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4 Reasons Your Business Might Need a Consultant

Managing a business comes with great responsibility, and CEOs can often feel like the responsibility of a whole company is resting firmly on their shoulders. There are times when a consultant can help carry some of that weight, whether that’s launching and marketing a new product or progressing your business through a specific stage of development.

Business consulting

But consultants can help businesses in many ways and do so much more than just lending a strong and steady hand. Here are four reasons your company might need one.

1. You need specific skills

Often as a CEO, you’ll need someone for your business with a set of specific skills.…

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Top 3 Trends in Freelance Work

Freelance jobs are bigger than ever now that technology and remote, or work-from-home, jobs are becoming increasingly popular in the workforce. And no, freelance work isn’t just for Millennials. In fact, nearly 40 percent of the workforce in the United States today is made of up freelancers!

Happy freelancer

Let’s take a look at some of the top trends in the freelance economy and their impact on both freelancers and freelance employers.

Freelance Work is Appealing

Freelance work has become so popular since it’s appealing to both employers and employees. Employers can hire freelancers to work on a per-project basis, short-term or sometimes even long-term contracts.…

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Things Every Business Owner Should Know About Hackers: A Crash Course in Keeping Your Company’s Data Safe

Hacker-proof

If you ask a group of people what they think of when you say the word “hacker,” you’ll probably get a lot of different answers. Over the years, our understanding of hackers and hacking has shifted. During the computer boom of the 80s, hackers were high-tech spies. Today, we imagine hackers as everything from burglars to vandals to inventors. But what do you as a business owner need to know about hacking to keep your company’s sensitive information safe?

Well, for starters:

  • The who, what, and why of hacking
  • Best practices for keeping your business’s data secure
  • How “good hackers” can help protect your from cybersecurity threats

 

Portrait of a Hacker

What is hacking?

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How to Start Your Own Online Business

The Internet has leveled the playing field for all and makes it much easier for anyone to start their own online business. But where do you start?

Online business owner

Your Business Plan

If you have made the decision to start an online business, you probably already have a business idea but will need to do some research to access the viability of your idea. Some important areas of research are:

  • Is there a need for your product or service?
  • Who is your target market?
  • Who are your competitors?
  • What makes your business different than your competitors?

It is better to do your research before embarking on launching a business so that you don’t spend your time and money on a business idea that won’t be successful.…

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The 5 Pillars of a Platform Business

Compared to traditional market, a platform business model capitalizes on the interaction between producers and consumers. There is no need for a business to physically produce a product that will be distributed. Rather, it makes use of the internet to facilitate exchanges, and consequently, create value.

AirBnB is an example of a platform business

If you’re interested in jumping into the bandwagon, you need to understand the basics that make a platform business successful. For a better understanding of a platform business and how to succeed in its adoption, you might want to consult with the professionals working at http://vivaldigroup.com/en/. But to get you started, the following guide covers the basics; here are five pillars of a platform business:

1.

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Five Ways to Break Into The International Digital Business Market

Digital marketing is the way to go for most modern companies. When you take a look at recent trends in the international digital business market today, it is clear to see that lots of growth is expected. Consequently, this means more money for stakeholders. Hence, there is no surprise to see why companies are trying to outdo their rivals in claiming large shares of the online customer base.

International market expansion

The trend is good news to professionals who are looking into trying their hand in digital marketing. Furthermore, it is a promising industry since most organisations usually outsource professional IT services instead of hiring permanent employees for the same.…

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10 Tips for Protecting your Business When Selling on Amazon or eBay

There’s no question that as millennials become a larger segment of the workforce and enter the world of consumerism, there is less and less demand for brick and mortar stores. But, we’ll go a step further and say most consumers have already become digitally clients of buying products online.

Selling products at online marketplaces

This mega shift from brick-n-mortar to a B2C economy has every business from the smallest artisan to the largest manufactures eyeballing a distribution relationship with Amazon and/or eBay. But, there’s still a big question a lot of vendors and manufactures still ponder about taking the plunge: Is it really worth it to make the transition to an online store, or does moving to a big online marketplace put my business at jeopardy at all?…

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4 Simple Hacks for Your SME to ‘Go Digital’

Having a digital presence in 2018 is essential for any company that wants a lucrative slice of the global online marketplace.

But for smaller firms with limited budgets, marketing effectively can be challenging — and owners who aren’t ‘digital natives’ completely at ease with the latest technology can find the process bamboozling.

Business owner going digital

So if you’re a small business owner taking your first tentative steps into the sphere, here are four simple hacks for your SME to ‘go digital’.

Google My business

Google is gargantuan, but you don’t need to spend big bucks to have a presence there.

Google My Business is probably the world’s most powerful local directory — and you can grab your own page for free, and a spot in Google’s influential local three-pack results, after a brief verification process.…

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5 Ways Cloud Services Help Lower Your IT Budget

Cloud computing is the future. There’s no doubt about it. The cloud computing market continues to grow at a staggering rate, and just about every company is using cloud services – whether in public, private, or hybrid implementations.

Buisnessman using cloud services

So if you’re interested in lowering your IT budget and becoming more competitive in the modern business world, investing in cloud services is a great choice. Not sure how cloud services can help you save money? Take a look at this list of 5 ways that cloud services can help you lower your IT budget!

1. No Investment In IT Infrastructure

Investing in IT infrastructure such as servers and databases can be extremely expensive – and even in best-case scenarios, this equipment will likely have to be replaced every 3-5 years.…

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How to Avoid Customer Service Disasters

A sad recent business trend has been small business owners and mid-size companies trying to implement as “reverse customer service” technique. Instead of abiding by the old adage of “the customer is always right,” these companies attempt to gain viral notoriety by being rude to customers and breaking all the customer service rules in existence.

Angry customer

This strategy is good if you want your 15 minutes of fame. However, if you actually want to have a successful company, this strategy will get you nowhere. These companies never go on to be successful and usually end up closing within a few year.…

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