• The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business reported that of 60% of all cybersecurity attacks small and medium-sized businesses were the target.
• 60% of those businesses that were targeted suffered an average financial loss of $200,000 and closed their doors within 6 months.

But your business doesn’t have to fall victim to a cyber-attack this year! Here are 5 tiny tweaks for better security that are easy and cost-effective to implement:

Get Your Employees Trained ASAP

You probably thought that better security for your small business meant spending a ton of money and investing in the latest tech. While this isn’t a bad approach, doing so without training and educating your employees on good security practices can still leave your business vulnerable to a cyber-attack. According to Shred-it’s 2018 State of the Industry Report,

“Nearly half of C-Suite Executives (47 percent) and Small Business Owners (42 percent)

reported that human error or accidental loss by an employee was the cause of a

data breach.”

The hackers aren’t even your biggest worry, it’s your own employees, and probably yourself, too. One of the most important steps you can take toward better security for your small business is to make sure your employees know how to protect your company’s data. Help your staff understand how to prevent cyber-attacks by training them on things such as:

• How to correctly dispose of documents that contain sensitive customer data.
• Recognizing potential phishing emails or suspicious email attachments and what to do with them.
• Create strong passwords for their business accounts and always lock devices when they are away from them.
• Avoid accessing sensitive business data on personal devices unless they are authorized and have the appropriate encryption settings installed.
• Secure notes and papers on desks and in cabinets and shred them when no longer needed.
• Ensure employees know who to contact if they suspect they’ve been a target for a cyber attack.

Use a VPN

This simple solution can actually go a long way. A virtual private network, or VPN, allows you to remain anonymous and secure while sending information online. While VPNs have primarily been marketed to personal users, more enterprises are getting onboard to secure their business networks and devices.

A VPN can be installed on an entire office network as well as individual devices. If you have remote employees they can use your company’s VPN service to ensure your data is secure, even if they are working on the other side of the world. If you’re getting it for your cell phone, make sure you get a VPN that covers your network, eg a VPN for Vodafone, this will ensure it covers the Vodafone network.

There are free VPN options out there, but beware—”there ain’t no such thing as free lunch.” Opt instead for a pay-for VPN service. Prices are reasonable across the board and if you pay for the whole year upfront you often get a sizeable discount. You can get service with most reputable providers for under $10/month. Most VPN providers offer a free 30-day trial. Take advantage of this and test out a few.

There are tons of VPN service providers out there, so you’ll have to do some research to figure out which one is the best choice for your business depending on the features, like number of devices, and price point.

Antivirus Software and Regular Updates

Another super easy and effective solution to better security is making sure your devices and antivirus software are up to date. New viruses and malicious software are popping up on the daily. Luckily, anti-virus software companies do a pretty good job of updating their software so it can detect and block new threats. However, all of that means nothing if you ignore the prompts to update for six months. You’re already paying for the service, so just do the updates.

Back It Up

What would you do if your business fell victim to a cybersecurity attack today and you lost all of your data? We’re talking customer contact info, emails, invoices, point of sales system function…all of it. It’s pretty safe to say it’s going to be a rough day. If you backup your data, however, the impact might be minimal. There are many backup strategies, but as a minimum, you should:

• Back up data frequently.
• Have multiple backups— for example, one on a physical hard drive and one on the cloud.
• Check your back up routinely to make sure it’s working properly.

Let Someone Else Do the Job

Maybe you’re already in over your head and just don’t have the time to implement better security solutions. You know what, that’s ok. Some businesses are just too small to employ their own IT team. But, there are companies out there, called Managed Security Service Providers (MSSP), who will gladly manage your small business’s security for you. Bringing an MSSP onboard will take a lot of the guesswork out of better security for your small business. An MSSP will perform a risk assessment and identify risk and how to fix them. It will be worth it to be able to sleep a little better at night knowing your business is protected.

The post 5 Tiny Tweaks for Better Small Biz Security appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

If you are at all skeptical about leveraging marketing analytics in your business, take a look at the numbers. Forbes.com reports that:

“58% of enterprises are seeing a significant increase in customer retention and loyalty as a result of using customer analytics.”

“44% of enterprises are gaining new customers and increasing revenue as a result of adopting and integrating customer analytics into their operations.”

Taking advantage of what marketing analytics can do for your business directly translates into more customers and greater loyalty from existing customers, and the industry experts like London Sign Maker also vouch for ability to draw analytics for further strategising the digital signage display to enhance results in targeted demographies.

1. Use the Data to Create Personalized Experiences

Customers today demand highly personalized experiences. Salesforce’s annual “State of Marketing” report, found that,

“52% of B2C customers say they’d switch brands if they didn’t feel they were receiving a personalized experience.”

Analytics allow you to personalize the customer experience, optimize the customer journey, and increase engagement all along the way.

By leveraging marketing analytics, you now have access to a wealth of information. You can see which age groups, ethnicities, geographic locations, or income brackets are frequenting your site. This data gives you the opportunity to target specific groups with marking strategies that are designed especially for customers that fall within those data sets.

Jared Lees, the senior manager of industry strategy for financial services at Adobe says,

“Use data to create personalized experiences for your audiences. Customer interactions leave behind hints, creating digital fingerprints that can be analyzed for an abundance of information—right down to what your customers are doing or even how they’re feeling at that very moment.”

2. Look for Ways to Improve the Customer Experience

We all know by now that the customer experience is king. But, many businesses are still struggling to employ marketing analytics to improve the customer’s experience. One of the biggest advantages of leveraging marketing analytics is the ability to see how your customers are responding and how you can improve.

• What’s working well and what’s not?
• Are your customers experiencing roadblocks or obstacles that you’re not aware of?
• What’s the data telling you about pain points along the customer journey?

Looking at analytics can give you quantitative and factual data about customer behavior. In turn, you can use that data to improve the customer experience and increase your likelihood of retaining current customers and attracting new ones.

3. Don’t Discount Social Media

In addition to all of the analytics that you can pull from your internal systems, social media is a virtual gold mine for customer information. We all know social media sites collect our information and track our habits. Facebook even had to testify to Congress about what they do with our information, yikes! (cue the Zuckerberg memes) But, did you know that you have access to how your customers are engaging with your content on those social sites?

• You can see what time of day your Instagram is getting the most engagement,
• which Tweets are performing the best, or
• if your Facebook marketing strategy is generating leads.

It’s time to start leveraging your data for a better customer experience, your customers will thank you.

The post How Small Businesses Can Leverage Marketing Analytics for Better Customer Experience appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Forbes

No list would be complete without this business publication powerhouse. You’ve surely heard of Forbes, and you probably already subscribe, but just in case, we’re putting on the list. This publication is valuable for business owners and entrepreneurs of any size enterprise and should be a cornerstone in your small business library. Forbes excels in communicating relevant business information from big-name authorities in the industry. Experts chime in on topics ranging from practical advice, opinion pieces, news, to an entire vertical dedicated to small business.

Inc.

Focusing mostly on startups and SMBs, Inc. Magazine is another great publication we love. Inc.’s pages are filled with inspirational articles that will inspire and sharpen your business analysis skills. Inc. articles give plenty of testimonials, case studies, and strategies from home-grown businesses to Fortune 500 businesses on what worked, and what didn’t, for small business owners. Reliable keeping you updated on the state of the market.

Smart Hustle

Smart Hustle Magazine was founded by our very own Ramon Ray. The publication shares challenges, successes and the smart hustle of small business entrepreneurs. You don’t want to miss out on the inspiring stories, solid advice, and lessons learned through innovation, perseverance, and creativity.

Entrepreneur

Published specifically with entrepreneurs in mind, Entrepreneur Magazine offers important information and insight into the unique challenges of entrepreneurship. Even if you’ve been in the game for a while keeping abreast of the latest in the startup community can inspire you with fresh ideas on how to best grow your venture. The magazine often features big names like Michael Strahan, Danika Patrick, Guy Fieri and Kevin Hart. Issues offer entertaining and relatable advice on every business topic imaginable such as hiring, franchising, time management, and more.

Wired

As a small business owner, it’s essential to keep up on tech trends. Wired should be one of your go-to tech resources. It might seem overwhelming at first glance, but once you dive in you’ll appreciate the cutting-edge content on emerging technology that will help your small business succeed.

Small Business Trends

As the name implies, this publication focuses on trends in the small business community. Small Business Trends brings on expert contributors to give you news, tips, and resources to help you stay ahead of the curve in your industry.

Harvard Business Review

While not curated specifically for small businesses, the Harvard Business Review is an incredibly valuable resource to any business owner. Content includes leadership and management theories and how businesses will change and evolve in the future. Any business owner with the future in mind would be smart to subscribe!

The post Publications We LOVE appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

ZipRecruiter

If you’re a rapidly growing small business competing with larger enterprises for top talent, consider using ZipRecruiter. This hiring app does all of the basics like job posting, candidate screening, recruiting, application tracking, interviewing. But it also casts a wide net, ensuring your ad reaches the right candidate. One of the things we love most about this hiring app is ZipRecruiter’s AI tool, Candidate Calibration. This nifty tool will expedite your hiring process. It lets you make note of the type of candidate you’re looking for when posting jobs and only notifies you of potential hires who meet your criteria. Other things we love about ZipRecruiter:

• Responsive mobile app to help keep you updated on applications on-the-go
• Post to over 100 job boards at once
• Easy to screen and rate candidates
• No need to reinvent the wheel—ZipRecruiter has reusable job slots
• Pre-screen interview questions save tons of time
• Send job postings to social media for ultimate exposure

ZipRecruiter offers a lot and their pricing reflects that. You get one free job posting and then plans start at $249 per month for 1 job posting. But, if you’re in the market for that one special guy or gal, ZipRecruiter just might be one of the best ways to find them.

Zoho Recruit

If you’re already using Zoho products, or this is your first adventure with them, Zoho Recruit is an excellent choice for your hiring needs. This applicant tracking software for small business lets you create and track job openings, filter resumes, and find qualified candidates. Zoho Recruit is a perfect solution for SMBs who are new to hiring and want to put out some feelers. Some things we love about Zoho Recruit are:

• An easy-to-use interface and highly customizable
• Social media integrations allow you to source candidates from Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
• Tracking feature allows multiple users to stay updated on the hiring process

Competitive pricing is one of the things we love most about Zoho Recruit. You get a 15-day free trial and monthly plans start at just under $25 which is a fantastic value.

Breezy HR

This cloud-based recruiting and applicant tracking system is designed specifically for SMBs. Breezy HR is all about saving you time, which we love! They automate tasks such as advertising on over 50 job boards, screening, scheduling interviews, and follow-ups.

• Filter and shortlist candidates in no time
• Chrome extension allows you to easily add applicants from Breezy to LinkedIn
• The drag-and-drop pipeline feature makes it easy to customize the applicant pipeline at each phase of the hiring process
• Hiring analytics to make sure only qualified candidates are pushed forward
• Ability to send automated emails to applicants on application status updates or interview times
• Video interview feature makes it easy to communicate remotely

We also love Breezy HR’s flexible pricing options. You can try it out to hire your first position for free! If you need to grow the team even more plans start at $149 per month and include everything you’d ever need to find the perfect person.

UpWork

If you’re looking for some extra help, but aren’t ready to commit to hiring a full-time employee, consider bringing a freelancer onboard. Freelance marketplaces like UpWork are a great tool to find highly skilled and specialized talent. Freelancers are great for short- or long-term projects and are a great way to test the waters if it’s your first time bringing on a new employee. UpWork makes hiring a freelancer easy. They’re running a pretty big operation and provide helpful resources such as:

• Job success score and feedback on past projects
• Skills tests to help you determine if they are qualified
• A platform where you can post a job, interview, and hire all in one location
• Multiple payment options and payment protection
• Generating Form 1099-MISC tax documents so you don’t have to

Posting job ads and hiring on UpWork is completely free, and we love free!

