Tag: Small

Importance of Having Mobile Apps for Small Businesses

The world has gone Mobile. The number of smart phone users globally has grown exponentially over the past 5 years. The number of Android & iOS devices sold globally has crossed a billion mark each. Hence, it is no longer sufficient to have only a website for your business. Any business, small or large must have a mobile app. Let us look at some of the most important reasons why you should opt for a mobile app for your business:

1. Branding – A mobile application is the best way to create brand awareness for your business. You can use your logo, your business’s tag line or a message that you would like your customers to connect with your business to create a brand recall. Every time a customer who has downloaded your mobile apps sees your logo in the form of the mobile app icon on their screen, they will recall you.

2. Increased Reach – Because of the sheer penetration of mobile phones and other mobile devices like tablets and the improved Internet connectivity in most parts of the world, the number of people you can reach through a app has increased tremendously. It is easier for your existing as well as potential customers to find out the right information about your products or services through your mobile app.

3. Create Customer Database & Profile – It is easier to collect customer data in terms of phone number and email id through a mobile apps. You can also allow your app users to login via their social media accounts like Facebook or Google. This will give you access to other valuable data like their areas of interest, their lifestyle choice, their shopping preferences, etc. This data can then be used by your marketing team to send out the right communication.

4. Increased Engagement – By building the right features in your app you can utilize it as a powerful way to increase engagement with your existing and potential customers. You can include features like social sharing and a help desk (for sales and service queries) in the app to improve direct communication with your customers. This will in turn help your business to connect closely with your customers.

5. Push Notifications – This is one of the biggest advantages of having a mobile apps. You can ask your Mobile App Development Solution provider to integrate a push notification feature in your app which will help you with your on-the-go marketing. Through this feature, you can send bulk messages to all the app users or specific messages to a sub-set of your app users based on the message. You can also communicate about the latest offers or discounts you are offering to your customers regularly through push notifications. Best of all, it doesn’t cost you a penny to send out these messages, unlike SMS or Email marketing.

With the above advantages of having a for your business in mind, it is imperative to identify the right Mobile App Development Solutions provider for your business app. Solution Analysts has been helping small businesses globally with their Mobile App Development Services to create great which will add value to their businesses. To get a free quote for your Mobile Application or to know more about us, please visit our website today.

Time Management Techniques For Small Business Owners – 7 Steps to Getting More Done in Less Time

Otherwise known as… how to knock the competition bandy whilst having more free time to have fun and spend with your family and friends. The primary aim for any small business owner is to make more profits. In order to be successful in business, time management techniques are critical.

Follow these seven essential steps:

1. Goals

What do you want? Why do you want it? If what you’re working on isn’t taking you where you want to go… you’re ultimately wasting your time. I consistently see people talking about time management habits without ever mentioning this first important step.

2. Break big projects into smaller tasks

This makes getting things done more manageable. It will reduce the risk of you becoming overwhelmed by your workload. Use project management software such as Mindmanager. This gives you an excellent visual overview of the tasks that need to be successfully completed. You can also see: In what order they logically need to be done. Who has been given responsibility for each of them. When they need to be completed. And how you will measure successful completion.

3. Prioritisation.

Prioritize the importance of the tasks. This depends on not only what will create the most profit for your company. But also what tasks need to be completed before others can even begin.

4. Outsourcing/delegation

Outsource or delegate all non-critical, time-consuming tasks. The only tasks you should be doing are the ones that create the most profit and value for your company. Do the tasks that you are best at and most enjoy… and offload the rest.

5. Systematization.

This applies to any task or activity which needs to be repeated within your business. Document step-by-step, the most efficient way to carry out the task. Make this documentation available to all your employees. As more efficient and effective ways are discovered to complete this task…update your documentation. The ultimate goal is that every task is carried out in the same efficient way every single time.

6. Time planners.

Have one for every working day, week, month, and the forthcoming year. Put the tasks that need to be completed into your planers based on your previous prioritisation. Stick rigidly to these planners. Make sure you that you successfully complete each day’s tasks. There will always be times when this is not possible. Update your planners appropriately. Cross off each task is its completed. Move on to the next task straightaway.

