The 10 Best Credit Cards for Small Businesses
Starting your very own small business can be a very exciting and very stressful time. Even before the doors open, a massive amount of work needs to be done to ensure the business is successful right out of the gate. Too many small businesses fail because they’re unprepared with initial costs and one of the ways to ensure any small business is getting the best bang for their buck is by owning a small business credit card.
Most small business credit cards are geared toward two types of rewards programs; travel and cash back. Here’s a look at the ten top small business credit cards available to business owners today.
The Plum Card® from American Express OPEN
My personal favorite, the Plum Card from American Express OPEN is a charge card which simply means that a small business owner has no pre-set spending limit. This also means the card has no interest rate so purchases are due in full every month. As an added bonus, if you pay 10 days early each month, you’ll receive a 1.5% discount, effectively providing you with a 1.5% cash back rate. There is an annual fee of $185, but it’s waived during the first year.
Ink Cash(SM) Business
The Ink Cash Business offers the biggest up-front incentive on our list, giving new cardholders a $250 cash bonus after they spend $500 in the first three months. 5% cash back is earned on office supply, cellular and cable services, 2% cash back is earned on gasoline and restaurant purchases and 1% cash back is earned on all other purchases. There is a limit of $25,000 spent annually that triggers the 5% and 2% cash back categories (so once you’ve spent $25,000 in gas and at restaurants, you’ll earn 1% for the remainder of the year) but this card also includes a 0% intro APR on purchases for six months AND does not charge an annual fee.
The New Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN
Another one of American Express’s line of charge cards, the new Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN dishes out rewards points in tier levels. 3x points on travel purchases, 2x points on gas, advertising and shipping purchases and 1x points on everything else makes for a very solid rewards program. There is a hefty $175 annual fee which is kindly waived during the first year and every small business owner can expect the full line of AMEX perks.
Capital One® SparkSM Cash for Business
A fairly new credit card, the Cap One Spark Cash for Business is a no-nonsense small business card offering 2% cash back on every purchase. New cardholders will also earn a $100 cash bonus after spending $1,000 in the first three months with another $50 cash bonus coming after an additional employee is added to the account. The $59 annual fee is waived during the first year and this card includes a very low 13.9% variable APR.
TrueEarnings® Business Card from Costco and American Express
The best card on our list for the local traveler, the TrueEarnings Business Card from Costco and American Express offers 4% cash back on gasoline purchases (up to $6,000 spent annually), 3% cash back at restaurants, 2% cash back on travel and 1% cash back on everything else. The 1% cash back includes at Costco and there is no annual fee so long as your Costco membership is paid every year. Cardholders will also find a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first six months.
Bank of America® Cash Rewards for Business MasterCard® Card
Another great cash back business card to fill out our list is the Bank of America Cash Rewards for Business MasterCard Card. Cardholders will earn 3% cashback at gas stations, office supply stores and for computer network services, 2% cash back at restaurants and 1% cash back on all other purchases. There is no annual fee to own this credit card and it comes with a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first nine months.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN
The most powerful of business credit cards, the Business Platinum Card from American Express OPEN provides its members the best perks any business card can. Complimentary airport lounge passes, an annual $200 travel reimbursement and 24-hour concierge service are just some of the things every business owner will receive when owning this charge card (remember, payment in full every month). The big downside to having this power and prestige is a $450 annual fee.
Capital One® SparkSM Miles for Business
Similar to the Spark Cash card listed above, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business offers double miles on all purchases. 10,000 bonus miles are provided to businesses that spend at least $1,000 in the first three months of card ownership and another 5,000 miles are awarded when an additional employee is added. A $59 annual fee accompanies this travel themed small business card but Capital One will not charge it for the first year.
SimplyCash® Business Card from American Express OPEN
The least expensive American Express business card to own; the SimplyCash Business Card from American Express OPEN provides cash back on every purchase. It’s earned based on purchase categories; 5% cash back on office supplies and wireless services, 3% cash back on auto gasoline and 1% cash back on everything else. Cardholders can save an additional 3% – 10% on select merchants like FedEx and Hertz and are also offered a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months. This card is annual fee FREE.
Capital One® SparkSM Classic for Business
The last but not least card to make this list is the Capital One Spark Classic for Business. This is actually the small business card I own, and I chose it because my credit score would be classified as below-average to average. The card offers 1% cash back on all purchases and does not have an annual fee. The upside is that it’s perfect for a small business owner with less than excellent credit … the only card on our list which is offered to mid-600 FICO score consumers.
About the Author: Founded in 2004, CompareCards.com is an online resource that provides expert reviews, tips and tools to find and compare credit cards. Visit CompareCards.com today and review the credit card deals that fit your lifestyle and/or current needs.
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10 Steps to Planning an Office Move
Planning an office move can be a daunting and time-consuming project to execute successfully. With so many tasks to juggle, deadlines to meet and people to organise, these 10 practical and easy steps cover all the important issues to help you plan, organise and execute a smooth and hassle-free office move.
Step 1: Define your reasons for moving
Expanding, downsizing, reducing costs or the need a better location are all contributing factors to businesses needing to move office. By having a clear understanding of your reasons for moving will help you to set your goals, new office requirements and communicate a clear and consistent message to staff and clients.
Step 2: Get a Checklist
A Moving Office Checklist is the starting point to planning a successful office move. It will guide you through the entire office move process from start to finish and become your “roadmap” to organise and execute a smooth office move without any disruption to business.
Step 3: Know your Key Dates
Once you have determined when you will be vacating your existing office, you can then begin to work backwards to establish what important tasks need to be done by, and when. Prepare a timeline of events and set yourself daily or weekly reminders so you ensure you never miss a deadline.
Step 4: Set a Budget
When your business is relocating you need to know roughly how much your office move is going to cost and more importantly, where all your money is going. Setting a realistic budget from the outset will help you keep a track of what’s being spent and avoid any unnecessary overspend.
Step 5: Brief your Property Agent
Select a local Property Agent to help you find the right office space and negotiate the best office lease terms. They’ll be able to advise you on the right size of office to look for, assess what facilities you need, and determine the best location for your business.
