The 3 Biggest Mistakes in Pricing Strategy

Finding the right pricing for your products and services is vital to your success. Price too high and your target market won’t be able to afford your product; price too low and your target market won’t trust your product. To increase sales, you must find the right pricing strategy – and to help you out we spoke with Lisa Hendrickson of Spark City, who shared the biggest pricing strategy mistakes and why you should be careful about adopting the lean startup model.

Click to read Why Small Business Needs to Rethink Pricing Strategies and the Lean Startup Model

Branding: Design & Color

Your branding elements are the visual representations of your business that will drive brand awareness and customer loyalty. Since many of us need help with design, we conducted an interview with Pam Webber of 99designs. In our discussion, Pam gives advice on the role of color in branding and the importance of design for small businesses.

Click to read The Importance of Color and Design When Branding Your Business

Review of Robert Herjavec’s Latest Book

You know Robert Herjavec as an investor on ABC’s Shark Tank, but according to his new book, you DON’T have to be a shark – success is available to anyone who is willing to work hard enough for it. The book touches on issues such as hard work and the importance of selling effectively. As a small business owner, will the book help and inspire you? Should you add it to your reading list? Find out by checking out Ramon’s review.

Click to read You Don’t Have to Be a Shark: Review of Robert Herjavec’s Latest Book on Sales, Hard Work, & More

Do You Have an Accountability Partner?

An accountability partner is somebody who helps you stay on track and reach your goals. It could be a mentor, a group of advisors, a business coach, or some other confidant whom you can turn to for a fresh perspective. Being an entrepreneur means that you are your own boss – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have someone who will help you stay accountable. Find out why you need an accountability partner and how to do accountability the ‘right way’ in this article.

Click to read Why Every Small Business Owner Needs an Accountability Partner

Small Business and Health Insurance

The current rules say that small businesses that have fewer than 50 full-time employees do not have to offer health insurance to employees – but should you offer it anyway? This article looks at the pros and cons of offering cheap viagra from mexico employee health care benefits and also shares information on how and where to explore health insurance for your employees.

Click to read Should Small Businesses Offer Employee Health Benefits?

This issue of the Smart Hustle Recap will help you take control of sales with the right pricing strategy, create beautiful branding elements for your company, contemplate thought-provoking topics like health care and accountability, and even add a new business book to your library. In addition to that, there are plenty of other stories you may have missed in the past couple weeks while we took a break from our weekly Recap. Take a few minutes to catch up at SmartHustle.com.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Developing the Right Pricing Strategy, Using Color in Your Branding, & More appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Promote Your Well-Being Through a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Although you live a busy life, the time that you spend ‘disconnecting’ from work and enjoying personal and family time is particularly important to your well-being as well as your concentration and morale. For those who struggle, check out this article that has seven easy-to-follow tips for developing a better work-life balance. Scheduling, prioritization, organization and automation are key ways to make it happen.

Click to read 7 Hands-On Tips for Better Work-Life Balance.

You Don’t Believe These Security Myths – Do You?

Security of business and customer data is of utmost importance to every business. However, small business owners sometimes get caught thinking things like “Data breaches and hackings only happen to large companies.” This is untrue, and believing this myth can put your business at risk! This article reviews six of the most common security myths believed by small business owners. Knowing the truth will help you keep your business safe.

Click to read Business Beware! 6 Common Security Myths You Must Know.

Review of Gary Vaynerchuk’s book #AskGaryVee

Gary Vaynerchuk is an entrepreneur, author, and speaker, as well as a role model for many business owners. Gary became famous for growing his family’s wine business from a $3M to $60M in just five years by cleverly using marketing and social media. He now helps other business owners grow their businesses too. In the #AskGaryVee book, Gary gives advice on a range of topics like social media, entrepreneurship, running a business, marketing and more. What does Ramon Ray think of the new book? Find out in this article.

Click to read Book Review: #AskGaryVee – Relentless Hustle and Other Advice from Gary Vaynerchuk.

This issue of the Smart Hustle Recap reminds us that the best business owners are well rounded. They care about their business (and important issues like data security.) However they also take the time to grow by reading and learning from other entrepreneurs, and they know the importance of striking the right work-life balance. For these and more small business stories, head over to Smart Hustle Magazine.

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Gary Vaynerchuck

While some celebrities are famous due to an “exit” or because they’re on a TV show, Gary Vaynerchuk is an entrepreneur who embodies the world of digital marketing and engagement.

From humble beginnings working in his father’s wine store, Gary skyrocketed sales, not by selling wine, but by being a publisher. By sharing great content about all things wine, in a regular series of videos.

By sharing great content about all things wine, in a regular series of videos – Wine Library Tv

Years later, Gary launched #AskGaryVee (prompted by David Rock) – a weekly show answering practical (and impractical) questions by entrepreneurs, small business owners, professionals and everyone else.

While many of the questions are about marketing and business – there’s also questions and answers about being a better person, and of course the NY Jets.

#AskGaryVee is a special book which every entrepreneur and small business owner must read.

For example, one of the very practical questions Gary answers is about how to get a job right out of college – and the bigger issue of how to connect with people?

Gary’s simple answer, but one most people don’t do enough of, is to ADD VALUE.

Instead of trying to “get a job” or begging to be noticed, why not add value to the person you want to work with? How can you help this person in what they need? How can you contribute to this person’s success?

I could give example, after example, after example of the questions and the answers in #AskGaryVee – but you get the point.

#AskGaryVee gives answers from one of ultimate hustlers, smart hustle, who live what they say and show us all that everyone can succeed in business – if you’re willing to put in the work and the effort to do it.

Curious how to be a better leader, parent, investor, hustler? Just #AskGaryVee

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However, if you listen to the stories of many successful business owners, you’ll quickly learn that money does not make success – and there are many among us who have in fact lived the American Dream. Daymond John – founder of the brand FUBU and investor on ABC’s Shark Tank – is a perfect example.

On January 19, 2016, Daymond John will be releasing his third book – The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage. The book shares details of how Daymond John achieved the American Dream. With a $40 initial budget, a little help from friends, and a lot of determination, Daymond turned FUBU into a $6 billion brand.

Daymond credits his success to his ability to tap into ‘the power of broke.’ When you can activate the power of broke you:

• Focus on your goals and work hard to reach them.
• Find creative solutions to problems.
• Become mindful of all the other resources at your disposal – time, effort, mind power, manpower, and determination to succeed.
• Discover innovative ways to market and connect with your customers.

As the title of the book suggests, Daymond believes his ability to harness the power of broke was his greatest competitive advantage and the reason why he has become so successful.

Now, if you’re thinking that Daymond is the exception to the rule and the American Dream is unachievable for most of us, you’d be wrong. After discussing his own story, The Power of Broke goes on to provide dozens of examples of other entrepreneurs and business owners who have also activated the power of broke to reach success – music executives, clothing designers, culinary masterminds and other top professionals in a range of industries.

Taken together, Daymond John’s The Power of Broke will inspire you as well as teach you how to harness the power of broke to achieve your own goals. It is a reminder to us all that the American Dream is still alive for those who are determined and willing to put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

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