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Starting a Moving Company: Is this the move? - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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So you’re thinking of starting a moving company? There are a few things you need to know before you start to make your journey as smooth as possible. Ask yourself some simple questions to get started and see if the business of moving is the right move for you.

Do you have a business plan?

A business plan should point out what will make your moving business stand out from all the others. It should have plans in place for multiple situations. Your business plan should include your goals, complete with detailed steps, time frames, and expenses. Use a website to help if you need an example of what your business plan should look like.

How big will you start?

It’s important to note that 80% of moves in big cities are quite small, requiring mostly manpower for in-house moving. Don’t blow out your budget buying a huge truck. You can start with a small van and work up from there if you decide to grow your business to a state to state moving service.

Do you have moving and transportation permits?

Yes, you will need transportation permits. Requirements for obtaining such permits vary from state to state, so you will need to check out your local state regulatory authority. Get all the information you need on registration and licensing, to ensure you are running a completely legal business.

Do you have all the equipment you need to get started?

Your first piece of equipment should be transportation, if you are starting small, which is recommended in this business, then you should rent or buy a small van. Next, you need to account for a fuel budget. Then you can move on to the moving equipment such as, furniture belts, moving dollies, ropes, and moving blankets. You’ll also need wrapping materials such as tape and bubble wrap. Lastly, have a variety of moving boxes for your customers to choose from.

Do you have transportation insurance?

Insurance is a must in any business you’re running, but especially the type that requires you to handle other’s valuables. You will need to contact and insurance agency to acquire liability and cargo insurance before taking on any customers. You want your business to run smoothly, but you also want to be covered in case you hit a few bumps in the road. As with transportation permits, cargo insurance policies vary from state to state. Be sure to check and double check with state authority as well as your insurance agency to see that you and your business are properly covered.

If you can answer these 5 questions without getting overwhelmed then you are in good shape for starting your own business. Remember, your customers are trusting you with their valuables. Treating each customer and their belonging with care and kindness will be important in this business, and will also gain you referrals.These steps will get you started on the path of obtaining your own moving company. If this seems doable, then the moving business could be the next best move for you.


How to be happy at work with Annie McKee - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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Annie McKee the author of “How to be Happy at Work” and Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania where she teaches and leads the PennCLO Executive Doctoral program and the MedEd Master’s program joins Enterprise Radio.

This episode of Enterprise Radio is in association with the Author Channel.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Annie McKee discuss the following:

  • Why aren’t people happy at work?
  • How can people improve their happiness?
  • Why does happiness matter if you’re getting paid either way?
  • Does any of your advice go against the grain when it comes to typical advice in this realm?
  • Why this book, why now?

Annie McKee, PhD is a best-selling author, respected academic, speaker and advisor to top global leaders. Her latest research was just published in her new book, How to Be Happy at Work: The Power of Purpose, Hope, and Friendship, published by Harvard Business Review Press. As a coach to executives in Fortune/FTSE 500 companies and organizations around the globe, she uses a person-centered approach that helps leaders develop their emotional intelligence, enhance their strategic thinking abilities, and build resonant cultures.

She is a Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania where she teaches and leads the PennCLO Executive Doctoral program and the MedEd Master’s program. Annie’s books include three bestsellers published by Harvard Business Review Press: Primal Leadership, with Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis (2002/2014); Resonant Leadership, with Richard Boyatzis (2005), and Becoming a Resonant Leader, with Richard Boyatzis and Frances Johnston (2008). She is also the author of Management: A Focus on Leaders (Pearson/Prentice Hall 2014) and is a prolific writer and blogger, featured on HBR.org.

Website: www.anniemckee.com

Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/McKeeAnnie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anniemckee

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Nat Geo WILD Slots™ by Murka Strives to Bring Our Focus to Trending Environmental Issues Says Max Polyakov - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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[cover photo] Image Credit: Nat Geo Wild Slots via FB facebook.com/ngwslots

When you compare our modern world to the stone ages and the pre-industrial revolution era, you will easily see that technology has made all the difference. Just close the end of the last millennium, mobile phones were invented merely to counter the geographical limitation in communication. Close to two decades now, and we already have a revolution in mobile technology with the introduction of smartphones. Instead of a few business folks, almost everyone is using a smartphone. In fact, record has it that over six billion people in the world now own a smartphone.

Even more interesting is the increase in the number of internet users across the world as a result of the explosion in smartphone technology. So nowadays, more people have access to the internet than they have access to a toilet. While this does not generally convey a positive message, it does show the extent of the growth of mobile technology. And also support social initiatives to exploit technology as a means for enriching lives. Mobile gaming is one of such initiatives as seen in the efforts of Noosphere Ventures recent campaigns and managing partner Max Polyakov.

Mobile gaming allows you to do what you like playfully and competitively. It’s all in a virtual environment, so you have nothing to worry about. And social gamification is even more fun. Crowdrise (for fundraising) and SuperBetter (for mental health) are two good examples.

There are also many games out there that are also helping to solve real world problems. A good example is Sweet Seeds campaign which was immediately launched to raise funds for many, who were displaced in Haiti after the earthquake in January, 2010. The campaign was launched by Zynga in their FarmVille app.

From here, you can easily see how gamification is providing solutions to some of the problems faced by humanity. And because people like to play games, organizations like Noosphere Ventures and National Geographic are using it to bring our focus to some trending environment issues. The slot game is one of the best collaborations between Noosphere Ventures, Murka and the National Geographic.

