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You are here: Home / 2018 / Archives for October 2018

Archives for October 2018

The Next LinkedIn? Affinity Alliances Uses AI to Build Your Professional Network

October 22, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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There are now more ways to grow your business network than ever, which makes it that much harder to capitalize on each connection. Affinity’s Alliances is a relationship management solution which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to get the most out of your professional network.

Affinity says Alliances will expand your business professional network while identifying the connections which are most likely ready for a warm introduction. The company uses a patent-pending relationship strength algorithm to give users insights into the best candidate for making referrals or introductions.

If you are a small business owner with limited human resources, this is a technology which can optimize the contacts in your network. This is particularly important for owners with eCommerce doing business with suppliers and customers around the world.

In a press release Affinity co-founder Ray Zhou says Alliances can help professionals source, raise capital, and close deals by unlocking the power of business networks.

Zhou explains how the technology makes this possible. He goes on to say, “Unlike traditional networks, Alliances captures not only who your colleagues and peers know, but how well they know them, so you always know who’s in the best position to introduce you to a new contact or organization. With Alliances you can stop cross-checking social networks, your CRM system and other platforms hoping to stumble upon the right person to make an introduction.”

The Technology

Before Alliances was developed, Affinity was using its technology to bring the team within an organization together by leveraging each other’s relationship graph.

Alliances uses machine learning algorithms and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to connect and analyze external contacts such as advisors, partners, investors or mentors. It then taps into their networks and accesses their connections to identify which one of them have the strongest relationships.

Based on the tenor of the conversations in emails, the number of meetings, and other factors it will automatically show the connections with the strongest relationships to targeted prospects. You can then make a well-informed decision to identify opportunities for referrals and introductions.

Features of Affinity Alliances

Affinity analyzes relationship data in your peer-to-peer communications to identify the best possible contact in your network within two degrees. The machine learning and NLP technology is used to identify the strength of these relationships.

The Next LinkedIn? Affinity Alliances Uses AI to Build Your Professional Network

If you have a potential prospect, you can look up every relevant contact so your allies can provide a warm introduction. Alliances has real-time networking data which includes the latest emails correspondence and meetings.

You can also use your allies to find prospects using Affinity’s CRM. The search parameter can find prospects based on industry, job title, location, and other criteria. Alliances will then display the results of relevant prospects which can be connected with your allies in the real-time network.

Alliances is now available for all existing Affinity customers.

Image: Affinity


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Looking to Change Jobs? This Industry Has 0 Percent Unemployment. (Infographic)

October 21, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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There’s a talent gap in cybersecurity.


October
21, 2018

1 min read


About half of all organizations have a shortage of cybersecurity talent, according to Digital Guardian. There were 302,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in 2018, which Digital Guardian claims is 30 percent of all cybersecurity positions. Companies are at risk of losing data, getting hacked and more because there simply isn’t enough supply for the global demand.

As a result, Digital Guardian reports that there is a 0 percent unemployment rate among cybersecurity experts — 0 percent! 

Learn more about cybersecurity, what it takes to get into the field and what you can do to protect your company even with a shortage of talent, by checking out the infographic below.

How Do We Stop the Widening Cybersecurity Gap?

Infographic by Digital Guardian

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18 Brutal Business Failures by Wildly Successful Entrepreneurs (Infographic)

October 20, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Even Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates made mistakes before making it big.


October
20, 2018

1 min read


Some people like to say that entrepreneurs are born, not made — that you either have the talent to start a billion-dollar company or you don’t. But, some of the most famous and successful entrepreneurs in the world struggled to find their way. 

For example, J.K. Rowling had difficulty finding anyone to publish the Harry Potter series, and while she worked on the books she lived as a single mother on welfare. Tim Ferriss received 25 rejection letters for The 4-Hour Workweek. Even geniuses such as Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos had business failures. 

