Both Sides of the Table 2x Entrepreneur turned VC. Social Business Design Introduction. 75 Essential Small Business Resources From 2010. Want to take your small business to the next level? Or maybe start your own business? We've researched dozens of ways for you to do just that by leveraging social media and technology. And here you'll find a comprehensive list of those resources, whether you're looking to incorporate new technologies like mobile credit card scanners or you want to update your business's website.
You'll find all of the small business resources we've produced in the past year broken down into categories like social media, productivity, marketing, tech and tools, geo-location and deals, HR and hiring, success stories and getting started. Social Media Take your social media presence beyond a simple Facebook Page or company blog. Productivity These posts will help you find new ways to stay on track, and be as efficient and effective as possible while working with contractors like designers.
Marketing Tech and Tools The web is full of tools that will help you get the job done — and many of those tools are free. 150+ Business and Marketing Resources From 2010. Whether you're trying to make your business more efficient, creating a branded mobile app, or you're just starting out on your journey as an entrepreneur, we've got all the resources you'll need. We've compiled a comprehensive list of all our business and marketing guides from the past year, including more than posts related to social media, mobile resources, posts with tips on real-world success, posts on getting started, posts on basic business tools, networking posts and marketing resources.
This roundup can get you well on your way to establishing a successful business or marketing campaign. Social Media This list includes resources related to the most popular social media sites, ranging from Twitter to LinkedIn to Foursquare. Mobile Mobile devices are essential for the success of business leaders, but in the past year, the popularity of smartphones has opened up new possibilities for how businesses can use mobile devices as well. Real World Success Starting Up Business 101 Networking. How to Develop a Prototype. Whether penned on the back of a scraggly bar napkin, mended together on your basement floor, or designed using the latest 3D modeling software, every product starts with an idea.
But bringing that idea to a fully functioning, marketable prototype takes time, money, and more often than not, a few expert opinions. Luckily, there's been a recent emergence of tools, resources, and groups to help do-it-yourself innovators bring their sketches to life. "We are living in a fantastic renaissance of innovation right now," says Bre Pettis, co-founder of MakerBot Industries and the NYC Resistor, a hacker collective. Groups like NYC Resistor bring together like-minded hobbyists to collaborate and build ideas with laser cutters, rapid prototyping machines, and electronic-building software. While creating a professional-looking design still may require outside help, it's now easier and cheaper than ever to get your prototypes in front of customers.
Developing a Prototype: Doing it Yourself. ProFounder. GBN Global Business Network. 10 Ways Business Leaders Can Turn Ideas Into Execution. Paul Kerr has been involved in business for more than 28 years, including more than 20 years in consulting and training. He is a principal at leadership training and consulting firm Skills for Excellence. One of most frustrating challenges facing business leaders today is closing what is commonly known as the execution gap (or sometimes the strategy gap). The execution gap is a perceived gap between a company's strategies and expectations and its ability to meet those goals and put ideas into action.
Due to the complexity of people, businesses, and the societal constructs in which we operate, it is more difficult than it might seem at first glance to close this gap. A survey in 2007 found that 49% of business leaders perceived a gap between strategy and execution; 64% lacked confidence in their company's ability to narrow it. However, there are some simple rules for closing the execution gap. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. This is sometimes a difficult thing to do. CRM - salesforce. Emergent by design. The Agile Inception Deck « The Agile Warrior. Download Blank Inception Deck (pptx). One area most agile methods are completely silent on is project chartering.
Below is a lightweight you can use to fill this gap and get your project headed in the right direction long before the first line of code every gets written. 10 questions to ask at the start of your next project It starts out so hopefully. As you begin the project, you and your team are all on the same page. Or so it seems. Then you start actually building, and you realize that you all had something different in mind. How many of your projects start off like this: You and your team get together at the start of your project thinking you are all on the same page? And when you start building something, you realize you were thinking something completely different.
This happens all the time on projects: assuming there is consensus when none exists. These questions serve two goals: alignment and expectation setting. Yes we can build that for you. 1. Is it about safety? 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Welcome to The Assembly. Using Social Commerce. By: Gini Dietrich | November 10, 2010 | Social commerce. According to Wikipedia, “Social commerce is a subset of electronic commerce that involves using social media, online media that supports social interaction and user contributions, to assist in the online buying and selling of products and services.
More succinctly, social commerce is the use of social media in the context of e-commerce.” But what does that mean to you? You can now sell your merchandise and services on Facebook by letting your customers buy, but also letting them tell their friends. And letting their friends tell their friends. Most people are scared to add e-commerce and Facebook together, thinking it will be hard to achieve, but it’s super simple. Before I walk you through setting up your social commerce page, perhaps a few steps you take to kick-start your online sales will help.
If you already sell online, choose one or two of your best selling products for your Facebook test. Test it out. Extreme sales makeover: boring newsletter into sales leads | RADSMARTS. The thought of receiving yet another dead boring newsletter into my inbox leaves me poised over the ‘delete’ key. So get the sales defibrillator out because this next edition of Extreme Sales Makeover is all about shocking new life into online newsletters in a way that has readers reaching for their credit card rather than their recycle bin. Here’s a real-life example for us to work on to improve our skills. 1. Meet Myriam Thibault My friend, Myriam Thibault is a talented entrepreneur who writes a blog called Detours and runs Mytinerary – a business that delivers the ultimate gourmet-travel experience in Sydney. 2. “I’m just about to launch my (long overdue) website for Mytinerary, and I need your assistance. How can you assist Myriam? Myriam has asked three questions for your consideration and help: a.
I’m aware we tend to get too many newsletters these days, with many ending up straight in the bin. B. . * top tips (around travel, food, shopping), do’s and dont’s; c. Let’s help Myriam succeed. HOW TO: Run Location-Based Google Ads. This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.
If you want to get on the location-based advertising bandwagon, but you don't want to spend a ton of money and you feel a little nervous venturing into uncharted territory, Google Boost, Google's latest location-based ad product for local businesses, could be a solution for you. While Facebook Places isn't available yet to advertisers and location-specific apps might seem like too much of a risk for budget-focused small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners, Google's new local ad product is simple to use, inexpensive (its pay-as-you-go fee structure means you only spend money when your ads are actually working) and maintenance-free.
For some time, Google has been focused on helping SMBs target their own cities, towns and neighborhoods with relevant advertising and marketing. What You Need to Get Started. HOW TO: Get the Most From a Small Business Social Media Presence. Scott Gerber is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, public speaker and author of Never Get a "Real" Job: How to Dump Your Boss, Build a Business and Not Go Broke. The content for this post was sourced from the Young Entrepreneur Council, a group of successful Gen Y business owners. You can submit your questions to this group on NeverGetaRealJob.com. Today's reality is that your business needs to be on social media, but the mere existence of your business on sites like Facebook and Twitter doesn't guarantee a single sale, or even a single referral. In order for businesses to succeed in the social media space, they need to be properly educated on what works and what doesn’t.
More importantly, business owners need to have realistic goals about what they'll get out of social media. When the right tools are used effectively with the right motives in mind, social media can have a huge impact on small business marketing and customer service efforts. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. How to Grow a Business Organically. Project management - Collaboration. Grow and Organize Your Small Business | ContactMe.com.