Style of Business - Page 13

Check out these 3 social networks for Women Entrepreneurs

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LeanIn
Over the last decade, women have really been changing up the business climate, being incredibly innovative, and simply inspirational. Ubeam innovative wireless, Hopscotch’s element for teaching kids how to code, and other great ideas such as Hitlist were all founded by women. From CEO Mathilde Collin who created the “Front” application, to Danielle Morrill who dreamt up the game-changing Mattermark, women all over are bringing their sharp focus, prime empowerment mantra, and hard work ethic to investors and other elements of the digital think tank worldwide.

Mattermark has software that lets users look at information about startups based on Twitter feeds, CrunchBase, SEC data, and more. We wanted to show you some of the best social networks out there today available for women, so you could find your own hive to cultivate the next bomb you drop on the ever-changing business landscape.


Lean In: This is a web-based platform that lets you literally create your own “circle” of strong peer support. Developing from the pleasantly-changing comfort of men and women having the gall to step further out of their comfort zones, this is different then Facebook: you really put a bit of thought into the kind of circle you want to begin, and then interact in many different forums, private and public. Examples of what you can find in a large city such as Denver are “Women Warriors”, “Lean In Colorado University”, “Working Girls”, “Fire Within Me”, and “Victory Torch”. These circles grow together by collectively putting to use the benefits of peer mentorship, and over 80% of those who participate claim that belonging to a Circle led to a positive change in their life.


Walker’s Legacy: This excellent online Women’s social group is full of Industry knowledge about personal finance, resident experts, business, health and well-being, and many other topics that are perfect for startup innovators and entrepreneurs. Local Women’s Leadership Brunches are an excellent way to meet others with similar interests, understand your strengths and weaknesses, and clearly define the vision you want for your future AND your business. This entity was founded in 2009 as a quarterly women in business lecture series, designed to inspire all types of women to understand their purpose and learn from others who have had great success. The very first series was named in honor of Madam C.J. Walker, who was a true pioneer and innovator, and also the first self-made millionaire in the history of this great nation.


World Pulse: This online network really caught our eye because of its truly global reach. Tens of thousands of women leaders from more than 185 countries all over the globe connect here and create strong ripples of emotion and hope leading to change, and thereby changing thousands of lives. The community consists of community voices where you find journal posts, training where you can access information to cultivate your own growth, a resource exchange, a library where you can share tons of great information to others, and a group directory. You can browse the member directory for women with similar interests as yours, and best of all, it is a cost-free service. World Pulse themselves do not provide direct funding, but they do a top-notch job of connecting you with the entities that do. An emphasis on financial needs, a very diverse and innovative community, and a focus on humanitarian issues are just some of the great things that sets World Pulse apart from others.

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How Visually Appealing Goods Trigger Consumer Interest

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When you are working up presentation ideas for whatever you want to market under the sun, it’s no secret that people have to like the way your images and appearance look. But there is an entire science that lies beneath just the first few thoughts any marketer has about visually appealing goods. Yes, your models and people can be attractive, but what about the WordPress theme, templates, colors, and text? What we have learned from many of our cohorts in media is that it only takes 1/10 of a second for people to form an opinion about your character, and websites are absolutely no different! We predict that that time frame is only going to get tighter, with some publications and bloggers claiming that web designers only have 50ms to make an impression. Even though that’s not a lot of time, there is plenty of positive news, and a lot of it is regarding the solution to appeal to a wide variety of viewers and tactics you can use.

What the most prominent names in the industry have decided is that the first impression depends on a lot of factors, but can be narrowed down just like any other. Key studies in this arena watched eye movement, how long participants took to focus on certain parts of a URL, and the menu, logo, images, and social media icons were the main focus. Many hours of research show that users spend about 6 seconds on a logo before moving on, the most important part, or “header” of a website. The main navigation menu takes a close second, also capturing an average mean time of about 6 seconds by the browser’s eye. The search bar is also a very important component of your website, where users can quickly look for what it is they are on the detective hunt for. When you are dealing with clothing and items in the fashion realm, also realize that first impressions in the web realm are 94% about design. Whether or not the layout is busy, half of all users surveyed say that typography, font sizes, color schemes are the most important things to them.