This infographic from Pound Coffee breaks down 18 great examples, which you can use for inspiration in the low moments of your pursuit of entrepreneurship. Whether you’ve gotten rejected, faced failure or just lost a little steam, this list might remind you why you ought to keep moving forward.

18 Brutal Business Failures From Billionaire Entrepreneurs - An Infographic from Pound Coffee

Embedded from Pound Coffee

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5 Tips to Boost Your Ecommerce Sales on Cyber Monday

October 19, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Your goal should be to make your deals too good to resist. Is 50 percent off too high? Probably. But some companies have found it works.


October
19, 2018

5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


Last year, online transactions on Cyber Monday reached a record $6.59 billion, according to Adobe Insights — and that biggest day for online shopping is right around the corner. Nor is this event, which follows Black Friday, just for tech and electronics anymore; ecommerce businesses of all types are now participating. So, is your ecommerce business ready to make a splash on the web and bring in record-breaking sales?

Related: Cyber Monday 2017: Everything You Need to Know

Of course, it can be difficult to get noticed on Cyber Monday with so many knockout deals offered by big-box stores. That’s why your online store needs to stand out among the crowd and find a way to attract droves of shoppers to your site and convince them to buy while they’re there.

But, how do you do this? Consider instituting the following five tips to boost your ecommerce sales on Cyber Monday.

Create a cyber-exclusive, one-day deal.

Offering 15 percent off to shoppers during Cyber Monday simply will not do the trick. To stand out on that crazy day, when all of your competitors are offering up amazing deals, you’ve got to create a cyber-exclusive, one-day sale that’s too good for consumers to pass up.

As an example, Dean & Deluca offers 50 percent off the cost of shipping for Cyber Monday only. Fifty percent off is enough to grab the attention of even the most seasoned shoppers.

Image credit: Revampcrm Blog 

Fifty percent is a lot to give away for many companies but it’s only for this one special day and it can drive a ton of sales. Still, if you’re worried about giving away too much and losing money, set a minimum purchase amount shoppers must reach before you unlock your awesome deal.

Related: $6 Billion in 2 Days: Black Friday and Cyber Monday by the Numbers

Showcase different products hourly.

You want to keep your brand at the top of shoppers’ minds, but they may find it difficult to keep their eyes on you with so many Cyber Monday distractions. Accordingly, you have to entice users to keep coming back to your site by showcasing different products and sales every hour or two. Instead of just announcing a site-wide sale, highlight the wonderful items shoppers can get deals on throughout the day.

Fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer did something similar by showcasing the company’s latest styles and offering a new free gift every hour to consumers who made a purchase.

Image credit: Milled.com 

Showcasing a number of your best products will attract many different shoppers and make it easy for them to find what they’re looking for. For example, if you’re a fashion retailer, instead of sending the same blanket email announcing your Cyber Monday sale, showcase your jeans in one message, dresses in another and shoes in the next, to keep shoppers excited.

Increase people’s sense urgency, with countdowns.

So, you’ve enticed users to visit your site and check out your Cyber Monday deals, but how do you get them to make a purchase once they’ve arrived? A perfect way to get shoppers to hit that “checkout” button fast is to increase the sense of urgency using countdowns. The more scarce an item, the more people will want it.

A clock that’s ticking down the minutes, like the one in the example below, is a visual cue that really gets shoppers moving.

Image credit: Pinterest.ca  

You can easily add a countdown timer to your own ecommerce website using a tool like Shopify’s Hurrify — Countdown Timer. If your site runs on WordPress, a plugin like Countdown Timer — Widget Countdown is a good option.

Create a newsletter-exclusive offer.

If you want to boost sales this Cyber Monday and get more email subscribers, create a newsletter-exclusive offer. A special offer like this rewards your loyal subscribers and creates a VIP feeling, and at the same time it helps you build an even bigger email list.

In the example below, FabKids rewards its email subscribers with early access to its Cyber Monday deals.