The post Hiring Apps We LOVE appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

CRM Platforms

If you don’t think your business could benefit from CRM software, think again. One of the top tech tools you can employ in the growth of your business, Customer Relationship Management Software helps you get organized and keep track of contacts, give you a comprehensive overview of sales performance, and is key to marketing segmentation and personalization. When you’re shopping for a CRM platform, look for things like:

• Affordability—cost efficient options are king in the small business and startup world. Make every penny count by choosing a budget-friendly option. Some of the best CRM platforms, like HubSpot, don’t cost have to cost an arm and a leg.
• Customer Support—choosing a system that offers robust customer support, like Zoho CRM, is essential for SMBs that don’t have large tech support teams.
• Easy to Learn—as a small business owner you likely don’t have tons of time to spend learning the ins and outs of a new system. Choose one that’s “out-of-box” like Salesforce.
• One That Integrates Well—If you’re already using other tools to manage your business, make sure the CRM platform you choose integrates well like Base CRM—the results will be worth it.
• Customization—Decide whether you want a tool that’s standard, but ready to go or customizable to your each and every need. We love Insightly and Apptivo for their customization options. We love Insightly for its customization ability.

Analytics

Another top tech tool we love is analytics. Nowadays, customers are all too quick to switch brands or products due to a bad customer experience. However, with analytics, there is no excuse not to deliver individualized and exceptional experiences to keep your customers coming back time and time again. By implementing data analytics you can improve your customer experience by:

• Anticipating customer needs
• Delivering relevant services and products
• A highly personalized experience
• Increased efficiency and targeting customer pain points

If you’re thinking that applying data analytics to your operation is going to cost you, don’t worry! There are tons of free tools to help you refine your customer experience like Google Analytics, MixPanel, and social media insights.

Marketing Automation

Marketing automation helps businesses grow. There are only so many hours in a day and marketing automation helps you do more with less. Here are a few reasons marketing automation is one of the tech tools we love for fueling growth:

• Campaign Data—we already touched on analytics to shape the customer experience, but you also need analytics to measure your campaign success, track email performance, and prove ROI
• Personalized Messaging—I don’t know if we’ll ever be done talking about the importance of personalization. Your competitive advantage over large enterprises is your ability to personalize effectively! Personalizing your marketing messages is a way to stand out among the noise in your marketing space.
• Increased Client Retention—loyal customers are so incredibly valuable. According to research done by Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company, increasing customer retention by just 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%. Don’t get so caught up chasing new leads that you forget about your existing customers. They are where the money is.

Some marketing automation tools we love include Swiftpage, ActiveCampaign, and Ontraport.

A Good Website

One tech tool you can’t live without is a good website. It’s where customers go to find out who you are, what you’re about, and basic information about your business. If a customer can’t successfully navigate your website, the chances they’ll actually buy something from you are pretty slim. But, come on guys, putting together a great website really isn’t that hard and it’s easier and more affordable than ever!

If you’re on a budget, WordPress is a great option. In fact, it’s one of the most popular web platforms out there with over 30% of all websites running off of WordPress, including big brand names like Facebook and Vogue. With the exception of domain and hosting expenses, you can essentially run a completely functional site for free.

Looking for something really elegant? Look no further than Squarespace. Designed specifically for businesses who want to focus on visual content, Squarespace gives you access to over 40 million high-quality images to incorporate into your site. Having a gorgeous site on Squarespace will put you back a few more dollars, but having an aesthetically pleasing and functional website makes it all worth it.

If your customers conduct most of their business with you on a mobile device, consider a platform that’s optimized for just that. While Duda is at the high end of the price range, their mobile-friendly templates and the ability to create your sight in multiple languages is invaluable.

The post Top Tech Tools We LOVE appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Grammarly

If you spend any time writing on your computer, you need Grammarly. Whether it’s daily emails, a monthly newsletter, content for your blog, or writing your next bestseller, you have a need to communicate clearly. Grammarly can help you spend less time proofreading, and proofreading again. This isn’t just your basic spell checker. It will automatically underline spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and punctuation mistakes. Grammarly is a browser plugin and can make you look like a literary genius on Facebook, WordPress, Gmail, and pretty much anywhere else. You’ll never have to be embarrassed by using the wrong “their,” “there,” or “they’re” again and you’ll up your productivity to have some more free time to spend doing the stuff you love.

Google Keep

It happens to the best of us—you’re at a meeting, having lunch with a client, dropping your kids off at school—and remember something you need to do later that day. With no pen or paper in sight, that thought might as well just grow some wings and fly away. With a note-taking app like Google Keep, you can jot down all of those random thoughts that come up throughout your day. Google Keep syncs across the cloud so you can view them on any of your devices. Productivity-1, short term memory loss-0.

Buffer

Social media can be a productivity black hole. But, if you’re running a business, you know just how important social media is to your overall marketing strategy. Buffer is a social media management service that can help you reign in some of that time you’re spending on social. The free version of the app lets you manage 3 accounts and allows you to have a schedule queue of up to 10 posts. If your business is extra active on social media, the app’s premium features include the ability to manage more accounts, schedule more posts, and access to analytics, content creation tools, and link shortening.

Freedom

You need this app if…oh look, a squirrel! Ok, focus here! You need this app if you are easily distracted and tempted to stray from the task at hand. Freedom allows you to block websites or apps on any device that are detracting from your productivity. It can even sync what you block across all of your devices, saving you even more time. For less than $2.50/month, it’s probably worth the investment.

Any.do

Need a little help getting your schedule organized? Any.do will do. This free app will help keep your productivity game strong by keeping you on track with to-do lists, reminders, and notes. You can even share lists and assign tasks from the app. Any.do syncs between all of your devices so you won’t have to sacrifice your productivity when switching from your computer to your phones when you’re on the go. Any.do also includes voice entry so you can add things to your to-do lists without breaking out the keyboard.

CamScanner

Finding a scanner these days is getting increasingly difficult, especially if you don’t work in a traditional office setting. CamScanner solves this problem by turning your mobile device into a scanner on-the-go. Turn photos, document, receipts—you name it—into JPG and PDF files. There is a free version that’s ad-supported and leaves a watermark on your documents. But, for only $1.99 to install, the premium version is the way to go.   

Otter Voice Notes

If you’re a speak-to-text kind of guy or gal, you’re going to love Otter Voice Notes. The app can record your voice from your phone’s mic or a Bluetooth device. Then, (this is where the magic happens) Otter transcribes your work almost in real-time. It’s got you covered on punctuation, searchable playback, and speaker ID too. You can edit transcripts, you know, in case you mumbled something or had to yell at your kids while you were recording something important. Transcripts can be exported to text, to other apps, or shared. Never mind paying for this app, the free version offers 600 minutes of transcribed audio a month. If you really need the extra talk-time, $9.99 a month will buy you 6,000 minutes.

If you love these productivity apps as much as we do, check out 5 more here!

The post Productivity Apps We LOVE appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Lock Up Your Login

You lock your front door before you leave your house and you should do the same for your data. Having strong, unique passwords is key to keeping your data and your customers’ data safe. Keeping track of 16-character passwords that require a lower-case letter, upper case letter, 2 numbers, a special symbol, and the blood of your firstborn is no easy task. That’s why people often make passwords that are too easy and guessable by hackers. Or all of their passwords are the same. If someone gets the password for your email account what else does that give them access to? Password security is so important to keep your data safe! But we get it, so try an app like LastPass. It does the hard work for you and keeps track of hundreds of strong, unique passwords without breaking the bank. The app is free and allows you to sync an unlimited number of passwords across your devices. This simple browser extension could make the difference in keeping your data and your customers’ data safe. Go through the official website for the best commercial locksmith services.

Don’t Wait to Update

Performing regular updates on antivirus and computer software can help keep your data safe. New viruses and malicious software are popping up and evolving all the time. Anti-virus software companies do a pretty good job of updating their software, but without installing the updates, you’ve essentially rendered it ineffective. To ensure you and your team aren’t putting off installing important updates, schedule a time to do office-wide updates. Get together in the conference room or take the team out for coffee while the updates work their data protecting magic.

Build a #PrivacyAware Culture

Your team should know that cybersecurity and data protection are the responsibility of all employees, not just your IT team. Communicate to your team just how important it is to protect your customers’, as well as their own, data. If your team knows you take keeping data safe seriously, they will be more likely to take it seriously as well. Make expectations clear and hold employees accountable, conduct regular training, and set the example by doing simple things like:

• Logging off of your computer when you walk away
• Storing sensitive information in a secure location
• Shredding documents with personal data
• Making it easy for employees to report a lost device or known data breach

Know Where Your Data Is

Most businesses store their data all over the place. Some may not even know of every device or location important company data is stored on. Data can be stored in places such as the cloud, external hard drives, or employee computers, laptops, or smartphones. If you don’t know all of the places your data could be stored, it’s time to take an inventory. That way, if you do experience a data breach, you can more easily locate the vulnerability and keep the rest of your data safe. Try keeping everything organized by contacting this data preparation service.

Employee Data

Not only do you have a responsibility to keep your data safe and your customers’ data safe, but you also have a responsibility to keep your employees’ data safe. Because the data you have stored on your employees, such as their social security number and payroll and banking information is so sensitive, a breach of that data could be catastrophic. Protect employee information by:

• Keeping employee documents and files stored in a secure location
• Limiting access only to employee information to only those who have a need to know
• Encouraging employees to routinely monitor their credit reports for suspicious activity

The post How Safe Is Your Data? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

A Growth Plan

By now you’ve got some experience under your belt. Your business is finally profitable. You have a good customer base. Maybe you’ve taken on a few employees. That’s fantastic! But, allowing your business to grow haphazardly without a growth plan can actually be dangerous. That’s why you need to have a growth plan. Similar to your business plan, your growth plan identifies your long-term, strategic goals. More importantly, it includes how you will fund those goals. Jumping ahead on growth without the necessary funding can be bad news for your business. 

Liautaud believes “different strokes for different folks.” What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. He realizes how fortunate he was to get a $25,000 loan from his father, but he also knows that hard work and some good luck are why he succeeded. “If you have a job,” he says, “get to work earlier and stay later than everyone else in the office. Outwork your teammates and always know exactly where you are financially. Those two things alone will get you further than most. In 2002, the company had 160 stores, and 70 were failing. Married with three young children, Liautaud stopped selling franchises and he and his president, James North, traveled the country, working with Jimmy John Owner and retraining them on the Jimmy John systems and procedures. In 18 months, they turned around 63 stores and closed 7. From that point on, he decided to be the best rather than the biggest. He tightened the franchisee selection process and became transparent about the long hours and lifestyle of a Jimmy John’s franchise owner. He grew the chain to 2,500 units by 2016 and He grew the chain to 2,500 units by 2016 and then sold a majority stake to Roark Capital Group. Liautaud remains the largest individual shareholder and chairman of the board. He has never made a business plan and never intended for the company to be as big as it is today. 

A Marketing Strategy

Another way to take your business a step further is to up your marketing game. You can’t afford to miss out on some of the great opportunities that can come out of things like:

• Updating your website frequently- having an up-to-date and fresh-looking website can make such a difference in making your business look like the real deal. Give customers a place to go where they can find out all of the info they’d ever need to know about your company, your products, or your services. Use a professional looking design that matches the personality of your company. There are many great web platforms out there, so be sure to choose the best one for your business using this guide.
• Including customer testimonials- including customer testimonials on your website give your business instant credibility. Ask your customers for permission to post their full name and position if it would add value to the testimonial. Here’s an example of a strong customer testimonial:
• Custom email address- this is such a simple way to take your small business a step further. Including your business name in your email address lets customers know you take your business seriously and so can they.

Delegate

This has got to be simultaneously one of the easiest and hardest ways to take your small business a step further. You’re in the position where you now have more than enough work and enough revenue to take on some help. Of course, you want more help, but giving up some of the control admittedly can be tough.

Gwen Turner, a Princeton, New Jersey-based business consultant tells Thrillist.com, “CEOs want to do it all and that’s just an impossible ask…Hiring great people and allowing them to make decisions is in the DNA of strong leaders.”

If you’re ready to bring on some new talent, a good place to start is with a freelancer. Freelancers are independent contractors so you can pay for projects as you need them completed without having to worry about paying someone long term in case your revenue slows down. Hiring a freelancer can be great for things like web design, social media marketing, or blog content writing.

