Business Strategy | Mike McRitchie | Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer | Telecom Marketing Content Writer

How to Keep Your Innovative Business Ideas Under Wraps

October 24, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

When you come up with your latest business idea it can be very easy to run around and shout it to the whole world; it’s something you are incredibly proud of, so why shouldn’t you sing about it with glee? The truth is there are so many people out there who are willing to steal those ideas straight from your hands, so be careful about what you are doing. There are so many ways you can improve your business and keep your ideas under wraps, whether you’re trying to recruit the right people for your company or learn how to protect yourself better, these ideas will help you along the way to a safer and happier business life.

Get Protected

Anyone can hop onto your wonderful website and start stealing words, pictures and ideas from your company. Have you ever thought about protecting yourself even further and finding a way to deter these business criminals? You might want to research dmca takedown service provider, so that you aren’t getting your content stolen. This type of foul play is happening all across the world each and every day, so don’t let your business be the victim to this.

Protecting your business ideas

Don’t Blab in Public

You might be sat on the train making an excitable call to your business partner, parent or wife, but who knows who could be sitting next to you eavesdropping. You could be spilling vital information about your ideas and business goals, leaving them open for public consumption and theft. If you have to discuss confidential information then make sure you do it in a private place where nobody can hear what you are talking about. This is the same for reading out bank details and passwords; you should never discuss this type of private content over the phone.

Make Sure You Trust Your Employees

When you hire a new employee you want to make sure they are the most trustworthy person in the world. If you feel like you can’t talk to them about your new business idea, then they might not be the person for your team. You need to have complete faith in everybody who walks through your office doors everyday, so make sure you don’t make the mistake of hiring a blabber mouth or snitch. Keep all private and confidential ideas to the more senior members of staff in the first instance, so that you can keep your business circle as tight knit as possible.

Secure Your Data

When you leave your laptop unattended to nip to the bathroom or you scribble down your new password on a post-it note, you are basically asking for people to come and steal your private data. Keep every ounce of important information under lock and key so that you aren’t leaving yourself open to snooping eyes and criminals.

Overall, you want all of your innovative business ideas to be kept under wraps until they are out for sale to the public; even then you don’t want people to be copying your ideas. Take into account all of this information and you will soon have a safer and more secure business instantly.

How to Make Sure You Recruit The Right People

October 23, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Recruit the right people

If you’re expanding your empire and are in a position to recruit staff to join your business, then you’ll know that making the right choice can feel like a minefield. It’s a big decision as ultimately people are what make up your business

If you’re in this position then you will need to consider these four vital aspects to ensure you get the certainty you require that you are making a good choice. After all, recruitment isn’t something you should take lightly, as once someone is contractually employed it can be challenging to let them go – which is why it’s so important to make the right choice, first time, every time.

There’s a reason so many people choose to outsource this onerous task to a professional recruiting company as there are many time saving benefits in addition to being able to leverage the expertise and processes of an external company that specialise in this one specific area. However, many small business owners want to be much more involved with the process, meaning they go it alone and do it themselves.

Here are three pointers to help ensure you recruit the right people:

GET CLEAR ON WHO YOU ARE LOOKING FOR

When it comes to advertising for a job and trying to fill a role, the most important ingredient you require to be successful is clarity – as unless you know exactly what you are looking for and are able to articulate a clear description in a job advert, things are going to get very confusing and incongruent.

You don’t want to rely on your gut instinct when recruiting people, of course, utilise this intuitive power but don’t rely solely on it. The need for getting clarity in all aspects of your business is high, but it becomes even more important when looking for the right candidates; so spend some time drafting your candidate criteria and really think about it.

INTERVIEW IN A VARIETY OF WAYS

You want to interview people in a variety of ways, as people have different strengths and will shine in different aspects of the interview process – for instance, someone faced with a panel interview where they have to give a presentation might make them freeze and lose their composure, but that’s not to say this isn’t an ideal candidate – just that they are nervous and intimidated by the process.

This is why task based interviews offer a more holistic insight into the person, as you can watch them interact with others and see how they manage tasks, especially creative problem solving skills.

THOROUGHLY CHECK THEM OUT

Last but not least is that you want to thoroughly check out a small number of shortlisted candidates, as it’s very easy to talk the talk, but you need to ensure they have walked the walk before – and that their CV isn’t fiction.

In summary, you want to make sure you are crystal clear on the type of person you are looking for, interview them in different ways, and thoroughly check out the shortlisted candidates backgrounds.

Expanding Your Empire – What Are The Options?

October 22, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Building the business to the point where it is making a profit is something that should fill you with immense pride. However, it’s important to keep things moving in the right direction. When the timing is right, expanding the empire is crucial.

