The days for CRM industry dominated by SalesForce, Microsoft Dynamics, SugarCRM, Sage, HighRise and other enterprise solutions are over. New CRM 2.0 kids are on the block and they are growing like crazy. So what is CRM 2.0 exactly? Nobody knows. Clearly CRM 2.0 is the next generation of customer relationship management tools, but CRM 2.0 means different things for different people. For some, CRM 2.0 designation stands for collaborative CRM. For others, CRM 2.0 means using social network tools like LinkedIn or Facebook for prospecting and selling. Another popular interpretation for CRM 2.0 is reverse CRM or user driven customer relationship management. So let’s take a look at three CRM 2.0 examples and discuss some of the CRM 2.0 leaders.
1. Collaborative CRM
Bitrix24.com is probably the fastest growing CRM 2.0 solution, if 2.0 means collaborative CRM to you. Essentially Bitrix24 is enterprise social network, plus CRM, plus project management, plus planner, plus document manager, plus business process construction and 30+ other tools. Here’s a typical scenario for Bitrix24 use. Let’s say you are a web design firm with a free quote form on your website. As soon as the form is filled out, Bitrix24 creates a task for one of your employees – get in touch with the person who filled out the form. You can set up your Bitrix24 in a way that all quotes for work over $5000 go to employee A and all work under $5000 to employee B. Then the employee calls or e-mails a client from INSIDE Bitrix24. If necessary, Bitrix24 calendar schedules a meeting. Depending on the outcome of this conversation, Bitrix24 can automatically create a new task for a new employee – like “Send contract to” or “Create draft by”. At this point you can also create a workgroup for a specific project and invite client and all relevant employees there. You can post drafts in the activity stream and your client(s) will provide feedback. You can also use Bitrix24 WebRTC based videochat that works just like Skype to have ‘face-to-face’ conversation. Because Bitrix24 tracks time spent on each project and has invoicing, you can send the bill via Bitrix24 to your client as well. Should any questions arise, they can be solved inside Bitrix24. So essentially, it’s a collaborative CRM – a place where sales person, who brought the client in, the client herself, the account lead, the designer, the web developer, the lawyer, the accountant, the HR person can all work together and collaborate on pretty much any project. From brain storming to file sharing – all collaboration tools are there and they are tied into CRM. And because Bitrix24 is 100% free for companies with 12 employees or fewer, it’s no wonder it’s such a popular CRM 2.0 solution.
2. Social CRM
Nimble, just like Bitrix24, became a clear leading CRM 2.0 solution in a very short time (probably because CRM industry legend Jon Ferrara of the Goldmine CRM fame is behind it).That is if 2.0 means using social network data for selling to you. A typical Nimble CRM scenario looks something like this. You are enterprise software salesperson. So you are very interested in CTOs, CIOs and heads of IT departments. It just so happens that LinkedIn makes it very easy to find these people, their names and company addresses. So you import all this information into your Nimble CRM. But that’s not all. Nimble works with LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google+, importing all messages, posts, tweets and status change notifications. Let’s say an important business meeting with one of your hot prospects is in an hour. You go into your Nimble account, click the prospect name and you now have access to all recent social network activity of this person instantly. You know from his last tweets that he has just returned from a vacation in Fiji and Facebook pictures suggest that this person just became a grandfather. So you start your conversation by congratulating him and share your Fiji experience, and before you know, you are almost best friends. Tricky? Devious? I’d prefer damn effective or brilliant as the best word that describes Nimble. Nimble CRM is free for solo use.
3. User driven customer relationship management.
Traditional CRM is used for sales mostly. And not everyone believes that proactive sales is the best way to grow a company, so for these folks CRM 2.0 designation means user driven CRM. Some of these CRM 2.0 tools are vendor specific, like Dell’s IdeaStorm.com but the best example of a reverse CRM is probably UserVoice.com. A typical scenario looks like this. A person registers at UserVoice.com. She then goes through items, gadgets, software and services she uses (Windows Phone or Hootsuite, for example), to provide feedback and ideas. This is where you come in. You can tap into the wealth of this knowledge and actually actively solicit this feedback, especially if you place UserVoice module on your website as the made feedback form. Clearly, you won’t have access to all users, but with UserVoice you can get to the most important part – early adopters and brand ambassadors. Like Bitrix24 and Nimble, UserVoice gives you an option – use if free or pay for advanced options.
Clearly, these three CRM 2.0 solutions are very different but you can probably use all of them. In fact, I insist that you should. Happy sales to you!
Minggu, 30 Juni 2013
Why developers at domain name registrars will be working overtime this fall
Daily Advice Link - How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Releases
ICANN announced today that its Board of Directors has approved the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement.
It’s the conclusion of a long and contentious process that has resulted in arguably the most sweeping changes ever in the contract that governs the relationship between ICANN and domain name registrars. I’ve written previously about the impact this will have on domain registrants.Yet domain registrars will also face substantial burdens, and this will particularly affect smaller registrars with limited resources. Due to the new RAA and other changes in the domain name market, the next six-to-twelve months will be some of the most demanding (and potentially rewarding) domain registrars have ever experienced.
What’s required of registrars
Registrars will have to integrate or create a number of systems and practices under the terms of the 2013 RAA. Some of the demands on registrars include a phone or email verification system for registrant details, cross field validation, more data retention, additional compliance rules/timelines and changes to whois proxy services. Michele Neylon, chair of the Registrars Stakeholder Group and CEO of domain registrar Blacknight, told Domain Name Wire that email/phone verification is small potatoes compared to the rest of the requirements.
“The cross field verification is easy in some countries, but harder in others,” he said. “This and other things related to data retention are going to cause headaches.”
Neylon also pointed out that requirements in the new RAA aren’t all that registrars are grappling with these days. There are preparations for new top level domains and the trademark clearinghouse integration, as well as policy changes related to expiring domains and domain transfers. Add that to a push for DNSSEC and IPV6, and domain registrars’ IT teams have a lot on their plates.
A rush to sign on — or be left behind
With all of these new requirements, why would any registrar rush to sign the new RAA? There’s a bit of a carrot or a stick, depending on how you look at it.
Cyrus Namazi, Vice President of DNS Industry Engagement for ICANN, told Domain Name Wire that he expects registrars to sign on “very quickly”.
The main reason is that adoption of the 2013 RAA is necessary in order to sell new top level domains. A bit further down the road, ICANN also isn’t renewing the 2009 RAA. If a registrar signed a five year agreement in 2009, time is quickly running out. Furthermore, proposed new registry agreements for .biz, .info, and .org will soon permit registrars to sell these domains only if they’ve signed the new RAA.
I reached out to three of the top ten registrars today to find out when they plan to sign the RAA. They all either didn’t know or had no comment.
James Bladel, Senior Director of ICANN Policy & Planning for GoDaddy, said “The new 2013 RAA represents a milestone achievement for our industry, thanks to almost two years of work on the part of Registrar Negotiators and ICANN Staff. But finalizing the language of the agreement was actually the easy part, and now the real work of implementing the new RAA can begin. Registrants and customers should see these changes in the coming months.”
A challenge for the small guys.
GoDaddy, Demand Media, and other big registrars have plenty of development resources to throw at the problem.
The same can’t be said for small and medium-sized registrars, which were physically absent at the negotiating table.
The Registrar Negotiation Team consisted of representatives from GoDaddy, Key Systems, Demand Media, Momentous, and Mark Monitor.
ICANN’s Namazi pointed out that the representatives were elected.
“You could tell there was quite a bit of sensitivity put on the table by these guys [about what would be required],” said Namazi.
Namazi also pointed to the gradual implementation of new requirements under the RAA, including a grace period until January 2014 for many of the provisions. Getting registrars to implement the changes will be difficult. Even making them aware of what’s in the new RAA will require a lot of work.
ICANN is beginning an outreach to registrars, including an event in China that will be conducted in Chinese. The 2013 RAA is in English, and language is a key barrier to understanding and adoption.
“You can imagine what’s happening with small to medium sized registrars in Latin America and the Asia Pacific, which in some cases might not even speak English,” Blacknight’s Neylon noted. “Most of the communications, events, etc., are conducted in English. If English is not your first language it’s very hard to actively participate within this entire circus.”
ICANN is also working on events to educate registrars in other parts of the world. It’s kind of a big deal.
With all the noise about the new top level domain program lately, it’s easy to overlook the critical milestone that the 2013 RAA is for ICANN. It’s a culmination of a multi-year effort involving governments, law enforcement, intellectual property interests, and domain registrars.
But as GoDaddy’s Bladel noted, the easy work is done. Now the “real work” can begin.
[Via - DomainNameWire]
FreshBooks review and coupon
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
LearnVest Review
Producteev Alternatives
ICANN announced today that its Board of Directors has approved the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement.
It’s the conclusion of a long and contentious process that has resulted in arguably the most sweeping changes ever in the contract that governs the relationship between ICANN and domain name registrars. I’ve written previously about the impact this will have on domain registrants.Yet domain registrars will also face substantial burdens, and this will particularly affect smaller registrars with limited resources. Due to the new RAA and other changes in the domain name market, the next six-to-twelve months will be some of the most demanding (and potentially rewarding) domain registrars have ever experienced.
What’s required of registrars
Registrars will have to integrate or create a number of systems and practices under the terms of the 2013 RAA. Some of the demands on registrars include a phone or email verification system for registrant details, cross field validation, more data retention, additional compliance rules/timelines and changes to whois proxy services. Michele Neylon, chair of the Registrars Stakeholder Group and CEO of domain registrar Blacknight, told Domain Name Wire that email/phone verification is small potatoes compared to the rest of the requirements.
“The cross field verification is easy in some countries, but harder in others,” he said. “This and other things related to data retention are going to cause headaches.”
Neylon also pointed out that requirements in the new RAA aren’t all that registrars are grappling with these days. There are preparations for new top level domains and the trademark clearinghouse integration, as well as policy changes related to expiring domains and domain transfers. Add that to a push for DNSSEC and IPV6, and domain registrars’ IT teams have a lot on their plates.
A rush to sign on — or be left behind
With all of these new requirements, why would any registrar rush to sign the new RAA? There’s a bit of a carrot or a stick, depending on how you look at it.
Cyrus Namazi, Vice President of DNS Industry Engagement for ICANN, told Domain Name Wire that he expects registrars to sign on “very quickly”.
The main reason is that adoption of the 2013 RAA is necessary in order to sell new top level domains. A bit further down the road, ICANN also isn’t renewing the 2009 RAA. If a registrar signed a five year agreement in 2009, time is quickly running out. Furthermore, proposed new registry agreements for .biz, .info, and .org will soon permit registrars to sell these domains only if they’ve signed the new RAA.
