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7 Tips for Aspiring Defense Contractors

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | 7 Tips for Aspiring Defense ContractorsIf you’re curious about landing a defense contract, you may be interested to know that the Department of Defense grants contracts to small businesses and individuals in addition to large corporations. If you take the proper steps, you may be able to land one of these lucrative deals for your company. You may not be sure where to start and find yourself searching for answers to questions like what is CMMC compliance? Here are seven tips that can aid you in your pursuit.

1. Familiarize Yourself With Federal Codes

Before you begin trying to land a contract, you must first be familiar with how to categorize your company. Familiarize yourself with the federal codes that are applicable to what your business offers. Some codes to research are Federal Supply Class or Service, North American Industry Classification System, and Product Service codes. These will help you with registering your company for consideration. 

2. Look for Available Jobs

You can search SAM.gov for contract opportunities that are currently available. This will give you an idea of what is needed and what you may be able to provide. Once you have an idea of if your service is the right fit for a government contract, you can register your business and start networking to increase your chances of landing one.

3. Register Your Business

Before you can get a contract with the Department of Defense, you have to register your company. This will include getting a number from the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS). Then, you will need to register with the System for Award Management (SAM) and get a Contractor and Government Entity Code (CAGE). These steps are required, and you will not be able to move forward until you complete them.

4. Build a Network

It is a great idea to reach out to other companies that have successfully landed contracts but avoid reaching out to direct competitors. Look for companies that have successfully obtained deals and likely have direct connections that can give you a leg up in the process. Better yet, if you build a great relationship and they are impressed, they could make recommendations that put you several steps ahead of the competition.

5. Ask for Help

A procurement and technical assistance center can help you decide how to market your services and obtain contracts. They offer expert advice and can help you prepare all of the necessary paperwork and complete the steps required to get a deal. This can save you a lot of time doing the research yourself, especially when you have no prior experience. These centers often offer one-on-one counseling, so you can get all of your questions answered while receiving ample personal attention.

6. Make Sure You Are Compliant

Most contracts today require compliance with Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. There are five levels of certification you can reach, ranging from “Basic Cyber Hygiene” to State of the Art.” You will need to get an independent, third-party assessment to be certified as meeting these standards.

7. Build a Proposal

The final step in landing a contract is building and presenting a proposal. You will need to gather and create marketing materials like booklets and catalogs to demonstrate your potential contribution. It is essential to build a story around your business that sets it apart and presents it as the only solution to the problem you are fixing. This will ensure you are showing your company in the best possible light.

By following the tips above, you will be on your way to landing a Department of Defense contract and having a secure stream of work for yourself and your company.

4 Ideas to Renovate Your Restaurant on a Budget

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | 4 Ideas to Renovate Your Restaurant on a BudgetSo it’s time to renovate your restaurant and your creative juices are flowing steadily. Where to start? From bar stools to wall art, there are ways to change the entire look of your dining room and entrance without breaking the bank. Use these four ideas to renovate your restaurant on a budget.

Murals and Wall Art

Murals and wall art may be among the least expensive ways to renovate your restaurant. You may want to invest in updating your interior walls with interior paint beforehand. Or, you may just want to invest in wall art and murals as your new paint job.

There are several ways that you can do this. A mural as your new interior paint could be so striking that it catches the attention of the entire city. Put out an inexpensive ad when it is done and showcase the artist that did it.

Put the mural in a place that captures attention as soon as people walk in the door. They will be impressed before they even see the menu.

Black is the New Black

If you eat out a lot at places other than your restaurant, you may find that some of the finest places have a lot of black motifs and coloring. Black is the new black. It can be done elegantly. Black walls with dark woods and trims can bring a mood to the place that give your dining room a level of seriousness.

You don’t need to paint a morbid picture here. Black bar stools against a chrome bar with a few plants will give your restaurant a sleek and elegant look.

Speaking of Plants…

If you don’t have a large budget for renovating, bringing some landscaping inside the restaurant is a wonderful way to spruce it up. You can incorporate fresh plants on every table, or in key corners of the restaurant.

A way to do this on a budget is to incorporate large sections of planters that will have one landscape idea. One example of this is by having a long planter with modern grass that could serve as a stress reliever for your diners. A living wall of plants is not only a way to update our space, but also a fascinating conversation piece for your diners. In addition to being beautiful pieces of décor, living walls and planters will also help the air quality of your restaurant.

Layered Lighting

A unique way to manage your lighting in a manner that is en pointe with today’s trends is layered lighting. So you may want to start with ceiling lighting that is track lighting or recessed in the ceiling. Add a layer in the space by hanging wall sconces that are a few inches below that.

You can do the same with a small lamp at each table, accompanied by a candle or two that is a few inches shorter than the lamps. The concept of layered lighting is to provide adequate lighting that creates mood, but also enough lighting for your guests to see what they need to see.

Get Creative

When you are renovating or updating your restaurant, you don’t have to spend a lot of money. A wall mural or new landscaping can change the entire face of your dining room in a very affordable way. New bar stools may be the only thing you need to change the entire look. Get creative, and you will see the expense doesn’t have to be extravagant.

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.