The Pros and Cons of Taking Your Business International

Taking your business international opens up a huge number of markets, but also invites some risks. According to Shahram Shirkhani, your small business can have greater success if you adapt to the global marketplace. Even if your local markets fail, your business can prosper in the international market.

International business growth

Advantages of International Business

You can offer a wider range of products globally than you may be able to offer locally. Even if one or more of your products fail to sell well locally, you can look for new markets where it is in demand. When you are open globally, you won’t need to dump unsold inventory for a loss.…

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Managing your Wealth: Understanding Risk and Maximising Returns

If you are investor, you will no doubt have become accustomed to strained economic climates and fluctuating returns in the wake of the Great Recession. The current economic landscape is no different, as while it will continue to cool throughout the fourth financial quarter it is likely to remain among the strongest in the developed world over the course of the next decade. More specifically, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research revealed that British economy will have grown by 3% by the end of this year, with further expansion of 2.5% forecast for 2015.

Wealth management

Risk and Return: Wealth Management in the Current Climate

These figures stack up well in terms of the global economy, and this should at least make the life of a UK investor a little easier.…

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Three Top Financial Tips for the Self-Employed

Since the financial crisis of 2008, the ranks of the self-employed have gradually been swelling, with widespread job losses prompting people to take their futures into their own hands. Around 1 in 10 people now work for themselves, but what many fail to realise is that moving from an employed position to self-employment requires some careful financial planning. If you’re newly self-employed and not sure where to start, read on to find out.

Business finance for the self-employed

Tip #1: Tax

People who work for themselves need to be extremely proficient when it comes to record keeping. If you take the time to keep accurate records of your set-up costs and ongoing expenditure, then you’ll find it much easier when it comes to drafting your accounts at the end of the year and calculating your potential tax liability.…

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5 Eco-Friendly Changes You Can Make to Your Office Space

A lot of business owners put off making eco-friendly changes to their office spaces and businesses because they believe that those changes are expensive. If we’re being totally honest, the actual implementation of those changes does usually cost money–sometimes a lot (like with the solar paneling we mentioned here). What makes that cost worth it, though, is the amount of money the change saves you over time. Many of the upgrades and changes you make really do end up paying for themselves.

Eco friendly light bulb

Here are five of those types of changes:

1. Install Eco Friendly Lighting

Did you know that CFL bulbs actually aren’t the most energy efficient bulbs out there?…

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Further Your Business with These 4 Degrees

As an entrepreneur, you know that your business takes hard work and dedication. One of the best things you can do for your business is to get a degree that will help further your knowledge and skills. There are several different types of degrees you can pursue to further your business, no matter what type of business you run.

Businessman

Public Health

While it may seem unnecessary in some cases, consider a degree in public health if your business has anything to do with the medical field. This will help keep you up to date on what is happening in the public health field.…

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The Psychology of Shopping: Shop Floor Marketing

Search the web and there’s endless information about internet marketing and digital media. It seems that business advice for online operations is readily available anywhere you turn. But when it comes to designing a shop floor or a product showroom, there’s not much information to look at it. Many businesses today operate both online and offline so a good understanding of shop floor marketing is just as important as ever.

Sales girl

Whether you trade from a bricks and mortar premises or have a customer showroom for your retail web business, it’s important to think about shopper psychology. Here are some great psychological takeaways to bear in mind.…

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Thinking of Filing Business Cards Away Forever? Think Twice Before Making This Decision

Business cards. These two words are constantly debated on social media, news sites and in everyday conversation. Perhaps the biggest question professionals are asking is do business cards still matter? The answer to that question is a resounding YES!

Exchanging business cards

In a world where we are becoming more and more connected with our electronic devices, the personal touch of a business card is tremendously important and can make the difference between a strong first impression and a weak first impression.

Here is why a business card is more important then ever in our digital world.

Identity

With the rumor of print’s demise spreading, individuals often question the longevity of business cards as a form of identity.…

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Avoiding Accounting Nightmares

As a small business owner you no doubt wear many different hats during your day-to-day tasks. Accountant, marketing manager, PR guru, head of HR, etc. are probably just some of the roles you have to take on. Because of this typical small business environment it is common for some aspects of a business to suffer and for some reason, despite its huge importance, it is often the financial accounts that suffer the most.

Accounting

This can happen for a few reasons. A lack of understanding when it comes to accounting is one and a shortage of time due to other business commitments is another.…

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5 Small Business Cybersecurity Fixes

In today’s world of accelerating technological advancements, it’s almost hard to imagine a small business not using technology. However, as a small business owner, you may find it increasingly difficult to keep pace with current trends. Yet technology is too important a piece for you to leave out of your business jigsaw puzzle. If you do your best to stay on top of technological changes, your business will grow faster, much faster than your competitors in the marketplace. This difference will be on many orders of magnitude.

Cyber security

There is a good reason why tech companies have valuations in millions or billions.…

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Ways to Improve Your Brand Image with (Relatively) Minimal Effort

Do you really understand the power of a great brand?

  • It allows you to dominate the market
  • It increases the rate of referrals
  • It becomes a major point in the decision making process
  • It creates a strong, opinionated, passionate community
  • It keeps people coming back for more

Brand sign

With all these great benefits you would have to be mad not to pour your resources into branding.

The issue with building a strong brand isn’t about covering the fundamentals but kicking it up a notch and doing that little bit extra to help you differentiate from competitors who may have equally powerful branding in the marketplace.…

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