Do I Need a Dedicated Server for My Startup?

The UK has been blessed with an abundance of entrepreneurial spirit. According to Companies House data, 2016 saw a record number of new businesses formed. That figure – 657,790 – continued the progress of record years in 2015 (608,110) and 2014 (581,173).

Dedicated server

That means a lot of people are taking those tough first steps into the world of business right now. From reaching out to new customers to finding the funds needed to get you up and running, there’s a lot on your plate as a start-up.

In 2017, your website is right at the top of your to-do list.…

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What You Need to Know about Magento vs. Shopify

Magento and Shopify are undoubtedly among the most popular ecommerce platforms for medium and large enterprises alike. Small businesses are also present on both platforms, although they usually operate with smaller budgets and thus have different requirements from an ecommerce solution.

Magento vs. Shopify

We’ll start with some market fundamentals to show you the broader picture and will then compare those Magento and Shopify properties that matter most for both large and small business users.

Magento and Shopify: Essential Market Indicators

Market research and statistics by BuiltWith show that both platforms enjoy high popularity among online businesses. Some 310,000 websites out of 371,000,000 ones on the entire Internet are using Shopify, while 244,000 are adopting Magento as an ecommerce solution.…

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Cashing Out on Your Business 101

This write-up is a personal memoir of my business startup to sale. Hold my hand and walk with me through my incredible 5-year business journey, right from the birth of my business idea, through the process of starting out, building the brand and to its final climax: selling out!

Business for sale

My entrepreneurial eureka moment came during a brainstorming session that birthed the idea; of starting a new business to launch a cosmetic manufacturing start-up firm.

At that point, the idea of ever selling the business never crossed my mind. I practically breathed and lived my business idea, my brainchild, my start-up firm!…

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It Works! Increase Engagement and Sales With Educational Content

If we dig into the psychology of consumers, we will find out that a big part of them is looking for answers to particular questions about the product or service. When the consumer is planning to buy a certain product or try specific service, he or she tries to find answers to wide range of questions that they are interested in before the purchase. In this case, educational content plays a major role in your content plan. Before moving to a discussion of this type of content, find out which types of content actually exist.

Educational video

The content that is usually distributed throughout the network can be divided into three types:

1.

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5 Accounting Tips for New Restaurant Owners

One thing’s for sure: you’re getting into the restaurant business because you love it. For many people just like you, opening a restaurant the ultimate dream — combining a love of food, hospitality, people and entrepreneurship. It will be a lot of work but it will be worth it.

Restaurateur

But while passion is the glue that will hold it all together, we’ve already mentioned the most important ingredient: hard work. It’s not just about choosing great staff or even about coming up with a great restaurant business plan (though of course, both help) — opening a restaurant also requires fantastic accounting.…

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3 Absolute Do’s For a Start Up

Every day, there is someone with a new and fresh idea. Start up businesses litter the internet. Some make it and others just don’t. But what’s the difference? What helps those that succeed to reach the heights they do? How do they turn nothing into a booming, profitable business?

Startup

Below are three things that you must do to solidify the foundation of a new start up company.

Do Watch Your Finances

Ok. You remember the time you were 7 and you worked all kinds of odd jobs to try and raise the money for a new bike? You raked yards, washed cars, delivered papers, and so on.…

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Bright Ideas: 5 Ways That Neon Can Be Used As Effective Visual Marketing

An iconic reminder of bygone business marketing, the last few years have seen neon making a comeback in new and interesting ways. Neon is being used in more artistically-geared, creative ways than ever before, and it’s this new wave of neon usage that has sparked a “re-taking” of sorts by businesses the world over. Illuminated letters can now be seen advertising for extremely high-end restaurants, on the outsides of some office buildings, and in or around art galleries.

Kiehls neon signage

To find out how neon can be used as effective visual marketing for your business, read on.

1. Signage

Signage is a term that refers to the signs indicating the purpose of the building or business.…

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4 Ways Small Businesses Can Reduce Workers’ Compensation Costs

Workers’ compensation costs extend far beyond the cost of your insurance policy. The costs of a workplace accident also include time lost, attorney fees, disruption to your daily operations and medical costs.

Injuries – no matter how minor or severe – can be time-consuming and costly for any business.

Hardhats help preventing costly injury compensation costs

Here are four ways you can reduce workers’ compensation costs.

1. Make Safety a Priority

Failure to make safety a priority can lead to more accidents and higher workers’ compensation costs.

Instead of looking at safety as an expensive choice, look at it as an essential part of your company’s mission and daily practice.…

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3 Content Marketing Strategies Businesses Can Leverage Today

Content marketing is the ideal fit for large enterprise businesses and small mom-and-pop stores. Content marketing can fit into any budget, and if you do the work yourself, this budget can be nonexistent in many cases.

Content marketing

Leveraging content marketing is essential for growth, but how can you incorporate this form of marketing into the mix? Avoid the big strategies that the Fortune 500 companies are engaging in and go a different route.

Our friends at Principality Plastics shared the strategies that have helped the company in increasing revenue, lowering their marketing budget and accelerating growth, outlined below.

1. Leverage Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is huge, but don’t expect to hire Kim Kardashian or Selena Gomez – their reach is worth over $500,000 for a single post.…

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