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Ready To Launch Your Startup? Here’s How To Acquire Enough Capital

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article | Ready To Launch Your Startup? Here's How To Acquire Enough CapitalEntrepreneurs have a dream. The path to success is more than a standout idea. It’s also centered around finding the right encouragement to make it happen. With a team of financial backers (and a great deal of hard work), a business has the potential to produce, promote and profit. Before hitting stores with an idea or expanding a venture, ensure that the bank account is flush enough to make promises happen. To garner funds to get your company off the ground, be prepared to put in a lot of effort. The following are four key points to obtaining enough financial support.

Rely on Expert Advice

Before speaking with possible investors, discuss ideas with a professional. Financial experts such as Charles McKenna Rial are aware of best practices and available lenders. Sit down, and ask about how you should proceed. Prepare a list of questions, discuss multiple options and rehearse your pitches. Also, rely on guidance for which avenues are more lucrative for you. These specialists could put you on a solid path to gaining fiscal strength.

During the meeting, listen to your advisor. Be clear about how much funding you currently have. If your product is already in a small market, ask about how to seek additional patronage. It’s important to understand the risks associated with the possible choices. For instance, owners may choose to take out a credit card to cover costs; this decision, however, impacts credit scores. Failure to pay bills on time could lower that number. Other options might avoid harming personal credit history. Be clear about what risks you are willing to take.

Prepare a Researched Prospectus

Capitalists don’t just throw money at companies. These experts require information to validate an investment. Spend time writing a business plan. Then, share this document with interested parties. This isn’t a time for less is more. Use this opportunity to showcase your knowledge and potential.

With the advisor’s assistance, tailor your proposal to suit the format and demands of investors. Begin with your company motto and describe how you created the idea and put it into practice. Note who is in charge, who has made the decisions and why these key ideas were adopted. Follow this up with detailed numbers and research about your merchandise and the marketplace. The following are essential to validate your request:

  • How much profit have you already earned?
  • How much does it cost to produce the item or items?
  • How do you know there is a market (or expandable market) for this concept?
  • Who is your competition?
  • Who is likely to purchase the product?
  • Why is your product different and better?

For each of these points, be as specific as possible. Provide data. Visual graphs and accounting figures are also a must. Send out copies of the report before the meeting occurs.

Remain Confident and Practical

The write-up is the first step. That paper opens the door. Your presentation sells the idea. Investors desire entrepreneurs to prove that they have the guts, common sense and dedication to follow through with the plan. Be prepared to pitch the concept and interact with capitalists, demonstrating confidence, honesty and knowledge. Practice your delivery, avoiding hesitations and showing energy. Anticipate concerns and questions, and be ready to respond with answers.

During a meeting, don’t hesitate. Nervousness could come across as weaknesses. It’s important to remain calm, professional and humble. How does this happen? Have faith that the product is going to make it, but be open to considering opinions and potential small changes. Also, focus on taking reasonable steps. Shooting too high too quickly isn’t levelheaded.

Consider Multiple Financial Avenues

Remember that there is more than one path to finding funds. Your advisor is likely to introduce several possibilities. You may combine several of them to find enough money. Crowdsourcing, for example, has become popular. Post a request for donations on an online site. People from all over the world have the ability to give what they can. In addition, grants and contests are avenues that don’t require payments. Search for various programs for which your may qualify.

For larger amounts, you may require aid that demands payback. Angel investors are people who have available capital and are accredited. They look for prospective operations that could make them funds. These business leaders supply backing for a hold or equity in the company. Venture capitalists are another possibility. Unlike angels, this donation comes from a person or firm that uses funding from corporations or pensions.

Apply for bank business loans. Interest applies, so expect to be able to make not only what you owe but a bit more.

Economic success begins with a concept fostered with financial support. Your startup deserves a fighting chance. Lay a solid foundation by working with specialists to craft a thorough prospectus and convince lenders you are a risk worth taking.

What is Productivity Software?

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article | What is Productivity Software?Productivity is something that we could all use more of, with the right productivity software you can really amp up your production and make a big difference in the way our world works. Xtivity is a great productivity software that can make a big difference in your overall business.

What is Productivity Software?

Productivity software was designed to help make every day productivity greater and to help make a difference in the way that you do things around any worksite or business. Productivity software can be for things like helping to manage products, helping to manage purchasing, managing payroll and more.

