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  • Why People Are Rushing to Apply For Jobs At This Company

    Why People Are Rushing to Apply For Jobs At This Company

    The labor shortage may be coming to an end but this company continues to hire like there’s no end in sight. Have you been searching for an employer who has plenty of room for growth? Don’t wait , opportunities like this don’t come up everyday.

    Grow your career with a growing company

    New warehouses are being built all over the US. That means jobs are being built. Amazon is driving retail forward and they need you to help them do that. With each new warehouse built they are creating at least 5,000 new jobs – and if you’re in a big city, that number can grow even larger. In September alone they opened a 100 new facilities.

    Seize your opportunity today

    Amazon also makes getting hired easy. They are offering in person and online 1-1 job fairs to make sure you’ll have the opportunity you deserve. So don’t put off your dream opportunity any longer and apply today.


  • Grow Your Business NOW! A How-to-Guide

    Grow Your Business NOW! A How-to-Guide

    Successfully growing your business in a global pandemic is challenging. However, some of the most impressive businesses, inventions and innovations were born in times of distress and hardship. 

    We’ve put together a guide to help you chart a course for customer growth through adhering to strategies and tactics applied to the customer journey to engage with your business. 

    Attracting and retaining new customers is much different today versus the days of taking out an ad in the local newspaper and hoping for the best. Today, business owners of all sizes across all markets need creative marketing strategies to compete in the current, dynamic market.  

    In a time of uncertainty, two things remain the same: 

    1. Consumer expectations remain high:  You must deliver a product or service that is efficient, has timely and courteous customer service, provides transparency, and creates a 1:1 relationship with the customer.
    2. Winning at the “basics” is key to success. 

    Achieving this may sound daunting, but with a healthy appreciation of the five stages of the customer journey and the key marketing actions within each, success is more than achievable. We’ve outlined the five stages and key marketing actions below. 

    Your marketing plan must address each phase of the customer Journey

    1st: Discovery– how consumers discover your product  

    • Achieved through:  Online lists social media & search engine optimization 

    2nd:  Validation: how consumers validate why you are the best choice 

    • Achieved with: Education via blogs, online guides and live chat

    3rd: Conversion- helping consumers make the purchase and gaining the right insights

    • Achieved by: Customer relationship management (CRM)

    4th: Retention- maximizing the post-purchase experience 

    • Tools used: Email marketing and data analysis 

    5th: Loyalty-Retaining customers and turning them into advocates 

    • Key Tactic: Influencer marketing 

    To further define: the customer lifecycle is a term that describes the different steps a customer goes through when they are considering, buying, using, and remaining loyal to a particular product or service. 

    This lifecycle has been broken down into five distinct stages: reach, acquisition, conversion, retention, and loyalty.

    1. Discovery

    This is when a customer begins searching for a product or service.  It is said that discovery most often begins online.  This is when customers compare products across competitor brands, as well as research  customer reviews, ratings and articles. Eventually, the customer will reach out to a certain brand with questions and concerns.  When your marketing materials and content are in the “right places” this will make you more discoverable and help potential consumers become aware of you. 

    Ways to Improve your discoverability: 

    Local Listings
    There are three major online local listings you should be represented on. Firstly, and most importantly, there’s Google Places. You want to show up on Google searches, and you want to be included in online listings, so you need to be registered on Google Places. This is doubly important if your business is a retailer or a restaurant.vThe other online listings are Yahoo! Local and Bing’s online listing. All three of these online listing services are free, and they’re a great way to get your business out there. Consider getting your online presence up and running through these services.

     

    Social Media: If you are not engaging on social media, now is the time. There’s no two ways about this: either your Facebook, Instagram  and Twitter accounts need to be on point or you’re leaving money on the table. Social has replaced many forms of traditional marketing (e.g., newspaper advertising) and helping many companies achieve great success.  If you are debating hiring a social manager or agency, it is worth the investment.  

    • B2B MUST:  Make sure your company LinkedIn profile is professional and clear.  Have all employees update their personal profiles with the same brand message. 

    Search Engine Optimization
    Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a process of making your website’s pages easier to find in search engine results. This involves using specific keywords and repeating the keywords in headers, titles and meta descriptions. A web developer, site designer or some similar type of professional would be ideal to tap in this sort of marketing push.

    Consider hiring a freelance web designer to make sure your business has a webpage that is ideal for search engine optimization. They’ll be able to go in and make your site look great, and make it more searchable on sites like Google.

    2. Education

    This is when and how a brand “responds” to “inquiries” from the potential customer, as well as inquire for more information on the customer’s needs. Following that, the brand will offer the best products or services to satisfy the customer’s needs, as well as educate the customer on the uses of those products or services.   Responding comes in many forms and businesses are smart to offer multiple response styles (e.g., online materials, live chat, easily accessible customer service phone lines or email). 

    Online materials: For example, if a customer is exploring new sneakers a running company would be wise to provide a product comparison chart addressing typical runner demands – tread, ankle support, width, etc. 

    Live chat:  Zendesk offers real-time out reach – reach out and talk to customers before they even ask a question. Innovative clothing rental company Le Tote uses an automated trigger to offer help to customers who are lingering on the checkout page. By proactively engaging customers during the buying process, Le Tote is able to reduce cart abandonment and increase conversions.

    Accessible customer service: Sometimes “picking up the phone” is the easiest way to confirm your questions. Business with clear contact information and smart, well trained customer support ready to help will have better odds at winning the customer, building loyalty and gaining advocates. 

    Services like Ruby help make this possible, even if you are a 1-man show: 

    Ruby is a 100% US – based virtual receptionists business service specializing in making the most out of every customer conversation. They understand that when clients call, it’s important, urgent, or both and offer  daytime and after-hours call support, helping put customers  at ease, taking  down messages and information, and answering questions. Ruby’s got you covered 24 hours a day with live coverage. They can direct calls to you, your staff or take messages at any time everyday of the year. 