Step 6: Book your Office Removals Company
Choose and book an Office Removals Company. A meeting with them will help you to establish which office furniture items are going to be moved, what needs replacing and what can be disposed of.
Step 7: Plan your new Office Design & Space Layout
The design and delivery of your newly found office is central to the continuing success of your business. Good office design helps to improve productivity and increase staff morale. Appoint an Office Fit-Out Company to help you transform your new office space into an effective and functional workplace.
Step 8: Plan your IT Relocation
Work out the logistics of moving and re-commissioning your PCs and telephones in the new office. The right IT infrastructure will need to be in place in the new office so that your IT equipment is working as should in the new office without any disruption to services.
Step 9: Finalise your Office Lease
Ask a Property Solicitor to check through your office lease to make sure everything has been documented correctly before you sign the office lease.
Step 10: Dilapidations
Before you hand over your “old” office back to the Landlord, ensure that all dilapidations have been carried out and that the office is in a good state of repair so there will be no dispute in returning your rental deposit.
About the Author: Help Moving Office is the free website that guides companies through the office move process. It offers free Moving Office Checklists & Office Relocation Planning Guides to ensure that office moves happen on time, to budget and with the minimum disruption to the business.
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How to Dominate SEO with Current Content
Focus on Material
As a business owner or CEO trying to broaden your internet target and get recognized, I’m sure you are aware of the significance of new, fresh, recurring material on your site of all kinds. When it comes to written material on page copy or blogs and articles, you need to have the ability to write well, be informative and entertain, that’s obvious. That’s for your audience. But if you can’t write as well for Google and the other search engines to maximize your subject matter for Search Engine Marketing, you are the proverbial tree in the forest that falls when no one else is around. This post provides an often talked about yet misunderstood tool to help you make your subject matter applicable and explode your SEO online.
Google Adwords
Perhaps you’ve heard of Google Adwords, Google’s key pay for placement tool on their mother of all search engine returns. You may have run a campaign or I bet you’ve at least been petitioned by Google Adwords “experts” to run your campaigns for you to help you pay less per click, otherwise known as PPC.
Well, Google offers a free instrument to help you choose keywords and phrases depending upon how much they are searched every month and how much opposition there is from other marketers. It’s called the Google Adwords Keyword Tool and while it is designed for advertisers, it exposes plenty of clues about search engine optimizing your written content (or video tags) for your page copy and blogs. Unlike what many think, you do not have to have an Adwords account to utilize this tool, and here is the link, so keep this:
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
I could tell you about it, but why don’t I just show you. Watch this instructional Vlog video:
Awkward Wording
When I write I like to write for the people reading. I’ve seen too much content composed for search engine optimization that really stinks to the point of being unintelligible, cramming keywords unnaturally into sentences. It’s uncomfortable to write like this in my opinion, and perhaps for you, because it just feels weird and you can end up with a write-up or blog that seems bogus. Here are a few ideas for getting adjusted to it:
1. Utilize the Adwords Tool first and uncover 3-5 keywords (phrases) for your content, using high-traffic, low-competition keywords where available. Write them on a list in front of you.
2. Lay out your paragraph or article in light of the phrases you picked out for SEO. It may provide a different angle than you first had or take you down a different direction that you know interests the people out there.
3. Write your article dropping in the key phrases on your list where they click. Add a check mark each time you use a keyword, and you can use variants of a keyword to not sound too redundant (spot gold, spot gold prices, spot gold pricing, gold prices).
4. Proof-read for sanity and information flow, and revise where needed.
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That’s it! Get used to that process and it will get easier and easier.
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About the Author: Karl Walinskas is the CEO of Smart Company Growth, a business development firm that helps small to mid-size professional service firms build competitive advantage in an online world of sameness. He is author of numerous articles and the Smart Blog on leadership, business communication, sales & service, public speaking and virtual business, and Getting Connected Through Exceptional Leadership, available in theSmartShop. Get your FREE LinkedIn Profile Optimization eBook & Video Course, Video Marketing video and course, or Mastermind Groups e-course & video now.
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5 Ways Social Media Can Make your Business Look Bigger
Big businesses have always had an advantage when it comes to reaching customers. This was because of their big marketing budgets and their ability to utilise large long-term contracts. Whilst these advantages have not disappeared, they do not matter as much anymore and there is a simple reason for this: Social Media. Social Media has enabled the smallest of companies to compete with the largest of companies and it is all free. This article will consider how you can make your business look bigger and more prosperous than it actually is through the use of clever network management and free social media.
1. Become a Trusted Field Expert
Blogging will allow you to establish yourself as an expert in your field. By providing free and accurate advice you will create an ideal relationship with your customers and trigger an increase in email opt-in communications. This method will help to generate leads for your sales team and demonstrate that you are capable in your field.
Additional benefits come through the promotion of your site through Search Engine Optimisation. Google and other search engines provide great website ranking benefits to those who write blogs.
2. Build a Custom Facebook Page
Facebook provides a huge potential market but it is important that you approach this area correctly. Your Facebook page will need to offer the customer something which will make them want to return to it. Include interesting discussions, engaging materials and relevant information about your business. By including an email communications opt-in on the page, you will be able to generate a greater customer contact list.
3. Professional Videos
Video marketing is easy. What was once out of reach for most small businesses is something which can be produced at a very low cost now. The advent of Youtube allows you to present your business to the world through the medium of video. Video hosting is free, so all that you need to do is create the material to place online. Website visitors who watch an online product video are 85% more likely to make a purchase than those who don’t, so it is wise to seriously consider this option.
4. Give It Up For Free
By providing e-books, tips, guides, and other methods of free help, you will be able to demonstrate your expertise and convince potential customers that your business is the right place to go. Customers are far more likely to utilise a business which has offered them a high quality free trial than they are to trust in an unknown and untrusted source. Providing free services is a great way to generate custom.
