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4 Things to Consider Before Becoming a Freelancer

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | 4 Things to Consider Before Becoming a FreelancerHave you thought about going off on your own to become a freelancer? With the ability to set your own schedule and more freedom, it can be a good set-up for some people. However, being a freelancer isn’t for everyone. Read on for 5 things you should consider before deciding to start a freelance business.

How to Get Clients

The first thing you should consider before becoming a freelancer is how you are going to be able to get clients. Luckily, there are many different websites these days that you can use to find businesses looking to hire freelancers. Businesses will list both short and long term jobs they are needing freelancers to work on. It is likely that when you first start freelancing it will be hard to find a long term position right away. Taking on short term roles with clients helps to build relationships with them and could lead to them offering you a long term position. These short term jobs will also help to build your resume and credibility on these freelance websites. You may also have to take on jobs you normally wouldn’t so companies on these sites believe that you are a legitimate freelancer. Don’t get discouraged if it takes longer than expected to find the type of freelance work that you are looking for.

Finances

You will want to consider all aspects of your financial situation when deciding whether you are able to quit your job to become a freelancer. You should have enough saved up, so you will be financially stable during your initial time building up your client base. Being that this is likely to be your first time dealing with a business’s finances, you may want to consider hiring a quickbooks bookkeeper. To find a bookkeeper who’s a good fit for your business, search ‘quickbooks bookkeeping service’ along with the type of freelance work you will be doing. This way you can find a bookkeeper who has experience working in your industry. A bookkeeper who has expertise working in your field will be a great help to you when navigating through this transition period.

Time Management

Before you go off to start your own business, you should reflect on your own time management skills. When you leave a company, you will no longer have bosses to check in on you to get your work done. When you are a freelancer, how productive you can be will equal how many clients you have and what your paycheck looks like. Unlike a steady paycheck before, your income will solely depend on how successful your freelancing business has been recently. Losing a client will have a direct impact on your salary, unlike when you were working for a company.

Benefits

Along with no longer having the push and support of a company once you are a freelancer, you will also no longer have the benefits you previously had. Before leaving a company, make sure you will be set with health insurance without their benefits. It is also important to note that although you will have more flexibility working for yourself, you will no longer have access to paid time off. If a client of yours has a question about something you are working on, they will expect you to be available to answer it, since you are the only one on your team.

If you have considered all of these things and still want to become a freelancer, there is a good chance it will be a good career move for you. Although freelancing is not for everyone, it can be a great fit for those that are willing to put in the work and are ready to have more flexibility in their schedule.

3 Essential Tips to Launch Your StartUp Venture

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It’s no secret that starting a new venture can be scary. You’re putting yourself out there, taking on more responsibility, and working longer hours to get your company off the ground. But where do you start? What are some of the best ways to launch your startup?

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article | 3 Essential Tips to Launch Your StartUp Venture

1. Develop a Business Plan

Your business plan is your map. It’s a guide to keep you on track and ensure that all the goals and procedures stay consistent throughout your company.

A good, solid business plan can help:

  • Show investors what they’re getting into. This will give them an idea of the time frame for their returns and how much money they should expect to see in return by investing with you.
  • Help get funding from other sources such as banks or venture capitalists. Banks especially like funding businesses that have already done the research and written plans about where they want to go next, so financing could be more accessible when everything is laid out in black and white.
  • Keep employees organized and responsible because people can easily see what’s expected of them and how they’re supposed to be doing their jobs.

2. Secure the Necessary Funding

A lot of people are under the impression that you need to have millions to start a company. This isn’t necessarily true; however, it can be helpful if you do happen to have several million dollars at your disposal. Of course, there are other ways for entrepreneurs who don’t have quite as much money on hand. These include:

  • Personal savings: Put up some cash from your bank account and use it towards building or buying what’s needed for your business venture. It might take months before things begin turning around, but this is certainly better than not trying at all!
  • Crowdfunding: Ask friends, family members, neighbours — anyone willing -– to invest their hard-earned money into making your dream company become a reality. This can make the difference in getting enough funds to purchase things like office supplies and marketing materials when you’re starting.
  • Gaining investors: If you’re unable to secure enough personal savings or crowdfunding, then try investing your time into seeking out investors who are willing to support your cause. These could include venture capitalists like Jorge Hank, angel investors, or even family members who believe in you and what you’re trying to build.