    Blogs
    Another great way to support the education phase is a blog, it also helps drive SEO and your google rating.  Things that a blog could cover are quite varied and could depend on your business’s specifics. For instance, if your business is a restaurant, your blog could cover recipes, specials, events and news relating to the restaurant. Whatever makes your business tick, that’s what you should blog about.

    3. Purchase

    Wohoo!!!  You won them over, they have all the information necessary and make the big purchase or commitment.   Congratulations, your marketing efforts to attract them worked!  Now the fun begins, it’s time to keep them, encourage repeat purchases and turn them into brand advocates.   This is more easily achieved when you have the right tools integrated into your purchase platform, so that when they make the purchase you gather the key information from the get-go. Thankfully, many ecommerce and POS systems offer CRM (Customer Relationship Management)  solutions or have an open API system to allow for integration. 

    A great example of a CRM tool provider is bridg.com. Bridg helps gain rich insights into your entire customer base (known and unknown), segment and create optimized audiences, and drive direct revenue generation through targeted personalized marketing with closed loop measurement.  

    4. Post-Purchase Engagement (phase II of your marketing strategy)

    This is when you begin building a lasting relationship with your customer. Great ways to engage are email followup asking for feedback on the customer service experience, their level of happiness with the brand and/or if they would be willing to follow you  on social media. This information can also help you improve your product, service or gain insights on more needs.  You should also plan to follow-up in the next 30-60 days to introduce a new product or additional service. 

    • ENGAGEMENT TIP: Take a look at your customer orders to see if certain products pair well together and create your own “Regularly bought together” or “Customers who purchases, also liked” 

    Email Marketing
    Email marketing allows you to email your customers directly when they’re on a mailing list. You could email them news about new offers and deals, or coupons for hot new items. You could also email them to keep them abreast of news relating to your business, potentially increasing customer engagement with your brand.

    5. Retention & Advocacy 

    Retention begins when the customer is happy with their first purchase or engagement, feels good about their purchase and feels as though that you took care of them or listened to their feedback. The customer feels like an important asset to the brand and makes additional future purchases with the brand.

    From a local popcorn shop to a venture backed technology advocacy is one of the best forms of marketing.  This is the stage of the relationship, where the customer feels fully vested with your product or service and even if there is no need for them to make an immediate secondary purchase, they are happy to recommend your business to their friends, family and colleagues. Spreading awareness amongst social circles is easy to do once a customer is loyal to a brand, and if they continually spread positive recommendations, their extended network is more likely to convert as well.  This was the original form of “influencer” marketing. 

    TIP:  Influencer marketing is a hot topic these days, but it simply bowls down to advocacy, which we know is critical.   In the world of social media, “influencers” those who have a large following or are admired for their style or professional experience (think a successful marathoner or photographer), it often requires a financial investment as well as free product/services. If you are not ready to go down the paid path, you can engage your customers and encourage them to share their experience with shopping with you. This might not have the same impact as someone with a huge following, but it does help your brand get in front of more eyes.  


    In short, there are a number of ways you can leverage the internet to make your business more recognizable and to increase your business’s performance. Really, the biggest mistake you could make is ignoring your online presence. 

    There’s money to be made: you only need to capitalize on online marketing so you can make it!


  • Best Trucking Companies

    Best Trucking Companies

    The open road can be a great workplace, as long as you’re working for the right company. If you’re interested in a career as a truck driver, you’re likely wondering which the best trucking companies are to work for. Lucky for you, we’ve got a list of the highest-paying trucking companies right here for you!

    Best Trucking Companies to Work For

    Wal-Mart

    Wal-Mart trucking has a reputation for being really great to work for. The company reportedly pays very competitively. Truckers working for them make, on average, around $80,000 per year. That translates to around $40 per hour. They offer training pay, which is great, as well as mileage and activity pay. Wal-Mart even offers a safe driving bonus every three months.

    Drivers for Wal-Mart don’t load or unload freight. They also get one guaranteed day at home per week! Drivers are also given reset hours on the road. The best part, though, is the benefits. Drivers get benefits starting their very first day, and it covers things like dental, medical, life and more.

    Acme

    While they only operate in seven states, Acme is a prolific trucking company. They’ve got a ton of trucks on the road, although they technically don’t own their own fleet. They actually lease all of their trucks. Acme drivers make an average of around $83,000 per year, or roughly $40 per hour. That’s more than just competitive, it’s nearly the highest in the industry.

    They’ve got work for drivers of all experience levels, and they pay rather promptly. Drivers for Acme have noted that they are typically paid just a week after they haul freight. The upsides to working for them are numerous, such as benefits and tons of work available.

    GP Transco

    GP Transco is a lesser-known company, but they’re notable for a few reasons. For one thing, they have the lowest turnover rate of any company in the business. Their average salary is around $75,000 per year, which is highly competitive with other companies. GP Transco offers what is described as a “fantastic” benefits package, which is a huge part of their low turnover rate.

    If you’re going to spend a ton of time away from home on the open road, you’re going to want pay and benefits that match your time. After all, the biggest thing you’re offering as a truck driver is your time.


  • No Degree? Great Jobs that are Right for You

    No Degree? Great Jobs that are Right for You

    Not everyone gets to, or wants to, go to college. After all, it’s expensive and time consuming, and you’ve got bills to pay and a life to live. That’s not a problem! College isn’t for everyone. However, now you’re looking for a good job to make ends meet. What kind of good jobs are available for someone without a degree? Let’s find out.

    Great Jobs for People without a College Degree

    Truck Driver

    If you don’t mind the open road and long trips across country, there’s a lot of money to be made as a trucker. Once you have a commercial trucking license, you’re a hot commodity. This kind of job isn’t for everyone, but it will ensure a great deal of financial security.

    Staying up for long hours, driving to new places and having a flexible schedule are all part of the job. If you don’t have a problem being away from home for days at a time, you could make a great trucker. Companies are always hiring, and the average pay is around $50,000 per year. That’s not bad for a job that doesn’t require a degree.