Hiring a virtual assistant is another way to delegate and take your small business a step further. You can hire a transactional virtual assistant or someone who is more of a digital operations ninja who knows the vision of your company and can help you achieve your goals. (Need help hiring? Try this article)

Adding a position such as a human resource manager, IT support, or training manager, or accountant can free up your time and help your employees feel like they can get the help they need instead of relying on you or taking up your valuable time.

The post 3 Things That Will Upgrade Your Small Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Build Your Brand

Nowadays elderly people use companies like CCRC consulting firm Retirement Dynamics helps retirement communities with sales and marketing to help you manage your business easier in a calm way.

Building a strong brand is a smart way to invest in your small business. If you want to grow your business online, you need to grow your brand first. Your brand is more than a nice logo, it’s the identity of your business. You want a brand that elicits emotion and is easy for your audience to connect with. Although your brand is more than a logo, having a professionally designed logo is one of the first steps toward great branding. Work with a designer who understands your company’s vision and can translate that into a visual masterpiece. Investing in other types of business like buying a fractional share in the stock market with https://www.sofi.com/invest/ will help you grow business.

Good branding can also motivate your employees. It can help them understand the vision and mission of the company and gives them something to take pride in. It can give your employees a purpose.

Tackle Technology

Adding new technology to your business’s repertoire is one way to invest in your small business and get a quick and measurable return. The options are endless, from upgrading your office communication to something like Slack, using free data programs such as Google Analytics, or using an integrated CRM platform such as Salesforce.

Shore Up Security

Security is one area that will always benefit from an investment of time or money. Investing in employee training is a surefire way to bolster your security plan. Avoid a costly breach by ensuring your staff are up to date on your business’s security protocols and know what to do to avoid being an easy target for hackers. An investment in an MSSP, or Managed Security Service Provider, is also a wise use of your resources. They will essentially take care of your business security plan, exposing your vulnerabilities and hardening your defenses.

Pour into Your People

Hiring employees can be expensive, so keeping the employees you currently have is important. Retaining talent and experience is a way to invest in your small business that will pay off in the near and distant future. Do some of these things to make sure your employees hang around. This b2b customer loyalty program  is a perfect investment for both small and big enterprises. 

• Institute a good benefits package that includes employer matching to a retirement fund or 401 (k).
• Invest in training, education, and professional development for your staff.
• Foster a healthy work environment.
• Take the time to get to know your employees.
• Set the example and maintain a good work/life balance.

Say ‘Yes’ to Yourself

The company wouldn’t exist without you, the small business owner. Taking the time to invest in your own wellbeing is essential to the health of your company. If you want your company to remain successful, you need to take the time to invest in your own personal relationships, physical health, professional development, and mental health. I took Valium from https://www.pharmacybc.com/valium-diazepam/ together with 100 grams of wine for better effect. It acts as a slight narcotic-calming-relaxing drug. Now I have a very difficult time and I take 1 pill (5mg) a day. It really helps, I am very calm, it only decreased reactive perception, but not attention. If you still think that caring for yourself is at the bottom of your priority list, think about how it’s impacting your employees. You are responsible for setting the example and the tone of the workplace. If you’re burning the midnight oil, chances are your employees feel the pressure to stay at work too. Not only will you burn out, but you’ll be taking the whole company down with you.

Sources:

1. https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/advocacy/2018-Small-Business-Profiles-US.pdf

2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2018/10/22/four-smart-investments-for-small-business-owners/

The post 5 Ways to Invest in Your Small Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Pros

1. It will Save You Money

One of the biggest benefits when it comes to using freelancing is the cost savings. You only need to hire and pay a freelancer when you have work you need done. This is much more cost effective than having a full-time employee on your staff to do a task that’s only needed intermittently. You also save money by using freelancing as opposed to full-time employees in regard to health insurance, paid time off, and sick days. Since most freelancers work remotely, you don’t have to provide a workspace, computer, internet access…etc.

2. Specialized Talent

Freelancers come in all shapes and sizes in terms of their specialties. You can take advantage of freelancing talents for just about anything. Freelance services on sites such as Upwork, Fiverr, and LinkedIn ProFinder that help in remote hiring, range from tender writing, artists, photographers, musicians, graphic designers, computer programmers, and marketing professionals. If you need some help with your WordPress site, instead of spending hours learning how to code, simply hire a freelancer who specializes in WordPress design.

3. Go Getters

When you utilize freelancing services, the person you are hiring is an independent contractor. They work on their own and are responsible for creating their own success. That self-discipline often bleeds over into the work they do for you as their client. Freelancers also only get paid when they finish an assignment that’s up to par. Since time is money, most of the time they are going to do their best to get it done right the first time rather than spending precious time reworking and retooling. Freelancers also get taxed, and every so often they seek help from professionals who deal with freelance taxes such as this one http://daveburton.nyc/taxes-for-freelancers. They help lower taxes and help the freelancers to save hundreds or even thousands of money on taxes.

Freelancers also usually strive to get work done as soon as possible in order to free up more time for other contracts.

4. They Are Easy to Hire

With the boom of the gig economy, hiring a freelancer is easy than ever! There are tons of sites out there that make hiring and paying a freelancer easy. Using these freelancing platforms can save you time and money that would be better used somewhere else in your business. You can read about some of our favorite freelancing platforms here: [link to Hiring a Freelancer article?]

5. Working with Freelancers Is Flexible

Corporate America is losing more and more highly skilled professionals every day as talented employees are fed up with the grind. This is good news for you as a business owner. It means those knowledgeable employees-turned freelancers are now at your disposal. And you didn’t even have to pay to train them. Also, because most freelancers you will come across are remote employees, you have access to infinitely more opportunities and options than if you were to hire someone local to work in a physical location.

Cons

1. Lack of Supervision

While hiring a remote freelancer can be a huge pro, it can also be a con. You don’t have the ability to check in on a freelancer as you do with a traditional employee. This means that you will need to have trust that they will be open and honest. Freelancers are also not required to work the same hours as you unless you specify so in their contract, so communication can be a challenge, especially if the freelancer you hire is slow to respond or lives in a different time zone.

2. Less Loyal than a Traditional Employee

You aren’t paying benefits or other company perks. A freelancer may be quicker to cut ties than a traditional employee. If they don’t like the projects or feel they aren’t being paid fairly, they might be quick to jump ship. Freelancers who seek out better-paying opportunities with little to no notice can leave you with an incomplete project and you’ll find yourself back at square one.

3. You Probably Don’t Have Their Undivided Attention

Almost all freelancers work for more than one client. This means they aren’t focused on your business 100% of the time. This isn’t a deal breaker, but it’s a conversation you should have upfront when you are in the hiring process. How available do you need your freelancer to be?

4. They Can Sometimes Drop Off Your Radar

Just like online dating, you could get ghosted by your freelancer.

There were definitely sparks flying during the interview process, but as soon as you assign them the first project, you never hear from them again. Maybe they don’t like the assignment, how to order accutane online maybe something more lucrative came up. Either way, not all freelancers will give you two-weeks’ notice. Keeping compensation and open communication can help avoid this issue. If you ever need to resolve a quick workers compensation quickly, then consider contacting a workers comp attorney for assistance.

5. Upfront Risk

If you do end up with a freelancer who decided to call it quits with no notice, you are the one who is out of luck (and possibly time and money). It’s important to take the time to do your research, read previous client feedback, and only hire freelancers with positive work history.

The post Using Freelancers to Jumpstart Your Small Business Idea: The Pros and Cons appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Cut Back on Screen Time

We’re all guilty of spending too much time on our smartphones. You pick it up to check an email or a social media notification, but you get sucked in and end up spending (er, wasting) hours of your time mindlessly scrolling.. Also, you can damage your eyesight by not using prescription blue light glasses. As a business owner or entrepreneur, your time is money! That’s not to say that you should be spending the time you are mindlessly scrolling working. But, there are plenty of better ways you could be spending that time, especially when your time is a hot commodity.

We use analytics in small business all the time. So, why not use it to help you reign in your screen time? If you use Apple products, the new iOS update for iPhone tracks your screen time and updates you on your usage. You can set limits and your phone will let you know if you exceed them. If you are an Android user, there are plenty of great apps that you can install. Quality Time is a well-known and established free app that has similar features to the iOS tracking feature. It does things like gives you daily usage alerts, forced breaks.

Exercise More

Don’t roll your eyes, this one is important! A lot of people make exercising more a resolution each year, and most people don’t follow through. That’s because they’re making it a resolution for the wrong reasons, most notably to lose weight. And you don’t have to hit the gym hard 5 days a week at 5 am. You’re definitely not going to keep up with that resolution unless you are committed to making a major lifestyle change. Craft Cadence is renowned for supplying the perfect cycling gear to meet all commuters’ needs.

To make exercising one of your more attainable and realistic resolutions to make this year, find something you love to do. There are tons of activities that count as exercise that aren’t running or weight lifting, although those are great ways to get your body moving. Try things like cycling, yoga, a dance class, or simply commit to taking a short walk every day. Your body and your mind will thank you. Getting your sweat on makes it easier to focus when it’s time to get down to business.

Network

Get out there and get to know other small business owners, or professionals in your field, that are in your community. Having a strong network can be great for your personal and professional life. You might make some new business contacts or maybe some new friends. Set a goal of attending one networking event per month. Extra points if you host one yourself.

Plan Conferences

Planning ahead can be a glorious thing. Research what’s going on in your industry and register for a couple of conferences. If you register for them now, when the time comes to attend, you’ll have no excuses not to go. You can schedule all of your other commitments around them for the rest of the year. Conferences are a great way to keep up on industry best practices and to grow your network.

Do Something That Scares You

Think back to when you quit your 9-5 job to embark on your entrepreneurial or small business journey. That was scary. This year make it a resolution to get out of your comfort zone. Maybe volunteer to lead an event in your community, speak to local students about becoming an entrepreneur (kids are a tough crowd!), start a book club, try a new dish at your favorite restaurant, or invite your team to give you feedback on how you’re doing as the boss.

Give Back to Employees

Many people resolve to give back to their communities in the New Year. One way you can do that is to give back to your own employees. Make them feel appreciated. Plan office lunches (and take care of the bill), take a company-wide trip or morale outing or give them extra time off. You’ll feel good about taking care of your people, and as a bonus, you’ll probably see increased loyalty and performance.

Sleep More

Right up there with exercise, getting enough sleep has a huge impact on your performance. This is one of the resolutions to make this year that will yield results. The National Sleep Foundation says that lack of sleep can dramatically affect your work performance and that when you’re tired at work, “your brain is not as creative and won’t process information as quickly or retain important facts as well.” As the brains behind your business, you can’t afford not to get a good night’s sleep. Prescribed by the doctor 0.5mg Ambien at bedtime. It really helped fall asleep, and I slept well, really well. Then taken 10 mg, the effect was better. I bought the med on https://holisticdental.org/ambien-treat-insomnia/. Make it a priority this year.

Commit to a Schedule

One of your resolutions to make this year should be to prioritize and commit to a schedule. If you’re in search of that elusive work/life balance, this is where you need to start. Get a planner, use Google calendar or Microsoft Outlook calendar to keep track of your time. Try implementing a technique like schedule chunking to make the most out of the time you spend in the office and at home.

Learn a New Skill

Learning a new skill can be beneficial to your personal growth as well as your business. Even if the new skill you choose to learn isn’t directly related to your business, you’re still growing as an individual and as a leader.

The post 10 Resolutions to Make This Year appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The Transactional Virtual Assistant

Transactional virtual assistants are typically someone from a country outside of the US, often in Asia or South America. You can find transactional; virtual assistants on sites like Upwork.com and you’ll notice very quickly that their businesses are booming. This is usually because they are able to charge a much lower rate due to a lower cost of living outside of the US. Typical rates for these folks charge around $10-$15 per hour versus the $20-$50 per hour someone in the US would charge.There are  language converter services which are more easy to use.

