t get to sail as a way of bringing in their income.

Even a passion as specific at yachting can inspire a successful commercial enterprise.

That doesn’t mean that is yachting is your passion you should lose hope though, as the sealing industry isn’t just about the people partaking in the races. Its also all about the folks that build the boats, and sell them and the items like these boat propellers that you need to keep your vessel in tip-top condition.

In fact, owning a shop that deals in boat parts can be a highly satisfying and profitable activity for someone with a love of sailing. This is because they get to put their knowledge into practice and provide a top quality service for their customers. Something that is likely to make them successful and benefit them financially in the long run too.

Your passion is writing

Writing is another activity that many people have a passion for. In particular, novel writing, usually within a certain genre is what many folks aspire to do, and although this is a little easier now with the self-publishing of eBooks, it’s still a tough gig unless you hit the big time.

Luckily, it’s totally possible to follow in the footsteps of many famous authors such as Dorothy L. Sayers and Robert M. Pirsig and earn you living in the adjacent area of writing copy or technical manuals. Something that will allow you to make a living as well as hone skills. Just in case you want to take a pop at that novel in your spare time.

Unexpected Costs That Could Derail Your Operation

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There is no getting away from the fact that all employers and business owners will encounter unexpected costs at some point during their careers. For that reason, it’s crucial that company bosses keep a rainy day fund to cover the expenditure they might have to make. In the hope of helping you to predict potential stumbling blocks, this post highlights some of the most common things that take entrepreneurs by surprise. With a bit of luck, reading about them now will make it easier for you to face the issues in the future.

Worker’s Compensation

If you own a business for long enough; someone will bring a compensation claim against your company. With that in mind, you must build relationships with workers comp doctors as soon as possible. The issue is that in many instances, the individual will use a law firm they saw advertised on TV. Those professionals always try to get the most money possible for their clients. That often involved overstating the injury and making things seem worse than they are in reality. Specialist doctors and lawyers will assist you in dealing with the problem and making sure you only pay a fair amount of cash. However, you’ll need to pay for their services, and that can become expensive.

Legal Challenges

Legal challenges can come from almost anywhere in the business world, and that is why you need a team of experts in your corner waiting to fight any new battles. Some of the most common legal issues relate to:

If you don’t have a team of specialists ready to swing into action; dealing with those legal problems could become challenging. You’re also going to require at least a few thousand dollars in the bank at all times to ensure you can cover the cost.

New Taxes or Industry Regulations

Depending on the nature of your business and the industry in which it trades; the government could implement new taxes or regulations at any time. If that happens, you might have to change the way you produce your products or provide services to your clients. So, it’s sensible to ensure you always have enough cash in the accounts for a complete company overhaul. You never know when the situation will change and you’ll have to make adjustments overnight. Again, a decent team of lawyers and accountants is your best hope of success. You just need to build those relationships ahead of time.

You should now have a reasonable idea about some of the most common unexpected costs that could derail your operation. Make sure you read some of the other articles on this blog before you click away because there is a wealth of knowledge and expertise from which you could benefit. When all’s said and done, you became involved in the business world because you wanted to make a killing. So, the last thing you want to do is let the actions of other people ruin your ambitions. Good luck!

Why Networking Is the Best Way to Grow Your Startup

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Networking is often seen as excessive amounts of talking with no real aim. However, marketers and entrepreneurs understand the true value of networking; it grows your business. It’s one of the reasons why all successful entrepreneurs are so good at speaking; it’s because they possess the social skills required to link their businesses with other companies to create new deals and relationships that will benefit the industry as a whole. To help you out, here are a few more reasons why networking is such a great way to grow your company.

Building Relationships with Influencers

Influencers are incredibly important in today’s world of marketing. Influencers have the power to completely change their audience’s stance on you and your products, so use your networking skills to build bridges that can benefit you both.

