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  • 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!


  • This Is The Unbelievable Secret Reason Why Tech Insiders Wait to Buy Their Laptops on Cyber Monday

    This Is The Unbelievable Secret Reason Why Tech Insiders Wait to Buy Their Laptops on Cyber Monday

    Have you been able to hold off buying new things during those other “holiday sales?” Well great news- because the biggest sale of them all is right around the corner. Cyber Monday! This year we want to help you upgrade your home. From top to bottom we’ve gathered the best deals retailers have to offer.

    Living easy with living room upgrades
    It only makes sense to start with deals for the place you spend the second most time in your home. These Cyber Monday deals will help you take your living from ordinary to extraordinary.
    If you’re in the market to make a BIG upgrade to your home entertainment center this Samsung 75-inch Neo OLED 4K UHD Smart TV is a great place to start. You’ll immediately notice the difference with Quantum LED’s for staggering contrast, an anti-glare screen, and a powerful new processor. This Cyber Monday at Best Buy you can save $900 off the retail price!
    Make everyday tasks easier with a new smart home speaker. You can score a great deal on the 2nd generation Google Nest mini smart speaker. With upgraded audio and the ability to easily connect to your other smart home devices this is the foundation you want to build your smart home on. This Cyber Monday at Best Buy you can get one for $25, that’s $25 off the retail price.
    Cooking like a pro with kitchen upgrades
    Upgrade your cooking skills and downgrade your cooking stress. These smart tools can help you reveal your inner 5-star chef.
    Air fryers allow you to enjoy a hot and crispy meal while avoiding the unhealthy things that normally come with it. The Bella Pro Series allows you to cook up to 3.6lbs of food at temperatures between 175F and 400F. Its matte black finish looks great on any countertop. This Cyber Monday you can score one from Best Buy for $39.99, that’s $20 off typical retail price.
    The Ninja Mega System Blender prepares you for any dicing, slicing, or food processing situation a meal can throw at you. You’ll cut your meal prep time in half. You can save $40 at Best Buy this Cyber Monday.

    Making work from home easier with home office upgrades
    Making sure that your home office is equipped with reliable high-performance business tools is key. If you’ve held off on your next upgrade that means you’ll want to take advantage of these Cyber Monday deals.
    Apple has resisted discounting their Macbook Pro line for a long time. But this Cyber Monday they’re offering a rare deal on their 13-inch version featuring its unique touch bar technology and quad core Intel processor. At Best Buy you can save a whopping $500 off the normal retail price.
    If you need a 100% mobile device that’s 100% capable of handling your daily tasks the 12.3 inch Surface Pro is a fantastic choice. It features a 10th generation Intel processor, 11 hour battery life, 8gb of ram and 256gb of internal storage so you’ll be ready to tackle any project on the go. You can score one this Cyber Monday deal for $699.99, that’s $200 off the normal retail price!


  • Smarter Business Solutions: Best Employee Time Tracking Software

    Smarter Business Solutions: Best Employee Time Tracking Software

    Every business needs the right tools in order to succeed. Chief among these tools are employee management tools. When your employees clock in, when they leave: these are critical data points you have to have great tracking of. Time tracking software is how you generate payroll, and how you accurately keep up with billable hours, time management and project durations.

    When you get employee time tracking software, you need the best. It needs to be reliable, easy to use and easier to read. No one wants to have to decipher crazy tables and illegible data points in order to try to generate payroll. Today we’re looking at a few of the best employee tracking software solutions on the market to help you narrow it down to the best options. Run your business like a pro with these smart time tracking solutions.

    Beebole

    Don’t let the odd name fool you: Beebole is a great app for businesses of any size. Whether you have only 10 employees or 1,000, Beebole can help you to manage your team’s time. Of course, it can track basic time sheets, but it’s also great for coordinating project time management as well as budget monitoring.

    Beebole offers budget tracking, configurable time reports, one-click timers and a lot more. It’s incredibly simple and easy-to-use, but it’s also highly modular and can be configured to do pretty much whatever you need it to. To add to how easy it is to use, it’s also got a mobile app that works on all mobile devices, and can even be used when offline. Beebole only costs $6 per month, and there are even discounts for large groups.

    Scoro

    Scoro is a very popular time sheet program capable of handling tons of functions for your business. The basic time-tracking is there, of course, keeping up with billable hours employee in and out times and project durations. This information is presented in a clear and easy-to-read format, and can be used to help coordinate team efforts on project. This is a stellar tool for people who need their teams to work consistently on time-sensitive projects.