Recently, Murka launched a free game called Nat Geo WILD Slots™ for all slot machine and casino enthusiasts. In addition to slots, players also get to view amazing photographs from National Geographic while they play. The initiative is one of those supported by Noosphere Ventures through Managing Partner, Max Polyakov.

According to the Managing Partner of Noosphere Ventures, the collaboration between both companies serves to provide fun for all slot gamers in interesting ways. While getting entertained from doing what they love, they also get to learn many things about wildlife and their environment. Max Polyakov also stressed on the possibility of using the app as a fundraising platform in the future.

Thanks to National Geographic, gamers will get to see stunning images of architecture, people and landscape which they wouldn’t normally see elsewhere.

The Senior VP, Licensing, for Nat Geo Partners made it clear that their partnership with Murka will expand their virtual storytelling in the social gaming genre.

Max Polyakov also hopes that the partnership between both organizations will make it possible to raise funds to support the environmental protection initiatives.

Five Tips for Great Marketing – How to Make Your Business Grow! - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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Promotional marketing is a very effective way of boosting your sales and improving your brand positioning. The use of special offers with a precise function can pique the interest of potential customers and influence the purchase they eventually make. Here are some tips to improve your branding process by choosing an appropriate strategy for your company and your product or service.

1. Have a good strategy
Campaigns that use promotional merchandise almost always have a purpose. Some campaigns are aimed at attracting new customers, others encourage current customers to return. Have a clear idea about the purpose or the objective of your promotion; this is the first step to creating an effective strategy.

2. Internet and social media
This option is great for massifying the process of marketing, and it can help support the principal marketing strategy you choose to use. Digital marketing can be used as a tool to create a buzz, and attract more people, without extra cost, through pushing your promotional offer through various social media platforms, using different ads or promotions.

3. Target Market
Promotional marketing will work best if you carefully evaluate the intended target market beforehand, and how best to attract them. It’s necessary to research which customers, or potential new customers, you are interested in targeting (e.g. think age, gender, interests, spending habits, etc.) so that you can approach them using the most appropriate method(s). An offer or promotion will have a much higher impact if it’s closely based on your research and highly targeted to the specific target audience.

4. Create a solid identity for your brand
Make sure your logo, slogan, or brand name is memorable; creating greater brand awareness will be easier if you use ‘sticky’ words, visually striking images or some other feature that allows people to recognise your brand easily. Also, the use of colour combinations should be chosen with great care, according to the theme or function of the promotion.

5. Choose the right giveaway
Select the most appropriate product, discount or promotion for branding purposes. Any company can use a strategy of offering its customers an additional discount on the normal purchase price. But selecting the perfect promotional gift, or giveaway item, is critical in differentiating your promotional marketing to make your brand more visible or improve the perception of your product. Choose the item carefully, try to choose something functional, which will be used frequently, before having your brand name printed on it.

Promotional merchandising is a highly practical and cost-effective option with high impact that can help you generate greater sales or customer loyalty. Giveaway items carrying your logo, or brand name, will make people more aware of your brand and company, and generally create a positive perception. It will also keep your brand at the forefront of their minds and you may become their first choice when it comes to making a purchase decision.

Starting a residential cleaning company from scratch! - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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A Cleaning to Remember: Houston, Texas

Inez Arevalo, owner of A Cleaning to Remember which provides residential and commercial cleanings to Fort Bend and Brazoria counties, south of Houston, Texas joins Enterprise Radio.

This episode of Enterprise Radio is in association with eHouston (Greater Houston entrepreneurs).

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Inez Arevalo discuss the following:

  • Tell us about A Cleaning to Remember and how you came to start the business.
  • What sets A Cleaning to Remember’s cleaning methods apart from other companies in the area?
  • How do you advertise and how do you utilize the internet for exposure?
  • What advice do you have for someone wanting to start their own cleaning business?
  • What does the future hold for A Cleaning to Remember?

A Cleaning to Remember was started May 2015 by Inez Arevalo, with only an accounting background and no experience whatsoever cleaning homes. Inez started the cleaning business because she was not satisfied with cleanings provided by other companies; she wanted to ensure clients received thorough cleanings. Inez literally started the company with $500 for supplies, has been successful with social media to advertise for free and has grown from zero clients to hundreds of clients. Inez’s role is handling payroll, accounting duties (invoicing and payments) and managing schedules. In addition to owning A Cleaning to Remember, Inez is also employed at a medical college, is a mother of two toddlers and cleans her own home!

 

Website: www.acleaningtoremember.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cleaningtoremember

Phone: 281-624-8586

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The Top 5 Things You Need To Know About Creating a New Business - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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While getting into business on your own may sound glamorous, it is truly a tasking and tiring experience. It is one thing to succeed at creating a new business, and a different thing to grow the business. But, it is all about taking the right steps and at the right time. So, first things first, learn how to start a new business. How do you do that? You can start by reading up on the top 5 things you need to know about creating a new business below.

  1. Research is Important

No matter how much you may know, what is for sure is that, you still do not know enough. When it comes to business, every day is a learning process. Read up on the requirements for your business. Do a market research.  Find out who your competitors are and know their weaknesses. Talk to entrepreneurs in your industry to find out how they started. Learn as much as you can before you start the process of creating a new business.

  1. Legalize your Business

Legalizing your business simply means registering it with the government.  What you will need for this is articles of incorporation and then employer identification numbers.  An article of incorporation provides information about the business to the state. What is to be included here is; business location, purpose, business name, physical address and the names of the owners or directors. After registering the new business, you can apply for an employer identification number from the IRS. This is done by filling the ss-4 online form and submitting it to the IRS for confirmation. Having an EIN will separate your personal taxes from your business taxes.

