Critical Business Mistakes to Avoid in the Coming Year

As the new year approaches, most of you will be thinking of ways you can improve both your personal and professional lives in 2014. Oh, the agonizing decisions we’re going to be faced with whence the New Year’s bell rings in Time Square: app development; content marketing; social media; new competition taking established customers; what’s the bloody government going to tax us on this year; tech changes; will the first quarter be strong – or will our profits reign in the fourth; will the economy get stronger – or flatline as it has without warning in so many past years?

business mistakes

All these and many others weigh on the minds of any business owner.…

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How to Choose The Right Freight Company

Expanding to International markets is your next logical step in small business growth. You need to do your due diligence in preparing your business to take on the challenges overseas. You also need to work with service providers to manage everything, which includes getting your products to the target market in a timely manner.

freight forwarder

Shipping is indeed crucial; in fact, it is one of the most challenging aspects in running a business. You need to get the right products at the right location and time directly impacts your business’ reputation and bottom line.

To help you ship your products better, you need to partner with a freight forwarder.…

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8 Small Business Ideas to Start You on the Road to Success

The idea of starting a small business is intimidating to the majority of the population.

The problem?

Fear of the unknown. It does it to us every time we try to think outside the box. Every time we try to peek out from our own little personalized cubby-hole and think about the possibility that something – an idea or skill within us may one day possibly turn into a full-time career – and make us an overnight millionaire too!

looking for small business ideas

Of course not everyone wants to be a millionaire, but making a more-than-average income is almost always part of the dream isn’t it?…

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5 Brand Awareness Boosts for New Businesses

Brand awareness is an essential part of growing any business. From small local operations to digital brands and services, getting the word out about your brand requires planning and skill to provide maximum benefit. These five brand awareness boosts offer benefits to new businesses without requiring significant time or monetary investments.

raising brand awareness

1. Build a Web Presence

With the rise in popularity of mobile web browsing, social media and other online platforms, building a web presence for your business is a crucial part of brand awareness. The best platforms will vary depending on your industry or market.

Possible web presence options include:

  • Social Media
  • Brand Website
  • Blogs
  • Newsletters
  • Video Marketing
  • Forums and Discussion Groups

Each of these platforms offers distinct benefits and best practices.…

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Small Business Marketing Success Story: Dr. Farrah Gray

For those of who aren’t familiar with Dr. Farrah Gray, buckle your seatbelt and get ready to go for a trip down his path to being the youngest (non-celebrity) millionaire in the history of the entire planet!

Dr. Farrah Gray

He learned how to market himself at a very young age, living among violence, drug abuse, and mayhem in the south-side Chicago projects, coming out of it with an inspirational story that truly defies the expectations that many of you out there would have for an impoverished black kid from urban America.

The author of the best-selling book “Reallionaire” got his start collecting “nearly” empty bottles of lotion, combining them together and then selling them door-to-door – at the age of 6!…

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Are Social Media Websites The Next Collaboration Tools?

Today, meeting people does not only mean asking for their numbers. It becomes a necessity to ask for their Facebook pages and viewing their Twitter accounts. If it is a professional correspondence, you may have to find them on LinkedIn to check their professional life.

Are Social Media Websites The Next Collaboration Tools?

Social media has invaded modern life and anyone not on any of the big three platform is practically unknown. Although long overdue, businesses are finally embracing social media as the new platform to make them known.

However, businesses are now beginning to see social media in a new light. Are social media websites the next collaboration tools?…

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Digital Marketing Tips for New Websites

Setting up a new website is an exciting time but if you don’t optimize it or undertake digital marketing practices it will be difficult to get it in front of the right audience.

Digital Marketing Tips for New Websites

Here we’ll take a look at the basics to get your site ranking higher in the search results as well as increasing your exposure across the web.

Simplify things

A longwinded and confusing website will just frustrate the user. If you are a small business advertising a product then give the user what they want, which should be a simple journey to the product page.

Set up Social Channels

Integrating social platforms will increase your exposure and enable users to share your content with their friends and colleagues.…

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Useful Tips to Become A Better Networker

If you want to get anywhere in the business world, you have to know how to network. And more than just being familiar with the basics, you have to know how to network better.

For inventors, networking can be such a valuable asset. It can get them access to investors, prototype makers, media, and customers! This is why everyone can use tips to become a better networker.

Useful Tips to Become A Better Networker

While you may already know how to do some things, there are always improvements that can still be made. Follow these tips and watch yourself improve as a networker, and as a business person too!…

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5 Reasons To Migrate To A Paperless Office

Have you ever waded through stacks of files only to discover what you’re looking for is in another filing cabinet? It’s times like these you wish you had a paperless office. You’re not too sure about the hype though.

5 Reasons To Migrate To A Paperless Office

Surely, you must be giving up something when you make the switch, right? Maybe, but probably not. Here are five reasons why you should migrate to a paperless office:

Your Costs Go Down

Paper costs money. It costs money to make, ship, store, print, mail, and it even costs money to throw it away. When you go paperless, you eliminate all of those costs.…

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How To Start Succession Planning

You’ve invested so much in building your business – time, money, effort and talent. Whatever type of transition you’re considering – whether it’s retirement, selling to a third party or handing the business down to a family member – succession planning is an important piece of the puzzle that can set your business up for success – or failure – in the future.

The first step is looking at your business and – based on your objectives – determining that you need to start succession planning. There’s a lot of elements to think about – your personal goals, the status of the business and how children or other family members will come into play, to name a few.…

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