    Hotel Management

    Getting in on the ground floor of a hotel isn’t terribly difficult, and doesn’t require a degree. However, it might require you work some pretty crazy hours. Most hotels tend to start people, especially front desk staff, as overnight workers.

    If you go in with an open mind, work hard and keep your nose to the grindstone, you could find yourself promoted rapidly. Hotels are always looking for good people, so the cream will rise to the top. Management could provide some great opportunities, including benefits like medical insurance and paid time off.

    Web Development

    People with a knack for coding and design are naturally drawn to computer-based professions. As it turns out, you don’t need a college degree to be a contractor in the field. Contractors can set their own hours and their own rates. Staying competitive isn’t a matter of education, just a matter of skill.

    If you’re good with computers and can design great websites, you could have a future as a web developer. Keep in mind, however, that most developers work as contractors, not employees. This means you’ll have to cover your own health insurance and pay your own half of Social Security come tax time.

    However, this is a great opportunity for those with the right skills.


  • Is Networking on LinkedIn the Path to a New Job?

    Is Networking on LinkedIn the Path to a New Job?

    LinkedIn is a social platform, much like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, but it has a distinct edge over those platforms for job-seekers. While Facebook and the like are inherently casual and mostly for wasting time (sorry, Facebook) LinkedIn could help you score a new job.

    No, seriously! LinkedIn is a professional networking app that allows you to make connections and make your name known amongst professionals in your field. If you’re not using LinkedIn to expand your professional network, you’re missing out on a huge help to your career prospects.

    LinkedIn and Job Prospects

    What is It?

    LinkedIn is, at its core, a professional-minded social networking app. The stated purpose of the site is to help connect professionals. You can upload your resume, work history and connections and make yourself more well-known in your field.

    Unlike Facebook and Twitter, profiles on LinkedIn are professional first. Recruiters and employers often first look to a candidate’s LinkedIn profile to see how the candidate stacks up. It’s a quick way to pull someone’s work history and resume without having to go through the formal hiring procedures.

    Networking

    If you’re a freelancer or someone looking to break into a field, then the networking offered by LinkedIn is a huge boon. Hiring managers and recruiters often set apart time of their day to browse LinkedIn connections. By increasing your network’s size, you make it that much more likely that hiring managers can see you in their normal scouting.

    You can’t predict just how big of a role networking could play in your job-hunting process. Just because you know someone, you might get an inside track on a job you didn’t even know existed. If you’re gunning for a competitive position, the benefit of knowing someone in the field can be impossible to pass up.

    Job Listings

    Another big part of LinkedIn is the job listing section. If you’re actively hunting for a job, you can make managing your LinkedIn a full-time job! There are always new listings going live on this tab, so you can rest assured that you’ll find new opportunities on the site every day. In fact, many people get messages about open positions if they simply maintain their LinkedIn.

    If you’ve become recently unemployed, LinkedIn can be a huge boon to your job search. It puts you in the loop regarding what jobs are open in your field and gives you a structure to searching for your next career. The listings can be sorted based on pay, field and requirements.

    This allows you to stay up-to-date on just what options are available to you. If you’re keeping tabs on your LinkedIn profile, then you make it that much more likely you find the work you’re looking for. It almost acts like a headhunter agency that doesn’t take a cut of your pay when it finds you a job!

    In the Know

    Another huge aspect of LinkedIn is the active job article section. The articles can keep you in the loop on various industry trends, changes in the company or companies you’re interested in getting work in and showing you what behaviors led to various CEOs and execs getting ahead. It helps to know what got the people at the top to their positions and just how they keep their position in their field. After all, knowing is half the battle!

    Personal Brand

    LinkedIn is also important in managing ones own personal brand. If you apply for a job and the employer looks up your LinkedIn profile, it can help solidify your professional legitimacy. If people who know you have endorsed your skills and put their name behind you, it makes you that much more desirable than the candidates who don’t have such guarantees.

    There are numerous skills you can list on your profile, such as Photoshop or Microsoft Excel. Some people list skills like “sales experience,” “customer service experience,” or “writing talent.” Any of these types of skills can be endorsed by your LinkedIn connections, including your prior managers and coworkers.

    Is LinkedIn Right for You?

    So, you’re looking for a better job and you don’t know where to start to get yourself a leg up. Well, maybe it’s time to download LinkedIn and get your profile up. It’s not that hard to list your skills connect with your coworkers and former managers, and get validation on your personal skills.

    When you’re competing for positions in highly sought-after fields, every little bit helps. Put yourself in a winning position by getting a LinkedIn account.


  • How LinkedIn Can Help You Find a New Job

    How LinkedIn Can Help You Find a New Job

    There’s no way to sugarcoat it: trying to find a new job is really, really difficult. It’s hard to even know where to begin. Who’s hiring? Who has good benefits and a good work environment? If you’re not using some kind of job board or have a ton of connections, you’re running in blind.

    That’s where LinkedIn comes in. More than just being a simple job board site, LinkedIn is the best social media app for meeting professional connections. After all, it’s much easier to get ahead in a crowded job market when you know the right people. Here’s how to have LinkedIn work for you.

    LinkedIn

    Take it Seriously

    LinkedIn might be a social networking site, but you should take it seriously. It’s not quite the same as Facebook or Instagram. It’s an opportunity to present yourself in a professional and well-curated way for potential employers and colleagues.

    As such, you should make sure you present your best self on LinkedIn. Make sure your pictures aren’t ones of you and your buddies hanging loose and partying. Make sure you’re well-dressed and well-groomed in your pictures!

    Use it Often

    Make sure to use LinkedIn often. Even if you’re employed and like your job, it’s good to have connections that you cultivate. If you only use the app when you’re looking for a new job, you’ll be out of luck. It’s not enough just to run to it in an emergency: you need to keep up to date!

    By using the app often, you ensure that you’ve got a presence online that potential employers and professional connections can see. This is essentially an ad for yourself as an employee. Take pride in it, and make sure everyone knows just how good of an employee you are.