    Scoro is a lot more than just time-tracking, though. It also offers billing automation, quoting and invoicing, time and work reports, CRM and a lot more. It can probably replace three or four different tools you’re already using for these tasks, likely saving you a ton of money. Scoro costs only $26 per month per user, and you can try it out for 14 days for free.

    Harvest

    Harvest is a favorite time-tracking app of hundreds of businesses. It’s one of the best-known time tracking software solutions, and for good reason: it’s a very focused time tracker for businesses of small or medium size. It’s not like the other software suites on this list, though: it’s not a team collaboration tool, it’s primary function is as a time tracker. This single-mindedness makes it incredibly straightforward: it has one job, and it does that job quite well.

    Harvest is available in both free and paid plans. The paid version starts at $12 per month per user. The app supports real-time tracking of time spent on the job, generates estimates of invoices based on collected data, and can even integrate data from across a wide variety of time-tracking tools. In short, there’s a lot of very useful features under the hood of this deceptively simple time-tracking app. Whether you’re running a small business and just need an inexpensive solution for your time-tracking or you’re running a medium-sized business and need an efficient and focused time-tracker, Harvest can fill these roles for you.


  • How to Find the Best Recruiting Software

    How to Find the Best Recruiting Software

    Recruiting software is a huge aspect of most modern companies’ hiring processes. How do you find the best candidates for a given field in the most efficient way? For most recruiters, using the top recruiting software is how you do that.

    After all, most companies fill out their ranks using some of these recruitment programs. Here are some of the top recruiting software suites.

    How to Find the Best Recruiting Software

    LinkedIn

    Popular social networking site LinkedIn is a great way to recruit new employees. Potential candidates using the social media site will have a lot of the information you need right their on their page! Important info, such as their resume, work history and notable contacts, are all front and center.

    LinkedIn is like networking at lightspeed. You can quickly see professional connections across the internet and figure out who knows the right people and has the right experience. If your field is highly focused on networking and prior experience, LinkedIn is a great tool for recruiting.

    Indeed

    Indeed job boards are responsible for the majority of interviews that take place in the US. The site allows for a great user experience for both employers and candidates. It’s easy for candidates to find your job postings based on their criteria. Likewise, employers can filter applicants based on several criteria.

    If you’re looking for applicants with a certain level of education, that’s easy to filter for. Number of years in a relevant field? It’s easy to click through and get that info. The popular job board is also a first-stop for many job-seekers, meaning you know your posting will get a high amount of visibility here.

    Monster

    Much like Indeed, Monster offers a great user experience. While not as popular or prolific as Indeed, Monster gives your job postings still more visibility, making them that much more likely to be seen by qualified candidates.

    While it can be difficult to find the right person for the job, tools like Monster, LinkedIn and Indeed have your back. If you’re looking to fill a tricky position, try using these sites today to fill out your company with the top people.


  • Cloud Backup Services: Which One is Right for You?

    Cloud Backup Services: Which One is Right for You?

    Nothing quite compares to the feeling of losing all of your files. All the pictures, documents, movies, games and other digital materials you had saved are just gone. How can you make sure your files are backed up and safe?

    Using the Cloud, you can have peace of mind and security for your files. Here’s how.

    Could Backup Services

    What is Cloud Backup?

    A Cloud backup service is a service that periodically scans your computer’s files and uploads them to the Cloud. The Cloud is the colloquial term for the interconnected system of off-site storage servers used by various network companies. Namely, Cloud storage is decentralized storage for your files that is kept online.

    Cloud backup services are typically paid services that you subscribe to, not dissimilar from renting a storage unit in the real world. You’re essentially paying a company to hang on to digital copies of all of your files. This is a great system if you have a number of files that you want to keep backed up in case of emergency.

    Examples

    A number of companies offer these types of services. AT&T, Carbonite, Rubrik, Oracle and more offer you to access their cloud backup systems. These services are all similar: they let you back up and store your files off-site. Businesses often prefer to use these types of services, as they protect against hacking, sabotage, break-ins and fires destroying important files.

    For residential use, these cloud backups are awesome if you travel a lot or use laptops primarily. For busy people who are often on the go, automated cloud backups are a life-saver. You don’t have to even think about them: your files are just backed up. If you lose your laptop or it gets destroyed, you’re covered. Well, you need a new laptop, but, you know.