  1. Importance of a Business Plan

You have to know the importance of having a business plan.  Remember that failing to plan is the recipe for planning to fail. A good business plan will equip you with projections for your business.  You will get into business with an idea of what to expect, and how you will manage the challenges. A business plan will also give you the numbers.  How much capital is required, where, and how it will be spent.

  1. The Business Structure

When creating a new business, decide what kind of business entity it will fall in.  Are you planning to do it as a sole proprietorship or a partnership?  Would you rather have it as a corporation so that you separate yourself from the company liabilities? Find out what each entity is about. Learn the pros and cons of each legal business structure and what it will mean to you legally in paying of taxes.

  1. Business Promotion

Finally, you have to know how to promote your new business. Clients and customers will not automatically come to you, find creative ways of calling them and keeping them.  Business promotion is basically done through advertising. Print media, word of mouth, and social media are the most commonly used forms of advertising. Choose an advertising media that is affordable and can reach the masses at a go.

How to Benefit from Smart Web Design - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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It’s one thing to say that good web design is important no matter what your website is trying to achieve, but it’s another matter entirely to benefit from it. This is due to the fact that excellent web design is all about working smarter and not harder. There are so many different pitfalls that you can accidentally suffer from while working on a website that it can be incredibly difficult to get it right without the proper experience.

Fortunately, because it’s all about benefiting from smart web design, there are a few things you can keep in mind to help steer your website in the right direction. After all, your website is what represents you in the digital world. Whether as an individual or as a company, it’s essential that you understand how you can benefit from smart web design.

Focus on making the right first impression

Unfortunately, people are so used to the Internet these days that the very second they see your website they will develop an opinion on it. This means that everything on the main landing page should be essential to pulling visitors in. How do you make it relevant? Perhaps the easiest way is to create a clear navigation menu at the top of the page. This way, you’ll be able to link to more things that your website has to offer without forcing visitors to dig around for them. It’s working smart without necessarily working harder, because you don’t have to focus on making anything convoluted. You just need to be able to convey what your website is about from the top of the web page – which is what visitors see first.

Don’t bombard them with text and content

This is perhaps one of the most important things to keep in mind because you might be tempted to give your users everything but the kitchen sink. Resist the temptation to add too much, and instead only relay what’s important in sending your message. While videos are most definitely better than large expanses of text, even the latter can be very effective so long as you take advantage of spacing, or white space. Keep your paragraphs short and decently spaced, because that can improve comprehension immensely.

With these simple tips, you’ll be able to pull visitors in without really trying. Remember that your website isn’t necessarily about the quantity of content, it’s about the quality, according to web design Oxford experts. Their services are often sought after because they know the difference between working smarter and not harder – they’ll make the necessary improvements to your website if you don’t have the required experience to tackle the task.

Image: Pixabay.com

Karen Ann Smythe, a Malibu, California mom is a new children’s book author - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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Malibu, California mom who is a new children’s book author, Karen Ann Smythe recently published the children’s book “Amazing Adventures of Fredrick the Butterfly Plus Karen & Malibu Kool Kate” joins Enterprise Radio to talk about the journey and motivation of writing.

This episode of Enterprise Radio is in association with the Author Channel.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Karen Ann Smythe discuss the following:

  • What inspired you to write the book?
  • What was the hardest part in creating this book?
  • What do you hope people will gain from reading it?
  • What has been the reaction to your book?
  • What is the next book you are working on?
  • What advice would you give to anyone looking to write a book?

Malibu resident Karen Ann Smythe recently published the children’s book “Amazing Adventures of Fredrick the Butterfly Plus Karen & Malibu Kool Kate.”

The story follows Karen and her two friends, Fredrick and Malibu Kool Kat, on an adventure that takes them to places like New York City and a tropical island. The characters and events are loosely based on Smythe’s life experiences.

Her first book, “Fredrick the Butterfly,” won an award in the Fourth Annual Beverly Hills Book Awards in the children’s nonfiction category.

Both books are currently available on Amazon.

Book Links:

Fredrick the Butterfly

Fredrick the Butterfly (IN SPANISH)

Amazing Adventures of Fredrick the Butterfly Plus Karen & Malibu Kool Kat

Social Media Links:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/karen.smythe.902
Twitter: @malibufloridan1

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5 Principles for Inspiring Meaning in the Workplace - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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Danny Gutknecht, the CEO and Co-founder of Pathways, an advisory firm that helps organizations tap their potential through its people strategies joins Enterprise Radio to talk about his new book, Meaning at Work – And Its Hidden Language.

This episode of Enterprise Radio is in association with the Author Channel.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Danny Gutknecht discuss the following:

  • Why did you write the book –  Meaning at Work – And Its Hidden Language?
  • Why is meaning in the workplace such a big topic today?
  • What does meaning have to do with potential or self-actualization?
  • You talk about 4 different domains of existence in the book – what do these have to do with meaning?
  • You talk about “The House of Meaning” in your book, can you explain a little more about that?
  • Can you explain what a meaning language is? I thought language has meaning.
  • If meaning is undergoing a shift from authority to process, what are it’s processes for individuals and companies?
  • How does a meaning language help a company with engagement? With it’s customers?

Danny Gutknecht is CEO and Co-founder of Pathways, an advisory firm that helps organizations tap their potential through its people strategies. He works with individuals and businesses all over the world. His new book, Meaning at Work – And Its Hidden Language (Aviri Publishing, April 10, 2017), describes a process that supports organizational meaning-making.

