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Transform Your Small Business: 3 Critical Moves Many Owners Skip

Transform Your Small Business: 3 Critical Moves Many Owners Skip

Tips and Tools
Did you know that 20% of small businesses fail within their first year? But here's the thing - most of those failures are preventable. There are so many factors that you need to keep in mind when it comes to making your small business better and more successful. It is essential to make sure you think about some of the leading ideas that are going to help you make this better, and ensure you build a company that is going to take things to the next level. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, transforming your small business from surviving to thriving comes down to three critical foundations: strategic planning, risk management, and smart marketing. Keep reading to learn exactly how you can strengthen these pillars of success.…
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5 Things You Should Avoid When Setting Up An Online Business

5 Things You Should Avoid When Setting Up An Online Business

Marketing Strategy
Entrepreneurs are known for their get-up-and-go attitude. Sometimes, this approach to life can work in their favor (and let’s be honest, it usually does). But when it comes to setting up an online business, being cavalier isn’t a good idea. Picture this: You're finally ready to launch your online business – the culmination of countless late-night planning sessions and bold dreams. But here's a sobering statistic: 90% of online businesses fail within their first four months. Why? Not because their ideas weren't brilliant, but because they stumbled into avoidable pitfalls. While entrepreneurial instinct might tell you to dive in headfirst, building a successful online business requires something more: strategic wisdom. Fortunately, this post can help. Let's explore the hidden traps that could derail your new venture – and more importantly,…
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3 Essential Components of Success As A Freelancer

3 Essential Components of Success As A Freelancer

Tips and Tools
If you are trying to develop a successful career as a business freelancer, there are so many factors that play a role in this. Developing your own career path, and securing long-term success is so important when it comes to making more long-term success. Starting out on your own, and changing a career path, can be a big challenge, and you need to do the best you can to make this work better for you. It is important to think about the best ways of being a successful freelancer, and this means you need to tick a few boxes and understand these components properly. There are so many different elements that play a role in allowing you to improve the way you approach your career as a freelancer, and these…
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5 Ways to Discover What Your Customers Really Want (Without Breaking the Bank)

5 Ways to Discover What Your Customers Really Want (Without Breaking the Bank)

Marketing Strategy
Getting to know your customers is really important if you want to be able to sell to them and come up with a marketing campaign that will actually work, but it can be pretty challenging, not to say expensive, to do that, right? Wrong! Well, it can be an expensive business, but it really doesn't have to be, as you will see if you take a look at the following affordable ways to get to know your customers that are tried, tested, and work really well as part of any wider marketing strategy. 5 Ways to Discover What Your Customers Really Want (Without Breaking the Bank) 1. Just Ask Them (The Old-Fashioned Questionnaire) The humble questionnaire might sound about as exciting as watching paint dry, but hear me out. They’re…
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The Trick To Getting Your Brand Seen

The Trick To Getting Your Brand Seen

Branding
When it comes to marketing, often it can be boiled down to just trying to get your brand seen as far and wide as possible. And if you are trying to do this a little more effectively at the moment, it’s something that you can approach in a lot of different ways. The truth is that there are all sorts of things you can do to ensure that you are getting your brand seen, and it’s going to mean that you are much more likely to have a business that succeeds. So here are some of the best ways to ensure you are getting your brand seen much more easily and effectively. The Trick To Getting Your Brand Know Your Brand You can’t really expect your brand to be seen…
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5 Tips For Deftly Handling A Customer Complaint

5 Tips For Deftly Handling A Customer Complaint

Tips and Tools
Nobody particularly enjoys dealing with customer complaints. When an angry email lands in your inbox or you see an unhappy face approaching your counter, it’s easy to feel somewhat aggrieved by the energy being thrown at you. In some cases, it's enough to make your stomach drop. Yet these situations often present a decent opportunity to change a disappointed customer into a loyal advocate for your business. It’s one thing to feel put out, but to have your complaint listened to, your issue rectified, and goodwill restored can help you really appreciate a service. It's all in how you handle it. Now, keep in mind that anyone can offer a refund or a quick fix. The best approach is in managing these situations in a way that leaves customers feeling…
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The Silent Art of Retail: Non-Verbal Tricks That Make Us Spend More

The Silent Art of Retail: Non-Verbal Tricks That Make Us Spend More

Marketing Strategy
Anyone who's worked in retail knows that awkward moment when you're supposed to suggest additional items to a customer, and it always makes you feel a little sleazy. That’s because the interaction often feels forced, the customer usually looks uncomfortable, and nobody really enjoys the experience. Yet successful stores manage to increase their sales without making their staff sound like robots reading from a script, or constantly asking them to go for the larger size or add a thousand accessories to their purchase. Believe it or not, many retail businesses invest millions into figuring out customer psychology. But if you don’t have those resources, don’t worry. Some principles can be applied with care. The Silent Art of Retail: Non-Verbal Tricks That Make Us Spend More  Lucky for you, most customers…
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5 Ways To Protect Your Business When Hiring Employees

5 Ways To Protect Your Business When Hiring Employees

Tips and Tools
Bringing employees on board your business is a huge undertaking, and having people working for you in any capacity can increase the risks for your business. This is because you're adding another variable into the equation that can produce any number of favorable and unfavorable results, many of which are unpredictable. Understanding your legal rights and responsibilities when you become an employer empowers you and your business. It's not a decision to be made without forethought and planning, and ensuring you know what your legal rights are can give you peace of mind and help you move towards protecting all involved parties once you commit to hiring people. 5 Ways To Protect Your Business When Hiring Employees EIN Before you do anything else, get an EIN if you haven't already…
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