Childhood….Ahhh those were the days of no responsibility where my only recollection of money was that my parents had it and I needed it to buy candy or that new toy. But what I do remember as a youth was that my parents subscribed to Encyclopedia Britannica. I asked my mom a while back how they ended up with the encyclopedias and she gave me the spiel where a salesman came door to door saying something about how it was going to be the way of the future. They had just had me as their first child and they didn’t...
The bulk of us that read and blog have regular full time jobs. Many of us do this for fun or as a side hustle trying to make some passive income. I have been an avid reader for a few years and have seen some interesting side hustles over at Budgets Are Sexy side hustle series. This one that I am about to tell you about takes the cake. A New York marketing firm, Bartle Bogle Hegarty’s Labs (BBH), created a stir at the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival (SXSW) recently. The festival held in Austin, Texas is...
Business is not a one man show. Business is exchange of commodities for money. Business is vast and has a lot of opportunities. And for turning these opportunities into profits, one need to find a place that will be most useful to the business, from transport to customer inflow. The mistake new businesses usually commit is that they establish their businesses in locations which are not suitable for their kind of business. Selecting a land which does not provide proper water, electricity, and transport facilities, which is surrounded by a public which does not appreciate that particular type of business,...
Steve Jobs, even though he isn’t with us anymore, has left a mark in this world, especially on those who want to go against the public flow, against the daily dose of orders, against the boring and monotonous work related ideas. The ideals of Steve Jobs have been the cornerstone for many aspiring Entrepreneurs. He has always been a voice of the creative minded. Everything he did, he gave utmost importance to style. Be it his products, graphics, fonts or his way of organizing things, he did it all with style. His thinking is that while giving preference to matter,...
Well here it is the Five For Friday. Another week has come and gone and we continue to pump out the articles. It has had its share of ups and downs over there past month and a half, from late nights to early mornings. A lot of great comments and plenty of feedback received via email. Thank you and keep those suggestions coming. I really appreciate it. Here is what I have been reading this past week that has really kept my interest and even provoked some commenting. Homeownership may not be for everyone but here are some lessons learned. ...
In this guest post I’d like to share some tips to help your maximize your exchange rate, when you change currencies for your business. If you’ve spent any time at all watching the exchange rates, you’ll already know that predicting the rates is not that different to gambling. There are so many countless factors influencing the markets at any one time, guessing right which way things are going to go is as much about luck as skill. For instance, right now things affecting the US dollar are as diverse as: the Republican presidential nomination, improving US auto-sales, the likelihood that...
The unpredictable nature of markets can perplex even the smartest of brains, doubting the basic ethics which are significant to its functioning. Just when you get accustomed and attuned to the happenings around, there is an abrupt u-turn countering your judgment. Making hay when the sun shines seems to be the best policy, but what actually seems obligatory is making hay even when the sun does not shine. You live in a practical world where you are uncertain of the next moment’s state of affairs. But that does not mean that you refrain from the zeal to place your ambition...
The difference between a Businessman and a Super Businessman is the same as the difference between a snail and a rabbit. While businessmen are slow, super businessmen are fast. A businessman is like a wantrepreneur, he has ideas in his head but he lacks the in-depth vision and often fails to execute them. Whereas, a super businessman is like a true entrepreneur, he broadens his scope, researches and creates his own path of success without waiting in hope for customers and partnerships. A super businessman has more than just money on his mind; he strives to add the star of...
The difference between an Entrepreneur and a Wantrepreneur is like celestial and earthly opposites. An entrepreneur is an individual of positivity while a Wantrepreneur is a seeker of this positivity. Let’s analyze each of them closely: What is an Entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is an individual who is self reliant. Through this highly optimistic self reliance, he combines a number of different tools and utilizes them to form a single entity, a new franchise, of which he is the think tank and in most cases the owner or the majority share. An entrepreneur is a knight of the business community. Like...
Passive income is money that comes flowing to you without you having to put too much labor into it. There are hundreds of ways to create passive income, some more simple than others. No matter what type of passive income you determine is right for you, it will always come with an initial investment of time or money. Remember that you need to have patience if you are using stocks, real estate, or a new business as a passive income stream, the money isn’t going to come rolling in overnight. How I Plan To Do It For example, I have...
Brands can easily and quickly find themselves in a crisis situation, owing to either the products going out of style or not meeting the market expectations. One other reason of this could be industrial slack as well. Research shows that people have a habit of talking about their bad experiences with others. Digital media is now playing a very important role in creating and breaking brand perceptions. The increased usage of the internet on the mobile phone has enabled the consumers to be more vocal about their choices on social platforms. They are even talking to the brands directly, about...
To stay successful in the business world you need to have an edge over your competition. And, you need to keep that edge, always. This means that you need to have a clear idea of the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors. Only when you have this information can you make better informed decisions on which directions to take your own business. Identify Other’s Mistakes A smart person learns from their mistakes, but a wise person learns from other’s mistakes. When you have a competitive edge in business it means that you have learned from other’s mistakes. Hopefully some of...