Collaborating to Innovate

Putting together some of the world’s brightest minds is the best way to innovate in a stale industry. If you find that your products are slowly getting outdated, then collaboration with other businesses could be the best way to help you out of a slump.

Finding Sponsors to Work With You

Lastly, we can’t forget about sponsors. Sponsors will help you fund business event attendance, they’ll help you pay for research and development and they’ll help you grow your company overall. It’s a mutually beneficial deal that requires good networking skills. To help you out, take a look at this guide on how you can write the perfect sponsorship letter to break the ice and get a deal started.

 


Infographic by The Sponsorship Collective

Outsourcing: The Simplest Way to Take a Little Weight Off Your Shoulders

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When it comes to running a business, most company owners come across as relaxed, calm, and in control at all times. They make it look a breeze! But the truth is that running a small business can actually be one of the most testing career choices out there. Especially when you first start out. Think about it: you’ve thrown yourself in the deep end, set up a brand and put all of your eggs into this one basket that is your personal business venture. What’s more? You’re not simply taking orders anymore. You’re making all of the executive decisions to do with stock, merchandising, marketing, advertising and pretty much every other aspect of running things and keeping your accounts in the black. It’s a whole lot of responsibility. However, it’s extremely important that you don’t overload yourself. Taking on too much work can result in mistakes and poorly made decisions. But not to worry. There’s a simple answer to your problems: outsourcing. Here’s everything you need to know about this helpful business practice.

What is Outsourcing?

Outsourcing is a relatively commonly employed business practice which involves the distribution of certain tasks to independent third parties outside of your company. Not only does this remove a huge workload from your shoulders, but it comes hand in hand with various other benefits too. Jobs can be completed faster, you can gain the expertise of people trained or educated in different areas to yourself, you can make use of other business’ resources and specialist equipment, and you don’t have the added responsibility of becoming an employer in the process!

IT

Nowadays, businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on IT. It’s not surprising. E-commerce has proven to be extremely beneficial and it’s also cheaper, faster and more simple to communicate with partners, clients, and customers through email, instant messenger and video calls. So, if things go wrong with your computer or laptop, your internet connection or your software, you can find yourself in a rather unfortunate situation. Luckily, there are reliable and efficient it outsourcing companies out there to lend you a helping hand. Look for options that offer 24/7 services, as this means that you can stay up and running at all hours. Also opt for establishments with qualified and certified staff, so you know that you can trust in their work and efforts.

Market Research

Market research can make or break a product or service launch. It’s absolutely paramount that you understand your target audience as well as your competition. If you just throw a product or service out there and hope for the best, chances are that things will fall through pretty fast. After all, before you so much as start considering developing something, you should check whether it exists, whether you can beat the current options out there (in terms of price or quality), and how much consumers are willing to pay for the final result. However, finding the right people to talk to about these things can be difficult. Specialist market researchers have plenty of experience in this area and will know exactly who to confer with, where to look for competitor products and the trends of similar ventures that have been undertaken in the past. So leave this area to those in the know! They’ll be able to deliver much more reliable and thorough results in a much shorter period of time.

So, if you’ve never considered outsourcing before, now is the best time to test the waters! You may well be surprised with the positive outcomes.

4 Unconventional Business Startup Ideas You May Not Have Thought Of

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You’re at a crossroads. You know that you’re sick of the daily grind and aspire to something more than being just another wage slave, but you’re not sure exactly what you want to be. You have a whole host of skills that are conducive to running your own business. You’re creative, you’re hard working, you’re passionate, you’re a great communicator and you have superb organizational skills. The trouble is, you’re not sure what unique angle your business needs to make the world take notice of you. All the best ideas seem taken and you don’t want to flood the market with yet another self consciously hip bar or coffee shop. If you’ve a burning passion to succeed, yet aren’t sure what to do with it, here are some unconventional ideas that may prove lucrative…

