The advantages of an e-commerce business over traditional retail businesses

People who want to start a retail business have a choice between traditional retail and e-commerce. Traditional retail means having a physical store, actual products on hand, stocks of those products, staffing, and logistics. E-commerce, on the other hand, allows entrepreneurs to do everything behind their work desk. This includes creating their very own website, doing marketing, buying and shipping products, and setting up a payment scheme. For entrepreneurs who haven’t made up their minds yet, here are some advantages e-commerce has over traditional retail.

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Cost effective

Retail stores cost a lot of money. You have rent, employee salaries, utilities, taxes, and possible bank loans. You can eliminate most of these by doing everything online. Even if you hire people for your operations, you can still cut costs by letting your staff work from home. All they need is good internet connection.

Seamless transactions

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E-commerce allows you to make transactions without ever having to talk to a customer in person or even touching the products you are selling. At the same time, customer feedback can be achieved through chat boxes or emails. Although it may seem impersonal, communicating online is still effective.

Ease of use

Because there are websites that help you make your own webpage, starting your very own e-commerce business is a breeze. Some e-commerce websites even let you host your store on their own domain, making setting up shop much easier. In fact, they even let you use their payment systems, which allow you to start selling and profiting on day one.

Founded in July 2001 by Brian Dougherty and his wife, Jenny, Dougherty Marketing offers mentorship and training services to people who aim to improve their entrepreneurial and leadership skills. The company has already helped hundreds of groups and individuals in starting their business and achieving success. Visit this website to learn more about the company.

How to market your very first business

No matter how life changing your services or products are, letting the world know of their existence and availability is the work of marketing. Corporations spend billions on marketing each year trying to outdo each other with onsite advertisements, events, promotions, commercials, and every other marketing tool known to man. Depending on how you market your business, your endeavor can fail or become a booming success. If you are just starting your first business and don’t know a thing about marketing, here are some tips to help you out.

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Digital marketing is the best tool for a nascent business. Currently, the best digital marketing tool is social media. Having a social media account on Facebook gives people easy access to your company’s basics; a list of products and services, the location of the office or store, work hours, phone numbers, and so on.

Inasmuch as you can cram considerable information about your business on a Facebook page, social media apps are also a direct line to potential customers. Through the built-in messenger systems, one can easily interact with your brand and you can respond just as quickly.

Since everyone is on Facebook or Instagram, paying for targeted ads could reach many potential clients. Their algorithms ensure that the right demographics in a specific area see your ads. And these ads don’t cost as much as other marketing efforts like radio commercials or print ads on newspapers.

For Brian Dougherty, people who want to start a business should be prepared to fight an uphill battle. This is why he, together with his wife, Jenny, started Dougherty Marketing, a company that offers entrepreneurial mentorship and training. To learn more about the company, visit their website.

Startup Trends To Watch In 2018

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With the rise of artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and IoT, things are looking up for small businesses in 2018. Here are some startup predictions to keep in mind this coming year.

Firstly, expect A.I. to boom in 2018. While it has already spilled into quite a number of business talks and meetings in 2017, marketers will start to see that it’s more than just hype as more and more huge companies embrace the technology. A.I. will vastly improve efficiency in the workplace, complementing machine learning and advanced analytics. It is also seen to play a big role in drug discovery, legal tech, and cybersecurity.

2018 will retain the prevalence of disruptive innovation. Innovation-driven growth creates new markets or transforms already existing ones by introducing simplicity, convenience, affordability, and accessibility in areas where high cost and complication is the norm. Good examples of disruptive, innovative companies are Uber, Airbnb, and Oyo. These have created an on-demand economy with a dedicated clientele.

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Another important trend is the rise of Internet of Things or IoT. Over 20 billion devices are now connected to the internet, and in 2018, it will move from experimentation to the business scale. It is seen to become the backbone of customer value in the coming years, shifting to edge to provide cloud intelligence. In a recent study, it was found that about two-thirds of U.S. companies are already utilizing IoT in their business dealings.

Finally, cryptocurrency is here to stay. Bitcoin has reached its all-time high in value this December at a whopping $19,783.06. Even those who’ve initially criticized the concept are now joining the bandwagon. Even Putin and Russia has launched cryptoruble, the country’s own cryptocurrency.

