5 Ways to Instantly Modernize Your Marketing Campaigns for 2019

If you’re looking toward 2019 wondering what you can do differently from last year, you certainly aren’t alone.

Reassessing your tactics is always a smart move, after all.

Marketing strategy

Think about it. You don’t want be the out-of-touch business on the block that looks like they’re stuck in 2008 because they refuse to change.

The reality, though? There are some significant changes businesses of all shapes and sizes should consider to make their marketing seem more, well, modern.

Doing so does double duty of making your business look like a bigger player in your industry, all the while sticking to the best practices of what makes your customers tick.…

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4 Ways to Raise Capital for Your Small Business

Capital is essential for new and growing small businesses. Whether your small business is just starting out or expanding, raising capital can be challenging. Consider these smart financial strategies for funding your small business venture.

Raising capital for small business

Get a Loan Using the SBA Tool

The U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) exists so small businesses such as yours succeed, so make sure you don’t overlook this valuable government resource. Its Lender Match tool helps you find SBA-approved loans for launching and expanding small business operations. These loans are often easier for small businesses to obtain than loans from their own banks, but they have very competitive terms.…

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How to Avoid Needing Regular VAT Loans

You are a business owner who makes quarterly VAT payments. You know you’re going to come up short when your next filing is due, so you’re already thinking about getting a loan. Unfortunately, this is not your first time. You have used VAT loans multiple times in the past. You are thinking you would like to break the cycle, but you don’t know how.

Tips for avoiding VAT loans

VAT loans are not bad in and of themselves. They are exceptionally good tools to help business owners manage cash flow when times are a bit tough. However, they are not intended to be a long-term funding that continually gets recycled quarter after quarter.…

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A Trio of Smart Small-Business Moves to Make This Year

As a CEO of a growing business, it goes without saying that you want your company to be as successful as possible.

Now that 2019 has begun in earnest, this is a perfect time to assess your business strategy to determine where you were successful and where you fell short of expectations to help your business grow and thrive.

Small business CEO strategizing

Here are a trio of tips all small-business owners may want to embrace this year:

1. Engage with Your Team as Much as Possible

Do all of your employees share your same passion for small business? While they may burn the midnight oil like you, experts suggest coming up with new ways to make your team feel more committed to your overall vision and goals.…

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Beyond the Cubicle: Deskless Workforce Getting Left Behind

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 billion (80%) of the global workforce now works in a deskless environment.

Deskless warehouse manager

Strange, when one considers the digital shift that’s been occurring these last two decades, with many physical labor jobs having been replaced by automation technology and apps that can do the most complicated of tasks. Traditional deskless jobs still abound with people still working while on the move in construction, transportation services, retail, and healthcare – all sans-desk.

Changing landscapes in the workplace

Gen X worked so hard to become a generation of office drones sitting at a desk and changing the world from behind their computer and talking on their old-school phones.…

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Payroll Tips for Starting 2019 Right

Payroll tasks take up around 5 hours per week for a small business owner. This time, while well-spent, could be better spent elsewhere. All small business owners who run payroll know just how much of a challenge it can be unless they’re accountants with prior experience.

Payroll tips

1. Start the Year With Employee Categorization

Employee categorization is essential to start the year. When your employees are not categorized properly, this can cause your payroll to be chaotic. Why? You need to know who will be exempt from overtime or not.

Start the year taking a look at all of your employees’ categorizations.…

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Is High-Quality Video Production a Critical Factor in Advertising?

Do companies really need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on production to create quality videos for advertising? Furthermore, does a more expensive advertisement actually provide a greater return? As a software company designed to help companies grow using video, the team here at Wistia had to find out.

Video production crew

So, we decided to perform an experiment: We commissioned an ad agency to create three ads, for the same product, with budgets of $1,000, $10,000 and $100,000. Thus, the One, Ten, One Hundred campaign and docuseries was born.

One, Ten, One Hundred takes a good hard look at the impact different budgets have on production quality; this campaign ended up being a huge creative challenge—and a lot of fun!…

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7 Things Founders Forget to Consider

Starting your own business, being your own boss, building a cool startup company, choosing your own team, etc. All of this is very exciting and for many, a dream come true scenario. What stops you really? If you have a brilliant idea, motivation, and some money aside for investment, the risk of failure should be pretty small. After all, what drives you to success is your passion.

Busy startup founder

However, in all this excitement, new founders might experience difficulties with managing expectations and seeing things in other colors than pink.

The work-life balance

At first, the idea of being your own boss is lovely because, in principle, you can choose your own work hours.…

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5 Processes Every Business Owner Should Automate

Across all industries, automation has become a critical factor in a business’ success. According to a study conducted by Gleanster, almost 80% of top-performing companies use automation for marketing and have done so for years.

Business process automation

What’s great about automation is that it can be used by companies of all types. Big corporations, startups, small companies, and even freelancers can benefit from incorporating automation in many business processes, to include capturing leads, communicating with customers, and completing routine tasks in the office.

When processes are automated, business owners can devote more time and energy towards growing the business and ensuring it stays on the right path.…

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5 Simple Steps to Improve Your Retirement Strategy

Preparing yourself with a comprehensive retirement plan is more important than ever. We are all living longer and it is vital that you have a strategy to ensure you don’t outlive your money. Here are some simple things that can help you to make the most of your retirement fund.

Busy senior businessman working on a retirement plan

Look at your 401(k) plan

A key part of a successful retirement strategy is creating an effective income stream from your savings. Keep your money in the 401(k) if your plan allows you to make regular withdrawals or pays out in instalments. If your 401(k) only allows you to take out a lump sum, it may be worth transferring the savings to a separate retirement account.…

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