5. Dominate the Search Engines
Part of your business’ IT service should focus heavily on Search Engine Optimisation. Social media channels will enable you to optimise your SEO ranking. The number of times that a link or video that you have created has been shared will directly impact on the prominence of your company in search engines. If you can make it so that your business is the first result for your industry keywords then you will be able to easily and effectively get a step ahead of the competition.
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From Peer to Manager: 3 Steps to Going From One of the Gang to the Boss
“Congratulations. You’ve been promoted.” All of your hard work has paid off. All of those long hours you spent in the office did not go unnoticed, and you’re rising through the ranks. So what’s next? You know that making the transition from employee to manager will take some work. However, you’re also making the transition from peer to manager, which poses an additional set of challenges that you didn’t anticipate.
Prior to my current position as Vice President of Consero Group LLC, the events services company that I co-founded last year, I had the good fortune to be promoted on several occasions. In each case, I was put in the position of managing individuals who had been colleagues of mine, or had even been more experienced.
In one case in particular, I was asked to manage someone with whom I had started at the company on the same date some months before. Following each promotion, I was confident that I had the skills to provide direction and lead by example; however, I was not prepared for the emotional and political strains caused by my supervising former peers.
Having been through this situation multiple times, it is clear to me that management status comes at a price. It is also clear that there are certain strategies and methods that are critical to employ when you find yourself in a new position in charge of people who were once your peers. Here are a few pointers that may help you as you take a step up the corporate ladder:
3 Steps to Going From One of the Gang to the Boss
1. Be confident in your own abilities. When you are promoted from a group of peers, it is easy for others to question the decision or harbor resentment. The best way to overcome these sentiments and garner respect is to take the reins and lead with conviction. Your new reports will need this in order for the team as a whole to succeed. Be confident in your abilities to handle the management duties expected of you.
2. Clearly communicate your new role and expectations. Don’t be afraid to sit down and talk with your team members. Understand that your new role is not just challenging for you, but for them, too. Make sure you clearly communicate your new responsibilities and the metrics by which you will be evaluated; setting clear expectations of what is required of you, and what you need from them, is critical from the very beginning.
3. Draw boundaries and stick to them. While there is nothing wrong with remaining friends with your former peers, by going out for the occasional lunch for example, you will need to set a new, professional tone and create boundaries among your relationships. Perhaps for the first time, the company’s needs and interests take priority, and you may well encounter some rule-breaking that will require you to discipline or terminate a friend. If you draw appropriate lines ahead of time, you’ll be much better off when such situations arise.
If you follow these simple steps, moving up the corporate ladder will most certainly be easier. If at any point the transition becomes overwhelming, always remember that you earned this promotion. Now, it’s time to lead in the way that you know you can.
About the Author: Jessica Druckman is a Founder and the Vice President for Program Development of Consero. Ms. Druckman is responsible for conducting market research, writing program agendas, and organizing the faculties for Consero Forums. Through carefully-planned programming, Ms. Druckman ensures that Consero delegates leave each Forum with practical business skills that spur corporate growth.
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Claim Your Competitive Edge: Always Be First
Lot of ways to make your small company competitive and gain a lead over the other guys battling it out for your clients. One of the best techniques is, when you have an innovation or strategy to offer consumers, be sure you arrive first. You’ll gain a competitive advantage that will be tough to overcome unless your product or service is a failure.
The One That Got Away
As a young guy in my 20s, I’d been going to the beaches in Maryland every summer season looking for useful things to do, like party and pick up chicks (that is girls or women for the mature yet unwashed masses). Most of the time you end up on the beach soaking in the sun and getting as dark as possible because of how intelligent it makes you look. But Houston, I had a problem. My ethnic background is German, Eastern European, and by now you know that if I don’t get the sun block on in a major way, my summer vacation goes up in the flames of red, burned skin– the anti-chick magnet.
Big problem: How do I get sunscreen on my back at the beach to prevent sunburn while being a bit too shy to ask every passing girl? It is an inescapable conclusion that, in public, your buds can NOT apply sunscreen to your back. Anti-cool points to the max, no chance with any women within 5 miles.
No worries, I thought, I am innovative and imaginative. I take a paint stick (untouched) and glue a foam pad to the end of it. I take it to the beach, apply SPF 15 on the pad, and proceed to apply sun block to my back like a champ, preventing the burn and maintaining at arms distance from my male friends. A true win-win.
“Hey Karl, that’s a great invention dude, you oughta patent it. Toss me another Bud Lite dude.” And so I tossed the beverage and forgot about guarding the idea. Go forward 5 years later, I am preparing for an adult getaway to the Bahamas in the winter by doing the reasonable thing: going to a tanning booth. I walk in and the first thing I see is “The Back Applicator”, a 18 inch long plastic stick with, get ready, a foam pad at one end to self-apply overpriced tanning salon sun block.
I walked out, kicking myself for not getting rich on being the first guy with this idea, knowing the other guy or gal was a flipping millionaire by this point.
My Wife’s Big Idea
About 3 months ago my spouse presented me with an idea while she was two sheets to the wind on Pinot Grigio. I can’t tell you the suggestion because, in my view, it was a game changer. Virtually, as I told her, something that we’d need venture capital to execute but would change society as we know it if carried out. Stop asking, I can not reveal the idea.
Well, we’ve been talking about it for the past few months. I helped out and did some investigation, and guess what I found? Three other companies are test marketing this very idea, maybe not exactly but close enough for intellectual property sake.
Missed again! We’re talking about a spin on the idea now that includes cell phones. What can potentially go wrong?
Our Little Beach
When my kid was four or five years old, there was a little strip of land about two miles from our waterside home via the river that we would take the Jet ski to and hang out. We’d cruise over with my son in my lap doing about 10 miles an hour to keep his head from getting whiplash and spend the whole day there, wading in the water and drinking non-alcoholic drinks. Since we were the only ones there we named this little venue “Jack’s Beach”, named after said kid.
My spouse Lora gets a mural painter to paint Jack’s room that summer, and she indeed paints Jack’s Beach, with surfboards embedded the sand and a street sign marking the territory. Pretty cool.