I reached out to three of the top ten registrars today to find out when they plan to sign the RAA. They all either didn’t know or had no comment.
James Bladel, Senior Director of ICANN Policy & Planning for GoDaddy, said “The new 2013 RAA represents a milestone achievement for our industry, thanks to almost two years of work on the part of Registrar Negotiators and ICANN Staff. But finalizing the language of the agreement was actually the easy part, and now the real work of implementing the new RAA can begin. Registrants and customers should see these changes in the coming months.”
A challenge for the small guys.
GoDaddy, Demand Media, and other big registrars have plenty of development resources to throw at the problem.
The same can’t be said for small and medium-sized registrars, which were physically absent at the negotiating table.
The Registrar Negotiation Team consisted of representatives from GoDaddy, Key Systems, Demand Media, Momentous, and Mark Monitor.
ICANN’s Namazi pointed out that the representatives were elected.
“You could tell there was quite a bit of sensitivity put on the table by these guys [about what would be required],” said Namazi.
Namazi also pointed to the gradual implementation of new requirements under the RAA, including a grace period until January 2014 for many of the provisions. Getting registrars to implement the changes will be difficult. Even making them aware of what’s in the new RAA will require a lot of work.
ICANN is beginning an outreach to registrars, including an event in China that will be conducted in Chinese. The 2013 RAA is in English, and language is a key barrier to understanding and adoption.
“You can imagine what’s happening with small to medium sized registrars in Latin America and the Asia Pacific, which in some cases might not even speak English,” Blacknight’s Neylon noted. “Most of the communications, events, etc., are conducted in English. If English is not your first language it’s very hard to actively participate within this entire circus.”
ICANN is also working on events to educate registrars in other parts of the world. It’s kind of a big deal.
With all the noise about the new top level domain program lately, it’s easy to overlook the critical milestone that the 2013 RAA is for ICANN. It’s a culmination of a multi-year effort involving governments, law enforcement, intellectual property interests, and domain registrars.
But as GoDaddy’s Bladel noted, the easy work is done. Now the “real work” can begin.
[Via - DomainNameWire]
FreshBooks review and coupon
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
LearnVest Review
Producteev Alternatives
Jumat, 28 Juni 2013
FreshBooks review (and coupons)
Daily Advice Link - How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Releases
FreshBooks (claim your $50 FreshBooks coupon here) is known for weird titles.Corey Reid, for instance, is Chief Cat Herder. That's Director of R&D Talent for us mere mortals. Saul Colt is Head of Magic. Perhaps you'd prefer Marketing and Customer Experience Design. And don't even ask me what Freshbooks CEO goes by.
So perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that FreshBooks isn't really about bookkeeping. Instead, FreshBooks is really one of the first timekeeping and invoicing software turned SaaS (it'll be interesting how FreshBooks reacts to the recent onslaught of free CRM with invocing).
FreshBook is now used by over 5 million users and known for it's "braindead simple" approach. One of the reasons for that that one year after being launched in 2003, it had only 6 clients. That's six. And 24 months into operation, it had only 10. This is how Mike McDerment recalls these days:
"So we tried a PR firm and I like to say that I got my Masters in Communication through that process because we basically…we didn’t get any awareness built out of it whatsoever. And so we shelved that and we went back to putting our heads down and spending our money on direct response type marketing, like being in an email newsletter or pay-per-click. You know, started trying to learn a little more about who was being successful marketing themselves online. So we started learning more about blogging and that kind of thing."
Two things saved FreshBooks - first they changed their pricing. Not once, not twice but actually four times, and every with every time they'd get more and more paying customers. Second, FreshBook decided to become a 'human' company, meaning that if you call their number, you actually get a human being on the other end. And if you have a question, you can an answer. And corporatespeak was banned at the company as well.
Becoming a user centric company transformed FreshBooks in a number of ways. Feeback was collected not as a formality, but in order to stay ahead of competition, so it's no wonder that FreshBooks one of the first to offer iPad app, when others weren't so sure about that anyone would use mobile apps for their invoices. Addition of expense tracking and cloud accouting significantly expanded FreshBooks use beyond its core market of small business owners, lawyers, designers and other professionals (my girlfriend uses iOS mobile app to track her daily expenses). With WaveAccounting and Bitrix24, FreshBooks makes the Holy Trinity of SMB and Productivity 2.0 tools that every business owner should be aware about. Oh, and if you want to try FreshBooks, here's your $50 coupon)
[Via - MadConomist.Com]
Social intranet project management
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
Startup Reviews - BixNets.com
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
Hot startups - LearnVest
Two CRMs That Are Changing The Game
So perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that FreshBooks isn't really about bookkeeping. Instead, FreshBooks is really one of the first timekeeping and invoicing software turned SaaS (it'll be interesting how FreshBooks reacts to the recent onslaught of free CRM with invocing).
FreshBook is now used by over 5 million users and known for it's "braindead simple" approach. One of the reasons for that that one year after being launched in 2003, it had only 6 clients. That's six. And 24 months into operation, it had only 10. This is how Mike McDerment recalls these days:
"So we tried a PR firm and I like to say that I got my Masters in Communication through that process because we basically…we didn’t get any awareness built out of it whatsoever. And so we shelved that and we went back to putting our heads down and spending our money on direct response type marketing, like being in an email newsletter or pay-per-click. You know, started trying to learn a little more about who was being successful marketing themselves online. So we started learning more about blogging and that kind of thing."
Two things saved FreshBooks - first they changed their pricing. Not once, not twice but actually four times, and every with every time they'd get more and more paying customers. Second, FreshBook decided to become a 'human' company, meaning that if you call their number, you actually get a human being on the other end. And if you have a question, you can an answer. And corporatespeak was banned at the company as well.
Becoming a user centric company transformed FreshBooks in a number of ways. Feeback was collected not as a formality, but in order to stay ahead of competition, so it's no wonder that FreshBooks one of the first to offer iPad app, when others weren't so sure about that anyone would use mobile apps for their invoices. Addition of expense tracking and cloud accouting significantly expanded FreshBooks use beyond its core market of small business owners, lawyers, designers and other professionals (my girlfriend uses iOS mobile app to track her daily expenses). With WaveAccounting and Bitrix24, FreshBooks makes the Holy Trinity of SMB and Productivity 2.0 tools that every business owner should be aware about. Oh, and if you want to try FreshBooks, here's your $50 coupon)
[Via - MadConomist.Com]
Social intranet project management
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
Startup Reviews - BixNets.com
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
Hot startups - LearnVest
Two CRMs That Are Changing The Game
How to Keep Your Employee Healthy and Productive
Tips this time is about how to keep your workers healthy and productive : Being the owner of a business is not only about producing much
income. It is not only about impressing your clients or gaining respect
in the market.
Your business would not be that productive if the focus
of your agenda is only about how you can increase your sales or promote
your services. There is another important
income. It is not only about impressing your clients or gaining respect
in the market.
Your business would not be that productive if the focus
of your agenda is only about how you can increase your sales or promote
your services. There is another important
Kamis, 27 Juni 2013
Weird Startups - numberFire
Daily Advice Link - How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Releases
http://www.numberfire.com/
The age-old rivalry between jocks and geeks is finally dead--and Nik Bonaddio is the killer. Bonaddio is founder and CEO of numberFire, an analytics platform that takes sports data to new brainy levels. Combining mathematically derived metrics with advanced algorithms that factor in situational variables, numberFire turns the "unstructured and misleading data" around sports into highly accurate stats and predictions for NFL, MLB and NBA players and teams.
What this means: Your betting odds just got better, and your fantasy-sports team just dominated. In fact, the New York City-based company's official 2012 March Madness bracket correctly picked the winner (Kentucky) and finished in the top 1 percent of brackets nationwide. NumberFire claims that its data gives users a 31 percent higher chance of winning their fantasy leagues and beats the projections provided by leagues 93 percent of the time. The company has about 40,000 users.
"Fantasy sports is a really big market that's been underserved for a long time," Bonaddio says. "We're scratching the itch a lot of people have."
A two-time All-American in track and field, Bonaddio got his head in the sports-data game after joining a fraternity at Carnegie Mellon, where he studied information systems and communication design. "I realized the advice you get around fantasy football and sports in general is very qualitative. It's all, 'I think this team is going to do well,' and this never made sense to me, because sports is all about numbers--the box score, the touchdown, the yards--but no one was doing any data modeling or data analysis," he says. "I analogized it at the time to finance: When you make a trade, all the big banks are using these complex models and quantitative trading algorithms, and I didn't understand what was so different about sports."
Bonaddio seems to have a knack for winning. After walking away with $100,000 from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2009, he quit his job and parlayed the cash into building data models. He launched numberFire in 2010, focusing on football insights; the site quickly secured fans by outpredicting the experts at ESPN and Yahoo 70 percent of the time by the end of the season. Bonaddio drafted Keith Goldner, an analyst for ESPN and two NFL franchises, to refine the predictive models, and last year expanded numberFire to include baseball and basketball. The startup, which continues to consistently beat the projections of CBS, NFL and Yahoo, has scored $775,000 in funding from investors including RRE Ventures and TechStars' David Tisch. Revenue--which grew from $10,000 in 2011 to $250,000 last year--is derived mainly from premium subscriptions (basic analytics are free) and partnerships with major media companies, which leverage numberFire's data on their own sites.
Turns out there really is a formula for success.
[Via - Entrepreneur]
Social intranet project management
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
Startup Reviews - BixNets.com
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
Hot startups - LearnVest
Two CRMs That Are Changing The Game
http://www.numberfire.com/
The age-old rivalry between jocks and geeks is finally dead--and Nik Bonaddio is the killer. Bonaddio is founder and CEO of numberFire, an analytics platform that takes sports data to new brainy levels. Combining mathematically derived metrics with advanced algorithms that factor in situational variables, numberFire turns the "unstructured and misleading data" around sports into highly accurate stats and predictions for NFL, MLB and NBA players and teams.
What this means: Your betting odds just got better, and your fantasy-sports team just dominated. In fact, the New York City-based company's official 2012 March Madness bracket correctly picked the winner (Kentucky) and finished in the top 1 percent of brackets nationwide. NumberFire claims that its data gives users a 31 percent higher chance of winning their fantasy leagues and beats the projections provided by leagues 93 percent of the time. The company has about 40,000 users.
"Fantasy sports is a really big market that's been underserved for a long time," Bonaddio says. "We're scratching the itch a lot of people have."