Website: www.essencemining.com

Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EssenceMining
Twitter: https://twitter.com/essencemining
Instagram: http://instagram.com/essencemining

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Getting Your Bearings: Useful Navigation Tips for Business Travelers - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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According to a recent study, 88% of business travelers find it easier to navigate their way around new areas thanks to the latest technology.

On average, a business traveler is armed with four types of technology, including a laptop, tablet, and cell phone. And when asked to describe which piece of technology they couldn’t travel without, 80% chose their smartphone.

Across the globe, over 80% of travelers conduct business on their smartphones, which is perhaps why 54% of the respondents said they take too many devices with them when they’re on their travels.

However, technology isn’t always 100% reliable. What if you run out of battery while you’re in a meeting? What if your phone is stolen or breaks while you’re out and about?

Because we’re so heavily reliant on technology, some of those age-old navigation skills can be lost (rather like their owner). So, to make sure you’re able to navigate yourself around any new city without GPS, here are our top tips:

Look Out for Landmarks 

As soon as you arrive in a new city, start taking note of the various landmarks you pass because they might come in handy if you do get lost later on. Equally, if you do get lost, don’t start to move until you’ve established where you are.

It’s easy to start wandering aimlessly when you find yourself in unfamiliar territory, but this could end up with you being even further away from where you need to be. Start to look for those notable landmarks you’ve seen on your trip so far, remaining calm as you do so. Within a few seconds, you may find that you’re not lost at all but have just lost your bearings.

Note Religious Buildings 

Even though this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule (especially if the area only has a smaller congregation), most churches will face east in their structure. Therefore, they can be used to give you a rough idea what direction you’re heading in. Additionally, mosques tend to point toward Mecca.

Carry a Paper Map

Even though this may be cheating slightly if you’re trying to be a traditional traveler, having a paper map on standby (or downloading an offline version to your phone) may help when you are bewildered with your sense of direction. Paper maps are ideal for placing in your travel bag, while downloaded maps are perfect if you’re just worried about losing your Internet connection.

Follow the Crowds 

Finally, if you still aren’t sure where you are, follow the crowds of people in rush hour. As the majority of these people will be heading toward public transport links, this is a great way to find yourself in the heart of the city again. A lot of business-friendly hotels, e.g. Protea Hotel Fire & Ice by Marriott are located in the hustle and bustle of a city center, so you should be able to navigate yourself back to your accommodation with ease when following the crowds.

However, if you’re still not sure where you’re supposed to be going, don’t panic. Stop a passerby to ask them for directions, or head into a local store, hotel, or business premises to see if they can point you in the right direction. The good thing about business travel is you’ll often be located in a city, so it’s easy to find your bearings after you’ve lost them for a short while.

Techniques for Improving Product Labels You Currently Use - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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Every now and then, you need to evaluate the product labels you use to find a way to improve them. The old label might still look good, but have been used for a long time. If it is time for you to change labels, you need to go through the right steps so that the new label will look better. People love seeing new labels, but they want the labels to be better than the ones they used to see.

  1. Use more natural colours

Nature-inspired colours and earth tones have a more calming and relaxing effect. This is the kind of emotion you want to invoke when potential customers pass by to check the products available. They also have a more environmentally-friendly appeal. Consumers who are very particular about the impact of a product on the environment might even use the packaging to determine if the product is worth buying or not. If you are selling soaps or organic products, brown packaging works best.

  1. Use minimalistic styles  

Packaging trends change constantly. Don’t be easily persuaded to use those that are trendy since they might not last long. Use simpler designs that will have a longer lasting lifecycle. You may also use photos you have personally captured so that you don’t need to create a new design. However, any photo needs to be used the right way to make it more relevant to your brand. Black and white photography might also work for your labels, for a more unique appeal.

  1. Add a feminine touch 

If your product caters to women, especially mothers, find a more feminine touch using patterns and designs. The labels should look really elegant and easy on the eye. Try designs which are subtle but fresh.

  1. Turn the product label into an opportunity for advertising

The labels represent your company. Find a way to advertise your company using the labels. Include your contact number or website somewhere on the product labels so that if people wish to know more about your company, they can easily read find out.

Aside from the product labels, consider sponsoring shopping bags so that your product logo can be included on the bags. Your advertising strategy should not be limited simply to your product labels, but other items also.

The goal is to appeal to a wider audience. You need to understand who your target audience is so that you can create designs that work best for them. Once you are done with the designs, check out companies offering labelling machines so that the design will also look great when positioned on the product. Find the right company to do the job, without having to pay a huge amount of money; shop around for competitive bids.

Image via freedigitalphotos.net (samuiblue)

Entrepreneur Kyle Kinsel discusses what it takes to found a business and lead it to success and profitability - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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Kyle Kinsel the Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ruckit Inc., where you can find work in your area, hauling aggregate, dirt and other construction materials joins Enterprise Radio to discuss what it takes to found a business and lead it to success and profitability.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Kyle Kinsel discuss the following:

  • How did you get started in the Texas oil field, construction, and logistics markets?
  • What inspired you to start your latest venture?
  • What ignited the spark in you to start a new business venture or to make significant changes in an existing business? How did the idea for your business come about?
  • How do you measure success? Is it profit? or is it impact?
  • Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
  • What does the future hold for your business? What are you most excited about?
  • What advice do you have for other young entrepreneurs looking to start a business?

