Breadcrumb POS is a fully functional point of sale (POS) system that runs exclusively on an iPad, and is geared toward the foodservice industry. It allows you to take table orders, manage menu inventory, and accept credit card payments. In this article, you’ll find a breakdown of Breadcrumb POS Reviews. We compiled reviews from our own website plus… The post Breadcrumb POS User Reviews & Pricing appeared first on . from http://fitsmallbusiness.com/breadcrumb-pos-reviews/
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SalesVu is a customizable and entirely cloud-based point of sale (POS) system. Small business owners can choose which features to use and pay for, including the ability to manage inventory, customer information, pricing, payments and more via an iPad or other internet capable device. In this article, you’ll find a breakdown of SalesVu POS Reviews. We compiled… The post SalesVu POS User Reviews & Pricing appeared first on . from http://fitsmallbusiness.com/salesvu-pos-review/ Invoice software allows you to automate your customer billing process and stay on top of outstanding invoices so that you maintain a positive cash flow. We looked at the most popular options and rising stars and decided to review Invoicera, Viewpost, and FreshBooks. These companies covered the range for small businesses in terms of price… The post Best Invoice Software for Small Businesses appeared first on . from http://fitsmallbusiness.com/best-invoicing-software/
#Smallbizchat is a weekly conversation where small business owners can get answers to their questions. The focus of #Smallbizchat is to end small business failure by helping participants succeed as your own boss. Please join us live on Twitter every Wednesday 8-9 pm ET. Here’s how: follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter and follow the hashtag #Smallbizchat and click here for directions on how to join the conversation. In April, #SmallBizChat will be focused on tax planning issues for small businesses; handling rapid business growth; celebrating the 8th anniversary of #SmallBizChat; and changing the way you lead in small business. We have host over 380 live conversations on Twitter to support our mission grow successful small businesses and end small business failure. Here’s to many more and counting. Here is a list of who is on #Smallbizchat in April. April 5th – Tax Planning Issues for Small Businesses, @taxmama Eva Rosenberg, known as the TaxMama®, is an award-winning author of business tax books. Find her at www.TaxMama.com and where you can ask your tax and business questions for free. .. April 12th – How to Handle Rapid Business Growth, @askdsb Donna Smith Bellinger is an internationally known speaker, author and award-winning coach whose corporate experience in sales, leadership and business development has enabled her to create and implement strategies that generate “Sales Growth Guaranteed” for her clients. Find her at www.donnasmithbellinger.com. .. April 19th – How to Stay Relevant and Successful in Today’s Changing Market, @susansolovic Susan Wilson Solovic is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Amazon.com top 100 and USA Today bestselling author, media personality, sought-after keynote speaker, and attorney. You can find her at www.susansolovic.com. April 26th – How to Change the Way You Lead in a Small Business, @boxofcrayons Author of The Coaching Habit, Michael Bungay Stanier is the Senior Partner and Founder of Box of Crayons, a company that helps organizations do less Good Work and more Great Work.. .. The post Who’s on #Smallbizchat in April 2017 appeared first on Succeed As Your Own Boss. from http://succeedasyourownboss.com/whos-smallbizchat-april-2017/ A flexible spending account (FSA) is a type of benefit that can be offered by an employer as a way for employees to save for medical & dependent/childcare expenses with pre-tax dollars. As an employer benefit, it can be offered in lieu of health insurance or in addition to it. An FSA is a “use… The post Flexible Spending Account (FSA) – What It Is & How It Works appeared first on . from http://fitsmallbusiness.com/flexible-spending-account-fsa/ You’ve heard it before. It’s no longer acceptable for small businesses to forego activity on social media. But chances are, as a business owner with a vast array of responsibilities, writing tweets and posting photos to Instagram isn’t high on your priority list. And that’s okay – because with the help of a seasoned social media manager, you can strengthen your business’s online presence. A social media manager can be an invaluable addition to your small business’s marketing team. Having a social media marketer on staff can help your business’s operations improve in a variety of different ways, and it’s more than worth the recruiting and on-boarding expenses. A Professional Managing Social MediaWhile it’s great to have an existing employee pitching in with social media efforts, you’re better off hiring a social media expert to manage these tasks. Instead of just posting at random, this individual can create a strategic plan to help your business get the most out of your social presence. If you and your other employees don’t have any social media marketing experience, the time that you’re spending posting to these channels may be a waste. By hiring a professional, you’ll be confident in the time and resources that are being spent in this area. During the interview process, ask them to produce a sample social media plan, so that you can see what