Entrepreneurship Archives - Page 10 of 17 - The Financial Fairy Tales Blog The Financial Fairy Tales Blog

What to look for when choosing a courier service

December 12th, 2018 Posted in Entrepreneurship

If you own a company, you may have had to deal with the issue of courier options before. Companies that are required to ship out goods to customers may need a reliable service as not every company have their own group of dedicated drivers armed with delivery scooters . Like with many business decision-making processes, there is a lot to take into account so it is important to do your research in order to find the right service for your company.

Firstly, you want to ask how long the company has been in business for. This is typically a good indication of how popular and/or how reliable they are. While newer businesses may be a good option as you could assume they want to build their reputation, it is always important to consider the company that likely knows the industry the best.

You want to look at the service options that this company provide, a good company will be able to suit you both long-term and short-term. You may need to deliver the same day, so you could need to make specific arrangements which a reputable company can provide.Also, you may have certain specific needs on different occasions and a good courier company would be able to meet these demands.

Another sign of a good courier service is that they are innovative and keep up to date with technology. You may not think that this is a very important requirement but it goes deeper than you may think. A company that utilises modern software and technology is much more likely to be a well organised business. They may use things like order monitoring, real-time tracking and customer personalisation. If they can embrace new ideas to help make their service more efficient and reliable, then they are someone you should seriously consider working with.

Lastly, it is important to understand whether the company is efficient in coping with any problems. There are always issues that are going to happen, but it really depends on the individual company and their structure to see if a solution is found quickly. A good courier company would be able to keep constant communication with each party, allowing for a relationship to be established.

http://credit-n.ru/zaymi-nalichnymi-blog-single.html

courier service

Build Trust in Your Brand for Business Success

October 20th, 2018 Posted in Entrepreneurship

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Image sourced from Pixabay

It’s vital for any business to have the trust of their customers. If their audience doesn’t trust them, they’re not going to make any sales. Trust is a difficult thing to build, especially for new businesses that don’t yet have much of a reputation. You need to convince people that your brand is trustworthy through your brand image and through building a strong reputation. If you want to make sure your brand is trusted, you can do a number of things to gain the trust of new customers and make sure that existing customers continue to trust you.

Be There

Making your brand available to your customers is an excellent way to get them to trust you. They want to be able to get in touch with you to ask questions and perhaps even make a complaint. If they don’t have anyone to ask when they need to know something, they might just give up and decide that they would rather go to someone else. It’s important to be available to your customers in a variety of ways and in different places. For example, they might be able to contact you by phone or email, or perhaps get in touch with you via social media.

Image sourced from The Blue Diamond Gallery

Be Transparent

Being open and transparent about how you run your business should help with improving trust in your brand too. Customers are more likely to trust you if you’re willing to tell them how you do things, especially where their information is involved. The owner of Viderium.com points out the new regulation is going to continue to influence how businesses collect, send and store data. Consumers want to know what you’re doing with their data and why you need it. Taking an open approach can help your customers to feel more connected and more involved with your brand. Being transparent is important for building a relationship, for example, people will want to know if you are ethical regarding sustainability, including recycling or using plastic alternatives like a perspex sheet.

Be Reliable

Your customers also want to know that they can rely on you. Providing a reliable product that won’t let them down shows them that they can trust you. Showing is always better than telling, so make sure your product is as reliable as possible. Gathering feedback from your customers can be a good way to continually improve your product. They get to have their say and can see that they can trust you to listen to them and follow through on your word. When developing a product, it’s essential to make sure you know what your customers want before releasing it.

Image sourced from Pixabay

Be Consistent

Delivering consistent quality and service to your customers is a vital part of building their trust. They should be able to expect the same (or better) quality each time they buy one of your products or services. You need to make sure you’re not constantly doing one thing one minute and then doing another thing the next. Consistency is key if you want to build trust from your customers and keep them coming back.

You can’t build a successful business if your customers don’t trust you. Create trust around your brand and you can grow your customer base. http://credit-n.ru/calc.html

brand, business, customers, trust

Borrowing Without a Collateral: 8 Things to Know About Unsecured Loans

October 12th, 2018 Posted in Credit and Debt, Entrepreneurship

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Running any business has its ups and downs. You will encounter financial challenges every once in a while. Unpredictable emergencies that need to be addressed within the shortest time possible. Maybe you need to replace some equipment to allow smooth operation of the business. Or you could be having an unsettled loan that could make you lose your assets if not paid on time. What would you do? Simple, apply for unsecured loans and forget all these problems. Here’s all you need to know about these loans.

Borrowing Without a Collateral: 8 Things to Know About Unsecured Loans - loan image

No Collateral Required

Unlike in secured loans where you need to pledge legal property or assets as collaterals, unsecured loans do not require any collateral. So you won’t have to worry about losing your legal property or assets should you default. So, in case you’re having a personal emergency or you need some funds to open or expand your small business, applying for this kind of loan will be much easier. Don’t allow yourself to suffer a financial hiccup just because you have no assets or property to pledge when you can apply for an unsecured loan today. You can check UnsecuredFinanceAustralia.com.au for details.