    Resume

    Make sure you keep a well-formatted, up-to-date copy of your resume easily accessible on your LinkedIn. You never know when a recruiter or hiring manager might come along and see your profile. If they do, you want to make sure your info is all up-to-date and accurate!

    There’s no reason to potentially miss out on a great job just because you’ve got some goofy typos on your resume. Make sure you keep everything connected to your business page tight and well-formatted. This is an easy step to take that will take you only a few minutes, so don’t put it off!

    If you’re looking to make lasting businesses connections, LinkedIn is where it’s at. Get your profile active and looking great today.


  • Ever Dreamed of Starting Your Own Business? Have You Considered Dropshipping?

    Ever Dreamed of Starting Your Own Business? Have You Considered Dropshipping?

    What is a Dropshipping Business?

    Drop shipping is proving to be an extremely popular business model to budding entrepreneurs, especially, millennials and gen Zers. This is because it relies largely on internet marketing skills and the idea of not handling stock or the items one is selling adds to its allure.

    If you have been looking for a business that you can start with limited funds, and grow as you continue with your regular job, then drop shipping is for you. Here’s a detailed guide on how to start a dropshipping business.

    In a dropshipping business, the store owner gets to sell directly to the customer without having any inventory. When a consumer buys a product in this store, the product is shipped to them by a third-party supplier.

    In terms of prices, the consumer pays the retail price the store owner has set, while the store owner pays the supplier the wholesale price. The rest is profit!!

    How to Start a Dropshipping Business in 2021

    Now that we’ve seen what dropshipping is all about, here’s what you need to do to set up such a business:

    Commit to setting up a dropshipping business

    Here’s what we mean by this: you’ll need to invest heavily either in time or money.

    Dropshipping is no different from other businesses. It will require significant commitment and that you have a long-term perspective. What do we mean by investing in each of these?

    Investing time into the business

    This is our preferred form of investment for various reasons:

    • You learn the ins and outs of how the business operates, which will come in handy when the business grows and you have to manage it.
    • You develop an intimate knowledge of your customers and market, and this informs your decision making.
    • You’ll steer clear of vanity projects that may eat up your capital to no success.
    • You’ll pick up some new skills that will help grow you as an entrepreneur.

    While not everyone might be able to quit their job and embark on growing their online store, it is still possible to start this business while holding a 9-to-5 position. All you need is to set the right expectations towards customer service and the appropriate fulfillment times for customers. As the business grows, you can move to working full time depending on the business’ cash flow and profitability.

    Investing money into the business

    In this approach, you invest a significant amount of money on programmers, developers, and marketers.

    However, this approach has proven to be too expensive in the long end compared to investing time. This is because success in the dropshipping business requires that you be deeply invested in its success as you grow it from the ground up. Additionally, having no knowledge of how the business works at different levels may expose you to manipulation from expensive ‘experts’.

    While you don’t have to do everything on your own, it’s advisable to be the primary driving force from the go.

    However, you still need a small amount of money in the range of $1,000 for your business to be launched and be operational. This will be used in operational expenses and any incorporation fees required. Once you are committed to the business, the next step is coming up with a business idea.

    Come up with a niche

    The niche that you come up with has to be laser-focused and one that you love. If the product range is not focused, you’ll have a hard time marketing it. And if you are not passionate about the niche you choose, you might end up getting discouraged, as it is a lot of work scaling a drop shipping business successfully. With all this in mind, here’s how you can settle on a niche:

    Settle for businesses with large profit margins. When in the drop shipping business, your focus is usually on marketing and customer acquisition. This means that the effort needed to sell a $20 item is almost the same as for a $1,500 item. As such, settle for a niche that has on demand higher-priced products.

    Low shipping costs are crucial. Your supplier may be handling the shipping, but if the cost is too steep, then it may drive customers away. For this reason, find items that are inexpensive to ship, as this may present you the option of free shipping to your customers, taking up the cost in a bid to attract additional sales.

    Ensure your products appeal to impulse buyers’ with lots of disposable income. When you are keen on getting traffic to your website, you want the highest conversion rate as most visitors might not come back. The products on sale should lead to impulse buys and appeal to those with disposable income.

    Ensure people are actively searching for the item. Leverage tools like Trends and Google’s Keyword Planner to check keywords related to your niche of interest. If no one is searching, that might not be a lucrative niche.

    Develop your brand. You earn bonus points if you can rebrand what you are selling and sell it as your own. Look for products that you can white label and make them your brand using custom branding and packaging.

    Niches that you can start from home

    Here are some of the most lucrative dropshipping niches:

    1. Power tools
    2. Tech supplies
    3. Lifestyle niche
    4. Beauty and Health
    5. Drones and Accessories

    Conduct Competition research

    You are probably aware that you will be operating in the same sphere as other drop shipping operations including retail giants like Amazon and Walmart. In spite of this, don’t make the mistake of going for a product that has little or no competition. This is actually a sign that there is no demand for the product.

    Some of the reasons why a product may face no competition include high shipping costs, lower profit margins, or manufacturing and supplier issues. Settle for products with competition, as this shows there’s high demand and the business model is sustainable.

    Some ways to conduct competitor research include:

    1. Leverage competitor spy tools like Alexa and Similar Web. These tools are good at tracking your competitors’ online activity. They’ll compile competitor online information, including their social media profiles, number of visitors, top traffic sources, and their competitors.
    2. Social media. Browse for Facebook ads related to your niche and note the top brands in the area. Look at how they communicate with their customers, how their feed is designed, and the amount of engagement they are getting.
    3. Subscribe to their email lists. By subscribing to your competitors’ email lists, you get their updates right into your inbox. You also get to see their marketing strategy. You also learn about the deals and promotions that they use to draw customers to buy from them.
    4. Google search. Search engines are a great place to start. Compile a list of your top five competitors. Search key search terms in your niche, like ‘phone covers.’ The top results are your top competitors and you will gather information on how they promote their products.

    Learn everything you can from your customers and keep the research in a spreadsheet for continuous reference.

