Tell me I am not crazy. I'm offering an introductory rate to gain experience, that's normal, right? small business |
- Tell me I am not crazy. I'm offering an introductory rate to gain experience, that's normal, right?
- How to Increase your Engagement on Instagram?
- How to price/handle rush jobs
- Owners, how do you pay your babysitter/nanny?
- Is there any way to accept credit cards online from international customers when there is no PayPal or Stripe here in Bangladesh?
- A viable business model for logo design?
- Advice on how to close a business?
- Cheapest way to build a website with a domain name?
- How do I take my business to the next level?
- Career counselor business
- For the brand tesla when brand vision/marketing/innovation is tied together it is ultra inmpactful. Are there any more low key versions of this in small to medium size business?
- Is my ECOMM shop dead?
- Feeling Tired Asking for Payments
- Best way to stay updated on a certain topic?
- Bookkeeping
- Small business: sell or hang tight?
- Why isn’t it advisable to go to the woods, chop trees to make charcoal, then sell it in the market?
- Google My Business
- What did you do to take your business to the next level? For example, from 30k month to 60k a month.
- Starting a small business, first stock questions.
- What are your thoughts on what creates value?
- Recommendations for an 800 number provider?
- I need help estimating costs for web design and development. Can anyone help?
- Is there a free ipad app I can use or method I can use to collect email address and phone numbers?
| Tell me I am not crazy. I'm offering an introductory rate to gain experience, that's normal, right? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 12:20 PM PDT Hi all - brand spanking new aspiring business owner here. I tried to be as concise as possible while still including enough details to receive solid advice. Is it normal to work for well under the market rate of a service in order to gain experience? Is it normal to set a low rate with the intention of raising it as you gain experience and have an excess of clients? Is it normal to not turn a profit for your first few months of business while you purchase essential equipment, make minor mistakes, and invest in start-up costs? Everyone I know is completely discouraging me and I feel like I am making the right call. I have been wanting to start my business as a professional organizer, for at least a year and I finally pulled the trigger last week. I have zero real-world experience in this industry. I have previous corporate jobs/military experience and a degree in Interior Design, but I have never walked into someone else's home and helped them organize for free or paid. I am still working my regular day job and don't plan to quit. I decided I needed a portfolio to get started, so I posted to my local town's facebook page advertising my personal organizing services at $10/hour in exchange for before & after photos, and testimonials after satisfactory work. I also imagine this could generate repeat customers at a regular rate as well as referrals. The minimum wage in my area is $8.85. The response was tremendous. I spoke to over 75 people in 24 hours, I had to shut off comments on my post after 6 hours in order to have enough time to speak to everyone who reached out to me. I saw 5 clients in the first 7 days, and have 10 more scheduled for this week, with 5 more the following week. I am still receiving PM's from the one and only post I made. During my first 5 sessions (sessions are 4 hours each), I learned A LOT. I made a few rookie mistakes (I am sure there are more to come), I received a lot of questions I was unable to immediately answer, but am researching and will add to my "resource list". I've started to develop boundaries for what is and is not worth my time and what direction I want this venture to go in. I've already gotten faster at certain tasks that seem to be the same challenge for every client so far. 4 our 5 clients have become repeat customers. I decided to work for $10/hour for my first 100 hours (a goal I will reach by mid-May) before raising my regular rate to $20 an hour. The professionals who have been doing this for 10-15 years in my area charge between $40-60 an hour, and have various certifications, are active in the NAPO organization, have "designer discounts" with furniture and equipment companies (like the Container Store for example), amongst other things I probably don't even know exist. Idealistically I plan to give myself 6 months to achieve these qualifications and then consider whether my services are worth $40/hour. I would like this to my be full-time job and life long career, which plans to expand services in the future. Is this logical? My friends and family are providing a ton of unsolicited advice, and frankly, they are being completely unsupportive, to the point of refusing to babysit my kiddos (when being compensated) if that's what I am doing with my time. [link] [comments]  |
| How to Increase your Engagement on Instagram? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 11:39 PM PDT
So if you already have an Instagram account and want to drive more engagement to it, you have come to the right place. In this article, I am going to share some easy methods to get more engagement on Instagram. First of all: Define your goals! Why are you using Instagram? If you're just sharing a few pictures just hoping for the best, you will get nowhere my child! Define your goals and find out what you need to achieve and design a strategic plan to reach it. Here are the items that can be the foundation of your strategy:
Engage and inspire Replying the positive comments under your posts with a simple 'Thanks' looks pretty manageable. Though, engagement on Instagram means, well, trying to be more social. Leverage your followers and fans to create UGC (user-generated content). One of the most significant advantages of planning a good hashtag strategy is to develop and engage with your niche community. These are existing followers, relevant influencers and potential customers. Explore to see which hashtag is popular in your community and influencers and apply them on your posts. Run campaigns and competitions for pictures shared using your branded hashtag, an excellent way to increase your engagement, reach and gain more followers for your brand. Get visually creative! Users are viewing your profile and posts on a mobile device, to make your photos or videos stand out between them. Always try to take pictures in portrait format to get more engagement and screen space — influential visuals with less text. For instance, do not post a picture of your menu if you are a restaurant, display a yummy photo of your foods with a link to your digital menu. #Hashtag worm! Using relevant hashtags is necessary for your Instagram marketing. Up to 30 hashtags are allowed on Instagram but try not to overuse them; I think 11 to 13 looks more decent to use. Instagram hashtags are a simple and easy way to be found by other users who might be interested in your work. The following hashtags should almost always be included. Which Hashtag should I use?