  Transactional virtual assistants are great for doing prescribed tasks such as:

• Editing a spreadsheet
• Entering data from business cards
• Online research

The English-Expert Virtual Assistant

Hiring a transactional virtual assistant is a great start. However, you might want to start taking things up a level, which means you will often need a native English communicator or someone who has very strong English language skills. An expert understanding of the English language becomes a priority in a virtual assistant when you start having them do things to ease your day-to-day workload such as:

• Writing documents,
• Helping you communicate with your clients, and
• Drafting contracts.

Keep in mind that the increase in skill level also means an increase in cost. So, you may want to bring that work back into the US.

The Online Business Manager

These folks can certainly do transactional tasks. But, they can take can also take things up a notch and help you with more administrative tasks and helping you with travel. Even more, they can take on multi-city travel logistics and managing an Eventbrite page, or landing page, for the event you’re going to and manage photos and updates for that event. Going even a step further, they can manage your team of designers.

The Digital Operations Ninja

The next kind of virtual assistant isn’t even so much a virtual assistant, they’re more of a project manager. Ramon Ray likes to call his virtual assistant of 3 years, Jaime–a digital operations ninja!

This kind of virtual assistant is really taking it to the next level. They are someone who is working with you side-by-side. This person is managing or working with a team, they are lockstep with you in your vision for the growth of your company, they can challenge your assumptions and say, “should we really be doing this?”.

They know where your business is going, they know where you want to be, and they can help you get there.

To have a virtual assistant whose priorities are your priorities, you’re going to have to compensate them accordingly. Expect to pay someone anywhere between $40-$70 an hour, because at that point, they really are digital operations ninja, and that’s what you want in your business. That is the only way to grow.  

The post What You Need to Know About Hiring a Virtual Assistant appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The New Latitude 7400 2-in-1

At the conference, Dell introduced the Latitude 7400 2-in-1, flaunting it as the world’s smallest commercial 14-inch 2-in-1. It’s easy to be skeptical about 2-in-1s, but the Latitude 7400 is the real deal. The Latitude 7400 2-in-1 features Intel 8th Gen Core Processors and boasts “multiple workdays,” or up to 24 hours, of battery life off of a single charge. Dell also equipped it with what it calls ExpressCharge which gets the battery charged back up to 80% in an hour. If you happen to find yourself somewhere without Wifi, the Latitude 7400 2-in-1 has comes equipped with CAT 16 Gigabit LTE. The drop hinge and narrow bezels contribute to a starting weight of just 2.99lbs. For security, Dell has included a fingerprint reader and an optional contacted and contactless SmartCard reader.

The Latitude comes packed with options, but the sweetest thing about Dell’s new commercial flagship is a brand-new feature called ExpressSign-In. It’s the world’s first PC to use a proximity sensor powered by Intel Context Sensing Technology. The Latitude detects your presence and wakes up in about one second, scans for facial recognition and logs you in with Windows Hello. When you step away from your computer, it will recognize that you’re no longer there and lock itself. Now that’s some cool tech!

Not only is the Latitude 7400 2-in-1 loaded with awesome features, but it’s also pretty to look at and feels great, too. It will be available to purchase in March and starts at $1599.

XPS 13 Updates

The “nosecam” is no more! The bottom-mounted webcam that lent itself to a world of double chins and unflattering angles is a thing of the past. Dell moved the webcam to the top bezel, where it belongs, and the 2.25mm HD camera has little impact on its InfinityEdge display. The small camera takes surprisingly crisp photos and videos. The XPS 13 also comes with nothing less than the best, 8th Gen Intel Core Processors. The display is more vibrant than ever with the new addition of Dolby Vision and is the first laptop in the Dell line to boast this feature.

The laptop comes with the same port setup as it’s predecessor with one USB-C 3.1 port, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack

The new color options are silver-on-black, rose gold-on-white, and an all-new color Frost Silver-on-white. The interior maintains the same glass-fiber weave. Dell announced a staggering 21 hours of battery life from the Core i5 processor and Full HD display model and up to 12 hours from the 4K model with the Core i7 processor.

At 11.9 x 7.8 x 0.3~0.5-inches, the 2.7-pound, this baby is light! While laptops this small usually have trouble staying cool (which affects performance) Dell has added GORE Thermal Insulation, the same stuff that’s used in the Mars Rover, to help dissipate the heat.

Coming in at $899, the Dell XPS 13 remains a strong performer at an excellent price point.

The post Dell Shines at CES 2019 with XPS 13 and Latitude 7400 2-in-1 appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What Do You Need Done?

The first thing you need to do is to determine what exactly you need help with. Take into consideration

• any time constraints you have,
• your budget, and
• your end goal.

Next, you’ll need to get all of that down on paper (so to speak) in a job description so you can attract the right kinds of freelancers with the appropriate skill level who also fall within your set budget. The more detailed and specific you are in the job description, the better. Include things such as:

• A detailed summary of the project.
• Clear list of duties and responsibilities.
• Specific milestones/deliverables and deadlines.
• Preferred or required skill level and experience.
• Length of contract (are you looking for a one-timer or someone to work with long-term?).
• Your budget.

Where to Find ‘The One’

Now that you have a pretty good idea what you’re looking for in a freelancer, you need to know where to post your advertisement. There are many websites for hiring freelance talent, but Upwork, LinkedIn ProFinder, and Fiverr are 3 marketplaces where hiring a freelancer is simple and easy.

Upwork

Upwork is a fantastic resource for finding freelancers for a number of reasons. It’s one of the largest freelance websites in the world with millions of jobs posted each year. On Upwork, you post your job ad and freelancers apply. With such a big operation, Upwork is able to verify freelancers and keeps track of job success and feedback on past projects and they offer online skill tests so you can see how qualified a freelancer is in a certain area. But, it’s ultimately up to you to interview the candidates and choose someone who you think is the right fit for your project.

Upwork provides an online workspace where you can chat, video call, and share files. They also offer a comprehensive mobile app so you can keep up with your freelancers even if you’re away from your computer.

The site offers the capability to pay your freelancer how you choose: by fixed-price milestone, for the entire project, or hourly. You can choose to pay your freelancers using most major credit cards or PayPal.

Upwork offers payment protection which means you only pay for work that you authorize. The cost to use Upwork is free. The only cost you will incur is paying your freelancers for which the site charges a 2.75% processing fee.

Also, if you hate paperwork, Upwork may be for you. You can kiss those 1099s goodbye. According to Upwork’s website,

“One of the benefits of paying your freelancer through Upwork is that, in general, if your freelancer is correctly classified as an independent contractor you should not be responsible for reporting payments on Form 1099-MISC. The reason is that our escrow service is a “third-party payment network.”

Fiverr

If you’re looking for help with short-term, low-cost projects, meet Fivver. Fivver rates start as low as $5 for things like graphics and design, digital marketing, music and audio, and writing and translation. Fiverr is setup more like a marketplace where you can browse for freelancers in certain categories. If you don’t have time to look through yourself, you can set it up so you will receive custom offers. Freelancers are called ‘sellers’, you’re referred to as the ‘buyer,’ and you hire them for ‘gigs.’ Fiverr also lists sellers’ performance ratings.

You can pay by credit or debit card, PayPal, or Apple Pay (if you are using the mobile app). Using Fiverr is free and they charge a service fee of $2 for purchases up to $40 and %5 on purchases over $40.

LinkedIn ProFinder

Launched in 2016 by LinkedIn, ProFinder is one of the newer platforms for hiring a freelancer. If you’re searching for a freelancer, you create a proposal request, known as an RFP on the site, fill out the ProFinder questionnaire and ProFinder then combs through its database and notifies qualified candidates of your ad and those candidates submit a proposal. ProFinder then sends you the 5 most qualified candidates’’ proposals. At this point, unlike Upwork and Fiverr, it’s up to you to communicate with the freelancer and arrange payment directly.

• • ProFinder is currently only available to clients and freelancers in the U.S.
  • ProFinder is free to use for those looking to hire a freelance professional.
  • If you hate being inundated by messages, there is a 5 proposal limit per job description and your freelance options won’t have you contact information. Talk about worry-free.

The post Hiring a Freelancer: Your How-To Guide appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

There are only 24 hours in a day. You can’t buy more time, but you can make better use of the time you have. Being more productive isn’t hard, but it does take effort and the right tools. Here are 5 apps we love to help you fire up your productivity as you charge into 2019:

Asana

Asana is a popular and easy to use project management tool. The app was created to “help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work together effortlessly.” The tool was designed by two former Facebook executives to improve internal productivity by streamlining how an organization tracks a project’s status and updates, allowing small business owners to manage important tasks and goals in one place. Asana sends users automated emails when new tasks are assigned, when the task is due, as well as daily or weekly task tracker updates. It’s free for teams of up to 15 people. Their only paid plan runs at under $10/month and allows for unlimited team members, unlimited dashboards, priority support, data export, and admin controls. Asana also integrates well with other applications such as Gmail, Google Drive, Slack, and Microsoft Teams.

Email Automation

Email is a black hole. The thought of opening your inbox in the morning to 2,000 unread emails is daunting. But, email doesn’t have to take up so much time in your day! You can use the features already built into your email service provider to give yourself back some precious time. Nearly all email clients like Gmail, Apple Mail, and Outlook have filters and rules that can make your inbox so much more manageable.

• Set a rule to automatically flag or star all client emails so they stand out.
• Add a rule that labels and archives all notification emails from marketing platforms, social media, and online business tools.
• Create a rule based on subject line keywords to identify new clients or prospective customers so you can reply to those emails first.

Upwork (Outsourcing)

Productive people know that time is money. If you’re spending time doing tasks you’re either not good at or don’t enjoy, maybe it’s time to consider outsourcing some of those tasks so you can focus on what you do best and why you started your business in the first place—to do what you love. A great place to get started is hiring freelancers through an app like Upwork. Your first step could be hiring a freelance virtual assistant to cope with the growing needs of your business. Don’t spend hours doing something you aren’t qualified for when you could hire someone to do it for you in half the time.

LastPass

How much time have you wasted at work because you couldn’t remember a password to a site that requires 18 characters, an upper- and lower-case letter, 3 numbers, the blood of your firstborn, and a special character?  Let the password reset process begin…again. You are wasting precious minutes that add up with reattempt after reattempt to no avail and it’s killing your productivity. In 2019, it’s time for an upgrade. If you’re looking to increase productivity this year, give an app like LastPass a try. It keeps track of hundreds of strong, unique passwords without breaking the bank. Unlike other pay-for products in the same market, LastPass allows you to sync an unlimited number of passwords across your devices for free. This simple browser extension could be saving you so much time.

EverNote

Getting organized can tremendously increase your productivity. With EverNote, you can do just that. Sync your notes across all of your devices and share even whole notebooks with coworkers and colleagues. You’ll never have to lose time searching for a dropped sticky note or lost notebook. Your desk will thank you too because you will finally be able to finally clear off the stacks of notes and folders.  Evernote has a ton of helpful features to help you keep track of everything you could possibly need to write down or remember for later. You can add photos, voice notes, attach files, create a to-do list, set reminders. EverNote does offer a free version, but it’s pretty bare bones and you’d be much better served by signing up for one of their pay-for plans. They offer individual plans starting at $34.99/year and Business plans at $12 per person/month.

Looking for other ways to stay productive in 2019? Check this, out.

The post 5 Apps to Fire Up Your Productivity in 2019 appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

• If you set your rate too high, you might have a hard time attracting clients.
• If you set your rate too low, you might end up working too many hours just to make ends meet.

So, how do set a rate as a freelancer that strikes that balance between providing your client with value and appropriately compensating you for your time?

Research Your Rate

The very first thing you should do is research what rates other freelancers in your field are charging for their services. Look at other freelancers who’ve been at it for  long time as well as less seasoned freelancers to get a good baseline. Then, determine where you fall among that grouping taking into consideration your experience and skills. Be mindful not to undervalue the services you are providing. Consider other factors that might affect the rate you set as a freelancer such as

• education level,
• employment experience,
• projects you’ve completed and
• other assets that qualify you as a professional in your desired field.

Estimate Your Expenses

When you are determining what you might want to set for your rate as a freelancer, it’s imperative that you consider your own expenses. Things such as:

• Health insurance.
• Self-employment taxes.
• Overhead expenses such as computer repair and maintenance, internet, web hosting, or task management tools.
• Vacation time and holidays.
• Sick days.