7. Set a time limit for each task

Your accuracy of judging the required times will get better with practice. Unfortunately, the human mind as a habit of filling the allocated time you set for any activity. Tell yourself you need an hour to complete it. An hour it will take. Tell yourself you need all morning, and surprise surprise, all morning it takes. Use an egg timer. Find out what the most efficient working period of time for you is. For most people it is between 40-90 minutes. When you complete each time period, get up and walk around for five minutes. Get the blood flowing. Move on to the next allotted time period.

These may sound like relatively simple time management techniques. The fact is they are incredibly powerful. You don’t need to over complicate things.

Sit down next Sunday and plan your working week using these seven steps. The following Saturday review how much you have achieved. I think you’ll be shocked and pleased at how much you’ve achieved in your business.

3 Easy Ways To Increase Sales For Your Small Business

Having started my business career using the more traditional bricks and mortar business route I know only too well how difficult it can be to increase sales for a small business. Sadly, nowadays it is even harder for local businesses to survive as more and more of us opt for the more convenient route of ordering our goods online… But are there any “tactics” that small businesses can employ to lure more of us to buy their goods or services?

Mobile Marketing-Promoting To The Converted

Many local businesses miss out “big time” as they waste too much valuable time and resources chasing new customers when the real money (and consistent income) comes from marketing to existing customers. After all, people who have already bought from you will already be aware of the quality of your product or service and providing that the buying experience that they had with you was good, then chances are that they will buy from you again and even encourage others to buy from you as well… They just need a little prompt or reminder that you are still open for business.

One of the easiest and most instant ways to promote to existing customers is to use mobile marketing. Let’s be honest most of us now carry our mobiles with us 24 hours a day and more texts are opened straight away than any other form of communication.

Indeed, most of us now provide a mobile phone number as our first point of contact as opposed to the more traditional landline contact number. Therefore all you small business owners out there need to make a point of storing these valuable mobile numbers and start using them to promote your business via a cheap text messages. Don’t worry of you don’t know how to get started as there are affordable training packages out there that will show you step by step how to set a mobile marketing campaign.

The best way to achieve instant results for your business by using this method is to promote an offer or a promotion. Let’s be honest we all like a bargain so simply offering, for example, a free glass of wine to customers who book a table at your restaurant on a quiet evening will help to attract more business. Even though it will cost you a glass of wine, you will more than make up for it by filling empty tables with paying customers.

Mobile marketing can benefit other small businesses too including texting appointment reminders for businesses like dentists or doctors, luring people into car showrooms via Bluetooth messages, promoting special offer up sells for businesses like beauticians or health spas. There are endless benefits that using mobile marketing as part of your local business marketing can offer, not least of all that it’s cheap, quick and offers instant results.

What Is A Business Without A Good Website?

I am amazed by how many local businesses are still not online. Given the ever growing popularity of the internet, small business that are not promoting their business online are losing out on massive income potential and are passing that business onto other business savvy owners instead.

Creating a website for your business does not have to cost a fortune… In fact some websites even offer free templates that you can use. You then simply need to purchase a domain name and some hosting for your website. If you lack the confidence or knowledge to do this yourself, there are websites out there that offer a way of outsourcing this task to others quite cheaply, simply check out outsourcing sites for that offer that type of service. Often you can put a bid on the outsourcing websites that will invite people to bid for the work. This can be a great way of getting the best value for your money.

Again, there are training packages available that offer step by step training on the best ways to create a website for you business together with the cheapest ways to drive traffic to the website including how to get onto page 1 of Google.

Without a doubt, regardless of what small business you own, it is vital to have a good internet presence to ensure consistent sales for your business.

Business Blogs- Seeing The Bigger Picture

It’s often quite challenging to persuade small businesses to start blogging. They fail to realise that writing a blog can significantly increase sales for their business; most sadly fail to see the bigger picture.

Blogging takes time but if you are consistent, your business will begin to see dramatic results. Blogging for your business can help you to connect with people, especially if you are careful to write in a style that is unique to you and that you offer valuable content. If you are careful to offer useful advice within you blog, then you will help to promote yourself as an expert who people can trust, which will result in the reader buying from you rather than your competitor. It doesn’t matter what business you own, whether you’re a dog trainer, a piano teacher, a shop owner or a driving instructor, writing a blog can offer an affordable and fun way of getting your business noticed.

