A Beginners’ Guide to Investing in Real Estate

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | A Beginners' Guide to Investing in Real EstateInvesting in real estate is a dream many share. And utopia is reaching a place where your investments not only achieve financial independence — where they pay for themselves — but also become a viable revenue stream. However, everyone has to start somewhere, and even the most renowned property moguls purchased their first property at some point. If you’re keen to begin your investment journey, here are some tips to get you started.

Boost Your Savings

Where are you financially? Before you look at properties, first focus on you. Before you research how to invest in real estate, you must do the groundwork and get a significant amount of savings behind you. How much of your monthly salary are you saving each month? Can you bump that up to 25-50% of your earnings, maybe more? What lifestyle changes do you need to make? Once you get yourself out of survival mode, you’re on your way to becoming a real estate investor.

Consider Your Strategy

Nobody should go into real estate investment without a strategy — a plan on achieving success. It will include exploring the types of properties you plan on buying, whether you intend on flipping or renting, and what your ideal portfolio will comprise. You should have a strategy for each stage of your journey, focused on getting you on the next rung of the ladder.

Do Your Research

While you’re saving, learn as much as you can about real estate. Keep an eye on the housing market. Follow investors and property developers on social media. If you have some free time, take up a side-hustle as a buyer’s or leasing agent helping busy buyers or renters find their dream home. Glean as much insight into the industry as you can so you’re knowledgeable and connected by the time you’re ready to buy.

Investing in real estate is a long game; but, if you play it right, it can be highly profitable. Stay on top of the market and learn as much as possible, and you’ll be well-positioned to take advantage of it.

What is the most powerful behavior in the leader’s toolbox?

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StrategyDriven Management and Leadership Article |Leadership Behavior|What is the most powerful behavior in the leader’s toolbox?Why is it that some people who appear ready, willing and apparently able for promotion into positions of leadership either fail outright, woefully underperform, or at the very least never come close to reaching full potential? I’ve seen individuals from diverse industries and cultures who are extremely proficient as individual contributors, for example, get promoted to lead small teams and, despite great promise, simply fail to deliver. It’s much more common than one would imagine. Why is this the case?

In my experience, study and research of the topic over the past thirty-five years, one common theme emerges – many of these leaders do not lead with care and compassion. This is not to say that these leaders as individuals are uncaring. However, their focus, attention and energy are weighted too heavily in other areas of the business and not in developing relationships with their employees. For example, I’ve seen leaders struggle because they spend inordinate amounts of time focusing on results rather than their vitally important role in achieving those results.

The goal for every organization is, of course, mission accomplishment. While there are many roads to get there, leaders who have good working relationships with their employees get there with less drama, staff turnover, lower cost in labor and material, among other metrics, compared with leaders who lack these relationships. [1] Higher trust translates into higher performing team. In other words, the fastest, most efficient path to mission accomplishment is through trust.

How does a leader earn trust? Leaders, researchers and thought leaders generally agree that there are three essential behaviors. The first is technical competence. People are more likely to trust a leader whom they believe has the technical know-how and experience to make good decisions. The second is consistency. A leader must do what they say they will do, follow through on commitments and keep their promises. The last behavior is care and compassion. The leader needs to build relationships with their team members and show that they care for their well-being. Competency, consistency and caring – all three are important behaviors in earning trust. However, of the three, showing care and compassion is the most powerful and fastest way to earn trust.

In fact, leading with care and compassion is extremely powerful. I’ve seen people successfully lead teams where the leader was not technically proficient in the area of work. For example, I’ve seen Navy non-commissioned officers whose expertise was aircraft maintenance successfully lead medical teams. While these leaders were certainly not rendering care to patients – they weren’t proficient in that area – they were rendering care to the relationships they had with their Sailors. They understood the importance of building those relationships and focused their time and attention accordingly. These leaders excelled at listening to their Sailor’s concerns, showing empathy and ensuring that every single Sailor was able to feel engaged, fulfilled, supported, and recognized. In the end, they were leaders who people not only wanted to follow, but loved to follow.

