Start, Run, & Grow Your Business

How Veteran-Owned Black Rifle Coffee is Making a Difference

The past decade has seen a notable increase in socially conscious business ventures. More entrepreneurs and business owners are launching projects designed to help society rather than earn the biggest profits. Black Rifle Coffee is a great example of the trend of businesses making a difference in the world. The company gained attention for its pledge to hire 10,000 veterans, among other unique social marketing campaigns. Along with its charitable efforts, Black Rifle Coffee stands out for making a mark in a heavily saturated market. The coffee industry is mostly dominated by major players, such as Starbucks. Despite many challenges, Black Rifle Coffee achieved over $80 million in sales after just five years in business. Yet, the company is not without controversies. Here’s a closer look at the company’s history, charitable campaigns, and potential growth. Who Founded Black Rifle Coffee? Black Rifle Coffee Company was founded …

19 Great Ways to Advertise Your Business with No Money

Right after starting a new small business, funds can be tight. Payroll, office space, taxes, and production can eat into capital. And that’s if you’re lucky enough to have a capital investment. If you are like many entrepreneurs, you’re not worried about investors; you’re bootstrapping your business on a shoe string. There’s no way you have $100,000 lying around to conduct a direct mail campaign (and that’s what it often costs, by the way). Newspaper ads, telemarketing, billboards, and television commercials can also run six figures each. And what’s worse is that newspapers, landlines, and traditional TV are all being replaced by websites, cell phones, and streaming video. Even low-cost awareness-building activities can eat up between $15,000 and $75,000 of your annual budget. For a small business, that’s a lot of money. In this context, marketing or advertising can get short shrift. So what’s a small business owner to do? …

How to Use Social Media as a Tool for Customer Service

Social media platforms are among the best sources for lead generation and brand awareness. Yet, businesses and entrepreneurs often overlook the value of using them for customer service. Connecting with customers through their preferred communication methods tends to result in greater satisfaction. Most consumers are already using social media to reach out to companies so it’s a no brainer that you should be as well! One study found that about half of all social media users have used these platforms to contact businesses. Whether you are already active & knowledgeable with social media, or you have no idea whatsoever how to navigate it, this article will break down the key things you need to know. So let’s find out how to leverage the power of social media to gain and retain more customers.. Why Use Social Media for Customer Service? Many businesses use email, phone, and online chat to communicate …

11 Sure Ways to Keep Your Customers Coming Back

Although getting return customers isn’t rocket science, there is definitely more to it than hanging a sign on the door that says, “Please Come Again!”. We all wish it was obviously that easy, but there are plenty of things you can do to make sure customers happily come back to your business. Here are 11 effective ways to earn repeat business and keep your customers coming back. 1. Earn Repeat Business with a Habit Forming Product Having an “addictive” product doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be something that people physically crave, or something upon which they are emotionally dependent, like Instagram or Twitter. It may just be something that is so much fun, that they can’t go a day without it. Maybe you are an online service provider with a user interface that is really simple and fun to use, or maybe your packaging …

How an 800 Number Can Make Your Business Stand Out

If you’re looking to attract more leads or establish a more professional image for your business, consider getting an 800 number. Email, online forms, online chat, and social media have become the most common points of contact between businesses and customers. However, plenty of business communications still rely heavily on phone calls. Using 800 numbers gives your business a way to stay connected with customers, no matter what occurs in the future of your business. If you move to a new location or expand your operations, you can continue using the same number. How Do 800 Numbers Work? When a customer calls a 1-800 number, the call is routed through a cloud telephone provider & redirected to the phone number of your choice. For example, you can route calls from the toll-free number to the landline at your business, your mobile phone, or a virtual phone …

Slack: Behind the Business Communication Giant’s Rise

Slack is currently one of the most popular business communication platforms. It launched in 2013 and went public in 2019 with a market value of $19.5 billion. Slack is a lightweight communication tool that helps teams stay organized. Users can easily share documents, images, and messages in the workplace or across remote distances. With Evernote, Trello, Dropbox, and dozens of other business tools as competition, how did Slack manage to succeed? The success of Slack is a unique story that includes the rise and fall of two separate video game companies and the sale of one of the most popular photo-sharing tools. Here’s a closer look at how Stewart Butterfield & Cal Henderson built Slack. Video Game Project Leads to Surprisingly Useful Tool Slack was not the first successful platform developed by Stewart Butterfield. It’s also not the first platform that he originally designed as …

New Trends in Marketing and How to Apply Them to Your Business - New Marketing Trends

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 …

Advanced History of the North American Numbering Plan

Why do North American phone numbers have nine digits? Who came up with the numbering system for phones? The use of seven-digit phone numbers across the United States & Canada started in 1947 through the cooperation of local telephone operators, AT&T, and the Bell System. While the telephone was invented in 1876, it wasn’t actually until 70 years later that the North American Numbering Plan was created. The numbering system was part of a large-scale effort to improve long-distance calling. It would eventually be referred to as the (NANP) and remains the standard for assigning phone numbers to this day. Here’s a closer look at the history of the North American Numbering Plan, including why it was necessary and what areas it covers. Calling a Neighbor Required a Telephone Exchange To understand the importance of the NANP, you need to understand how early telephone systems worked. …

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 …

The Benefits of Having an 888 Number for Your Business

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a business owner with a growing organization, an 888 number can be an invaluable asset. It gives customers a convenient way to contact your business, along with many additional benefits. Let’s take a closer look at 888 numbers to find out why you should get one for your business. What Is an 888 Number? 888 numbers are a type of toll-free number. Toll-free numbers start with a three-digit code. Along with 888, phone service providers may offer toll-free numbers that start with 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, or 877. Most people are familiar with 1-800 numbers. 800 numbers were originally released in the 1960s. The availability of toll-free numbers gradually decreased, leading the FCC to release additional toll-free area codes. 888 numbers were added to keep up with the demand for toll-free numbers. Other than the digits used, there is no …

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