Post at the right time When should you post your content on Instagram and how often? There is no perfect time for posting on Instagram. However generally the best times to post on Instagram are between midday and 1 pm and evenings from 7 to 9 pm. Thursdays and Wednesday are usually the best and Sundays are the worst. Remember to use your own Instagram account stats- which you can find in your options if you switch to business account- to find out when the best time to post is. Conclusion The methods outlined above will let you reach a deeper level of organic engagement on your Instagram. Still, as always content is the king here! The key is to post content that your target audience wants to see, learn, watch and share. Source: Original Content [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 30 Apr 2019 10:31 PM PDT We have a client that is a rather large percentage of yearly sales. Most of the time they are a great client; pay bills on time, never really ask about pricing, and like our work. However every now and they rush the s+#t out of us, talking 24 hour turnaround on usually 2-3 day long jobs with little to no advance warning. Usually I just add the applicable overtime amount to the bill, sometimes like in the above it adds ~ 30% to the tab. We have done this in the past and they have not questioned us directly but of course I worry, it would be a huge hit to lose them. My question is how do most people handle rush jobs and the additional charges? Am I justified in adding the cost? [link] [comments]  |
| Owners, how do you pay your babysitter/nanny? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 07:56 AM PDT As an employee of the business? As a household employee with separate payroll, taxes , etc? Cash/u der the table? My account would like me to do it by the book. My bookkeeper says they can be an employee of the business, but I'm concerned that could pierce the veil and then I'd have an employee driving on the clock. With my kids in the back no less. I'd like to do what is right. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 01 May 2019 02:14 AM PDT There is no Paypal or Stripe in Bangladesh. I am trying to set up an online business/store and the problem is there is no way to receive payments from the customers. I work in a bank and from what I know the only way to receive money from abroad is either through remittance services like Western Union, Moneygram or receive an account to account transfer through SWIFT. When receiving through SWIFT you need to fill out a form, attach supporting documents if the amount is more than a thousand dollars, attach a letter sent to you by your bank notifying you of the money transfer. Bangladesh also has a very strict system regarding transfer of money in and out of the country. You can receive ANY amount of money into the country. But you cannot send more than USD 5000 to SAARC countries or USD 7000 to non-SAARC countries. Is there any way to accept credit card payments from customers internationally? I am particularly interested in selling to USA, Canada and EU. [link] [comments]  |
| A viable business model for logo design? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 05:29 PM PDT I've done some logos for friends, family and local politicians. Nothing fancy, things that look good on signs and business cards. I go for a classic look it's the type of thing that makes a company look established, I guess. I've been complimented and received substantial compensation ($500-$800) from clients I'm not friends with. To be honest, I feel like I've lost money for not charging friends, but whatever. I'm thinking of making this little hustle public, but have no idea how to standardize rates. I typically spend two to four hours (spread over a week or so) doodling until I come up with a couple good designs to show the client. They pick one or two, and we discuss colours. Then I usually get lazy and outsource the vectoring to someone who charges me $20-$25/hr. At most, that's cost me $50. So I could charge $200 for a logo treatment, minus the $50 outsourcing, and make about $30-$50/hr. That's not bad at all, but I feel like most of the logos I make are generating a LOT more than that for the buyer. On the other hand, I get why charging at the lower end makes sense when I have no reputation online or outside my circle. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. [link] [comments]  |
| Advice on how to close a business? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 02:08 PM PDT I inherited a brick & mortar retail store (in an LLC) from a late family member, and I'm currently 6 months into a 3 year lease, but the overhead is killing me (around 2-3k month loss per month). The store has next to nothing in savings (less than 10k). I know I want to close it, but...what are my options? Should I ask to re-negotiate the lease first, or just tell the landlord we are closing? I have absolutely zero business or legal education, and I'm at wits end, with no idea where to turn. Where do I even begin? [link] [comments]  |
| Cheapest way to build a website with a domain name? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 06:57 PM PDT Hola mi amigos, I am looking for some input on designing a website and paying for a domain name. I would like the budget to be $5-20 a month max. (New start up) Any suggestions ? I was looking at godaddy briefly but would appreciate some personal opinions. I currently have the google my business free website but am not happy with it.... [link] [comments]  |