All of these expenses add up and in order to avoid paying for them out of pocket, you’ll need to add the cost onto your target annual income. For example, if you want to take home $100,000 a year, you will need to actually make $110,000 a year to cover your work-related expenses.

Vie for Value

The more value you provide to your clients, the more they will be able to justify paying you more.

• Positive feedback from clients can result in higher paying jobs. Future clients will see that you were able to deliver and take that into account.
• Deliver work on time. Clients hire freelancers because in general, it is simpler than bringing on a new full-time employee.
• Really listen to your clients and think of ways that you can make your clients look good or make their lives easier while doing the task you were hired to do. Don’t just write the article or design the logo.

Stay Competitive

Setting the right rate as a freelancer is not a static event. In order to maintain your edge in your market, and to be able to continue to raise your rates, you’re going to have to make some investment. Things like expanding your skillset, time in the industry, continuing education, streamlining your processes, or finding new ways to market your services can all be reasons to increase your rate as a freelancer. Keep your profiles on freelancing and social media site up-to-date to accurately reflect your new skills, education, and experience.

Raise Your Rates

Now that you have some experience under your belt, some newly acquired skills, and have a proven track record of success, you might think it is time to raise your rates. Raising rates for future clients is simple. You advertise your new rate and a client either hires you at that rate, you negotiate another acceptable rate, or they move on to someone who charges a rate within their budget. You may not get the sheer number of offers at a higher rate as you did at a lower rate, but now that you’re established, you’re looking for quality over quantity.

Taking fewer, high paying contracts over multiple lower paying contracts is the direction you want to be moving in.

The hard part is negotiating a raise with existing clients. Timing and tact are key. The best time to ask for a higher rate is right after you’ve successfully completed a project or assignment and the client has given you positive feedback. You should also consider that a client may not be willing to pay you at your new rate. If you really enjoy working for that client or doing the kind of work they assign, it may be worth it to keep them on even at a lower rate.

Setting the right rate as a freelancer is the first step towards a new and independent career. Start with researching other freelancer rates in your market, calculate all of your expenses, strive to provide value to your clients, stay competitive in your field, and finally, ask for a raise once you’ve established yourself as a successful freelancer.

The post How to Set the Right Rate as a Freelancer appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Swiftpage was founded in 2001 by Bob Ogden as an email marketing company similar to Constant Contact or MailChimp. John Oechsle was an early investor in the company and provided advisory services as a board member. He was subsequently named the company’s CEO and it’s been on the fast-track ever since.

Growing companies is John’s specialty, and he says he’s definitely not a startup guy. However, he does say, “if you start it up and get it going, I can grow it for you.” He focuses on acquisitions, organic growth, and geographic expansion and either takes those companies public or sells them.

The 4 Pillars

John shared that he believes SMBs need 4 digital pillars in order to grow:

1. Presence- websites, Facebook pages…etc.
2. Traffic- drives traffic to the presence, which then creates leads
3. Conversion- conversion and retention converts those leads to customers, retains them, and grows them
4. Optimization- things like financial software, HR software, payment systems…etc.

Swiftpage’s goal was to own conversion and retention for the SMB market. They wanted to be the anchor of conversion and retention and they believe that anchor is CRM. So, the next step was that they needed to go out and acquire that anchor.

Buy vs. Build

The Swiftpage development team wanted a new building automation system, but John wanted to buy it and says his decision was based largely on time the market. It would take too long to build a brand-new CRM system, at least a couple of years. “A really good small business CRM that already has an existing base, you can take that, rapidly get it in the market…and grow it.”

So, the search began and not long after, they were contacted by Sage who owned both Act! and SalesLogix, both of which Swiftpage was already integrated with. “We knew the customers, we knew the base, we knew the channel.” John shared. “We went from a 4 million dollar, 15-person company and we acquired two CRM system companies, just acquired 65-70 million in revenue and 300 additional ‘Swifites’ and 4 locations around the world all in about 4 or 5 months. We’re going to write a book about it,” John laughed.

A Time to Change

Oechsle is confident that the Act! brand is the anchor of the SMB market conversion and retention. It was a strong, well-known brand that had a robust, global customer base. But, with every acquisition comes a series of challenges and this one had its challenges: “It was a distressed asset when we bought it. It had sort of died on the vine, it was losing market share and the technology was old,” John admits. So they had some work to do and had a plan to get the product where they wanted it by taking it through 3 distinct eras:

The Transformation Era: They had to transform the technology. It was a closed desktop system and they had to move it to an open cloud-enabled platform, they had to completely revamp the entire office/business model and systems to subscription and SaaS-based. John said “We had to rework the entire sales process, retool the channel. It was an enormous amount of work.”

The Conversion Era: Next, they had to convince their 60,000 customers to convert from desktop software to the cloud and to subscription, and they were essentially changing the dynamics of the business.

The Growth Era: There is still a lot of room for organic growth John said, but they currently have 85,000 customers and over 300,000 users

• Geographic expansion– they service 100 countries worldwide. The US, UK, Canada, Australia, France Germany are the largest subscribers. But, there is a lot of room for growth in Latin America and other European countries.
• Acquisition- CRM + Marketing automation and service management = conversion and retention. Switchpage needed to add Marketing automation to their resume and of course, they were going to buy it, not build it.

Marketing Automation

Swiftpage just recently acquired Kuvana, the maker of InboxGuru, an email marketing automation solutions for SMBs. John said that it was really easy to integrate that technology right into their existing platform. The next generation of Act! is one platform that has CRM and marketing automation built into it.

“You need to understand what we call the 4Cs of information: Currency, correctness, consistency, and completeness” said Oechsle If you don’t have current information about your customers and prospects, it’s not correct. And if it’s not correct, it’s not current, if you don’t have those two, you’re not even going to be able to get out of the gate.”

CRM helps SMBs capture that information. There is an enormous amount of cheap technology out there and small businesses are probably using multiple tools to run their business that each store information about your customers. If that information isn’t consistent across the platforms you’re using, you don’t know what the authoritative source of information was. If the information is getting pulled from something that’s not getting updated, you’re back to the first two C’s, it’s not current and it’s not correct. You need consistency across your platforms. The 4th C is probably the most important and that is Completeness.

“Capturing every single interaction you have with a customer or prospect and storing it in one place so you can do something with it, and that’s really what a CRM does. It’s your anchor, your authoritative source for all interactions and all information about your customers.”

Marketing automation says, “Now I have all of this phenomenal information about my customers, how do I have relationships with them, how do I have interactions with them?” Marketing automation allows you to do just that. It sets out a workflow and allows you to have an interaction with a certain kind of customer or prospect you have in your CRM. Email marketing, lead capture, asset tracking, workflow management, campaign management…etc. It ties interactions together and your CRM stores it and you can manage it all from there.

“It’s not just CRM, it’s conversion and retention, as one platform.” That bring John to his 5th C, Connected–SMBs don’t want to have to worry about connecting different systems.

You’ve Got What It Takes

Oechsle  gives some advice for small businesses who are looking to scale and grow:

“Three words: courage, tenacity, passion. You have to have those three.”

Courage- to do something, to start, to grow, take the big step

Tenacity- when you have the courage to take the step, it’s going to be tough, you have to work through it

Passion- If you don’t wake up every morning and say ‘man, I’m going to kill it today’ then you’re not going to do it.

In addition to courage, tenacity, and passion John advises SMBs to “look for something simple that is purpose-built for the small business.”

The post Changing the Game: CRM and Marketing Automation for SMB appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Big data is key to competing successfully in today’s market. While it’s true that small businesses may not have the same resources as larger enterprises such as researchers, data scientists, and analysts, they do have access to a broad range of data collection and analysis tools that can help level the playing field. You don’t even need expensive or fancy software to do the job. Le Wagon can teach you data science completely and you will able to work in data science as per the industry standard.

Understand Your Customers

Small businesses can leverage big data to better understand customer behavior, propensities, and preferences but for this it is necessary to use business intelligence tools like the ones found at https://www.microstrategy.com/us/resources/introductory-guides/data-visualization-what-it-is-and-why-we-use-it. Equipped with this information, businesses can customize the customer interactions more than ever. This is increasingly valuable as consumers demand a more personalized experience. Knowing your customers’ wants and needs will also help you better develop your products to suit their needs. Analytics can also prove valuable in targeting new customers and help you understand how and where you are losing engagement on your website.

Refine Your Marketing Strategy

Big data can help you make better marketing decisions for your company. Big data makes it possible to know the demographic details of who is buying from your business. You can see trends related to certain age groups, ethnicities, geographic locations, or income brackets. This information can allow you to target certain groups with marking strategies that are website design specifically with customers who live in a certain region, for example, in mind. Getting the right message to your customers is essential to getting them to buy from you.

Social media is another marketing bubble that big data is bursting. Nearly all of the major social media outlets, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…etc., provide their own version of data analysis. See which ad campaigns are reaching your customers and if they are working well for your business. New features, like Facebook Stories, are a fantastic way to gain free insight into who is engaging with your brand online. Leveraging big data in marketing is changing the game and you don’t want to get left behind.

Quality Over Quantity

Leveraging big data is about more than having access to unlimited information. It’s about receiving quality information in a timely manner and being able to understand and apply it to make your business better.

Big Data Doesn’t Have to Cost You

Big data has a lot to offer, which must mean it comes with a hefty price tag. But, luckily for small business owners, that isn’t true. There are plenty of free tools to help you gain insight into your customers’ behavior on your website as well as social media. AI has made it possible for big data to be accessible to businesses of all sizes.

• Google Analytics offers a free service that is easy to install and requires very little maintenance. It provides insight on website traffic and source, session duration, bounce rates, and conversions.
• MixPanel is another great analytics tool that tells you things like at what point site visitors are dropping off or if they are filling up their shopping carts but abandoning them at checkout.

If your small business isn’t taking advantage of all that big data has to offer, now is the time to jump in. Big data provides valuable insight and takes out the guess work—you know what customers respond to and what’s not getting their attention–allowing businesses to make more informed decisions.

The post How to Leverage Big Data in Small Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Here is how you can use schedule chunking to shake up your workflow strategy:

First, what is Schedule Chunking?

Schedule chunking is when you break up your day into manageable chunks where you focus solely on one task instead of constantly reacting to interruptions. You can implement schedule chunking by applying it to the hours in a day, or the days in a week. The former allows you to break down your tasks and get them done piece by piece. The latter lets you see the big picture. Both work hand in hand to help you get more accomplished. Another way to think of schedule chunking is that you are creating a budget for your time, just like you would for your finances.

How to Get Started

• Sit down with a pen and paper and write down your long and short-term goals.
• Decide which tasks are a priority, the ones that you need to accomplish contribute to your goals.
• Group tasks into categories of related items. Career, family, education, chores…etc.
• Determine which categories and tasks are a priority and start plugging those into your schedule first.

Just Say No

An important part of schedule chunking and productivity, in general, is learning to say ‘no.’ Saying no to things that don’t align with your goals. The idea behind schedule chunking is to put a specific task, or group of tasks, on your calendar and give it 100% of your attention. If you dedicate a chunk to working on a certain project, that means saying ‘no’ to checking emails for that hour or anything else that could distract you from accomplishing the task you scheduled. You might know this more commonly as multitasking. Each time you move from one task to another and then back to the one again, your brain has to reset and refocus your attention. If you use schedule chunking and only focus on one task or goal at a time, your productivity will increase simply because you aren’t constantly refocusing your attention. All of those little moments add up, which means you’ve now given yourself more time which, in turn, means you can get more done.

If You Put It on the Schedule—Do It!

If you don’t add it to the schedule it more than likely won’t get done. But, if you do put it on the schedule, hold yourself to it! You’ve already budgeted the time for it. Things like

• exercising,
• dedicated family time, and
• a good night’s rest,

are all important to achieving your goals and should be scheduled first. Don’t steal time from other chunks. If you scheduled an hour for a morning workout, don’t use that time to check emails—checking email has its own block. It’s ok to make revisions or make occasional exceptions, but in general, you should stick to your schedule.