Image credit: Hellosubscription.com  

Your loyal followers are the shoppers who are mostly likely to buy from you anyway, so give them an incentive to start spending early and to purchase more. Be sure to promote this exclusive deal to users who aren’t subscribers to encourage them to sign up for your email list and join this elite group that offers them the best deals available.

Combat abandoned carts.

During the first quarter of 2018, a Statista study found a 75.6 percent rate for online retail orders being abandoned instead of purchased. That’s a ton of missed sales. So, instead of letting all those shoppers leave your site without buying this Cyber Monday, combat abandoned carts by enticing those consumers to return to your shop and complete their orders.

Bonobos fights cart abandonment by sending this fun email to users to help them finish their checkouts.  

Image credit: Getpayever.com 

Sending emails to users who have abandoned their carts is a great way to grab their attention. They may have been browsing and gotten distracted, but a simple reminder can get them back to your store. If they’re still not taking the bait, offer them a little extra discount to convince them you’re worth returning to.

Related: Why Every Business Needs a Cyber Monday Strategy

Over to you

Start preparing for Cyber Monday early to give yourself ample time to get shoppers excited about your offers. With these tips, your ecommerce store can thrill shoppers this Cyber Monday and bring in more sales than you ever imagined. And if you want to keep the momentum going, there’s no stopping you from extending your Cyber Monday sale to Tuesday.  

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How to Deal with "Difficult People"

October 19, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Three ways to work across deep divisions. For more insight, read “There’s No Such Thing as Difficult People.”

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4 Reasons You Should Be Meditating, From a Man Who Sold His Company for $130 Million

October 18, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Khajak Keledjian is on a mission to disarm anxiety and build clarity to entrepreneurs.


October
18, 2018

4 min read


The year 2013 was a big one for Khajak Keledjian. He’d sold his luxury apparel company Intermix to Gap for a reported $130 million, got married and went to Burning Man. After walking into a temple, Keledjian saw other Burners meditating and having reflective moments. “It made me think, ‘Why aren’t there places like this to have a similar experience in big cities like New York?’” he told Entrepreneur.

“The following November my father got sick while he was visiting Armenia. I went there to be with him and I also visited third-century monasteries built inside caves. They were bathed in candlelight and in this environment, my senses were heightened,” Keledjian recalled. Again, he was left with a desire to bring the quiet and tranquility back home with him. So he went for it.

Related: 7 Proven Ways Meditating Prepares You for Success

The result was Inscape, a New York City meditation studio and shop, app and ecommerce site, that he founded and serves as CEO of.

Credit: INSCAPE

“I knew that to help people live to their fullest and navigate everyday stressors and challenges, we needed to create both an oasis and a tool,” he explained. “We drew inspiration from nature, history, technology, art — not just one thing. Then, we created app our to deliver efficient guided experiences to solve everyday problems, so you can recenter and recharge quickly, wherever you are.”

Keledjian cites some pretty telling statistics when asked about the health and wellness market he’s now working in.

  • Anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults in America. (ADAA)
  • One in three Americans have some form of a sleep disorder, resulting in shorter recommended sleep duration. (CDC)
  • Eight in 10 Americans said they encountered stress in their everyday lives. (Gallup Poll)

Keledjian said it is his company’s mission “to inspire people to connect with their best selves and live life to its fullest potential.” Here’s how he says meditation can help do that.

Related: I Tried This Oprah Meditation Hack Every Day for Two Weeks. Here What Happened

1. It helps with problem-solving.

“Being a busy CEO when I started meditating it helped me find answers to tough decisions that weren’t in the books. In 2008, the economy was crashing and I needed answers you couldn’t find on Google. Meditation helped me harness my intuition, think clearly and take bold risks, like selling my business and starting INSCAPE.”

2. It relieves stress.

“Meditation reduces stress and cortisol levels, which are a result of people everywhere being overstimulated and stressed. With reduced cortisol, you’re not activating your fight-or-flight response —  you can respond more and react less. So rather than losing my cool if something doesn’t go as planned, I take a breath and focus on how to re-navigate to get back on course. This can be budgets, timelines, a surprise meeting — anything that catches you off-guard.”