Now Jack is ten. We continue to go to Jack’s beach. I am not making up this next part, I swear. We went there this year and there is an 8 foot high wood street sign embedded in the sand on Jack’s Beach, with absolutely nothing on it! We did NOT put this there, but it was just too poetic.
Well what do you imagine I did? I got a can of paint and a small paintbrush, Jet skied over to the sign in broad daylight, and gave it the proper name. You can read my kid’s name from 30 yards in the water.
A couple of weeks down the road we meet a couple of new friends while out for dinner in a neighborhood restaurant. They tell us they take their boat to a private little beach for fun and so do their friends. “Where may that be?” I ask, feigning interest. “Oh, it’s called ‘Jack’s Beach’ over on the other side of the bridge.”
SCORE.
Create Your Own Competitive Advantage
OK, I’m not promoting tickets to Jack’s Beach … yet, but these three little vignettes tell a story. Don’t be the doofus who didn’t safeguard his idea of a back sun block applicator to watch someone else get all of the splendor. If you have a plan, even a little one that helps your consumers or does something in a different way or better, claim it.
Is it patentable? Find out at http://www.uspto.gov/ and doing an investigation. Invent a logo and copyright the artwork. Go get 5 sites that other people might want to copy and promote your concept with. Most significantly, don’t hesitate in taking action if you really think it’s a winning concept.
ASSERT THAT SUCKER FIRST! Be the company that sets the new standard before your rival does. Ask yourself these easy questions:
The Development Acid Test
1. Do I see this out there in the current market? (Internet search)
2. Can this genuinely aid my customers?
3. Is this cool and unequaled?
4. Can I visualize somebody purchasing this?
If your answers are N-Y-Y-Y (as in no-yes-yes-yes) to these questions, go claim that beach my friend! If your concept is awful and no one replicas it, you can still make money at it or at worst, you lost a few bucks and a little time. If you get copycats, you know you’re on to something. If you’ve done it right and yield value on the promise, your opponents will always be behind and you ‘ll be patting yourself on the back, with either your hand or your $10.99 Back Sun block Applicator.
About the Author: Karl Walinskas is the CEO of Smart Company Growth, a business development firm that helps small to mid-size professional service firms build competitive advantage in an online world of sameness. He is author of numerous articles and the Smart Blog on leadership, business communication, sales & service, public speaking and virtual business, and Getting Connected Through Exceptional Leadership, available in the SmartShop. Get your FREE LinkedIn Profile Optimization eBook & Video Course, Video Marketing video and course, or Mastermind Groups e-course & video now.
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Photo Credit: The Happy Rower
Cut Costs with Video Conferencing
Business travel expense can take up a huge amount of a company’s annual budget. Travelling to attend meetings, seminars and trade events can prove a costly procedure, especially when accommodation, food and salary are all included.
Although much of this travel is necessary for the development of a business, it’s not only the company’s budget that is under threat but the environment as well. Planes, trains and motor vehicles all release harmful emissions and fumes into the atmosphere, spelling disaster for plant, animal and human life alike. Cars alone discharge around 4 tonnes of harmful chemicals into the air every year which affects people’s health and well-being. Businesses need to address this matter as they are potentially harming the people in which they serve.
Although businesses are becoming more and more open to the idea of ‘going green’, it is a surprise that most haven’t picked up on the benefits of video conferencing. Whilst many have adapted to procedures involving recycling and reduced paper waste, journeys that could be eliminated through the use of this technology are not being practised by the majority.
Video conferencing gives businesses the ability to set up client and colleague meetings without the need to leave a desk. Via an internet connection, people are able to undergo real-time face-to-face interaction whilst situated at opposite ends of the world. Whether it’s communicating with present clients, potential clients, work colleagues or giving a talk at a seminar, businesses are able to conduct compulsory and necessary activities without the hassle of arranging transport and accommodation.
Helping the environment whilst saving valuable money is just one of the many advantages associated with video conferencing. Although the initial cost may seem steep, the increase in productivity and reduction in paper usage cannot be ignored. This is due to the fact that all footage can be saved and downloaded, meaning there is no need for hand-outs or copies of slides because all of this can be done electronically, over the internet.
Businesses should not neglect the benefits of such equipment. It has already proved extremely useful for those who have already implemented it into their routine. Necessary conversations regarding the general running and the future of a company can still be done but without the travel and expense.
About the Author: This is a guest post by Nicola Winters on behalf of LifeSize, a leading supplier of video conferencing equipment.
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Why Improving Your Business Signage Is a Must (As Explained By An Award-Winning Orange County Signs Maker)
Having an attention-getting sign is critical for your local businesses – no matter the industry. Your business signage identifies your business and location and it establishes your business image. Your business signage is the core of your brand identity strategy, whether it is proudly mounted on the building, on your booth or display at a trade show, or on your company vehicles.
It’s also the most cost-effective advertising you can do. The Small Business Administration says, “…signs are the most effective, yet least expensive form of advertising for the small business.” Building signage is often taken for granted, but signs are always on the job, advertising 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
How Improved Business Signage Will Help You Brand Your Company, Communicate with a Highly-Mobile Society & Leverage Your Advertising Efforts
1 Your business signage is the only indicator that you exist and would like your prospect’s patronage.
2 A frequently-noticed business sign sends your message to more people per dollar invested than any other form of advertising. For example, if you display a $200 sign for one year at a location where 10,000 cars pass every day, you’ve reached over 3.5 million people (not counting passengers), at a cost per person of less than $.000057. (Less than six hundred-thousandths of a dollar.) Even a high-end, lighted or monument sign that costs $5000, still reaches those people at a cost of $.0014, or a little over a tenth of a cent each.
3 95% of retail business is location-based. As consumers pass by your place of business, an attractive and effective on-premise sign will leave a positive impression. When the time comes to make a decision or purchase, consumers will be attracted to you.
4 About 40 million Americans move annually to a new home, all needing to buy goods and services, and looking for brands that stand out.
5 Enhanced sign technology allows sign faces to be easily changed to match evolving marketing circumstances. New developments in lighting, plastics, digital printing resolution, and color profiling mean signs can now achieve the same visual effect as four-color magazine advertising.
