No More Excuses for Small Business Owners for Not Growing Their Businesses

When talking about business related issues, solutions, and technologies, you will almost always group businesses as small and large. While the separation is there, it won’t be wrong to say that in a modern where digital technologies prevail, it should not be a problem for small businesses to compete with large ones. The large corporations have the advantage of having more resources without a doubt. However, there was not a time in the past when growing and expanding was as easy for small businesses as it is today.

Digital Marketing for Everyone

Digital marketing starts with a website today. When it comes to website designs, more money does not always mean a better design. If you are working with the right people and are clear about your requirements, your website can be just as impressive as the website of a large business. In fact, internet users today are more in favor of simplistic websites with a focus on the information they are looking for rather than the glitter and sparkle.

As for social media marketing, there is no difference in the size of the market that small and large businesses have to target. They are both targeting global audiences and how good they are at it is not defined by how much money they put in their marketing efforts. Social media marketing is free marketing, so there is no excuse as to who has more resources.

And if you believe that the large corporations make it to the top of the search engine results, you always have a better and more effective niche to compete within – local. With local search engine optimization, small businesses can compete with the medium and large businesses head to head. In simple words, regardless of the size of the business, everyone has access to the same market and same people today. What matters is who does it better.

Digital Solutions Are Available Specifically for Small Businesses

When it comes to software solutions for businesses, the focus is not on large corporations anymore. Today, all types of software solutions have their versions built specifically for small businesses. These digital solutions allow small businesses to cut down their costs and make use of the same technologies that large companies are using.

Take the example of CRMs. At one point, there was a notion that customer relationship management software are only for large businesses, but the things have changed quite a bit today. Web-based CRM are a revelation for small businesses. First, these CRMs provide great marketing, database, customer service and sales solutions to the businesses. Second, they are unbelievably affordable. If you own a small business, you don’t even have to worry about software integration, hardware compatibility, updates, and upgrades, etc. Keep in mind that with in-house solutions, these are the costs that make it difficult for small businesses to grow financially.

With web-based solutions designed for small businesses, you can now have access to a world-class CRM at a fractional monthly or yearly cost. Other affordable digital solutions available include invoicing software, bookkeeping software, payroll software, etc.

Customers Have the Power in Hands

The Internet has empowered customers like never before. You can’t say that just because a business is in multiple countries, it will be impressive enough for people to buy its products. The amazing thing about today’s economy is the power that customers have in their hands. Online reviewing websites, YouTube videos, blogs, etc. are among many platforms that allow customers to know more about businesses. In fact, even Google now puts business ratings and customer reviews right within its search results.

What this means is that when a customer searches for a business today, he/she is already able to see the reputation of the product they are going to buy. Furthermore, negative reviews from customers can greatly affect the sales of business, giving other businesses a chance to make their name.

Furthermore, it’s not just the quality of products that matters today. In the modern world, businesses are competing for better customer experience. If your business can give customers the experience they are looking for, your growth is inevitable despite the small size of your business.

Funding Is No Issue for Startups

It is always the starting days that matter the most for business. When you are a startup, you are looking for ways to fund your business so you can materialize your idea and polish your product/service according to the requirements of the customers. Finding a platform where you could connect with investors was a challenge in the past. This is not an issue anymore.

With like our websites, it is easier than ever for small businesses to get in touch with investors and get the right amount of investment that sets them on the path of growth. These are websites that act as a bridge between investors from all around the world and startups. With traditional banks and lenders, you are only limited to a local audience of investors. When you can’t find an investor in your local market, your hopes are almost dead.

With online funding websites, all you have to do is create a convincing pitch that explains the viability of your startup to the investors and its scope. Your pitch along with all the necessary information that you think investors should see goes on the website where it is visible to hundreds and thousands of investors. If you have done your homework and have a team of right professionals on board, getting the right investment is just a matter of hours or days.