| How do I take my business to the next level? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 08:21 AM PDT I've been running an e-commerce store for nearly 2 years now and it's been doing ok. It's generally inoffensive and objectively speaking it's a great product (I've been told this by many people). Growth has stagnated and I want to take it to the next level. How do I get out of this period and take it further? For those of you who have done this, what type of growth hacks did you do? I want to be a household name and recognisable. I 100% understand that this won't happen overnight or even in the next 5 years but I want to work towards this goal but I don't know where to get started. A bit about my store: I sell clothes with animal stitches on them, ARR of $100k+, paid advertising only Facebook (~$80 a day), social media presence on Facebook & Instagram (16,000 combined followers), SEO plan - umm...... Working on it. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 01 May 2019 03:06 AM PDT Hi, It's quite ironic to post such a question but I want to set up a career counselor business in my area. I am a full-time working software engineer but tried multiple jobs, profile, domains and know alot about career path that people follow. My Planning is mostly aligned into following steps: ~ Psychometric test to understand the psych of the client. ~ Based on previous academic experiences, interests and financial states, will advice/counsel/recommend the next step ~ Feedback forms to understand the success chances of client ~ Provide a list of recommendations, website, learning material to follow ~ Online digital Marketing, offline print marketing, Promotion and stuff The areas I need help: ~ Online counselling or face-to-face counselling. Which one is better? Any other tips or any thing that I skip [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 30 Apr 2019 11:19 PM PDT When a brand like tesla puts together product innovation/design/and world class presentation it is super impactful. Chic-fil-a also is interesting that its pro christian, its the only chicken sandwhich shop, it has only 3(?) burgers, faster drive thru menu ordering system and its closed on sunday(religion). Looks like a lot of co ordination to craft a sort of experience that people enjoy. A unique one that everything is so oddly done but it works well and efficient. Should people be looking as the core vlaue at not just one thing at a time but the different combinations combined into one strategic coordination of 'touch points' so to speak? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 30 Apr 2019 03:11 PM PDT I jumped on the e-commerce train back in 2015. I started a camping hammock store which was a bit of a fad unfortunately. I made decent money for three years with hardly any advertising spend. I did a lot of SEO and social media work. The last couple of years, tons of competitors jumped in playing price wars. Even with them I initially did well due to my differentiator. (Hobo Hammocks...we donate a meal to the homeless with every hammock sold). But lately sales have plummeted. It doesn't look like I can get a positive ROI on adspend. I have about 5000 email subscribers, 5000 ig followers, and smaller following on other social media. (mainly fb, YouTube, and Pinterest) and I'm curious what recommendations people have to avoid the death of my small business. Should I expand into other products in the camping industry to try to get more sales out of my existing following? I'd love to hear what you think! [link] [comments]  |
| Feeling Tired Asking for Payments Posted: 30 Apr 2019 07:39 AM PDT 2019 has been a strange year for my business. My revenue projections will be up YoY, but I feel annoyed most days dealing with my clients. Late payments are starting to ruin my attitude as I feel like I'm working for free most days. I have in my contracts a late fee penalty, but I've never enforced it do to not wanting to seem petty. How do you guys handle asking clients for payment? So far, I've emailed and spoke to one of my clients directly about this issue and keep gettin assured that I will be paid. Also, can I write that I got paid in April when in fact I'll probably be paid at the start of May now? Trying to set up quarterly earnings and want to keep my months consistent if possible. [link] [comments]  |
| Best way to stay updated on a certain topic? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 08:59 PM PDT Hi guys, I'm starting a website about TV, and I also want to write news articles. So I want to stay updated on the TV industry as much as possible, so I can write news about upcoming models and brands as early as possible with as much details as possible, so I can stay ahead of the competition. What is the best way to stay updated on a topic such as TV? I don't want to wait until everyone else reports something in order for me to learn about them. I want to be the one that is the first one to report upcoming releases and stuff. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 30 Apr 2019 01:08 PM PDT I work for a small family company and it's becoming incredibly evident that we should have a bookkeeper to handle things that each of us are handling individually. That said, I'm unsure of where to start.. We are a training and development company with 6 employees - revenue around $3MM. We primarily work B2B, and the biggest issue I'm seeing is 1)invoices weren't created/delayed 2)accounts receivable. We let things last for months on end. Has anyone used a national agency versus hiring a bookkeeper? We currently have someone that works part-time for us, but she doesn't want to increase her hours, and there is plenty more work that we could use help with. [link] [comments]  |
| Small business: sell or hang tight? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 04:25 PM PDT I have a small business will a few partners. We started it a few years ago and are just turning a profit. We actually do really well and we bring in a fairly large gross but we have high operating expenses that are killing our net income. The only debt we carry is our equipment financing and the equipment essentially pays for itself. My concern is the amount of money we net split among 3 partners doesn't justify sticking it out. I am discussing selling to my partners in which I would essentially triple my initial investment. The quick math I've done doesn't really project me seeing any serious return for 8-10 years. I do not work at the company full-time. Selling now would free me up to do other things as I am looking to do and give me a nice nest egg. I don't really need the money now, either, but it would be a nice nest egg. If any one has any experience with this and can give me any advice it would be much appreciated. TLDR: Should I triple my initial investment and move on or should I stick it out in hopes for a possibly bigger payoff down the road? [link] [comments]  |
