SaneBox: An Exceptional Tool to Manage Your Emails
Life without email would be unimaginable at this point—we rely on this form of communication far too much to be able to give it up. We use it to keep in touch with family and friends, to communicate with teammates at work and to stay in the loop with newsletters and promotions. Be that as…
Read MoreWhat Your Customers Say About Your Brand Really Matters
If you’ve been lead to believe that social media marketing and other channels are THE way to grow your business or nonprofit, then you’d be incorrect. And, there’s another study to prove it. The Boston Consulting Group Brand Advocacy Index (BAI) tells us what really matters is what people say—their word-of-mouth recommendations. “Direct word-of-mouth recommendations from…
Read MoreChoosing a Franchise: Goods or Services?
Are you passionate about puppies? Do you dote on doughnuts? Often, the choice of which franchise business you should invest in comes down to the industry it’s in. You care about cars, so you naturally think of an automotive franchise, or you have experience with e-cigarettes so you head for a vapor parlor franchise business.…
Read More4 Tips to Get Ready for a Hardware Hackathon
The word “hackathon” often evokes stereotypical images of geeks wired on Red Bull pulling an all-nighter in front of computers with a stack of pizza boxes behind them. For Adam Benzion, co-founder of Hackster, that isn’t the ideal hackathon. If anything, it alienates participation, although many people still believe it to be the reality. Hackster,…
Read MoreWhy Startups Fail, and How You Can Avoid the Same Fate
Founding a startup can be risky, and even some of the most successful entrepreneurs have a few failures under their belt. Let’s learn from their mistakes. The figure that’s often bandied about the web is that nine out of ten startups fail. Although there’s some contention on the accuracy of that statistic (some have placed…
Read MoreEngage Customers with an Incentive Program
Have you wondered what you can do to add some spice to your business and get customers excited to come back? Maybe you should consider an incentive program. I recently had a chance to chat on the phone with Aron Ezra, the CEO of OfferCraft, an incentive program provider that incorporates cutting edge research and…
Read MoreSole Proprietorship: Is the Risk Worth It?
If you are considering starting a business, the simplest and least expensive form of business is a sole proprietorship. A sole proprietorship is a one-person business that reports its income directly on the individual’s personal tax return (Form 1040) using a Schedule C. There is no need to file a separate tax return as is…
Read MoreOwn Your Day
Have you ever reached the end of a day and felt like you got nothing done? It’s a horrible feeling! Frustrating days like this leave us with a laundry list of people and circumstances that caused our unproductivity. Rewind the clock to your morning coffee and write down your current #1 push forward priority. Then…
Read MoreBusiness in Action: Leadership Retreats
According to “Fast Company” magazine, there are some key ideas to consider when planning a fun leadership retreat: seek new scenery; know that it takes time to build strong teams; incorporate fun into the regular work experience. Choose an appropriate facilitator. Depending on your organization, this may mean hiring a professional. Know your goals and…
Read MoreHow Long Until I Know if This Channel Works for Me?
Are you getting the best return on your online marketing spend? Probably not. Why not? Because it’s very likely that you are spending too much money on a suboptimal set of channels. Strong statement, I know. What makes me say that? Full disclosure: I sell multi-channel online marketing advice, so I may be biased. But…
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