Dougherty Marketing offers mentorship and training services to people who aim to improve their entrepreneurial and leadership skills. It was founded by Brian Dougherty and his wife Jenny in July 2001. Visit its official website for more on the company’s offerings.

The similar mindsets of athletes and business leaders

It’s often been said that it takes a particular individual to spearhead a company into the future, an individual who can take the lumps and still manage to find a way to forge ahead, an individual who will never waver in the face of even the mightiest competition. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the most successful business leaders have a mindset that’s very similar to that of a successful athlete.

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Physical strength isn’t enough for an athlete to emerge victorious. The mental fortitude and the competitive spirit that comes along with training and preparing every day is a combination that can be brought into the business setting. In fact, this kind of mentality can give business leaders all the edge in the world.

Now aside from grit and determination, athletes and business leaders also need to know the arena in which they’re competing from the inside out. Without this knowledge, preparation will only be half-complete. For athletes, it’s the sport. For business leaders, it’s the industry. All the information gathered in their respective fields can aid them in their planning ahead.

On the flip-side, business leaders who lack all these, or have a diminished capacity when it comes to determination doom their company from the onset. Without the commitment to soldier forth day in and day out, and create a lifestyle revolving around their business, a company owner is sure to take the ship down with them.

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Dougherty Marketing has helped people start their own business, and fight the uphill battles that go along with it. One of the highlights that the company’s founders, Brian and Jenny, have found joy in is that they have assisted mothers to leave their job and run a home-based business so they could be given the opportunity to raise their own kids. For more information about the company, visit this website.

Signing up for success: Brand planning for new businesses

A powerful brand strategy can invigorate the reception of any product or service. Big and successful companies have already unraveled the secrets of effective branding. They also have the resources to continually spend on various strategic marketing plans that would sustain further consumer acquisition and the profitability of a campaign. A small business, though, must reflect on a number of things to make sure funds are properly allocated. 

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Any startup should eventually invest in marketing. In the meantime, there are several avenues, with minimal or no disbursement necessary, that can help a new business prevent the depletion of finances while focusing on quality assurance and development of the product. 

The logo represents the business in many ways. It is one of the basic foundations of a strong branding and can be an important determiner of the outcome of any endeavor. One must look for talented artists who are also at the beginning of the race and, most probably, won’t charge you exorbitant fees for creating it. 

Once the logo is finished, one can think of a tagline that sums up the essence of the brand. Social media can provide an owner the channels for communicating that essence. Depending on one’s existing online presence and his knowledge of the social networking sites, this can pose a learning curve. The nature of the message and the target addressee need to be matched with the right social media platform to make the best use of each site’s distinct flavor. 

Although social media can help convince the consumer base of the reliability of the product or service, and that a consistent online presence is a guarantee of the owner’s commitment to providing support, one must grab other opportunities for exposure. Getting involved in local communities especially those with which one already has existing ties might increase the chances of growth for the business. Sharing one’s knowledge with other people in hosted local events might be a worthwhile use of the time and an occasion to engage with both online and offline sbases. 

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Dougherty Marketing offers entrepreneurial training and education and has been helping people create other opportunities for success outside employment. Read about its inspired work here.

Some Tips for Launching a Successful Home-Based Business

There are two common misconceptions about home-based businesses: it is uncommon, and it is not a “real” business. Numbers say otherwise, though.  

 

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In the U.S. alone, there are nearly 40 million home-based entrepreneurs who either work from home or sell online.  And surveys show that these businesses generate big bucks and have long-term potential – the sector has a total annual revenue of $427 billion and 70 percent of them are successful within three years of establishment.

Those who plan on starting a home-based business should follow these tips to increase the likelihood of achieving success:

· Be organized. Running an own business without a supervisor can sometimes result in a lack of planning or procrastination – especially with many hindrances or distractions at home. Creating a long- and short-term plan (and following it) and structuring daily tasks are necessary to keep the business running smoothly.

· Look for free or low-cost services. Use services that are not financially crippling to reduce expenses. For example, there are accounting and productivity apps that can be downloaded for free.

· Prioritize marketing. While cost-cutting is essential in home-based businesses, an area that should be allotted with significant resources is marketing. A quality marketing campaign can result to a wider customer base and increased revenues.

 

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Brian Dougherty and his wife, Jenny, find joy in helping other people attain success. Through their company, Dougherty Marketing, they train their clients to develop and grow the successful business they wish to have, including more than 6,000 people who have started their home-based business. Learn more about the couple and their firm here.