Wow a whole 2 weeks into personal finance blogging and I have to say I love doing it. It has been a great journey thus far. I am building some great friendships with the personal finance blogging community. I have found the Yakezie Network great and everyone is very willing to help out. I learned that with blogging or your spouse you have to give love to receive love. I am out there sharing the love as much as I can with my fellow bloggers. Here is it close to midnight preparing the post after a long day of blogging and...
It doesn’t matter what kind of business you own, if you are not using social media as a way to market your business, you are missing out. Social media is a way to get noticed, get attention, and get the word out that your business is a force to be reckoned with. Of course, just like with any other marketing program or business strategy there are certain dos and don’ts that you want to take into consideration. Don’t Post Something You Will Regret Later – Keep in mind that anything you post online is out there forever. Just because you...
Creating a winning brand for your business isn’t going to happen overnight. Brand recognition takes time and dedication to develop. You have to be willing to do the work and stay impeccable with your business practices. Obviously, the first, and most important, step is to come up with a unique brand name and a creative logo. Take your time through this process. Find something easy to remember, unique, and something that will cause curiosity. That is just the first step and what you do from there is really going to determine how successful your brand can be. When creating buzz...
In today’s shaky economic climate you might be looking for extra ways to make money. Scratch that, I bet that you are looking for ways to make money. Everyone can always benefit from more money coming into their bank accounts. And that’s great, but no doubt you have heard the saying: work smart not hard. It’s actually not a bad idea to do both. The best ways to make money are by doing things that will also help you to become more financially or business savvy. Having a garage sale can help you to make some quick cash, and get...
While I haven’t disclosed much personal information yet, bits and pieces will come out as we delve further into this blog about How to Market. I am an accountant/financial analyst that works at a local non-profit organization in Market who receives much of its funding from state and federal governments resumes. Recently it has been discussed merging with another non-profit in the area which is teaching to people How to Market yourself. They organizations are still in the very infancy stages of seeing if something like this is even plausible. But I could be one day without a job because...
Marketing your business is an important part of being successful, but no single marketing strategy works for every business out there. It’s important to be smart and savvy when picking out marketing strategies for your business, no matter what your niche happens to be. You need to come up with multiple ways to reach your target customers and get them coming to you. Here is a listing of some of the best ways to market your business. Try a few on for size and see how they work for your business. If something works, keep doing it. If something doesn’t...
Just like a human being, businesses take time to develop and flourish. When a human being starts out in the world they don’t really know what’s going on and they have to have help to get them through challenging times. As a human being grows and matures, they start to learn what the best things are for them and, alternatively, what doesn’t work for them. Humans learn from making mistakes and getting back up to try again. Humans get exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to have a healthy body. All of these things are exactly the same...
Starting your own business is a big investment. New business owners find themselves spending their time and energy, not to mention money, on making their business work for them. The work can be exhausting, but it is also incredibly rewarding and the long term benefits of building a successful business are very exciting. If you are going to work hard, investing time and money into something, you might as well plan things so you are the beneficiary of all that investment. It may be that right now is the perfect time to start a business. For many people, now is...
Property owners will all agree; the right tenant renting your property can make a huge difference. You want someone who will take care of the property as if it was their own, someone who will report damage or problems promptly, and someone who wants to stay for a long time. Most things that landlords look for in a tenant are hard to judge upon meeting the first time. Only time will tell whether a new tenant will respect the neighbors and be able to pay rent regularly every month for as long as they live on your property. Naturally, all...
While it may come as a big surprise, not all doctors are doing well financially. There’s a bit of a TV stereotype about doctors, who frequently get lumped together with lawyers as the type of professional that will always be necessary. If we always need doctors, there will always be money in the profession, right? Well, a new CNN Money article reports that the truth is altogether different. Health care professionals are finding themselves in dire financial straits, just like many small business owners, and many are even on the verge of bankruptcy. How can this be possible? Well, it...
Having an online presence is vital for any business, but this goes beyond just a website with your address on it. Social marketing is just one way to get noticed and keep your business in the forefront of your customers’ minds, but there are some serious mistakes that can be made with social marketing. Making these mistakes can actually damage your business’s reputation. Sites like Twitter and Facebook can do a lot to boost sales, but you want to make sure that you approach these sites the right way. Put the Social in Social Marketing With any type of social...
Many times when a new business, or business owner, runs into difficult times, people find that they don’t know what to do, or don’t have the motivation, to overcome these hardships. This is often because the reason why they started a business in the first place has been lost along the way. Any entrepreneur needs to know, and remember, why they started their business and they need to remember and hold on to that when dealing with difficult times. What Made you Start your Business? Do you remember why you decided to go into business on your own in the...
Failure is an ugly word. No one likes to admit their failures and the same holds true for businesses. However, a bad experience can be used to learn what not to do in a future business endeavor. Failed businesses are a reality, but you can redeem yourself and restart a failed business or pursue a new business venture. The experience may be a humbling one, but very necessary in order to tip the scales in your favor the next time around. With a few simple steps, you can get your entrepreneurial spirit back and make your next business a success....
