Moving into an office requires taking on significant expenses you might not want to incur until you become profitable. However, when your business requires an office to operate smoothly, it’s non-negotiable. According to Fundera, office space is one of the top fourteen small business startup costs, and runs between $100-$1,000 per employee per month.
If you’re on a tight budget and don’t have excess capital to throw at an office, use the following strategies to generate the funds:
In a world where technology is changing rapidly, it can be hard for businesses to keep up with shifting consumer demands. Take how customers interact with businesses, for instance. According to a recent study by Drift, people now prefer real-time interaction as they make their purchases, meaning that just having an online storefront is no longer enough.
For startups looking to grow a loyal customer base, the immediate needs of users can be especially intimidating and even seem, at times, insurmountable. Entrepreneurs with small employee bases would have no way of being there for every customer and anticipating each person’s needs in real time.
A wide range of new technologies are making it easier than ever to start and run a small business. From online businesses to local businesses to solopreneurs enterprises like freelancing and consulting, there is no shortage of ways to avoid the corporate rat race. Here are 5 types of technology that will have an impact on the future of small business.
Good news for coffee and tea drinkers: No more wasting time and energy waiting for the perfect cup. Thanks to Heatworks, the company responsible for creating an innovative new heating carafe, you won’t have to. Using patented Heatworks’ Ohmic Array Technology, the DUO Smart Untethered Carafe has the power to heat (or cool!) water to the exact degree while you pour.
The DUO Carafe has Frog Design to thank for its modern, sleek exterior, and it is the third in a line of award-winning collaborations between the two companies. When it comes to functionality, convenience and stylish appearance, the DUO looks like quite the game changer.
You can’t start or grow your business without funding. Unfortunately, applying for and getting a business loan isn’t a fast or stress-free experience.
Applying for a loan is one of the most crucial steps for a small business owner. To give yourself the best chance of getting approved, follow these tips for negotiating and ultimately getting a business loan.
1. Do your homework and go to the right banks.
The 80 20 Rule or Pareto Principle, named after the nineteenth-century Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, who discovered that approximately 80% of Italian land in 1896 was owned by 20% of the population, has become a common axiom in business and life.
The principle was highlighted in 1992 by a United Nations Development Program report that showed that roughly 80% of the world’s wealth was in the hands of 20% of the population.[1] Businesses have reported that 80% of their sales come from 20% of their customers and, Microsoft discovered that if they fix the top 20%, most reported bugs they eliminate 80% of the problems in their software.
It seems the Pareto Principle is all around us.
Texting is now as much of a business communication tool as the phone and email. And just like those, you must follow the same etiquette for the people you are communicating with. The problem is, users, think it is different, and the same rules don’t apply.
A new report from Carphonewarehouse proves this very point. In the survey, 73% of the respondents feel it is OK to text clients after business hours. This is driven by the casual nature of texting, which makes people wrongly assume they can chat whenever they want. While it may be OK in your personal life, it can have unintended consequences in business.
The report says, “Once you’ve got your boss/colleague/client/customer’s number in your phone, you’re only one bad text away from potentially railroading your entire career.”
Adding, “So, where’s the line when it comes to texting in business?”
Would you do business with your own company? If you searched for your company by its brand name and added the word “reviews” at the end, would you be happy with what people are saying?
Competition is fierce in today’s digital age, with nearly every business claiming the best products and services and touting fantastic customer service. How then do people decide which company they’re going to do business with?
Yes, it’s true that word-of-mouth marketing has always been important to business success, but today, online reviews serve as potent extensions of this phenomenon. In the mobile, digital era, we’re more connected than ever.
When people are looking for something – whether it’s a product, a service, a company or a place to visit – they turn to online reviews to help them decide where to spend their money. And studies show that people trust online reviews as much as they do recommendations from personal friends. What’s perhaps more shocking is that only 54% trust the information they find on company websites.
IT MAY BE known as the “everything store,” but there are some things, in fact, that Amazon does not sell. 
The ecommerce giant maintains a list of restricted product categories that ranges from weapons such as firearms, to booze and tobacco products, to pets, to kite strings for the niche sport of kite fighting. And as you get ready to celebrate the Fourth of July, you should also know that list includes fireworks.
Dispatches From The Front 