5 Reasons You Should Be Taking Your Small Business Online

How can you as a localized small business owner, combat the growing online purchase market? Opening your own online store should be an option for you to consider. Providing the ability for your customers to shop online and either pick up directly from you or have it delivered locally will earn you more of your local market.

Online business

So, why should you take your business online?

It’s not that hard

There are an amazing number of tools already developed for you to use to build your online store. Shopify, Big Commerce, Weebly, and Square are just a few of the companies that have pre-built packages to help you get started.…

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3D Printed Lattice: Breaking New Ground in Product Design

3D printers and their products are gaining increasing amounts of attention for their use in both education and innovative design. While you can quickly create some fun objects with a 3D printer, many of the groundbreaking products are being produced using what is called lattice structuring.

3D printed object

A lattice structure is a web-like, or honeycombed, design that has several design benefits. It can be created to be flexible or rigid. It can also withstand a high degree of pressure, is waterproof, lightweight, and has a high durability factor. Here are just a few of the ways that the 3D printed lattice is making new inroads in product design.…

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Three Things to Do in Your Small Retail Business Before the Christmas Rush

It is already autumn, and this time of year can be one that can seem to fly by before you know it when you run a retail business. Almost all retail businesses see an increase in sales either before Christmas, if they sell things that people tend to buy as gifts or which people use in their homes over the festive season, or after Christmas, when traditionally there are the best offers and bargains to be had, and so this is really the time of year to make any changes to how you do things that can help you get more from this period.…

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How to Increase Exposure for Your Small Business

Are you looking to take your small business or start-up to the world? Here are a few expert tips on how to increase exposure for your business:

Optimise Your Website for Local Searches

Many small businesses rely on local customers for their initial success. There are a few exceptions when it comes to ecommerce, but the best clients and customers often end up being those that are based in the area. With that in mind, it’s important to optimise your business website so that it appears in local searches.

Here’s a quick guide to get you started with local SEO.…

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Tips For Protecting Your Small Business Online And Off

There has been a ton of focus put on protecting businesses online, and that is an important thing to do for both your business and the safety of your customers. You should also be making sure that your business has protection offline. Even if you work from home and your business is all virtual you still have things, like your computer itself, that need protection.

Protecting and securing digital business assets

Having A Secure Business Space

Having a secure business space is important, even if you run your business out of your own home. That means having security set up, and knowing what to do in case you do get robbed.…

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Targeting Your Ideal Pet Business Customer

Understanding your pet owners is crucial for your business to grow. By determining your ideal customers you’ll be choosing the best focus for all of your marketing efforts, making sure your communications are effective, timely and geographically appropriate.

Pet grooming business

Who do you want to talk to?

Start by researching your market and creating a profile of your ideal customer. This should include basic demographic information, such as:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Location
  • Income
  • Psychographic information such as interests, hobbies, lifestyle and behaviours

Building a basic picture of your target audience’s life will give you insight into the type of person who will potentially buy your services and the reasons why.…

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How Personnel Costs Impact Your Bottom Line

Whether you are a business operating in the private sector, or a municipality, personnel costs has a huge impact on your bottom line. Roughly 70% of most municipal budgets is used for personnel expenses, such as payroll and benefits. This is not far off from the expenses incurred in the private sector for personnel and their related expense. Private companies report that 40% – 80% of their operating budget is absorbed in personnel overhead.

Office workers

One thing public and private business have in common is the importance of their employees.  The staff of any business is your biggest asset or your biggest liability.…

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5 Cities to Consider Launching a Small Business In

When it comes to entrepreneurship and business, flexibility is the key to success. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs fail to broaden their horizons by limiting themselves to a specific geographic location. If you can help it, avoid grounding yourself in one city. There are plenty of great cities for launching a small business in the U.S., but yours may not be one of them.

Boston

Take a Look at These Five Cities

Location, location, location – how many times have you heard people discuss the role location plays in the valuation of real estate? Well, location also has a lot to do with business.…

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How To Use Technology When Marketing Your Business

Using technology when marketing your business offers huge benefits. It’s easy to stick within your comfort zone, but learning new ways to use technology in marketing your business will definitely prove to be beneficial. Follow these tips when using technology in marketing your business.

Using social media for marketing campaigns

Start using social media

Not only are the different social media platforms extremely popular in today’s culture, but they’re also free and offer a ton of great tools to help you connect with your customers. Use different platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to reach your customers as well as learn more about them.

Research all the ways to utilize each social media platform, such as Twitter chats and Google Hangouts that you can join to conversate about your business, customers, and feedback.…

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