Schedule in Chunks

You are essentially making appointments with your tasks, so get out your calendar and start scheduling. Try starting with something small. Give yourself 30 minutes to write a report.

Set your mind to focus and work only on that report.

• Don’t answer the phone.
• Don’t check your emails (they’ll still be there when you’re done).
• Stay off social media.
• Write the report.

Once you’ve got the feeling down, start adding other chunks to your schedule. If possible, group all of the phone calls you need to make together in an hour block, allotting 10-15 minutes per call. If you have multiple meetings, try and schedule them back to back so you don’t have 15 wasted minutes in between, because let’s be honest, you’re not getting anything done in 15 minutes.  The more you integrate schedule chunking into your routine, the more comfortable it will feel and the more you will start noticing the extra time you have on your hands.

The post How to Increase Your Productivity with Schedule Chunking appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

• Autonomy,
• internal promotions,
• greater job satisfaction and opportunity,
• easy access to management all top the list.

Glassdoor has just released its “2019 Best Places to Work” guide for business with 1000 employees or less. The rankings distill over 45 million anonymous company reviews from former and current employees who were satisfied with their work place and management strategies. If you are planning on starting your own business, then you should keep your employees motivated with rewards like these businesses, you can contact a Corporate Plaque Supplier for those special occasions if you need great bronze plaques. If you’re on the hunt for a new job, here are 12 of the small businesses to work for:

Cyber Security

Especially relevant and increasingly more important, the cybersecurity field is rapidly expanding and small businesses are leading the pack.

Sail Point Technologies

SailPoint helps organizations securely and effectively deliver and manage user access
HQ: Austin, TX
Year Founded: 2005
Number of Employees: 501-1000
Employees Say: “SailPoint is the greatest place I have ever worked. The leadership values each person and fosters an environment of innovation.”

Our research found that new technologies are creating new areas of risk for organizations https://t.co/OMura3YCpW pic.twitter.com/2Rif5A0Ar5

— SailPoint (@SailPoint) December 13, 2018

AI/Machine Learning

“Machine learning is still the number one trend for businesses of all sizes.”-www.i4u.com AI is still a relatively new concept, which means the opportunities are endless!

Moogsoft

Moogsoft is an AIOps technology developer that helps enterprise IT Ops and DevOps teams become smarter, faster, and more efficient.
HQ: San Francisco, CA
Year Founded: 2012
Number of Employees: 51-200
Employees Say: “Looking forward to see where Moogsoft goes and am excited to be along for the ride.”

Learn how Moogsoft #AIOps provides KeyBank with real-time insight across their entire monitoring stack.

— Moogsoft (@moogsoft) December 18, 2018

Advertising and Marketing

Marketing and advertising are changing rapidly with the social media revolution and these businesses are staying ahead of the curve.

Horizon Innovations

A forward-thinking marketing and advertising firm.
HQ: Jacksonville, FL
Year Founded: 2012
Number of Employees: 1-50
Employees Say: “There are a lot of great reasons I work here. The biggest one is the opportunity to move very quickly. I’m already getting promoted and I haven’t worked here that long!”

Looking for Entry Level jobs? We’re hiring! https://t.co/VVrOxaDoNx pic.twitter.com/uTRd4Zcg8d

— Horizon Innovations (@floridahorizon) December 17, 2018

Marketing 360

Marketing 360 is a small business marketing platform that specialized in design, marketing, and CRM.
HQ: Fort Collins, CO
Year Founded: 2009
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “Great hours, wonderful culture, consistent raises, awesome leadership, consistent feedback, and lots of resources on how to improve. I can’t say enough good things about my experience so far with the company.”

Design of the Day: Homepage design concept for a tattoo parlor by our talented designer Rachel Tschanz. pic.twitter.com/hLl0XJayqc

— Marketing 360® (@marketing360) December 18, 2018

GetUWired

GetUWired is a full-service Internet marketing firm.
HQ: Dahlonega, GA
Year Founded: 2003
Number of Employees: 1-50
Employees Say: “GetUWired has an incredible culture of motivated professionals that work in a tribe mindset.”

We’re looking for a couple of new Junior Full Stack Developers to join the Tribe in early 2019. Do you have what it takes? https://t.co/mwKA9ohaIq https://t.co/Qqr6UcrWTd pic.twitter.com/hp9DzJi8ce

— GetUWired (@getuwired) December 18, 2018

Software Development

Software developers are in high demand and there is no indication that the demand will wane any time soon.

Silverline

Silverline leverages best practices with significant expertise in the Financial Services and Healthcare industries.
HQ: New York, NY
Year Founded: 2010
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “Salesforce consulting at its best. Silverline is run extremely well. The seasoned leadership team is top-notch. Additionally, benefits are fantastic for a company this size.”

Continuous delivery is the guiding light and your technology, people, and processes are the navigational tools that get you back on track. The next #10Keys blog is here, and it’s a good one! Check it out: https://t.co/yd85Xl26er pic.twitter.com/TjEXbOys2A

— Silverline (@silverlinecrm) December 13, 2018

Weave

Weave provides a unique office and client communication tool with the goal to bring local businesses and the communities they’re in closer together.
HQ: Lehi, UT
Year Founded: 2012
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “Amazing culture with caring people. Plenty of fun perks like free snacks and massage chairs but when it comes down to it this is a company that recognizes that there is more to life than work. They care about their people and are willing to put their money where their mouth is. This translates into things like an unparalleled maternity/paternity package and great health care.”

“Very seldom do I care about the resume. I want to know the person,” said our very own @Bobbycooper81 at today’s event. Huge thanks to Inside Real Estate, https://t.co/iiOIrDOwHZ, and @degreed for participating in the Customer Success Panel at Weave’s headquarters. pic.twitter.com/FllhBjS4qx

— Weave (@getweave) December 18, 2018

Service-Based SMBs

People will always be looking to buy services. However, the buying experience is more important than ever.

Sundance Vacations

Sundance Vacations crafts destination-based travel and vacation plans.
HQ: Wilkes-Barre, PA
Year Founded: 1991
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “Sundance Vacations is the most upbeat positive company I have ever worked for. Great pay. Good benefits. Promotions from within the company.”

If you love adult beverages, Drink Williamsburg would be the perfect activity for you to bond with your significant other and have a great time! https://t.co/z1qpFXI44K pic.twitter.com/VCxgvzM3vd

— Sundance Vacations (@travelsundance) December 14, 2018

Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds provides an employer-based technology solution that connects members and their families to high-quality health care.
HQ: San Francisco, CA
Year Founded: 2011
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “It’s not just a job, the Grand Rounds office is a community that gives and comes together.”

Proud to be named to @Wealthfront’s 2019 Career-Launching Companies list for the 4th year in a row! https://t.co/iRRhuKc7BR

— Grand Rounds (@GrandRoundsInc) December 18, 2018

driversselect

driversselect is a late-model, low-mileage vehicle retailer.
HQ: Grand Prairie, TX
Year Founded: 2004
Number of Employees: 51-200
Employees Say: “I still can’t believe that such an amazing place exists in the car business. We are not employees we are family. Not only are you allowed to be yourself you are encouraged to do so.”

Congratulations to the newest member of our family – EchoPark Houston opens today! If you’re in the market for a “nearly new” car and want an exceptional deal and guest experience in… https://t.co/AGLU1d8AQ1

— driversselect.com (@driversselect) December 7, 2018

Finance

The big banks don’t own it all. There are some really great financial institutions to work for that are also small businesses.

NBKC Bank

A community bank with a focus on innovation, creativity and a culture of caring.
HQ: Overland Park, KS
Year Founded: 1999
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “Good work life balance and ability to earn ‘work from home’ days”

We’re honored to be named a @Glassdoor Best Place to Work! See why our company made this year’s list. #BPTW https://t.co/5n3gkn0fiT pic.twitter.com/2V1Zh3s6Im

— nbkc bank (@nbkcbank) December 5, 2018

South Carolina Federal Credit Union

A community bank that aims to anticipate and provide simple solutions for members’ financial needs.
HQ: North Charleston, SC
Year Founded: 1936
Number of Employees: 201-500
Employees Say: “The benefits are absolutely amazing but the environment is what I love most about working here. It’s unlike anything I’ve experienced anywhere else. Team Blue is more like a family than a company.”

Is a new #job on your wish list? This week’s #opportunities:

• Financial Service Rep
• Contact Center Rep
• Financial Center Manager
• Lending Quality & Appraisal Specialist
• Employee Benefits Client Manager

Apply online at https://t.co/8FPtvPlJ93.#careers #nowhiring pic.twitter.com/lEOPs7iwwD

— SouthCarolinaFederal (@SCFederal) December 11, 2018

The post 12 Best Small Businesses to Work For in 2019 appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

How does geolocation work

Your smartphone has positioning capabilities that use RFID (radio-frequency identification). Additionally, your computer has an IP address that can be used to give your location. These positioning capabilities are known as geolocation, as they provide a location of your position on earth. Because people use their geolocation services on their smartphones, businesses have figured out how to access the information and use it to their benefit.

How we use geolocation on our smartphones

Businesses of all sizes rely on apps like Foursquare or Yelp to help customers find their locations. If you’ve ever searched for pizza near me, you’ve probably received results from Yelp and Foursquare. If you’re near businesses that use geolocation apps, they can actually send you information when you are nearby or when you walk through their doors. That information can include promotions and specials or offers and rewards.

Social sites like Foursquare, LevelUp, Ibotta, and more use geolocation and social sites to find out when their customers are nearby. Then, they can update you,

• with offers,
• provide badges,
• and suggest other places you might enjoy.

All of the information is gathered by and delivered to smartphones. Most of the apps connect through Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram.

How you can use geolocation to grow your business

If you want to use geolocation to help market and grow your business, there are a few things you can do. First, you can work with popular apps like Foursquare, Yelp, and Google Maps. This way, you can easily be found if someone is in your area. If you have the appropriate tool, you can gather data about the customers who visit your store. This could help you with future visits and potential sales.

Geolocation technology for small businesses is still developing. Currently, geolocation apps can do a few things for businesses and customers. Stores with a large online and brick-and-mortar presence use these features, but small businesses are beginning to access them and use them to their advantage:

• Provide location-based offers (offer coupons or
• Connect Internet shopping with brick-and-mortar stores
• Provide a customer’s location
• Push a value exchange
• Create a sales territory
• Analyze data
• Share location-based photos

Small businesses that have the financial resources could develop their own apps that use geolocation to provide offers to customers.

The post How to Leverage Geolocation in Your Small Biz appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Marketing. How are You Getting Customers?

“Brand and position in the market.” Molly Moon’s was the first homemade ice cream shop in Seattle. Today they own 8 out of about 35 or so homemade ice cream shops in Seattle. Molly attributes their success to the strength of their brand and it being,

“really fun and beautiful visually and really value-forward. For any business, being loud and proud about what your values are if you think that a lot of your customers will share your values can be a really huge benefit and win customer loyalty, and I think that’s been very true for us.”

Less than a year into owning her business, Molly hired Eric Anderson for her second shop. Eric was an ice cream scooper, fresh out of college. Now 10 years later, he manages much of the operations as their North Area Manager and has some great insight for growing and keeping a business healthy. “Creating great experiences in our stores. Making sure our employees are happy, supported, and have the tools that they need to do a good job and delight people when they come in our stores.” Eric also insists that “some of the most valuable marketing is word of mouth about a great experience,” whether that’s eating delicious ice cream or having a great interaction with an employee that is scooping that ice cream.  

Slack Keeps Growing Companies Connected

Ramon also talked with Molly and Eric about Slack–in his own words, “a collaboration communications tool used by zillions of people all over the globe.” Molly shared that as her company grew, she felt more disconnected and inaccessible to her employees. But, Slack has reversed that. “I can slack on some channels and be talking to everybody in the company, or people who don’t get to interface with me a lot. And they get to see that I’m a real person, I make typos, I have my own opinions. It’s not all talk from the big, scary HQ.”

Out with the Old, In with the New

Eric is a fan of the visibility of the communication. You can send a private message to someone, but you can also write in threaded communication in channels. Slack replaced many of the old-world communication tools like email and texts.