A two-time All-American in track and field, Bonaddio got his head in the sports-data game after joining a fraternity at Carnegie Mellon, where he studied information systems and communication design. "I realized the advice you get around fantasy football and sports in general is very qualitative. It's all, 'I think this team is going to do well,' and this never made sense to me, because sports is all about numbers--the box score, the touchdown, the yards--but no one was doing any data modeling or data analysis," he says. "I analogized it at the time to finance: When you make a trade, all the big banks are using these complex models and quantitative trading algorithms, and I didn't understand what was so different about sports."
Bonaddio seems to have a knack for winning. After walking away with $100,000 from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2009, he quit his job and parlayed the cash into building data models. He launched numberFire in 2010, focusing on football insights; the site quickly secured fans by outpredicting the experts at ESPN and Yahoo 70 percent of the time by the end of the season. Bonaddio drafted Keith Goldner, an analyst for ESPN and two NFL franchises, to refine the predictive models, and last year expanded numberFire to include baseball and basketball. The startup, which continues to consistently beat the projections of CBS, NFL and Yahoo, has scored $775,000 in funding from investors including RRE Ventures and TechStars' David Tisch. Revenue--which grew from $10,000 in 2011 to $250,000 last year--is derived mainly from premium subscriptions (basic analytics are free) and partnerships with major media companies, which leverage numberFire's data on their own sites.
Turns out there really is a formula for success.
[Via - Entrepreneur]
Social intranet project management
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
Startup Reviews - BixNets.com
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
Hot startups - LearnVest
Two CRMs That Are Changing The Game
Rabu, 26 Juni 2013
Hot Startups - BixNets.com
Daily Advice Link - How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Releases
https://www.bixnets.com/
Baby boomers are retiring, and millenials are becoming mobile more than ever. For a business, especially those that recognize the importance of its workforce and the knowledge gap that may occur as a result of an imminent departure of older personnel, this can be bad news, especially for business and economic growth. As per a recent study, it is believed that in North America alone, about 75 million old-timers will be leaving the workforce within the next 15 years.
The lines “for every unmet need, there is a startup waiting to happen” and “if you can’t beat them, join them” aren’t without merit. A startup by the name of bixnets.com, short for Business Intelligence Exchange Networks, came about as a result of a conversation its founder, Brad Gaulin, had regarding baby boomers leaving the labor force. And if someone is to help the younger generation succeed in any way, shape or form, knowledge and expert mentorship has to be given to them where they usually look for them. Cases in point: Wikipedia, Amazon, iTunes, Kijiji, Facebook, Google apps, among others. Combining the concepts behind these platforms led to the creation of bixnets.com.
Of course, startups aren’t without their share of difficulties. When asked what has been the most challenging, Gaulin said it was giving away 80% of the company as sweat equity to his co-founders who were all working part-time. He had thought that doing so would get things done quickly. The opposite had happened, however. As it turned out, managing a large group of part-timers wasn’t easy. It took them about a year to achieve six months of progress, if only they had taken the normal startup cycles.
Aside from its core offerings (mentoring social network and knowledge crowdsourcing that allows a user to upload his expertise, which can then be downloaded by other users for free or for a fee), bixnets.com also has bixDonate, a program that allows experts to donate a portion of their earnings to registered charities, entities dedicated to learning and community development, nonprofits, universities, and the like.
There is also an enterprise edition which allows a company’s workforce to share their expertise with other members of the same company through knowledge packaging and mentoring. Everything is deposited in one place for convenient future access.
[Via - Uncommon Business Blog]
Startups Founded By Former Google Employees - VinAudit.com
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
Hot startups - LearnVest
Free Salesforce Alternatives
7 Cool Freebie Sites And Services You Should Know About
https://www.bixnets.com/
Baby boomers are retiring, and millenials are becoming mobile more than ever. For a business, especially those that recognize the importance of its workforce and the knowledge gap that may occur as a result of an imminent departure of older personnel, this can be bad news, especially for business and economic growth. As per a recent study, it is believed that in North America alone, about 75 million old-timers will be leaving the workforce within the next 15 years.
The lines “for every unmet need, there is a startup waiting to happen” and “if you can’t beat them, join them” aren’t without merit. A startup by the name of bixnets.com, short for Business Intelligence Exchange Networks, came about as a result of a conversation its founder, Brad Gaulin, had regarding baby boomers leaving the labor force. And if someone is to help the younger generation succeed in any way, shape or form, knowledge and expert mentorship has to be given to them where they usually look for them. Cases in point: Wikipedia, Amazon, iTunes, Kijiji, Facebook, Google apps, among others. Combining the concepts behind these platforms led to the creation of bixnets.com.
Of course, startups aren’t without their share of difficulties. When asked what has been the most challenging, Gaulin said it was giving away 80% of the company as sweat equity to his co-founders who were all working part-time. He had thought that doing so would get things done quickly. The opposite had happened, however. As it turned out, managing a large group of part-timers wasn’t easy. It took them about a year to achieve six months of progress, if only they had taken the normal startup cycles.
Aside from its core offerings (mentoring social network and knowledge crowdsourcing that allows a user to upload his expertise, which can then be downloaded by other users for free or for a fee), bixnets.com also has bixDonate, a program that allows experts to donate a portion of their earnings to registered charities, entities dedicated to learning and community development, nonprofits, universities, and the like.
There is also an enterprise edition which allows a company’s workforce to share their expertise with other members of the same company through knowledge packaging and mentoring. Everything is deposited in one place for convenient future access.
[Via - Uncommon Business Blog]
Startups Founded By Former Google Employees - VinAudit.com
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
Hot startups - LearnVest
Free Salesforce Alternatives
7 Cool Freebie Sites And Services You Should Know About
Selasa, 25 Juni 2013
Business Ideas for Women, You Must Know!
This time business idea come from women? Women-owned businesses are on
the rise, according to the Small Business Association, and are now the
fastest-growing segment of new businesses in the U.S. economy.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home-mom wanting to start a home-based
business, a career-changer taking the plunge to entrepreneurship, or a
nine-to-fiver simply looking for additional income,
the rise, according to the Small Business Association, and are now the
fastest-growing segment of new businesses in the U.S. economy.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home-mom wanting to start a home-based
business, a career-changer taking the plunge to entrepreneurship, or a
nine-to-fiver simply looking for additional income,
Minggu, 23 Juni 2013
This is Definition of a Small Business?
What is the Definition of a Small Business? The Answer May Surprise You. When you picture a small business, what comes to mind? For most
people, the image is likely a solo entrepreneur, or a local company with
a handful of employees who are treated like family. Or you might
imagine a slightly larger business, with a few district branches and a
hundred or so employees. However, as currently
Sabtu, 22 Juni 2013
5 Job Skills For Your Resume
Ford R. Myers, career coach, speaker and author of the book "Get The Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring" (John Wiley & Sons, 2009) encourages job seekers to draw on a variety of past experiences, in both paid and non-paid positions, when applying for new employment.
There are lots of reasons it might be hard to cobble together a
decent resume. Maybe you've been unemployed for a long
Jumat, 21 Juni 2013
Business Lessons From 7 Successful Entrepreneurs
Starting a business can be exhausting, exciting and exhilarating--all
at the same time. This is precisely why it's refreshing to hear words
of encouragement from those who have done it before--and succeeded. We
spoke with entrepreneurs we admire to cull the single best bit of
startup advice they could muster--and the experiences that led to it.
They're simple mottoes, to be sure, but their
at the same time. This is precisely why it's refreshing to hear words
of encouragement from those who have done it before--and succeeded. We
spoke with entrepreneurs we admire to cull the single best bit of
startup advice they could muster--and the experiences that led to it.
They're simple mottoes, to be sure, but their
Kamis, 20 Juni 2013
New Crowdfunding Startup FundersClub Hopes To Changes The VC Game
Daily Advice Link - How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Releases
https://fundersclub.com/
While crowdfunding doesn't yet allow the 99 percent to invest in companies directly--Kickstarter and Indiegogo supporters typically only contribute or buy a future product--FundersClub is prying open the door to allow more people into the VC game.
The goal of the venture capital platform is to facilitate financing in early-stage companies for small but accredited investors who wish to make low minimum investments. The start-ups, meanwhile, have a better chance of lining up funding than they would from family, banks or angel investors.
Since attracting $6.5 million in VC funding last summer to launch the platform, San Francisco-based FundersClub has helped place more than $2.5 million into nine companies, including Soldsie, a startup that lets merchants sell directly on Facebook; Tracks.by, a social promotion platform for musicians; and Sponsorified, which connects brands with sponsorship opportunities.
The FundersClub website handles all financial transactions and legal paperwork for both investors and startups. Here's how it works.
Members must be accredited investors who earn more than $200,000 a year or have a net worth of more than $1 million. "We scaled from nobody to 5,000 registered, accredited investors in just six months," claims CEO Alex Mittal.
FundersClub sets up various funds to support pre-approved startups. The investors can pick which funds they want to buy into, putting up as little as $1,000 in exchange for equity in the fund.
Mittal says investors tend to be highly connected individuals from the likes of Apple, Facebook, Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company, and they're expected to offer expertise and connections to the startups. "The doors they can open are very important," he says.
"We're not looking for ideas," Mittal explains. "Companies should have legs and show success in monthly revenue growth and adoption numbers. They need to have the right people who can handle the challenges a young company faces."
Mittal's investment committee vets each company before passing it along to FundersClub's "Angel Panel," a vetting group of members (typically people with expertise in a startup's technology or target market). If the panel gives the thumbs-up, the nascent company creates a detailed profile with video introductions of the team and its product/services and sets an investment goal; this is then shared and viewed by the larger FundersClub investment community.
Yun-Fang Juan, a former Facebook engineer, was one of 72 FundersClub investors who contributed to the $425,000 raised for Soldsie. Juan liked the team and the idea so much that she signed on as Soldsie's fifth employee. "She knows Facebook inside and out, so we immediately gained expertise we didn't have before," says Soldsie CEO Chris Bennett. "That was huge for us--as important to us as the money."
[Via - Entrepreneur.Com]
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
Startup Reviews - BixNets.com
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
Hot startups - LearnVest
Zoho Alternatives
How To Get A Free Shared Workspace For Your Small Business
https://fundersclub.com/
While crowdfunding doesn't yet allow the 99 percent to invest in companies directly--Kickstarter and Indiegogo supporters typically only contribute or buy a future product--FundersClub is prying open the door to allow more people into the VC game.
