Does Your Business Have Standard Operating Procedures?
When it comes to be being successful in business, consistency is one of the driving factors. Companies that can consistently produce quality products that customers depend on will find greater success than those that haphazardly meander through their production processes. What is a Standard Operating Procedure? As Arbour Group explains, “A Standard Operating Procedure, or…
Read More7 Keys to Selecting a Startup Idea That Works for You
A common request I hear from aspiring entrepreneurs is for an assessment of their latest idea. I don’t even try to assess things at the idea level, since I can’t read minds. I can assess execution plans, if you have any. Yet I believe that business success is more a function of the person than…
Read MoreHow to Create Cohesive Branding Online and Offline
Building a brand? Use these tips and tricks to take advantage of today’s many advertising outlets and create cohesive branding online and offline. Develop a Clearly Defined Brand Voice One the most important steps to creating cohesive branding online and offline is to develop a clearly-defined brand voice. Simply put, your brand voice is the…
Read MoreHow Dropshipping Can Help Your Business Succeed
Dropshipping is a method of fulfilling orders where the retailer doesn’t have the actual products in inventory but relies on manufacturers or wholesalers to ship the products to customers instead. This strategy has several advantages to online merchants, making it an attractive income-generating arrangement relevant to the modern age. Dropshipping has become a popular path…
Read MoreYou and Your Customers Will Spend 5 Years on Social Media!
During your lifetimes, you and your customers will spend more time on social media than on eating, socializing, and grooming. Yikes! With the results of a new study by The Manifest, you can learn how your customers use social media so you can better engage them through social networking. The most important takeaway: Nearly everyone uses…
Read More4 Classic Yet Effective Growth Hacking Strategies for Startups
If you go to bed thinking about how to make your business bigger and get up at the crack of dawn to begin carrying out those ideas, then you are a growth hacker. You are one of the very select few who is so focused on making your business grow that failure does not even…
Read MoreDon’t Fear the Rookie: Why Junior Developers are Good for Your Software Project
A dedicated team is the essence of a long-term relationship between a customer and a vendor. So you are careful about choosing the people who will work for you. You personally interview every candidate. You are willing to accept only the best. So how do the newbies who barely understand what’s going on fit into…
Read MoreShould I Buy the iPhone Xs or Watch Meteors from the Rockies?
Is exciting new technology a more worthwhile investment than a possibly life-changing experience? You could call me an ardent supporter of the iPhone platform. I’ve owned several over the years. I appreciate the sleek look, intuitive engineering, and staying current with the latest exciting technology release. Other’s champion the ability to be part of the…
Read MoreBattling Burnout: How the World’s Hardest Workers Achieve Work-Life Balance
As technology has improved over the last decade, more people are finding that the traditional boundaries reserved typically for the workplace are eroding. We’re answering emails at home, taking calls that pull us away from family, and checking documents and communications before bed. As such, work-life balance and burnout have become hot topics in recent…
Read More3 Ways to Overcome Competition from Online Retailers
According to the Census Bureau, today’s consumers buy nearly 10 percent of goods and services online—and that percentage is rising at a clip of over 15 percent per year. Some small businesses, such as used books stores and antiques dealers, rely on the internet for a majority of their sales. What does that mean for local…
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