4 Challenges Facing Small Manufacturers in America

Whenever you hear about the decline of manufacturing in advanced economies such as the United States, its usually in the context of the dwindling fortunes of giant conglomerates. Yet, the struggle is worse for small manufacturers as they are unlikely to have the same depth and breadth of options that large corporations do.

Manufacturing worker

The following are the major difficulties persons venturing into small manufacturing in the US must be prepared to deal with.

Dearth of Skilled Workers

Manufacturing companies rely on skilled workers to perform tasks ranging from configuring automation systems to welding. Unfortunately, the decline in manufacturing has created a vicious cycle whereby fewer people are interested in skilled trades due to the lower prospects of gainful employment.…

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Turn Your Photography Hobby Into a Viable Freelance Business With These Tips

Have you been thinking about turning your photography hobby into a sustainable business? You might be surprised to discover that it’s a fairly simple transition to make. The popularity of the internet and social media has opened up entirely new opportunities for freelancers. So if you want to transition from hobby photographer to freelance photographer, there’s no better time to get started.

Freelance photographer

Leverage Social Media

One of the easiest ways to grow a freelance photography business is to use your favorite social media platforms as a marketing tool. Instagram is the most obvious platform to start with because it revolves around photography.…

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3 Reasons Why It’s Easier Than Ever to Become an Entrepreneur

The economy has been improving for nearly a decade now and unemployment has sunk below its natural rate. This means that there really are no more excuses. If you have a dream of launching your own business, now is the time.

Entrepreneur using digital technology

Entrepreneurship will never be easy in any economy. It takes passion, dedication, hard work, long hours, and an understanding that the struggle may last for years before paying off. But if you really want to take the plunge, it’s time to stop talking and start acting.

Fortunately, there are many reasons that make the modern, digital age the best time ever to achieve your goals.…

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Starting an Aussie SME? 4 Reasons Melbourne is a Business Hotspot

Australia was the world’s 13th-largest economy in 2017 according to IMF estimates and it hasn’t suffered a recession for over a quarter of a century.

If you’re flexing your entrepreneurial muscles Down Under, Sydney’s a popular choice, but don’t dismiss Melbourne too swiftly — the state capital of Victoria punches well above its weight.

So when you’re looking for the right location for your Aussie SME, here are four reasons Melbourne’s a business hotspot.

1. Government support

The Australian government isn’t resting on its laurels in terms of supporting startup businesses.

Their government’s Research and Development Tax Incentive offers a refundable tax incentive for eligible enterprises with a turnover of less than AUS$20 million — this should take the financial sting out of developing prototypes and testing market demand.…

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Follow Your Own Path With TESOL Entrepreneurship

If you’re a native speaker of English who wants to escape the rat race and start your own business, you should consider TESOL entrepreneurship. Whether you want to start your own English-language school, teach English online full- or part-time or tutor students in person, TESOL entrepreneurship could be for you.

TESOL entrepreneurship

As a TESOL entrepreneur, you’ll be able to teach the way you want. Are you craving more freedom to plan your lessons or curriculum your way? Would you like to work from home or tutor only the best students?

TESOL entrepreneurship puts you in charge of your own professional destiny, eliminating the educational hierarchy that can seem so stifling to so many teachers.…

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How to Start & Run a UK Telephone Answering Service Business

If you are looking at how to start your own UK based telephone answering service either from your spare room at home, or by hiring a small local office to run your business from, then theanswercentre.co.uk have some great information for you to help think more deeply about making that move.

Phone answering business idea

We have to say that anyone approaching this idea with previous experience as a virtual PA or who has worked in a call centre or offered some business services over the telephone will certainly have an advantage over someone without any experience. You will need to learn how business owners think and understand their mindset.…

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How to Choose the Right Kind of Business for You

When it comes to launching a business idea and starting a business, getting it off the ground can be tricky. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to turn an innovative idea into a successful business and there are some big decisions you have to make in this process.

Professional photographer

Here is how you can make sure you choose the right business for you.

Follow Your Passion

Although it may sound like a cliche, whatever your potential business idea may be, you need to ensure that you are passionate about it. If you are just in it for the money, then chances are that you’re not going to have the drive required to sustain the business throughout its early days.…

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Do Student Loans Stifle Potential Businesses?

Approximately 50% of the American private sector is comprised of small businesses. But due to student loans, the American entrepreneurial spirit has suffered a hit and in 2016, CNN reported that US entrepreneurship has been at an all-time low for nearly 40 years.

College student starting up a business

According to a 2015 study done by Brent W. Ambrose, Larry Cordell, and Shuwei Ma, student loans can stop Americans from financing a startup and inadvertently hamper economic growth. The researchers say that potential business owners are encumbered by student loans that they longer have any way of borrowing more money. The student loan debt in the United States is now over $1.3 trillion.…

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4 Ways for Startup Trucking Companies to Reduce Costs

Many entrepreneurs are starting to see the value of operating a business within the industry of truck driving. However, startup companies suffer from high failure rates, and new establishments survive on thin profit margins. On top of that, the trucker’s ongoing requirement to maintain equipment, buy fuel and do payroll can sometimes leave the short-term fiscal strength of a company in a precarious state.

Startup trucking business

So how does a business owner plan for growth in such a tumultuous situation? Increasing loads/deliveries could be an option, but it comes with the risk of employees getting infuriated from the increased workload. Luckily, a better solution exists.…

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What Your Small Business Can Learn from Cryptocurrency Startups

It can seem at times like every business that ever entered the cryptocurrency market is now minting millionaires. That, of course, isn’t the case. That’s because you are only hearing the success stories. What you’re not hearing is the stories of the hundreds of entrepreneurs who thought they had brilliant ideas related to the blockchain and mined coins to start those ideas up, only to find that they were sadly mistaken and lost everything. Still, as a small business owner, you should concentrate on the success stories, because they are the ones that you’ll want to emulate.

Cryptocurrency startups

The world of cryptocurrency can be a confusing one, and it’s also one that seems to be changing at the moment.…

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