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A new generation of students has a wide variety of opportunities in front of them. For example, previous generations frequently saw attending a university as a privilege. However, today’s students see college as a tool. They easily initiate discussions with professors, seek unconventional ways of doing things, and add more creativity and critical thinking to the learning process.

Being a college student is no longer their sole occupation. They can easily be busy with running their own businesses while attending lectures and submitting their academic assignments. In fact, starting a business in college is even more effective because students can immediately apply the knowledge they receive at school and see it applied in practice.

Do You Already Have a Startup on Your Resume?

Many college students now have their own startups mentioned in their resumes. However, others are still hesitant about starting their own thing. However, university years are a great time to study and try each opportunity that comes along. To this end, here are several useful tips you can use to launch your business while studying at university:

Identify Your Best Niche

Finding your niche and filling it with high-quality product or service is your key to success. An in-depth understanding of what you can do to help your customers satisfy their needs comes with knowledge and experience.

However, sometimes the best ideas come unexpectedly. Still others require careful planning and thinking. Whatever your path is, give it a thought even while you’re still in college, because it really matters for your venture’s success.

Design a World-Class Business Plan

During your college years, you have enough time to make a mistake and start over. This is your greatest advantage. It gives you a wonderful opportunity to produce a brilliant business plan.

A well-thought-out business plan is one of several critical steps to starting a business. This document, where you analyze each detail carefully, is very helpful in minimizing mistakes. Once you have it on paper, ask your peers what they think. Ask them what they would add as customers to make your idea more customer-oriented.

You may think, “This is not that easy. I’d better have someone do my assignment.” However, nobody feels your idea the way you feel it. Nobody is passionate about making it work the way you are.

Therefore, take advantage of this opportunity while you’re young. Make up your mind now regarding your role in business and draft the best plan ever—while you’re still in college.

Educate Yourself

Your college years provide you with lots of opportunities to get ideas about how to start a successful business. While you’re in college, you are most likely to meet people with good business ideas who can contribute to your vision.

Moreover, they can help you with those business aspects you know little about. You can also attend courses and extracurricular activities that can help you understand better what you should focus on.

Additionally, choose
your courses critically. Decide what information can really be helpful to you
along your way to success. Spend your college years on the things that you find
useful for your business model.

Photo by Naassom Azevedo on Unsplash

Network with Bright Minds While in College

While you are a college student, you have a chance to communicate with the brightest minds. They are your peers, professors, and visiting guests who often come to give lectures. Use this opportunity to get a better idea of how the business world functions.

Additionally, try to make the most of each interaction and each conversation you have. Sometimes invaluable experience or advice can be subtle. So develop the awareness that will allow you to seize it.

Search for Funding During Your College Years

Money is always a problem when it comes to a business venture. Especially when you’re attending college, it can be difficult to save enough to invest in your idea. Therefore, you have to look for people willing to invest in your business.

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During your time at the university, keep abreast of the recent trends in fundraising and crowdfunding. Also, search for sponsors who really believe in your success. This is the time when your passion for making a difference can really help you fulfill your dreams.

Learn to Break Bad News

If you really want your business to succeed, you need to develop your skills. One of the abilities that is very helpful in running a business is learning to say “no.”

if your friends invite you to a party when you have lots of things to do, it is okay to say “no.” If somebody wants to partner with you, but you have doubts about this idea, it is okay to say “no.” In the future, you will need this skill to break bad news to your employees and colleagues, so learn to practice it now.

Make the Most of Your College Years

Running a business is a complex undertaking that requires you to be alert all day every day. However, starting it while you are in college is easier than it would be later.

While you are a college
student, you have access to people, courses, and materials that can direct you
to the best solutions. You can find your niche, develop a perfect business
plan, and network with those who can help you get the money you need to start.
Most importantly, you have time and knowledge combined with a passion for
driving changes. Seize this opportunity and make the most of your university
experience.

About the Author

Jeff Blaylock is a freelance writer who focuses on topics related to business, finance, and entrepreneurship. He often engages in independent journalistic research to shed light on the opportunities that students have while in college. In this post, he analyzes the benefits of starting a business while studying at university.