You can then drive traffic to your business blog by sharing the link to your blog on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. There are also opportunities available, (for a small monthly fee) for small businesses to use existing high ranking blogging sites to promote their business.

These are the 3 ways that I personally consider to be the most effective way to increase sales for your small business. They are methods that I have personally used, with success, within all of my businesses as they are affordable and create instant results.

Outsourcing Often The Key To A Small Businessman’s Success

Many businesses have turned toward the idea of Outsourcing various duties such as web development, programming and administrative support duties such as typing, transcription, and data entry. These particular options became available during the 1980’s due to the fact that companies were able to lower costs, save time and money as well as conserve the energies of their current employees.

Small business owners find huge benefits in outsourcing various duties due to the fact that many do not have the financial resources to employ individuals with certain talents. Technology is consistently changing and in order to be successful business owners must be able to adapt quickly to the changing environment; therefore, utilizing the various services of outside companies can actually allow the small business to keep up with certain trends.

The internet is an endless resource for all business owners as the services of various individuals is available on a global level. Webmasters, virtual assistants as well as accountants, legal services and computer programmers can be utilized not only on a natural level but worldwide. This particular option allows the funds that would normally be placed with employee retention to be utilized for other purposes, such as marketing and advertising in various media sources.

Many business owners in healthcare and legal services as well as those who work with direct marketing, seminars and webinars find that having printed transcripts available to their customers is a vital resource. A highly utilized market for business owners is to contract the services of a qualified transcription professional to transcribe their dictation for marketing purposes. These individuals provide their services often per audio hour or per audio minute cost, which is far less than if paying an employed individual by the hour.

Web development is another highly utilized market, as many webmasters will offer their services at a reasonable price. Small business owners are able to access the most up to date technologies at a lower cost than if employing the efforts of a qualified web development professional. Many computer programmers offering software development skills are readily available to most business owners – again these individuals are located worldwide.

If you’re a small business owner, outsourcing is definitely something to keep in mind when building your business. As the Internet continues to grow, competitive forces continue to increase. Direct marketing is imperative for your business’ success; therefore conserving monies that could be put to good use in marketing tactics is often the key to long term success.

The Benefits of a Facebook Fan Page for Small Businesses

Setting up a Facebook fan page for your small business can seem like a daunting task. However, with over 900 million active users, the site provides an advertising opportunity that should not be missed out on. This article discusses some of many benefits of setting up a Facebook fan page, including advertising, understanding customer demographics, getting feedback, and driving traffic to your company’s website.

Creating a Facebook fan page for you small or local business can seem like a daunting task, especially when you are trying to keep up with the day-to-day responsibilities of running a company. However, with over 900 million active users, the social network is a valuable free advertising tool that should not be missed out on. Facebook Fan Pages have several important uses:

1. Advertising

Facebook offers a range of innovative advertising options which allow you to promote your products and services with ease. By posting details of new offers and events to your fans, you can build up public interest in your company and reach out to potential customers. Offering unique content, such as vouchers, gives fans a reason to stay up-to-date with your business through Facebook and can help you develop a closer relationship with them.

2. Understanding Your Customers

Facebook Fan Pages give you access to detailed statistics about your followers, including their gender, age, location, and even the language they speak. With this invaluable information you can make sure that your company adapts and develops in a way that meets your customer’s needs.

3. Getting Feedback

Understanding your customer’s opinions is important when developing new ideas. On Facebook, your fans are able to leave comments on any updates you post, making it a completely free way to canvas opinion.

4. Drive Traffic to Your Website

By displaying links to your official website, you can redirects fans who have developed an interest in one of your products to the page where they can buy it.

5. Build up a Relationship with Customers

Being quick to respond to any questions and comments left on your fan page is a good way to build up a close relationship with your customers. However, to maintain a positive bond it is also important to put a good practice into places, such as not bombarding fans with inbox messages which aren’t applicable.

6. Google Ranking

Your Facebook fan page will be visible even to people without an account. Facebook is a popular website that ranks well with Google, so by posting key word optimized content, you can ensure that your company features highly searches.

Creating a Facebook fan page for your small business is quick, simple, and completely free. By taking advantage of this easy advertising solution, you can help to ensure that your business survives and grows for years to come.

Small Business Opportunity: The Top 7 Reasons to Start a Painting Business

House painting is a skill that most people can pick up quite easily. It is one of those rare home based business opportunities that actually work and it is very possible to make $30- $50 an hour without much effort.

