What is one thing you wish you knew when you started your small business? small business |
- What is one thing you wish you knew when you started your small business?
- Todo manager - suggestions please
- International small business owners or entrepreneur platforms, please drop some links
- Any good dropshipping companies for medical/rehab supplies?
- Myths, Lies And Facts About Office Collaboration
- Selling a product that includes another brands product
- Starting My Own Clothing Line
- new business, what to do about phones?
- Where do small business owners get together?
- Considering selling my one-man shop sole proprietorship to a bigger company that then wants to hire me for less to do the same work. How to value the business? And is this a good idea?
- We are starting up a subscription box and we would really love your opinion on this demo page and idea.
- I have a team of 4 guys. What do you think the best software management system is?
- Tis the season for Taxes
- Simple, Easy Ways To Improve Your Business!
- Those that started a small business and grew it into a successful business in a very short time, share your story.
- (UK) IT MSP, best books to read?
- Looking for shipping analytic software and projections.
- Looking for valuation for international ethnic grocery store in Illinois
- Thinking of starting a business
- How to keep track of taxes during the year
- Starting an online store
- Franchisee do's and don'ts, pros and cons
- Online business ideas
- Advice about working with other small businesses
| What is one thing you wish you knew when you started your small business? Posted: 02 Jan 2019 08:44 AM PST I know there are probably dozens if not hundreds of things we all wish knew a little better in hindsight, but I'd be interested to hear what the folks in /r/smallbusiness identify as the most important/crucial to the success of their business. [link] [comments]  | ||
| Todo manager - suggestions please Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:36 AM PST We're in a business of around 15 part timers and struggling with communication sometimes e.g. Monday person not passing on jobs to Tuesday's person! I think we need a team todo manager- we're currently using workast todo list on Slack but it's not great. Any other solutions out there (ideally that would work with Slack) ? [link] [comments]  | ||
| International small business owners or entrepreneur platforms, please drop some links Posted: 03 Jan 2019 04:10 AM PST Hey guys, I am a small business owner and am in the middle of writing my BA thesis next to it. I'm writing about my business and am looking for international governmental sources that (could) serve as a hub where information can be found. For example: - What would a business plan include? - Do you want to start your own company? How would you go about that? What legal ramifications and consequences are there? - How would that work tax-wise? - How can you market yourself? The Netherlands for example has https://www.ondernemersplein.nl So basically my question is, does your government have something like this? Where small / middle businesses are helped with practical and useful information. [link] [comments]  | ||
| Any good dropshipping companies for medical/rehab supplies? Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:20 AM PST As per the title, does anyone know of any companies that offer good quality strapping tape, ice packs, massage balls etc for dropshipping? Any help would be great! [link] [comments]  | ||
| Myths, Lies And Facts About Office Collaboration Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:14 AM PST
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| Selling a product that includes another brands product Posted: 02 Jan 2019 09:42 AM PST Hey guys, first time posting here, would appreciate any help! I'm looking to start a small side gig but have a question around reselling an already existing branded product. Is there any legal/copyright issues with selling several branded products bundled into a kit? Would it be a case of contacting the brand and seeking permission, or would I have to buy each component direct from a source and have it put into my own packaging separately? It's not the idea I'm using, but an example would be including one brands sugar, another brands flour and a third brands lemon zest powder in a make your own cupcake kit. All the brands would already exist and sell bulk wholesale volumes of their products. I'm based in the UK and would be running the business here, but have been unable to find anything useful in my searches so far, and would be grateful for any help! [link] [comments]  | ||
| Posted: 02 Jan 2019 09:00 PM PST So here I am a 17 year old boy in high school graduating in about 5 months. I plan to go to college for graphic design and then taking that degree and becoming a tattoo artist which is my true passion. I love to skateboard and where a lot of skater-type brands such as Obey, Primitive, DGK and things along that line (more or less street wear). While I'm in college I wanted to work on a side business in addition to taking my normal classes due to the fact that it will be a good amount of time before I graduate from college, get a apprenticeship at a tattoo parlor, and then actually get licensed. I want to be actively using my degree in the meantime. So I was playing with the idea of starting my own skater styled clothing line since I would know and understand my audience. I wanted to have the base of my business online so I could easily promote my business through various social media accounts, I don't plan on actually ever opening