There was more than one option open when it came to building the empire, and there’s more than one option now you wish to expand it. Here are five of the best ways to make things bigger and better than ever.

Acquire A New Business

Whether it’s buying a competing brand to incorporate it under the umbrella of your business or start a fresh idea doesn’t matter. Buying another business is a great way to expand your empire without having to start afresh. If you run an electrician firm, you could look at a commercial plumbing company for sale. It may be worth rebranding the new acquisition, or perhaps you’ll let things continue as they are. Either way, the extra source of revenue can work wonders.

Go International

If the business has started out as a success in the local area, it might be time to expand. While international online sales is clearly an option, it pays to have a presence in other countries too. Turning the company into a franchise is a fantastic way to do this without increasing your workload by any significant level. As long as you connect with the right people, additional profits will be assured. Even if you only take a low percentage, it’s a wonderful solution.

There are some additional things to think about when you expand your business into other countries. You’ll need to think about the language, for one thing, but also ensure that any local customs and business processes are adhered to. It’s usually best to hire a specialist to help you. For example, if you were expanding a gaming company into new territories, you could search for mobile game localization, and so on. Asking for help from those with the experience and knowledge is never a bad thing, especially when it comes to something as important as global expansion.

Take On More Staff

It’s hard to increase the productivity without taking on extra employees. However, this can be quite daunting if you aren’t ready to increase the size of the office or working properties. Hiring remote workers is a great option, though, especially when you know how to manage freelancers in a winning fashion. So, if it allows you to take on more staff and complete more work, grab this opportunity with both hands. There’s nothing worse than missing the boat in this manner. Seek Crowd Support

Money is usually the main obstacle standing in the way of your business and the prospect of expansion. Even with the success of your story so far, traditional lending might not be possible. If you look at crowdfunding, though, it may be possible to raise the funds from your customers and prospective new clients. Aside from clearing the financial hurdle, it can be the best way to secure interest in the new products or services that will be used in the expansion.

Increase Customer Flexibility

Everything you do in business should be geared towards the customer. Therefore, one of the best ways to expand the venture is to think about giving the option of splitting their payments over a plan. This will require using a credit agency to ensure that you avoid getting mistreated by dishonest clients. Moreover, it may be necessary to use a line of credit that is based on the invoices to maintain good cash flow. Get it right, though, and you’ll be destined for a smoother expansion.

Job done.

Our Top 8 Cheapest Credit Card Processing Solutions for Small Businesses

October 22, 2018 by Mike McRitchie Leave a Comment

If you run a small business and are looking for the cheapest credit card processing solutions on the market today, look no further than our 8 picks!

Unemployment is hovering around a near all time low of 4%. That coupled with outstanding consumer confidence has created conditions where business owners are turning massive profits in comparison to what they were generating over the last half decade.

In order to take advantage of the up economy, it’s imperative that you ditch the “cash-only” sales moniker and start giving consumers ways to pay by card.

Maybe you’re not sure where to get started when it comes to credit card processing. Maybe you’re already processing credit card payments but are curious to know what the cheapest credit card processing solutions are.

Either way, we’ve got you covered.

In this article, I share with you the 8 best and cheapest credit card processing companies you can start doing business with today!

1. PayPal

Starting off my list of the cheapest credit card processing solutions is good old PayPal!

PayPal is a premier brand when it comes to online payments but it was slow out of the gate when it came to helping businesses make in-person sales. Well, as it turns out, slow and steady wins the race because now that PayPal has hit the credit card processing scene, it’s offering a solid product.

With PayPal, you’ll enjoy no monthly fees and a low 2.9% per swipe + $0.30 service charge.

2. Stripe

Next up is a small business favorite in the cheapest credit card processing solutions pool, Stripe.

Stripe boasts being the new standard for accepting payments both online and off and I’m having a hard time disagreeing with them. They offer an incredibly intuitive sales portal for business owners to manage their income and feature excellent online and offline sales integrations.

What’s more, Stripe matches PayPal blow for blow when it comes to pricing. The company charges zero in monthly fees and has a per sale cost of 2.9% + $0.30.

3. High Risk Solutions

This isn’t the cheapest credit card processing company you’ll see on most lists, but don’t let that deter you from hearing what this company has to offer. At High Risk Solutions, they specialize in helping companies that are having trouble getting their credit card processing applications approved.

You might ask yourself, “Why would a company have trouble getting approved by a well-known credit card processing company?”.

Well, there are a lot of reasons for that but one of the top ones is that not all industries are looked at favorably by mainstream processors.