Kyle Kinsel is an accomplished entrepreneur and developer with a strong track record for building successful companies from the ground up and growing them into some of the largest companies in the Texas oil field, construction and logistics markets. Some the companies founded or co-founded by Mr. Kinsel include Coastal Crushed Concrete, Frac Resources, LLC (now Twin Eagle Sand Logistics), and Breakwater Energy Services.

Mr. Kinsel currently serves as Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ruckit Inc., his most recent venture. Under Mr. Kinsel’s leadership Ruckit has developed the first ever mobile application trucking platform for niche industry trucking markets to share from a pool of independent trucks (collaborative platform for specialized trucking) and is considered the leader in the space. In 2005 Mr. Kinsel co-founded Coastal Crushed Concrete in 2005, a concrete recycling company which he and his partners developed from a concept into five major facilities. During his ownership, Coastal become a market leader in the Houston aggregate space until its eventual buyout by a local competitor in [2010].

Just before Coastal’s sale, Mr. Kinsel pointed his efforts towards the booming oil shale plays. In 2010 he co-founding Frac Resources to develop frac sand logistic assets into the growing shale plays. In 2012 Frac Resources partnered with Twin Eagle Resources Management, a well capitalized energy and rail logistics company, to form what is today known as Twin Eagle Frac Sand Logistics (“TESL”). Today TESL is one of the largest frac sand transloading companies in the United States with over $80 million in rail and silo assets across the major shale plays. It has more than 140 employees and annual revenues of greater than $30 million.

Mr. Kinsel is also the founding partner in Breakwater Energy Services which is the market leader for water transfer and recycling in the Texas oil field with over 2000 employees and $30M in assets. Breakwater leads new innovation in the water market that is changing the way energy companies look at water infrastructure.

By developing world class facilities like Mission Rail Park in San Antonio, Mr. Kinsel has gained experience in real estate, construction and rail logistics. Today he is focused on new infrastructure projects in rail, trucking, water pipeline, real estate and the technological efficiencies to make them more profitable assets.

Website: www.goruckit.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruckitinc

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Ways to Feel Like a Winner at Dinner - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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Food is something we have to eat, but it’s often a chore to prepare it. You have to buy the ingredients, then mix everything together, then wait for it to cook, and then, finally, sit down to eat it. By that point, you’re probably tired from a long day at work, and you just want to go to sleep in your bowl of pasta. Don’t do that, though. It wouldn’t be very comfortable, and you might burn yourself to boot.

Refresh the menu

Speaking of pasta, it’s one of the easiest dishes you can make. You boil some noodles, you throw some canned sauce on it, maybe throw in some veggies or meat, and you’re done. It’s both easy and easy to get sick of eating. You may be so tired of it that you’re tempted to go low-carb, but even if you don’t, you should expand your palate. Many people like seafood but don’t feel like they’ll be able to get it fresh, especially if they live a few hundred miles inland. Thanks to the Internet, though, you can get fresh seafood delivered right to your door. Don’t settle for the farm fish; go for the stuff that’s caught in the ocean, processed in Alaska, and then sent in a specially-packed box with dry ice. Whether you like crab, salmon, halibut, or something else, you’ll be able to taste the difference, and so will your family.

Seafood also provides some health benefits that can be hard to find in other dishes. Oily fish like sardines, trout, and mackerel are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, also known as the good fats. Seafood can contribute to positive heart health and joint health, and it may even lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. So while eating seafood is no substitute for carrying enough health insurance and visiting your doctor regularly, it’s still a great thing to include in your diet.

Dinner is served (on fancy dishes)

When you sit down to eat, what do your dishes look like? Are they the faded, chipped dishes you got for your first apartment in college? Are they even proper dinnerware at all, or are you eating on flimsy paper plates? If your dining set is drab and uninspired, it’s easy for you to also feel drab and uninspired. It’s long past time to upgrade the contest of your china cabinet and start searching for some unique dinnerware, like Bernardaud dinnerware for example, that really expresses who you are as a person.

A lot of people get fancy plates as a gift and then decide to store them for a “special occasion” that never really comes. Don’t do that. If you’re going to invest in some quality dishes, you should enjoy them. Dishes are made to be a part of dinner (unless you’re in a Disney movie, in which case they’re also made to sing and dance).

Whether you live to eat or simply eat to live, dinner doesn’t have to be a slog. Treat it like an occasion instead of a burden. Put away the phones and actually talk to your family members. Food can nourish your body, but it takes more than that to nourish your soul.

Liquidation Nation: How Consumers and Corporations Can Benefit - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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How do we do deal with large quantities? Large amounts of a product can be seen as either an opportunity or a trap. In the economic market, supply and demand are often locked in a back-and-forth wrestling match. Often manufacturers don’t want to create too much of something, as it can dilute the market, which means they can’t charge as much as they believe the product is worth. On the other hand, a surplus of inventory can lead to drastically reduced prices, which can provide an opportunity for some consumers to cash in and buy products they couldn’t afford otherwise.

Enter liquidation. If a company announces they’re liquidating everything, that’s not good. It generally means there’s no clear path forward for the company, at least not if they want to make money (and believe it or not, most companies want just that). So they decide to slash prices on all their inventory to try to convert their remaining assets into cash. That cash might allow them to pay off their debtors. And they really want to pay off as many of their debts as possible, since bankruptcy proceedings can be a real pain in the rear.