    Settle for a supplier

    Settling for a dropshipping supplier is a crucial step if you are to create a successful business. Without a supplier, you won’t have products to ship to the consumer, and your business will never see light of day. Partnering with the wrong supplier is another step into the grave and therefore you need to exercise utmost caution.

    Ensure your conduct due diligence. As you will learn, many drop shipping suppliers are found overseas, thus communication is crucial, both in terms of their response speed and also being able to understand one another. If you are not fully confident with their communication abilities, then better ditch them for another supplier.

    Alibaba has grown to be one of the largest resources of finding and communicating with potential suppliers and manufacturers. Oberlo is also a marketplace that helps you find products to sell online. Ensure you ask lots of questions and identify their production capabilities if your business is to grow exponentially. You want a supplier that will be able to scale with you.

    You can learn from other entrepreneurs who have set up similar businesses in the past. You can find plenty of information online from business blogs to subreddits on drop shipping.

    Build an eCommerce site

    The next step to setting up a dropshipping business is to launch a website that supports this business model. You can leverage an ecommerce platform like Shopify for this. This site will be the home of your site- where you’ll be sending traffic, process payments, and sell products.

    Shopify is a complete commerce platform that enables you to sell in different places, in multiple currencies, and you can manage products and payments. Plus, you don’t need designer skills or to be a developer to use Shopify. There are tools that will help you with everything that you need to design your store.

    You might be tempted to get a web designer for a custom solution. However, it’s a wiser move to leverage plug-and-play alternatives, especially at the start. Once you are stable with a regular revenue stream, you can source for website customization.

    Choose a business structure

    If you are keen on setting up a long-term venture, then you want to start a legitimate business entity. Here is a rundown of the three commonly used structures:

    1. Sole proprietorship. This is the simplest structure to implement. However, it has no personal liability protection. In the event that your business gets sued, your personal assets are at risk. Its filing requirements are minimal and your business’ earnings are reported on your personal taxes.
    2. Limited liability company (LLC). This offers more protection of personal assets as your business is established as a separate legal entity. There are additional filing requirements and you’ll pay incorporation and ongoing fees.
    3. C corporation. Major corporations fall under this, as it offers the most liability protection. They are more expensive to set up as they are subjected to double taxation.

    ***Seek legal advice when deciding on the kind of business to choose***

    Devise a customer acquisition plan

    Despite having a killer product and website, you still need customers who want to buy. There are a number of ways to draw potential customers. The most effective way is to launch a Facebook ad campaign.

    • Facebook ads enable you to generate sales and revenue from the word go. This will allow you to scale quickly. The site also enables you to exhibit your offer directly to a highly targeted audience. This levels the playing field with larger brands and retailers.
    • Influencer marketing. If your budget is limited, influencer marketing is a sure way to experience higher return-on-investment while effeciently reaching your target audience. In fact, people nowadays tend to trust influencers more than conventional advertising. If you choose this route, settle on an affiliate fee as opposed to a flat rate. This way, you’ll both make money off each sale.
    • Content marketing. This method will give you a long-term traffic stream to your online store. Start a blog and produce content on your niche. Make the content educative and entertaining to your target audience. Additionally, you can opt to start a YouTube channel, start a podcast, or create infographics that help advertise your brand. For each strategy, ensure that you subtly include call to action tabs.
    • Communities. Involve yourself with cliques that are passionate about your niche. You can strike conversations with prospective customers on online forums such as Reddit, or even Facebook groups. Aim to help the potential customers while building relationships. This ensures they trust your brand and desire to buy from it.

    Analyze and improve

    You need to keep track of the results of your campaign and whether it is reaping benefits. With Shopify analytics, you can get information on:

    1. Sales. You can identify your best performing channels, where to pump more money, your best selling products, and your best customers.
    2. Shopper behavior. This includes the medium, that is, desktop or mobile and their conversion rates.
    3. Profit margins. You compare the sales and gross profits of every month.

    You can also leverage tools like Search Console and Google Analytics to gauge search traffic and improve on your SEO.

    In conclusion, with those steps, you should be on your way to setting up a stable drop shipping business with a revenue stream of over 1000 dollars a month. And with more consumers migrating from physical stores to online stores, the future couldn’t be brighter for drop shipping. What are you waiting for? Opportunity is knocking!


  • Need Extra Cash for the Holidays? How About Starting A ‘Side Hustle’

    Need Extra Cash for the Holidays? How About Starting A ‘Side Hustle’

    These days everyone could use a bit more money. Like many Americans, if you find yourself at home and looking for new ways to earn income, you might consider starting up a Side Hustle. If you are employed, underemployed or unemployed, many people find that their salary is not enough to afford the ideal lifestyle they seek.

    If you fall under the category where you are left with little or no money to save, you should try a side hustle. You might have thought of it but the question you could have been asking yourself is what kind of a side hustle is most suitable? Below, we discuss various work from home opportunities. If you are there and you have never heard about a side hustle, we do not want to leave you behind. Let’s start by answering the question of what is a side hustle so that we can move on together.

    A side hustle or part-time job is a way of making money outside your normal job. This kind of job gives you an opportunity to earn extra cash, with which you can freely buy items you want, follow your passion, and reduce your financial concerns. Generally, you begin a side hustle with an aim of earning a couple of extra thousand or hundred dollars per month. With such money, you will be able to do a lot and even make some savings that you can use to make investments. Without taking much time, let’s dive into some of the great ideas that can make you earn more money by working in the comfort of your home.

    Money-Saving Browser Plug-ins

    Although this is not direct work from home opportunity, you can use it to earn some money, which you can save or use to do other things. What you need to do is to install a money-saving browser plug-in of your choice. This kind of browser will help you to find reduced prices on the items you purchase online daily. This will add some breathing space to your budget. Right? It is related to earning some extra money.

    Bank Account Promotions

    These kinds of promotions are available in all sizes and shapes. What does this mean? You can find different bank promotions that offer bonus money for instance when you open an account. All you need to do is to get online and search a list of the most amazing bank account promotions for individuals with new accounts. You can find yourself earning some cash just by opening a bank account and completing all the activities that require you to qualify.