Franchise Vs. Startup

Starting up your very own business is a rewarding and self-affirming, but it’s also incredibly risky business. There are no guarantees that your business will succeed no matter how comprehensively you do your market research or how well you market yourself on social media. The sad fact is that businesses that work really well on paper go into liquidation all the time. You can insulate yourself from a lot of this risk by starting up a franchise. A franchise has a great deal of the benefits of running your own business, but with a few more advantages and a few less risks. You have the advantage of a proven product and a globally recognized brand name and the franchise provider will give you all of the resources, training and skills you need to do well. Of course, this will reduce your visibility in the business and the brand will never be yours but many franchise owners see this as a price worth paying. You can see a breakdown of startup vs franchise benefits and risks here.

Bail Bonds

Setting up a Bail Bonds business is something that’s at the top of few lists of business ideas for entrepreneurs, but it’s one that has seen many success stories. You can get a lot more information at http://www.startingabailbondbusiness.com/ but in brief it goes like this…

When a person is accused of committing a crime the court sets a bail figure which is paid to allow the accused to live a normal life outside of prison while they await trial. This is a refundable payment that acts as a form of insurance. The bail bondsman ensures that the bail gets paid and that the accused makes it to trial. Despite what you may have seen in Jackie Brown, it’s safe, rewarding and potentially lucrative work.

Chimney Sweep

You’re thinking of skinny, disheveled Victorian boys aren’t you? Think again. Chimney sweeping is an essential and virtually recession proof business that can also be rewarding if you like interacting with customers and working with your hands. Startup costs are fairly minimal and there are millions of chimneys out there that need sweeping all year round.

Editorial Services

If you’ve always fancied yourself something of a wordsmith, but would struggle to generate the ambitious word counts required to be a professional blogger there are plenty of other services that you could offer on a freelance basis in the world of content. Editors, proofreaders, fact checkers, researchers and book doctors are always in fairly regular demand whatever the state of the economy. In a world where content marketing is becoming increasingly widespread among businesses, this may be a great place to find your niche!

What Does Your Business Need?

Scott Asai1 Comment

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

If you’re just starting out, this is a question that will plague you for a long while. If you’re a well established business, there will come a time when things seem to come to a stand still and you’re left questioning what your business needs. But the worst thing you can do is panic. All you need to do is take a step back, reevaluate, and see where the next part of your journey takes you. If you’re already successful and well established, don’t panic about a drop in sales, if you’re a small new business, then don’t worry about no sales at all. Everything takes patience and time, and with a few pointers from this article you can be on track in no time.

Outside Help

It doesn’t matter whether you’re established, or just starting out, you should never be afraid to accept outside help. If you’re a new small business, seek help from financial advisors and other business owners. Financial advisors can help you obviously stay on track with money, but can also help you divide your money up between the different areas you need to spend it on. They’ll help create budgets and just generally make sure things aren’t getting out of hand. Other business owners have the wealth of knowledge you need. Don’t be afraid to reach out and just ask for some friendly advice on how to get things going successfully. If you’re a well established business, brain fog can sometimes stop you from seeing the bigger picture. There’s that many things going through your mind on a daily basis that it might be an idea to enlist the help of a business analyst. Yes, it may be annoying having someone tell you how to run your business, but it can work wonders for you. They’ll have a fresh pair of eyes and will be able to see clearly where things are going pear shaped.

Better Systems

Each year better systems are being designed to help you with the running of your business, no matter how big or small it is. The first thing you need to look into is what system you can put in your office to help the running of things, Take technology such as VoiceOnyx phone service. Your business needs the smooth running phone systems that such companies can provide. They’ll help to improve communication with your customers which is always vital in any business. Then you need to take a look at other things such as your website.

A good website is what draws any customer in. It needs to look sharp, smart, and the ease of use must be impeccable. Look at ways you can use your website to improve systems such as payments. Slow payments are the end of purchasing can really annoy users. Research how to make yours better and implement it. The best way to see if it has improved is to test it yourself rather than waiting for a customer to complain. The smoother the process the happier the customer.