The goal of the venture capital platform is to facilitate financing in early-stage companies for small but accredited investors who wish to make low minimum investments. The start-ups, meanwhile, have a better chance of lining up funding than they would from family, banks or angel investors.
Since attracting $6.5 million in VC funding last summer to launch the platform, San Francisco-based FundersClub has helped place more than $2.5 million into nine companies, including Soldsie, a startup that lets merchants sell directly on Facebook; Tracks.by, a social promotion platform for musicians; and Sponsorified, which connects brands with sponsorship opportunities.
The FundersClub website handles all financial transactions and legal paperwork for both investors and startups. Here's how it works.
Members must be accredited investors who earn more than $200,000 a year or have a net worth of more than $1 million. "We scaled from nobody to 5,000 registered, accredited investors in just six months," claims CEO Alex Mittal.
FundersClub sets up various funds to support pre-approved startups. The investors can pick which funds they want to buy into, putting up as little as $1,000 in exchange for equity in the fund.
Mittal says investors tend to be highly connected individuals from the likes of Apple, Facebook, Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company, and they're expected to offer expertise and connections to the startups. "The doors they can open are very important," he says.
"We're not looking for ideas," Mittal explains. "Companies should have legs and show success in monthly revenue growth and adoption numbers. They need to have the right people who can handle the challenges a young company faces."
Mittal's investment committee vets each company before passing it along to FundersClub's "Angel Panel," a vetting group of members (typically people with expertise in a startup's technology or target market). If the panel gives the thumbs-up, the nascent company creates a detailed profile with video introductions of the team and its product/services and sets an investment goal; this is then shared and viewed by the larger FundersClub investment community.
Yun-Fang Juan, a former Facebook engineer, was one of 72 FundersClub investors who contributed to the $425,000 raised for Soldsie. Juan liked the team and the idea so much that she signed on as Soldsie's fifth employee. "She knows Facebook inside and out, so we immediately gained expertise we didn't have before," says Soldsie CEO Chris Bennett. "That was huge for us--as important to us as the money."
[Via - Entrepreneur.Com]
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
Startup Reviews - BixNets.com
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
Hot startups - LearnVest
Zoho Alternatives
How To Get A Free Shared Workspace For Your Small Business
Three Steps to Making Branding Message
BMW is the "ultimate driving machine." Apple customers "think
different." Nike's message -- "Just do it" -- is ubiquitous with the brand. You only have one value proposition and you want it to stick in your customers'
minds.
In my column "The Secret to a Strong Branding Message? Focus,"
I discuss the need to be one thing in the minds of your customers. But
how do you determine what that
different." Nike's message -- "Just do it" -- is ubiquitous with the brand. You only have one value proposition and you want it to stick in your customers'
minds.
In my column "The Secret to a Strong Branding Message? Focus,"
I discuss the need to be one thing in the minds of your customers. But
how do you determine what that
Selasa, 18 Juni 2013
Several Rules Of a Successful Business
Achieving success is everyone's dream, every business success or failure happens for a reason. Business
success could be attributed to hard work, patience, teamwork,
intelligence, consistency, and some luck or blessings. On the other
hand, business failure
could be attributed to indolence, impatience, greed, foolishness,
incompatibility, and some misfortune or inevitable disasters.
Like
success could be attributed to hard work, patience, teamwork,
intelligence, consistency, and some luck or blessings. On the other
hand, business failure
could be attributed to indolence, impatience, greed, foolishness,
incompatibility, and some misfortune or inevitable disasters.
Like
Senin, 17 Juni 2013
How to Buy a Business in Australia
So now its time to take that big plunge and be your own boss.
Where will I start? What do I look for? And for that matter what
business will I buy? Will I relocate? Can I get finance? Who do I go to
for the right advise?
These are just a few of the concerns when you decide on buying a business and believe me its not an easy road ahead, but with the right advise and the right business for you there are rewards unlimited to help you on the way to building a bank and a good quality of life. This article will help you all the way.
Important Points when Buying a Business
Every day I receive emails from purchasers and business owners needing assistance in selling or buying. I use my many years of experience in business sales and running a chain of shops to assist them in the right decision for them. It's a bit like a psychologist really. Its just not a sale for me, it's a dedication.
The first thing to remember is you must get it right the first time because the business you buy you should be in for at least 4 to 7 years. I advise my vendors and purchasers to give yourself a 4 year plan. You may love the business so much you want to stay longer but the majority of people are burnt out after 4 years and are looking for a change, especially if it's a café or restaurant, and if you feel it's wearing you down the business will suffer if you don't sell then and of course you won't achieve a good price if the business is run down.
Finding a Business!
I find in my business newspaper advertising brings me very little sales. My statistics tell me a genuine purchaser will go to the search engines to find a broker and scan the listings. We do use the papers to get our website name out there and this works to our advantage far more than a long expensive add that lasts one day. Our site http://www.bestbusinessbuyes.com.au is the most valuable tool we have and our journal Best Business Buys gives you months of good reading to give a purchaser information on how to buy and where. So scan the net under search engines business brokers, if you can not find a business on our site there are other brokers listed that may be of assistance to you. Or better still tell us what you want and we will go find it for you!
Anywhere in Australia.
Problems with Newspaper Adverts
You will often see a private add in the paper and you may think this is great, we will cut out the agent and get the business cheaper.
DON'T BE FOOLED!
Now I am not saying all private adds are no good, some may work out, but in my experience those people who try to do it themselves do it because they have either been burnt by an agent not servicing their business, so they think they will do it alone, or the profit is low in the business and they need a quick sale, or of course the common one the agents fee offends the owner and he thinks he can do it better himself. Or he may think the advertising costs to sell his business is less if he dose it himself.
WRONG!
When you are dealing with a private sale you feel uncomfortable saying what you really think, and uncomfortable asking certain questions so as not to offend the owner. With a broker you can be open and tell us all your concerns. We will work them out with the owner and rectify them if possible. We as the agents should now the business as well as the owners, that's our job. I look at a business when I list it as my own and sell it as if it was my own. A good broker should be there to help you with that sale to the end. Too many owners who try to sell themselves end up in conflict with their buyers.
And after a few months of failures TRYING to qualify buyers he finds out it's not that easy & worst of it he has given out his figures all over town for all the clients to see, so the business you are looking at has been exposed to untold people who may be using that information to start down the road.
The poor owner ends up coming to us anyway. Remember if you stay with the broker handling the sale of the business he should be the one to assist you all the way, and if that business does not work out the best for you he most often then not will find you another.
You Have Found the Business you Want to Buy!
The first thing you will need is finance. Are you already cashed up? Or do you need finance. Are you on a redundancy package? These are all the questions your broker should ask before you plunge into a sale.
We are financiers and finance most of the businesses we sell without supplying figures to obtain the loan. Remember the majority of businesses do not always show the true figures of the business but if you look back at the ad backs of that business the business may be a very viable business. Most accountants will reduce the net profits for a business, so the tax implications are not so high for that business. If the adjusted profits are good the business is saleable and your broker will advise you of this at the time. But never, ever buy a business on hearsay of the takings, if its not in BALACK AND WHITE in the accountants formatted profit and loss statement then its not considered saleable. Never buy unseen profits.
Business Finance
For finance to buy the business you will need to complete an application. This way you will know how much you can afford to borrow on the business you are looking at. Not all Brokers are financiers! We are and sell businesses because of it. We use a financier who lends without looking at the figures of the business you are about to buy. But with other institutions such as banks or private lenders you will need the following.
We will arrange finance for you without an up front fee. Most finance brokers charge a fee of between $3,000 &$ 6,000 to get you your finance. We at Arwon Realty do this FREE because we are paid on settlement to sell the business by our vendors (owners). It is in our best interest to get the finance for our buyers so we in turn can get the business sold, and therefore offer a better service to our vendors when listing their business. We finance 90% of all business sold!
What will I need to supply to my Finance Broker?
- Profit and loss statements of the business you are purchasing
- Bank statements for your own personal accounts.
- Pay slips of your current employment or if self employed a profit and loss statement for the past three years of trading
- Mortgage documents for your existing home or properties
or sales contracts for freehold you hold in your and your partner's name.
- Personal information, date of birth or passport (photo copy of drivers license)
- CRA credit check (you can do this yourself for a cost of $29.00)
- The rates notice of the homes in your name
- Liability and asset declaration.
- The amount you needed to borrow (You must include the cost of solicitors for advise and contracts.)
Accountants advise: Do it! That way you know you are covered. I have lost many sales from Accountants advising their clients not to buy and seen many unhappy buyers losing out on a sale because an account has breezed over the figures and said no don't buy! But at least if you do take the plunge and buy anyway after you have had that advise you are assured you did get advice if something does go wrong. After all your accountant is paid to look after you and professional accountants will ring us or the vendor's accountant to get the full story of the business!
There are good and bad accountants just like there are good and bad brokers. It's important to check the licenses of all your professional people. Find out how long they have been in the profession and their experience in that field before engaging them.
We work with both the accountants while selling the business and are more than happy to answer all questions relating to the business in question. We will also arrange appointments for your accountant to speech with the vendor's accountant if required.
It's always wise to stay with the accountant who handles the business you are purchasing, that's if he is a helpful accountant, if he knows that business well. It's a big plus to continue on with him, after all he is the one that will advise you when you are ready to sell.
Many people use more than one accountant today. I find a good accountant who knows a business well is a must to stick with it till the end. I have dealt will some excellent accountants. Two that come to mind are in my local town and are as good as any on this planet they are dedicated to their clients and have help me evenly throughout my last two sales (MCW Accounting Tumut, Paisley's Accounting Tumut and Steven Walker & C.O Tumut) These accountants are totally dedicated to their client's businesses and have enhanced the sale of two of the best businesses in town by showing truthful and accurate accounting.
Your Business Broker
As Brokers we will supply your accountant a profile on the business so its easy for him to understand. Always insist on a profile when looking at a business. This will give you all the information you need to convince you this is the right business for you. It will include all the statistics of the business and a good breakdown of the figures the reasons for the sale price, etc.
Your broker may ask you to sign a confidentiality agreement. This is essential to protect the vendor under the confidentiality act. Sign it and send it back ASAP. It does not commit you to buying the business. It is a mandatory requirement before you look over the figures. You will find your broker will not send you figures if you don't sign.
If you have made your decision to buy the business be sure you are proceeding before you commit! Put in an offer only when you are ready to proceed. Is this is the business for you can you see yourself in for the next few years? Is the family happy with the move and the change, and most of all is the business viable for you?