Less Background Checks

In the case of secured loans, the lender must do thorough checks to determine your credibility which could even include your lifestyle audit. You will also be forced to secure the loan with a collateral, which you’ll risk losing in case you default. But with unsecured loans, your creditworthiness is all that matters to the lenders. And if it’s all good, then what are you waiting for? What if you have no credit score? Again don’t worry, unsecured loans will still be the best way to build your credit score which will increase your loan limits and loan periods. But you must ensure that you pay for the unsecured loan on time.

Real-Time Loans

Perhaps the main reason that you will go for an unsecured loan is that you need some fast cash for your personal use or for the business. And if the loan is to take days for it to be processed, it would cause some inconveniences. You could lose your loyal customers or the good paying contract you might miss because you lack some equipment which is not a good thing. But this is not the case with unsecured loans. The loans are very convenient in that when you apply for the loan, it will be processed within the shortest time possible and you can comfortably sort the financial issue you were facing.

Easy to Apply

Initially, you would be required to go to the lenders and fill multiple pages of papers when applying for the loan. You would then go home and wait for the lender to consider your application contact you if you’re successful. This means you’d go to the bank a couple of times and might not get the loan. But not anymore. The technology is advancing and the lenders are also going digital. A majority of the lenders nowadays have an online presence where you can apply for the loan. All you’ll need to do is to log on to their websites – which are easy to navigate – and you’ll find the online application form. You’ll then fill the form and upload your address proofs, national ID and other necessary details.

Credit Is a Reusable Resource

When you apply for an unsecured business loan, you will be given a set limit by the lender and as long as you will pay for the balance, you can reuse the credit anytime you need to. Despite the fact that the lender will only give you smaller limits because of loan security as compared to secured loans, you can negotiate this limit provided you’ll be willing to meet the additional terms. One main advantage of this option is that it will eliminate the hang-ups usually experienced with cash advances and traditional loans. So you won’t have to stress yourself again about constantly re-applying for funding.

Reasonable Loan Term

The length of the loan you will apply (if awarded) will be used to determine the amount you’ll be paying on a regular basis. If the loan life is longer, the repayments will be lower. Unsecured loans are known for their short-term characteristic. “Isn’t this a disadvantage?” Well, yes you may not be allowed to extend the loan duration to, say 10 years. But to your advantage, you’ll be out of the financial obligation within a very short time and relieve yourself the loan repayment pressure. But of course, this will be so only if you pay for the loan on time. Defaulting will attract more fees and this will mean you’ll have to pay way more and for a longer period also.

Flexible Loans

The amount you’ll get in the case of unsecured loans is significantly less than that of secured loans. But this doesn’t mean you won’t get enough loan for your business or personal emergency. If you have a good credit score, then you will qualify for a much higher loan amount. And the more the amount you take, the lesser and more affordable are the rates charged. And this will be to your advantage, especially if you’re taking the loan to start or expand your small business. You will also appreciate the flexibility in the repayment of the loan.

There are Associated Fees

The unsecured loan that you’ll be awarded will have different ranges of the fees associated with it. You should ensure that you’ve considered all the fees before deciding on the loan amount and loan term to go for. Common fees associated with the loans include early payment, withdrawal fees, servicing fee, insurance, establishment fee, and early exit fee. Establishment fee is charged to your account at the commencement of the loan when it is deposited into your account. Early repayment fee applies if you decide to pay off the loan sooner than the agreed time.

Conclusion

It is very important to understand the essential facts of unsecured loans before going for it. And lucky for you, all the information you need to know about unsecured loans have been clearly explained. And the fact that the loan does not require a collateral makes it the best option for you when you’re having a financial emergency, especially in your business learn more with HJS Recovery. While most lenders can give you the loan even for recreation purposes, do not rush to taking the loan unless you need it to save your business. Or if have a clear and effective plan on how you’re going to pay back. http://credit-n.ru/kurs-cb.html

borrowing, business finance, collateral, unsecured loans

How to grow your online shop: 7 social media marketing strategies

September 17th, 2018 Posted in Entrepreneurship

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Growth is something every online shop owner worries about. With so many social media marketing strategies out there, it can be difficult to know what tactics are most effective.

To help you along your ecommerce journey, we’re going over seven strategies you can easily implement to grow your online shop.

Post compelling content frequently

If you want to grow your brand on social media, consistently posting great content is non-negotiable. Users react more favorably to businesses they regularly see in their feeds, leading to more engagement and trust.

However, you don’t need to go overboard and start spamming your followers. Simply create a schedule that works for you and commit to it.

Automate word-of-mouth with social reviews

Reviews are this century’s word-of-mouth.

Having product review apps on your shop’s site creates trust and leads to more sales. When your customers are happy, they’ll want to convince others to buy from you too, so let them share the love!

Make it easy to share your products

Add social share buttons to your site, particularly for Pinterest. If a customer likes your item but can’t buy it right away, they can pin it for later.