6 Your company does not need to be a national franchise with a major advertising budget to “brand” your site with effective signage. If appropriately designed and placed, your sign can develop top-of-mind awareness of your products and services, no matter the size of your business.
7 Many communities and cities have strict sign codes requiring that signage remains attractive and in harmony with the look and feel of the community, while encouraging business activities. Advances in sign design and technology means that via signage, your company can communicate more effectively to potential customers in a way that enhances both your site and the community at large.
8 Purchase habits can be influenced with effective signage. Pricing or product information can influence a purchase decision or prompt an unplanned stop, which is critical, since nearly all businesses rely in part on impulse visits.
9 A well-designed sign can provide a positive perception of quality and service and create the image of a leader, even for the smaller business. For the national franchise or chain, on-premise signage reinforces all other media advertising, and maximizes advertising effectiveness at a low cost.
10 By adding your business signage to your car and “wrapping” your company vehicles with striking vinyl, you can generate over 600 visual impressions for every mile driven At about $0.35 per thousand impressions for a typical vehicle wrap, the cost is almost trivial compared to $3.56 for outdoor advertising or over $20.00 for typical magazine advertising.
About the Author: Orange County Business Signs Specialist Martin Neil contributes value to businesses and non-profit organizations across the United States by increasing their brand awareness with the very best sign solutions. He specializes in custom requirements for commercial building signage, vehicle wraps, office inside signage, trade show displays, promotional banners & flags, and large-size wall graphics. Improve your business signage by going to: http://www.Calibersi.com/Building-Signage.html
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Personal branding: How to Look Back on your Work History to Create a Killer Resume
Building your personal brand to a form that appeals to employers will help you get hired and get paid more when you do get hired. Your employers will percieve you as being a better asset for the company and will see you as indispensable. The first thing employers see about you is your cover letter and resume, which is why I am going to explain how to go over two aspects of your resume to improve your personal branding.
Work history
“Work history” does not mean dusting off your resume, nor updating your LinkedIn page; it means looking back at the jobs you’ve had, the projects you’ve worked on, and the people you’ve worked with.
Throughout your work life, you’ve been exposed to many work opportunities, situations, and challenges. What you’ve enjoyed, what you’ve been successful at, and what you have continued to choose to do all play a role in where your personal brand stands right now.
Taking stock of your entire work history will give you a sense of the beginning of the arc of your personal brand. What you’ve done up to this point is the launching pad for what you will do in the future.
Work history to-do list
- List all the jobs you have ever had.
- List all big projects you have worked on in the last five years.
- List all leadership positions you have held in the last five years.
- List all public speaking opportunities you have had.
- How would you describe yourself?
- How would you describe what you do?
- What are the areas you have worked in?
- Which areas have you enjoyed the most?
- What areas would you consider yourself an expert in?
Current Interests
The work history you’ve just assembled is a good starting point for your personal branding, but it is only that—a starting point. Whether you are in a job or a position that you enjoy, between positions, or looking to build your personal brand so that you can move to a new position you will enjoy more, the next step is to figure out your current interest set.
When you ask people what they are interested in, it is a lucky person who is able to say that what they are interested in is what they do at their job. Is this the case for you? If so, congratulations, and prepare to figure out how you can grow in that area. More likely, you’re not doing exactly what you would list out as what you’re interested in. Personal branding is not about completely changing what it is that you do. Nor is it a way of shifting within your field or using your current work as a springboard into the future.
When you think about your current interests, don’t just limit them to what you are interested in as part of your work life. Take this opportunity to expand into what you are interested in outside of work. In the process of building your personal brand, you can often set the stage for working some of your interests from outside of your work life into your personal brand, and eventually into the work that you do.
Current interests to-do list
- What are the most interesting projects you’ve worked on recently?
- What about them was interesting to you?
- What interests do you have outside of work?
- Which of these interests would you like to incorporate into your future work?
- If you could be working on anything right now, what would it be?
Think about your personal brand
When you do all of these things, think about your personal brand and how that effects how other people view you. There are lots of online resources about personal branding, but if you’re serious about getting that killer job then you should pick up a few books on Amazon or in a bookstore:
What is Personal Branding?
by Jim Kukral & Murray Newlands
About the Author: This is a guest post by Murray Newlands. Murray is an online marketing expert who founded Influence People, a San Francisco-based online marketing and blogger outreach consulting firm. Jim Kukral and Murray Newlands recently wrote What is Personal Branding? How to Create a Memorable & Powerful Brand that Sells YOU! to help people learn how to market themselves.
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Standing Out at Trade Shows and Job Fairs
Attending trade shows and job fairs can be important for any growing business. Events such as job fairs allow for recruitment of personnel through face to face interaction and spontaneous interviewing, whilst trade shows allow companies the time to interact with colleagues and other companies inside their industry as well as attract the attention of potential new customers. As a result, these kinds of exhibition can be very competitive, making it ever more important for your business to stand out from the crowd. One proven way of doing this involves the use of pop up displays that showcase new and upcoming products or services, including information about how they work, as well as general information and history of the company.
In addition to display stands and use of eye candy to attract customers, good solid representation from the company is also necessary. It is not uncommon to see HR personnel conducting interviews and processing initial paperwork next to managerial staff who represent the departments with vacancies to fill at a job fair. At trade shows, a spokesperson should be present in order to provide support and add a degree of professionalism to the overall presentation. Interaction with the CEO of the company is also preferable for small or medium sized companies.
It is safe to assume that your competitors will be employing all of the above techniques as well, so these are strictly the minimum requirements for successfully competing at an exhibition. Other proven methods include free samples, raffles, giveaways, and Q&A’s should the event sponsor allow it. For these kinds of occasions, a well-crafted speech and a great deal of preparation can help your company stand out from the competition. Ensure that you verbally communicate your company’s name, goals, history, and any other relevant information relating to upcoming products or services.
Before the event, be sure to announce it on the company website well in advance, including any useful information that might attract customers or those looking for jobs. This might be the names of those who will be there to answer questions, as well as the company’s reasons for attending the event. If the event has a site or forum then be sure to have your company listed in the attendees section. Where possible, get a full page representing your company. As this might cost money, make sure to allow for it in the company’s budget.