To read more inspiring articles for beginning entrepreneurs, visit our blog often.

ContractZen offers a centralized solution that helps companies keep due diligence materials up-to-date. Additionally, everyone in your organization will know how to quickly find business documents and contracts, create virtual data rooms in a matter of a few clicks, and organize fully digital meetings.

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ContractZen Facilitates Corporate Governance

Managing critical documents and contracts is never an easy task. The ever-present competition between companies within complex economic environments further complicates this task. Additionally, the various regulations every company needs to comply with make corporate governance a veritable pressure cooker for company managers. Further, the proliferation of information silos can bring on a severe drop in productivity.

However, company leadership can avoid these problems by ensuring that critical documents are kept in a centralized location. Then, employees won’t have to struggle to find those documents when they’re needed most.

Centralized Storage Maximizes Productivity

When you store your critical business documents in a safe, centralized location, you’ll be able to quickly, securely, and easily share them with trusted parties. Meanwhile, you can also maintain powerful access control.

In this article, we take a close look at ContractZen, a turnkey business software service that simplifies digital file management, sharing, and workflows.

ContractZen Is an All-in-One Solution

In a nutshell, ContractZen is an all-in-one SaaS solution. It helps companies keep due diligence materials, meeting documents, and contracts up-to-date. This makes it easier to manage workflows. This is because users can upload, store, share, and manage critical business documents from the cloud.

In addition, with ContractZen, users can easily create new virtual data rooms for all sorts of audit situations with only a few clicks. For example, the software simplifies tax audits, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and similar situations.

Key features on offer with ContractZen are:

1. Contract Management

Navigating “compliance fatigue” in a corporate environment is challenging. However, with ContractZen, you can drag-and-drop multiple files into the cloud-based system at the same time. In other words, you can quickly import your existing documents and get to work right away.

Of course, you can also easily use email with the ContractZen system as well. Additionally, you’ll have the option of setting automated email reminders on contracts. These can notify team members of important upcoming dates. Therefore, you’ll never have to worry about missing, for instance, a contract renewal date.

ContractZen Uses a Unique Metadata Tagging System

Further, ContractZen uses a unique metadata tagging system to create dynamic folders. This gives you quick access to contracts. It does this by improving on the age-old method of storing folders inside folders inside folders.

Alternatively, ContractZen’s metadata-driven storage allows you to organize data based on the type of information it contains, rather than the document it’s contained in.

This way, you can leverage visual tagging to set metadata. This makes it easier to more quickly find the the contract or document you’re looking for. For example, if you’re storing different sorts of contracts—such as NDA’s, licenses, and rentals—you can simply create a tag for each type. This makes it easy to access all related documents.

Easily Integrate an E-Signature Service into the ContractZen Platform

With ContractZen, you can also connect your e-signature service to your contract management hub. This allows you to send documents for signing. Plus, you can keep track of their progress until they’re signed and stored in your account.

ContractZen offers integration with several e-signature services. These include Assently, DocuSign, SignHero, and Adobe Sign.

Additionally, other tools within ContractZen’s suite of features support e-signature integrations as well. These include the virtual data rooms, board portal, financial administration, and meeting management.

All Your Documents Will be Easily Searchable

One of the standout features of this platform is that it’s powered by Microsoft’s Machine Vision OCR technologies.

Here’s how it works: Whenever you upload a document to ContractZen, the software transforms your document into searchable data. This way, you can simply search for what you need instead of trying to remember which document contained what information.

2. Virtual Data Rooms

Virtual data rooms are secure online spaces for storing and exchanging information. You might want to create a virtual data room for due diligence around mergers and acquisitions, for instance. This gives you the ability to effectively and securely execute deals in an online environment, instead of meeting in person to sign documents or review paperwork.

Alternatively, in cases where in-person meetings are necessary, everyone can come to the meeting prepared and with easy access to everything they need.

With ContractZen, you can set up a virtual data room with just a few clicks. Its advanced user management capabilities make it easy to grant access to authorized users. Additionally, you can choose tiered permissions, such as reading, printing, or downloading rights.

