First Impressions Matter Now More than Ever

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The idea that first impressions matter is a cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason. While it may seem outdated to judge a person solely on their appearance and the initial meeting, business persons have long memories, and any biases after the first contact may well linger for a long time.

And now, in a world where anybody can start their own business and entrepreneurs can come from all walks of life, it is more important than ever that you can make an excellent first impression when it comes to meeting potential clients, customers, or investors.

The first impression can relate to anything from your appearance, your office culture, or even the way you conduct yourself around new and possibly more senior members of your company. By ensuring that you avoid the mistakes of the many when it comes to first impressions, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about, right?

THE YOU

When meeting someone for the first time, you want to look professional and serious. This is true for every situation in life and not just business. But, when first meeting someone who could very well have a massive influence on the success of your company it is much, much more than a life and death scenario.

Dressing professionally is Business 101. There is no point in wasting time discussing the proper attire for CEOs when first meeting investors or clients. However, while we all know about what to wear, some people often don’t know how to act. Firm handshakes, eye contact, a clear focus on what you want and a sense of humour will all go along way in convincing anyone who comes into your office will be the real deal.

THE OFFICE

Entering your office could very well be the first instance of someone experiencing what your company is all about directly. The first thing they will probably see is the reception desk, which will give them an immediate impression of what sort of office culture you are running.

Furthermore, the placement of such desks will demonstrate the sort of inclusiveness of the office. Is it within the office alongside salesmen and women? Or secluded in an independent room before getting into the main office? While it may not seem significant, these things matter to those who will matter to your company, should they choose to.

Once the initial meeting is out of the way, it is time to consider how the rest of the office will look to outsiders. While your company may have its unique way of doing things that make sense to you and your employees, to outsiders, it can sometimes come off the wrong way.

To ensure that this does not become an issue, it is wise to know exactly what might be questioned and have an acceptable and responsible answer to whatever might be thrown at you. If you can justify your office culture in a way that demonstrates you are working for the benefit of the business, many supposedly strange office quirks will be overlooked and sometimes even encouraged.

THE WEBSITE

With everything being conducted online in the modern age, having a fully functioning website is paramount to attracting the right people. Web design can be a hard and arduous process, and so employing the right people to do it for you can save a lot of time and effort.

For many, the website will be the first interaction with your business, and so it is essential to ensure that everything works. This is much more than merely clicking a few links, instead, going through each page with a fine-toothed comb will help avoid any embarrassing questions when trying to convince people to invest in your business.

While it may seem that it would take the world’s most nitpicky and pedantic investor or client to think of all of these factors when first interacting with your business, it is because of this nitpicking that they are in the position to make such judgements. Every day, more and more people are coming round to the idea that the 21st century business world is so unlike the past that it is almost recognisable, but ensuring that you make the best first impression possible is the key to your success.

It can be tough to recover from someone’s negative opinion of you, so don’t give them the opportunity and go along with what is expected. Once you have the support, you can shoot as high as you want, and eventually make other companies worry about their first impression when they meet you.

Why Your Premises Should Emulate Your Brand

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article
In the twenty-first century, offices are much more than a set of booths, each one with a tower computer and a waste paper bin. Working environments are now much more user-friendly with opportunities for collaborative working and they are designed to consider the needs of employees to a much greater extent. Your office should emulate the ethos of your brand, be an open, welcoming and bright space, and be the optimum area for the most productive working. Take a look at how you can create your perfect premises no matter what industry sector you work in.

Location

If you run an advertising agency, you need to be in the thick of a city center environment; close to the big brands, next to excellent transport links and amongst other like-minded businesses. Clients will be attending your offices for meetings, to view your latest presentations and to brainstorm ideas for their next marketing campaigns. It’s vital that they have confidence in your credentials the moment they work through the door. Your interior needs to be sleek, modern and a hive of activity. City center premises can be older and more traditional, or you could opt for an office in a more minimalist and modern building depending on the ethos of your brand.

Space

How you use the interior space is up to you. You could opt for a more traditional zonal system where you cater to those colleagues who need to knuckle down alone in more private spaces as well as providing meeting rooms for those brainstorming sessions and collaborative meetups. You may forego the tried and tested cubicles, for a more open, transparent office environment. If you’re implementing something new, you’ll need to utilize the services of an outfit like BCI Worldwide international logistics company who can kit out a brand new office without you having to lift a finger. They use intuitive project management systems and logistics platforms to track all tasks required throughout the lifecycle of your project installation. By outsourcing a project like this, you are tapping into external expertise and networking with fellow professionals to achieve your desired office environment.