Events such as trade shows and job fairs can be vital for a company to achieve its desired strategic growth. Businesses willing to capitalise on the attention these events bring are in a position to stay at the forefront of their specific industry, gain qualified new employees and most of all maintain a transparency and interaction with colleagues and the target audience that might not otherwise be possible. Regardless of industry, it is important to be represented well, and exhibitions are a great way of allowing thorough and efficient brand representation.
Trade shows, job fairs, and other exhibitions are very important to the strategic growth and vitality of a company. Those who capitalize on such attention are in a position to stay at the forefront of the industry, acquire the best new employees, and maintain a transparency and a dialogue with colleagues and consumers that would not otherwise be possible. No matter what niche your company is in, it’s important to be represented by the industry, and exhibitions allow for this in a highly effective way.
About the Author: Dane Cross is a freelance writer, regularly blogging on the subject of trade show and event marketing. He currently writes on behalf of Marler Haley
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Mobile Marketing: Seven Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Small Business Owners in 2012
You’ve heard all the stats and read all the news: smartphones are a big deal, right? But with all that noise out there, how can a small business owner actually get customers and make money from those smartphone junkies? Here are seven tips, tricks and techniques to help any small business owner go mobile without busting the bank.
1. Claim Your Business and Your Location
With smartphones, a consumer searching for a hardware store will automatically be shown the nearest hardware stores relative to their device’s GPS signal. That means you want to be sure your physical facility shows up (even if your office is just the location for people to call).
So what can you do to be “found?” It’s pretty simple really – just be sure that you visit each site such as Yelp, Bing, Yahoo Local, Google Places, Foursquare, and Facebook and “claim” your business and its location.
Cost: Free
2. Mobilize Your Website
Mobile searches have grown 400 percent since 2010, according to Google. And when they find you on their phone – consumers visit (59%) or they call you (61%).
So, be sure you can be found. This means making sure the website you initially launched back in 2000 is accessible by mobile phones, or “mobile-optimized.” There are a number of new and reasonably priced tools to help make your site mobile-optimized. But, before you plunk down any money, check out Google’s “GoMo” site that has a testing tool and resources to help businesses with their websites.
Cost: Free (depending on your site)
3. Make Your Coupons Mobile
Have you ever been in line at a store and watched a clerk refuse to honor a coupon on someone’s phone. Claiming “no, you need to print that before I can accept it” just sets the consumer off even more.
Don’t be that business. The days of clipping coupons has come and gone. Now, most consumers would simply prefer to open an email or webpage with your coupon, flash it to you on their smart phone and get the discount. Make it clear that showing the coupon on your phone is sufficient and consumers will thank you for being mobile-friendly. Plus, you’ll avoid an awkward confrontation with your store clerks.
Cost: Free (other than the cost of your coupons)
4. Monitor Your Reviews
Did you know that 81 percent of consumers say they read reviews before making a purchase and 51 percent of consumers say they’ve used the Internet IN SHOPS before making a purchase? If you have a bevy of negative reviews or poor feedback, that consumer may decide to shop, eat, drink or pay somewhere else.
The first step to keep tabs on your reviews is to set a Google Alert for the name of your business. Watch for any reviews, postings or other news that you might need to address. Then, find out the review-focused sites people use regularly to review your business, like Google Places, Yelp, and Angie’s List. For a more detailed tracking service, try Reputation.com for Business that monitors and provides real-time alerts for your business.
Cost: Free (for Google Alerts); Starting at $34.99/mo. (for Reputation.com)
5. Talk to Your Customers
Guess what? Consumers want to talk with, and hear from, brands they like. In fact, 43 percent of consumers “like” at least one brand on Facebook and 53 percent of individuals with a Twitter account recommend products or services in their tweets. And, more and more consumers are using social media on the go.
Both Facebook and Twitter are free to setup and utilize – so schedule time daily to engage. Put links to your accounts on your website and in your facility (if you have a physical location) and talk to your customers: respond to questions or concerns, and consider offering deals for fans or followers. The most important lesson? Talk like a human not a brand. Remember, as consumers are out and about, they are talking to you, about you and with you – so be a part of the conversation.
You can manage most of these conversations using the standard Facebook or Twitter platforms. If you want something more advanced, try Hootsuite.com which can help you manage your efforts, schedule messages and track conversations from a single interface.
Cost: Free (Hootsuite provides free basic social media plans)
6. Be Able to Take Money Wherever you Are
Quick, how much cash do you have in your wallet? Enough to buy something over $100? Over $50? Over $20? People are becoming more reliant on credit cards for all of their transactions, so rather than force someone to run to the nearest ATM (and pay the enormous fee for withdrawing from a non-bank ATM), consider taking payment right on your mobile device.
With services like Square or Intuit GoPayment, providing a device that plugs into most smartphones to take a credit card on the spot is actually quite simple. Plus, new technologies are coming along to allow you to pay without needing any hardware at all.
Cost: Free (other than the credit card processing fees)
7. Tried Text Messages?
According to the Pew Foundation, 73 percent of cell phone users utilize the text messaging function on their phones. And, 44 percent of Americans have opted into at least one text messaging marketing campaign. So, why not share deals, information and updates with your customers via text.
To get started, check out Tatango’s Beginner’s Guide to SMS Marketing.
Cost: Varies depending on the SMS Marketing Software partner
Conclusion
This year, with more people expected to be using mobile than ever before, business owners must think about how they can interact with these potential customers. With the simple actions and activities listed above, any business can go mobile to create a positive environment for their customers, leads and partners.
About the Author: Eric Koester is the founder and COO of Zaarly, a mobile, real-time marketplace. Eric is a former securities lawyer who has testified before Congress on matters of startup and small business financing, immigration reform and business taxation. Zaarly provides tools for small-businesses and consumers to transact right from their mobile devices. For more information or to sign-up for mobile alerts, visit www.zaarly.com/business.