Here are the top 7 reasons why anyone with basic painting skills should consider starting a painting business of their own.

1. Residential and Commercial Painting is a 22.5 Billion Dollar a Year Industry!

Every day homeowners across the country (and around the world) spend millions of dollars to have a living room, bedroom, kitchen etc painted. This is an industry that indeed has an unlimited amount of work available.

There is far more work then there are painters. Listed in the top 10 businesses in 2006 and predicted to grow into the foreseeable feature, there has never been a better time to start a painting business then right now.

2. Basic Painting Skills Are Easy to Learn.

It doesn’t take much time at all to develop basic painting skills. Just about anyone can do it. Most painters who learn through “On the job training” pick it up in just a few weeks. All it takes is a little practice.

3. Very Low Start-Up Costs

A painting business is one of the best businesses because it doesn’t require a lot of money to start. For under $250.00 (depending on where you live) you can get a painting business up and running and earning money.

With start up costs this low it doesn’t take long to become profitable and if you target small high paying jobs your overhead costs are next to nothing.

4. No Expensive Advertising Needed

Unlike most other business, a painting business doesn’t require a huge monthly advertising budget. In fact it is completely possible to build a profitable painting business without any traditional advertising at all.

Smart painting business owners spend time building relationships with people who “know people” that can refer them jobs.

5. Earn Professional Income Working Part Time Hours.

Many successful painting business owners earn $60,000 – $100,000 per year working less then 35 hours per week. Once you develop your skills and become proficient, it is not uncommon to make $300-$500 per day working just 4-6 hours.

It is possible to earn more in one day then most painting employees make working a 40 hour week. Every day painters sell their valuable skills to a boss for a measly $12-$15 when they could be earning top dollar running their own painting business.

6. Freedom, Lifestyle and Security.

The best thing a house painter can do to secure their future is to start a painting business of their own.

The potential to earn an above average income working part time hours is one of the biggest benefits of owning a successful painting business.

Many painters are making a great living running their own painting business. They drive nice vehicles, live in nice homes and have the time and money to do the things they love.

7. Outstanding Tax Benefits

Running a small painting business out of your home offers many outstanding advantages like high profit potential and low over head. Expenses like gas, tools and your vehicle may be write offs. (Be sure to check with your accountant) But the tax benefits of owning a small business are wonderful.

As you can see the sky is the limit for painters. Unlimited work and top pay draw a lot of people to the painting trade every year.

Office Supplies For The Smart Shopper How Small Business Can Save On Office Products

The overall economy is tough these days, and nowhere is the pressure greater than on small businesses. Expenses continue to rise for everything, and many companies have taken to office supplies as an area to cut costs. High dollar purchases like new printers, office desks, conference room chairs or file cabinets can easily be put on hold. However, companies need every day office products to get the job done. An office without hanging folders, copy paper, pens and Post-It notes is an office in disarray. While those costs can never be eliminated, here are some surprising insider tips as to how to reduce your costs on office supplies.

It’s common sense that most people assume searching hard for the lowest invoice price assures you of getting the lowest cost on office supplies. In fact, the actual time (therefore money), spent scouring websites, newspaper ads or retail superstores for the absolute lowest price usually costs your business more than the cost savings you see on that sales receipt. Taking advantage of that “in-store” special at Office Mega-Store so you save $.75 on a box of hanging file folders does not relate to savings to your bottom line.

Shopping tip number 1. Never have an office worker make a trip to the “Office Big Box” superstore to shop around for your business needs. There are significant hidden costs you aren’t accounting for whenever this is done. The employee salary expense for a 1 hour shopping expense is usually $12 minimum, not to mention gas, the possibility of an accident, and we all know shopping trips never take only one hour. Instead, you can easily find a trusted company with office supplies online; one who has free next day delivery and eliminates the need for costly shopping excursions.