Even better, someone else might see that pin they’ve saved of your awesome product and click onto your website. Your potential customers are doing some of the marketing for you!

Be active on the right #hashtags

Hashtags can be a little complicated, because there’s different rules for different social channels. Luckily, there are tools available to find ones that align with your brand, aren’t oversaturated, and will yield the best results.

It’s also a great idea to create your own shop-specific hashtag. This encourages your customers to post photos with your products using that tag.

Align your posts with a trending topic

When you post about what people want to read about, both on your social media and on your shop’s blog, you’ll naturally attract potential clients. If you properly utilize SEO in your posts, it’s easier for people to find you.

If you need help in this area, SMR Digital is an organic search agency providing link outreach, SEO, PPC and social media marketing services.

Invest in an infographic

Infographics are a quick and visually-appealing way to help your customers make informed decisions, or educate them about your brand.

Here are some templates to give you a few ideas.

Make your Instagram shoppable

There used to be a big hurdle driving traffic from Instagram. Now, for business pages, it couldn’t be easier and a great way to grow your online shop!

The same way you’d tag any other account, you can now create product tags. These shoppable posts allow users to tap and see prices, then click through to purchase. They fit in seamlessly and don’t come across as spammy.

ecommerce, online shop, social media

3 Reasons Why Your Small Business Will Fail (Unless You Take Action)

August 14th, 2018 Posted in Entrepreneurship

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According to research, only 50% of businesses survive at the five-year mark of starting out. At the ten-year mark, only a third of those businesses remain open. Scary? Absolutely, especially if you are an entrepreneur looking to begin a small business any time soon. The figure is bleak, although hope isn’t lost. There is some comfort if you’re a glass-half-full type of person in knowing that your business still has an opportunity to survive (if you’re in the successful 50% after five years) and that success is still possible if you begin to understand why some businesses fail, and why others succeed.

In this article, we will consider some of the reasons why many businesses fail, but will also give you some tips on how to take action to prevent the same happening to your business. With good planning and effective management, there is hope for you, regardless of the shocking statistics that cause many a business owner worry.

3 Reasons Why Your Small Business Will Fail (Unless You Take Action) Business failure - closed sign image

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Business Failure #1: Poor financial management

Your business will fail if you don’t have control over your income and expenditure. Trying to grow your business too fast, paying over the odds on technology and other business equipment, and poor pricing strategies, are just some of the reasons why you may get into financial difficulty. Many businesses run at a loss in their first year of business, so steps need to be taken and you must only pay for essentials like HR software from Cezanne. Don’t run before you can walk is a useful motto, so it pays to be steady in the way you move your business forward. Growth will come later; in the first few years, you need to find ways to survive financially. Cost-cutting is key, as is only purchasing items that are essential for the everyday running of your business. Hiring an accountant is one expense that could be considered necessary, as is making use of accountancy tools that can be downloaded onto your computer or smartphone. Planning is key, so using the resources that are available to you, find better ways to budget and manage your finances to ensure you don’t run out too soon.

Business Failure #2: Failing to match the competition

Your business is one of many, and you not only have to match the little guys in your industry, but there are also the business giants online and off that are threatening your time in the business world. While it’s difficult to have a completely unique USP, you still need to find ways to be different to those other businesses around you, as well as maintaining a professional image to ensure clients, customers and investors take you seriously as a business owner. So, in terms of differences, remember to create your brand identity to help you stand out from other businesses at the outset. Then find ways to beat the competition, perhaps by offering a better level of customer service, offering better pricing policies, and delivering a superior product or service.

Look for ways to appear professional, even if you’re only a small business entrepreneur operating from your bedroom. Having a professionally produced website is a start, so outsource this to a web development company if your skills aren’t up to scratch. And then consider a virtual business address, which is far more professional than having your home address as your contact details. To answer the question, how do I get a virtual business address for my company, follow the link for one low-cost example. By matching (or beating) the competition, and by maintaining a professional image, you will stand a greater chance of success. Read more about developing a professional brand here.

Business Failure #3: Failing to market effectively

When starting out in business, there is no place for the wallflower. You need to shout your arrival from the rooftops, ensuring consumers are alerted to your existence in the business world. By considering every marketing tool at your disposal, you need to promote your worth, telling future customers why they need to consider your business over those that operate a similar service to you. Of course, as a fledgling small business, money is a key. You may spend your money on a marketing campaign at the beginning, and have very little to spend later on. Thankfully, there are low-cost ways to market your businesses, without you having to run the risk of financial ruin within the first few months of opening your doors. You should then make an effort to commit to marketing throughout the course of your business, never resting on your laurels after one campaign, as your business rivals are always set on snatching your customers away from you.

Finally

Is your business doomed to fail? Will your business face bankruptcy? We hope not. You should be applauded for opening up in business anyway, despite the risks. To ensure your survivability, heed our advice, and commit to research in all facets of the industry you are involved in, ensuring you stay relevant for many years to come. We wish you every success.

3 Reasons Why Your Small Business Will Fail (Unless You Take Action) business failure - from failure to success image