What most demographics that come out clearly in the wash tell us is that if people instantly like your website, they are willing to compensate for a few hiccups or misgivings down the line. The saying that the “above the fold” area is the most important really rings true, as the first second spent on the website is the most important. Bounce rates and subscription numbers are really the key elements to measure how the website is doing, and making things appealing visually are of utmost importance. Many website owners that we have talked to tell us that blue and green colors in web schemes attract browsers to stay, while other genres like the tones of red and black to convey their idea.

When dealing with a website, visual design and usability are the two most key assets, and it can take a few tweaks to get the idea perfect. In the fashion realm, most frames are best conveyed with the typical image that goes full screen when you hover over it or click on it, and shows you a boutique style image with goods for sale displayed. If the goods you are displaying are visually interesting, your target market will more than hover, they will be engaged and intrigued. The task of taking them happily through the shopping cart process and beyond is imperative, but you can do it with the perfect combination of design and above normal caliber engaging content.

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Are Productivity Life Hacks the New Way of Getting Things Done?

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Staying focused in a world that is so technology driven takes a lot of versatility, diligence, and fervor to accomplish things and get them done. Confucius the wise man himself actually once said, “he who chases two rabbits catches none.” As hard as it is to recognize the fact that working on more than one task at once will waste valuable time, “Life hacks” have been defined lightly as tools that make the “chaos of everyday life easier and more efficient.” When users trade these tools across the web and through other mediums, many entrepreneurs, busy folks like teachers, and medical professionals or students realize that there are many new (and old) ways to juggle their workload more efficiently and more than just survive, but thrive. We are going to haplessly claim that productivity life hacks ARE the new way of getting things done, as we dig a bit deeper.

The life hack that we found the quickest seemed simple enough: just to wake up before everyone else. As routine and run of the mill as that may seem, some of the most successful people in the world have told us that it is absolutely true. A wildly successful website owner told us that “the reason successful people wake up early isn’t to always work, it can be to waste time.” We were a bit shocked by that, but during an interview he told us that since there is such a large amount of work to be done, that the wee hours of the morning are best used for recreation. And for some CEO’s and tech gurus, that just means finding the time to glean news sources, trade journals, and the like. We believe that one of the best other life hacks we encountered was to “tackle topics you despise first.” But doesn’t that sound like it could lead to the opposite of being productive?

Much of the truly unpleasant work can be tasks in the financial realm like budgets, or customer complaint forms, especially if you are on the lower end of the current totem pole. The best truth behind this life hack is that once you get done with a few solid hours of the tasks that you enjoy least, your brain power will implode exponentially. And who doesn’t enjoy feeling like they just had a few Red Bull drinks as far as the checklist killer realm? Another of the life hacks that we found from multiple blog sources was about a topic that some love, but some dread: meetings. The mantra/life hack of “keeping meetings to a minimum” surprised us a bit, but we dug deeper to look for the silver lining.

In the days where budgets were never trimmed and people actually wanted their employees to have fun 24/7, meetings were thought of as productive, a way to have a bit of a roundtable and perhaps even bond. But as many different tasks loom and more than ever needs to be accomplished, the time spend handling the accounts could be much wiser than the time spent mulling over past notes. Either way, keeping meetings to a minimum has helped many of our cohorts. One who was an owner of a prominent shoe company in Los Angeles admitted that, “we realized much of what was accomplished was just as easy done over instant messenger, and as long as employees were praised and rewarded for good work, cutting them to a minimum was a great choice.” And hey, we know everyone likes a break, but the load in your inbox simply hasn’t shrunk the last hour, as much as you’d like it to!