In other cases, companies like Walmart will liquidate merchandise without going under (Walmart is the biggest retailer in the world, so they’re doing just fine right now). A lot of times, a company overestimates demand and makes too much of a certain item. For instance, let’s say an A-list celebrity signs a deal to write his life story. He gets a six-figure advance, and the publisher announces that the first printing of the book will be massive. But then, a few days after the book is released, something scandalous and sordid comes out about the celebrity. It’s hard for him to find work anymore, and it’s even harder to sell a book all about his life. In a few months, there’s a good chance copies of that disgraced celebrity’s memoir will end up in the bargain bin of your local bookstore. The publisher has decided to cut its losses and just try to sell the books at a major discount, since they ended up printing way too many copies.

That happens with plenty of things besides books. A retailer can also liquidate merchandise that has been returned or refurbished, especially if there’s a lot of it. Wholesalers will often purchase such products, then turn around and sell them via auction. Since most people aren’t looking to buy twenty laptops at once, it’s likely that dealers are buying the items so they can separate them and sell them to regular customers.

Of course, there are exceptions. Companies interested in managing enterprise mobility may seize upon the opportunity to buy a couple of dozen smartphones and turn them into company-issued devices for their employees. That’s especially true if the price is better than the one they can get from a telecom company. Juggling all those phones and tablets and computers isn’t exactly cheap, after all.

Most of us probably don’t think of liquidation as very exciting, and that’s understandable. But while it can mean the end of a company’s story, they’ll probably get a lot of sales as they go out of business. People love a good deal. They won’t always care about the story behind the deal, but they will go crazy for the price on the tag.

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Modern Web Design Trends Worth Trying - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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Competition is fierce when it comes to websites. For discerning web browsers, there are some elements that immediately attract their attention, enough for them to stop by and check out a site, even if it is not the one they are looking for at that moment.

Website designers have to be up to date with the latest trends on web design. Whether their clients want to refresh their site or to have a website developed, web designers intend to convey the business image the client wants to project in the most appealing and impressive way.

Web developers and website designers see to it that the latest trends in web design framework are incorporated to ensure that the site will have higher web traffic and give users a great browsing experience.

New web design trends

This year, typography, colour and functionality are the new visual concepts that are worth exploring. Some of these trending design elements are being implemented already, so get ready for more visual inspiration.

  • Gradients. This design element went missing for several years but it is making a comeback now although the blurring technique has changed. From having subtle colour variations in the past, gradients today employ several colours and the technique implementation is bolder and bigger. The technique looks great in drawing the eyes to a page location that does not have an image or in improving the impact of a photo that is not too interesting.
  • Parallax scrolling. This started in 2016 and now, the mouse-based movement is getting more impressive and fancier. The more real the movement is, the more awesome the effect is. Moving up instead of down is interesting as the browser discovers the layers of design on the page.
  • Simpler homepages. This is quite difficult to achieve because a simpler homepage needs to arrest the viewer in a different way, usually with a single word or two. For SEO purposes, home pages are usually packed with information after the scroll. The capability to access websites on small devices such as mobile phones and tablets trained users to scroll thus scrolling on websites no longer frustrates users.
  • Different patterns for navigation. Navigation is no longer fixed to the side or top of the page. It could be hidden, pop up or placed at the bottom of the page (as long as it is obvious). Designers should understand how intuitive web users could be.
  • Adaptability to wearables. Web designers should think about the wearable gadgets that can access websites, in order to create web layouts that are mobile device friendly. This affects typography, colours, images and user interaction with the pages.

Website design Torquay ensures that web pages incorporate the latest trends that are effective in creating responsive, tactile, interactive and impressive designs fitted to each client’s purpose and preference.

Image: Pixabay.com

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How to start a personal training business - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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It is not easy running a personal training business especially if one is a beginner. With the increasing demands for personal trainers, it can, some time, get tricky, as there can be an instance where you lack the required skills. To be a good trainer, there are various steps you can take to ensure that your personal training business succeeds. For instance, it is important that you develop your skills towards the business as well as on choosing your niche. This and other few steps can help you develop your personal training business to a great health and fitness place to your clients.

Qualifications Matters

It is obvious that the more a person is qualified, the more he can deliver. For these reasons, one as a personal trainer should consider researching vastly before starting the business. For instance, various internet site offer great informations on such topics. These internet pages have huge varieties of fitness-related topics that can be helpful. In such topics, one is able to cover on various techniques on fields such as, physiology, nutrition, fitness testing, and even the latest training techniques. These topics, if covered carefully, will not only leave the trainer confident, but also provide them with vast knowledge on their respective professional fields. In addition, one is also able to learn on communication skills and marketing tips for trainers to carry out quality personal training.

Be a Member of an Appropriate Fitness Organization

By being a member of a fitness association, one is able to achieve much especially on the latest industry information. In addition, you are prone to professional development activities as you are also open to meet various industry professionals. Joining the associations can be a great advantage to your fitness business. This is because some of these associations are also insurance providers and this will save you the tiresome insurance seeking process.

Get Insured As Well As an ABN

Since every start-up business needs insurance, you will automatically need one as a personal training business owner. This is to ensure your business is protected both professionally and publicly. Getting insurance, is therefore, mandated, and can be found on various networks such as, Fitness Australia, Physical Activity Australia, and the Australian Fitness websites. In addition to that, it is recommendable that a fitness business owner should consider getting an ABN. This process is necessary especially with start-up businesses. It is done mostly to enable easy tax regulation by taxation offices. Being registered by ABN is easy, as one only needs to register online with the Australian government.