    Selling Your Insights through Blogging

    Could you be among the people that view blogs as venues where bored individuals share what they think about anything? Ok maybe you don’t view it this way but all the same, you may have never have thought that you can make extra money through blogging. But how? This is it. Your journey as a blogger starts with an idea. You need to have a unique idea. What if your idea is not unique? Let this one not worry you because you can take an existing idea. However, ensure that the idea is more compelling and sharper than those of your competitors.

    After getting an idea, get to know it from formal training or personal experience such that you will not experience any difficulties as you write about it. You may find it quite challenging when starting but you just need to give it time and you will find that you have tightened your writing process and you are able to produce wonderful content within a very short time.

    The next stage is selecting and purchasing a web domain, you then have to host and design your site after which you can plan your content. This seems to be a lot of work and you may think of taking shortcuts. As the saying goes short cuts are always the wrong ways, avoid them at all cost. By following this work to the letter, you will be laying a solid foundation that you will look and smile about in days to come. After creating a quality site and building a following, you will earn money in different ways and you will come to enjoy it.

    Sell your opinions through focus groups and online surveys

    Have you ever imagined that your opinions may earn you money? They are of more value than you might have ever imagined. Several companies pay a good amount of money to get to know more about the preferences and motivations of their target audience.

    Online Surveys

    You can undertake online surveys at your home any time you feel like be it over dinner or lunch hours, working hours, during your free time, or the wee hours of sleepless nights.

    Although you are expected to give honest and sensible answers, you need not devote all your attention to these surveys. It is up to you. Just devote the time you are comfortable with the survey. An individual survey can take between a few minutes to twenty or thirty minutes to complete. You can handle the number of questions that you are comfortable with.

    The amount of money you earn is based on the kind of surveys you complete. Note that you can earn like $10 per hour if you sign up with several survey companies and complete the tasks allotted to you diligently. Even with less than ten dollars per hour, the amount is better than none.

    Online Focus Groups

    These types of groups are almost similar to online surveys and in some instances, they are administered by the same firms. Note that online focus groups need more time and concentration as compared to other online surveys. Configurations also differ but you have to join a panel and engage on particular issues per month or week. Online focus groups are also more selective as compared to online surveys. You may not qualify if you fail to meet certain income or demographic criteria. If you make efforts you can earn more than 500 hundred dollars per month in-kind awards or cash.

    Sell your expertise through Virtual tutoring

    This is a more personalized manner of earning extra cash. All you need to do is to share whatever you have expertise in. Dissimilar to online classes or courses, which can be accessed by a large number of people who are paying for it a time, a tutoring session is normally a one-on-one affair. Nevertheless, you have the freedom to tutor as many students as can be allowed by your schedule.

    Note that success in online tutoring does not just come. You have to earn it by doing the following things:

    • Sticking to the subjects that you are very much familiar with and avoiding those you do not know much about.
    • Using a highly visible and reputable venue.
    • Structuring your sessions sensibly.
    • Pricing your services in accordance with the market price.
    • Following scheduling most appropriate practices
    • Finally, you need to be enthusiastic when promoting yourself. You could not be good in promoting yourself because enthusiastic promotions are not for all people. You need not worry because you can select a platform that can do the promotion on your behalf. You can search for such a platform by searching for the best tutoring platforms online.

    Online tutoring platforms pay tutors depending on the kind of subjects you have selected. For example, if you are a computer science tutor you can earn more money than the amount of money earned by an English tutor. Most platforms also pay tutors on an hourly basis. Are you a teacher? Don’t remain at home doing nothing, especially during the weekends or holidays. With tutoring, you can earn a good amount of extra cash.

    However, prior to signing up, you need to ensure that your computer also has the requirements of your preferred platform. You will require a realistically fast processor as well as video-chatting capabilities that are real-time. Most platforms also require their employees to have a TEFL certification to be hired to work with them.

    Sell Your Unwanted items

    Have you ever thought that you can earn some extra cash by selling the items that you no longer want? This comes with more benefits because you will not only be getting some cash but you will also be clearing your space. Look at it this way; when you sell unwanted items you will not only be earning some cash but also downsizing and decluttering your life. Although this will not help you earn money throughout, you can use it when you want to clear out your space at least once in a while. Could be you have looked around and wondered what to sell. Here is a list of things that you can earn money from:

    • Old kids’ outfit
    • Sporting goods that you are not using anymore
    • Toys
    • Electronics
    • Wardrobe accessories that are out of fashion
    • Valuable but non-sentimental keepsakes like jewelry, watches, outdoor equipment, dusty tools and even a motorcycle or used vehicle.

    You have looked and said yes I have some items that I can sell but where? There are several methods and places to sell your unwanted items.

    Let’s start with digital options.

    Here are some of the digital platforms you can consider depending on the sales model of your choice and the amount of effort you’re willing to give.

    • Amazon: Note that you can become a professional seller in Amazon if you are planning to be selling at least forty items per month here. All you need to do is to pay a referral fee and a subscription fee and you will sell your items at the comfort of your home.
    • EBay : this is among the most popular sites worldwide. This means that when you post the items you are selling here, most people will view them. All you need to do to beat your way through the other items is to list high quality images and clear description. You will pay a commission on the items you sell.
    • Resale (Trade-in) Marketplaces: there are various places where you can sell your items, particularly, electronics online. Some sites include Gazelle, SellCell, MaxBack, Verizon, AT&T and BestBuy among other online market places.
      Craigslist: you can also try this. It is cheap but it has several disadvantages like high chances of non-payment and potential safety risks.

    Sell Your Words through Freelance Writing

    This is another way of earning by working from home. Most college students have embraced this as a part-time job. Freelance writing is a side hustle with which you can predict the amount of money to earn daily, weekly, or monthly. The amount of money you earn depends on the number of articles you write and their rating. There are various websites that offer Freelance writing jobs including Fiverr, Upwork, Craigslist, ProBlogger, and TextBroker among others.