up a store front. Due to the fact that I am still technically a kid I don't know a whole lot in this area ( this is why I've come to redit) I was hoping someone maybe has done something like this and could tell me how I should attack this idea. I was hoping to sell things like shirts, hoodies, and hats. If anyone could give me pointers or if there are any content creators from YouTube that have their own Merchandise help would be gladly appreciated. Just some basic things like what website should I choose to put my business on ? How much money should I have saved up before going into this? Where to order shirts to then get printed without it costing more than I'd be making in profit? And how to promote my brand without shoving it down peoples throat like clickbait. ~Thanks for even reading this any pointers would help a ton. [link] [comments]  | ||
| new business, what to do about phones? Posted: 02 Jan 2019 09:32 AM PST Hello, I also posted this to r/Entrepreneur, but i figured maybe id get some better advice from this community. I was wondering if the community had any input for phone solutions for a new business. Like many people starting out, I am the sole employee. I answer my own phone. I also dont have an office yet, so its a cell phone. My current number is not local. So I guess my question is, what do people like me do about their phone? Id like a local number to put on my website and for people to call. At some point I will get a virtual assistant, so I would need to be able to forward the number. I also need a fax number. Anyone have any suggestions or advice? [link] [comments]  | ||
| Where do small business owners get together? Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:38 PM PST Fleshing out a few business ideas to service small businesses and would like to chat with folks on their pain points in this particular niche. Going into their place of business and asking them about these pain points feels a little harass-y. Do you have any recommendations on where find small business owners in a more casual setting? [link] [comments]  | ||
| Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:14 PM PST I rent space from a larger business that I subcontract for some of the work that I do, its a mutually beneficial arrangement for obvious reasons. We are both in custom fabrication, they do metal I do wood. They are the bigger fish in this scenario so they are now considering just buying me out and folding my work into what they do. Additionally, they would want to hire me to basically do the same work (for less, of course) and help them transition into having one of their own employees do it (for FAR less). The idea being that they buy me out, I train my replacement, the business makes enough profit to cover said replacement and also pay my wage in my new position in their office as well as cover a bit of their investment over time. Should I consider this? And how should I value my business? I currently have no liabilities, so is it just assets plus goodwill (brand value, social media accounts, client list, etc) and then a revenue/profit based addition? I've heard that if you're a sole prop you should typically discount future revenue expectations because it isn't YOU anymore and clients may react unfavorably, but in this case I would still be handling much of the design work and client communication. I'm feeling really stuck on this. Help? [link] [comments]  | ||
| Posted: 02 Jan 2019 07:00 PM PST http://killjoyboxes.pagedemo.co/ Hi, all. I recently had a vision. No, I'm joking, I'm not that pretentious, usually. I don't want to talk too much about what it is since I want you to be able to look at the site and know but I understand that is a little tricky. It is a male streetwear subscription box service focusing on including very obscure brands and bringing them to the more consumer attention. It will be similar to Stitch Fix - you will be able to purchase whatever is inside. The box will be $29.99/month if you go month to month and it will be less if one subscribes annually. We are going to begin offering themed boxes or "brand only" boxes later that will be choices to choose from later on. I'd like to know your opinions and any advice you can give on this. Thank you. [link] [comments]  | ||
| I have a team of 4 guys. What do you think the best software management system is? Posted: 02 Jan 2019 06:02 AM PST For the last few years I have used Mhelpdesk, but what I've found is we only use about 10% of the softwares functions. What do you guys think is a good scheduling system for a small group of guys. Our focus is Plumbing and we want to be on the same page as each other. Another main area of focus this year is collecting payment on site. [link] [comments]  | ||
| Posted: 02 Jan 2019 06:14 PM PST I have always done my own income taxes but I'm considering hiring someone this year. For those that hire, do you use a name brand like H&R Block or do use a private party. Ballpark cost? [link] [comments]  | ||
| Simple, Easy Ways To Improve Your Business! Posted: 02 Jan 2019 05:48 PM PST I hope the new year is going great for you all. I want to help you make 2019 the best year for you and your business with some strategies you can be using. Many of you are small business owners or startup entrepreneurs that are just getting started or are established companies that want to move further into the digital scene but have some question about how to do it, listen up. Here are some tips to that every business owner should know and use to have a secure and successful experience online - with no cost (with some paid recommendations).
