Business Tips

Is Your Small Business A Zombie?

by | Oct 28, 2023 |

Is your small business a zombie business?

Zombie businesses are out there, and whilst they aren’t exactly coming to eat your brains, it takes brains to avoid sharing their fate. Your small business may even already be a zombie business — or slowly becoming one, without you even knowing it!

If that doesn’t sound healthy, that’s because it isn’t.

What Is A Zombie Business?

A zombie company is a business entity that barely manages to stay operational. It may earn just enough to keep running or may rely heavily on lenders to stay afloat, but isn’t earning enough to pay for its own growth, or to reduce its debts. That often puts it just one unlucky event away from collapse — making it a high-risk proposition for investors.… Read the rest “Is Your Small Business A Zombie?”

How To Start A Small Business Website: The Essentials

by | May 29, 2023 | , ,

Planning to start a small business website

If you have a small business, or are thinking of starting one, you’ll need an effective, affordable small business website. There’s a lot to consider though — and many small businesses fail because they’ve overlooked one or more of the essentials. So here’s how to start a small business website.

Ready? Let’s begin!

What Every Small Business Needs

First, there are a few things every business needs. Hopefully you’ve considered these already, but let’s cover them briefly, just in case.

A Good Offer And A Realistic Target Market

Targeted marketing

Effective targeting is vital for sales.

The key words here are “good”, “realistic” and “target”.

Startups often hope to sell something they like to “everyone”. That rarely works — especially if no-one else sells anything similar.… Read the rest “How To Start A Small Business Website: The Essentials”

6 Common Types Of Small Business Video Content

by | Nov 17, 2022 | , ,

Creating small business video content can be easier than you think

Small business video content has become an essential tool for UK SMEs aiming to boost their online presence and engage with customers effectively. With advances in technology, working and shopping habits have changed. So more consumers than ever now prefer to learn about products and services through short-form videos than through more traditional content types.

Still, among the many video formats available, certain types stand out for their distinct advantages. So let’s explore the benefits of some of the most common video content types small businesses use.

Popular Small Business Video Types

1. Explainer Videos

Effective Communication and Engagement: Explainer videos simplify complex information into easily digestible content, making it more accessible to a broader audience. They efficiently convey the unique value propositions of products or services through engaging visuals and concise storytelling.… Read the rest “6 Common Types Of Small Business Video Content”

How Procrastination Kills Projects

by | Jul 5, 2022 | ,

Procrastination kills projects. Life goes faster than you think.

Life goes faster than you think.

I was going to write about how procrastination kills projects seven months ago. That article wasn’t going to be so personal.

Then life got in the way. As it always will, if you let it. So what happened?

Out of the blue, my partner of over 25 years got a diagnosis so terrifying that we had an emergency wedding. “Emergency” as in, we woke up that morning not knowing we’d be married by teatime.

Eternal thanks to the Newport Registry Office, the Royal Gwent Hospital, and the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff for facilitating that. Even more so for making her condition more manageable for now.

Yeah, writing a blog post pales into insignificance in the face of that, doesn’t it?… Read the rest “How Procrastination Kills Projects”

Why Small Businesses Need Professional Websites

by | Jun 15, 2022 | ,

Professional websites are marketing vehicles

Professional websites are marketing vehicles

Professional websites can seem like big investments to small business owners. Online marketing is such a huge topic that it can be hard to work out where to begin.

So why do small businesses need professionally designed websites? Why do their competitors invest thousands in professional web design? Here’s an analogy that may help.

Professional Websites Are Marketing Vehicles

Your website is your main marketing vehicle in the non-stop race for sales. To extend that analogy, hosting is the garage you rent for it, and your domain is the address of that garage. Site visitors are passengers that you pick up briefly, and some of them convert into customers.

However, your vehicle won’t get far without regular maintenance (support and updates) and good driving (active marketing).… Read the rest “Why Small Businesses Need Professional Websites”

Freelancer Pricing

by | Jun 18, 2021 |

A Freelancer Pricing Poem For National Freelancers Day

Freelancer pricing is a serious matter,
It’s not just a game that you play with your mates,
Though you may think I’m as mad as a hatter,
When I tell you freelancers must know THREE DIFFERENT RATES.

The first is the cost of staying in business,
Your break-even salary plus all business costs,
Divide by the hours that you expect to be working,
If you sell below this, your business is lost.

Next comes the rate that you’d get in job markets,
Those costs, plus your worth as a full employee,
You won’t last for long if you sell below this one —
Morale cannot live on a substandard fee.

But the last is the rate that you really should aim for,
The one that will let you do more than survive,
The fair price returned for the value you offer,
That lets both you, and your customer, thrive.… Read the rest “Freelancer Pricing”

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