    Affiliate Marketing

    This is also a kind of side hustle. However, you need to be a little bit careful with it since you can earn a lot of cash or nothing at all. Note that it is more than finding the appropriate item to sell. You also need to select the appropriate brand to partner with. The amount of money you earn through affiliate marketing depends on the product you are selling and the kind of network you are using.

    Above are just a number of side hustles that you can try at the comfort of your home and earn some extra cash? The list of side hustles is just endless. Here are other side hustles that you can embrace:

    • Starting a drop-shipping business
    • Selling your grammatical skills through freelance editing
    • Offering pet sitting services
    • Remote Accounting
    • Selling of E-books and Audiobooks
    • Retail Arbitrage
    • Selling your passion for issues through political advocacy
    • Selling your search queries
    • Selling your fashion skills
    • Selling your cooking skills and becoming an Instagram influencer among others

    With a side hustle, living the life you have always dream can be attainable. There is no time like the present, and it is never too late to start a new career path towards financial freedom. Good Luck! The opportunities are yours to take!


  • Search Best Applicant Tracking Systems

    Search Best Applicant Tracking Systems

    Hiring new quality employees in the time of COVID is extremely difficult for hiring managers and HR managers.

    Remote working means that in-person interviews are challenging to facilitate, if not impossible. In addition, collaboration between hiring teams is also difficult, and keeping candidates moving through the pipeline can be slower than in pre-pandemic times.

    From a candidate point of view, many job seekers express frustration around lack of communication from the employers, the inability to make a strong impression over zoom or other video conferencing services.  Negative impressions from interviewers are showing up on websites like glassdoor.com. If you are a hiring manager or HR professional, you may want to consider a new applicant tracking system. Our team researched some of the leading options below:

    1. BambooHR: Bamboo is priced slightly higher than others- which may make it out of reach for smaller companies. However, reviews show it is easy to get up and running, has a rich feature set and UI functionality that has resonated positively with hiring managers and HR professionals. Pricing starts at $4.95 per employee per month.
    2. Workable: Workable is designed for companies of all sizes. Features that set it apart include access to 200 free and premium job boards and over 600 job description templates. Pricing can be ‘hire as needed’ and features a $99 per job month subscription.
    3. Bullhorn Staffing and Recruiting: This service starts at $99 per user per month, so only feasible to larger enterprise customers. However, the user interface is a very high quality, and features a very easy integration with outlook at Gmail. The intuitive features have drawn favorable feedback from users across the board.
    4. Greenhouse: Greenhouse is very popular service featuring custom interview plans, automated job approvals and candidate scorecards. The job board syndication feature is very ideal for smaller businesses who lack a built out career page.
    5. Jazz HR: Jazz is designed with small and midsized businesses in mind. Free trials are available, and the feature set eliminates busy work with ranking and candidate tracking tools which are intuitive and quick to learn. In addition, pre-poplulated templates can speed up the offer process and give candidates a personalized feel that is very efficient for the hiring manager.

    Related Posts: 

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  • Get Your Degree Online- Our Review of Top Schools

    Get Your Degree Online- Our Review of Top Schools

    For many adults, it is easy to hit a roadblock in your career and the only way to advance and improve your income is to further your education. However, it is hard to find time to go back to college and traditionally finish a degree. This is why online degree programs, programs that allow you to do all of your degrees online without having to attend physical classes or worry about being somewhere at a specific time during the week, have grown in popularity.

    There are many different options for online colleges, but not all of them will provide a high-quality education that you need to further your career. Here is our review on some of the best online colleges:

    1. University of Florida

    If you are looking for an online college that is affordable and has great name recognition, then look no further than the University of Florida. While there is an online campus, UF offers 24 fully online programs that will lead you to your Bachelor’s degree. Most of the online programs offered include nursing, public relations, emergency services, communications, and business.

    As an online student from the University of Florida, you can enjoy added flexibility for creating a schedule that works around your time. UF provides policies that allow you to customize your course loads and study schedules while supporting the success of their online learners. You can even get complete access to the Career Connections Center to help you find advanced job search support, career coaching, and networking opportunities.

    The Benefits

    • 24 programs to choose from
    • Customize your schedule around other obligations
    • Affordable with great name-recognition
    • Provides exceptional career support as you finish your degree.

    The Drawbacks:

    • Hard to know when you will graduate if the scheduling changes.
    • Distance learning can be intense through this program for those not prepared.

    The Cost:

    The cost of attending UF online is $129.18 per credit hour or $28,659 annually.

    The Reviews:

    The Positive: Most students agreed that UF provided them with the best education online possible. The coursework is interesting and the professors gave more time and attention than many other online options. The online programs are mostly geared towards providing Bachelor’s Degrees, though some Master’s programs are not available as well.

    The Negative: Some students found that it was hard to connect with the professors, especially if the teacher of a class was not in the same time zone or the same city. This made it difficult to seek help or get recommendations after graduation.

    2. LeTourneau University

    This online university is based out of Texas and promotes itself as a Christian polytechnic university. Their goal is to combine a Christian worldview with a practical and innovative approach to education online. Any distance learner who works with this college can choose from more than 20 online programs in subjects from education, theology, business, and even theology. It also ranks high in aviation and aeronautical science education, providing five blended or fully online programs in these disciplines.

    Even if you have already started your education somewhere else, LETU will count you as part of their student body. In fact, out of 3175 students, hundreds are transfer students, which has led them to maintain an inclusive transfer credit policy. It is possible to waive 75% of your degree requirements if you have taken classes in other locations.

    The Benefits

    • There are more than 20 degrees to choose from.
    • Provides the best in aviation education if you choose to work with that degree.
    • Set up to work well with transfer students who want to finish there

     

    The Cost

    The annual tuition for this online university is between $9585 to $12,825 depending on which degree program you choose to use. Books and supplies will cost more.