Well I hate to feel like a liar right off the bat. I promised that most of these tips would be no cost but the first suggestion is going to involve paying up a bit. But in my defense, I assume that many of you have a website. But I feel like it's important to express the different avenues for those who don't and those who may not be happy with what they have, as a website is an indispensable part of running a business online. It hosts your landing page, information about your business and your team, contact information, product information, testimonials, and more. a. Think it Through: This sounds very obvious, but many businesses don't have a website or have not updated it in years. A website it the foundation of your online presence and it is where many potential clients start or end their time looking at your business. So it's important to make your website presentable and fill it with attractive content. Think about what you want your site to accomplish, how will it facilitate your business, what are you willing to invest into it? b. Get a Domain - You can use Namecheap.com, Domain.com or Godaddy.com. Namecheap is usually a bit cheaper (who would have guessed) but I find Godaddy more easily accessible. There will be a few extra steps when you are transferring the name server to the host site. Godaddy requires fewer steps for this process, while Namecheap requires a bit more manual effort. c. Choose a host: There are many great servers: Bluehost (my preference) Hostgator, Dreamhost, and many more. All in 2018 there are so many great host servers, but it's good to know the specific features of each. I suggest doing some research about what the features they provide and choose the one that best represents the goal of your site. (Some have better customization, others offer in-house security certifications). d. Design your website. I highly recommend using the plugin Elementor (for WordPress) as it has full-page templates that you can customize, so if you need something that looks professional, most of the work is already done. Of course, there are many tutorials online that can help you craft a completely personalized page. My favorite is this video by Tyler Moore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cbvZf1jIJM i. Side note, make sure to optimize your website for mobile devices. There are usually features to adjust layouts, text, and images for different size screens. Make sure you do this so that everything lines up and looks presentable no matter the platform your site is viewed on. For your reference tablets are 768px and mobile is 360px.
Search Engine Optimization is more art than science. Marketers, data analyst, and programmers are continuously trying to discover all the hidden mechanisms of search engine indexing systems. Sites like Google and Bing have to index billions of web pages every day, constantly dealing with new pages, updates, and shutdowns. To manage this the use algorithms called crawlers to index and rank them, for example, Google calls their crawlers 'spiders'. It is hard to say for certain what factors benefit SEO as Google, Yahoo, and Bing have only revealed some information, but we take the info we have plus extensive research and experiments to get pretty close. If you want to learn more about SEO, check out this beginner's guide by Moz, https://moz.com/blog/beginners-guide-to-seo-chapter-1 a. Keyword - One of the best and creative way to boost your search results ranking, boils doing to the types of words and phrases you use to describe your site/business. Crawlers scour your site to get an idea of what it is you offer/service you provide. But the algorithm can't read and interpret the exact meaning and contexts of the words you use. So it uses keywords, keyword density, and bids to categorize and rank your site. To make sure the crawlers understand what your site is all about, you must use keywords. i. Make a list: I suggest making a list of words and phrases that best describe your business. Make sure to really think about it (be as technical as possible). Then make a second list about what words, phrases, and questions you think the average person would use to look up your business or a problem your service resolves. This distinction is important because the most technical and accurate terms may actually hurt your results and rankings, as most people do not use them. An example could be a car repair shop promoting a sale on their recarbonation of the exhaust valve (not sure if this is actually a thing), but most people would just look up exhaust tune up. ii. Find the perfect blend: Take your list and try to merge the words and phrases together, mix and match, and replace them. I suggest coming up with many different slogans and pages descriptions then having a less savvy friend read it. Ask them 'does this make sense to you?' 'Does this accurately describe the service in your mind?' Use their responses to adjust your keyword choice. iii. There are tools you can use that give you suggestions on keywords, bidding cost, and traffic. Some of the best are SEMrush, Google Keyword Planner, and Soovle, just to name a few. iv. Word Count - a good rule of thumb is to have at least 300-500 words on every page, whether they be on display or within the metadata of the page. Warning: don't try to cheat the system by adding invisible text for greater keyword density, bots and crawlers are designed to see and penalize this.