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My Perspective on PR + Marketing; ‘Heart of Business’ Interview

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Keetria_Benchmark Check out my recent interview with Andy Shore of Benchmark Email where I dish out my two cents on PR and marketing. I’ve worked with many talented artists, celebrities and companies and in this podcast episode I share my insight and experiences. Be sure to check it out below. Thanks for your support!

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Entrepreneur 101: Why the Cookie Cutter Method is a No-no

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Cookie Cutter Method

For many decades, there were rules in the marketing world that some just didn’t break. Product development, testing, ad writing, and really all aspects of branding were held to a certain business model. The Cookie Cutter Method rules did work. Even in the early days of the computer age, there was pretty cut and dry product testing, focus groups, and means of getting people to buy. The saying “The future has no road map, but the past surely does” applied to marketing and branding in many ways.

In the past, there were many brands that used the Cookie Cutter Method to really step up and succeed. One truth in the web and smartphone app-ruled climate of the current time is that when you stumble upon a true Cookie Cutter Method marketing approach, it’s probably not going to work as well as you intended, especially if you’ve failed to incorporate your own ideas and concepts.

What a Cookie Cutter Method really does is emphasize a certain process. Within that process, there are charts, data, and of course, instances from the past where certain things did and did not work. While many clothing labels, soft drinks, sports teams, and even music acts benefited from the Cookie Cutter Method, there are some reasons why it can be a huge no-no. If truly using the wrong angle and agenda, you can waste thousands on storyboards and campaigns that never even end up being parked in front of anybody.

After gleaning many blogs and marketing how-to material portals, we found a kind of approach that can be a bit more rewarding than a Cookie Cutter Method. There are all sorts of products on the market these days, from dating apps and sites to personal concierges and dog hotels. Each one of these must take a somewhat unique marketing approach to thrive. We especially loved the treatment of Jaguar cars in the TV show Mad Men, personifying the car as a mistress.

In an approach that will hopefully work for marketing, the first objective is to look at inside sales vs. outside sales structure. PPC campaigns need to be multi-layered, and not just on one prominent social media platform. When dealing with lead nurturing, we found a great quote from the popular website Hubspot. It tells us, “Offer something of value first, not just a sales pitch.” Companies that skip this always lose out in the long run, and wind up confused about why they did not reach sales goals.

Cookie Cutter Method created pattern

Within the realm of emails, there are definitely some data-backed aspects that follow a more Cookie Cutter Method created pattern, and of course, the timeline between emails sent is always going to be a fairly structured. SEO guidelines, as much of a new science as it is, need to not fall under old patterns of thought as well. In the universal world of service, offerings of bronze, silver, and gold packages will yield you some customers, but we have found that businesses truly want to invest in solutions with evolved professionals. We challenge you to find what it takes to evolve, and not just “dole out snacks” of Cookie Cutter Method caliber. For once you accomplish this task, your business and the way you do business are going to reach epic proportions during 2015.

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6 Hot Platforms for Selling Digital Goods

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Templates, WordPress themes, icons, graphics, and the like all fall under the kind of intellectual property that can be sold digitally online. What you are looking for in a platform that sells digital goods is a place where a customer can buy the item, check out with a form of payment, and then have access to your creation. Here we’ll look at 5 options for doing this, and getting that passive income dream kindled and burning.

Easy Digital Downloads:

The real plus side of this is that it uses the WordPress interface to effectively sell your goods online. Voted by most as one of the quicker ones to setup and maintain, the graphs and reporting available are also top notch; and you can really hone in on what is working and what isn’t. For the most part just the usual payment processor fees and the purchase of a few standard extensions that are the norm for this portal. Built in discount codes, the ability to provide payment giveaways, and thorough software licensing add ons to boot.

Send Owl:

The monthly fees are only from 9 to 40$ per month here, but you DO keep all of your sales profits from this service. The payments aren’t held for any length of time, and it works with Merchant.com and Paypal. The built in affiliate tool is a very strong point of their model, and their security receives very high marks along with the varied language platform. A great “pay what you want” feature lets people give you suggested donations while not undercutting too much, or going below a certain point. Another great aspect of this service is the “instant buy” feature, where it’s so quick that the customers don’t even need a shopping cart to check out.