Technology

For some businesses, the latest technology is vitally important. For others, it is more of a luxury. Don’t get too hung up on having the biggest, best and latest gadgetry. What’s more important is the staff team that you surround yourself with and the minds that you manage to merge together to think outside the box and create initiatives that enable your business to grow. Having an attractive premises and office environment will hook those perfect candidates attending an interview for a role within your company. They’ll be eager to work in a dynamic space and one that is conducive to being at the forefront of your particular industry.

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article

Your premises can reflect your brand in the most subtle of ways. If you are an honest, transparent and collaborative company, show this off in your office space. By doing this, you can reflect your company’s core values and promote your business vision effectively.

How You Can Make Your Blog a Business While Traveling the World

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Traveling is hard enough, without trying to run a business as you go! Arranging transportation, accommodation, trips and looking after your money is difficult to juggle – without the added pressure of blogging. A common problem is finding internet connection when you have important emails to attend to!

Thankfully, it’s clear to see nowadays that people CAN do it. Travel blogging is a huge industry, and we’ve got some tips to help you join in the action. After you’ve booked your tickets and sorted your passport and visas, use this guide to find internet fame and make money as your own online traveling show.

1. Start with the Essentials

To get going, you’ll need…

  • A blog (of course!) – easily create one with WordPress, make it look pro, link it up to your social media, and gain a following in no time.
  • A smartphone – a must-have for sending and answering messages on the go. You can’t conduct business without one!
  • A tablet or laptop – this is a risky one, because it’s large, easily breakable, and a target for thieves. Leave it in your hotel or hostel’s safe and never take it out of your room. If you can take one, it’s invaluable for working on your website and writing, otherwise you’ll be working from a tiny phone screen or internet café.
  • Internet dongle – so you’ll never be without wi-fi. How else will you post Instagram pictures from a mountain or the jungle?
  • A camera – again, this is tricky, because good cameras are expensive and could get stolen. But, unless your phone has a great camera, you won’t be able to take
    amazing pictures and entice people to read your blog.

2. Get Sponsored

Now you have your blogger kit, you’ll need to gain the attention of brands to partner with. They can send you free products to endorse, offer you experiences and even pay you to stay in hotels, in exchange for good reviews on your social media.

You then post affiliate links on your blog, pages and channels, and get paid some commission when customers buy the company’s products or services through your link. This is easy, passive income as you travel.

As your audience and engagement grows, companies will want to advertise on your blog – they’ll pay you to be exposed to your large readership. This of ten requires no input from you (e.g. you don’t have to make a video endorsing their product), but a banner is posted on your website sidebar.

3. Look After Your Finances

Whilst you’re traveling, the last thing you want is to run out of money, or worry about paying taxes and chasing invoices. This is where hiring an accountant would be an amazing idea (if you’re making enough money).

Luckily, you can find trained accountants all over the world – as far and wide as accounting services in Malaysia. As a professional blogger, you should consider yourself a small business – all of which need good accountants. This takes all the financial paperwork out of your hands, and leaves you free to enjoy yourself (while working hard)!

4. Make Money by Writing

As your blog grows, often magazines, newspapers, news websites and other blogs will pay you to write for them. You could write articles about traveling, reviews of places you’ve stayed or your personal journey of making money while traveling.

Pitch your stories to publications as a freelance writer for some extra cash. (As a freelancer you need to pay special attention to tax and invoicing – where an accountant comes in very handy!)

5. Blogger Meetups

Build a worldwide readership with meetups. Blog readers LOVE blogger meetups, either in the form of meeting with your fans or other bloggers.

Organizing meetups with other travel bloggers is a clever way of expanding your audience. Make a video together, and get exposure to their entire audience too. Send them a message when you’re both in the same country and suggest collaborating.

Meeting with fans is a nice way to build networks and connections, and get tagged in their social media posts too. As explained in point 2 of this guide, followers = money!

How to Use Social Media to Market Your Interior Design Business

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Social media is a powerful marketing tool for individuals and small businesses.  You can use it to spread the word about your company, release new products, share promotions, and to interact with your customers.  However marketing an interior design business is slightly different to marketing other kinds of industries, as there are certain things you can do to increase conversions.  We’re going to explain some of the best ways to use social media in this article.