It can also help with MRO. MRO stands for maintenance, repair and operations and a software like Xtivity is a great option that can truly help you to streamline your every day. Making sure that you are doing all you can to up your productivity, working to figure out exactly what works for you is a must.

Productivity software is not something that you absolutely have to have but it can make a big difference in your day to day and in how you go about doing menial tasks and completing your work.

Do You Need Productivity Software?

Not all companies are going to need a huge range of productivity software, but most are going to be able to benefit from them in some way.  Productivity software can help you to get the right overall boost in operations and can give you the ability to do what you need to do and to focus on other things and to go ahead and focus on other options and on other areas of concern. Productivity software is something that anyone can use, that can work well with any business and that can help make any business run better and run easier overall.

There are tons of different productivity software options out there and you truly can find a great range of different options that are going to work for you and your company. With the help of great productivity software you can refocus your efforts, get the right software for your needs, and make sure that there is not any difficulty in the overall use of this software.

If you feel that you might be falling behind because you are focusing so much on things that could be automated, productivity software is a good choice that can make a difference in your day to day work and in how you do things overall.

Determining Your Objectives In Digital Marketing

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article | Determining Your Objectives In Digital MarketingThe world of digital marketing is full of terms, some that may sound completely alien to those who are not used to the jargon of this world (such as, for example, KPI). Others may come from everyday language. If you personally saw a phrase like “SEO Austin,” you would know right away that it has something to do with digital marketing. However, you may think everyone knows what they mean, but many people don’t really understand it completely. This can lead not only to misunderstandings in conversation, but also totally wrong communication policies. That is why today, we want to talk about the differences between the concepts of objectives, strategy and tactics.

Quantitative Objectives

The first thing to be clear about is the objectives. There are two main types of objectives; the first is ‘quantitative objectives.’ Quantitative objectives are always measurable since, as their name indicates, they are set in quantities.

  • Increase our blog traffic by 20%
  • Increase web traffic by 100,000 visits per month
  • Get 1000 followers per month on Twitter
  • Make 200 monthly conversions
  • Increase 25% in annual sales

Qualitative Objectives

Qualitative objectives are more subjective and therefore more complicated to measure. Whenever possible, set quantitative objectives (since they are easier to measure) and use qualitative ones in a complementary way.

For example:

  • Improve public perception of our brand
  • Increase brand awareness on social media
  • Improve the image of our product or service

Establishing Objectives

It is essential, to establish our objectives, to have a great knowledge of your business and its environment (the market, the potential client, and the competition). For this, it is essential to carry out an internal and external analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis).

Smart Goals

These objectives should be divided into small intermediate goals, which are known as SMART goals.

Specific: clear and concrete, all members of the team must understand and be on the same page.

Measurable: it has to be measurable, even qualitative ones. If it can’t be measured, it can’t be reached.

Achievable: if we set ourselves an unreachable goal, the team may fall into frustration.

Realistic: in addition to being achievable, it must be realistic with the means at your disposal and considering the current situation of your company.

Timely (limited in time): you have to set a deadline to reach them.

For example, if you want to reach 30,000 visits to your store per year, they could be divided into 10,000 each quarter. This makes it easier to evaluate the results and maintain or correct the course if necessary.

Conclusion

When you work with SEO and marketing professionals like MOTOZA Digital Marketing, objectives are essential to control and measure both strategy and tactical actions and allow you to achieve larger goals. For this reason, it is vital to define short, medium, and long-term objectives.

Why Employee Training is Key to Keeping Your Business Secure

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article | Why Employee Training is Key to Keeping Your Business SecureEmployee training should be central to all operations. Not only does it ensure that people are working to their full capacity and that protocols are followed, but it’s important for safety. And we’re not simply talking about the safety of the employees, but of the business as well. This is why businesses that don’t make this part a priority end up opening themselves up to so many risks. Let’s take a look at why employee training is key to keeping your business secure.

Poorly Trained Employees Make Mistakes

One of the biggest risks of having people who are not properly trained on your floor is that they’re more likely to make mistakes. This could be anything from mishandling a client’s information, or divulging important information to the wrong person. This is especially the case when it comes to IT. All it takes is for one mistake for your whole system to be compromised. The worst part is that most attacks are engineered to target employees and not the network itself.