their vision is for your business. As an experienced social media marketer, they should know how often to post on each platform and the type of content that performs best. This exercise will help you determine if candidates have a grasp on your business and how social media can increase sales and elevate customer service, to name a few goals. Have Time to Focus on Other InitiativesIf you or your employees have social media on your to-do list, it’ll be a huge relief to give up this role to someone else. Maybe you’ve been trying to build your social presence, and due to this, other aspects of your business have been put on the backburner. By hiring a social media manager, you’ll have time to focus on new projects and leave the social media work to your new hire. Consistent Social ContentThere’s nothing worse than searching for a company on social media, only to find that their page hasn’t been updated in ages. A social media manager will make it their main priority to post consistently on each platform. They’ll also know what type of content will be best received on each platform – instead of just posting the same message on each profile your business has. Posting consistently will help you build your social media following. If you’re currently having a difficult time attracting new followers, posting on a regular basis could be the change you need to make. For instance, Google+ users who posted consistently and then decreased their frequency saw their traffic drop up to 50%. This is why it is important to stay steady when it comes to social! By posting consistent social content, you’ll also have another way to drive traffic to your business’s website. Your new manager will be able to do this by sharing blog posts, exclusive offers, and other links that will lead followers back to your website. Think about it – having these social posts is another way to convince prospective customers to check out what your business is offering. Someone to Respond to Social MessagesIt can be difficult to respond to customers on social media, in addition to other platforms like customer relationship management (CRM) programs, email, and voicemail, to name a few. A social media manager will be responsible for handling social media messages, so you won’t risk ignoring customers or waiting too long to respond. Many business owners don’t realize that social media isn’t just for advertising products or services – it’s a customer management tool, too. You may not realize it, but customers expect your business to provide customer service through mediums like Facebook, but only 23 percent actually deliver it. This also goes for Twitter – 70 percent of customer service complaints go unanswered by businesses. If you ignore feedback on social media – you may lose them as a customer. According to an Forbes, 66 percent of consumers stopped doing business with a company after receiving poor customer service on social media. Neglecting social media in your customer service efforts could risk customer retention, and lessen the likelihood that you acquire new clientele through this medium. That’s why your social media manager should interact daily with customers through social media; you’ll likely see your customer satisfaction rise. Using social media for customer service will allow you to quickly respond to customers, and will also serve as a good PR opportunity. Think about it – if a customer sees that your business is dedicated to promptly responding to customer questions and concerns on social media, they’ll see that you value each and every one of your patrons. They will also appreciate that you aren’t just utilizing social media to promote your products or services – you’ll also be using it to meet build relationships. Boost Brand EngagementIf you aren’t currently using social media to its full potential in terms of branding, that’s where a social media manager will be of benefit. Hire a social media manager who’s creative and can bring fresh ideas to the table. They’ll be able to ensure that your business’s brand is well represented on each social media platform. This can mean sharing customer testimonials, promoting company culture, or simply better reflecting your company’s brand. Think about it – how do you want to represent your business on social media? And what do you want potential customers to see when they visit your profiles? It is vital that they get clear insight into what your business does, and how it stands out against competitors. Your social media profiles are the perfect place to refine your brand experience, so make sure that this is a project that your new social media manager focuses on. A New Avenue to Generate New CustomersYour social media manager will know how to post your business’s newest offers on social media, through both paid and organic efforts. Through social media you can connect with new customers, and now you’ll have someone fully focusing on this initiative. As we mentioned, social media is a viable way to master customer service and branding. But ultimately, remember, you should always be looking to obtain new customers through all your marketing efforts. How your social media manager does this will depend on the type of business you own. For example, if your run a restaurant, your social media manager should focus on promoting images of your restaurant’s cuisine and ambiance. In comparison, a business in the service industry will benefit from sharing customer testimonials. Of course, as with any marketing idea, your social media