3. Build a Responsive Website

The internet is a massive resource for people looking to find new companies and buy products online. Whether you’re selling T-shirts or physical goods, having a unique eCommerce website will do wonders for your business’ success. It’s how customers communicate with you and where they’ll be able to choose their orders as well as track shipments down the road. Having a responsive site also ensures that all of your visitors can easily see what’s going on whether they’re using smartphones, tablets, laptops, or desktop devices – it doesn’t matter! You want everyone across your company to have access to information about what you offer, no matter where they are in device usage.

In conclusion, starting a new company can be scary, but it’s also an exciting time. With the right amount of funding, knowledge on what you need to do, and being patient with your business as it takes off — you’ll have plenty of success stories in no time!

Talking Shop – What Your Ecommerce Site Can’t Do Without

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If you’re reading this then you know that the future of shopping is well-and-truly online. But not every shop is created equal. The ecommerce businesses that keep the tips below in mind are going to see much more success with their customers.

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article

Focus on the user experience first and foremost

This should be a given for any site but in the world of ecommerce, it’s actually easier to lose customers. Beyond categorization for products that makes sense and smart advanced search options, take an in-depth look through the whole process of buying items on your store. Think about where you can trim the fat, where another page or another click might not necessarily be needed. Putting customers through too long a process puts you at real risk of shopping cart abandonment. Another way of fighting it is by using breadcrumb navigation that shows customers at what stage they’re at through every part of the process. User friendliness must be your first and last concern.

Work to your product

No two ecommerce systems should work alike. In fact, if they have different products and different target markets, they should be wildly different. Beyond good navigation, you need a focus on the value proposition of the site and the individual products. For instance, the front page should be loud and clear with the deals on some of the most popular product types on the site. A front page that says nothing about the products is going to result in a lot of confused visitors. But attention to detail should go deeper than that. For instance, writing great product descriptions depends wildly from product to product. Lifestyle and fashion products, for instance, rely more on greater visual detail. Meanwhile, tech like computers and TVs need the technical details up-front. We’re talking resolutions, gigabytes, and compatibilities. You can’t sell two different kinds of products on the same selling points.

Have a site that works with you

Even worse than a site that’s confusing to customers is one that’s confusing to you. Not just in terms of design but management. Nowadays, there a lot of ecommerce hosting options that make it a lot easier for site owners to choose a platform built specifically for hosting ecommerce pages, with all the various sub-pages that go with it. Continuous, never-ending testing of the site is essential, too. Not just to make sure all pages are working. Methods like A/B testing also help you better understand how to make the site much easier to use for the customer.

Watch and learn

One of the best things about running a shop online as opposed to in the physical world is how much easier it is to store data on not just your customer base, but individual customers, too. Measuring the whole gives you a finger on the pulse of the market, seeing the trends from the customer’s’ point of view that can help you decide on which new stock might work best for the business. Building individual customer profiles, however, lets you go even further. You can specialize offers and create a bespoke browsing experience for each user that makes them a lot more likely to see something they’re tempted to buy.

A Few Ways To Start Your Entrepreneurial Lifestyle

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | A Few Ways To Start Your Entrepreneurial Lifestyle

Being an entrepreneur is something that you ever want or you don’t. When you are an entrepreneur you commit to working for yourself and do whatever you can’t make yourself and your company or companies in some cases succeed. There are lots of different ways to become an entrepreneur and lots of different levels to start at, you need to find what’s right for you with your age and budget that you have and what level of investment you want to make, to begin with. Being an entrepreneur is a wonderful thing. It gives you flexibility, freedom to choose how you spend your days as well as a better work-life balance. It also allows you to further your career as much as you want to without any restrictions from companies that have their own rules. Where is it a normal 9-to-5 job he may only ever reach 40,000 a year whereas when you’re an entrepreneur the possibilities are endless.