1. Use Platforms with Pictures

A picture can tell a thousand words, and this is definitely true in the interior design business.  Interior designers showcase their designs to people online, and you can’t do this on social media without making use of photos or video.  So, focus on platforms like Pinterest and Instagram where photos are more important than text.  Show your customers your personal style, and how well your designs are put together.  Most consumers will want to connect with their interior designers before hiring them, so this is a great first step.

2. Create Visual Advertisements

Text ads may work for software businesses and IT services, but interior designers need to create visual advertisements to stand out.  Most of the top social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, allow you to publish visual ads so now is the time to create something brilliant.  Maybe you’ve just designed a new, luxury bedroom for a client containing luxury bedding, a plush new décor, and a four poster bed.  Why not take a photo of this and include it in your advertisement?  Customers who like the look of your design will contact you for further information, or be encouraged to visit your website to find out more.

3. Hold Contests

Social media users love contests and this can be a great way to drum up new customers.  You could, if you wanted to, hold a contest to win a free design, however most interior design companies will offer a homeware item instead.  Make sure to include hashtags like #giveaway #freebiefriday and #contest to get the word out, and ask people to share or comment on your contest in order to enter.  You’d be surprised how many people will follow you on social media if there’s a chance they could win something.

4. Target Other Businesses

A lot of interior design companies purely focus on targeting consumers.  However, if you want to make some serious money, you might want to consider targeting other businesses as well.  B2B customers tend to have a lot more money to spend, and may also be willing to pay a higher price for your services.  Social media platforms like LinkedIn and Google+ are ideal for this, although Facebook also shouldn’t be discounted as a great place to find new clients.

Social media is a really cost effective marketing tool, but it’s one that often isn’t used to its full potential.  Keep these tips in mind and get your name out there!

Mirror Trading vs Copy Trading – Which Should You Be Doing?

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One of the first things to do when you are just getting started with forex trading is mastering the basics. It is essential for every trader to understand how to read and interpret technical and fundamental signals. Mastering these basics grants you – the trader – access to more advanced strategies that you can develop to suit your trading style.

Naturally, taking that next step and learning about advanced strategies take time. Not all traders have the time and energy to invest in perfecting their trading strategies. Mirror trading and copy trading are the popular solutions to this roadblock. What are they and which one should you be doing?

Mirror Trading: The Automated Approach

Mirror trading, as the name suggests, is when you mirror the trading strategy of other traders. I said, other traders, because companies that offer mirror trading combine the strategies of their top traders to produce reliable and accurate signals for their consumers.

Today, mirror trading is a lot more sophisticated. The strategy may be old, but it has been improved with the help of big data and artificial intelligence. As a result, mirror trading signals are relatively accurate and predictable; they are perfect for investors who want a hands-off forex trading experience.

The only downside to mirror trading is the fact that you have to mirror everything. You can’t pick and choose the signals you want to follow; in fact, the whole process is fully automated. Traders must also install a proprietary software or a MetaTrader plugin to enable automated mirror trading.

Copy Trading: Follow the Best Traders

Copy trading is a refinement of mirror trading. Unlike mirror trading, which obliges you to follow every signal without any human input, copy trading lets you choose the specific trader whose trades you want to copy. When that trader opens a position, your trading account will follow suit.

Copy trading remains fully automated, but you can choose to follow different traders at different times. You also have the option to follow multiple traders (i.e. for different currency pairs) depending on the support of the platform.

Following the best traders also allow you to learn more about their trading strategies. You can observe all open positions in real-time and try to understand the reasoning behind every trading decision.

Social Trading: The Future

The trading approach I actually recommend is social trading. It is the perfect mixture between mirror and copy trading and the social aspect of trading itself. Instead of relying on automated signals and plugins, you can join a trading community such as https://investingoal.com/ and discuss market updates in real-time.

If you are a relatively new forex investor, social trading presents the perfect opportunity to learn. You don’t have to guess the technical and fundamental reasons for the trades you make. Instead, you have a group of experienced traders with whom you can discuss the market and make trading decisions together.

Social trading is also relatively safe for one particular reason: you make every decision yourself. The signals and insights you get from the trading group or forum act only as guidance and trading aids. You will master advanced trading strategies much faster this way.