Related: This is How Meditation at Workplace Can Improve Employee Efficiency

3. It re-energizes you.

“Improved sleep is priceless. Meditation helps you sleep better and deeper. I wake up without an alarm, feeling rested. Our App’s sleep section helps me get my little girls to sleep, and it helps me relax and reset.”

4. It helps you find clarity.

“Meditation helps me think with an aerial perspective like I’m in a drone. Sometimes the clarity means I can come off as shrewd, or fast. But the clarity also gives me a horizon view, and my compassion has increased … so there’s a balance. This also helps me in my personal life, as a husband and father.”

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TONL Offers Diverse Stock Photos to Promote Inclusion

October 18, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Representation matters. That’s more than just a hypothesis; it’s the value proposition on which Karen Okonkwo and Joshua Kissi based their new business.

Karen and Joshua met through a friend, connecting easily as entrepreneurs and first-generation African immigrants. At the time, Karen ran a blog — among other things — and often lamented about how stock photography was stale and homogenous. Joshua, on the other hand, was a photographer and Creative Director. Wouldn’t it be great, they surmised, to create a stock photography site that offers more diverse images and changes the status quo? They both loved the idea but were at capacity, so they tabled it as a “coulda-woulda-shoulda.”

The tragic stories of two black men – Alton Sterling and Philando Castile – became an “aha” moment for Karen and Joshua: the only way to combat the devastating effects of systemic racism and racial profiling is to change the narrative around ethnic representation. And, thus, TONL was born.

We spoke to Karen and Joshua about how they’re revolutionizing the stock photography market with added color and perspective. Here’s what they had to say:

Q: How did you go about bringing this vision to life?

Karen Okonkwo (KO): We started by surveying as many people as we could — industry people, friends, whomever — to see if the idea was even viable. The general consensus was that the current stock photography wasn’t relatable. So once we had some real data to back this up, we went full throttle and gave ourselves a year to launch. We worked and planned like crazy, but it was hard since we lived on different coasts. Everything went down to the wire, but we pulled it off in the end.

Q: What’s been the response to TONL?

KO: It’s been received really well. We’re still in our infancy, of course, but we have a growing client list that includes Fortune 500 companies as well as smaller mom-and-pop operations. Above all else, we have a passionate community. We love seeing people get so excited about our work.

TONL Offers Diverse Stock Photos to Promote Inclusion

TONL Founders, Joshua Kissi and Karen Okonkwo

Q: What are your goals for TONL?

Joshua Kissi (JK): We want to bring a new standard to stock photography, to change the narrative for people of all categories. People and companies often talk about the importance of diversity, but they don’t always back it up with their actions. We want TONL to be a global image resource, and we hope to grow it as much as possible while still maintaining our authenticity. That means capturing as many different categories, perspectives, and nationalities as we can. Does that involve launching in multiple countries? Who knows. But these are some of the things we think about.

TONL Offers Diverse Stock Photos to Promote Inclusion

Source: TONL

Q: TONL’s growth has been fun to watch. Was this a factor in choosing Salesforce Essentials and CRM?

KO: Sales was definitely top of mind. We have East Coast and West Coast sales reps, so it was important to have a central place for them to track opportunities. I use Salesforce in my “other life” in medical sales, so I knew how it worked. Salesforce Essentials had just come out around the time we launched, and it seemed like a perfect fit for us since it’s designed to help small businesses grow. It had everything we needed, so it was an easy decision for us.

Q: Why is it so important to celebrate diversity?

JK: There’s no downside to diversity. On an individual level, it empowers people to be themselves. On a business level, it helps companies tap into new markets and reach new audiences. The greatest contribution we can make through our platform of diverse stock photography is giving people a true sense of belonging. That’s what drives us.