When you starting at the very beginning of wanting to become an entrepreneur and work for yourself most people start with a side hustle, this normally goes alongside their normal 9-to-5 job which they are looking to scale and grow their business to a point where they can leave their normal job and follow their passions and their own company. There are lots of different ways you can do this and the top tips everywhere for entrepreneurs and advice to help you start. There are lots of different ways you can become an entrepreneur. There are things like social media managers and virtual assistants. These are service-based companies and something that you can do in the comfort of your own home or even sitting on holiday as long as you have a laptop and Wi-Fi. As a social media manager, you are stuck at the capacity of how many clients you can handle but you are also able to then further and outsource clients to people who can then work for you. Prices vary all over the world in the US the average is about $1000 a month per client so if you have 10 clients a month that’s $10,000 a month before tax. There are lots of online courses to help you train and learn to do these roles and some of them are free too.

If you’re ready to look at more of a commitment and have a bigger investment amount you’re able to put in you could look at buying a business that’s already there and making it your own. There are lots of businesses for sale all over the place as well as franchises and it’s not a look at the top places where the businesses are. This will give you a bit of a head start into being an entrepreneur and having a business as all the base and foundation work is already done. You’ll be able to come in and take over and make it your helping to scale and grow the business which will increase profits, turnover and the growth of the company.

Why You Should Take Advantage Of Overnight Shipping Services

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Why You Should Take Advantage Of Overnight Shipping ServicesToday’s world has been influenced by numerous factors, many of which have resulted in a consumerist mindset. The two main factors are the internet and the media.

As the name suggests, overnight delivery is done overnight. The term refers to a delivery option guaranteeing that shipments will be delivered by a specific time the following business day.

The term is often used interchangeably with other phrasings such as next-day shipping, 1-day shipping and express delivery (next business day). These are some of the advantages of using overnight shipping services.

Convenience For Certain Shipments

Overnight delivery is ideal for time-sensitive shipments. For example, if they needed to be delivered at the beginning of the following day, preferably by a certain time. Regardless of the industry, businesses selling a product should take advantage of this delivery method. Ensure that any important packages are delivered the following morning at the earliest convenience.

Trusted Shipping Companies

Identify the most reputable companies. Find one that sets high standards in their service of delivery.

It should offer more than just tips and standard shipping services. For instance, LSO is an example of one such shipping firm. They provide tips on shipping practices, as well as an overnight shipping service to customers. As a leading delivery service, they offer a selection of next day delivery services, which can be delivered at certain times the following day.

Earn Loyalty Of The Customer

Next day delivery has a loyal customer base. The flexibility and success rate of this option has built this loyal base. Customers who have had a bad experience with a business that offers next day delivery, do not want to go through that again.

Instead, they look for businesses that provide standard delivery services, in addition to the next day. Keeping in mind customer satisfaction, provide customers with this professional and reliable delivery option is the best way to go.

Satisfied customers generate business. They tell friends, relatives, co-workers, or business partners about the positive service they received. Some leave positive reviews that can be integrated into marketing materials to promote the business. Positive information that customers put up about the company online is good for website optimization.

Potential To Save Money

The cost of overnight shipping is often more than regular shipping. However, it costs more to keep items in storage. You have to pay monthly rent on a storage facility and invest in security to keep belongings safe.

Overnight shipping can cut these costs. The need for storage space decreases when items are shipped out overnight.

Reputation is crucial for business. Research the delivery options available to you as a business. Consider their reputation and what previous customers have said about the service. Use this information and the benefits of implementing overnight delivery services to make an informed decision.

Taking these steps will enable you to take off your company’s shipping effectively and efficiently for years to come.