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.…

Continue reading →

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.…

Continue reading →

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.…

Continue reading →

Is Cold Calling Dead or Should It Still be Part of Your Sales Activity?

Cold calling for sales appointments has for decades been the foundation that successful sales careers were built on, but no longer according to some in the sales industry.

‘Cold calling is dead,’ state the many obituaries on social and business media. ‘Long live the new electronic, multi-channel approach,’ proclaim the adverts, articles, email shots, and media posts.

Cold calling - dead?

So is it true, do sales people no longer need to make cold calls to arrange sales appointments with prospects?

If it is true there will be a huge sigh of relief from the multitudes of great presenters and closers that hate making cold calls to get in front of buyers.…

Continue reading →

How to Organize Travel and Events for a Business Trip

A well-organized business trip for your team can transform your business. It will not only pick up everyone’s spirits because it’s always fun to go on a shared adventure to a new location, but it will lead to new connections and strategic partnerships.

It’s even better if you can organize the trip around an event, either one that you’re attending or one that you’re hosting. This will help structure your trip around a clear outcome.

Business team travel planning

Here are all things that need to be done to make your trip and event profitable and fun:

Arranging the Use of a Virtual Office

Many major cities have virtual offices.…

Continue reading →

What are the Benefits of Online Audio Converter?

CEOs – are you fancy watching YouTube for work or leisure purpose, but often don’t have time because you obviously have some work to do? Here’s an idea: You can convert the YouTube videos into audio, in such a way that you can listen to those while working or traveling.

Businessman listening to music via headphone

There are many tools you can use for that purpose, but please allow us to recommend one. Read on.

Need for conversion

There are many reasons to convert a video file into an audio file. You might want to hear the latest music for your entertainment or work. You might want to convert an interesting keynote speech that you found on YouTube so that you can listen to it while driving to a meeting.…

Continue reading →

How College Students Can Start Their Very Own Small Businesses

As a college student it probably seems like you have little time to do anything but study and work. The free time that you do have, you probably have to spend studying, doing homework, doing laundry, or grocery shopping. Even when you do find the time to hang out with friends or spend an evening out on the town, you probably don’t even have that much money to burn. It takes money to have fun in college and with the cost of books, tuition, and other living expenses it probably seems like you will never get ahead financially.

College students

With all that being said, you might be surprised to learn that there are a variety of different ways that college students can start their very own small businesses to help supplement their income.…

Continue reading →

4 Small Business Security Tips for Managers and Owners

Owning, managing, or even working for a small business means that you have a specific extra amount of freedom with particular aspects of your job. But it also means that security can be a more important consideration than you might consider otherwise. Even a small flaw in security for a business that’s just starting up or has a small client base can lead to dire consequences.

Online security

That’s why everyone involved in a small business situation has to pay attention to email security, daily updating habits regarding software and hardware, password best practices for everyone involved in the company, and basic knowledge of encryption, especially where it concerns private client information.…

Continue reading →

How Does a Business Cash Advance Loan Work?

In recent times, Merchant Cash Advances (MCAs) have continued to grow in popularity. This loan product began as a solution to loan future sales of credit cards. It would later evolve into a solution that allows organizations to finance future sales of many other things. A business cash advance is probably the best way to define it. With this type of cash advance loan, you can sell off your future sales and get financed quickly.

Business loan

This is a short-term financial solution whose payback time occurs in months. The repayment process starts almost immediately. The lender can either choose a part of your continued sales or debit your business bank account on a daily basis.…

Continue reading →

4 Ways Your Small Business Can Give Back

As a small business owner or CEO, it’s easy to look at big businesses and dream about the different things you could do with their resources. You could pay larger salaries, purchase better technology, and invest in causes you believe in. While this is true, to an extent, there’s nothing stopping small businesses from being generous.

Volunteering employee

Whether you bring in $1 million per year, or $10 billion, there are ways you can prioritize philanthropy and be generous with the resources your organization has been blessed with.

4 Possible Ways to Give Back

Giving back – whether with your time or money – is highly beneficial for small businesses.…

Continue reading →