7 Easy Ways to Get Your Small Business Up and Running

If you’ve always dreamed of starting your own business and being your own boss, you may be daunted by the amount of red tape and hassle it takes to begin your own venture. You may not want to deal with filling out the paperwork, renting out a business space, hiring employees, and other expensive steps that are necessary for some new companies. If you’re not sure your business idea is going to be a hit, it’s tricky to take that risk. It can also be expensive. Instead, try one of these easy, inexpensive small business ideas to start creating income.

1. Start Blogging

One easy way to go into business for yourself is by starting a blog. While not every blogger is making money, there are ways to generate revenue from blogging. Creating a blog is simple and most of the time, free. You simply need to find a unique topic and begin to post information about it. Using services like Google AdWords can help you make money.

4 Etiquette to Keep in Mind When Attending an Online Business Meeting

Years of practice and experience will likely have already taught you the correct etiquette and customs to use during meetings to make them successful. Online conferences through video software are a relatively new phenomenon, but one that has been proven to be so useful and productive that it has already dominated the workplace in just a few short years. While many of the same basic principles apply to these online meetings, there are still some pieces of etiquette to keep in mind that work differently when talking online. It is a good idea to pick up these habits early so that they become second nature and don’t negatively affect you in the future. Here are just a few things to keep in mind during your next meeting:

Be Prepared

You are expected to be well prepared for an in-person talk, so an online meeting shouldn’t be any different. Not only should you prepare your agenda and any important points you want to make, but your presentation if you need one. A great advantage of using cloud based conferencing is that you can include video clips in your presentation to make it more interesting and memorable. When it comes time for the meeting, ensure you are dressed appropriately (don’t be tempted to wear your pyjamas and bunny slippers just because you are in your own home), your room is prepared (nothing embarrassing visible in the background) and give yourself a few minutes to check your internet connection and technical specifications. Inc.Com recommends that if you are the event host, be sure to send out the invites and access codes (which are needed to access the meeting, particularly if the participant isn’t using the same piece of software) at least a day in advance. There is nothing worse than a scheduled talk being held up because one person can’t gain access or hasn’t set their camera and microphone properly. If you take all of these steps, your meetings will start on time and run smoothly.

3 Marketing Myths Small Businesses Must Avoid

Regardless of what point in your business journey you are at, marketing is one of the most important elements that should be at the top of your agenda. It’s the key to recruiting new customers, and can play an integral role in maintaining the loyalty of existing ones too.

However, many entrepreneurs have picked up ideas about the subject that aren’t necessarily true. Unfortunately, following those rules could be damaging your hopes of maximized profits. So drop everything you think you know; this is how you’ll gain greater success.

Offline Marketing Is Dead

The most common mistake that modern entrepreneurs tend to fall for is the idea that offline marketing doesn’t work. But even if your business is a purely online venture, they still have plenty to offer.

Targeting localized areas can be a great way to establish an epicenter for the business. As the word spreads in all directions, you’ll soon reach the targets that you’ve set. Meanwhile, promotional gifts are a great way to increase the positivity from individuals and groups.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of offline marketing is that it gives you an opportunity for human interaction. This is still the easiest way to gain trust while it also allows you to use your biggest USP: you. If you’ve been neglecting those offline ventures, now is the time to start giving them the attention they deserve.