    Alternatives

    Cloud backups aren’t your only option, though. You can also opt to back up your files manually on an external storage drive. This requires you to actually sit down and manually make copies of the files to the external drive, though, so it’s not as “clean” as automated cloud backups.

    However, for those who want backups without having to pay a fee for cloud services, this is a good option. As long as you remember to back-up your files once per month or so, you’ll have a pretty good backlog of your own files. Then, if your files get lost, you can simply re-upload them from your external drive.


  • Create Your Own Website for Free: Get Yourself Out There

    Create Your Own Website for Free: Get Yourself Out There

    No matter what you do, having your own website can be a huge boon. There’s a lot to be said for the strength of having an online presence for your brand.

    Maybe you’re an artist, a designer, a PR firm, a small business owner or a visionary. No matter what you do, a website can help anchor your image and give you an online identity.

    Today we’re going over how you can make your own website for free and make your mark on the internet.

    When it comes to making a splash in the digital sphere, less can often be more. Here are our tips for how you can make your own website for free.

    Create Your Own Website

    Pick Your Builder

    The first thing you have to do is pick out the site you’ll use to build your website. There are a few popular options, though the top three are undisputed. We’ll go over the top three and tell you what the major pros and cons of each are.

    Wix

    Wix is a popular platform that you may have seen advertised on various YouTube videos or web ads. A lot of people like Wix due to its high-quality mobile templates and ready-to-use site building tools.

    One need not know a great deal about web design to make a good-looking website with Wix.

    The free version of the Wix website builder results in a domain name that is under the Wix banner. If you opt to pay, you can get your own URL, which is great if you’re a small business owner and want your own identity.

    The free site builder, however, does allow for a robust suite of tools to make a site that looks great.

    uKit

    uKit is a very popular pick for site building, though it’s not as well-known as Wix and WordPress. It’s preferred by business owners, due to its unique layout and ease of use. The biggest draw to uKit isn’t the free version, however, but the affordable $3/month business plan.

    WordPress

    WordPress is one of the most popular site building tools in the world. In fact, this site was built on WordPress! Text-based sites that focus on articles are a great fit for WordPress. The free version, like Wix, gives you a WordPress domain.

    Keep in mind when you’re considering WordPress for your own personal website that it’s easy to add and change images and designs. There’s a lot of flexibility with WordPress, though the focus is much more on words than on images.


  • What’s the Best Website Builder for 2021?

    What’s the Best Website Builder for 2021?

    When it comes to making websites, it’s much easier today than it was 20 years ago. If you’re looking to make a great website, look no further than these excellent resources. Below are our picks for the best web creation tools for 2021!

    The Best Website Builder tools for 2021

    Wix

    Wix is a cloud-based site building platform that is quite popular. It offers a lot of templates and tons of customization options. Their site builder is a drag-and-drop style, meaning it’s incredibly straightforward and easy-to-use. If you’re brand new to web design, it’s a great launching point. Their free version has limited bandwidth and storage, but you can use it to see if you like the style. If so, you can upgrade to premium and get to building more content for your site! The downsides are there, though: it’s unwieldy to move from Wix to another platform. That said, it’s still a good choice.

    Shopify

    A great resource for building online storefronts, Shopify is a fully-hosted site builder. All the data and backups are hosted on their servers. They’re a little on the pricey side, but they offer a great service. You can even integrate your Shopify page into WordPress! They also use a drag and drop style, meaning building your site is very straightforward. If you’re looking to open an online storefront, this is your way to do it.

    Weebly

    Weebly is another fully-hosted site, which is a pro and a con. While your data is backed up and safe, you also can’t change the site functionality. Their site builder is quick and intuitive, though, so you’ve got nothing to worry about there. They also have e-commerce integration, but they charge a 3% transaction fee. All said, they’re a good choice, but not the most popular.

    Squarespace

    Thanks in large part to aggressive advertising via YouTubers, Squarespace is a well-known name on the internet. The web-building tools are top-notch, and it’s easily one of the best out there. You don’t sacrifice a good-looking website for how easy it is to build with the platform. Many swear by the platform’s tools, and it’s rapidly gaining ground as a favorite of web-builders. The only downsides are the limited third-party integration. For instance, they only accept transactions through Apple Pay, PayPal or Stripe, so your options are limited.