I sold a produce store in Tumut recently to a buyer from Magnet Island who owned a bed and breakfast (would you believe), and they are just loving it and doing very well, so don't be scared to take the plunge and move on. Most of our buyers are relocating and the stories I have to tell are just amazing!
Look around be sure the area is where you see yourself for the next 5 years. If you are relocating ask your broker to give you the statistics on that area, home prices schools etc.
As Brokers and licensed Business agents we pride ourselves on relocating people and finding them the best business for them, but it's a big plus if the buyer has some idea of what he feels comfortable working in, and after we produce the information to him and his accountant we expect if all is OK he will proceed. If you have doubts tell your broker. Its unfair to hold up the sale for another interested party.
You will then need to sign an offer to purchase the business. We have a standard offer to purchase, this will give you the rights to proceed. The time normally for the option is one week from agreeing to proceed and this also takes the business off the market. It includes a deposit normally of 1% of the purchase price. This deposit is not refundable should you decide to pull out of the sale, unless it specifies subject to the reasons why you have pulled out.
So do your homework first! Be sure your accountant is happy with the figures. Your finance is approved and you are confident you are 100% proceeding before you signed on the dotted line.
Your broker will then issue sales advice to the Vendors Solicitors with all the conditions included that you require, such as the lease terms and training requirements. After they have looked over the advice and done their investigations for the sale they will prepare the contracts and send them to your Solicitor for exchange of contracts. You will need then to pay a 10% deposit on the business. This is normally arranged by the finance broker, if you have applied for finance, and can be done in a deposit bond or cheque. This is deposited into your agent's trust account until settlement.
You should have a Solicitor picked out before you decide to look around so you are confident with him when you are ready to proceed.
At Arwon Realty we stick tight with the Solicitors through out the sale keeping in contact with them throughout the progress all the way for a smooth settlement.
The contracts should take no longer than 2 weeks to prepare and when the exchange of contract takes place this means you now are totally committed to purchase this business. Any problems should be sorted out between the two solicitors in this time.
The contracts are exchanged between the two solicitors and settlement should take place in the next 2 - 4 weeks. Business sales are always longer than the normal residential sales as the solicitors are responsible to see you have a new or exchanged lease for the business. If the property is included in the sale a 149 certificate (zoning and compliance certificate) must be sort by the council to check out the compliances with council this take longer than normal.
Before settlement you have 2 weeks prior and 2 weeks after settlement for training. Your vendor must give you this time to help you understand the running of the business. We advise the training is done after settlement so both parties are not showing their nervousness while running the business. This could cause the customers to feel a little uneasy.
We advise our vendors not to inform the staff of the sale until exchange of contract for the same reasons. Your finance must be in the solicitor's office 48 hours before settlement for a smooth transaction. Your agent will hold the deposit of the business 10% on exchange of contract and this will be in her trust account until she receives an order on the agent from the solicitors on both sides.
Settlement Day!
We will be there with you for the stocktake. Now some businesses advertise their business WIWO. That means whatever the stock is in the business when you take over is yours and we don't count the costs of the stock on settlement. If the add states + stock then we have to stocktake before settlement and this is done before mostly the evening before, after close of the till, with both present and an independent person to help with the stocktake.
So now you are the proud owner of a business that should if your broker has worked for you be the best asset you now have and we wish you all the very best of luck and look forward to the day we can asset you in selling for a higher profit!
These are just a few of the concerns when you decide on buying a business and believe me its not an easy road ahead, but with the right advise and the right business for you there are rewards unlimited to help you on the way to building a bank and a good quality of life. This article will help you all the way.
Important Points when Buying a Business
Every day I receive emails from purchasers and business owners needing assistance in selling or buying. I use my many years of experience in business sales and running a chain of shops to assist them in the right decision for them. It's a bit like a psychologist really. Its just not a sale for me, it's a dedication.
The first thing to remember is you must get it right the first time because the business you buy you should be in for at least 4 to 7 years. I advise my vendors and purchasers to give yourself a 4 year plan. You may love the business so much you want to stay longer but the majority of people are burnt out after 4 years and are looking for a change, especially if it's a café or restaurant, and if you feel it's wearing you down the business will suffer if you don't sell then and of course you won't achieve a good price if the business is run down.
Finding a Business!
I find in my business newspaper advertising brings me very little sales. My statistics tell me a genuine purchaser will go to the search engines to find a broker and scan the listings. We do use the papers to get our website name out there and this works to our advantage far more than a long expensive add that lasts one day. Our site http://www.bestbusinessbuyes.com.au is the most valuable tool we have and our journal Best Business Buys gives you months of good reading to give a purchaser information on how to buy and where. So scan the net under search engines business brokers, if you can not find a business on our site there are other brokers listed that may be of assistance to you. Or better still tell us what you want and we will go find it for you!
Anywhere in Australia.
Problems with Newspaper Adverts
You will often see a private add in the paper and you may think this is great, we will cut out the agent and get the business cheaper.
DON'T BE FOOLED!
Now I am not saying all private adds are no good, some may work out, but in my experience those people who try to do it themselves do it because they have either been burnt by an agent not servicing their business, so they think they will do it alone, or the profit is low in the business and they need a quick sale, or of course the common one the agents fee offends the owner and he thinks he can do it better himself. Or he may think the advertising costs to sell his business is less if he dose it himself.
WRONG!
When you are dealing with a private sale you feel uncomfortable saying what you really think, and uncomfortable asking certain questions so as not to offend the owner. With a broker you can be open and tell us all your concerns. We will work them out with the owner and rectify them if possible. We as the agents should now the business as well as the owners, that's our job. I look at a business when I list it as my own and sell it as if it was my own. A good broker should be there to help you with that sale to the end. Too many owners who try to sell themselves end up in conflict with their buyers.
And after a few months of failures TRYING to qualify buyers he finds out it's not that easy & worst of it he has given out his figures all over town for all the clients to see, so the business you are looking at has been exposed to untold people who may be using that information to start down the road.
The poor owner ends up coming to us anyway. Remember if you stay with the broker handling the sale of the business he should be the one to assist you all the way, and if that business does not work out the best for you he most often then not will find you another.
You Have Found the Business you Want to Buy!
The first thing you will need is finance. Are you already cashed up? Or do you need finance. Are you on a redundancy package? These are all the questions your broker should ask before you plunge into a sale.
We are financiers and finance most of the businesses we sell without supplying figures to obtain the loan. Remember the majority of businesses do not always show the true figures of the business but if you look back at the ad backs of that business the business may be a very viable business. Most accountants will reduce the net profits for a business, so the tax implications are not so high for that business. If the adjusted profits are good the business is saleable and your broker will advise you of this at the time. But never, ever buy a business on hearsay of the takings, if its not in BALACK AND WHITE in the accountants formatted profit and loss statement then its not considered saleable. Never buy unseen profits.
Business Finance
For finance to buy the business you will need to complete an application. This way you will know how much you can afford to borrow on the business you are looking at. Not all Brokers are financiers! We are and sell businesses because of it. We use a financier who lends without looking at the figures of the business you are about to buy. But with other institutions such as banks or private lenders you will need the following.
We will arrange finance for you without an up front fee. Most finance brokers charge a fee of between $3,000 &$ 6,000 to get you your finance. We at Arwon Realty do this FREE because we are paid on settlement to sell the business by our vendors (owners). It is in our best interest to get the finance for our buyers so we in turn can get the business sold, and therefore offer a better service to our vendors when listing their business. We finance 90% of all business sold!
What will I need to supply to my Finance Broker?
- Profit and loss statements of the business you are purchasing
- Bank statements for your own personal accounts.
- Pay slips of your current employment or if self employed a profit and loss statement for the past three years of trading
- Mortgage documents for your existing home or properties
or sales contracts for freehold you hold in your and your partner's name.
- Personal information, date of birth or passport (photo copy of drivers license)
- CRA credit check (you can do this yourself for a cost of $29.00)
- The rates notice of the homes in your name
- Liability and asset declaration.
- The amount you needed to borrow (You must include the cost of solicitors for advise and contracts.)
Accountants advise: Do it! That way you know you are covered. I have lost many sales from Accountants advising their clients not to buy and seen many unhappy buyers losing out on a sale because an account has breezed over the figures and said no don't buy! But at least if you do take the plunge and buy anyway after you have had that advise you are assured you did get advice if something does go wrong. After all your accountant is paid to look after you and professional accountants will ring us or the vendor's accountant to get the full story of the business!
There are good and bad accountants just like there are good and bad brokers. It's important to check the licenses of all your professional people. Find out how long they have been in the profession and their experience in that field before engaging them.
We work with both the accountants while selling the business and are more than happy to answer all questions relating to the business in question. We will also arrange appointments for your accountant to speech with the vendor's accountant if required.
It's always wise to stay with the accountant who handles the business you are purchasing, that's if he is a helpful accountant, if he knows that business well. It's a big plus to continue on with him, after all he is the one that will advise you when you are ready to sell.
Many people use more than one accountant today. I find a good accountant who knows a business well is a must to stick with it till the end. I have dealt will some excellent accountants. Two that come to mind are in my local town and are as good as any on this planet they are dedicated to their clients and have help me evenly throughout my last two sales (MCW Accounting Tumut, Paisley's Accounting Tumut and Steven Walker & C.O Tumut) These accountants are totally dedicated to their client's businesses and have enhanced the sale of two of the best businesses in town by showing truthful and accurate accounting.
Your Business Broker
As Brokers we will supply your accountant a profile on the business so its easy for him to understand. Always insist on a profile when looking at a business. This will give you all the information you need to convince you this is the right business for you. It will include all the statistics of the business and a good breakdown of the figures the reasons for the sale price, etc.
Your broker may ask you to sign a confidentiality agreement. This is essential to protect the vendor under the confidentiality act. Sign it and send it back ASAP. It does not commit you to buying the business. It is a mandatory requirement before you look over the figures. You will find your broker will not send you figures if you don't sign.
If you have made your decision to buy the business be sure you are proceeding before you commit! Put in an offer only when you are ready to proceed. Is this is the business for you can you see yourself in for the next few years? Is the family happy with the move and the change, and most of all is the business viable for you?
I sold a produce store in Tumut recently to a buyer from Magnet Island who owned a bed and breakfast (would you believe), and they are just loving it and doing very well, so don't be scared to take the plunge and move on. Most of our buyers are relocating and the stories I have to tell are just amazing!
Look around be sure the area is where you see yourself for the next 5 years. If you are relocating ask your broker to give you the statistics on that area, home prices schools etc.