Final Words

You can see that a small business can overcome almost all of their challenges much more efficiently today. Starting a business has become so easy that even students can be entrepreneurs today. They can lay the foundation for a business using just their pocket money. From connecting with the right investors to cutting down operational costs, all can be done from the comfort of a person’s home. The only thing that makes the difference today is if you are confident enough to take the first step.

Online Education – Advantages and Disadvantages

Online education is the method of getting education without any teacher via the internet. It is being delivered with the help of electronic media and Information & Communication Technologies (ICT). You can get education in the form of text, images, audio, video etc. in e-learning. You are free to study at any time in your home or workplace. It is the new technique of learning. Most of the schools, colleges and universities in India are offering online learning to their students. Online education is good to save paper. It includes multimedia learning, Computer Based Instruction (CBI) and Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL). It is best suited for flexible learning and distance education. Instead of traditional education like classroom, it includes new technologies like getting educational information via the internet. Online learning is also called computer based learning. Different types of educational technology tools & media are used for it. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is going to deliver e-learning classroom in each affiliated school for online education.

Advantages of Online Education

Online Education has many pros. It is helpful to get a better education than traditional learning methods. It is considered as the most convenient way to pursue primary and higher education. There is no need to travel to the college. Students can access their courses 24 hours in a day. It develops internet skills to the students. Students can get up-to-date content that is always available at the time of requirement. It supports faculty-to-students and student-to-student communication for better learning. Students have continual access to study materials. E-learning programs charge less than traditional schools. It offers comfortable learning environment.

Disadvantages of Online Education

Although, online education has many benefits and best fit for the 21st century, but there are some disadvantages that should be considered. One-on-one interaction is found in traditional classrooms, but in online learning, it is missing. Although, students can interact with teachers through email and any other electronic media, but actually talking is not present. For those students who can’t manage their time, online study could be disadvantages for them. Most of the students prefer to listen to the lecture of teachers instead of reading from text formats and it is also a big problem in it.

It is best for pursuing higher education. It has a lot of advantages and some disadvantages. Students should have a better understanding about it before taking decision to pursue an online degree.

Yo-Yo Financing – Avoid This Auto Dealership Con

Take a moment and imagine somebody holding a yo-yo in their hand. Now let’s watch the imaginary yo-yo user fling the toy downwards, allowing it to spin steadily at the bottom of the outstretched string. With a quick flick of the wrist, the spinning yo-yo climbs back up the string and returns obediently to the user’s hand. That’s what a yo-yo is supposed to do: obey its user, and return to the user’s hand upon command.

Some car dealerships took the concept of the yo-yo and applied it to their auto loan financing deals. The difference, however, is that they’re not playing with a toy spindle, but instead they’ve attempted to turn their clients into their own personal yo-yo’s.

Yo-yo financing refers to the practice of originating auto loans contingent on a credit check that will be performed at a later date.

Letting the Yo-Yo Sleep

When car salesmen practicing yo-yo financing come across interested buyers, they bait those buyers into purchasing vehicles by offering great prices. The salesmen requires the buyers to finance auto loans through the dealership, but those financing options have contingencies saying the price is only valid if the buyers have qualifying credit scores.

“Don’t worry about that though,” the salesmen will say. “We’ll run your credit later, so go ahead and take the car home.”

Thinking the credit check is a mere formality, the buyers agree and happily head home with their new rides.

When home, the buyers park their vehicles in their garages, and take every precaution to make sure their new purchase is well taken care of. As soon as they’re able, they show their new cars off to friends and family, taking them for rides around town, and allowing their loved ones to experience the beauty that the new owner will enjoy for years to come.

Some buyers even list their old vehicles for sale, and try to liquidate that now useless asset for some extra cash.

This whole phase of enjoying one’s newly purchased vehicle is exactly what the scamming car dealership wants. Their yo-yos are “sleeping” at the bottom of their strings-unaware that they can be retracted at any moment.

And With a Flick of the Wrist…

Then the phone call comes: “Excuse me, but we just ran your credit, and unfortunately you didn’t qualify for the auto loan we originally agreed to. Can you please come back in so we can straighten this out? Oh, and bring the vehicle with you too.”

