Gen X as a Target Customer – Part Two | Lydia Mehit

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Continuing our discussion of Generation X as our target consumer, we have gathered a variety of facts about our subjects and now need to use those facts to answer the following questions.

  1. Why do they buy?
  2. How do they buy?
  3. What do they buy?
  4. Where do they buy?
  5. Where do you find them?
  6. How do you reach them?

Let’s answer the questions using the information we’ve learned about Generation X.

Why do they buy? 

We know Generation X women are motivated by price when it comes to fashion.  We also know they spend more than the national average on apparel for children under 16.  We could conclude they are willing to spend more money on their children than themselves, at least in terms of fashionable clothing.

They also spend more then average on housing, furniture, major appliances, cars and trucks.  We might conclude that when it involves their family they are willing to spend more money.

Continue reading “Gen X as a Target Customer – Part Two | Lydia Mehit” →

Saving Money in Your Startup | The Simple Dollar

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We get it. You’re starting a new businesses and you’re strapped for cash. There are a million questions going through your head. We empathize with bootstrapping entrepreneurs and small-business owners everywhere, and today we explore meaningful ways that add up where your business can save money in the early phases. That said, every small-business owner and entrepreneur has a unique set of circumstances that pertains to their business, industry, strategy, and execution. Here we will outline some of the key choices, some obvious, some less obvious, on ways you and your small business can save money.

Where is your business located?

The cost of living cannot be ignored when you’re looking at starting a business. While the glamour of the big city lights and talented potential workforce might be appealing, it might not be the best place for you to start a business. The cost of creating a startup in San Francisco or New York versus a small town in the Midwest needs to be taken into consideration. Having lived in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Madison, Wisconsin, it’s far easier to start a business in Madison, WI from a cost perspective.

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Why Rite Aid and CVS Stopped Taking Apple Pay | Businessweek

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The introduction of Apple Pay last Monday was widely described as the dawn of a new era for smartphone payments. But within a week, two major pharmacy chains, Rite Aid RAD and CVS CVS, rejected Apple’s AAPL version of the future: Both disabled Apple Pay as well as other tap-to-pay mobile payments systems Google Wallet and Softcard. As expected, customers took to Twitter to complain, and they almost universally sided with the smartphone company over the drugstores.

CVS hasn’t publicly explained itself. Rite Aid spokeswoman Ashley Flower defended the company in an e-mail to Bloomberg Businessweek. “We are continually evaluating various forms of mobile payment technologies, and are committed to offering convenient, reliable, and secure payment methods that meet the needs of our customers,” she wrote.

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Freelancers, Here’s How To Set Your Rates | Forbes

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Freelancers often wonder how much they should charge. It’s a thorny dilemma: Quote too high a price, and the potential client may decide to hire someone else. Go with a lower number, and you may end up earning less than you could have.

That’s why you’ll see freelancer forums and discussion boards peppered with questions about how much the poster should quote for a potential gig.

But they’re going about it all wrong. While, yes, it helps to know the general price range for certain types of work, the reality is that the range can be quite wide.

For instance, writers for content mills may earn as little as $15 a post, writers for esteemed magazines could earn $20,000 for a lengthy story, and some authors can receive millions for a book advance. Even for articles of the same length — say, 1,000 words — some outlets pay as little as $100 and others pay as much as $2,000 or more.

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You can stash up to $18,000 in your 401k next year | Money.Cnn.com

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Super savers and rich people will be able to put even more money in their 401ks next year. Starting in 2015, contribution limits for the tax-deferred retirement accounts will increase by $500 to $18,000, the Internal Revenue Service announced Thursday.

Meanwhile, the “catch-up” amount that workers age 50 and over can contribute to their plans will rise to $6,000 from $5,500, for a total of $24,000 next year.Of course, not many workers can afford to save those maximum amounts. In 2013, 12% of Vanguard’s more than 3 million 401k participants contributed the max allowed not including any match from their employer, according to the company’s annual How America Saves report.

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Best Small Tablets for Business 2014 and Why We Love Them |Business News Daily

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Large tablets give you more screen space to work on, but they can really weigh you down on your daily commute. Fortunately, opting for a smaller tablet doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice power or great software features. There are tons of pint-size slates that offer zippy performance and features such as multi-window multitasking, stylus integration and even a fingerprint scanner for added security. Read on for a list of the best business tablets with displays smaller than 8.5 inches.

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Now Everyone Wants to Sell You a Magical Anonymity Router. Choose Wisely | WIRED

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Maintaining your privacy online, like investing in stocks or looking good naked, has become one of those nagging desires that leaves Americans with a surplus of stress and a deficit of facts. So it’s no surprise that a cottage industry of privacy marketers now wants to sell them the solution in a $50 piece of hardware promising internet “anonymity” or “invisibility.” And as with any panacea in a box, the quicker the fix, the more doubt it deserves.

Last week saw the fast forward rise and fall of Anonabox, a tiny $45 router that promised to anonymize all of a user’s traffic by routing it over the anonymity network Tor. That promise of plug-and-play privacy spurred Anonabox to raise $615,000 on the fundraising platform Kickstarter in four days, 82 times its modest $7,500 goal. Then on Thursday, Kickstarter froze those pledges, citing the project’s misleading claims about its hardware sources. Other critics pointed to flaws in Anonabox’s software’s security, too.

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Samsung Galaxy S5 review | CNET

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The Good Samsung’s Galaxy S5 excels at everything that matters — Android 4.4 KitKat OS; a bright, beautiful display; blistering quad-core processor; and an excellent camera experience. In addition, Samsung’s efforts to streamline its own custom interface and reduce pre-installed bloatware pay off.

The Bad The Galaxy S5 is a only small upgrade over the Galaxy S4. The fingerprint scanner can be confusing to use, and the heart-rate monitor is a niche feature at best. In some regions, the Galaxy S5 costs significantly more than rival top-rated handsets.

The Bottom Line Subtly improved and smartly refined, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a superior superphone that hits every mark but the sharpest design.

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McDonalds and Coca-Cola Try to Adapt to Changing Consumer Tastes | Adweek

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Americans are losing their appetites for Big Macs chased down by Cokes, forcing two megabrands to re-think how to gain market share.

This week McDonald’s reported a 3.3 percent quarterly profit decline, marking its worst performance in years, while Coke’s profit dropped 14 percent with a continuing decline in North American sales during the same period.

What’s going on? That’s the question on the minds of those running both companies who are under pressure to turn things around fast.

McDonald’s execs might take a cue from rival Chipotle Mexican Grill, which posted 20 percent growth in the third quarter. Chipotle restaurants feature a Fresh Mex menu that offers customers a choice of ingredients to customize their orders as well as organic beans and tofu in its Sofritas for vegans.

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The iPad’s Glory Days Are Over. Where Does It Go Now? | Mashable

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Apple reported its fiscal 2014 fourth quarter results on Monday, and in a surprise to absolutely no one, iPad sales are down again.For the third consecutive quarter, iPad sales have declined year-over-year. On a call with analysts, Apple CEO Tim Cook positioned the decline in sales as “a speed bump, not a huge issue.” Still, Cook conceded that this isn’t where Apple wants to be. “We want to grow. We don’t like negative numbers on these things.” That need for future growth is probably one of the reasons Apple realigned its iPad offerings last week.

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