    The Reviews

    The positive: The online school provides effective teaching from highly-qualified professors. Some worried about finding hands-on experience through the online portion, but the work is intense and prepares students for their future.

    The negative: The biggest complaint with this one is the lack of social life for both on-campus and online options. This makes it hard to meet others to network and meet others in your chosen career path.

    3. Keiser University

    This college was founded in 1977 and operates 21 campuses through Florida. The mandate of this college is to provide affordable, practical, and convenient career training to any adult learner who wants to expand their career options. This is still the object found in Keiser University today and they show this by providing 25 fully online programs for adult learners. It is also the third-largest nonprofit university system so they know what they are doing, serving more than 20,000 students.

    If you want to work with an online school that focuses on improving your career, then Keiser is a great choice. Keiser’s health science programs are some of the best in the area. Some of the degrees you can earn online through Keiser includes nursing, health services administration, health science, and health information management.

    The Benefits

    • Provides 25 online programs that are designed for adult learners who want to advance in their careers.
    • Their focus is all on helping adult learners so the classes are flexible and easy to use.
    • Has the rare Level VI designation because it awards degrees at all levels.

    The Negatives

    • It is specific in the types of degrees it offers, which can make it hard for certain degrees to work online.
    • The cost is a little higher per year than other options.

    The Costs

    The average cost each year to complete your degree online through Keiser is $16,690.

    The Reviews

    The positives: The professors are there to help and provide feedback on all assignments to help make sure you fully understand the material, which is a common issue in other online colleges. They are fast-paced and challenging so you know the material that you are learning. The online format relies on Blackboard, which makes it easier to interact with other classmates and knows when assignments are due.

    The negatives: Because this is a private college more than a public one, the costs are a little higher.Other options in Florida providee more affordable tuition for online classes.

    4. Drexel University

    Located in Philadelphia, Drexel University has many online bachelor’s programs to choose from. With 19 options across 10 subject areas, you are sure to find something that suits your needs. You can enjoy degrees in subjects including business, criminal justice, and behavioral sciences. The certified teachers, the advanced expertise, and all the program options lead to the school having a freshmen retention rate of 88%.

    In addition to providing a lot of great online programs offered through this college, it is one of the largest research universities. As an online learner, you can enjoy the ability to customize your degree path and your own schedules. e flexible policies are amazing because they allow you to take some of your previous college work and transfer up to 80 s80-semesterdits. This speeds up your degree completion time.

    The Benefits

    • A research university that can help you get more hands-on experience, even as an online learner.
    • The ability to transfer over previous college credits.
    • Flexibility to choose the schedule of learning that works the best for you.

    The Negatives

    Limited on the types of degrees that are offered online.

    The Costs

    The average cost for this online college is about $13,000 a year. Some degrees are a little lower and some may cost more.

    The Reviews

    The positives: Students enjoyed being able to customize their learning experience and the ability to work online on not just a Bachelor’s degree, but also a Master’s degree in some industries as well.

    The negative: Some teachers are slow to respond and give feedback on any questions the students may have, leaving some of them feeling left behind.

    5. University of Arizona

    Students who choose the online part of The University of Arizona get to enjoy all the benefits. This is one of the highest ranked highest-ranked count countries that provides a lot of great online programs. Online students get to pay the same tuition rates as in-state students, no matter where they take these classes and 93% of the students who studied online said they would recommend this college to others. Plus data from PayScale shows that this university placed first in a review of potential earnings among graduates in the state.

    If you choose to take your online classes from here, you can pick from 33 online bachelor’s programs. There are many options that you can choose including Accounting, Biochemistry, Business, Food Industry Management d Communications. The school also welcomes all transfer students, working hard to match learners with previous credits so the transition is as smooth as possible without needing to retake any classes.

    The Benefits

    • 33 online options to choose from.
    • 93% of the student learners would recommend this to their friends.
    • Earn the highest income out of all students in the state.
    • Tuition rate for students online is the same as in-state tuition, making this an affordable option.

    The Negatives

    Even though this comes with some good name recognition, it does cost more than other online degree programs, which can make it prohibitive to others.

    The Costs

    The cost of this online education is a little higher than the other options on our list, coming in at almost $37,000.

    The Reviews

    The positive: Since the online program provides in-state tuition, it can save money compared to being an out of state student, even if you are far away from the main campus. The great reputation and easy transfer process makes this an even better place to get your degree.

    The negatives: Some students were looking for more options in majors and found that signing up and getting the program ready to go was a little complicated. The tech support provided assistance that made this easier.

    6. Mercer University

    Mercer University was established in 1833 and is an accredited college in Macon, GA. This private nonprofit school provides a great reputation, ranking along with other leading private colleges in the state. Distance learning is one of the top educational priorities in the staStudentsents can choose between 21 online programs that lead to a Bachelor’s degree.

    In 2018, a new long-term development plan was approved that gave $200 million to increase research spending. This is great news for online students who are in degrees oriented around resethe arch. Some of the majors that benefit from an online degree from Mercer University include mental health-related, social science, informatics, human development, and healthcare.

    The Benefits

    • A prestigious private school with 21 online programs.
    • Many research-focused degrees with money to back them up.
    • Accredited and challenging classes to put students at the top of their field.

    The Negatives

    Mercer University is a private university, which can make it a little harder to get accepted.
    If you want a degree that is not research-focused, your options are limited.

    The Costs

    The cost of attending Mercer University online is about $19,000 a year. For a private college, this is an affordable choice for your online degree.

    The Reviews

    The positives: Teachers were responsive and knew the material. There were opportunities to work with research, even with the online classes, so this will help online students get a great education.

    The negatives: Many students were worried that the online and traditional courses were the same so you were not getting atrulye online experience through this. This did vary depending on the class that was taken though.

    Final Thoughts

    Choosing an online college provides you with opportunities to finish your degree and advance your career, even when you do not have time to sit in class all day long with a traditional college class schedule. There are many online colleges to choose from, but not all of them will provide high-quality education and affordable degree choices check out the online colleges we discussed above to help you determine the best place to earn your education.