How To Recession-Proof Your Small Business

Note: Listen to this post instead using the audio player below, and consider subscribing on your favorite podcast player!

1x
0:00
...
iTunesGoogle PlayPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen In A New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySpotify

Economic recessions are an inevitable reality of business, and destroy those who are unprepared.

This is especially true for small businesses, and even more so for first-time entrepreneurs who have never witnessed an economic recession from the perspective of a business owner.

See, as entrepreneurs, we tend to be risk-takers. We make decisions that lead to quick growth of our companies, and sometimes go a bit too far. We bank on the good times continuing, our carefully thought-out plans succeeding, and a bright and prosperous future.

Unfortunately, we may not factor in the hiccups we’re bound to face along the way.

In this article, I want to lay out some steps you can take right now to reduce your risk of collapse during even a very tough economic recession, and ensure that your company can continue thriving even during the worst of economies.

This isn’t to say that I believe a recession is about to strike, but this topic is too important to ignore.

Let’s get into it!

 Read More

Don’t Put It Off – Why You Should Begin Utilizing Influencer Marketing Today

Note: Listen to this post instead using the audio player below, and consider subscribing on your favorite podcast player!

iTunesGoogle PlayPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen In A New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySpotify

Every so often, marketers are given access to an advertising platform that offers an incredibly good return.

Typically, these platforms are new, unproven, and businesses are weary about jumping on board. Because of this, they tend to offer an unusually high return for marketers that able to figure out how to utilize them, capitalizing on the inbalance of supply and demand.

Influencer marketing right now is one of these powerful, undervalued advertising channels that even now in 2019, is still underutilized and underappreciated.

Although it is not considered anything new (celebrity endorsements have been utilized in advertising for ages),  we’ve never been at a point where influencer marketing was so accessible to even the smallest of brands – it doesn’t have to cost a single dollar for you to start.

In this article, I intend to highlight some of the most compelling reasons you should begin your first influencer marketing campaign right now, or scale it up further if you’re already utilizing influencer marketing to grow your business. It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling a tangible or intangible product – influencer marketing can benefit your company and help you grow in the coming months.

Let’s look at some of these reasons in detail.

 Read More

Cold Email Outreach: A Detailed Strategy To Following Up Effectively

Note: Listen to this post instead using the audio player below, and consider subscribing on your favorite podcast player!

iTunesGoogle PlayPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen In A New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySpotify

It takes an average of 7 contacts before a person will make a deal with you.

90% of salespeople, marketers, and entrepreneurs will not follow up with a person more than 3 times.

Yet, 80% of deals are made on the 5th to the 12th contact.

Can you imagine all of the money that you’re leaving on the table?

This isn’t just applicable to making a sale. It could be arranging a meeting with an important person, pitching somebody to link to an article, or trying to get somebody to appear on your podcast.

Email outreach is more important than ever, yet a whopping 90 PERCENT of people will not even put the effort in to do it right.

It’s time to get relentless with your follow up. To form a strategy that will help you to achieve the results that you’re looking for.

Because clearly, the vast majority of us are leaving a LOT of money on the table.

The above statements should showcase just how important following up with people actually is. Therefore, this article will serve as a quick guide to getting started, showcase some examples, and help you to form a systematized strategy to make following up quick, easy, and effective.

 Read More

When To Work Hard, And When To Work Smart – Concrete Examples

Note: Listen to this post instead using the audio player below, and consider subscribing on your favorite podcast player!

iTunesGoogle PlayPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen In A New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySpotify

Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘work smart, not hard’?

Wonder what genius came up with that one?

The idea that there is some ‘secret strategy’ guaranteed to make you riches without any real effort is ridiculous. Just as ridiculous as the idea that if you just work hard enough (even if you’re doing the wrong thing) you’ll inevitably find success as well.

Therefore, ask yourself – should you work smart or hard?

The answer, put simply, is both. Not only do you need to have the right strategy in place, but you have to back it up with enough effort and hours to execute that strategy to its full potential.

However, there’s different times to focus on working smart vs. working hard. In this article, I intend to highlight some of these examples. This way, you can structure your work days in a way that truly maximizes your results.

 Read More

Should Entrepreneurs Learn To Program?

Note: Listen to this post instead using the audio player below, and consider subscribing on your favorite podcast player!

1x
0:00
...
iTunesGoogle PlayPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen In A New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySpotify

Should entrepreneurs learn to program? Should everybody learn to program?

This has been a debate going on for quite a number of years now, and the answer isn’t entirely clear. On one end of the argument, most entrepreneurs don’t write code, and get by just fine. On the opposite end, many people believe that not knowing how to program will one day be akin to not knowing how to read or write.

One thing is clear – the world is being increasingly ran by computers, and as entrepreneurs – creators, we can benefit immensely by knowing how to create our own software for these machines.

In fact, even a very basic understanding of programming can be transformative for some businesses, even those not working in the tech sector.

I must warn you, however. While I’m going to be sharing with you a lot of benefits that will sound very enticing, please keep this in mind – learning to code is not a prerequisite for entrepreneurial success. It is definitely possible to build a massive company without writing a single line of code (just ask Steve Jobs!) In fact, learning something just for the sake of learning it never is particularly useful. You must have a practical plan to implement it in order for a skill like this to become valuable.

Let this article serve as an eye-opener, exposing you to the benefits that learning to program has to offer, and helping you decide for yourself whether it’s worth spending further time on.

 Read More

Repeat After Me: I Will Never Compete On Price

Note: Listen to this post instead using the audio player below, and consider subscribing on your favorite podcast player!

1x
0:00
...
iTunesGoogle PlayPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen In A New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySpotify

What makes your company unique? Why do people buy from you?

In business, you can typically offer two of these three things, if you work hard:

  • A high quality product or service.
  • An impressive overall shopping experience, with great customer service all around.
  • A low price.

However, you can not realistically offer all three of these at the same time. Nor should you try to.

If your goal is to actually build a large, profitable company, competing on price is not only incredibly challenging, but it offers the highest amount of risk for the lowest reward. It is a loser’s game, and by simply adjusting your strategy, you can position yourself to do far better while practically ignoring price completely.

In this article, we’re going to make clear why you should rarely, if ever try to compete on price, and cover actionable strategies to take instead.

Let’s get to it!

 Read More