b. Backlinks - Thought by many to be the most important factor in SEO ranking should definitely be a top priority. Backlinks are links to your website on other pages, so if your website and business are featured on a popular website or blog and link to your site, Search Engines will rank you more favorably. A great way to do this is to network with other established website, this could be a feature from a news source or blog, or collaborating with another company and have them give you credit. Another great way to get backlinks is to create a free display of your talents, offer it for the public to use, and ask for credit and a link to be used to your site. This can be anything, for example, a detailed, easy to understand graphic of how to change a tire can be used by Driver Ed site or social media page for young people, which can link back to a mechanic shop, thereby increasing traffic and reputation. As long as you are creative, there is some way to get your business out there. c. Speed: Your pages speed not only helps with viewer satisfaction (no one like surfing a site that takes forever to load), but it also makes helps search engines crawlers index your site faster which they will remember, and rank you higher. You can think of the crawlers as workers and the have to index as many sites and pages before they clock out, the longer your site, the longer it takes them to do their job. You can get a faster website by mitigating extra, unneeded features like images, videos, and plug-ins. Another way to increase speed is by adding the plug-in WP Super Cache and turn on caching. Side note- You can test your website speed using a site call Pindgom.com d. Use images - As I said before, crawlers look for a well rounded and robust website so mixing it up with some vibrant images and graphics can greatly improve your ranking. Depending on what you use to make your site you can add descriptions, captions, and alternative text (for those who are blind and use text to voice programs). I highly recommend filling each of these out thoroughly. There are a lot of ways to find photos and graphics to use but you MUST ensure that they are royalty-free or you have permission to use them. Some sites I like to use are Pexels.com and Unsplash.com. Some may ask you to credit the creators, in that case, I would follow the directions they have on the site, usually linking an Instagram or Twitter page. e. Add a Snippet - a Snippet is a short description of each page on your site that can be viewed from the SERP (Search Engine Result Page). Crawler rank sites and pages with snippets more favorably. f. Plug-ins - you can add certain plug-ins to critique each one of your pages specifically and offer suggestions. My favorite is Yoast SEO, but once again I only know that it works on wordpress so I can't guarantee it will be available anywhere else. It also creates an XML sitemap, for your website. g. Evaluate your site: I like to use Upcity.com's SEO report card. Evaluates and grades many of the things discussed above.
This has recently been published by Google that they will be putting a greater focus on Q and A information and creating features on the SERP to answer frequently asked questions. The idea is that this information will be taken from your site and displayed on Google when a question is asked. (You definitely want to be the one answering the most questions, because what's an entrepreneur if not a problem solver) i. The best way to do this adds a comment or FAQs section to your site and generate answers. Of course, you want to answer questions directly related to your product or service, but there are more way to utilize this feature. Get involved in topics similar to yours. If you sell camping tents, try to open a forum about camping tips and survival skills. Anyone interested in that subject to ask questions may be willing to purchase your tent. ii. As you may assume this is huge for your ranking to have your information and jointly your website be displayed on a popular Google search page.