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Why Every Entrepreneur Needs a Blog
In this fast paced world, things are becoming more technical. We have entered the digital economy and most people nowadays are dealing with the largest network in this universe, the internet. Almost everybody, during week days, spend time in their offices in front of a computer, surfing and working through internet. During week ends, they are at their homes, still slumped in front of their laptops, desktops or tablets, spending their days off with what Facebook can offer them.
Gain Online Presence
At one point of your existence in the cyber world, you have ‘googled’ yourself (no need to deny it, I’ve done it myself). Google is probably the most checked site by everyone. It is fascinating that this site could know almost everything about anything.
If you want to be found by your target market, make yourself visible by putting up your website and market the products or services you offer. Make it more interesting by having a blog site as well. It is more convincing if the approach you use is on a first person basis, like talking directly to your niche. People greatly consider anecdotes and testimonials to support their decisions in acquiring your services or products.
Inform The Market
A blog site is meant to inform people. For example, you have this on-the-spot-promotion like some airlines do nowadays. You can easily do that kind of promotion to your blog site. Such announcements can be very viral that it can reach your whole market.
You can also use your blog to describe your products or services extensively. If some of the viewers would have comments or questions, you can respond to them immediately since you are the administrator of your own blog site. The Blog-Site is meant to inform both your market and you yourself as an entrepreneur. It’s a two way communication.
Co-relate With Other Entrepreneurs
One cannot grow without the help of other people. Competition is not always the case. Sometimes, an entrepreneur also needs new ideas or suggestions from some experts in the same field. Blog sites, being in a more personal approach, help entrepreneur bloggers to co-relate with each other. You can learn from them and vice-versa.
Having your own blog can help you gain more contacts, in connection, to your business or market niche. I believe everyone has the potential to be the next world renowned business tycoon. This only means that there are things that you know but others do not, sharing them through your blog will give you authority and people will look up to you for the great content that you share with them. Letting your business relationship grow helps you as a person and your being an entrepreneur. Your experiences can be a great deal of help to other upcoming entrepreneurs, or vice versa! Business people can benefit from having their own blog site. Not only they can inform their market about their products or services, but it can also offer relevant information to other businessmen who may need it.
One should not be satisfied with their current market reach. There are a lot or other mediums to reach out to potential clients, especially in the World Wide Web where people are online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Make entrepreneurship a more fulfilling experience by sharing your own experiences and ideas in your own blog site. Be an inspiration to many!
About the Author: Jessica Francisco is a cheerful 25-year-old with an odd sense of fun. The least of her broad range of hobbies include swimming, hiking and listening to the music of Michael Jackson. Jessica is also one of the editors of Luke Roxas.
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Document Management Software For Small Business
So, you think the great “paper chase” is a figment of someone’s imagination? Document management software is not really required for a small business (Small/Medium-size Enterprise – SME) like yours? Well, think again. A study by a British firm of Chartered Accountants confirmed that this “bogey man” is real – and costing small businesses lost productivity to the tune of almost 42 million pounds daily! Managers responding to the survey admitted that staff spends a minimum of an hour daily on the paper chase – flipping files, searching hard drives and chasing correspondence. Surprised? Read on to find out more.
The Chase
How many times have you urgently wanted a particular document, contract or letter, but somehow you just couldn’t readily locate it. Sure, it will turn up eventually, but the time value of that information, or the decision that needed to be taken around its content, will have eluded you. You may not have known it then, but that cost your business!
Even with sophisticated word processing software, it is nearly impossible to keep track of updates to multiple versions of critical documents, such as a 300 page bid-document for a half-a-million dollar project that your firm desperately wants to win. Immediately knowing what documents were received when, and who proposed what changes, who agreed to, and more importantly who dissented from the proposed changes, might mean the difference between winning and losing the bid.
As a SME, switching from paper to electronic file-keeping does not document management software make! The tribulations of e-document hunting are just as frustrating, even with well planned naming conventions or file-folder structures, as the age old paper chase.
Why Document Management Software
If you aren’t able to link documents by context, relevance, author, line of business or type of document (e.g. Contracts expiring December 31 2011; or Case Files for Nokia-Microsoft merger), then you are doomed yet again – only this time to eternal “keyword searches” or “complex find’s”, some of which can run overnight, without delivering results you need for that 8:00 AM meeting!
The study by the Brits revealed a third of the respondents could have spent their time more productively, building new business for their firm, were they not chasing misplaced or errant documents. 26% of the folks polled said, if only they had document management software available, they could have caught up on lagging administrative tasks instead.
Despite these and other nightmarish scenarios the lack of good document management brings, less than 7% of the SME’s responding said they had 90% or more of their documents under the stewardship of document management software.
Assuming your chase costs you minimum wage – an average of $7.50 an hour, and that you had a small staff of 4, that one hour daily translates to $150 per month per employee, or roughly $600 per month in lost productivity. For your small business, this could easily be a payback for investing in document management software. There are many document management software in market such as Content Central, IBM etc.
Just get one and increase your efficiency.
About the Author: This guest post is written by Rifat Rahn. He is writing on uses of document management software.
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Does Your Company Have the Right Managers in Place?
Like any good head of a business, interviewing and selecting the right individuals to be managers in your company is a critical task you are routinely faced with.
So, how do you go about choosing the right men or women to lead different departments in your company, leaving you less to worry about and more time to focus on other matters?
It all starts with finding those men and women who have demonstrated leadership skills either with your company over time or with someone else. You want individual who are competent when it comes to skills such as organizing, planning, leading and being willing to be held accountable for the actions of those under them.
With that being said, it should be easy to put the right people in managerial roles, yes? Actually, you may or may not be surprised at how difficult that can be at times.
While they do not set out to be bad managers, many who have the role find it short-lived for a variety of reasons.