Woo Commerce:

One of the most recognized names out there, this is a great portal for ebooks, music, and just about any digital product you can think of. You get the choice of whether or not your products are downloads or virtual take-aways, and ease of tax processing is one of the best features of Woo Commerce. There are lots of payment gateway extension, coupon campaigns and other marketing options, and they power nearly a fourth of all e commerce websites. What many recommend as the only way to do business, Woo Commerce is streamlined, simple, efficient, and all around very popular.

Shopify:

One developer told us that Shopify is absolutely the best and most versatile e commerce tool out there. Customers get access to the content they get from you instantly, and any product updates you have are forwarded to customers as easy as pie. Another developer out on Portland told us that since installation and use a year ago, she has literally not had a single glitch or issue. Quickly gaining popularity, and ranked high for ease of use, it’s a very simple to use and efficient extension to any shop. The vintage goodness, deli, and beauty themes are just a few offered that are diverse enough to attract even the savviest web surfer.

E Junkie:

The main premise here works off of just simple buttons that are placed on the site where the digital items you need sold reside. All the usual payment processors such as Paypal, Authorize.net, TrialPlay, and 2Checkout are accepted. Ebooks, mp3 tracks and albums, fonts, artwork, and event tickets are all digital goodies that can be peddled here. Some don’t like the fact that they feel the buttons appear a bit outdated, but vendors love how easy they are to install on a site. There are no transaction or bandwidth limits, and inventory management, analytics, and check out page customization are all available for the E junkie seller in you.

Selz:

The platform that is truly known as one that you can add your products to with zero hassle. They handle the payments with true professionalism and ease, they have free store and product pages, and it is incredibly easy to sell on Facebook, a prime feature. There’s nothing like creating a page full of art or goods and realizing you have a new partner that will allow you to sell easily. Plugging into an existing WordPress theme is simple as pie, and selling digital downloads and streaming is a breeze. Also in the emerging market potential of selling tutorials, Selz incorporates easily and allows you to teach virtually your knowledge to the entire digital realm.

 

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How a Weekend Away can Give you a Fresh Perspective; Two days is all it Takes

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It can be draining to perform the same tasks day after day, even when they are profitable and your overall business plan is succeeding. When it comes to shipping, fulfillment, processing and just plain brainstorming, it can really take a lot out of you. There’s a saying that goes, “Even when all the news you hear is good, and things are on the up and up, something in your mental health could still pay the price.” Having a fresh perspective is necessary in the entrepreneurial world that without it, you may struggle. If you are managing a brand or product that is wildly successful, you may begin to obsess over tracking results, especially late into the evenings. The importance of spending time away is more and more relevant in the digital world, as we spend less time face-to-face and more hunched over laptops and tablets.

The writer who needed a rainy retreat:

A recent article from a well-known blog was about a literary agent in New York who worked from home. Whenever she stepped out, there was lots of noise, honking horns, and a sea pedestrians and traffic. She did realize how much it was really taking its toll on her day-to-day to activities. She was getting everything done, but her overall state of well being and outlook on her career was getting worse. When dealing with folks on the phone, she was becoming more irritated, and burning out quicker in the evening. She took a vacation to Portland, where she spent time cooking healthy food, hearing the rain overhead, and reading her favorite books instead of writing and producing. She claimed that upon her return, she was more rejuvenated than ever, and eager to tackle her daily tasks. The main difference was made in her outlook; when she saw the world ebb and flow without her running around trying to get everything done, she was well prepared when the time came to produce again. Back home, the noisy streets and deadlines didn’t seem as bad, she was able to retain some leftover peace.