The internet is an amazing but dangerous place. With tens of millions of transactions flowing through the internet in America alone, people would be wise to take caution before giving their information out to just anyone. To ensure that people trust you and your business, it's important to make it secure. The most common way is to use an SSL certification. This verified identification of a website and encrypted information (good for both sides). a. Free Option: There are a few free SSL Encryption services you can use like letsencrypt.org or cloudflare.com, but this would require a little bit of effort on your part to transfer your host server to their service and your site may even go down or feature disabled while the host server is transferred. b. Preferred Free: Another free option use a Plug-ins on WordPress (I don't use other website services so I don't know if there is anything like this on elsewhere). I like the Plug-in Easy HTTPS (SSL) Redirection, its free and easy c. (paid) Other types of SSL. The most basic and probably what you will get for free is changing the http to https (This stands for secure). But the more recognizable one and the ones that go the extra mile to keep you and your clients safe paid service. You can usually find this feature on your host program but there are many, many more. Other include a small padlock with the word secure in green text before the domain called OV SSL and one that contains a short description of your business in green text before the domain, an example is Costco Wholesale Corporation [US] https://Costco.com called EV SSL, and another called DV SSL, each have different criteria and advanced encryptions that you would have to research more to find out which suits your needs the best. d. Another tip is to make your passwords hack proof. The best way to not get hacked is to have a password that includes a variety of lower-case, upper case, numbers, and special characters (ex. iB8#Hu4WsA3^6*jOp). If you are having trouble coming up with a password you can use websites like Passwordsgenerator.net. You can customize the elements and length too. i. You should also have a new password for every account. This may seem excessive but this is your business and contains all your work ambitions, information about you co works, associates and clients. You must be a little paranoid. One way to do this without having a super memory is to make one strong password and use it to protect a text file offline on your computer, which contains all of the other passwords. e. Backup your site - There are free options to do this. I recommend the BackUpWordPress plug-in on wordpress. You can also find paid services like Dropmysite.com.
i. First, you want to set it up with your website. The easiest way is you use a wordpress plug-in, otherwise, you might have to embed some code into your website. (are you starting to see why I like wordpress) a. Since there is so much that can be done in analytics it would be too difficult to explain it all here, but here are a few notable features. . On the home page you have options to see the number of users on your site (how many visited), sessions (how many time each person visited), bounce rate (how many leave without interacting your site - lower the better) and duration (how long visitors stayed on your site). You can customize the time frame you view your data at the bottom of the graph. i. Acquisitions can show you what ways people are getting to your site (organic search, direct, referrals, etc.). This can help you see which methods are working best at attracting visitors. ii. Behavior iii. The Audience you can see more specific data how when people visit your site, you can zoom in to see what time of day people view your site or zoom out and see what months or season affect your traffic. It also shows you data about the demographics of your visitors (age, gender, location, etc.).
Social Media is arguably the fastest growing outlet to operate and market your business. I would say it is imperative that to have a social media presence in this day and age. Social media is a great way to engage your audience, market your product, and above all establish and foster a brand. Social Media introduces your business to a well of information that can be used legally for market research and targeting. It is also an inexpensive way to advertise. Although there are paid ways to advertise, I believe it is possible to use the free built-in mechanisms to market and advertise. a. Facebook- Its thirds most visit site in 2017. It has more than 1 billion daily active users. 40% have liked a Facebook page to receive a special offer or promotion (more stats) it's a great way to keep your users' updates, share photos and videos, and connect with your fans. This also helps track your performance as Facebook has a detailed and intuitive analytical section. There are features of likes, comments, and shares, the most valuable being shares as it broads the number of people who will be seen your content. That being said the only metric a smart marketer and business owner should base their performance on is ROI, but it's still fun to look at. These metrics still gives you invaluable information and access to new ways to expand your brand (ex. sharing post lets all of a person's friends to view it, allowing your content to be viewed by many others for no extra cost) i. Start a Facebook page. ii. (Paid) Run Facebook ads: I'm breaking the mold again but this one is definitely worth it. Facebook ads operate on a Pay Per Click system (PPC), so it only charges you every time someone views the ad so to know you are getting your money's worth. Facebook also boasts one of the best targeting systems. All Facebook users are asked to input personal information, preferences and interests. This is valuable