Advertise Your Business

Business advertising can be done in numerous ways. To start with, one can decide to create flyers and distribute them in local areas. Putting your adverts on local papers can also be another way to get you going. Besides that, a creative business owner will look for different ways to set up reciprocal offers. For instance, striking up deals with other business owners can be of advantage to your business success. If you collaborate with other small businesses in your area, it can be a good idea as you will share ideas and help one another with the few difficulties each of you might be facing. This, in turn, will not only boost your production, but also improve on how you relate with your customers.

For greater success to your personal trainer business, it is important that you identify what makes you better than others do. In addition, it is important to present your strengths and not your competitor’s weakness. With that in place, it will be easier for you as a businessperson to convince your clients on why they should spend their money on your lessons. With these few remarks, we hope that you have learnt a lot.

The pros and cons of cash transfers - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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Let’s face it – cash transfers are extremely convenient in every sense of the word. To those of you who are still confused as to how exactly it works, here it is – when you send money overseas to your friends or relatives, they visit an office or an agent to pick up the cash that you sent. It is really as simple and straightforward as that. Nothing more, really. Also, there are a great many established and professional services that you can choose from as well.

In a nutshell, cash transfers are designed to be both secure as well as convenient in general. After all, the prime focus is to give the recipient fast access to the cash that you send. However, do bear in mind the fact that the overall costs involved with cash transfers are usually rather steep. Hence, comparing your range of options would be a good idea.

But like everything else, the process of cash transfer does indeed come with its own share of pros and cons across the board. No two ways about that, really. In this regard, the aspects of banking collection and change order service do not play much of an important role.

The pros:

  • Fast: Cash transfers are incredibly quick. You really can’t ask for a better way to send money overseas. And if you happen to be lucky with a clear and proper line of communication, the pickup can even happen within a matter of minutes.
  • The aspect of choice: You always have the option of looking around for a better deal as there are many trusted companies around. You don’t have to stick to one company that isn’t really giving you the satisfaction that you desire.

The cons:

  • Can turn out to be rather expensive: As compared to bank account deposits, cash pickup money transfers tend to offer weaker exchange rates in general. Plus they are also a lot more expensive on the whole.

At the end of the day, it is fairly evident that there are more pros and cons. However, that alone does not imply that it is the right decision for you in particular. You will need to look at a great many aspects in order to determine that. Hence, in this regard there are a couple of things that you need to look out for :-

  • Weak exchange rates: In this regard, do make sure that you compare the exchange rate against the mid-market rate before you make your final decision.
  • Transfer fees: Here, you need to confirm all of your fees involved in cash pickups before you hand over your cash.
  • Untrustworthy providers: To steer clear of this problem, do make sure you compare all of the reputable providers.
  • Picking up cash: Sometimes, if you are not careful enough, this can expose you to the risk of theft. So be wary.

Lastly, you will do well to remember the basic fact of the matter being that no matter how safe and secure you think it is, picking up cash from a transfer agent can be rather dangerous indeed. The point to remember is that the risk is always there.

Hence, you need to make sure that you keep a couple of important tips in mind such as avoiding unsafe areas, calling the agent ahead of time, bringing a friend along and keeping your cash well hidden. No matter what, you cannot afford to forget even one of these tips, whatsoever. After all, this is your hard-earned money at stake.

Algae: Big News for AgBio - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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Andrew Dahl, CEO of ZIVO Bioscience, a biotech/agtech R&D company engaged in the commercialization of nutritional and medicinal products derived from proprietary algal strains joins Entrepreneurial Fit Radio.

Listen to interview with host Eric Dye & guest Andrew Dahl discuss the following:

  • Tell us about your background and why algae?
  • As recent headlines show, consumers are trying to add more plants into their diets, and plant-based protein is a prominent attraction in this area. To what extent can developers of algae strains capitalize on this trend and fulfill consumer demand?
  • What is the overall size of the addressable market for algae-based products for consumer and animal health?
  • Is the current state of technology of algae production in the U.S. capable of satisfying the potentially widespread consumption of algae-based products by humans and animals? If not, how long do you estimate it would take for production methods to be scaled-up to this extent?
  • What are some of the major roadblocks in the way of acceptance of algae-based product as a large-scale commercial category in the U.S., both on the part of manufacturers and on the part of consumers?
  • What types of algae-based products has ZIVO been focusing on to date and how might they fulfill needs in nutrition and health for animals and humans?
  • What single message would you most like to convey to food manufacturers and nutrition companies that are considering integrating algae-based products into their offerings?

Mr. Dahl was formerly a principal consultant and managing director of Great Northern & Reserve Partners, LLC, a marketing strategy and business planning consultancy focused on the biomed and biotech sectors, since 2005.

For the previous 20 years, Mr. Dahl served as President of Dawber & Company, Inc., one of the largest independent marketing & consulting firms in the Midwest, with an extensive Fortune 500 client roster that included GM, Ford, Northwest, Xerox, AT&T and Compuware, among others. He attended the College for Creative Studies and Wayne State University. Mr. Dahl holds three US patents for interactive multimedia and is a named inventor in one recent biotech patent and several biomed patent applications.

Website: www.zivobioscience.com

People also listened to this:  Is Your Drinking Water Safe? Don’t Guess…TEST!

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4 Ways Weak Cybersecurity Can Impede Workplace Productivity - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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A 2016 analysis of companies that were victimized by ransomware revealed that greatest cost of the attack was not the ransom demand, but was instead the lost productivity that resulted from the attack. On average, a small or medium sized business (SMB) will face at least two days of downtime, and that every hour of downtime costs an SMB at approximately $8,000. In view of these numbers, it is no surprise that an SMB will be readily tempted to pay a $50,000 ransom demand to get its operations back up and running.