manager will need to try different sales tactics to see what works. This means they should be set up with appropriate analytics tools, so that they can examine how many leads your efforts are producing. Recruit New EmployeesHave your social media manager collaborate with human resources, and start posting open positions on social media. Of course, LinkedIn is the primary place to do this, but you can also share links to job postings on your other platforms. Share links to open positions on Twitter, with accompanying hashtags that will target job seekers. Of course, don’t forget about the social network with the most active users: Facebook. Your social media manager can navigate this platform and find groups that candidates frequent. By using having your new manager utilize social for this area, you’ll have another place to post job openings, and human resources will appreciate the additional help! Convinced?Hiring a social media manager can provide long-term success for your growing small business. Having a professional in this area will do more than just guarantee an active social media presence; it will improve customer service, perfect branding, increase sales and much more. Although you may be apprehensive to invest in adding another employee to your roster, it is likely that you will see favorable results due to this new role. The post 7 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Social Media Manager appeared first on bizHUMM. from http://bizhumm.com/7-reasons-why-you-should-hire-a-social-media-manager/ Invoice factoring is a type of accounts receivable financing that converts outstanding invoices due within 90 days into immediate cash for your small business. The factoring company will typically pay you in two installments for your invoice: an advance of roughly 80% of your invoice and the remaining 20% (minus factoring fees) after the invoice… The post What Invoice Factoring Is & How It Works appeared first on . from http://fitsmallbusiness.com/how-invoice-factoring-works/ Looking to learn the ins and outs of small businesses? One of the best ways to familiarize yourself with these ventures is by taking a look at the numbers behind them. Here are 15 small business statistics, from success rates to finances and marketing, that will help you form your own business plan or shore… The post 15 Small Business Statistics You Should Know appeared first on . from http://fitsmallbusiness.com/small-business-statistics/ Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Tianna Mañón @TiannaMañón. Tianna Mañón is the Editor-in-Chief of Open Mic Rochester, an online black-interest magazine located in Upstate New York. She believes in the power of media as a business building tool. SmallBizLady: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO GET MY INFORMATION IN THE MEDIA? Tianna Mañón: It’s free advertising, and someone else does all the work of putting it together and making sure it’s shared far and wide. Actually, it’s more detailed than advertising. In a profile piece, you get a chance to show your face and discuss your philosophy. If it’s a business reporting piece, you can highlight your company’s growth. SmallBizLady: HOW DO I PITCH TO THE MEDIA? Tianna Mañón: Pitching to the media is easy and hard. On one hand, it’s easy to reach out to media professionals; on the other hand, it’s hard for someone to actually pursue your piece. My advice: do your research. Find the correct reporter and tailor your pitch to the publication, broadcast station, blog or podcast. Email the reporter and explain what’s going on, why you picked them and how you can help pursue the story (by serving as source or finding other sources) in one to two paragraphs. Reporters’ contact information is always listed on the company’s website. Also, their email addresses are usually included at the bottom of published stories. Try to match media outlet’s tone. If they have a cool, hip vibe, add some excitement. If they’re a little more traditional, just lead with the facts. Try to pitch media sources that are aligned to your industry because they are more likely to publish your story. For instance, send a story about an event featuring a young singer to a teen magazine and discuss the importance of art with an art magazine. You can make one event fit many outlets by focusing on different angles. SmallBizLady: HOW OFTEN SHOULD I PITCH? Tianna Mañón: Reporters and editors differ on this. To be safe, pitch only your big stuff. Grand re-opening? Yes! Menu changes? Meh. Ask yourself: “If similar news was in the paper about another business, would I read it?” SmallBizLady: HOW DO YOU FOLLOW UP ON A PITCH? Tianna Mañón: Always with new information. I love when sources check on me after a few days (about 3-4 days) with a polite nudge. And I love when they include a new quote or something to refresh the news. This lets me know that this story is pretty important to you and may just be the reminder I needed. SmallBizLady: HOW DO I CREATE OR MAINTAIN A RELATIONSHIP WITH A REPORTER? Tianna Mañón: Reach out to a reporter who covers the same topic as your business. A business reporter isn’t always the best reporter to keep in your pocket because they often don’t get to write pieces that will show off your personality besides a profile. But if you’re a salon, befriending a lifestyle reporter means you two can potentially partner on projects in the future. You may even be able to guest author work. Once you know who to reach out to, offer to meet for a cup of coffee. You