For example, businesses operating in niches like debt collection, online gaming, multi-level marketing, and the like may have a tremendous amount of trouble finding a processing partner. That’s where High Risk Solutions swoops in to save the day.

Not only does High Risk Solutions not discriminate against industries, as an added bonus, it also offers great rates!

View here to find out what businesses might benefit from this type of payment processor.

4. Square

Square was the maverick company in the mobile credit card processing space. It gets its name from its trademark square card readers that users plug into their phones when swiping cards.

With Square, not only are you partnered with a credit card processing pioneer, but you’re also partnering with one of the most widely used mobile processing companies in the world!

Square offers one of the best rates available today with just 2.5 – 2.6% + $0.10 per dip, tap or swipe!

5. Shopify

If you already have an online store running through Shopify, you’ll want to consider using its credit card processing solution.

Why?

Because you’ll get unparalleled integration as far as sales reports and other important data is concerned. Not only that, but Shopify’s processor works well and their rates are superb for people already using their products.

Shopify charges just 2.4 – 2.7% for in-person credit card swipes so long as you have an online store with them.

6. QuickBooks

Similar to Shopify, if you use QuickBooks, you’ll want to consider using their credit card processing product.

With QuickBooks credit card processing, you’ll enjoy the ability to accept all major credit cards and whenever you sell a product, that product will automatically be deducted from your QuickBooks inventory.

That makes your inventory management process fully automated which can save you a lot of time getting all of your books in order at the end of the month.

QuickBooks is one of the most streamlined and cheapest credit card processing solutions given its flat 2.7% rate.

7. Amazon Pay

Amazon has its toe dipped into every major industry and credit card processing for small businesses is no exception.

With Amazon Pay, you’ll enjoy your payment processing being backed by one of the biggest and most innovative companies on earth. You’ll also earn consumer’s trust by letting them know that Amazon is handling their payment information.

On top of that brand recognition, you’ll enjoy a low swipe rate of just 2.9% + $0.30.

8. Helcim

Rounding out our cheapest credit card processing suggestions is a company you’ve probably never heard of, Helcim.

What Helcim lacks in advertising dollars, it makes up for in awesome service. Helcim not only packs all of the same features as the biggest credit card processing players on our list, but it also offers a sliding fee structure.

That unique fee structure means you’ll be able to score awesome discounts if you’re selling a lot of items per month!

Wrapping Up Cheapest Credit Card Processing Solutions for Small Businesses

There you have it! 8 of the best and cheapest credit card processing solutions for your small business.

My hope is that you’ll find on this list a provider that suits your workflows and that you can get started accepting credit card payments and growing your business fast!

Are you looking to find ways to scale your business in today’s digital-focused economy? If so, I’ve got you covered.

Check out more of my free business advice now or let’s work together one-on-one and start building your brand into the behemoth its meant to be!

5 Things That You Need To Start A Business

October 18, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

How to do a Business Startup

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own business? Starting a new business doesn’t have to be as difficult as it sounds, there are steps that you can take to make your dream come true. Of course, before you go about starting your business, there are some things that you’ll need to have first. Find out more about the five things that you need to start a business in this article.

Research

You can’t just jump into starting a business without doing any research to back up your plans. This is a very important part of the process so think about the different things that you’ll need to research. You’ll need to know more about the target customer base, the location that you are thinking of opening your first store and the various licenses and training that you’ll need to get started.

Time

If you want to start your own business, you’ll need to have enough time to do so. This means that you are willing to sacrifice some of the other things in your life such as your free time or your current job to spend time working on your business. This is a big commitment so make sure that you have the time that you need.

Money

Businesses need money and if you don’t have the right funding then you won’t be able to get it off the ground. Make sure that you get your hands on an online bank account to help you manage your finances and then talk to some investors. You might be able to try crowdfunding or asking an angel investor for some help to get your business started.

Patience

Unless you come up with a ground-breaking idea that is going to go viral in no time, you are going to need to have the patience to wait for your business to take off. You’ll need to put in the work and things won’t always go to plan and this is going to take a lot of patience. Make sure that you have thought this through carefully and that you won’t give up when it takes a little longer than you expected.

A Business Plan

The final thing that you are going to need if you are going to set up your own business is a business plan. This is an extensive document that will outline everything that you are going to do throughout your first year or two as a business owner. You’ll need to think about how you’ll spend the money and come up with projections on your profits. Don’t even think about starting your own business without spending some time on your business plan.

Final Verdict

Make sure that you are ready to start your own business by ensuring that you have everything that we have listed in this article. Once you do, you can get started on making some money and achieving what you want.