My choice of the word ‘love’ is a deliberate one, and an accurate one. Fascinating research has recently shown that when a team member feels care and compassion from their leader, profound changes occur at the neurotransmitter level within the team member’s body. In fact, their level of oxytocin increases significantly. Oxytocin is a molecule also known as the “love hormone” – its release from the brain is triggered by social bonding. Oxytocin levels increase when two people hug, for example. Researchers have shown that when leaders lead with care and compassion through positive social interactions, oxytocin levels increase among team members, along with engagement, joy, and overall performance.[2] When people say they love working for their leader, they literally do love working for their leader.

When followers trust their leader, the path to mission accomplishment is much easier to traverse. The most powerful behavior in the leader’s toolbox to earn that trust is care and compassion. Show your people that you care for their well-being and they’ll consistently deliver.

[1] Michael Burchell and Jennifer Robin, The Great Workplace, (San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass, 2011)
[2] Paul Zak, Trust Factor, (New York: American Management Association, 2017)

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Mark BroukerMark E. Brouker, Captain, United States Navy (retired), Pharm.D., MBA, FACHE, BCPS, is founder of Brouker Leadership Solutions, and author of the forthcoming book Lessons From The Navy: How To Earn Trust, Lead Teams, And Achieve Organizational Excellence. For more information visit http://www.broukerleadershipsolutions.com/.

Why Should You Use the Content Writing Services Offered by an SEO Agency?

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Content Writing Services|Why Should You Use the Content Writing Services Offered by an SEO Agency?1. Content Is the Most Important Factor in SEO!

Nowadays, content is one of the most used marketing methods. The effectiveness of content marketing is very big and most online businesses depend on it to acquire leads. It is very hard to have success in online marketing without good content. This is why content writing services became very popular between marketing agencies and professional writes. Unfortunately, not all content has a good quality and the results, it produces, depend largely on the quality of the content used. For this reason, you must find a good content writer or a company that offers high-quality services. The industry in which the use of content is the most well spread is SEO.

In the SEO industry the content used is the most important factor. It is so important that all SEO experts agree that content is the king of SEO. All strategies that do not include content had become redundant. The content produced by the SEO agency must be of high quality. Otherwise, the results brought by the strategies that they use will have unsatisfactory results.

2. An SEO Agency Needs to Have Professional Writers!

There are many good writers in this industry and a good SEO agency must have several professional writers who can provide content writing services. The requirements for the quality of content are very high in the SEO industry. To produce satisfactory results, an agency will need to use high-quality content. For this reason, any good agency needs to collaborate with good writers.

There are 2 methods through which this collaboration can take place. The first one is through contracts. Many writers work as contractors or as freelancers. The second method is through hiring. An agency will choose between these methods or use them simultaneously. The choice is based on the needs of the agency and the resources that it wants to invest in its ability to provide high-quality content.

But to be a writer for an agency is not easy. The amount of content needed by an SEO services agency is very high. This is why it is very hard for new writers to keep up with the needs of an agency. Moreover, the quality also needs to reach a certain level. But writers that can accomplish these requirements will gain massive experience at a very fast pace.

3. Content Writing Services Produces High-Quality Content!

If you need high-quality content, then you should not ignore the SEO agencies that offer content writing services. But you still need to pay attention to the results. If you want to collaborate with an agency, then start small and see the results. After you are sure that the agency can provide you with the content that you need, then you can continue with long term collaboration.

As for checking the quality of a piece of content, there are 4 things that you need to check:

  • Informative. In any business, trust is very important. If you do not have the trust of your potential customers then you will not make any sales. Informative content offers the possibility for a business to gain the trust of its potential customers. If you offer information that will help your future clients, then they are more likely to buy your products and services.
  • Engaging. Although it is important to offer informative content, you need to make sure that the reader is willing to read your content. To do that, you need to make your content engaging. The simplest method is through the use of the second person in the content. By writing like speaking to someone, you will be able to keep the reader engaged.
  • Accessible. It does not matter what is the field of your business, there are experts and amateurs. So you need to make your content accessible for everyone. Make sure that every reader will be able to understand it. If you write using specific terminology of your field, then only those that understand it will be able to make use of the information presented in the article. And the rest will not come to your website again.
  • Original. All the content that you are going to use must be original. By using copied content you will lose the trust of your website’s visitors that will discover the issue. Also, every search engine will know about the copied content and they will penalize your website. On the other hand, the original content will showcase your experience and expertise.

