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SaaS Solutions for a Business in Its First Year. For those not familiar with Software as a Service (SaaS) and how it can benefit your business, it is a cloud computing category that deals with software distribution solutions, in such way that a third party service provider who hosts apps can make applications available for customer use over the internet. The need for companies to install and run applications on their own computer systems was eliminated by the birth of SaaS, which means that everything can now be done via the cloud.

This has removed the expense of acquisition of hardware, of maintaining and provisioning, and the need for installation, licensing of software and support so on. All these expenses and hassles are taken care of by the rise in popularity of SaaS. For a business in its first year, SaaS can be of immense help, offering a lot of benefits that will help your small business or company grow. Below we look at some of the particular benefits of SaaS to a business in its first year. 1. Scalable Usage 2. 3. 4. 5. Three Home Businesses that You Can Instantly Start. Startups are booming as more and more people now thinking of starting their own businesses, instead of joining multinational corporations that offer them a fixed salary. According to Small Business Trends, more than 50 percent of the businesses (startups and established ones) are home based.

This is good news for people who are planning to start their own business, and thinking that investing in an office (at the moment) might not really be a great idea. The bad news is that it’s not as easy as it sounds. The ones who actually make a living out of home based businesses will be the first to confirm this. This post however is not about the important rules you need to set for your home business but about the kind of businesses that are easy to start from home and don’t require much capital to set things up and started.

Web Development Home Businesses There are two reasons why I picked this industry to include in my list. There is another more simple way out. Content Marketing Home Businesses. 5 CRM Techniques That Will Help Your Business Grow in 2016. Having a good understanding of your customers is a great marketing strategy that breeds results and improves sales. In the present day business environment, customers are updated daily with information and every business owner is soliciting for the continuous patronage of their customers. The competition in the market space between service providers has taken this trend higher and any business that neglects the need to get involved with their customers is doing so at their own loss because they stand the chance of losing them to other competitors. The year 2016 has been a year of innovations and changes in the business world, and improving your CRM with some techniques will definitely bring a positive change to your business.

There are changes everywhere in the business world, and staying stocked with the same old way of doing things will leave your business lacking behind your competitors. Don’t remain stagnate. For every advantage, there is a disadvantage. How to Avoid Common Legal Woes as a First Time Entrepreneur. When starting a business, it takes a lot more than selling as many products as possible. There are legal factors to consider. For example, knowing how employment law works could save business owners thousands of dollars in fines. If the firm is a partnership or an LLC, it is essential to have a written agreement. Having some form of insurance is also necessary. Other helpful tips include employing tools that will prepare budget forecasts.

Additionally, the owner should establish the right business entity to avoid legal issues. Knowledge of Employment Law It is advisable that new business owners become familiar with employment laws. When hiring staff on a contractual basis, the employer needs to determine if the person qualifies as an employee or an independent contractor. Unwritten Business Agreement with Partners It is a wise business decision for entrepreneurs to have written agreements set up if the company is an LLC, partnership, or buy-sell agreement.

Thinking Insurance is Useless. Small Business and Community Investment: How to Build Your Business Neighborhood. If You Want to Be More Efficient as a Freelancer, This One App is All You Need. If You Want to Be More Efficient in Direct Sales, This One App is All You Need. How Hiring Out Could Save You Money When Relocating Your Business. Moving is one of the ways to obtain expanding room for your business although it is not the only way. You may attain business expansion through increasing the productivity of your existing facilities and employees, taking adjoining spaces, or splitting up your facilities into separate locations. The relocation of your small business may seem like a daunting task, particularly in the beginning, but every business owner should know that they have to complete the move as quickly and efficiently as possible to ensure a quick resumption of their operations of activities.

To save money while relocating your small business, you will need to make your transition as swift and stress-free as possible. When you anticipate an upcoming relocation of your firm or office, it is important to start the search for a reliable small business moving and storage company that provides careful, efficient, and reliable moving services aimed at getting you back in business in the shortest possible timeframe. 10 Best Places to Optimize Your Startup Success. Save Your Small Business Money with these Marketing Tips. Do you want to market your small business, but need to keep to a budget and save money to stay as fiscally healthy as possible for your employees? Not to fear. As a small business owner, there are several things you can do to market your small business on a budget.