This is why you will need to consider hiring some outside help to beef up your cybersecurity, update your team, and help you form your employees better. Managed IT services like Data Cube Systems can help you implement security measures. They also have a consulting team that can help you and your employees be more careful when exchanging information.

Poorly Trained Employees Put Themselves and Other Employees at Risk

If your goal is to limit the number of injuries on the floor, one of the best things you can do is invest heavily into training. If your employees have to handle dangerous machinery, you must make sure that they’re properly hired and trained by someone with enough expertise in your company.

Another issue with poorly trained employees is that they can end up injuring others or increasing the risk of accidents occurring. Some may not be aware of safety measures when moving around the shop floor. They might not know of the risks associated with working with certain chemical agents. This is why you need to not only train them, but make sure their formation is always up to date.

Employees Who Are Improperly Trained Could Lead to Violations

Proper training is also very important if you’re in a heavily regulated sector. We can think of sectors such as construction, but also others like the food business. Every year, thousands of restaurants get slapped with health violations, and in many cases, this is because of something an employee did. So, instead of taking unnecessary risks, make sure that you constantly update your employees on current and new regulations. Make sure that managers constantly monitor and remind employees. Also, make sure that they have an easy to access database that they can use if they forget something.

These are just some examples of how having improperly trained employees can be a liability for your business. So, make sure that you make training a focal point in your organization from now on and focus on both your managers and employees.

Choosing the Best Managed IT Services for Your Business

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Choosing the Best Managed IT Services for Your BusinessNavigating information technology has become an inescapable part of every modern business, whether it is the size of an industry titan in Silicon Valley, an unassuming mom and pop shop, or anything in between. Some type of IT support is necessary, and if your business doesn’t have the luxury of on-site, tech-savvy support, you may have to outsource for managed IT services.

With a dense saturation of providers to choose from, here are the most important things to consider when seeking managed IT support for your business.

Do They Provide Sufficient Security?

Technologically oriented crime has increased at a staggering rate. Reports of industry giants suffering breaches show up frequently. To keep from being

impacted, you need to consider the standard of security your type of business requires both for your company’s safety and for your clients, vendors, and anyone else whose data you collect.

Can the provider be trusted with your company’s sensitive financial and personal information? Will they effectively encrypt your company’s network to ensure effective activity privacy and monitoring? Do they have a history of failing their customers in terms of data leaks, or are they vigilant in maintaining your protection?

Once you have found a provider that sufficiently meets these criteria, you’re one step closer to having quality managed IT support.

Are They Timely?

Tech emergencies can happen in an instant, and they can create havoc on your production and your systems quickly. In those moments, your company needs an IT service that can resolve the issue in a prompt and efficient manner.

When evaluating companies, ask yourself: Are they available at all hours of the day, every day of the year? If your services may be rendered at any given moment, so too should theirs. No company is immune from technological issues, hiccups, or potential digital attacks. Relying on the expertise of IT technicians whose services are available to you the moment you report an issue is of the utmost importance.

Although there is never a good time for a system glitch, technology often fails the people who use it at the most inopportune moments. Having an IT support team on standby who can resolve issues efficiently is key to maintaining a smooth business practice.

Are They Competent?

Pick the very best of the best that you can afford as a business proprietor. The experts on whom you depend should be exactly that: experts.

The distinction between an amateur who treats your network like a test lab and a storied professional with a distinguished background in providing service to multiple clients seems obvious. However, if you are in the market for an IT provider, take the extra time to weed out the average from the elite. Your business may have oddly specific needs or a wide range of general needs, and it is essential that whomever you outsource your technological dilemmas to is thoroughly equipped and licensed to address these problems.

Do They Meet Your Standards?

You wouldn’t risk providing subpar or thoughtless work to the clients who have employed your services. Therefore, you shouldn’t settle for anything provided by a managed IT support team that wouldn’t meet your highest expectations. Your company deserves tech support that upholds the same standards that you do.

Once you have answered these questions, evaluated the options, and taken the time to vet a reliable provider, your business can grow without your time and attention being divided. You have a secure, efficient, and competent network of experts, and you may now tend to the vital needs of your business without fear of a crash or breach.