Even if you’re not normally a self-starter, recent events might have you thinking about your career and how to productively spend your increased time at home.
Tag Archives: business
Can “going green” build business profits?
There are many financial benefits for those looking to take their business down an environmentally conscious path. Climate change and similar ecological threats have shifted the way people view corporations.
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Preparing Your Business for the Holidays
Owning and running a business can be stressful enough as it is. Unfortunately, the holidays can take that stress to the next level. A little careful planning, however, can keep things running smoothly over the holidays and help ensure that your company takes advantage of the busy season.
5 Finance Tools Your Small Business Should Have
If you run a small business, managing your finances is one of your most important tasks. Fortunately, there are many fine software tools available that can help you do just this. Here are five finance tools your small business should make use of.
Five Options For Financing Your Startup
Starting a new business is both exciting and challenging, and It can also be overwhelming trying to come up with financing to get the venture off the ground.
Where should you turn for the help that you need to get going?
Business Loan
Taking out a loan from a bank or a credit union is the most traditional route for obtaining funding. While banks are sometimes the source of Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, the conventional loans that banks handle may be a better option in some cases.
For starters, SBA loans are backed by the government, which means there are often stringent terms attached to the loan. Without government involvement approval time is usually faster. Continue reading
Five Seemingly Small Slip-Ups That Can Sink Your Business Before It Gets Going
Every business, no matter how big or small, comes with its own set of considerations. From management to finances, employees to inventory, there are many things to worry about on a daily basis.
That’s why you don’t want to gamble your chance for success on the smallest possible pitfall. Every year, thousands of new businesses fail because of tiny missteps that could easily be prevented.
Missteps such as… Continue reading
Six Tips For Creating An Innovative Business Card
Are you a new graduate on the job hunt? Are you in an established career and you’re looking for a new challenge?
If you’re getting ready to venture into the world of job searching, you need a great business card that will be memorable, is clear and will get you noticed.
Don’t know where to start? Follow our guide of creative ideas for business cards and get started on making an impression with your future employers.
The key to remember in deciding on a business card is to avoid cards that are too gimmicky or cute that they leave an impression that you shouldn’t be taken seriously. That’s a fine line to walk, but we’ll help you right now:
Increase the Weight of Your Card
There is something that happens in the psyche when you have a weightier card. It feels like more a library card or a credit card. It feels more serious.
Consider increasing the weight of your business card’s paper stock, and you’ll have an instant payoff in the minds of whomever is holding your card next.
Invest in Letter-pressing or Embossing
If you’ve got the budget for it, consider adding an element of letter-pressing or embossing to your card. It’s going to be a little pricey, as this is a craft, niche operation, but your card will look beautiful.
This is something for designers especially to consider. Your business card needs to match your profession or the field you hope to enter.
Try Out a Smaller Card
One trend in business cards today is to try an alternate shape from the traditional rectangle. A square card or even a smaller rectangle add interest and set your card apart from the pile of others.
Consider Wood
Are you going into a field involving sustainability or the environment? Are you a craft woodworker? Consider a wood business card.
These cards are made of layers of thin wood, but they are sturdy, creative and are much different than any other card your future employer may receive.
Die-Cut Cards
Add some creativity and professionalism to your card by adding a die-cut element to your business card. This could just be in the form of your business logo or the initial of your last name.
It may be a little pricey to get a die-cut because it is a custom design element. However, it will add some style and interest to your card and make it memorable to future employers.
Digital Cards
A new trend in business cards is to forego paper altogether and make your business card digital. You can do this by making a digital card on your iPad.
Take the iPad with you to visits with employers. The card needs to have a QR code on it so that the person can scan your card with his or her smart phone and record the information about you.
An alternative is to keep the traditional business card but to include a QR code directly on the card. You’ll not only make it easy for a future employer to keep up with you, but you’ll score major cool points for being tech savvy.
Are you inspired yet? Use our guide of handy tips for finding an innovative business card that is professional and memorable. You’re on your way to finding a great job — or least leaving a really great impression by investing in a great card. Good luck in your search!
Four Companies That Should Be Role Models For Your Startup
All the famous companies that we are all very proud of today and those that every unemployed person wants to work for were once start-ups.Today in the stock markets some of them are considered as blue chip companies while others are rated among Fortune 500 companies.
Some of the companies that have now grown to become global brands had to start somewhere. A number of them some of which are now worth billions are said to have been launched from makeshift headquarters, coffee shops, and relatives’ garages as well university living rooms.
Some of the incredible examples of companies that start-ups should look at include;
Apple
Steve Jobs and Steven Wozniak were good friends in high school. They both happened to have a strong interest in electronics. Jobs and Wozniak had this desire to come up with personal computers that they would sell to their friends and close relatives.
It all started in the year 1976 when Woz designed what would come to be referred to as Apple 1. Jobs was excited by the idea and being the marketing genius that he was he took Apple 1 to the marketplace. The reception was incredible.
The story of Apple is an interesting one especially the fact that it had to deal with already established names in the industry like BIG Blue.
The age of Jobs and Wozniak too should offer motivation to start-ups and show them that they should not wait until it’s too late to try and make an idea a reality.
Google is the leading search engine globally. It was founded by Stanford University students Larry Page and Sergei Brin in the year 1998.
It was while they were at Stanford in 1996 that Page and Brin began the process of developing a search engine called BackRub. In the year 1998, they set up their first data center in Page’s room.
Page and Brin were motivated by the fact that their fellow Stanford alum David Filo had founded Yahoo years earlier, they made a decision to start a company as well as looking for investors.
Today Google is used by almost every internet user globally and is rated as one of the most successful companies globally.
Starbucks
It started small in Seattle in the early 70’s. Howard Schultz while on a trip to Milan Italy visited the espresso bars and was greatly impressed. He decided to implement the model in Seattle, and immediately everybody become coffee crazy.
Starbucks has since expanded from a single coffee shop and has now opened thousands of its retails all over the world.
Nokia
It was founded in the year 1865. Gradually is has grown to become one of the biggest communication and information technology companies in the globe.
However, Nokia started small producing leather footwear called Galoshes. It’s in the year 1987 that they introduced Mobira Cityman 900 their first handheld phone.
There are other compelling stories of companies like Facebook that was started by Mark Zuckerberg while he was still in the university. Some of the other companies that startups should look at include; Alibaba, Yahoo, and even Toyota.
In general, the challenges that faced entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, who was a co-founder having to leave Apple and go and try out other start-ups like Next and Pixar, demonstrates to start-ups the need to forge forward even when they experience failure.
The prosperity of such companies has been associated with the fact that they make products that are well thought, superior quality, and designed to be simple to use, which should be the guiding principles for any start-up out there.
Photo: Marco Pakoeningrat / CC 2.0