If you’ve been a manager at one time or are now, or you’ve worked under managers who haven’t exactly worked out, there are a number of issues to look at as to why some managers fail. Among them are:
Micromanaging
Some managers no matter how good the talent is underneath them find the need to continuously micromanage their workers, sometimes to the point of driving them off. A good manager is one who can delegate responsibility, be there if his people need him or her, yet not be domineering. It is safe to say many of us have worked under micromanagers at some point in our lives, typically finding the experience unpleasant. If you are a manager and think you may be micromanaging a bit too much, sit back for a moment and look to see how your managing skills are, whether or not you’ve gotten negative feedback for such skills, and if you have a high turnover rate in your department;
Bad timing when it comes to speaking
Some managers just like to go on and on when it comes to talking at meetings, whereas others say too little. A good manager knows when to speak up and when to back down from talking. Managers should come across as authoritative and showing confidence, yet not taking over the show to whereby all other employees feel inferior;
Playing favorites
We all know that office politics exist in just about every office there is. That being said, a good office manager will not play favorites among those under their guidance. By playing favorites, you set up the scenario of others in the department shutting down, figuring their thoughts and efforts do not matter as much as the one/s you are favoring. If you have one or more persons in your department that you especially like, do not make that obvious to their co-workers. Treat everyone with the same amount of respect, something that will greatly benefit your department;
Not being prepared
It sounds like a no-brainer, but not being prepared each and every day can be a very bad thing. Managers need to have Plans A, B and C ready to go on a daily basis. If you are going to be disseminating work around your department, make sure like a teacher that all the assignments are prepared and accurate. In cases where you are trying to wing it, not only do those under you suffer, but upper management will question your ability to carry things forward;
Not being good role models
Whether younger or older than those under them, managers are expected to be positive role models for those in their departments. If you don’t want your workers taking time off for this and that, getting into arguments on the phone with customers and/or significant other ones and showing up late for work regularly, then don’t practice such traits yourself. Employees look to those above them to follow the rules of the office too, so set a good example;
Fail to provide valuable feedback
While you do not need to be talking to those under you eight hours a day or whatever the shifts require, it is proactive to provide workers with feedback. If one of your workers is struggling with a project, give them feedback on how to improve their work. If someone does an outstanding job on an assignment, shoot them off a quick email or talk in person briefly about how happy you were with the work. Either way, talk with your employees on a regular basis and let them know what you think of their work, good or bad.
Being a good departmental manager is not rocket science; it takes devotion to hard work, a desire to lead, and the ability to want what is best for the good of the department.
If you master those three traits among others, you stand a much better chance of managing a successful career.
About the Author: Dave Thomas, who covers among other items background checks and small business loans, writes extensively for Business.com, an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.
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To Startup or Not To Startup? Five Things to Consider Before Launching Your Own Company
Why start your own business? After all, it may be one of the most masochistic decisions any individual can make.
To begin, startups come with financial risk, and impact of failure on one’s finances can be severe. Moreover, starting a new business is a sure-fire way to distance oneself from friends and family. Startups can be all-consuming, leaving little time for much else—including personal relationships. Finally, starting a business can take a heavy physical and emotional toll. Late nights and meals at one’s desk are not a healthy lifestyle, and the highs and lows of the startup game can drive a person mad.
Here is why I love being an entrepreneur. In short, starting a business is one of the most exciting, challenging, and rewarding ways to spend my working years. Yes, it can be hard and cruel, but six years into it, I haven’t experienced a single day of boredom.
Startups are not for everyone. Here is some advice if you are considering whether to get into the game:
(1) Get some experience first
Some recent academic literature has concluded that the ideal age for entrepreneurship is 40. This is no doubt because can help to have working experience before you start a business. For one, it provides an opportunity to save up some potential capital to invest. Moreover, you will inevitably pick up some useful skills and knowledge along the way—some of which could prove handy, even if your new business is in a field outside of your expertise. In addition, as you work, your network of contacts will grow. This can prove useful in a variety of ways, including client development, recruiting, the pursuit of capital, to name a few.
(2) Analyze your opportunity costs
If you have nothing to lose, it is easier to take the leap into entrepreneurship. If you are the sole breadwinner for a family of 5 with a limited nest egg, it probably makes sense to save up some cash first, and think very carefully about the impact that a bombed startup would have on your life. One other word of caution here in a different vein: Be aware of the risk of your opportunity cost rising too high. Although an increasing employee paycheck is generally a good thing, the higher your salary rises, the more difficult it can become to quit your job and scratch that entrepreneurial itch.
(3) Build a detailed financial model for the business and test your assumptions thoroughly
Once you begin reducing the business to a spreadsheet, the realities of the numbers will begin to emerge. Taking into account all of your expenses and revenues, as well as when they should occur, will give you a sense of whether the business can make money. It will also give you a sense of how much capital you will need and by when. While there are always financial surprises in the startup experience, waiting to build your projections until after you commit to a business is a dangerous proposition.
(4) Speak to potential clients
Treat your new venture as a sophisticated investor would treat a new potential investment and determine whether your idea can be monetized. Do some due diligence and explore whether there is interest in your product or service. Ask client prospects whether they like your value proposition. If you are entering a competitive industry, ask what it would take for clients to switch providers. Knowing what potential clients want and need is critically important to know if there is room in the marketplace for your business.
(5) Ask yourself whether you have the right DNA
Jumping head first into a startup is not for everyone. If you are the type who needs others to motivate you, or who has trouble staying focused when times get tough, starting a business is probably not be the right move. But if you have self discipline, a fair amount of confidence, passion, and a good deal of intestinal fortitude, you may well be the perfect fit for entrepreneurship.
Keep in mind that starting a business is not for everyone. But for those who have what it takes, becoming an entrepreneur may be the most fulfilling professional path.
About the Author: Paul Mandell is a Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Consero. In this role, Mr. Mandell provides strategic leadership for the company with a rigid focus on excellence at every level of the business. Prior to founding Consero, Mr. Mandell founded and was the President of a national legal support company that was acquired in 2007. The successor entity was recognized as one of the world’s top legal process outsourcing companies during his continued tenure as President the following year. Prior to entering the business world, Mr. Mandell practiced law at Arnold & Porter LLP and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in Washington, DC, and New York, New York, respectively, where he focused primarily on antitrust and pharmaceutical litigation. Prior to his law firm experience, Mr. Mandell clerked for the Honorable K. Michael Moore of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
