Our Blog - Talkroute

The Rise of Airbnb: Taking Over the Hospitality Industry

Airbnb was founded in 2008 with just a single listing. A little over a decade later, you can browse close to two million listings, which includes over 30,000 tiny houses and 5,000 castles. About 150 million users offer up their homes and properties in over 65,000 cities across the globe. That’s quite the operation.. So, how did Airbnb go from renting a single room with an air mattress to a $31 billion company with millions of listings? Here is a closer look at what it took for the founders of Airbnb to disrupt the hospitality industry. Renting Out an Apartment to Cover Rent The story of Airbnb starts in 2007 in San Francisco. Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia were designers that met at the Rhode Island School of Design and moved out west after college. As with many young professionals in Silicon Valley, Chesky and Gebbia …

3 Ways to Forward Your Landline to a Cell Phone

As a business owner, you take important phone calls at the office. But you’re not always in the office. You’re meeting clients, attending events, and ducking out for lunch at school with the kids. So what do you do when an important call comes in on your business phone system but you’re not there to take it? Believe it or not, there are lots of options for business owners who face this predicament. Most offices have a landline, and most business owners & managers have a smartphone. These two can easily work together to create a seamless system that reaches you wherever you are. Having a landline at home might seem dated now. More than half of Americans have gone to wireless only in their homes, and the trend toward landline-free residences shows no signs of abating. As you probably expected, most people who still use landlines at home come …

Running a Business During COVID-19? 12 Tips to Ensure Success

Running a business is never easy, but COVID-19 has created a slew of additional challenges. From lockdowns to capacity restrictions, businesses everywhere are struggling to adapt to the new normal. The pandemic is especially difficult for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Don’t panic! You don’t need to let COVID-19 bring an end to your business. So, how do you keep your business afloat during a pandemic? Online meetings & teleworking are a couple of the ways that businesses are coping. However, those solutions don’t work for every business owner.. Luckily, we’ve uncovered a variety of tactics that you can use to ride out the pandemic. Whether you have an online or a local business, the following 12 tips can help you remain successful. 1. Review Your Local COVID-19 Restrictions If you want to avoid costly fines and penalties, you first need to review the COVID-19 restrictions in …

12 Tips from Experts on How to Grow Your Home Business

There will likely be plenty of people telling you what they think is the ultimate secret to grow your home business, so it can be 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 …

Siete Foods: Reinventing Classic Mexican-American Food

If you’ve browsed the chip aisle of your local grocery store in the past year or two, you’ve likely seen Siete tortillas & tortilla chips. The popular brand is relatively new to the scene, yet it’s slowly reinventing the way people think about Mexican-American food. Instead of wheat or corn, the tortilla chips are grain-free. They are made with natural alternatives, such as almonds and chickpeas. Despite the massive popularity of Siete Family Foods, the company is still a family-owned and operated business. The Garzas are the family behind the brand, led by siblings Miguel and Veronica. They recently obtained $90 million in funding and appear ready to take over the natural foods industry. So, how did a Mexican-American family launch the fastest-growing company in the natural food industry? Here’s the story of entrepreneurs Miguel and Veronica Garza – the founders of Siete Family Foods. Who Are …

Don’t Wear Too Many Hats as a Small Business Owner

The truth is that, as a small business owner, you will naturally find yourself handling all kinds of different tasks, being pulled in multiple directions at the same time. Even though that’s the case, you still shouldn’t have to destroy yourself in the process. Most business owners are extremely ambitious and results-driven, so no matter what is thrown at them, they just push through and get it done without a second thought. That may become a problem, if you’re not careful. It’s all about balance & making sure you are not letting yourself become too overwhelmed. The aim of this post is to give you at least the beginnings of a plan for using healthy practices to manage the heavy load and still get everything done. A Day in the Life of a Small Business Owner A small business owner, especially with a new business, will have …

How Small Businesses Can Compete with Big Companies & Win

Entering an industry as a business owner where big companies are already operating in the space is a bold prospect and very intimidating. Though it’s not statistically likely that you’re going to be able to jump in and overtake a company like Target in their home court, you can absolutely prosper and even proliferate alongside the well-established heavy hitters. If there are multiple businesses who are offering the same product or service within the same general area, then that means there is probably a large enough market to support them all. Dig in, commit yourself to the task, and use the following strategies to give your small business every advantage that you can. The Odds Are Already in Your Favor With some exceptions, nearly everything about what a small business produces is better than the big ones. Service and support are generally faster and more attentive; quality …

6-Step Plan to the Perfect Business Phone System

Whether you already have an established business or are just getting started, at some point you are going to need to think about your phones. While some business owners will opt to use their cell number as the business line (please don’t do this; see why) others will be considering a fancy office system. That is until you are confronted with the upfront costs, old school desk phones, networking equipment & long term contracts that come with these “modern” office systems… This is why virtual phone systems have gained popularity in recent years. Not only are there no contracts, upfront costs, or equipment to purchase but you can have everything up and running in less than an hour. All you need is access to a web browser and either a PC, cell phone or landline! To lean more about virtual phone systems, check out this article: How Does a …

UFC to Podcast Heavy-Hitter: Joe Rogan Hits the Mark

Joe Rogan is a household name, even if you don’t quite remember what he’s famous for. Some people remember Joe Rogan from his time on NewsRadio. Others think of his stint as the original host of Fear Factor. However, his acting career pales in comparison to his position as one of the most successful podcasters in recent history. So, how did Joe Rogan go from supporting actor on a sitcom to the host of a wildly popular podcast? Certainly not from blending in with the rest of the crowd.. Facing Fear Comes Naturally to Joe Rogan Joe Rogan helped people face their fears on Fear Factor, which is something that he strongly believes in. Early in his life, Joe overcame his own fears by taking up martial arts. He’s stated that he was “terrified of being a loser” growing up. Practicing martial arts was a natural …

How Does a Virtual Phone System Work?

It’s actually rather simple. If you’ve ever worked at a business, or have your own business that utilizes a traditional phone system, then you already understand how a virtual phone system works because the concept is the same. On-site, traditional phone systems have been the backbone of businesses for a long time, and this kind of network is a precursor to the service provided by Talkroute. Inspired by conventional networks, Talkroute works along the same principles and offers the same features—except it’s completely virtual, which is why there is no need to buy or install new equipment. It’s 100% in the cloud and works with your existing phones and devices. Turn Your Desktop & Cell Phone Into a Fully-Functional Virtual Phone System Just like the conventional phone networks, a virtual phone system manages every call that comes into your business. Instead of buying a bunch of new …