Start, Run, & Grow Your Business

Reasons Why Your Customers Want to Text You

Did you know that over 6 billion texts are sent every day?! Like most new technology, texting did take time to take hold with the public. In 1995, the average American sent just 0.4 text messages per month, according to Mobivity, and by 2000, the number still stood at just 35 a month– or about one text a day. The average American sends about 94 of them per day. Of course, many of these texts come from businesses or bots, not real people. Still, Americans are defaulting to text as their preferred communication medium more & more often. Texting is not a uniquely American habit, either. About five billion people, or 65% of the world’s population, enjoy access to texting. Why do people everywhere love to communicate by text message? And why would a customer want to text your small business instead of calling, emailing, or contacting you through social …

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 …

Why You Need a Virtual Phone Number for Your Small Business

Switching to a virtual phone system may help your business become more efficient while presenting a more professional appearance. Staying competitive requires your business to remain connected. Employees need to remain connected to clients, vendors, and each other. A dedicated phone system allows you to assign numbers to specific departments or staff and route calls or texts to different employees. Unfortunately, many small business owners lack the budget for an expensive phone system, which is one of many reasons why a virtual phone system is a smarter choice. What is a Virtual Phone? Virtual phone systems are cloud-based systems that allow users to make and receive calls from any Internet-connected device. Calls and texts are sent and received through the cloud instead of a landline. You gain access to a wide range of features and functionalities designed to support your business operations because the virtual phone number …

Comprehensive Guide of Resources to Help Real Estate Agents Thrive

Real estate agents looking to attract more clients or sell properties faster have endless resources at their disposal. However, those who are new to real estate may not know where to start. It can all be extremely overwhelming when first getting things going. To save you the hassle of scouring the Internet, we’ve compiled a list of the best tools. From digital marketing platforms to 3D virtual tours, the Internet has everything needed to move real estate quickly. With the following online resources, you’ll have no problem thriving in the most competitive real estate markets. 1. Join the Leading Real Estate Marketing Platforms Every real estate agent should obviously take advantage of marketing platforms to reach a larger audience. The top real estate marketing platforms include: Zillow Realtor.com Homes.com Adwerx Zillow and Realtor.com give agents access to an online toolkit with helpful resources, including templates for emails and newsletters. However, …

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 …

5 Best Virtual Phone Number Services for Small Business & Enterprise

Trying to find the right Virtual Phone Number provider for your business? You have come to the right place. We have evaluated and compromised a list of the best options available when it comes to registering a new business phone number. But first, let’s address a few frequently asked questions about virtual phone numbers: What is a Virtual Phone Number? A virtual phone number, also known as a DID or access number, is a telephone number that is not directly associated to a telephone line. These numbers are often programmed to forward incoming calls to one of the pre-set telephone numbers chosen by the client; either Landline, Mobile or VoIP. Virtual phone numbers can be registered with a local or toll free area code & can be customized to provide the perfect vanity number. Can you register multiple Virtual Phone Numbers? Yes, all of the services on our list offer …

No Dairy, No Problem: How OATLY Is Crushing the Competition

Do you dislike soy or almond milk? And certainly don’t want to drink an entire glass of cow’s milk? If so, you’re not alone. The disdain and need for dairy-free milk led a food scientist from Sweden to develop something new: oat-based milk. OATLY was launched in 1994 and now generates over $200 million in sales each year. So, how did a Swedish scientist start a business that revolutionized the dairy alternative market? He created an alternative that actually tastes seriously good. However, there is so much more to the story than just great tasting vegan milk.. Academic Research Led to a Dairy Free Breakthrough Back in the early 1990s, food scientist and chemistry teacher Rickard Öste was completing academic research on lactose intolerance. He knew that existing dairy alternatives were not very appealing to most people. He also grew up in Sweden, which is the …

6 Ways to Create Positive Word of Mouth Advertising

Even with the myriad ways to market and advertise your product today, word of mouth is still the best, most reliable way to attract new business. It’s also one of the toughest to create, which is why any business trying to inspire good word of mouth can use some advice regarding the most effective ways to do it. In theory the concept seems somewhat simple but getting current customers to tell other people about your product or service does take some time to naturally happen. Here are 6 pointers that can help you get people talking about your product or service. Some you may already be using, but even if that’s the case, we’re also going to describe the best way to go about them. 1. Excellent Customer Service There’s a reason that this one is at the top of the list because it’s the single most …

How to Ensure Your Remote Employees Are Being Productive

Managing a remote team is tough. It’s even tougher if you’re used to everybody working in the office where you can manage by walking around, pop by people’s desks for informal checkups, and keep your finger on the pulse of your team. But when the whole staff has gone into work-from-home mode, you miss out on that valuable water cooler effect. In a remote setting, business owners carry two burdens — their own work and their team’s performance. It can be overwhelming trying to figure out how to navigate the remote working environment when you are taking on both responsibilities in a new setting. If some of your team members have never worked from home before, they may not know how to stay focused, manage their time, or communicate with others. That’s why you have to be intentional when managing a remote team. You’ll need to make sure your employees …

Clubhouse: How the Audio-Chat App Founders Created a Hit

With a constant stream of social media apps, it can be hard to keep track of the latest rival to Twitter or Facebook. One app that has managed to stand out from the pack is Clubhouse. The audio-based chat app has quickly captured people’s attention, including some of the most powerful tech gurus and world leaders. Elon Musk recently invited Vladimir Putin to a clubhouse chat. The app launched in April 2020 during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. By summer, it was valued at $100 million and had just 1,500 users. By the end of January, it was worth over $1 billion and had attracted over two million users. As it prepares to launch support for Android devices, Clubhouse is expected to dramatically increase its user count. So, who’s behind the latest chat app? Clubhouse is the brainchild of Paul Davison and Rohan Seth. Here’s the story …

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