The virtual data rooms feature built-in tools for tracking users’ responsibilities by way of tagged documents and attachments. Each tagged document also has a group discussion timeline linked to it.

Documents Stored on the Platform Have Complete Audit Logs

With ContractZen, you can use the metadata tagging system to quickly find all of the documents you’re looking for. Then you can add them to a virtual data room on an ad hoc basis. For example, if you want to share documents relating to a specific company, simply search for it using the company’s name. Then add them to the virtual data room all at once.

In addition, documents circulated through virtual data rooms have complete audit logs and reports. This underrated feature can be especially useful in joint venture or merger and acquisition scenarios. ContractZen gives you insight into user actions, along with IP address tracking. Knowing who’s reviewing your documents (and when) can help companies maximize deal value.

From a technical standpoint, all documents and attachments are encrypted using RSA 256 encryption. The virtual data rooms themselves also have encrypted connections using Symantec SHA 256 RSA SSL. This means that documents stored within the ContractZen system are secure.

3. Meeting Management

Using ContractZen, you can manage board meetings, sales calls, and executive meetings. This will increase work efficiency, along with creating a better audit trail.

ContractZen’s meeting portal paves the way for a fully digital meeting process. This includes everything from scheduling the meeting to signing documents and contracts. Moreover, users can create meeting agendas and meeting minutes in mere moments. It also features a review tool for gathering feedback from attendees. All of this is done in a digital environment with no paper involved.

The Platform Includes a Built-In Meeting Scheduler

The platform also features a powerful, built-in meeting scheduler that takes the grunt work out of finding available slots that suit all stakeholders.

What’s more, it lets hosts send out invitations for meetings in a single click, then set automated email reminders. This way, there’s virtually no excuse for anyone to miss a meeting.

Use It for Task Management

ContractZen also has built-in features for effective task management and team collaboration. Specifically, it lets you create, prioritize, and follow up on tasks that have been agreed on during meetings.

Users can also securely share the meeting agenda and materials with their team. It also features a MeetingBook tool that lets users digitally add personal comments and annotations to materials.

Use the Platform on the Fly

ContractZen is a cloud-based service. This means it’s designed to work seamlessly across all devices. Therefore, corporate users have uninterrupted access to important business documents on the go.

Conclusion

ContractZen includes features like metadata-driven contract management, virtual data rooms, and meeting management capabilities, all rolled into one powerful corporate governance tool. It helps companies improve business operations by effectively reducing costs, accelerating internal and external processes, and minimizing risks with its top-notch encryption and security systems.

Its centralized solution will help to keep your company’s due diligence materials up-to-date. What’s more, everyone in your organization will be able to quickly find business documents and contracts, create virtual data rooms in a matter of a few clicks, and organize fully digital meetings.

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SaleSource is an AI-powered, ecommerce marketing tool that helps online businesses grow faster. At its core, SaleSource provides business owners with the ability to analyze products, evaluate market trends, and keep a close eye on competitors. These things are crucial in finding hot, trending products.

Drop Shipping Will Help You Start Your Own Business

In recent years drop shipping has become a popular way of earning income from the comfort of your own home.

For example, let’s say you’ve been thinking about opening up your own online business, but you don’t know where to start. You don’t know what you should sell and you don’t have much money to invest into products. Plus, when you look around, you don’t have room for inventory.

That’s where drop shipping comes in. With drop shipping you can sell products online without their ever spending time in your garage. All you need is a computer, an online store, and a basic understanding of how to market and sell online.

How Does Drop Shipping Work?

Here’s how it works, in a nutshell. First, you find what you want to sell from a supplier. Then list that product on your website at a price you set.

Next, when someone places an order for that product, they pay you the retail price you’ve set. At this point, you’ll place the order with your supplier. They sell you the item at wholesale price.

Now, here comes the best part: you now have that item shipped directly to your customer.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you found a watch on a supplier’s website for $10. You would then list it on your own website for $30. When the order comes through your website, you then place your order with your supplier. You give the supplier your customer’s information so they can ship the product for you directly to your customer.

Finally, you keeping the $20 profit you just made. That’s pretty much it.

