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Even if everyone you talk to says they love your business idea, that doesn’t mean that it’s a good one. First of all, people say a lot of things; what they say they would buy and what they will actually buy are two different things. You also can’t start a business just because you “feel like it’s going to work”. Many entrepreneurs set out on a new venture based on an instinct that their idea is foolproof. There’s no shortcut; you simply have to do your homework. What is the Market? Remember that your “market” is just people. Instead of thinking of it as a summary of figures and statistics, it’s better to think of this in terms of all the different groups of people who are your potential customers. Who are they? How much money do they make? What do they buy? Look at the details, not just broad …

  So, you’ve decided to set up an online store, and you’re presented with a few options for a place to build it. Among the front-runners are Bigcommerce and Shopify. Both of these ecommerce builders will give you a seamless startup experience, but of course each has its strengths and weaknesses. It depends, to some degree, on your business’ goals; however, Shopify tends to come out on top across all bases.   Superior Analytics Here is the one category where you will find that Bigcommerce shines through. You can tell that it was created with the intent of providing an expansive platform to facilitate the growth of an e-business. Shopify gives you everything you need to be up and running fast with the necessary tools to serve every customer, but Bigcommerce has better built-in analytics and SEO tools to help you see not only where you are, but where you’re …

  “Living a Princely life requires that you learn to think and reason like the Prince, talk and behave like him, react like him as well.” —Jaachynma N.E. Agu   Everyone started in business with the vigor and ambition of a teenager at his first job. You had some wild assurance that you would be able to handle everything that came and impress everyone around you, convinced that this was the beginning of a sustained line of success. In the same way, no entrepreneur starts their own business with the hope of being mediocre; you want to change the game, and you want to do what you do better than anybody else. And there’s no reason why you can’t do that.   The following points show the difference between the way an amateur thinks about business, and the way a pro sees it—which one are you?   1. Respect Your …

Including social media in your marketing campaign can significantly amplify the impact of your business’ regular content or latest promotion. If you play your cards right, you can create a snowball effect that puts your content in front of the right people—the ones who will turn into new paying customers. So let’s take a look at the top social media sites, and how you can use each of these to generate new business. Facebook We all know Facebook is an unstoppable, ever-expanding force with a massive collection of people who are constantly active on the site, and constantly sharing and interacting with new content. Though it may not be your first choice to generate leads, it is a great engine to get people talking about your latest content or promotion. This is the place where you can respond to people who are commenting on your post, and due to the …

  What makes one brand of productivity software stand out from others? There are variables that determine what kind of operating tools will make work easier and more efficient, but the vast majority of businesses are going to choose software based on simplicity, connectivity, practicality, and universality—and these are the qualities that Google, Microsoft, and others are taking great pains to provide. The already established trend towards using cloud-based operating software is not surprising, due to the growing need for seamless communication across all platforms and borders as more and more business is conducted online and remotely, which is where Google has put its best foot forward, and Microsoft is following suit with Office 365.   Give Office 365 a Try The best way to decide what software works better for you is to simply try both, or should I say, try Office 365 because you’re probably less familiar with …

Selection/Options WORDPRESS This site-building tool has always been based around the core value of allowing anyone to start their own blog for free, which is the main distinction between them and Squarespace. With nearly 400 different themes to choose from, you can build your site as basic or as meticulous as you prefer, and if you know some code or learn to use the tools provided with your account, you’ll have considerable freedom to customize your design. At the same time, this platform was created for bloggers, not businesses; so, even though you can create a perfectly functional business site through WP, the themes they provide may be a little lackluster if your goal is to impress customers. SQUARESPACE Although a limited selection of templates are provided, the ones they do have are sleek, simple, and functional, with business sensibility in mind. The idea seems to be: Give people the …

Online retail will generate at least $330 billion for 2015, and that number is always growing, even to the point of eventually overtaking the conventional world of retail—that’s 330 billion reasons to optimize digital payments for your business. There are now quite a few digital payment providers to choose from, but among the front-runners are Google, Amazon, and of course, PayPal. Like any competing service providers, they all operate basically in the same way, while each one offers distinctive features that set them apart. We’ve given each service our own rating for overall performance. Let’s take a look at the Big 3, and you can decide for yourself which one may be right for your business. Google Wallet/Android Pay There are virtually no fees associated with setting up an account, but you will quickly find that going through the process of getting that “Buy with Google” button on your checkout …