TONL Offers Diverse Stock Photos to Promote Inclusion

Source: TONL

Q: The “Narratives” section of TONL’s website is fascinating. Why did you choose to include narratives from the models in your photos?

KO: We added the narratives to tell a different story than what’s oftentimes (falsely) portrayed in the media about certain ethnic groups. Black victims, more often than not, get reduced to criminals, which leads to racial profiling. We wanted to do something different and shed a brighter light on people from all kinds of ethnic backgrounds in order to show the world that they, too, are just normal people — real people with real personalities. We wanted to give them a voice and let them be themselves.

Q: Is there one TONL image that outsells the rest?

KO: Yes, this one’s our bestseller:

TONL Offers Diverse Stock Photos to Promote Inclusion

Source: TONL

Q: You’re both entrepreneurs with successful launches under your belts. What advice do you have for someone thinking about starting a business?

KO: My advice is simple: know your “why.” Ideas come and go, but you have to know the reason you’ll get up to work on even your lowest days. If you’re working with someone else, your why’s have to be aligned. If one person views the startup as a business and the other person sees it as a passion project, you’ve got a situation where two people are working together with different why’s. The why – not the what – is most important.

TONL Offers Diverse Stock Photos to Promote Inclusion

Source: TONL

Check out TONL’s website to see how entrepreneurs Karen Okonkwo and Joshua Kissi are disrupting the stock photography market and affecting change.

Then download The Impact of Quality and Values Driven Business Report to gain insights from more than 1,500 business professionals on workplace equality and values driven leadership trends.

Republished by permission. Original here.

Photo via Salesforce

More in: Dreamforce, Salesforce, Sponsored


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A Comprehensive Comparison of the Best Ones to Own

October 18, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Image Credit: Pixabay on Pexels

There has never been a better time to own a pet franchise. After all, 70% of all American households have pets. That’s an estimated 85 million homes and growing. Pet ownership has been on the rise every year during the past two decades. Plus, there’s no end in sight. All of these factors point to strong revenue growth in the pet franchises and dog grooming industry.

 

What Does This Mean for Possible Owners of Pet Franchises?

Investing and managing your own pet franchise has never been easier. Pet care services is a $100 billion global industry. And, according to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), it’s growing.

Now is the perfect time to capitalize on the increasing demand. Invest in one of the many successful pet franchises available. It’s time to achieve and even exceed your financial goals and dreams. What’s more, the best part about owning a pet franchise is that it is one of the most stress-free careers possible. That’s because you’ll be dealing with adorable little doggie clients coming in for their grooming.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: BUYING A FRANCHISE? 3 TIPS THAT WILL LEAD YOU TOWARD SUCCESS

 

Should I Invest in a Pet Franchise?

Are you a pet lover? The most successful franchisees are in love with dogs. This isn’t a skill that can be taught. However, it is one you’ll need in order to be truly successful in the pet franchise industry.

 

What Are the Pros and Cons of Owning a Pet Franchise?

Pros:

  • The biggest advantage of buying into an established franchise is the strength of the brand and the loyalty of its customers.
  • Another advantage is marketing support. Franchises often have the support of national campaigns. Additionally, they have prepared marketing materials for local campaigns.
  • Business support is another aid. There’s a saying in franchising: “You’re in business for yourself, but not by yourself.” It’s less stressful when you know you have a network of support behind you.
  • Training, too, is important. Franchise owners know the best techniques that will help you to become the most successful franchisee possible.
  • Financial assistance is another advantage. Many franchisors provide loans and other assistance to help franchisees.

It’s important to note that billionaire investor Jimmy Buffett, who is a Krispy Kreme franchisee, recommends investing in franchises that have high annual growth.

Cons:

 The initial payout is always inevitable. However, some franchise fees and start-up costs can be inordinately expensive.