| Why isn’t it advisable to go to the woods, chop trees to make charcoal, then sell it in the market? Posted: 01 May 2019 01:09 AM PDT It's a business (though illegal), that has no downside and no losses. Only profits. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 30 Apr 2019 06:44 PM PDT I'm having trouble with GMB, when I look up my business on google it has the info there already, however I nor my parents when starting the business years ago set up GMB for it. When I go to try and claim the business as my own Im able to attach the business to my email however minutes later I get an error saying my listing has been suspended due to quality issues. Ive tried to email google support many times only to get one response back requesting more information. any help would be appreciated [link] [comments]  |
| What did you do to take your business to the next level? For example, from 30k month to 60k a month. Posted: 30 Apr 2019 05:17 PM PDT |
| Starting a small business, first stock questions. Posted: 30 Apr 2019 07:33 AM PDT Hi everyone, I am in the process of building a small business focused on products that help people with their mental health, first I want to start with candles and then expand to more products like, scrubs, soaps, and those kinds of products. I have enough material to produce about 32 candles but I am not sure if this is enough. The first drop would have 3 main scents that would be sold throughout the year and 1 limited edition scent (starting with summer). I'm not sure exactly how many candles should I make to begin with, I also have to add the fact that shipping can get very expensive so I wouldn't want to order supplies every time I get an order (I have spent about $50 of shipping on just 2 supply orders). I am a little scared to just buy more cases of containers, lids, etc and then not sel. On one side I really believe in my product and feel like 32 might not be enough since it takes about 5 days for new supplies to arrive plus candles need to be cured for at least 5 days (I had made a couple of test rounds and this is the best time frame I found to get the strongest scent throw) but at the same time I don't want to spend more money in case they don't sell and I am left if hundreds of dollars of inventory (already in debt so can't really afford to spend that much). At the moment I don't have a concrete marketing plan but I am planning on doing mostly social media to drive traffic to the website, I am currently building the Instagram page but at the moment it only has 28 followers (I'm only posting quotes and not products yet). obviously but the time I launch the store all of this will be sorted out. So yeah to end, how many candles should I make to begin with, and how many of each 3 main scents and 1 limited edition which will be a new one in the next 2-3 months for fall. Any input is welcomed and very appreciated. [link] [comments]  |
| What are your thoughts on what creates value? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 12:20 PM PDT I think a lot of it boils down to the promise of the brand's reputation (honda) or brand aspiration(tom's). Also on the product manufacturing by bringing value more than the retail price by innovation, scale of economy, design, decrease cost in logistics + overhead. People should perceive the item as being double the value. Then the entirety of the brand has its value from what people say about it on websites, word of mouth, from customer's experience, way everything is crafted to the vision from its design to its features, product, customer service, and user experience is what keeps people wanting to put their money into the brand. What are your thoughts of why people are willing to put money into a company. What creates value? [link] [comments]  |
| Recommendations for an 800 number provider? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 03:43 PM PDT I'm moving the business off my home line and am looking for referrals. There are a ton out there and have no experience with any of them. Any help/suggestions would be welcome. [link] [comments]  |
| I need help estimating costs for web design and development. Can anyone help? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 02:37 PM PDT First time doing anything like this, I would appreciate any help to understand the costs involved in developing a Shopify store. The primary purpose of the web design is to implement a rebrand and new visual identity. Here are some of the requirements Fully responsive Animated buttons and .svg elements Image overlay / underlay on collections page to help differentiate product groups Pop out menu and header/footer menu with a specific layout I will also require a copywriter, who'll to write the following pages: 6 product page's home page about us delivery info GDPR banner 5 x email notification variations I'm fairly sure this requirements list will get roasted because it's so vague, so please roast away and help me identify the things I might be over looking. But most of all, how much is this going to cost? [link] [comments]  |
| Is there a free ipad app I can use or method I can use to collect email address and phone numbers? Posted: 30 Apr 2019 02:18 PM PDT I'd like to use my ipad instead of the paper on clipboard method. Has anyone figured out a way to have clients enter their info? Mailchimp has an app but it looks like it needs internet. I don't have access to the internet when I'm on the road, does ipad carry such an app? [link] [comments]  |
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