Be careful when the going gets tough:

There are some sure fire signs that you are in emergency need of refuge. Don’t ignore them! When you begin daydreaming all day about your favorite vacation spot, it’s time to make the call to book it. When you begin to slump down over the keyboard and only wish you were at Cabos or the Grand Canyon, you’re headed for trouble! Especially in the realms of marketing and sales, reaching extreme burnout’s going to leave you in incredibly hot water; you do not want to react the wrong way in front of a potential client or new gatekeeper! These roles are the most susceptible to burnout, as dealing with people on the front lines all day can get tedious, especially during negotiation. Having time to get enough rest, the proper foods for fuel, and easing strain on your creative mind with just a two day vacation can really pay off in the long run. When you arrive back in the door from a trip to the San Juan or even just a close cabin jaunt outside they city, you’ll be well refreshed. Yes, you’re allowed to take your laptop, but beyond that, let the fresh air take over, and feel the chaos escaping you by the minute.

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Tapping into Nostalgia; How Shows like “Mad Men” Gained Cult Following

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Throwing back to a simpler time and era can be an incredibly excellent choice for a TV show. From looking at a vintage Pan Am Airlines button to seeing an old style AM radio in the basement with its flair and sheen, nostalgia is one of the best ways to gain a cult following. It is absolutely true that the characters in “Mad Men” were well thought out and especially dapper, but there is much more to the formula than just that.

The real iconic element of “Mad Men” was that the advertising culture of the era had not yet really been explored, and what it was like to work then in New York or all of America. When ad exec himself Don Draper says in the show that you have to “identify the need beyond the need,” he is putting forth visually a slow film strip of what the person watching really wants.

In many circumstances, it’s comfort. As far as the current consumer landscape, who doesn’t want it? The feeling of coming home and having everything taken care of, the dog waiting for you, the perfect meal, and domestic partner waiting for you were all part of the cult success of “Mad Men”. Even though the wildly successful AMC show also portrayed these wonderful relationships going wrong at full speed, just seeing the beginning where everything is alright sets a tone for consumer desire.

Immediately you are thinking of plush high heels, Jaguar cars, trips abroad, and the promise of comfort while perhaps looking for other upper-end satisfactions. When Aaron Sorkin launched “The West Wing,” he really drew upon retro elements even just within office confines. While the main focus was on political pull and power, the story that was set up really presented well the ideas surrounding where everyone came from, and how they got to their present status.

From leggy sultriness to the pitches from the ad men, these were all aspects of nostalgia shows like this evoked. When all the magazines started writing about it, even those who weren’t bowled over right away were so very curious to see what Don Draper would do next. Pop art, Warhol influence, and the cluttered face of Manhattan blended so well in this show that the cult following only had to fester itself for about a year or so. What really happened to make “Mad Men” irresistible to all the viewers was the way in which it showed the characters struggling? The dresses, art on the wall, and tapping into times from ago were done very calculated; with the story of Don himself being another pinnacle backdrop.

The cult following that developed around the show was not just about the visuals, campaigns and storyboards; but the flow of the way people acted back then. When things really start to unravel in your personal life and get crazy, it could have still been a wonderful time to enjoy plush green couches, scrambling Manhattan dwelling tension, and a few stiff martinis on a hurried lunch hour.

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Top Entrepreneurial Reads of Fall 2014; Books to help Cultivate your Business

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You may be scrambling for some inspiration about social media methods, new trends that are taking place, and latest news on the most motivating factors in startups. Many business owners that I’ve talked to mentioned that in their most desperate times where they simply did not have good ideas, clear thought, or a clear plan of action, were inspired by reads such as these. Sometimes when you are looking at plotting up marketing methods, and researching new strategies, it takes a fresh perspective and the words of someone else to help you get back on track. Here are 4 books from this year that will help you stoke the creative fire and grow your business in the most innovative ways out there.