Here’s a tangible real life example. John the new office manager makes $17 an hour, and has been given a typical order for office products – some Pilot pens, an HP ink cartridge, Smead classification folders and some Universal binders and report covers. The order total is $82, and he’s been told to find the best deal. He hits the internet and compares 3 different sites for each item taking 30 minutes. He then reviews the Big Boxes Sunday newspaper specials for 10 minutes looking for coupons. On top of that 40 minutes scouring for the best “deal”, John decides to go to “Office Mega-Max” because they had the lowest prices. A trip to the store, shopping, etc. adds another hour, (that’s conservative – driving to and finding what you need at a superstore NEVER takes an hour). So total, John spent an hour and 40 minutes trying to save you money and get the lowest prices — or $28.39! That’s 34% more than your receipt will tell you!

Now comes the biggest secret I’ll tell you. People are shocked to learn the office superstores like OfficeMax and Office Depot no longer have the lowest prices for the office products you need. Today, you can find online office supply stores who are independently owned that guarantee their everyday prices are lower. It’s free next day shipping and lower prices – that saves you money. But how do some of the better run new internet companies have lower prices than these huge corporate chains? The primary way is much lower operating overhead. The successful internet companies that Do Good Work don’t have hundreds of retail stores to maintain, all the inventory to keep, and all the employee costs to run those stores.

Some final helpful hints. You will always save money in the long run if you find a trusted supplier who gives you guaranteed low prices every day and doesn’t use price gimmicks or change their prices every week. Find a company with good customer service, one with people who actually answer the phone not a machine, and trust them to save you money and get you the products you need on time with free shipping. A big thing – never buy office supplies from an internet company that hides or does not prominently display their toll free number on the website. Companies that do good work to save you money will have personal service, easy to use websites, and some even give back to great charities.

In summary, don’t forget these simple tips to save money on the office products you need, and can’t cut out entirely during these tough economic times. The first rule is to remember employee time spent obsessing on finding that lowest price is unproductive time, and costs you money. Second, never send someone to that office superstore unless it’s an emergency. When looking at your total costs, that always costs you money. I know it’s hard to believe, but the superstores do not have the lowest prices anymore. Find and trust the right online office products company to service your needs. Of most importance to me is to find a company that does good work in the community. It helps build trust, and I’ve found a cool company that even donates 50% of their profits to great charities. They practice conscious capitalism, and it makes me feel good to do business with them. And the biggest benefit is I save money!

The reality is it’s not possible for your small business to cut out all office supply spending. Standard every day products like staples, paper clips and view binders are necessary to keep the normal work flow moving. But, if you rely on these simple hints, and search out a trusted internet office supply company that does good work, you’ll not only save time, but save money to your bottom line!

Easy to Get Small Business Loans: 6 Tips for Applying for Funding for Your Company

Small business funding, unfortunately, isn’t easy to get for most people – especially if you don’t already have good credit. Typically, it requires a lot of legwork to get business loan. For some start-ups, owners often have to resort to getting a personal line of credit and using that to find the business. Easy to get small business loans really do exist, just as long as you prepare everything properly and look in the right place.

Here are a few tips to increase your chances of finding and obtaining a small business loan:

1. Get your personal credit report cleaned up. This is something that lenders will want to see. If you have poor credit, take the time to get it straightened out. You might even want to use credit repair services.

2. Create the best business plan possible. Consider this to be your “sales pitch” to funders. If you want as much money as possible from a lender, you can’t be secretive. You must specify exactly why you need the money, how much you need, and what it will be used for.

3. Keep everything as organized as possible. A wide range of documents may be required, including tax returns, annual revenue, and bank statements. Know which documents a potential lender will require from you ahead of time.

More Tips for Easy to Get Small Business Loans

4. Determine the best type of lender. There are many types of organizations that offer easy to get small business loans, including banks, online lenders, non-profit micro-lenders, “angel investors”, credit card companies, and more. Use a bank when you already have good credit and can provide collateral. Use online lenders if you lack collateral and need the funding as quickly as possible. A micro-lender might be ideal when you have a company that is so small that it doesn’t qualify for traditional funding.

5. How long have you been in business? If your company is under one-year old, you’ll have difficulty If you have a start-up, consider solutions such as personal loans, angel investors, or even online crowd-funding if you can come up with an innovative marketing message.

6. Find out how much the payments will be and make sure you will absolutely be able to pay them. Different lenders have different terms and different interest rates. You might be required to pay just one time a month or two times a month.

If you need a fast business loan, US Business Funding is a great place to start your search. This site has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Business Insider, CNN Money, and other such organizations. US Business Funding reviews are primarily positive.

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