As Brokers and licensed Business agents we pride ourselves on relocating people and finding them the best business for them, but it's a big plus if the buyer has some idea of what he feels comfortable working in, and after we produce the information to him and his accountant we expect if all is OK he will proceed. If you have doubts tell your broker. Its unfair to hold up the sale for another interested party.
You will then need to sign an offer to purchase the business. We have a standard offer to purchase, this will give you the rights to proceed. The time normally for the option is one week from agreeing to proceed and this also takes the business off the market. It includes a deposit normally of 1% of the purchase price. This deposit is not refundable should you decide to pull out of the sale, unless it specifies subject to the reasons why you have pulled out.
So do your homework first! Be sure your accountant is happy with the figures. Your finance is approved and you are confident you are 100% proceeding before you signed on the dotted line.
Your broker will then issue sales advice to the Vendors Solicitors with all the conditions included that you require, such as the lease terms and training requirements. After they have looked over the advice and done their investigations for the sale they will prepare the contracts and send them to your Solicitor for exchange of contracts. You will need then to pay a 10% deposit on the business. This is normally arranged by the finance broker, if you have applied for finance, and can be done in a deposit bond or cheque. This is deposited into your agent's trust account until settlement.
You should have a Solicitor picked out before you decide to look around so you are confident with him when you are ready to proceed.
At Arwon Realty we stick tight with the Solicitors through out the sale keeping in contact with them throughout the progress all the way for a smooth settlement.
The contracts should take no longer than 2 weeks to prepare and when the exchange of contract takes place this means you now are totally committed to purchase this business. Any problems should be sorted out between the two solicitors in this time.
The contracts are exchanged between the two solicitors and settlement should take place in the next 2 - 4 weeks. Business sales are always longer than the normal residential sales as the solicitors are responsible to see you have a new or exchanged lease for the business. If the property is included in the sale a 149 certificate (zoning and compliance certificate) must be sort by the council to check out the compliances with council this take longer than normal.
Before settlement you have 2 weeks prior and 2 weeks after settlement for training. Your vendor must give you this time to help you understand the running of the business. We advise the training is done after settlement so both parties are not showing their nervousness while running the business. This could cause the customers to feel a little uneasy.
We advise our vendors not to inform the staff of the sale until exchange of contract for the same reasons. Your finance must be in the solicitor's office 48 hours before settlement for a smooth transaction. Your agent will hold the deposit of the business 10% on exchange of contract and this will be in her trust account until she receives an order on the agent from the solicitors on both sides.
Settlement Day!
We will be there with you for the stocktake. Now some businesses advertise their business WIWO. That means whatever the stock is in the business when you take over is yours and we don't count the costs of the stock on settlement. If the add states + stock then we have to stocktake before settlement and this is done before mostly the evening before, after close of the till, with both present and an independent person to help with the stocktake.
So now you are the proud owner of a business that should if your broker has worked for you be the best asset you now have and we wish you all the very best of luck and look forward to the day we can asset you in selling for a higher profit!
Various Ways to Make Money Online From Blog
Are you blogger? if yes, you are lucky, you can make money online using your blog. blogging is fun and pleasurable if you do it for passion. However, we
have to admit that we need to earn money to cover our expenses from
blogging, such as our domain name registration fee, web hosting, and
other expenses related to updating our blog regularly and keeping it
lively.
Furthermore, not all
have to admit that we need to earn money to cover our expenses from
blogging, such as our domain name registration fee, web hosting, and
other expenses related to updating our blog regularly and keeping it
lively.
Furthermore, not all
Hot Startups - Bitrix24
Bitrix24.com is a new SaaS (software as a service) cloud based social intranet platform that makes corporate intranet easily available to smaller companies. It does not take any time to deploy (everything is already installed and set up) and doesn’t cost anything if it’s used by companies with fewer than 12 employees.
At first, Bitrix24 looks like corporate Facebook – there is the wall or activity stream where different employees engage in discussions and vote by ‘liking’ ideas, documents or workgroups. There are also instant messenger and photogallery. This is where the similarities end.
The first important Bitrix24 module is free CRM (customer relationship module) that comes with a database for clients and prospects that are easily sorted by events (phone call or meeting, for instance). Next comes the sales funnel that divides clients into easy-to-work-with groups - new prospects, first contact, requested quote, scheduled meeting, negotiations and sales, for example (the actual setup is customizable). Bitrix24 free CRM is designed for easy interactions with clients. For example, you can send an e-mail to a certain group as well as import/export any client information. You can also set Bitrix24 to automatically import ‘leads’ that are generated by any site into the CRM.
The second important module is document management. This module allows storing, editing and collaborating on various documents with co-workers. The documents can be made private (visible to document owner only) or shared. Bitrix24 also tracks version history, making it possible to revert to older version of the document, if necessary. Importantly, you can map a single document library or all of your document libraries to a network drive on your local machine literally in 2 clicks using WebDav. That means that whether you use Windows, Mac OS, or Linux, you will be able to see the documents in the intranet locally through your file manager.
Third and fourth are planning and task/project management modules. These include calendar, work reports, absentee charts, meeting scheduler, personalized to-do lists, time management tools, even Gantt charts for easy visualization of progress made on specific projects. The employees are split into workgroups and access rights are assigned to each individual. For example, the department head may see work reports of his subordinates only, while vice-president is able to view every work report made by any employee.
Because companies tend to outsource or hire outside contractors/freelancer Bitrix24 allows one to easily integrate those into workgroups and give non-employees access to corporate intranet with restricted rights specified as necessary. Also, for higher mobility, Bitrix24.com can be easily accessed via iPhone, iPad or any Android based device.
As mentioned, Bitrix24.com is free when used by 12 employees or fewer. Bitrix24.com can be used by unlimited numbers of workers for $99 a month. Unlike other similar services, Bitrix24.com doesn’t charge extra for each additional employee, since it is cloud based and ample storage is available. The premium version is priced at $199 a month.
[Via - MadConomist.com]
My Name Is Beer, Mr.Beer
PeakGames - The Biggest Game Developer You Never Heard About
From 0 To $30,000 A Month With Dropshipping
Duolingo Review
How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Release
101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads
New Startup Pays Experts To Answer Questions
At first, Bitrix24 looks like corporate Facebook – there is the wall or activity stream where different employees engage in discussions and vote by ‘liking’ ideas, documents or workgroups. There are also instant messenger and photogallery. This is where the similarities end.
The first important Bitrix24 module is free CRM (customer relationship module) that comes with a database for clients and prospects that are easily sorted by events (phone call or meeting, for instance). Next comes the sales funnel that divides clients into easy-to-work-with groups - new prospects, first contact, requested quote, scheduled meeting, negotiations and sales, for example (the actual setup is customizable). Bitrix24 free CRM is designed for easy interactions with clients. For example, you can send an e-mail to a certain group as well as import/export any client information. You can also set Bitrix24 to automatically import ‘leads’ that are generated by any site into the CRM.
The second important module is document management. This module allows storing, editing and collaborating on various documents with co-workers. The documents can be made private (visible to document owner only) or shared. Bitrix24 also tracks version history, making it possible to revert to older version of the document, if necessary. Importantly, you can map a single document library or all of your document libraries to a network drive on your local machine literally in 2 clicks using WebDav. That means that whether you use Windows, Mac OS, or Linux, you will be able to see the documents in the intranet locally through your file manager.
Third and fourth are planning and task/project management modules. These include calendar, work reports, absentee charts, meeting scheduler, personalized to-do lists, time management tools, even Gantt charts for easy visualization of progress made on specific projects. The employees are split into workgroups and access rights are assigned to each individual. For example, the department head may see work reports of his subordinates only, while vice-president is able to view every work report made by any employee.
Because companies tend to outsource or hire outside contractors/freelancer Bitrix24 allows one to easily integrate those into workgroups and give non-employees access to corporate intranet with restricted rights specified as necessary. Also, for higher mobility, Bitrix24.com can be easily accessed via iPhone, iPad or any Android based device.
As mentioned, Bitrix24.com is free when used by 12 employees or fewer. Bitrix24.com can be used by unlimited numbers of workers for $99 a month. Unlike other similar services, Bitrix24.com doesn’t charge extra for each additional employee, since it is cloud based and ample storage is available. The premium version is priced at $199 a month.
[Via - MadConomist.com]
My Name Is Beer, Mr.Beer
PeakGames - The Biggest Game Developer You Never Heard About
From 0 To $30,000 A Month With Dropshipping
Duolingo Review
How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Release
101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads
New Startup Pays Experts To Answer Questions
Minggu, 16 Juni 2013
12 Business Leadership Lessons
Business Leadership Lessons From Boy Scout Law : Every week, you can find thousands of boys and young men across the
nation attending their local Boy Scout meeting, learning the values and
skills every good American man should know. With former Boy Scouts
everywhere in today’s business world, it’s no wonder that their twelve
pillars of Scout Law (pictured above) are incorporated into the way
nation attending their local Boy Scout meeting, learning the values and
skills every good American man should know. With former Boy Scouts
everywhere in today’s business world, it’s no wonder that their twelve
pillars of Scout Law (pictured above) are incorporated into the way
Sabtu, 15 Juni 2013
Follow These Small Business Events, Contests and Awards
Featured Events, Contests and Awards
Big Awards for Business
August 14, 2013, Online
The Big Awards started with a mission of recognizing real talent and
performance. Real business people, those with experience and knowledge,
judge the Big Awards. Request an entry kit today and submit your
nomination by August 14, 2013.
Discount Code : SBT50 ($50.00 off)
WBENC National Conference &
Will Thumbtack Become The Yelp Of Local Contractors?
Daily Advice Link - How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Releases
http://www.thumbtack.com/
Companies from Angie’s List to Yelp to HomeAdvisor have tried over the past decade to crack the U.S. market for plumbing, gardening, and other local services by developing an online database for homeowners looking for reliable referrals. There have been limited successes but no breakout leader, partly because many of the nation’s tens of millions of local small business owners spend relatively little time on the Web and run their businesses the old-fashioned way, with a pen and pocket calendar.
Now there’s a new entrant in this crowded field, Thumbtack. The San Francisco startup has operated quietly for four years, building a database of more than 250,000 service professionals who can pay the company fees for referrals. They include home maintenance workers and a wider range of occupations, from wedding officiants to yoga instructors. Thumbtack planned to announce on June 13 that it has raised $12.5 million from a group of investors, led by Sequoia Capital, that are chasing the chance to build the next great online e-commerce hub. “The long-term vision is to build the Amazon for services,” says Marco Zappacosta, Thumbtack’s 27-year-old chief executive officer. “We want to build the kind of brand that the Yellow Pages had for decades.”