1) Big Bang Disruption: Strategy in the Age of Devastating Innovation

This remarkable and fresh read describes how the ability to innovate well has been shaken up a bit and lacking due to the massive advances that have taken place in technology, and how a clear vision is a bit tough to get ahold of. It is full of advice about how to survive in a very fast paced world, and how much you are going to have to adapt to stay lean, and quickly. It’s based on the premise that the advances in technology won’t be of much use if you are not willing to be ready for anything, and is intense to say the least.

2) The Big Lie; or Interpreting your Customer’s inner Life for Profit

Explaining the notion that customers really need to feel good on two different levels, this book discusses the importance of customers wanting to have not only their needs, but their dreams met. Full of backing examples, strategy to simply be leaner and better, and simply being all about what the smart brand must do to succeed these days, it investigates strategic value. In the realm of marketing placement, you will have to follow a path that has no confusion or contradiction.

3) Chicken Soup for the Soul; Reboot Your Life + 101 Stories About Finding a new path to Happiness

We are at a time where business owners are going to be well influenced by stories of change and walking in its path. It really focuses on what it feels like to be in a rut, and how to get out of it with grace and courage. Great writing; clear and concise tales of people that survived feeling down and out, and pulled a rabbit out of the hat in more ways than one. Feeling successful isn’t just about the bottom line, but the emotions you encounter at all stages of the game. As we all know the broth of soup revitalizes us during down times, so will reading stories of inspiration and numerous individuals finding ways to rise up and trump their own fears, and fears of what governs habits or the market.

4) Your Inner Will: Finding Personal Strength in Critical Times

Author of ‘The Power of Kindness’ gives us an in-depth of the most resilient people on the planet and the doses that life has given them. Truly finding your untapped energy as an entrepreneur may take a bit more than wit and will, this taps deep into philosophy, practical advice and reasoning, and has been heralded as genius. A dweller of Italy and also one who has studied Adolph Huxley’s lectures, he has much to say about the soul and how deep you can tap into it if you really need to.

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SOB 101: Using Google Hangouts to Build your Business

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What is now known as the ultimate tool to poke around the sphere of everyone on the web and get to know them better, Google Hangouts can boost your business. Some of the best aspects are the way in which it incorporates with YouTube, truly the number one portal that anyone goes to for streaming video. Businesses that are both located in the same building have massively enjoyed the ability to open a quick hangout and making sure that ideas are correct, enjoying the added feature of video as a quicker way to convey ideas. Even as modern and virtual as chat and text have become, the ability to really gauge someone’s facial expression who you are doing business with is priceless. Especially in the realms of sales and pre launch development, knowing that a client truly feels comfortable with what is happening is key.

Elements outside of the one-on-one realm:

There are differences between Google Hangouts that vary from a one on one Skype or other medium driven video chat. Let’s say that you are a business who’s major function and selling point is creating infographics. As the conversation progresses, a client or potential user could bring up a question, and you can even throw up the question on the screen. This is part of a very organic process, as conversations between developers, sales people and potential customers can spur buying signs out of even the most apprehensive individual.

When someone can log into Google Hangouts and see a “forum” of sorts instead of a hardcore sales pitch, they may make a decision to follow your business or idea for awhile before they actually make the decision to transact with you on the long term. Some have been a bit shy to jump on the Google platform because of what it takes just to keep up on Facebook and Twitter, but the rewards for those working it dutifully are absolutely there, and the network still ranks 2nd among many who have prowess in the scoring of media avenues.

Letting a prospect know you’d like to “hang out”

While some thought this aspect of Google Hangouts would only be beneficial in the personal coaching realm or beyond, there are so many instances where it just makes sense. Sometimes within the confines of contracts, raising capital and putting the finishing touches on a work project, the face to face connection can help. If you are dealing with a dynamic individual who shares your vision and is there to help you grow, hangouts can help you achieve what you need to in the long run. Having your own hangout in place can really help position your brand. Quite possibly one of the biggest benefits for any business about Google Hangouts is the free information at hand. You can learn about SEO, reaching your target market, hear success stories from a much more personal avenue, and always be a constant beacon to others looking for the same type of targeted knowledge.

 

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