Category: Tools and Information

No Money? No Problem—Here Are 10 Ways to Bootstrap Your Business | All Business

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Steve Jobs said, “If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” This is true for any business. Most successful businesses start very small, and go through a lot before they come to the attention of the public.

A very good example is the seeds sown by Jobs and Steve Wozniak to grow what would eventually become Apple Inc. The startup had no investors and made do with the little funding they could get for a VW microbus and HP calculator.

This is bootstrapping–and it is the best way to start a new business. Despite what most people think, you don’t need a lot of money to fund a startup. In fact, most successful entrepreneurs have used their own money to start their businesses.

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To Help Local Entrepreneurs Succeed, Corporations Must Ditch The Visitor Mentality | Inc.com

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In March, the Center for an Urban Future released “Breaking Through: Harnessing the Economic Potential of Women Entrepreneurs”–a comprehensive report that explores the impact women-led companies have had on economies across the United States, while also outlining ways we can empower and inspire the future growth of women-led businesses. The report was made possible with support from Capital One’s Future Edge initiative, a five-year, $150 million effort to help more American workers and entrepreneurs get the skills, tools and resources they need to succeed in the 21st century. In previous Inc.com posts, I’ve shared insights from the report, specifically, how New York City’s economy stands to benefit from the growing number of women-owned businesses.

When I learned Capital One was bringing this conversation to The Dallas Entrepreneur Center in early May, I jumped at the opportunity–eager to learn more about the impact women business owners are having in the local Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) market. Why is a conversation about women entrepreneurship important in DFW? According to the report, women entrepreneurs and business owners in North Texas are leading the way:

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Does the Sun Rotate? | Live Science

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That giant flaming star in the sky does rotate, but moves at a much slower pace than the Earth.

It takes 24 hours for the Earth to make a full rotation, but since the sun isn’t a solid object like a planet, its rotation is harder to pinpoint.

“Since the sun is a ball of gas/plasma, it does not have to rotate rigidly like the solid planets and moons do,” according to NASA.

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YouTube Is Introducing New Ways to Help Small Businesses Make Better Video Ads | Adweek

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YouTube wants to turn video ads on its platform into a DIY possibility for small- and medium-sized businesses.

Today, Google is launching three ways for SMBs to create video ads for YouTube that are—at least for the most part—free. With a new app called YouTube Director, the video juggernaut is helping businesses with little or no marketing budget create commercials on their own. The app includes a number of templates, music and editing tools and is free to use.

According to Diya Jolly, Google’s director of product management, the biggest struggle smaller businesses face on YouTube is the lack of quality of their videos.

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Opening the door to further opportunity online | The Startup Magazine

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Having a website means you have secured your piece of real estate online, you are present and ready to welcome customers. But part of the game is working to bring traffic into your storefront.

Cisco’s Visual Networking Index, released this month, predicts that internet traffic will almost triple in the next few years due to an increasing number of people coming online. The report forecasts that by the end of the decade there will be 3.4 devices and connections for each human being, an increase from 2.2 in 2015.[1] Within this scenario, each and every small business or startup hopes to be in a position to capture at least some of that incoming traffic.

Equipped with your domain name and website, it is time to start looking at ways to help ensure your online presence is performing to give you exposure to the growing internet population. Here are a few areas to consider working on:

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Women Hold Nearly One Third Of Global Private Wealth | Forbes

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For the first time in six years, the group’s annual global wealth report looked specifically at women and found that among those women with a private net worth of $100,000 or more, 44% were self-made, meaning that they were entrepreneurs or company employees and had grown their wealth independently. The other 27% received their wealth through inheritance, 15% through their spouse, 9% through divorce settlements, and 5% fell into a miscellaneous category. Boston Consulting Group partner, Anna Zakrzewski noted that the “gender pay gap is shrinking” for the high percentage of self-made women in the group. In total, women’s private wealth analyzed in the research adds up to $39.6 trillion globally, roughly the same as the Asia-Pacific region’s $37 trillion in combined private wealth holdings.

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Is the On-Demand Economy Helping or Hurting Entrepreneurship? | Business News Daily

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On-demand services like Uber are becoming increasingly popular with consumers, but they’re also having a significant impact on entrepreneurship, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Michigan, University of Minnesota and Temple University discovered that within one year of Uber and Postmates entering a new geographic location, entrepreneurial activity in those cities declined.

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 How Can Big Data Help You In Your Business | Getentrepreneurial.com

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Data is one of the most important things that your business can possess. It will tell you if your are making the most profitable choice for your company or whether you may want to think about adjusting how you complete a job for a client. What kind of data can be useful when creating and growing a profitable enterprise?

Know Where Your Customers Are

Let’s say that you want to start a grout cleaning business in your neighborhood. While there very well be a market for that, you don’t know unless you have the information that supports your hypothesis. For instance, you will want to know how many homes or housing developments are located in your area.

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Etsy Brings Together Small Designers, Big Retailers With “Open Call” | Small Biz Trends

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What if you could pitch your products to a dream retailer like Nordstrom?

Etsy, known for being an innovative online marketplace for consumers to source handmade and other items from independent designers for their homes, wardrobes and more, is set to help members of its Etsy Wholesale community do just that. The company is bringing together small designers and heavy-hitting retailers from across the country via its Open Call program.

Now in its second year running, the Etsy Open Call program brings together buyers from top retail stores in the country and fresh talent from the Etsy Wholesale community through a series of live and online events to create pathways for valuable business partnerships.

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