How Entrepreneurship Brings Freedom

Independence. It is one of the major reasons many people dive into the world of entrepreneurship. Some forms of control and flexibility can only be experienced by business owners, which is corroborated by a poll by TD Bank wherein 96 percent of respondents agree that freedom is the best part of running a business.

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Some of these freedoms, other than the all-important financial freedom that helps motivate entrepreneurs to become strong leaders and successful in their endeavors, are the following:

Work freedom

Those yearning to escape the monotonous life inside the four walls of their office get another option to earn a living via entrepreneurship. It offers a choice wherein one calls the shots and “be his own boss,” determining the tasks he needs to work on.

Lifestyle freedom

For some people, they have no other choice but to build their life around their job. When one is an entrepreneur, there will be more freedom to decide on where to live, what car to drive, where and when to vacation, and other lifestyle choices.

Time freedom

One of the downsides of working in a corporate setting that certain people frown upon is the daily 9-to-5 schedule. There is a need to get up early, endure rush hour traffic, and have recreational activities be contingent on free time from work.

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Brian Dougherty worked formerly in the corporate world as a telephone service technician for a couple of years, but established his own business after discovering it allowed him to be in control of his own time and finances. With his wife, Jenny, he manages Dougherty Marketing, which has helped many entrepreneurs attain success. Visit this website for more details.

Developing Interpersonal Skills for Business

The business world needs different personality types and management styles. However, there are leaders who stand out not just because of their achievements but because of how they relate with their colleagues. Having good interpersonal skills is indeed a gift but it is something that everyone can work on.

Practice listening
The sad reality in most businesses and workplaces is that listening to others is considered a task, especially when everyone is busy or trying to beat a deadline. Despite this tendency, listening can be considered the lifeblood of businesses, as this is where discourse and good ideas flow. To exercise listening skills, a person can begin by sincerely hearing out what a co-worker or a boss is saying before offering his or her own suggestions. Or perhaps it would be a good start to stop thinking of something else when listening to another person.

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Speaking with clarity
This is very important in the workplace, especially for those in key positions. When there are people under an individual’s responsibility or supervision, he or she has to be sure that the instructions are clearly conveyed to employees. When it comes to work talk, sarcasm or joking could be taken the wrong way. To avoid offending others, be direct with instructions, praise, and even corrections. However, remember to speak with tact. Sincerity and clarity are not just about saying things as it is. There must be a balance that must not throw people off.

Diplomacy
Aside from tact, business leaders and employees must never forget that the dog-eat-dog industry can still benefit from diplomacy. The industry can be competitive and cruel but diplomacy will help a person get the upper hand. The peacemakers will easily gain favor compared to those who are antagonistic, as people trust them to calmly state what they want without stepping on anyone’s toes. When the workplace is becoming a warzone, remember that the diplomats are the ones who get to say their piece. There are more tips to improve a person’s interpersonal skills but these three are good points to begin with. Practicing these qualities will make a person stand out in the workplace.

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Since 2001, Brian and Jenn Dougherty have been helping clients become the best in their respective careers through the training services offered by their company, Dougherty Marketing, in North Carolina. To know more business insights, visit the company’s official website.

Financial Stability Through Entrepreneurship

Starting your own business is one of the best ways to generate revenue and achieve financial stability. Owning and managing your own business has valuable personal rewards. It is an opportunity to pursue your passion while securing financial stability and independence.

Being your own boss means owning your time and making your own job security. Although starting a business can initially consume much of your time, once you have everything set in motion, you can afford more flexible work hours. The spare time you get from being a business owner creates opportunities for other value adding endeavors.

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The income potential of being an entrepreneur is limitless. Being the boss gives you the satisfaction of reaping the benefits of what you have worked hard for. Meanwhile, employees are tied to limited incomes based on salary structures or performance evaluations.

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Achieving financial stability does not solely rely on dedicating long hours working for a company. To achieve financial security, efficient use of resources is necessary. Entrepreneurship is the perfect investment opportunity to gain financial independence. An innovative idea with a solid business plan with entrepreneurial strategies will put you a step ahead on the pathway to financial stability.

Start your own successful business with Dougherty Marketing, a company that helps individuals achieve entrepreneurial success through mentorship and training. To know more about Dougherty Marking, visit its official website.