  • Royalty payments can be also very expensive. What’s more, as a franchisee, you will have to pay some percentage of the monthly gross back to your franchisor.
  • Limited creativity can also become a factor. Most franchise contracts have very explicit standards. However, it’s important to remember that these are usually in place to help you to be as successful as possible.

 

What Is the Best Pet Franchise for Me to Invest In?

Of all the pet franchises, which one is the best franchise to invest in? Following is a list of the pros and cons of the most successful pet franchises. Here they are, in no specific order.

Dogtopia

Dogtopia is an award-winning dog daycare, boarding, and spa provider. They pride themselves on being a place where pets are valued as family and dogs enjoy playtime. Dogtopia welcomes social dogs of all ages, sizes, breeds, and abilities. The company was founded by Amy Nichols in 2002 and began franchising in 2005.

Dogtopia Pros:

  • Their target customer is the largest demographic in North American history, women millennials.
  • They offer a strong business model. Labor costs are the only key variable expense.
  • Additionally, they offer best-practice sharing workshops with other leading franchises.

Dogtopia Cons:

  • Former employees give Dogtopia mixed reviews. This could indicate a high employee turnover rate.
  • Dogtopia requires a large upfront investment that can range between $416K to $1.07M. This is nearly twice the initial investment that their competitors on this list require.

 

Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique

Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique is an emerging brand. It’s a fast-growing dog franchise that has been breaking growth records along the way. As a matter of fact, Splash and Dash was featured in Inc. Magazine’s list of the country’s 500 fastest-growing companies. What’s more, they were featured not just once, but three times.

From the Splash and Dash website:

“Walking into a Splash and Dash is a unique experience. A bright and eye-pleasing color palette is the first thing customers notice—an inviting, upscale ambiance. Splash and Dash offers the healthiest all-natural foods and treats for their dogs. The toys are eco-friendly. The haircuts are adorable. Remarkably, the prices are affordable and competitive compared to other pet franchises.”

Splash and Dash Pros:

  • Their signature service membership is unique. What’s more, it is easily the franchise’s biggest advantage. This service offers customers unlimited monthly bath and brush for a fixed price. This means a shop owner profits from a recurring revenue stream.
  • Top-of-the-line IT support and proprietary software help a franchise owner to run and operate their business, a key element for success. Shop owners receive extensive training to learn this software. Thereafter, they have the corporate IT team at their disposal.
  • The marketing resources provided by Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique give franchises a proven business plan. Moreover, the company aims for franchisees to break even within six months after opening.
  • Online reviews are always four- and five-star ratings, in contrast with many other dog groomers. These ratings stem from the extensive training they provide their franchisees, as well as their business model. What’s more, your Splash and Dash franchise will rate the highest on Google Search in your locale. In other words, customers will always see your business at the top naturally.
  • Splash and Dash requires only a modest overall investment compared to their competitors on this list. This ranges between $150K to $175K.

Splash and Dash Cons:

  • Splash and Dash, as an emerging brand, does not yet have national name recognition yet.
  • They emphasize strict guidelines to keep franchisees on track. However, these guidelines have proven to lead to success for franchisees.
  • Franchises have to complete with warehouse pet stores such as Petco. On the other hand, these outlets don’t offer niche products and services like small-scale franchises do.

 

Camp Bow Wow

Camp Bow Wow provides a fun, safe, and upscale environment where dogs can play and receive lots of love and attention. They provide a doggy day camp for clients who wish to drop their dogs off in the morning and pick them up in the evening. Additionally, they offer overnight boarding for clients who travel.

Camp Bow Wow Pros:

  • Overnight dog boarding isn’t common among dog franchises.
  • Facilities are monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • They offer a great business model that comes with good brand recognition.

Camp Bow Wow Cons:

  • A former employee complained that the lack of a good screening program for dogs led to dog fights at the facility.
  • Similarly to Dogtopia, there seems to be a high employee turnover rate.
  • The franchise requires a large upfront investment that can range between $860K to $1.19M.