information that can be used to target specific audiences. iii. Start a Facebook community. Depending on your product this could be a huge feature for your client base. For example, if you have an app video game with a large fan base you can start a community so your users communicate, ask questions, and build relationships. This will increase the engagement of users as well as help establish a brand. If people continually go to your business or affiliate social pages for continues entertainment and relationships building, your business becomes more than just a product, it becomes apart of their lives. b. Twitter: The second biggest social media site. There are over 330 monthly users and over 500 million tweets sent every day. It's a great place to communicate with peers and keep your audience engaged and up to date. Tweets are limited to only 140 characters so it's best to keep your messages succinct. i. Tweet regularly: Tweet frequently to keep your business constantly on the mind of your audience. The worst thing would be for you to stop tweeting and have your audience forget about you. Conversely do not go overboard. I suggest 7-20 tweets a week. ii. Don't make it all business: Of course, you are using social media to generate more business, but people will get turned off just seeing promotions and products. Wish your audience a happy holiday, give out free stuff, comment on related news/current events, comment on unrelated news/current events, post a funny or cute picture or joke. The more human you can make your account the better reception and engagement you can muster from your audience. iii. Follow People: Make sure to follow other leaders and peers in the industry. This is a great way to learn new things, keep an eye on competitors, and open doors to network, iii. Retweet: Retweeting is where you repost someone else's tweet, article, picture or video. This is a way to tweet with little to no effort, and it shows your audience what interests you. It is also flattering to those got retweeted and can gain you more followers. c. Snapchat- this is a relatively untapped platform for marketing but I believe it will soon dominate the field. It also provides the easiest mode to share real-time notices, videos, and pictures. i. Snapchat Stories- this is probably the biggest feature a business will utilize. You can upload videos, and photos to hundreds, even thousands of followers instantly. The style of videos in snapchat require little preparation or editing so you save time and money using this method. This aspect also adds to the charm of using this technique. The informal feel of it makes your business more human and builds a more friendly relationship with your audience. Some things you can uses this for is Q and As, behind the scenes, updates, and meet ups.
d. Use quora Quora is a site dedicated to answering user-submitted questions. Answers are also user submitted and ranked by the question asker and other onlookers on its accuracy, effectiveness, and functionality. The top rated answer is shot to the top of the page. Although it may not seem like the best way to attract new clients or build your business, it's a great way to show that you are an expert in a particular field, and depending on the problem, you may be able to help that person directly by providing your product or service. Either way, if you get more exposure. Quora has over 300 million monthly users. i. This one doesn't need much explaining. Make sure to put some time into setting up your profile and link your site. Then, just answer any questions that relate to your business. To really get the message across you can tag your answers like this: Hope this answers your questions. Best, Bob, Founder of Bob's Burgers. LinkedIn should be on the radar of every business owner. It's a way to interact with other professions, stay up to date on information regarding your field article, and learn about your competitors. LinkedIn has over 332 million profiles and the average number of connections is 932. a. Depending on what your business is and what stage in its development you are in it may be beneficial to contact others in the field. You can connect with others by searching for people with a certain occupation or experience. You can then added or connect with them and wait for them to respond. To increase the rate at which people accept your request, you can write a short message when you send the invitation. I suggest looking at their profile and learning a bit about them first and use that information to your advantage. After you connect, you can ask them questions, learn from their experiences and possibly collaborate with them.
Networking is key to learning new information within the industry, collaborating with others, and acquiring talent. Of course social media is a great place to start, but there are other options. a. Shapr - This is a recently released app that connects professions and encourages them to meet, call, and do business/hire each other. (Think of a business orientated tinder account) The app operates with a swiping mechanic, where people view the profiles of others in their area. You can set preferences on what type of people you want to match with and what your goals are. It's still in its adolescence stage as and I like many are still trying to figure out the culture. But I have personally have had some interesting conversations on it and I believe its worth a try. Just set up a profile and start swiping. b. Reddit/discussion boards - There is an online discussion board for almost any interest or industry. By discussing topics with others in the same field as you on these pages you can gain all the benefits from networking from the comfort of your home. A great place to start is reddit, has thousands of discussions easily accessible in one place.