don’t have to have a story in mind, just say, “I’d love to talk to you as someone who works in the same field you’re covering. Perhaps we can get together regularly and I can be a source that keeps you updated.” We’re never going to say no to someone getting info for us. Be sure to always be reliable and CORRECT! SmallBizLady: WHY SHOULD I CREATE A RELATIONSHIP WITH A REPORTER? Tianna Mañón: Besides free advertising, it’s more likely the media outlet will cover your story. When we can text you asking for a comment, and the story is easy, we’re more likely to publish it. This works well on slow days when reporters need quick or easy content. SmallBizLady: HOW CAN I USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO ATTRACT OR MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS WITH REPORTERS AND JOURNALISTS? Tianna Mañón: Social media allows you to talk to a lot of people at once. Use it to talk to reporters and journalists. Some people tag news stations, publications and new media personalities in their photos and events uploads. You can also create clear and concise posts that can be used as “multimedia” in articles. Often editors will embed posts of a local restaurant’s tweet about closing or grand re-opening simply to add a visual. See every post as a potential introduction; post interesting updates; and share their content. SmallBizLady: IS IT OK TO PITCH TO REPORTER FRIENDS? Tianna Mañón: Yes! In fact, I love when my friends pitch stories to me. I can’t always take them but many make it to my white board. Don’t be afraid to ask for coverage if you can get it; and if that’s your friend, then do the extra work of tailoring your pitch to the kind of reporting they do. For instance, if your friend is a business reporter, discuss the growth you’ve experienced in your company; how you employ certain groups of people (i.e. veterans or people with disabilities); or upcoming developments. Don’t make them feel like they have to report your story because you’re friends, make them want to! SmallBizLady: HOW CAN I INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF MY PIECE BEING PUBLISHED IN NEWSPAPERS? Tianna Mañón: There are three things you can do to increase the likelihood of your piece being published newspapers. First, always tailor your work so the journalist can just publish it. There are a lot of lazy, overworked, and stressed reporters out there. We can’t get to every pitch because it’d be too much on our plate. To ensure we don’t drop the ball on other pieces, we might miss yours. Second, write press releases to mirror the style of the publications you’re pitching. You may get lucky with a reporter who will use large portions of the release to create a quick piece on you. Third, always include a quote. The new voice adds dynamism and creates less work for us. Be sure to send your pitch along with a press kit. The best time to send these to a reporter is when something newsy is happening. It’s not enough to cover your business because you’re interesting. Sometimes it helps to have something happening such as a goal met you can celebrate, an anniversary or an event. SmallBizLady: WHAT IS A PRESS KIT AND WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN MINE? Tianna Mañón: Press kits give detailed information about who you are, your philosophy and how you got started; the missions and goals of your company or organization; as well as key players in your business. They can also include press releases of major events you’ve done or accomplishments, staff photos, goals, and progress to date. Always include some kind of graphic, whether it’s a flyer or social media image to go. Make the visuals as uniform as possible. My favorite ones always include the run-down of who works in what positions at the company; logos to accompany the story; and a fact sheet about when they started, their target audience, and how much money they make. SMALLBIZLADY: WHAT ARE OTHER OPTIONS FOR GETTING IN MEDIA? Tianna Mañón: If you can’t get a formal story in the media, think of other ways to connect with their audience. Were you hoping for coverage to hype an event? Get it on their event calendar. Take out an ad on their social media pages or bulletin. Some places also rent out their social media feed. SmallBizLady: HOW CAN I OVERALL BE MORE MEDIA FRIENDLY? Tianna Mañón: As mentioned earlier, you want to develop relationships with traditional and new media staff and send targeted pitches. Also, be easy to work with and return calls in a timely manner. Help promote them and their content and stories. Most importantly, be a reliable and accurate source. If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz The post How to Use Media to Grow Your Business appeared first on Succeed As Your Own Boss. from http://succeedasyourownboss.com/use-media-grow-business/ Your own website, online art galleries, social media, and digital stock sites all let artists sell art online as never before, and even develop new income streams via internet-driven technologies. For the savvy artist, the selling possibilities are endless and the outlook is bright in today’s booming online art market. “From our point of view,… The post How to Sell Art Online – The Ultimate Guide appeared first on . from http://fitsmallbusiness.com/how-to-sell-art-online/ |
AuthorHello I am Teri Crawford 26 years old living in Toronto, Canada. I have recently finished my MBA and planning to start my own business. Archives
November 2018
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