Here’s How SaleSource Fits In

Now, you might be wondering why somebody wouldn’t just order the watch directly from your supplier’s website?

Well, there are a few interesting phenomena at play here. For one thing, the Internet is vast. For another, most consumers have no idea which supplier to turn to when they want to buy something. Most are in a hurry, so they don’t take the time to find out which suppliers are best suppliers to meet their needs.

Then again, when people buy things online, they’re not just buying into products. They’re buying into the marketing, brand, trust, and lifestyle these products represent.

With drop shipping, you can focus on marketing your products. That is, you can practice saying the right things at the right time and providing real value to the right people. You’re free do these things because you’re not warehousing your inventory. Nor are you having to deal with most of the other challenges that come with running an ecommerce business.

However, one of the most important aspects of this business model is to actually find good quality products to sell. That’s where product tools like SaleSource come in really handy.

Learn More from This SaleSource Review

SaleSource is an AI-powered ecommerce marketing tool that helps online businesses grow faster. At its core, SaleSource provides business owners with the ability to analyze products, evaluate market trends, and keep a close eye on competitors. These things are crucial in finding hot, trending products.

SaleSource is made up of four different elements. These are the product analyzer, the store analyzer, the marketing center, and the sales center. These elements allow users to:

• Find long-term best-selling products
• Identify the cheapest and most reliable long-term suppliers
• Identify viral products
• Make easy and convenient price comparisons across the board
• Identify and keep a close eye on competitors
• Make sure products aren’t saturated
• Get better at marketing with compelling product descriptions and high-converting product videos

SaleSource Product Center

The SaleSource Product Center will give you all of the most important data you’ll need to know before attempting to market a particular product. At its heart is the product analyzer. This gives you the ability to determine whether the product has potential as a lucrative item in your online store.

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Also, it has a tool where you can either drop product images into the software, as shown here….

… or you can import the Aliexpress or Shopify product link, as shown in the image below.

There is also a third way, which is to use the Chrome extension, like so:

This versatility makes SaleSource a truly useful tool that will suit almost every online seller.

After you have uploaded your products and SaleSource has completed its analysis, you’ll be able to see all of the key product data. This would include the least expensive and most reliable suppliers, as well as your competitors, product descriptions, and product videos.

Additionally, the product center contains sections that will help you to carry out targeted product research. For example, you can search for topics such as “Trending Now,” “Best Sellers By Niche,” and “Best Sellers All Time.”

All of these topics are routinely updated by the AI-powered software, which continuously scouts the Internet to find the best deals.

SaleSource Store Center

This feature allows users to perform in-depth analytics of their store’s competitors. To put it simply, the product center helps you find your competitors. Meanwhile, the store center helps you to take your best ideas and apply your own marketing and product research strategy.

Additionally, the store analyzer will provide you with information about your competitors. For example, you will learn about their estimated monthly revenue, as well as their best-selling products, their Facebook marketing campaigns, and the apps they use. Here’s an example in the image below:

You’ll also be able to view the “Top Stores” (both generally and by niche). For inspiration, use the “Store Tracker.” This way, you’ll never lose sight of your key competitors. You can also tap into the professionally curated “Store Checklist.” Every drop shipping store needs to have access to tools like these in order to be successful.

SaleSource Marketing Center

This feature will help you to market your products the right way, using product videos to capture consumers’ attention. The marketing center offers up a product video finder, for example, as well as a Facebook video ad finder and a traffic checker.

Facebook Video Ad Finder

The Facebook Video Ad Finder is particularly useful, as it is filled with a seemingly endless array of relevant product videos. In fact, there are more than 300,000 of these videos at the time this article is being published, with more on the way, all the time.

What’s more, you can use any of these videos in your own marketing campaigns. Just imagine: More than 300,000 ideas are just waiting for you to use them in your own marketing campaigns. This gives you an extraordinary opportunity to excel in the marketplace and outpace your competition.

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SaleSource Sale Center

When you first visit the Sale Center, you’ll see some short training videos, which are definitely worth watching. There is also an “Import From Shopify” feature. This comes in super handy for those online business owners who are using the Shopify platform (by far the most widely used platform in the drop shipping business).