 

pet franchises

 

The Final Word

Before deciding to own a pet franchise or dog franchise, you should do plenty of due diligence. Research prospective companies thoroughly. Moreover, learn how consumers already feel about each of the pet franchises you’re considering. Additionally, get to know how current and former employees feel about the franchise. And gain a comprehensive understanding of local marketing and community involvement as well as a clear understanding of the real estate development process.

Finally, make sure that working with others’ pets is something you would really enjoy doing. If this is true for you, then owning a pet franchise could be a rewarding experience for you.

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6 Valuable Tips to Help You Start an Organic Food Delivery Business

October 18, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Have you been looking for viable commercial opportunities? One of the most interesting options right now is an organic food delivery business. With more and more Americans focusing on eating a healthy diet, organic food is in demand.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: 4 TIPS THAT WILL HELP YOU WITH STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS

 

You Have a Ready Target Audience

Organic food sales are picking up in a big way. PRNewswire has released results of a survey on the eating habits of Americans for 2018. Close to 67% of consumers now choose nutritious foods when shopping for groceries. They want foods that are free of preservatives, chemicals, added sugar, trans fats, and other harmful ingredients.

Further, 47% of shoppers check labels of products carefully for added sugars and avoid buying them. Moreover, 37% of Americans are likely to reject products that contain artificial and chemical food colors or additives. What’s more, both men and women are conscious about buying foods that are sustainably produced.

Patrick Moorhead is the chief marketing officer at Label Insight. He reveals to PRNewswire, “It is no surprise that the majority of consumers are asking brands and retailers to provide more insight and clarity about their products. With so many Americans seeking healthy and socially conscious food, knowing what is in it and how it is processed is a more important selling point now than ever.”

Given this scenario, an organic food delivery business may be the best idea. That’s because your target audience is ready to purchase the products you offer them.

 

Source Products for Your Organic Food Delivery Service from Local Farms

Whether you’re serving ready-to-eat meals or organic meal prep delivery, sourcing the ingredients for your customers is easy. You can buy the food you need from local farms that grow produce using natural fertilizers such as compost and manure. Visit the farms and talk to their owners about the kinds of seeds and other inputs they use. In this way, you can get complete assurance of the purity of the fresh produce you buy.

You could also buy dairy products, meats, and eggs from farms that raise their livestock on the feeds that nature intended them to eat. What’s more, if you can reliably assure your customers that your farmers treat all their livestock humanely, you would have yet another good selling point.

Buying from local farms also helps you to provide the freshest of ingredients. Some of them, perhaps, were even picked the same morning. Thus, you’ll avoid the addition of preservatives that your consumers are so wary about. Additionally, an important positive of buying from these farms is that you will be supporting the community, a factor that your customers are sure to appreciate. In addition, by eliminating agents and middlemen, you can economize on the costs of the supplies you need for your organic food delivery business.

organic food delivery 2

Eliminate the Cost of Packaging Materials

One of the main costs you’re likely to incur is that of packaging materials. While cling wraps, aluminum foil, disposable cutlery, and plastic boxes add to the convenience of delivery, they are wasteful. Using these materials also contributes to non-degradable trash that can eventually find its way into landfills. Choose the greener alternative for your organic food delivery business by opting for more economical methods. Suggest using reusable stainless steel utensils, wooden boxes, and glass mason jars to deliver the food. You can collect the containers on the next drop-off round. Then wash them and deliver food in them again.

Given that your customers are committed to eating healthy, sustainable food, they are sure to welcome your efforts to go green. In addition, you’ll save on the processing costs that most commercial food companies incur. Moreover, you’ll avoid the expenses they have for transporting their products over long distances. Maybe you could pass some of the savings to your customers with reduced pricing and discounts.