I have compiled a few tips for you, along with some helpful websites, that will give you a great perspective on exactly how you can do this. Read on, and relax. Know that there are always ways to creatively market without having to impede your ultra-important cashflow. Increase Employee Productivity to Save Money and Stay on Budget Culture matters when it comes to customer service. Next, once you have that baseline and some numbers and standards of measurement for employee quality analysis, begin to apply those numbers and standards as you monitor your employees. How does any of this actually help with marketing? Build an Email List to Save Money and Stay on Budget Focus on a Blog and Web Content to Save Money and Stay on Budget. Topmost Reasons Why a Mobile App Is Your Best Small Business Marketing Strategy. Every business owner yearns for a high yielding business; thus, this is the reason they opted for starting a business in the first place.

Small business owners are slightly more inclined towards forging new ways to fortify their business, whereas big brands just need to focus on maintaining their market position. In order to gain momentum, small business owners study these big brands and follow their footsteps. Business owners are using the internet and digital media very efficiently to reach a multitude of customers and have crossed several demographic barriers to sell their goods and services. So much so, that we can deem it the major factor for globalization. Moreover, small businesses and large businesses alike are understanding the value of mobile apps.

Nowadays, be it the millennials and other age groups, everyone is bewitched by mobile devices and small businesses shouldn’t ignore this trend. 1. 2. 3. Developing a brand: Recognition: 4. 5. 6. Apps are No Longer a Luxury. 4 Essential Elements for a Startup Looking to Grow. Starting a business is more than just buying a domain and getting the word out. There is finesse needed, along with much needed research and planning. You can find countless “recipes for success” that will tell you “industry secrets” and so much more. But setting up your business for success can really come down to these four things. 1. Envision the Long-Term But Plan for the Short Term Among the most important steps to building a successful business is your business plan. Your plan shouldn’t be seen as a ball and chain, but as a quick reference for typical situations that will arise. Having a written business plan doesn’t have to be a long or stressful ordeal though.

The biggest part of your business plan is that it should state your long-term desires and vision (about five years into the future), but it should state short term goals that will be achieved in the first year. 2. In today’s business world, branding has become a huge part of a successful business. 3. 4. Tap into Big Data to Supercharge Your Startup. Big data is becoming a big buzzword. It pops up in all kinds of business areas, and it’s typically associated with massive projects and large corporations. Big data comes up frequently in discussions of the ways big businesses determine their marketing strategy. In short, it seems out of reach for small businesses or startups. In reality, however, the proliferation of data-collection and analysis tools has made using big data a genuine option for startups.

The potential benefits are quite large, because big data can simply deliver more insight than you have ever had before. In this post, we will talk about some new ways to start using big data as a startup. Cheap, Accessible Tools The first key point is that it is much easier to get into big data than you might expect. There are a multitude of tools that can gather information from other sources, like social media discussions or customer interactions with a mobile app. Go Local Enhanced Detail. How to Stay Sane When Moving Your Business to a New Location. Moving your office to a new location can be a stressful experience. Being non-operational for any length is lost money, so your company will need to be fully functional in a short amount of time. Preparing months in advance and having a game plan with definitely ease some of that worry. Here some tips to help your move run smoothly and efficiently so that you are up and running in no time.

Set A Moving Budget (And Stick To It) Moving from one space to another can get expensive if you don’t have a planned budget. Know which new furniture or equipment you will need and research the price. Will there be lost income if there is downtime before the business is up and running again? Inform Employees, Customers and Vendors When Moving For a move to run smoothly, everyone must be on the same page. Have A Clear Move-In Date Figure you will need several months to prepare for the move, so knowing a date will give you a clear goal to shoot for. Hire Reputable Movers Out With The Old, In With The New.