Zappacosta and co-founder Jonathan Swanson, 30, say they conceived of the company in 2008 in the West Wing of the White House, where they were working for the National Economic Council under George W. Bush. While they weren’t the first to notice that people have “bought and sold local services in the same ways for the last 50 years,” as Swanson puts it, their twist was to develop software, instead of using salespeople, to scour the Web for service professionals and invite them to join Thumbtack’s database. From there, the workers are vetted by the company’s 30 U.S. employees and some 200 full-time contractors based in the Philippines.
Thumbtack says it gets about 2 million monthly visitors who request referrals and provide their Zip Code. It sends each request to relevant workers in its system, who pay up to $15 each time to have their names appear in the particular customer’s list of referrals. The company likens the fees to Google’s AdWords, which sells ad space to the right of search results for desired words and phrases. (Yelp is ad-supported; Angie’s List charges users for subscriptions.)
If its database doesn’t include a qualified service to meet the customer’s needs, Thumbtack’s software crawls the Web to find one. “The hard part is finding the right service professional who is trusted and is available at the right time and at the right price,” says Bryan Schreier, a Sequoia Capital partner who is leading the investment. “That is the art of Thumbtack.”
Thumbtack will have to work hard to keep its database stocked with reliable small business owners. Trying to fulfill all kinds of jobs in every corner of the country, its founders say, is the heart of its challenge, and how it plans to use its new capital. It already has some satisfied vendors: Ricky Jackson, a personal trainer from Houston who goes by the name Coach, joined Thumbtack last year and credits it with a 75 percent increase in business. The key to exploiting the service, he says, is to stop whatever he’s doing and respond promptly to its e-mail and text alerts. “There are probably four other personal trainers that are always as aggressive as I am, and there should probably be 400,” Jackson says. “It’s a quiet little secret.”
[Via - BusinessWeek.com]
Startups Founded By Former Google Employees - VinAudit.com
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
Hot startups - LearnVest
Free Salesforce Alternatives
7 Cool Freebie Sites And Services You Should Know About
http://www.thumbtack.com/
Companies from Angie’s List to Yelp to HomeAdvisor have tried over the past decade to crack the U.S. market for plumbing, gardening, and other local services by developing an online database for homeowners looking for reliable referrals. There have been limited successes but no breakout leader, partly because many of the nation’s tens of millions of local small business owners spend relatively little time on the Web and run their businesses the old-fashioned way, with a pen and pocket calendar.
Now there’s a new entrant in this crowded field, Thumbtack. The San Francisco startup has operated quietly for four years, building a database of more than 250,000 service professionals who can pay the company fees for referrals. They include home maintenance workers and a wider range of occupations, from wedding officiants to yoga instructors. Thumbtack planned to announce on June 13 that it has raised $12.5 million from a group of investors, led by Sequoia Capital, that are chasing the chance to build the next great online e-commerce hub. “The long-term vision is to build the Amazon for services,” says Marco Zappacosta, Thumbtack’s 27-year-old chief executive officer. “We want to build the kind of brand that the Yellow Pages had for decades.”
Zappacosta and co-founder Jonathan Swanson, 30, say they conceived of the company in 2008 in the West Wing of the White House, where they were working for the National Economic Council under George W. Bush. While they weren’t the first to notice that people have “bought and sold local services in the same ways for the last 50 years,” as Swanson puts it, their twist was to develop software, instead of using salespeople, to scour the Web for service professionals and invite them to join Thumbtack’s database. From there, the workers are vetted by the company’s 30 U.S. employees and some 200 full-time contractors based in the Philippines.
Thumbtack says it gets about 2 million monthly visitors who request referrals and provide their Zip Code. It sends each request to relevant workers in its system, who pay up to $15 each time to have their names appear in the particular customer’s list of referrals. The company likens the fees to Google’s AdWords, which sells ad space to the right of search results for desired words and phrases. (Yelp is ad-supported; Angie’s List charges users for subscriptions.)
If its database doesn’t include a qualified service to meet the customer’s needs, Thumbtack’s software crawls the Web to find one. “The hard part is finding the right service professional who is trusted and is available at the right time and at the right price,” says Bryan Schreier, a Sequoia Capital partner who is leading the investment. “That is the art of Thumbtack.”
Thumbtack will have to work hard to keep its database stocked with reliable small business owners. Trying to fulfill all kinds of jobs in every corner of the country, its founders say, is the heart of its challenge, and how it plans to use its new capital. It already has some satisfied vendors: Ricky Jackson, a personal trainer from Houston who goes by the name Coach, joined Thumbtack last year and credits it with a 75 percent increase in business. The key to exploiting the service, he says, is to stop whatever he’s doing and respond promptly to its e-mail and text alerts. “There are probably four other personal trainers that are always as aggressive as I am, and there should probably be 400,” Jackson says. “It’s a quiet little secret.”
[Via - BusinessWeek.com]
Startups Founded By Former Google Employees - VinAudit.com
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
Hot startups - LearnVest
Free Salesforce Alternatives
7 Cool Freebie Sites And Services You Should Know About
Jumat, 14 Juni 2013
Tips : How to protect a prepaid debit card
Prepaid debit cards are usable wherever credit cards work, protect
your privacy, and are - of course - compact. Not surprisingly, use of
the cards has been soaring: Mercator Advisory Group estimates that
consumers loaded $77 billion on these cards in 2012, and expects an
increase to $168 billion by 2015.
But there is a downside
to prepaid cards: All that privacy and ease of use comes with
your privacy, and are - of course - compact. Not surprisingly, use of
the cards has been soaring: Mercator Advisory Group estimates that
consumers loaded $77 billion on these cards in 2012, and expects an
increase to $168 billion by 2015.
But there is a downside
to prepaid cards: All that privacy and ease of use comes with
Kamis, 13 Juni 2013
Business Ideas : Some Banks Will Pay You to Open an Account
Would you open a new bank account for
$50? How about $100? A number of banks and credit unions will pay you
that much or more to become a new customer. what's the catch behind business idea ?
Citizens Bank is
offering a cash bonus of up to $175 to those who open a new personal
checking account by the end of the month. Key Bank will give you $150.
At TruMark Financial, a credit union in
$50? How about $100? A number of banks and credit unions will pay you
that much or more to become a new customer. what's the catch behind business idea ?
Citizens Bank is
offering a cash bonus of up to $175 to those who open a new personal
checking account by the end of the month. Key Bank will give you $150.
At TruMark Financial, a credit union in
Rabu, 12 Juni 2013
Business Idea : Customers To Be Investors
This is a business idea, Crowdinvesting: Businesses tempt customers to be investors, Like most business owners, Ahmed Jaber relies on his customers. They are the ones who flock to his warehouse
sales, snapping up the cut-price designer label fashion he has sourced
from across Europe and beyond,
Wisdom of the crowd: Is getting customers to buy small stakes in your business the new investment?
Selasa, 11 Juni 2013
Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Push US for Public Disclosure of Security Requests
Three of the largest Internet companies called on the U.S. government
to provide greater transparency on national security requests on
Tuesday, as they sought to distance themselves from reports that
portrayed the companies as willing partners in supplying mass data to
security agencies.
In similarly worded statements released within
hours on Tuesday, Google, Microsoft and Facebook all
to provide greater transparency on national security requests on
Tuesday, as they sought to distance themselves from reports that
portrayed the companies as willing partners in supplying mass data to
security agencies.
In similarly worded statements released within
hours on Tuesday, Google, Microsoft and Facebook all
Three Free SalesForce Alternatives That Are Better Than SalesForce
With 60 dollars per user per month (that’s if you want to have access to app marketplace where all the goodies are) and a two year minimum contract frequently required, SalesForce is out of reach for most small businesses. And it’s really a shame, because SalesForce is a great CRM. But don’t despair, here are three free SalesForce alternatives that are actually better at some things than SalesForce itself. Check out our SalesForce vs Bitrix24 vs Nimble vs Streak review.
1. Bitrix24.
Bitrix24 is the most popular and powerful free SalesForce alternative and for a good reason. In addition to offering an extensive CRM that’s 100% free for 12 users or less, it’s actually a much better SalesForce Chatter alternative than Chatter itself (social intranet). In fact, Bitrix24 comes packed with free goodies that SalesForce itself doesn’t offer (other than through third party integrations) – like project management, file sharing, mobile CRM, doc management, video chat and videoconferencing and so on. The best thing about Bitrix24 is that it offers you a choice – you can either use it as SaaS literally within a minute of being set up, or you can host it on your server and tweak it as you see fit.
2. Nimble CRM.
In the customer relationship management world the name Jon Ferrara (Nimble’s founder) carries the same weight as Mark Benioff – both were CRM pioneers. Mr. Ferrara has retired in the nineties to raise his children and recently returned to the market with social CRM. While Nimble isn’t nearly as powerful as Bitrix24 or SalesForce – its ‘social’ aspect does have a leg up on both systems. So if you do a lot of marketing, prospecting and sales through social networks like LinkedIn, FaceBook, Google+ or Twitter, you’ll be blown away by Nimble. And the fact that it’s 100% free for a solo use (single user) doesn’t hurt. After that, you pay $15 per user per month.
3. Streak CRM
Streak CRM is a newcomer to the already overcrowded marketplace – so hardly anyone knows about it, but the few users who do use it, swear that it does miracles for their GMail use. While Bitrix24 and Nimle decided that they want to eliminate e-mails in internal communications, Streak has embraced it, particularly GMail. Essentially, with Streak CRM you can use your GMail account for sales, hiring, bug tracking, and customer support. Streak is a Y Combinator startup, which means that if you are a techie, you’ll love it, but if you run a ‘normal’ business or don’t use GMail much, you should probably stick with Bitrix24. Oh, and since Streak is still in beta, it’s 100% free (paid plans are coming soon, according to the site).
Hot Startups - The Story of Hailo
Site of the day - PickyDomains.com, world's first risk free naming service
http://hailocab.com/
One day in 2011, three internet entrepreneurs set up a meeting with three cab drivers in a London cafe. Many hours later, they emerged as the six founders of Hailo, a mobile app that connects taxi drivers with passengers.
One of the 'treps, New York native Jay Bregman, harbored a near-obsession with the "fundamentally inefficient" taxi industry that stemmed from his previous venture, a highly successful same-day delivery company.
"Taxis in New York spend 40 percent of their time--in other cities, 60 percent of their time--cruising for fares, while people find it difficult to get a taxi," explains Bregman, Hailo's CEO. "And there was nobody to put them together."