I mentioned this earlier but we will go a bit more in depth. Getting featured on a news outlet, blog, or social media profile can do wonders for your business or product. a. Make a list: First you have to find the right blog or news outlet. Some of these pages are very niche so put in some research (don't ask an IPhone lover blog to talk about your new android only app). Make sure this list is organized and comprehensive with relevant details. I like to have a record of how big/how much traffic each one gets. If you are having trouble thinking of names a good place to start is Alltop.com. This site has the latest news and blog post from some of the top sites. Be sure to get a varied list of large, medium, and small pages b. Make another list: After you have narrowed down the options it's time to start making a list of authors. Each author is different and likes to write about different things. Find one or two authors that fits your needs the best. Once again, be detailed with this list, find their social media pages and emails if you can. c. Build rapport: Now you have to get the authors attention. I suggest narrowing the list again to a small group and continue to read their work and comment at the end. Even the bigger sites don't get too many comments so after a while you will be noticed. Next, I suggest following them on social media, Twitter is the best as you can really find out about what their interests and personality. Now start to like and comment on their posts. Like before, even authors from big outlets may have small personal followings, so they will notice d. Contact: After building up the rapport, send them an email or a message over Twitter. Make sure to reference their work previous work, so it comes across more genuine. I recommend exchanging a few messages before bringing up to the proposition to write having them publish information about your product or service. e. Do the Work For Them: This works because authors are overwork and have a lot of deadlines. Many of them get paid by the article or blog they post, so if they don't post enough they won't get paid or even get fired. So, if you come up to them with a story there a good chance they will be interested. But to further increase your odds I recommend writing the blog/article for them. This is why you should take to read their work, so you can better imitate their style. I also suggest doing the research for them. Use and cite credible sources like scholarly articles, databases, and books (if a statistic or fact is false, they have a lot to lose). i. There are no guarantees: even if you follow everything and the author likes you, they may not be accepting ideas of the nature you are offering, or it may get shut down by the editor. Whatever happens, there are many, many, many, blogs and news outlets, so don't be deterred. And that's all for today. Of course, there are always new ways to improve your business. I encourage everyone to be proactive, learn new methods, and network. If you believe you can manage all this go ahead, but keep in mind that for many of these marketing tactics that you have to stand out among a sea of competitors. An analogy I like to think about is using SEO and marketing can be thought of where and how your product or service is presented at a store. If you don't try at all, it's like having your product be in the back of the store (yea its there but you'll have to ask someone to go in the back and get it for you, not the best method). If you adhere to the standard of marketing, by doing just enough then you will be placed in a spot on a shelf among hundreds of other product (of course this is better than being in the back but are you really standing out?) But if you tailor your marketing techniques to the image and motivations of your business you are going a step further. This would be like having your product display in the window of the store, the first and best thing every customer sees when he or she walks in. Now you will have to ask yourself, how would you like your business to be perceived. Just another one of many, or is it something special, a passion that you want to stand out. I understand it is hard to work to bring quality content to your customers as it is and now you have to add more work, some of which will not immediately garner returns. But this is rapidly becoming the standard in this age and if you don't think you can manage it all, I provide premium digital marketing service catered to your business goals and values. If you are interested send me a PM or email me at [CanyonDMG@gmail.com](mailto:CanyonDMG@gmail.com) I hope this was helpful and I wish you a happy New Year! [link] [comments]  | ||
| Posted: 02 Jan 2019 05:48 PM PST | ||
| (UK) IT MSP, best books to read? Posted: 02 Jan 2019 04:41 PM PST Hi guys, I'm looking into the possibility of starting my own MSP business at some point in the distant future. Does anyone have any book recommendations on how to run a small UK based business and how best to gain customers? Any advise is appreciated. Thanks. [link] [comments]  | ||