“I’m not sure the last time you bumped into a 19-year-old, but they’re not super all over email,” Eric laughed.

He’s found Slack to be a very effective way to communicate quickly with their teams. He also appreciates the ability to customize notifications. He did like how texts were pushed straight to their phones and that employees were dealing with work notifications on their personal time.

“We can post in channels to all the folks for who the communication is relevant, have them see it whenever they choose to see it. All that we ask is that they check it when they clock in for work.”

Molly Moon’s employees can set up notifications however they’d like on Slack on both the desktop and mobile app. Slack sends notifications just like a social media app and you can even turn them off after a certain hour.

Increasing Efficiencies

Molly shared one way that Slack is increasing efficiencies over at Molly Moon’s. Molly’s dad is the facilities manager and he has Slack notifications turned on based on certain keywords such as “broken” or “not working.” Molly said, “not every 18-year-old knows who they are supposed to tell when something is broken. But now, no matter who they tell, the facilities manager gets the notification and resolves the problem.” Using Slack allows an issue to be fixed the same day. Before Slack, it would be several days of back and forth email and missed phone calls.

Slack offers some cool features that Molly has been experimenting with. She’s planning to use Slack to host a town hall or virtual meeting with the CEO. She usually offers a monthly coffee that everyone is welcome to attend, but admits that they aren’t super well attended. Using this Slack features, she’s able to give employees the chance to ask questions and she’s willing to answer in public.

How They Deploy Slack

Eric shared how they use Slack and some of their different channels:

1. General Channel- everybody at any level has access. Great for things like companywide announcements or pushing new product info to store employees.
2. Each Shop Channel- things that aren’t impacting the business broadly, but are shop specific such as customer feedback for a certain shop, anybody who is working that day will see the relevant communication
3. Office HQ Channel
4. Front of House Managers
5. Marketing
6. Culinary
7. Kitchen

The communication doesn’t always have to be actionable for everyone., employees feel more plugged in and like they know what’s going on.

Picking Up the Slack

Molly’s voicemail says, “please don’t leave me a message, send me a text or an email.”

She eliminated checking voicemail from her daily and weekly routine. Slack has taken quite a bit out of her email inbox. Her voicemail messages now go into a place that’s easier and quicker to check.

“My inbox is still insane, but I don’t feel that it’s as important to keep up with email as I once did, because I know all of my internal communication with the people who impact the company’s success the most, and who I impact on a daily basis the most, I am pretty caught up on and in touch with.”

Go All-In

Eric admits that he was the most resistant and skeptical about using Slack. He advises anyone making the transition to “try to be enthusiastic about using this tool from day one even if you have reservations”. Don’t be all business, having some fun can encourage team members to buy in. They have a Random Channel for non-work-related stuff. Commit to using it and embrace it. If you make it important and important things are happening on Slack then your employees will get on board. Within a month or two, Eric said they had great participation. Molly’s advice is to not limit using Slack to one department. In the beginning, only their marketing team tried it and they just couldn’t get into the habit of consistently using it. It wasn’t in use enough in their work life. Implement it across all departments.  

The post Ice Cream and Slack: A Match Made in Heaven appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What is a Story?

Facebook Stories allow you to share photos and short videos to tell a “story.” Instagram and Snapchat have been using similar features for a while now. Facebook Stories are a relatively new frontier and aren’t yet seeing as much participation from the general user population. However, this is good news for you as a small business owner! Business content has a lower viewing priority on Facebook feeds. Start using Stories to get your content front and center. Literally. Stories are located at the top of a Facebook users’ feeds (mobile and desktop) making it the first thing your customers see. This prime real estate has the potential to increase engagement and should not be overlooked in your marketing strategy.

What are the Benefits?

The Risk is Low

While you have to pay to boost your content on users’ Facebook feeds, you don’t have to spend a penny to use Stories. You can test and try what works for your brand using Stories and see what kind of impact it has compared to posting on your feed.

The Limit Does Not Exist

There is no limit on how much or how often you can share promotional content in Stories. Facebook Business even recommends using Stories to compliment your feed.

“If you’ve already shared content to your Page or are currently running a Page ad, creating a…story can help you become more active and engaging with your audience by providing a different type of media to enjoy and connect with.”

So, go to town and share away!

Build Connections

A Professional like Gavin Wood can advise you, how Facebook Stories gives your business a way to connect with customers organically. You can more easily build trust and brand loyalty through the use of video marketing. Stories allow followers to stay up to date with what you’re doing behind the scenes. It can really make your business more personal and allow your Facebook followers to feel like they are part of your community and the experience. People love to feel like they are part of the story and Facebook Stories allows you to provide that to your customers.

Event Stories

Since people like to be part of the story, why not let them contribute to your Facebook Story? Stories can also be used in Group and Event pages and members can contribute to the story. So, if you are holding a launch party for a new product, customers invited to the event can share content to Stories right from the event. Your customers are doing the marketing for you!

Free Insight

Facebook allows you to see who is viewing your Stories. You can use this data to optimize targeting and adjust your efforts. Then, sit back and watch your followers and engagement grow.

In an age where video is marketing gold, don’t pass up to the opportunity to cash in on Facebook Stories. This more familiar and informal way of communicating with your customers through video will provide them with the experiential marketing they are looking for. It is also a fantastic supplement to the more traditional marketing tool of posting on your Facebook feed.

The post How to Use Facebook Stories to Increase Engagement appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What’s in Zoho CRM Plus?

This is an exciting product for both small and large businesses. The CRM is loaded with features, but the most exciting is Zia – an AI support system that is voice activated and offers support beyond the typical CRM platform. Since Zia is an AI system, it learns about your business’s experiences with customers to help you deliver unparalleled service.

With Zia AI support, businesses have more power at their fingertips. With this intelligent platform, Zia allows businesses to have

• A better understanding of customer sentiments.
• Real-time insights about effective times for customer contact, sales actions, and deal closings.
• Quick access to information through easy voice commands.
• Help with sales and support for customer problems.

The features that come with Zoho CRM Plus platform make collaboration more accessible. The features include

• Process-management components that allow customer-focused employees to work on sales and returns with ease.
• A simplified Customer Experience Platform that manages potential and active problems to improve customer service and reduce the need for case resolutions.
• Robust content from all segments of the customer-service process for all decision-making employees.

What you get with Zoho Analytics

Along with the release of the state-of-the-art CRM platform, Zoho also released Zoho Analytics allowing users to access artificial intelligence to analyze data both effectively and efficiently. Go ahead and check out the latest pc gaming news and more information you’ll love if you play video games. Not only Video games, the artificial intelligence also changed the online gaming experience especially casino gaming. The Mafia88 casino uses the great artificial intelligence technique to improve the experience of the user and provide them many more new bonuses.  There are also some other casino like Situs Judi Slot, that uses technology like artificial intelligence and also provide the storage facility to store your last game and continue where you left. The Situs Judi Slot іѕ referred аѕ thе mоѕt preferred game оf chance enjoyed bу mоѕt gamers based world wide. Gambling bеіng a wonderful option for money system, еvеrу player desires tо bесоmе rich thrоugh іt.Well qqturbo88 is one trusted and popular platform for betting or casino. Hоwеvеr, nоt аll players саn gеt lucky аѕ ѕоmе mау end uр losing еvеrуthіng. Thіѕ іѕ whеrе соmеѕ thе importance оf knowing whісh game tо select, whеn tо start playing аnd hоw muсh ѕhоuld a player bеt аnd lastly whеn tо stop. Yоu саn play online casino malaysia games, like Bingo, idnplay, Roulette, slots (Gaminator аnd Book оf Rа аrе immensely popular), Blackjack, & poker оn уоur personal computers аnd enjoy thе thrill оf wagering. Players аrе offered joining bonus аnd payback percentages, аnd еvеn thоugh thеrе іѕ аn in-house limit (because оf whісh уоu саnnоt simply walk оff аnу time), уоu саn ѕtіll make a fortune! Yоu саn check thеіr authenticity оn thе regulatory credentials оf thе site. MicroGaming аnd PlayTech аrе reliable software companies tо try.

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According to Raju Vegesna at Zoho,

“With this deep understanding of business requirements, we have crafted dashboards that decision-makers and executives can use out-of-the-box from within Zoho Analytics, a unique analytics solution in the self-service BI market. Now, organizations can leverage AI-powered technologies via Zoho Analytics, to correlate data that traditionally resided in departmental silos, into meaningful metrics that span across business functions. For example, being able to determine the impact of marketing spend on new sales.”

Zoho Analytics includes capabilities that have never been together in one place.

• The automatic blending of data from several sources – including third-party apps – into a simplified dashboard.
• Voice-activated artificial intelligence support, Zia. The AI assistant can answer questions regarding analytics.
• Predictive analytics that uses past data to forecast future trends.
• Enriched third-party connections for over 100 reports, KPI dashboards, and social media platforms.
• Optimized visualization with Geo-maps, flexible dashboards, and dial gauges.
• Cloud-based and on-premise editions for Linux and Window operating systems.

All of Zoho’s products are ad-free (even the complementary versions) and they put a strong focus on customer information and security. So, not only will you provide a better customer experience, but your data will be safe.

The post How Zoho is Changing the Customer Experience Game with AI appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

“Confidence is near an all-time high, unemployment is the lowest we’ve seen in decades and take-home wages are up. All of that is reflected in consumers’ buying plans,” says Matthew Shay, National Retail Foundation (NRF) President and CEO.

Retailers should expect to see strong demand this holiday season, and it’s critical to be prepared. In order to compete with the increasingly popular eCommerce market, brick and mortar stores need to go above and beyond the status quo this holiday season (especially on Small Business Saturday). Here are 6 ways you can increase holiday sales and capitalize on the extra money shoppers are projected to spend this year:

1. Make it an Experience

Going to the mall, or browsing the eclectic storefronts on Main Street, to shop for holiday gifts is a quintessential part of the holiday experience. Feelings of nostalgia come flooding in. In-store holiday shopping captures Christmas magic, as you can see in countless holiday movies. That’s what makes gift buying in stores so special—it’s an experience, not just an event and consumers want a personalized shopping experience that only a visit to the store can provide.

2. Equip Your Employees

One of the best things you can do to enhance the holiday shopping experience for your customers is to have knowledgeable associates. With access to product and competitor information online, many customers will have thoroughly researched what they plan to purchase before they set foot in your store. But, since you are selling the product, they expect you, and your associates, to be experts on your merchandise. Your associates may not have to know all of the tech specs, but they do need to know what you have on hand. Providing a mobile point of sale will equip your employees with the information customers want to know. Does this come in another size or color?

On the topic of employees, consider beefing up your holiday staff. Customers want individual attention and exceptional service and they don’t care about the holiday rush that’s pulling you and your staff in a million directions. Hire enough seasonal employees to help manage the busiest times of the day and days of the week. Train them to pay attention to the customers. Even if they can’t answer every question, they can find someone who does while making the shopper feel they are being taken care of.

3. Offer Small Business Saturday Promotions

Since 2010, American Express has been hosting Small Business Saturday in an effort to get consumers to support small businesses in their communities. Held on the Saturday after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday has been a great tool for SMBs to get more customers in the door during the holiday shopping season. In the years that the Small Business Saturday campaign has officially been going on, an estimated $85 billion has been spent at independent retailers and restaurants on just 8 days over the last 8 years. That’s incredible and a proven way to increase your holiday sales. American Express offers free posters for download as well as free email and social media templates to let shoppers know you are participating this year. If you are going to go through with the idea, then make sure you have enough shipping boxes for those large orders you are going to be getting.

4. Get Active on Social Media

One of the easiest and most cost-effective strategies to get more customers in the door this holiday season is to get active on social media. Post often and consistently to let customers know what exclusive promotions and holiday sales you are offering. Leverage platforms like Instagram to post photos of your merchandise that will inspire customers to buy from you. Appeal to customers who are really into gift giving, event planning, and entertaining on Pinterest. They just overhauled their ad manager, so advertising on Pinterest is easier than ever.

