Your business is ticking along nicely, but if you’re finding that your customer base is dwindling, and your client list isn’t growing as you’d expected it to, then you need to consider looking at your branding strategy and how you are managing it. Obviously, you already have a memorable logo and you have a good marketing strategy working for you, but good branding is about more than just the logo that you have on the door. It’s everything to your business, as it increases the value of your … [Read more...]

When you entered into the topsy-turvy world of entrepreneurship, you did so knowing nine out of ten startups don’t survive. Sure, some of them may cling onto the ropes of survival a little longer than should, which is great on paper, but it’s a terrible waste of time, money and effort in reality. It’s a waste of resources and talent that could have otherwise been ploughed into another idea. We know it’s not easy calling time on something you’ve worked so hard at, to throw in the towel after … [Read more...]

As an entrepreneur, it can be very easy to stress the small things. After all, there are all kinds of external factors and issues that might have a direct impact on your business. So, it’s understandable why some of these might worry some new entrepreneurs. Thankfully, though, it doesn’t always make sense to worry about some of them. That’s because the problems have some very quick fixes or they simply don’t have quite as big an effect on your company as what you might expect. Do you feel … [Read more...]

One of the biggest sources of anxiety in any business owner or freelancer’s life is found when waiting for payments on invoices. While most people send invoices with a due date of 30 days, it is not uncommon to have to wait far longer to receive the funds that are rightfully yours. Below, we’re going to delve into this subject, exploring your options for obtaining payment as well as seeking to answer that all-important question: how long is too long when it comes to waiting for an invoice to … [Read more...]

Whether you are working to create physical products via a manufacturing process, or a multimedia product with software, prototyping is an essential part of the process. A prototype can be tested to ensure the product is fit for purposes, highlight any errors, and to make sure it is entirely functional and working well enough for wide-scale distribution. In short, prototyping plays an incredibly important role in the product life cycle, and it’s something that you need to get right. In this … [Read more...]

If you’re interested in managing a business, but don’t want to undertake the work of developing new products, establishing a brand, or sourcing customers from scratch, there is an option for you out there: franchising. Here’s everything you need to know on the subject! What is Franchising? Franchising may well seem complicated at first, but when it comes down to it, franchising is essentially just a form of licensing relationship. When a small business takes off and expands dramatically, the … [Read more...]

Nowadays, customers are much more likely to purchase products online than from a traditional brick and mortar store. So, it’s not all too surprising that the majority of small business owners have taken to developing and setting up their own websites where consumers can shop. However, this is an extremely costly and time consuming process, and it’s important to bear in mind that it’s not the only option out there. Here are a couple of alternative online platforms that you might like to consider … [Read more...]

Being a business leader can be exhausting. You want to make exciting waves in your industry and you want to make your mark personally, too. The thing is, you are doing all of this in front of other people, which puts an awful lot of pressure on you to achieve the goals that you set out to achieve earlier than planned. The question that you should be asking yourself on a regular basis, is whether you are investing your time and energy in the right activities for your business. Smart leaders … [Read more...]

As a business owner, there are so many important elements of your company that you need to keep a handle on, and while this feeling of seeing the bigger picture is a challenge at times, you know that, overall, you will see a considerable return on investment. Because the leap from a brick-and-mortar location to online is something that many people are doing to save money, getting an idea of how this can positively impact your business is vital. But, the difficulty in taking that leap is … [Read more...]

It’s all too easy to splurge one’s company profits on personal luxuries. Whilst you deserve to treat yourself, some of these profits could be better invested by pouring them back into the company, allowing you to save money or indeed make even more money in the future. Here are just a few great ways to invest your company profits. Improve your company’s energy efficiency Energy-efficiency doesn’t just save the planet, it can save you money. Investing in energy-efficient machinery could help to … [Read more...]