The buyers head back to the dealership where they’re informed their agreements no longer apply since they lack an appropriate credit score. In order to keep the vehicle, the buyers will need to finance their vehicles at higher prices.

After driving a new vehicle around, and learning to love all of the qualities it had that the buyers’ previous vehicle didn’t, the buyers are more apt to make ends meet in order to keep their new purchase. Additionally, buyers who show their vehicles off to friends and family will be more likely to agree to a dealership’s demands so that they can avoid the embarrassment of explaining to others why they no longer have their new vehicles.

Furthermore, if buyers sold their old vehicle, they will have no choice but to work with this particular dealer.

Dealers intentionally allow buyers to take vehicles home because they know those actions will work to persuade buyers to shell out more cash-even if those buyers would have a difficult time managing such hefty auto loan payments.

As borrowers contemplate all of these factors, the con-artists smile, relishing in their successful snap of the wrist.

Avoid the Auto Loan Scams

To avoid situations such as these, prospective buyers would be wise to get pre-approved for an auto loan. By visiting lenders directly, either online or in person, buyers can quickly discover what kind of financing their credit scores and personal financial situations will qualify them for.

But if buyers are adamant about taking an auto loan out through a dealer, read the purchase agreements thoroughly, and request that any contingency related to credit checks be removed.

Understand Foreign Currency Trading in Detail

Forex trading or foreign currency trading refers to a transaction in the Forex market involving the purchase and sale of different currencies. You don’t need to be a specialist or possess degrees to trade in foreign currency. It is fairly simple to understand and learn foreign currency trading.Let us start by understanding who the players are in this trading. Foreign currency trading is done between and among major financial institutions, central banks, retail currency traders or speculators, large international companies, government institutions, companies with overseas operations and the like.Trading in stock market is regulated by central exchanges. In foreign currency trade transaction is carried out at the Inter bank Market, which is also regarded as an OTC Market. The trade transaction is directly done between two counterparts over global electronic network. The main Trading centers of the world are Sydney, Tokyo, London, Frankfurt and New York operating 24 hours a day. Foreign currency trading begins each day in Sydney, and moves around the globe by moving to Tokyo, London, and New York. This offers flexibility to investors to take advantage of currency movements that are often caused by political, economic or social causes any time of the day.Anyone who intends to learn foreign currency trading with the goal of making profits in the market must understand the importance of tracking and analyzing price movement of foreign currencies. Various currencies of the world are given a three-letter code to be used in forex trading. Foreign currency trading always involves currency pairs, which basically is the exchange rate of one currency over another. The commonly traded currency pairs are GBP/USD, EUR/USD, USD/JPY, USD/CHF, AUD/USDHow does one actually book profits in forex trading?The thumb rule remains the same as any other product – buy low and sell high. To give an example a trader may decide to buy EUR and sell USD. Simultaneously he may buy USD and sell AUD. This buying and selling in Forex terminology is referred to as the trader going long or short respectively. In each currency pair the first currency is the base currency and the second one is referred to as the counter or quote currency.Another set of unique terminologies that you will come across frequently when you learn foreign currency trading is Bid and Ask price or spread. Bid price is the price at which a broker is willing to buy and ask price is the price at which the broker is willing to sell. Therefore Bid price is the price at which a trader should sell and ask the price at which a trader should buy.Forex trading is fairly simple to learn and you don’t need to be a genius to make profits in the Forex market. You have the choice of selecting the pair of currencies that you wish to trade in the, the size of the transaction and the price at which you wish to trade. Irrespective of the currency rate movements you can decide to buy or sell. And then again physical possession of the currency is not required to perform the transaction – you perform your trade transaction to buy one and sell other one to one.Before you actually commence trading it is however very crucial that you learn and understand the concepts of foreign currency trading clearly. You can make use of a number of online services available to assist you. Understanding Forex trading systems, the market psychology and managing risk will go a long way in determining your success in this market.

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