 

Cater to a Specific Radius

The unique selling proposition of an organic food delivery business is freshness. A good move is to begin by catering to customers within a particular radius from your operating base. In this way, the only cost you’ll incur is for refrigerating the food to keep it edible. When you’re ready to expand your business because of growing demand, be prepared to set up your next outlet so that it is close to a good organic farm.

organic food delivery 3

Offer to Deliver Produce in Bulk

Most of your customers are likely to be working professionals and busy families that don’t have time for food shopping. Check out this article on GoDaddy that suggests you offer the option of ordering food for an entire week packaged in meal-sized portions. Deliver over the weekend when working people are likely to be home. This will give them time to put away their supplies to use through the week. In this way, you can economize in the cost of transporting the food each day. Again, you could offer discounted costs.

 

Create a Website so Prospective Clients Can Find You

For your organic food delivery business to be successful, you absolutely need to take it online. Creating a great website is easy. Even novices can simply follow the steps clearly outlined on various WordPress and other content management systems. Get an Internet-savvy friend to help you set it up and you’re good to go.

Other effective advertising channels include putting up flyers at your community center. What’s more, word-of-mouth advertising will be a big boon. Begin by reaching out to neighbors, friends, family members, and any other people you know who are committed to good health, nutrition, and going green. Like Matt Ewer reveals to BusinessNewDaily, many people would welcome the opportunity to choose healthier foods. However, they just don’t know how to source it conveniently. This is the audience you’ll want to capture.

 

An Organic Food Delivery Service Is a Smart Opportunity

Starting an organic food delivery business is possibly one of the smartest opportunities available today. There is a massive market just waiting for you. Go ahead and make your mark.

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Facebook Makes Stories Ads Available to All Users – Including Small Businesses

October 17, 2018 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment

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Facebook Stories Ads Available to All Users

After testing ads on Facebook Stories in May of this year, the company just announced the feature is now available to all advertisers around the world — and that includes small businesses.

Facebook Stories and Messenger Stories have grown to 300 million daily users each. The availability of the two platforms for advertising means new ad placement options for businesses looking to reach this audience.

For small businesses who use Facebook, the new ad units will deliver a full screen, immersive environment ad targeting and analytics capabilities. You will also be able to take your stories ad campaigns to Messenger in the near future.

The Reach of Stories

An Ipsos survey carried out for Facebook IQ revealed 68% of people indicated they use Stories on at least three apps on a regular basis. Another 63% said they plan on using stories even more in the future.

Stories are also optimized for the way people use their phone, which is mostly (90%) vertically. The full-screen view allows users to watch images and videos right away.

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = ‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v3.1’; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));

FBB Blog: Introducing Facebook Stories Ads

Posted by Facebook Business on Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Across all of its platforms, Facebook has more than 1.1 billion people using stories. This includes 400M+ on Instagram Stories, 300M+ on Facebook Stories and 450M+ on WhatsApp Status every day.

Facebook says this will eventually lead to Stories surpassing the sharing which takes place in Feeds sometime in 2019.

The Reason Stories is Working

Shortly after Instagram Stories ads was launched in 2017, advertiser embraced the way it was able to connect consumers and brands. In the US 73% of people said Stories made it possible to experience new things outside their everyday lives.

This led Companies large and small around the world to start using the Stories ads. And it resulted in 58% of people stating they are more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in Stories.

 

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = ‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v3.1’; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));

FBB Blog: Introducing Facebook Stories Ads

Posted by Facebook Business on Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Their interest also led to action as 58% said it was responsible for them going to the brand’s website to get additional information. One in two of the people visiting the site did so to buy the product, while another 31% made their purchase in a retail store.

Stories for Small Business

One of the more important data points from the Facebook survey is 46% of users wanted Stories from brands to offer tips or advice.

This is something a small business can do easily to provide value for their customers and keep engaging on social media.

When a consumer identifies your brand with value, it will eventually turn into conversions on your website or retail outlet.

Image: Facebook

This article, “Facebook Makes Stories Ads Available to All Users – Including Small Businesses” was first published on Small Business Trends



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