During that fateful meeting, the three cabbies--with half a century of driving experience among them--provided insight that led to Hailo's unique solution: approaching the industry from the driver's perspective. "What we discovered was that in order to create the best passenger experience, we needed to focus on creating first the best driver experience," Bregman says.
Hailo's free driver app includes a location-based social network for taxi drivers, digital logbook and enterprise resource planning statistics. But the most important feature is a news feed where drivers can update their status, providing other cabbies with important information such as where more taxis are needed and which streets to avoid due to traffic. "We can get tens of thousands of drivers using this system before they ever accept a single customer,"
Bregman says. "That means by the time we have our first customer come onto the network, we nail that first-time experience." And they are nailing it: Hailo's passenger app boasts five-star ratings in the App Store and on Google Play from a combined 8,000 users.
The company launches the free passenger app once Hailo reaches a critical mass of drivers (the number is different in each city). Users can hail a cab and then pay for the ride with credit-card information stored on the app; a receipt is automatically e-mailed. In the U.S., passengers are charged a "Hailo fee" ranging from 99 cents to $3, depending on the city and time of day. In international cities where fares are higher, such as Dublin, Hailo charges drivers a 10 percent commission.
Hailo's aim is for passengers to be able to get a cab in two minutes, with two taps--a goal it has already achieved in London, where the service launched in November 2011. It is now the world's widest-reaching taxi app, operating in eight cities--including New York, Boston, Chicago, Toronto and Madrid--with Tokyo on deck for later this year. Hailo has received more than $50 million in funding and has facilitated rides for 3 million passengers from 30,000 registered cab drivers. Up next? World domination. Bregman says the platform has the potential to go beyond the taxi industry and create community networks to address inefficiencies in other markets. He won't share details, but says new offerings could be available by the end of the year.
[Via - Entrepreneur.com]
Hot startups - LearnVest
Free Social CRM Offers Built-In CRM
Cash in on Your Creativity: Get Paid for Coming Up with Clever Names, Domains, and Slogans
Startups Founded By Former Google Employees - VinAudit.com
Who Owns the Future?
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
10 Sites Where Students Can Earn Extra Cash
http://hailocab.com/
One day in 2011, three internet entrepreneurs set up a meeting with three cab drivers in a London cafe. Many hours later, they emerged as the six founders of Hailo, a mobile app that connects taxi drivers with passengers.
One of the 'treps, New York native Jay Bregman, harbored a near-obsession with the "fundamentally inefficient" taxi industry that stemmed from his previous venture, a highly successful same-day delivery company.
"Taxis in New York spend 40 percent of their time--in other cities, 60 percent of their time--cruising for fares, while people find it difficult to get a taxi," explains Bregman, Hailo's CEO. "And there was nobody to put them together."
During that fateful meeting, the three cabbies--with half a century of driving experience among them--provided insight that led to Hailo's unique solution: approaching the industry from the driver's perspective. "What we discovered was that in order to create the best passenger experience, we needed to focus on creating first the best driver experience," Bregman says.
Hailo's free driver app includes a location-based social network for taxi drivers, digital logbook and enterprise resource planning statistics. But the most important feature is a news feed where drivers can update their status, providing other cabbies with important information such as where more taxis are needed and which streets to avoid due to traffic. "We can get tens of thousands of drivers using this system before they ever accept a single customer,"
Bregman says. "That means by the time we have our first customer come onto the network, we nail that first-time experience." And they are nailing it: Hailo's passenger app boasts five-star ratings in the App Store and on Google Play from a combined 8,000 users.
The company launches the free passenger app once Hailo reaches a critical mass of drivers (the number is different in each city). Users can hail a cab and then pay for the ride with credit-card information stored on the app; a receipt is automatically e-mailed. In the U.S., passengers are charged a "Hailo fee" ranging from 99 cents to $3, depending on the city and time of day. In international cities where fares are higher, such as Dublin, Hailo charges drivers a 10 percent commission.
Hailo's aim is for passengers to be able to get a cab in two minutes, with two taps--a goal it has already achieved in London, where the service launched in November 2011. It is now the world's widest-reaching taxi app, operating in eight cities--including New York, Boston, Chicago, Toronto and Madrid--with Tokyo on deck for later this year. Hailo has received more than $50 million in funding and has facilitated rides for 3 million passengers from 30,000 registered cab drivers. Up next? World domination. Bregman says the platform has the potential to go beyond the taxi industry and create community networks to address inefficiencies in other markets. He won't share details, but says new offerings could be available by the end of the year.
[Via - Entrepreneur.com]
Hot startups - LearnVest
Free Social CRM Offers Built-In CRM
Cash in on Your Creativity: Get Paid for Coming Up with Clever Names, Domains, and Slogans
Startups Founded By Former Google Employees - VinAudit.com
Who Owns the Future?
PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into Millions
10 Sites Where Students Can Earn Extra Cash
Sabtu, 08 Juni 2013
Tips How to Build a Relationship With Employees
Build good relationship with employee is very important, we know that a good relationship with your employees in the workplace
is vital to every organization’s success. Therefore, without much
introduction, here are important steps and tips on how you can build an
effective and fruitful relationship with your workers.
1. Offer a long lasting relationship.
Develop a
relationship that is not
is vital to every organization’s success. Therefore, without much
introduction, here are important steps and tips on how you can build an
effective and fruitful relationship with your workers.
1. Offer a long lasting relationship.
Develop a
relationship that is not
Jumat, 07 Juni 2013
Tips and Tactics to Improve Online Sales
There’s an old saying that nothing happens until someone sells something. It is still true for any business.
Every month at the Sales Rescue Team, we provide free insights and
ideas to small business owners about their websites. We’ve done reviews
on all types of companies: product, service, niche or mass market. Over
18 months of doing reviews, we’ve learned that five tactics improve
time
Every month at the Sales Rescue Team, we provide free insights and
ideas to small business owners about their websites. We’ve done reviews
on all types of companies: product, service, niche or mass market. Over
18 months of doing reviews, we’ve learned that five tactics improve
time
Kamis, 06 Juni 2013
Tips Before You Get Started in Exporting
Growing up your business in a global economy ! this article give you steps to help you get started in exporting.
Today, nearly 96 percent of consumers and over two-thirds of the
world’s purchasing power reside outside the United States. Small
businesses now constitute 34 percent of total export dollars, and
comprise approximately 97.8 percent of all exporters.
If you’re considering
Today, nearly 96 percent of consumers and over two-thirds of the
world’s purchasing power reside outside the United States. Small
businesses now constitute 34 percent of total export dollars, and
comprise approximately 97.8 percent of all exporters.
If you’re considering
Minggu, 02 Juni 2013
Tips From Obama's For Young Entrepreneur
Want to know tips from obama for young entrepreneur, read this article! What better way to kick-off the graduation season than with a few
inspiring words from the U.S.’s commander and chief, President Barack
Obama. In his speech at Ohio State University on May 5, Obama spoke
about the importance of citizenship — “We are not a collection of
strangers,” he said. “We are bound to one another by
inspiring words from the U.S.’s commander and chief, President Barack
Obama. In his speech at Ohio State University on May 5, Obama spoke
about the importance of citizenship — “We are not a collection of
strangers,” he said. “We are bound to one another by
Sabtu, 01 Juni 2013
WalkMe Marketing Director Omri Erel Shares His Secrets of SaaS Marketing Optimization
People often underestimate the importance of SaaS marketing optimization.
Certainly in most cases, once a plan is worked out, some initial level of optimization is conducted, or else every marketing campaign in the history of SaaS would fail horrendously. Unfortunately, the cursory tweaking is usually all that is done. Sure, the marketing plans usually work out if the plans themselves are solid on a basic level, but they could work better.
Considering you must have a good positive ROI on your SaaS marketing strategy, optimization is a great way to work toward this goal. Unfortunately, how to optimize marketing in this industry seems like an elusive bit of knowledge to many, so with that in mind, maybe we ought to talk about some of the more important and basic tenets thereof.
First and foremost, we need to talk a little bit about demographics. I don't need to talk about how important demographics are to any marketing campaign, be it SaaS or otherwise. But, while you surely regard it as important, and pay a lot of attention to it, there's probably some optimization here you might not think of trying. Heck, I didn't think of this until a far wiser marketing guru pointed it out to me either!
There's something to be said for allowing some slack in relevance when targeting demographics. In SaaS, this is mostly in the purpose or industries your software may target, but this is a generality in marketing as a whole. See, if you find the relevant points that make this your demographic of choice, then you can expand on demographics this target may associate with, and relate to them on all or some of the same points that form the triad. This creates a larger outreach and potential user base, while still keeping focused on a general demographic set. It sounds odd, but it does work!
Now, with this retargeting of your demographics, your campaign should shape up a bit and not seem as oddly specific or out of sorts as it probably does, because a bit more generality of demographic will also bring general relation in the campaign as well.
Now, let's talk about testing a little bit. When testing, there are of course a couple phases you have to work through. Now, initial in-testing before doing anything external, there's probably nothing you really do wrong. This is pure scientific method and mostly, it's the programmers who are doing this testing, and they see the world in a unique and alien way, compared to that of marketing.
It's the external testing, or the Alpha/Beta phase, that we need to address here. This is where civilians come into the equation, and you can get real hard data on how potential users perceive the product. This is where big immediate flaws in functionality, design or UX overall should be spotted. Many software firms mess this up, SaaS and otherwise.
Here's the scoop. Everyone does this testing far too passively. The best way to see customer reaction to errors, or how well a scheme works when being used complexly is to put the test subjects in complex situations. Basic encounters only test the surface of the software. Have scenarios of significant complexity you wish them to test. This may mean being a bit more selective with your test subjects, but that is a small sacrifice to make. Also, with good tutorial software that can onboard with your SaaS, you can guide them through processes if need be.
Now, we come to one last place where everyone really messes SaaS marketing up. Metrics, statistics and logistics are easy to be overzealous with. They say you can't measure something too often, but "they" are wrong. You need to know the right time, pace and level of detail to take these metrics, otherwise you'll have too much, and numbers in statistics will be too diluted with fluff.
Consider which metrics are the most important, and consider how often to measure different ones. If you're more selective and synchronous with your measurements, you'll be able to see much more clearly, and avoid mistakes or working hard rather than smart in many scenarios.
So, there's a lot to be done with optimizing SaaS marketing, but none of it's terribly complex. Of course, it can go deeper than this, but you haven't time to read a lot of literature on this subject, and really who does? In that case, these are the big points to take away from the subject, in my very modest opinion.
Omri Erel, Marketing director at WalkMe and lead author of SaaS Addict
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