4. The Ranks of Your Website Will Rise While Using the Content Writing Services of an SEO Agency!

As mentioned above, the content used in SEO services is very important for the results produced by any agency. So, if you are going to use the content writing services offered by an SEO agency, then you can also expect to get positive results in your search engines’ ranks.

Nowadays, content can be seen and used in more and more marketing methods. With the rise of technology, it is very easy for any company to target a larger market. For this reason, the competition is continuously rising and your potential customers will have a big number of options from which they can choose. This is why all the top companies fight very hard for the trust of their potential customers. They understand that without that trust, they will not be able to sell their products.

The easiest way to gain the trust of a person is to help it solve a problem for free. And the best method to do that is through information and content. The more content you have to will help your potential customers, the more trust you will receive and, in turn, the more sales you will make.

5. When You Should Use the Content from an SEO Agency Carefully?

Content has many uses in today’s market. And in different fields, there are certain changes that you need to know before using content. For example, the content used in SEO strategies is not very suitable for sales emails. Although certain characteristics are the same, the goal is different and there are certain differences as well.

Without making the necessary changes you will not get top-notch results from content made for SEO. This is why you need to make sure that the content that you get from an SEO agency is optimized for your goals. It is not impossible for the expert writers of an SEO agency to adapt their styles, but not every agency has writers that skilled.

So, if you want to use the content for other purposes aside from for marketing, then you should test the writing services of an agency before beginning a big collaboration. But you can use the content offered by an SEO agency for blogs, website content, and content marketing safely.

According to experts at Igloo digital marketing agency, a good team of writers can help you create multiple forms of SEO-optimized content. For example, you can use the team to create highly optimized Guest Posting and Link Building articles. Secondly, you can also create high-quality long format articles for your website’s blog. Finally, if the agency is adept at creating SEO web content, you can take help from them to create all your service pages on the website.

6. You Can Use Content Writing Services to Rewrite Older Part of Your Website!

A very good way to make sure of the content writing services offered by an SEO agency is to rewrite old content from your website. Of course, if a piece of content is evergreen then you may not need to rewrite it, but otherwise, it is a wise decision to do so.

If some part of the content present on your website is outdated, then you should replace it with a newer version or make upgrades to it. Otherwise, it will drag your website down. In SEO, search engines consider the overall performance of your website. So, if a part of your website is poor, it will drag the rest down.

The solution is simple. You can use so SEO tools and see which pages of your website have a poor performance and use the services of an SEO agency to rewrite the content on these pages. By doing this you will obtain a big boost to your website’s performance.

7. You Can Use Other SEO services at the Same Time!

Why should you limit yourself to writing services? Make use of the opportunity to find a good SEO agency and try the rest of the services that they offer. SEO is a complex field, and even if you have good content, but you do not know how to use it and what other optimizations should you do, then the results that you will obtain will not be the best.

A good way to maximize the potential of content is to let professionals help you use it in the best possible way. A good SEO agency has the required skills to make use of content to propel your website’s ranks to the top.

Even if you do not want to use SEO, but you still can get some insights from the SEO agency through the cooperation with the content writing services. These insights may be able to help you very much in the process of growing your website. In conclusion, one of the best options that you have is to use the services offered by an SEO agency.

5 Stages of a Sales Funnel: Are You Adjusting Your Approach

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Sales Funnel|5 Stages of a Sales Funnel_ Are You Adjusting Your ApproachGetting your sales “up there” is always going to be an uphill climb. It’s even more disconcerting when you see everyone else around you succeeding.

So how do you make the best of it? By taking a look at the sales funnel, you can see what the different stages are and adjust your approach so that your profits can start to soar.

First Stage: Lead/Suspect

This first stage can be boiled down to a person you haven’t spoken to yet who matches the profile of your target customer. At this stage, you might want to pursue as many leads as you can in order to promote your growth and target the right demographic.