| Looking for shipping analytic software and projections. Posted: 02 Jan 2019 04:25 PM PST Hello SMB! I run a small business that PL's from China and sell to stores and also sell on Amazon. Basically what I'm looking for is a software application that can help me with analytics. Let me give you an example. I buy the product from my supplier, I want the software to mark that date and keep a record of exactly what I bought. The supplier tells me my product has been shipped, I want the software to mark this date also When I receive my order, I want the software to mark this date also When I send my order to a client or Amazon, I want the software to mark this date. Now sometimes I make different orders for different things and packages and basically I want the software to "learn" so to speak and keep track of factory floor to customer door timeframes and learn as I go based on what I order. Is there anything like this out there? [link] [comments]  | ||
| Looking for valuation for international ethnic grocery store in Illinois Posted: 02 Jan 2019 07:39 AM PST Hello, I'm trying to put a value on an existing business. This business started last year late November 2017 and YTD sales for 2018 are around 1.27M. Indian/Pakistani/Middle east and has bakery, halal meat section. No Bank everything is invested out of pocket. 2019 has very modest 5-8% projected growth. Currently, do zero marketing and word of mouth within the community. No website or no delivery. Has solid reviews on all social media. 2018 Sales: $1.27M o COGS $559K o Expenses $309K o Net $403K [link] [comments]  | ||
| Thinking of starting a business Posted: 02 Jan 2019 03:07 PM PST I am thinking of opening up a store. Two questions. One, of course, any advice? Two, how can I go about convincing my wife to let me? [link] [comments]  | ||
| How to keep track of taxes during the year Posted: 02 Jan 2019 03:04 PM PST As business owners, how does everyone keep track of taxes during the year, particularly for themselves. I know how to take care of taxes for my employees but not as clear about how to keep track and pay taxes for myself. Should I be paying myself like an employee, etc.? [link] [comments]  | ||
| Posted: 02 Jan 2019 02:19 PM PST What would be the best route for a noob to start an online store? [link] [comments]  | ||
| Franchisee do's and don'ts, pros and cons Posted: 02 Jan 2019 02:07 PM PST Currently own a small business which is a franchise. Have owned it for about 6 months. Have learnt a heap along the way but I think it being a franchise having a "user guide" with other franchises that have done the same thing has been a major plus in owning/running my first business. Any major do's or don'ts and/or positives or negatives of a franchise you'd like to share?! (note: grew user base by 250%) Positives--franchise hq extremely supportive and provide great advertising material. Obviously giving them a share of revenue gives them incentive to help me grow. Have provided operations, manuals and software guides which are extremely user friendly literally just did what they said and it grew Negatives--is a side business and much more labour intensive than anticipated. While I've grown my customer base, reinvested a lot of profits into marketing and unforeseen r&m. Dos- let hq help you but don't always do things their way Dont- hire for the sake of it. Take time to hire the right people [link] [comments]  | ||
| Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:56 PM PST Hi, I'm new here. I want to start an online business but I also want to succeed in it so I've been brainstorming some ideas and I need help. What is something you buy most online? (Makeup, clothes, phone accessories,etc) [link] [comments]  | ||
| Advice about working with other small businesses Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:36 PM PST My business is in beverages. I contract brew and distill alcohol and help start up other beverage companies. I am looking for a suggestion on negotiating a deal that benefits both parties in a start up beverage company. I was approached by a friend, a small business owner who is trying to develop a canned cold brew coffee brand. In this particular case I'm creating the whole production side of things- everything that goes into making a canned from getting the cans and creating the product and putting in the can, and will be buying all the manufacturing machinery. I've also figured out how to increase the products shelf life through a proprietary method of mine. I know the person who is trying to contract me doesn't have the money to really pay me what is going to be required and I was trying to negotiate some small equity in the brand as compensation but they refused and want to pay me per case. I have no interest in working with someone else when I can just start a new coffee brand myself. Does anyone have a suggestion on negotiating a deal that benefits both parties? [link] [comments]  |
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