Solopreneurs and Freelancers - Is Your New Year's Resolution to Get Organized and Productive? One of the most important reasons to use a planning or productivity app is it frees your mind so you can concentrate on the things that you need to accomplish. The advantage of using a mobile app is it’s portable so you’re able to record information when on the go. Naturally, it’s important that your app syncs with your device calendars and across devices, such as iPhones and iPads. Capabilities of productivity apps vary. As the makers of LifeTopix, we recommend that you choose an app that allows you to manage many aspects of your solo business and lives in one place.

For example, if you choose LifeTopix, you’ve selected a smart, simple and powerful app. Our users enjoy the convenience of managing projects, tasks, social media and inboxes, shopping lists, events, travel, contacts, goals, finances, assets, education, notes and lists, media, passwords and bookmarks – all in one place. 8 Ways to Rev Up Your Freelance Business Before the Holidays. As we move into December with the holidays quickly approaching, your freelance work can slow down because many businesses go into vacation mode. If your workload is lighter than usual, we have a few tips for picking up new year-end business or revving up your freelance business in 2016. 1. Take Advantage of Holiday Promotions that Businesses Offer Before and during the holidays, many B2C companies and some B2B companies are running online holiday promotions to increase revenue before the year ends. Whether you’re an IT professional, writer or in design/multimedia, you’ll find that many of your clients need extra help during this time to get their promotions online.

Assuming you have a clientele list, contact existing and past clients and prospects to inquire whether they are in need of support during the holiday season. 2. The holiday season is a great time to cold call potential clients to which you can offer services. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Your Turn. 8 Tips to Take Advantage of Small Business Saturday 2015. If you’re a small business owner and you want to boost your profits over the holiday season, consider taking advantage of Small Business Saturday. As you probably know, small businesses support the local economy in many ways, such as job creation and giving back to the community. American Express has been driving the Small Business Saturday movement since 2010 because they understand the importance of small business success.

American Express supports restaurants, retail establishments and other small businesses. Small Business Saturday is meant to help these businesses by making consumers aware of the small businesses in their local communities. It is held every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, it’s Saturday, November 28. For more information about Small Business Saturday: Keep in mind that the deadlines are reported as TODAY, November 16 for a Shop Small Listing and to apply for the advertising program. 1. Do you want to get more people in the door? 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8 Practical Marketing Tips for Your New Solo Business.

You’ve decided to start a new solo business, but you don’t know where to start with marketing or you’re not seeing the sales growth you hoped for and expected. You’re not alone. This is a common issue among solopreneurs. Many solopreneurs start a business because they have a passion for it, but lack experience in marketing. Perhaps you’re a fitness enthusiast and you’ve become certified in personal training, but you haven’t picked up more than a handful of clients. Having a passion and assuming the customers will come to you is not enough. If you really want to rock it as a solopreneur, keep reading to understand the latest practical and lean methods for marketing your solo business. 1. Every business is different. Prepare a persona of your common customer. It’s of upmost importance to emphasize your key differentiation that pertains to that target audience. 2. After you understand where your prospects flock, you can build your online presence through your owned web properties. 3. 4. 5.

10 Strategies for Solopreneurs and Entrepreneurs to Ease Overwhelm. Solopreneurs, entrepreneurs and founders of early stage startups and businesses are frequently overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to get done. Being overwhelmed is a state of mind that is not always firmly planted in reality. It’s a direct result of the choices and actions that we take.

There are several strategies for managing choices and actions that can ease these feelings of overwhelm. If you’re one of the many who are overwhelmed, keep reading to learn about strategies to help you alleviate overwhelm, your workload, worry and stress. 1. Many solopreneurs and entrepreneurs are “idea people” and right-brain thinkers. When you start your business, simplicity is key. 2. Theodore Roosevelt once said, In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. Solopreneurs and entrepreneurs make a variety of decisions every day and this can be overwhelming. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. How Big Data and Automation Are Changing Written Marketing. 8 Tips and Resources to Help Small Businesses Thrive.