This means you’re going to have to put in the work to find as many reliable leads as possible so that you can have a reliable pool to pull from. The job couldn’t be easier with an award-winning B2B lead generation service provider on your side.

Second Stage: Prospect

A prospect is when an individual has showed some interest in what you’re offering, whether it’s a service or a product. You’ve already had a conversation and heard their concerns, which should have provided you with the information you need to improve/change what you’re offering. This kind of interaction will likely lead you toward the next step of your sales process.

Third Stage: Qualified Prospect

Getting as many opinions as you can is a good way to provide a well-rounded service/product, but a qualified prospect is much more valuable and more attention should be provided to such. It is also the most demanding stage of the sales funnel. A qualified prospect has the expertise and know-how to tell you what does and doesn’t work, because they have a need for what you are offering.

This is probably the lengthiest stage of the entire process, but exercising patience will help you get through to the other side.


Fourth Stage: Committed

This is when you’re committed to what you’ve re-edited again and again, getting rid of any red flags that may still give you cause for concern. At this stage, you should have provided the customer with a proposal that lays out all of the terms of the contract so that you can both move forward with the deal.

The only thing left for you to do is to has out the last few remaining details, as well as how delivery and payment are going to take place. Either party may want to offer contingencies on certain terms being met.

Fifth Stage: Transacted

This is the stage where the transaction has actually transpired and the contract has been signed by both parties. Fulfilling the contract requires steps to be taken by both parties in order to meet out all the terms laid out in it.

With this said, the salesperson can focus on the next opportunity and start working through the stages of the funnel from the beginning.

You should exercise caution in order to prevent a leaky funnel: where a sales opportunity isn’t progressing forward as it should. These opportunities should be removed in order to make way for new ones so that you’re not wasting your energies on unfruitful opportunities.

Why Workplace Security is More Important Than Ever

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Workplace Security|Why Workplace Security is More Important Than EverRegardless of whether you run a small start-up business or a huge company, you must understand the importance of workplace security. Having a comprehensive security policy will not only protect you and your staff, but it will also protect your equipment, products and sensitive data. By knowing which aspects of your business are at risk, and the security options available to you, you can establish a solid security policy to keep you protected.

Why does your workplace need security?

You may not even realize all the ways that your business is at risk, or what you have that someone might want to compromise. Here are some of the reasons that your workplace needs security.

1. Physical assets and valuables

If you base your business in an office, then chances are that you have expensive equipment on site. Even your home office will likely house valuable items that you’d rather not lose. You may also have physical records that contain sensitive client and business information that you don’t want to fall into the wrong hands. Protection from theft is important externally, but also internally. Staff are just as capable of robbery as an outsider, so you need proper measures in place to protect yourself.

2. Cybersecurity

Beyond physical theft, you also need to protect yourself from a data breach or cybercrime. Your business likely stores a lot of sensitive data on computers and cloud-based software. Information includes business credit card and bank details and a bank of client and staff records. A data breach can have devastating consequences for a business, so the more protection you have, the better.

3. How can you make your workplace secure?

As technology continues to advance, there are new and effective security software and equipment that can protect your business. Here are some of the best investments you can make to protect you, your staff, and your data.

4. Access control

First and foremost, you need to implement access control into your workplace. Access control will allow you to monitor who comes in and out of your office and keep out people who should not be there. Remsdaq offers a ton of different Remsdaq access control options from keycard access to coded access and even biometric access. Implementing access control will be the best line of defence for protecting anything within your workplace.

5. Data protection

Your office may have physical protection with access control, but it’s also essential to protect your documents and data. Invest in a quality data protection system with secure access to documents and files. Ensure that only the necessary staff members receive access to the relevant documentation, and everything is password protected. Data protection will help prevent cybercriminals from hacking into your system and destroying your data.

6. End of day procedures

Create solid end-of-day practices which all your staff need to follow to ensure everything is secure overnight. Make sure that each staff member logs out of all windows in their workspace and shuts down their computer. Whoever is the last person on site should be in charge of setting the appropriate alarms when they exit the office. It’s a good idea to assign two people to this task to double-check that it is properly done.