Don’t just share information strictly related to what you are trying to sell. Get creative and try some seasonal social media posts on things like holiday recipes, décor, or a topical series on best gifts for moms, dads, bosses…etc. Run contests. Followers will check back in periodically to see the results or if there is a new contest running. Even better if your contests can get customers in the store to participate.

5. Employ Email

There is no better time than the holidays to put a little extra effort into your email marketing strategy. Send your subscribers exclusive information about your holiday sales and events. Offer a holiday preview sale to your existing customers and encourage them to bring a friend to the event. Offer special discounts if they refer new customers or offer coupons or special discounts strictly for email subscribers. Send out your holiday gift guide to make choosing gifts for friends and family even simpler.

6. Gift Cards are the Way to Go

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the number one gift on shoppers’ wish lists this year is gift cards and gift certificates. Since consumers are looking for that personal touch during their holiday shopping experience, they are also likely looking for a gift card to a business that will give their loved one a unique experience when they cash in their gift. Another way to get customers to purchase gift cards from your business is to offer google play gift card bonuses. If a customer buys a $100 gift card for a friend, offer a $10 gift card that they can spend on themselves. The great thing about gift cards is that recipients often spend 20% more in your establishment than the amount of the gift card they received.

Make to make Small Business Saturday a Success? Don’t miss this…

The post 6 Ways You Can Boost Your Retail Store’s Holiday Sales appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Who Does This Benefit?

This update brings Pinterest up-to-speed with other social media advertising platforms and stands to be leveraged by advertisers from large, corporate entities all the way to small businesses. Advertisers across the board should take advantage of Pinterest’s latest Ad Manager overhaul. Small and medium-sized businesses with limited advertising budgets, will be able to take advantage of Pinterest’s new features.

Small and medium-sized businesses can now identify and promote top performing organic Pins using insights from Analytics. The efficiency and ease of use of this new feature makes it possible for SMBs to manage their own ads. No longer relying on a third party, SMBs can save time and money in the long run. SMBs can also take advantage of the ability to measure your influence on Pinterest. Tracking monthly viewer numbers and optimizing ad campaigns to be more efficient and effective, offer new analytics.

How Do You Use It?

Small and medium-sized businesses can optimize advertising campaigns by creating ads with ease, define and size audiences, and access reports from the improved dashboard.

The self-serve Ads Manager consists of an easy, three-step set-up process that advertisers can use to create and set up Promoted Pins:

1. Choose your business goal
2. Identify the type of Pinners you’d like to reach
3. Create or select Pins that you want to promote in-home feeds or search results

In addition, advertisers can select multiple Pins to promote at once or create new Pins within Ads Manager. A streamlined campaign creation process allows you to schedule your ads as well as build robust targeting audiences with guidance from audience sizing and the recently launched Audience Insights tool.

Another great feature is the ability to test and optimize ads. You can duplicate top performing campaigns and ad groups to see what’s working and what’s not. If you analyze and adjust accordingly, you won’t have to waste time or money funding an ad campaign that’s not producing results. Advertisers will leverage the tool’s frequency management capability, allowing users to decided when and how often ads are published.

When Should You Use It?

Jump on it now! Pinterest made their big announcement just weeks before Black Friday and the start of the holiday shopping season. With the holidays right around the corner, consumers will be flooding Pinterest with searches for holiday gift ideas. What a perfect time to optimize your ad campaign and get your SMB’s product or service in front of a captive audience!

People use Pinterest when they are actively looking for what to do or buy next. The updated features allow small and medium-sized businesses an opportunity to reach people earlier in the decision-making process. Pinterest has made it easier for SMBs to strategically place their ads in front of people at the right time with Promoted Pins. You can even define your audience, making it as broad or narrow as you like, to reach the right customers.

The post Pinterest Overhauls Ad Manager: SMBs Gain Valuable New Tool appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What can small businesses learn from the big company? Take it from a pro: Suha dishes out 4 tips to succeed in the ever-evolving era of social media.

Know the Difference

Suha’s first tip to bring success to your small business through social media is to, “make sure you know the different strategies of every single channel.” There are many social media platforms out there today and they are all so different. You can’t treat every channel the same. Social media sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook have changed their algorithms over the years and they each prioritize content differently. Which means that your social media marketing strategies from 2 years ago aren’t going to cut it.

For example, Facebook wants brands to act like people. Suha has some great insight and she shares that Facebook wants brands, “to drive conversation, they want them to jump into conversation.” She suggests, “A great way to work with that is to have videos that ask questions so your audience can answer them.” As a result, your post then shows up higher in your followers’ feeds because it’s sparking conversation. Facebook is trying to build community through your digital marketing efforts, so definitely Incorporate and build that into your strategy.

Create Compelling Content

Everybody likes a good story. The best way to promote your business on social media is to tell a story and to get help from professional Instagram Services. Aside from images, videos are increasingly being published on Instagram. Instagram Views offer views for your videos to face out from the gang .Visit us to get more Instagram views. Don’t miss any opportunity, do this with everything you put out there. Suha says it’s important to not just, “promote your product. Tell a story of who or what the product is about. Have somebody evangelize it, tell their success story with it.” She also emphasizes that small businesses should always inspire emotion and creativity with every single thing that they post.

Elevate and Recruit Influencers

It’s important to find the right influencers. Suha shares that micro influencers may be the next big breakthrough for your small business on social media. But, not to worry, you don’t need to be petitioning a Kardashian or Will.i.am to promote your product or small business. Suha advises instagram infulencer marketing to really tap into the world of micro-influencers. Micro influencers may not have millions of followers. But, what they do have can be extremely valuable to your business. Micro influencers represent niche markets and they come with engaged audiences. You stand to gain the most from these kinds of influencers. They have all the right ingredients, “specific to your industry, specific to your market, resonate with your audience, [and] relevant content,” Suha reiterates.

Invest and Keep Testing

Don’t let the word “invest” scare you off. Even if you don’t have a huge budget, you can still apply this principle. Suha states that “the great thing about social media is that you really don’t have to invest that much in order to see ROI.” A small amount will produce a noticeable return. Just $5-10 on Facebook will get you far. Keep testing what works. If you’re pumping a lot of money in a certain direction, but aren’t seeing results, pull back, reevaluate, and try again. This is something you will have to do periodically, even if you think you’ve found the winning formula, as social media continues to grow and change, seemingly right in front of our eyes.

The post Salesforce’s Social Media Ninja Dishes Her Best Insights appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Load Up Your List

Google Maps’ newest feature allows users to create a shortlist of restaurants by scrolling through the app’s “Explore” tab. Long-press on any location to add it to your shortlist. Once a list is compiled, simply name it and share your shortlist over messaging apps like iMessage, Facebook Messenger, or WhatsApp.

Exercise Your Right to Vote!

The message will contain a link back to Google Maps where you and your friends can vote for selections on the shortlist, by liking or disliking each restaurant. Members can also add or delete restaurants from the shortlist. Group members who don’t have the app can still view the list in their internet browser. And just like that, you’ve saved hours of headaches and heartache over where to eat.

Google Local Guides

Don’t even feel like making your own list? Google has the answer to that, too. When you swipe up, the app spotlights lists by the Google Local Guides team as well as by individual Local Guides. You can follow lists to keep up with Local Guide recommendations. There’s even a progress bar so you can see how many places you’ve visited on a followed list. Make sure your Location History is on and share your experience by leaving reviews and adding photos. .

The Google Local Guides team has lists starting in 17 cities including Bangalore, Berlin, Chicago, Dallas, Jakarta, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Moscow, New Delhi, New York, Paris, Rio, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Seattle, and Tokyo.

Make Your List #LetsGuide Famous

Do you know all of the best places to eat in your city? Want to get your list featured as an individual Local Guide? Here are three simple ways to help you create a great list:

1. Give your list a clear title so people know what they are looking at. Romantic Restaurants, Kid-Friendly, Cuisine-specific…etc. The best one I found so far, “37 Restaurants Where You Can Eat In Your Gym Clothes.” I think it’s pretty clear that this list is perfect if you’re looking for a, “come as you are” place to eat.
2. Share more detail about your list in the description. Include pertinent information that only a local might know like, the best time to eat there, live music on Tuesdays, or a to get a table 6 instead of 7 for the best sunset views. Also, be sure to add #LetsGuide to increase engagement.
3. Include at least 5 local places that fit well with your theme, and go to Sharing options to make your list public for the world to see!

Why This is Good News for Restaurant Owners

Restaurant owners have been able to attract more customers with the ability to update menus in their Google Maps listings using the Google My Business (GMB) dashboard since early this year. But, the latest Maps feature will allow restaurant owners a relatively easy way to draw even more traffic to their establishments. Friends can now share their favorite restaurants, and you want to be on that shortlist! Obviously, good food is a key factor for getting your restaurant on local shortlists. But, making sure your menu is up-t0-date, your booking link is added, and your GMB profile is complete will make your restaurant an easy choice when it’s put to the vote.

The post Google Maps’ New Feature Slays Restaurant Indecision appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

First, What is 5P Consulting?

5P Consulting focuses on business problems in regards to people and processes and the technology surrounding them. Y’vonne shares that at 5P they, “typically work with companies that are scaling up or scaling down,” and they help find solutions to all of the problems that can come up while doing that.

• Mergers and Acquisitions – When Y’vonne is referring to a business scaling up or down, that includes business mergers and acquisitions. We all know that change is hard. But Y’vonne shared some really helpful information to help ease you and your company through a successful transition.

• Evaluate the Situation – If you’ve just acquired a new business, don’t change things right away. Do your best to maintain the existing culture, and the people, as you’re going through the process. As Y’vonne explains, “it’s all about being efficient, not just chopping things apart.” Dig in and understand what’s working well and what solutions the other organization already has in place.

• Never Lead in with Technology – First lean in with understanding the business goals and the strategy. Understand who the current talent is and dig into the company’s processes. After you’ve done all that, Y’vonne says you have the all clear to then see what’s going on in regard to technology. Leverage the resources that are already functioning well first and then bring in something new.
• So, You Want to Be Acquired. Now What? – Y’vonne implores, “don’t back off too soon!” It’s critical to stay engaged. If your assets, your people, and the things that you’ve built from your organization see disengagement, then they will disengage. That will make the acquisition process very difficult for everyone involved.

• Managing a Merger – Two equal sized companies want to get together and do something bigger. In a business merger, each side brings to the table, “a bunch of people, a bunch of systems, a bunch of processes,” states Y’vonne. She recommends looking first at what’s working and then taking the next step of integrating and building them together.
• Timeshare management –  The timeshare industry is one of the hottest in the world. There are thousands of companies, many of which are multi-billion dollar companies. You can expect your commission to be high, especially if you sell in multiple states. You may want to think about consulting with these Timeshare Selling options. If your sales do not keep up, your commissions will drop. In the last two years, I have seen a lot of timeshare companies become insolvent. Most timeshare companies have a minimum commission they can pay and must have at least a certain amount of commission left over. Don’t forget that most timeshare companies pay a percentage of sales into an escrow account

What Technology Does 5P Consulting Use?

5P Consulting is a service integrator and Y’vonne shared that they are very familiar with Salesforce. They’re most familiar with it from an enterprise applications perspective. 5P Consulting delivers Salesforce implementations and integrates theorems.

5P Consulting’s relationship with Salesforce has grown over the years. As a small business, Y’vonne admitted they couldn’t afford salesforce so, “we did what any traditional geek dev team would do and got its free dev version.” But, then they stumbled across Essentials and were so excited that it was only $25 per user. “It offered so much and we didn’t even have to customize it, and I implemented it for us. It’s that simple.” Salesforce works great for Y’vonne and her team because they’re all about efficiency, and how they can simplify and integrate in order to have fewer manual interactions.

Y’vonne’s advice for small businesses is, “don’t be scared away from the word Salesforce.” Salesforce isn’t just for the big companies. “It’s for all different size companies. We implement it for nonprofits. We’re using it as Essentials, as a small business. I’m recommending it to my fellow friends and then we do it enterprise-wide. So, there’s a one-size-fits-all for your business. It just makes life easier. It’s all integrated.”

The post Business Acquisition – 3 Things You Need to Know appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.