A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack can cost even more. A DDoS attack can decimate web traffic that a business relies on for regular revenues. When lost revenues are aggregated with replacement costs for damaged equipment and productivity losses from employees who are taken away from their regular tasks to manage responses, a DDoS attack can cost a business between $20,000 and $100,000 per hour.

These are the obvious outcomes of the reduced workplace productivity that can be caused when a business’s cybersecurity efforts are too weak to fend off a cyberattack. Those attacks can impede workplace productivity in at least 4 other ways:

  1. Cyberattacks lead to fewer business opportunities and fewer customers.

A business’s reputation among its customers can take a big hit after the business suffers a cyberattack. Rightly or wrongly, customers will equate a business’s inability to prevent an attack as a harbinger of poor business practices in other areas. No business is immune from a cyberattack regardless of the amounts of technical defenses and employee training that it implements to avoid an attack. Customers do not understand or appreciate this reality, and will implicitly place at least some of the blame on the business for leaving itself exposed to the attack. The unfortunate net result is that fewer customers translates directly into lower productivity.

  1. Recreating lost data requires time and energy. 

Productivity comes to a standstill in the midst of a ransomware attack. When the attack has ended, and even if the business has paid a ransom and recovered access to its data, it can never be sure that its files and records have not been permanently damaged. Employees will need to go through data and in some cases, they will need to rebuild databases to restore normality in the business. This process takes employees away from other more productive functions.

  1. Funds that are budgeted for productivity improvements may be needed to compensate for the losses and liabilities that a business incurs during a cyberattack. 

In 2017, on average, a large business will incur losses of $1.3 million from a single data breach. SMBs incur an average cost of $117,000, which can be a significant portion of the SMB’s annual profits. These expenses are an aggregate of damaged equipment and data, and liabilities to the business’s customers whose data might have been compromised during the data breach. In many instances, particularly among SMBs with more limited budgets, these costs are covered by funds that might have been allocated to new machinery or systems that would increase employee productivity. A business that carries a cyber liability insurance policy will be better able to avoid this impact on its productivity improvements because that insurance can provide reimbursement for those losses and liabilities.

  1. Cyberattacks impair business continuity.

Businesses rely on continuity and momentum to achieve regular expansion of their operations. A single cyberattack stops that momentum cold and can require a business to restart strategic initiatives and other programs that are designed to grow the business. This can add several months or more into the business’s growth cycle, in which time productivity is similarly reduced as processes are restarted.

Now that you are in the know, you can make the right choices to improve your weak cyber defenses and safeguard workplace productivity.

Design, Content, Sales Conversion: How These Three Things Work Together to Make Your Site Successful - Entrepreneur Podcast Network – EPN

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It’s not easy to turn a website into a successful business. Just a few years ago it was possible to put content up on a website and expect to get traffic and make money without much additional effort. The more content you put up, the more traffic you received and the more money you earned. But those days are long gone.

Your website now needs content that is more amazing than ever, but even that is not enough. To be successful, your website needs high-quality content, professional design and careful attention to sales conversion in order to achieve significant results. Here is how your content and design work together to generate the sales your business needs to be successful.

Content: The Foundation of a Great Website

Every website starts with content, whether it’s in the form of blog posts, photos, videos, products or services. There’s a reason people come to your website: they want what you have to offer. The success of your website primarily depends on your content. You might have everything else in place and optimized like crazy, but if your content doesn’t live up to people’s expectations, you’re going to lose them, and your entire business model will fall flat.

Content is king, and it always will be. The value that you provide to your visitors is wrapped up in your content, and bloggers and businesses who lose sight of this fact quickly discover that all the gimmicks in the world are no replacement for good content that answers people’s questions and solves their problems.

Building Your Brand with Content and Design

So content is the foundation for success, but every website owner knows that content is worthless if nobody gives it a chance. That’s where effective website design comes in. The way that you present your content to your audience determines whether they’re going to actually read it or not. Professional visual design catches the attention of your readers. It instantly creates a connection, builds trust and draws them further into your website to see what your content is all about.

Expert content and beautiful, functional design show your audience that you’re worth their time. But many content creators struggle with the design aspects of blogging, which causes them to lose readers. The good news is that you don’t have to be a graphic designer to have a great-looking website that draws people in. With a website builder like the ones reviewed on makeawebsitehub.com, you can easily put together a professional website that compliments your content and leads to more conversions.

Optimizing Your Conversion Rate for Success

Many businesses work hard on their content and design elements only to ignore conversion testing and optimization. That’s a huge mistake. Conversion optimization is the missing piece of the puzzle for many businesses. Design isn’t just about showing off your content. Design also influences the chances of your content converting into sales.

Take a look at one of your landing pages or sales pages. You probably have some blurbs of text, some images and a call to action with a button to click or a form to fill out. Are you tracking the percentage of visitors to that page who actually convert and take the action you’re asking them to take? Are you testing the different design and content elements on the page and trying to optimize them for higher conversions?

  • Would that red button convert better if it was green? You won’t know unless you test it.
  • Would that call to action get more sales if it was worded differently? If you haven’t tested different text ideas, then all you can do is guess.
  • Would that image keep people on the page longer if the model was a female rather than a male? There’s only one way to find out.

These are all design and content elements that need to be tested for optimal conversion rates. If you’re not paying as much attention to conversion rate optimization as you are to content creation and graphic design, then you’re missing out on sales. All these elements work together to contribute to the success of your website.

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