Arguably the most underrated SaleSource feature is called “Factory Pricing.” Here, a dedicated team of specialists source specific items at your request. This will help you to avoid large mark-ups. (You might run into this problem otherwise, as there is no guarantee that you’re always dealing with suppliers directly.)

What About Pricing?

SaleSource pricing currently stands at $69 a month. If you review all of the SaleSource features we discuss here, you’ll have to admit what a bargain this is. In short, you’ll not only be getting what you’re paying for, but you’ll get, in fact, so much more.

SaleSource Could Be the Answer to Your Prayers

SaleSource is a cutting-edge, ecommerce product research tool that may well be the answer to the prayers of small online business owners and drop shippers.

Of course you could manually do what each of the features of SaleSource does. However, doing that would take a staggering amount of time. To put it bluntly, SaleSource does a great job of saving business owners both time and money. Moreover, with SaleSource, you’ll no longer find yourself wasting time on products that don’t sell.

So if you’re serious about starting and running a successful online business, $69 a month is a small price to pay, because with SaleSource you’ll have much better odds at succeeding.

For more ideas about how to start and run your own online business, take a few minutes and browse our site.

Holding business lunches is essential for meeting new clients and networking. Lunch meetings allow you to meet potential clients with added intimacy. Gatherings among influencers in your industry can help you devise new strategies that will elevate your business to greater heights. Utilizing a meeting over lunch allows for generative dialogue and shared fun which enhances creative energy.

Expense is always an issue when hosting a business lunch. It is only sensible to claim back the amount you spend on food if you are self-employed. Employees of all kinds should be informed about Claiming Business lunches to learn about best practices. Still, whether or not to claim an expense impacts year-end tax deductions for employees and businesses. Consultation about appropriate expense claims may be necessary. Companies like Fusion Chartered Accountants provide access to SME focused accountants offering the right advice on this matter. 

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Once you have determined the appropriate expense practices, you will be prepared to host a meal with clients and stakeholders. Of utmost importance when holding this type of meeting is your company’s image. You must ensure that everything you do and present is in line with your company’s image. The following are tips for a successful business lunch.

Business Lunch Attire

How you dress for any kind of meeting communicates a lot about your company. Relaxed attire signals a relaxed work environment. Business formal attire communicates that working with you means working with a professional. Chances are you are aware you are attending a business lunch, so you will probably don the right attire. However, if you are uncertain, the purpose of the meeting can provide insight on the attire that is expected. What you wear has an impact on the success of selling your products or services, as well as your company values.

Photo by Rebrand Cities from Pexels

Be Prepared

Preparation is vital to ensuring your business lunch is successful. This is especially true if you are hosting the lunch. Familiarize yourself with the venue and their menu in advance. Doing so will guarantee your ability to answer questions among your attendees and placing your order expediently. 

Be prepared for the kind of discussion you want to have during lunch. Because a business lunch is time-limited, it is important to utilize your time well. Having an agenda or list of issues you hope to discuss will keep you on track.

Stay Self-Aware

You should be in control of your emotional presence when engaging in the discussion over lunch. Though some companies allow the consumption of alcohol at a business lunch, it may be best to avoid it. Alcohol can impair your speech and lower your self-awareness. Countless mistakes can be made when you are not in full control of your thoughts and actions. Also, the people you are meeting may have different views about alcohol, and your use of alcohol during a business meeting may negatively influence them about you or your company. 

Business Lunch Manners & Etiquette

How you order your meal at a business lunch can also impact the image your guests have of you and your company. Treat waitstaff politely, speak clearly, and be patient. Consider allowing your guests to place their order first. If you are not ordering the same meal as them, then look for something that is of comparable size to what they have ordered. Choose a less expensive meal if you are not the one paying the bill.

Proper eating etiquette is also essential during such meetings. You should display high levels of hygiene when having your meals. Eat at a reasonable pace so as to not risk making a mess. Order meals that are easy to consume and allow you to avoid spills and drops on your clothing. 

When you follow these tips, you are sure to have a successful business lunch.