There will likely be plenty of people telling you what they think is the ultimate secret to grow your home business, making it tough to discern who you should listen to. So, instead of giving you our opinion of what we believe you should do, this post includes 12 pieces of valuable advice from veterans of business. When you want to give yourself an edge & improve your ability to operate in any area, you go to the ones who have come before you that learned how to solve some of the problems that you’re going to face. There are also some things that could trip you up as a business owner which you may have never even thought of. You can decide which of these tips you should keep, and which ones you should throw away. In any case, you’ll find some great wisdom among them that you …
Business Owner’s Guide: Get Organic Traffic to Your Website
In today’s increasingly connected world, your online presence is more important than ever. Having a website & organic traffic flowing to it is key to attracting potential new customers and building a relationship with them—most American consumers are more likely to think that a business is trustworthy if it has a website than if it doesn’t. However, you probably already know that. You’re a savvy business owner ready to conquer the modern market, of course you have your own website! The problem is getting people to see it when they are flooded with billions of Internet pages. Even though paid advertising can get your website in front of more eyeballs, organic traffic is the best way to increase visits to your website without spending too much money. Optimizing your SEO results will help you rank higher on Google’s search engines, which in turn will help you get your website …
Why Entrepreneurs Have to Continually Improve Themselves
As an entrepreneur, most of us are aware that when we put in the effort to improve by forcing ourselves to grow and learn in new and different ways, you will certainly see the benefits. There’s actually nothing very mystical about it because the more you work to change & grow, the better equipped you will be to handle the various challenges presented in life and work. Therefore the more able you will be to have success in your pursuits. As an entrepreneur, self-improvement can benefit you even more than others because constantly learning new skills and innovating for your business is part of the job description. If you’re one who is somewhat resistant to change or who doesn’t have a particularly strong thirst for knowledge, then this article is for you, too. Consider these reasons why continually improving yourself gives you a unique advantage for building a better …
8 Basic Reasons Your Small Business Isn’t Growing
Your small business got off the ground. Congratulations! For many people, launching their own business fulfills a long-time dream. Maybe you love the product you sell, or you enjoy building a team, or you just want the freedom to be your own boss. Maybe you plan to turn your enterprise into a family business and leave it as an inheritance for your son or daughter. Whatever your reasons for starting a small business, you deserve a pat on the back for getting yours up and running. Over the next few weeks and months, however, you may start to notice a problem. Your small business isn’t growing. In fact, more money is leaking out than rolling in. Maybe a lot more money. That’s a scary place to find yourself, especially if you owe for a loan or (worse) you’ve mortgaged your property to kick off your idea. Before you start …
6 Ways to Pinch Pennies & Cut a Ton of Company Spending
Businesses have been looking for ways to cut their operating costs for as long as businesses have existed. It can be a troublesome area because business owners have to sort of use triage to figure out what gets cut and what stays, sometimes resulting in cutting things out that you don’t necessarily want to get rid of. There’s only so much money in the budget, though, which means some things are going to have to go. The trick is to take a really close look at where you’re spending money, down to the very smallest of expenses. In fact, the really small expenses can be the best things to eliminate because they tend to have less of an impact, or consequence on your business. If you find yourself in need of cutting costs, this post is going to help because we’ve compiled a list of a few ways you …
What Keeps Your Employees Happy & High-Functioning
Keeping employees happy has to be one of the most misunderstood elements of running a business. Every business owner thinks they know how to do it, and most have employees who wish they found themselves anywhere but at work. Of course, it’s a given that most of us would prefer to be sipping a cocktail in a hammock somewhere instead of sifting through work emails. That doesn’t mean that work has to be miserable or consistently difficult to get through, which responsibility falls on the owners of a business. You can make it either acceptable (and even enjoyable) for your employees to work at your company, or you can make it a place where everyone hates to be. Though it’s not all that complicated to create a satisfying work environment, it can be tough to know what moves you need to make so that the people working on your …
New Trends in Marketing & How to Apply Them to Your Business
Keeping up with the competition requires businesses to pay attention to the latest business trends, including new marketing techniques. Marketing strategies are constantly evolving as businesses and entrepreneurs take advantage of the latest technologies. From the rise of the internet to the massive reach of social media, the way consumers shop continues to change. So, what are the latest trends in marketing and how do you apply them to your business? Customer advocacy, micro-influencers, transparency, and chatbots are just a few examples of new marketing trends. Here’s a closer look at these trends and others to help your business stay relevant. Why Follow Marketing Trends? What works today may not work tomorrow. Successful businesses understand that they need to stay one step ahead. Paying attention to the latest marketing trends allows you to: Monitor changes in consumer behavior Stay relevant to your target audience Grow …
How to Learn from Your Competitors to Grow Your Business
There is an unfortunate trait that most small businesses have, and that is the mentality of being afraid of their competitors or seeing them as their enemy. It’s true that they are competing for the same customers that you are, but even so, they can help you far more than they can hurt you. The first basic principle to understand about competing businesses is that, if there are multiple businesses who are offering the same product or service within the same general area, then that means there is a large enough market to support them all. If the market for that product turns out to be not large enough, then there is a kind of natural selection that comes into play. The market has a way of correcting itself wherein the finite number of customers who are interested in a particular product will gravitate towards the businesses that are …
How to Prevent Feeling Overwhelmed as a Business Owner
Starting your own business is incredibly exciting. When it begins, you’re likely riding the high that comes with quitting the 9-5-grind to go your own way. Then things start picking up. Where before it wasn’t hard to stay on top of your daily routine & separate the professional from the personal, now you’ve got more work than you can deal with, and things are beginning to blend together. Your work days might be bleeding into your personal time, and you catch yourself answering emails when you know you should be sleeping. While too much work as a business owner or a freelancer is a “good problem” to have, it can still add up to more than you can handle. Taking on every project that comes your way is a common mistake most business owners make when first starting out. More work is always better than less, right? Plus, what …
Perception vs Reality of Entrepreneurship
So why exactly would you want to be an entrepreneur? Most seasoned entrepreneurs would say it’s for one of three reasons: you’re a starry-eyed novice who sees the next Mark Zuckerburg every time you pass a mirror; you can’t wait to get the life kicked out of you by the reality of self-employment; or maybe–just maybe–you have a marketable idea you’re passionate about & the commitment to get it done right. Probably everyone toying with entrepreneurship believes they fall into the final category. But do you really? How can you be sure? It’s important to know the difference between the fantasy of starting a business and the reality of doing so before investing your money, your career, and your family’s financial future in a brand-new endeavor. So what’s the difference between the perception of entrepreneurship and its reality? Here are a few business tips for the future small business …