    WordPress

    One of the most popular web platforms, WordPress is a fantastic resource. In fact, the site you’re currently on is powered by WordPress! It’s a relatively inexpensive service, but it has a bit of a learning curve. That said, it’s a flexible and robust tool to create any kind of site you would like to make. If you want to exert maximum control, this is a great tool for you! Consider WordPress if a small learning curve doesn’t deter you from making whatever site you have in mind.


  • Best Ways to Check Credit Score

    Best Ways to Check Credit Score

    If you’re looking to make a big purchase, like a car or a house, odds are you’re going to need a loan. The way lenders check to see if you’re eligible for that loan, of course, is your credit score. If you often pay bills on time and are financially secure, your score should be high but you should regularly check your score.

    Grab hold of your financial potential with free information about your credit score. Knowing your credit score is important because it helps you decide what your buying power is and what areas to focus on to improve this important score.

    There are many factors that go into determining a credit score, including employment status, credit history, and financial consistency. There are also several different types of credit scores rather than a standard way to measure creditworthiness. Although banks and lenders may have their own method to determine a credit score, there are ways that general consumers can monitor their credit activity and keep on top of the score as it changes over the years.

    If you’re looking to check your credit score you’ll want to do it for free. That’s where these free credit check sites come in!

    Best Free Credit Reports

    Credit.com

    Credit.com allows you to see your Experian and VantageScore results for free. VantageScore is a newer model of credit scoring that is usually more up-to-date than the traditional FICO score. You have to sign up for an account with Credit.com, but it’s a free process. The site is known for its credit report card, a quick glance at which things go into your credit. This way, you can see what factors you may need to address to get your score higher!

    Credit Karma

    Credit Karma has become the most popular of the free credit monitoring sites for many reasons. You’ve likely heard of this one. Credit Karma offers scores from TransUnion and Equifax, and both are shown as VantageScore. Credit Karma is a free site as well, and they don’t share customer information. If you’re looking for a no-frills credit check, you’re looking for Credit Karma. They offer a great mobile app, too.

    Quizzle

    Since 2008, Quizzle has been helping its customers understand their credit history and providing free access to their full credit report and credit score. Quizzle offers free Equifax and VantageScore reports. Once every three months you can see a free report of your score. Quizzle technically has a premium account too, though you’re better off just using the free functions. The free functionality doesn’t require a credit card, too.

    WalletHub

    WalletHub offers personal financial tools to users online. Their main product is offering a free daily credit score and report associated with it. WalletHub requires you to take a pre-screening questionnaire before you get your free score. Once you answer a few basic questions, such as your income and the last four digits of your Social, you get a TransUnion credit score. The report is similar to Credit.com’s credit report card, showing you what factors influence your score the most.


  • The Ultimate Software Essentials For Every New Business

    The Ultimate Software Essentials For Every New Business

    Starting a new business can be tough. As a startup business owner, it’s crucial to discover the software solutions tools that can save you time and make your job easier. We’ve outlined the most essential new business software solutions of 2019.

    HR Software

    Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a start-up looking to make your first hire, modern-day HR solutions have never been more vital to businesses. Due to the ever-growing complexities of running a business in the last decade HR software has practically reinvented itself.

    While it can be tempting to outsource all aspects of your business with HR Software, it may not always be necessary. You should especially take this into consideration when pricing comes into play. Not all HR Software companies offer a complete package at one price. For example, Bamboo HR ups their prices for companies that run payroll with them by $4 per employee and $25 per month.

    Essential Accounting Software

    Keeping a close eye on your books is especially important when you first open your business. Having the right software solution in place can make this difficult task more straight forward and organized.

    The streamlined, seamless and easy-to-use Freshbooks software is one of the top picks for accounting software. Whether you’re running a large business or a small one, Freshbooks as an accounting suite is a strong choice. You can easily set up recurring invoices to pay out to various contractors, record your expenses easily and import to other software in a flash. The dashboard makes it easy to find what you’re looking for, while the easy-to-navigate menus and options make it impossible to get lost. Accounting can be quite difficult, but Freshbooks takes a lot of the difficulty out of the equation! Pricing for this software starts at $15 per month.

    Capeable Cloud Security and Storage

    There are a ton of great options when it comes to cloud storage! Many of them are free, but some offer some interesting paid features. If you have a lot of storage needs, whether it be for business or personal use, consider these great options for cloud storage!

    Microsoft’s answer to cloud storage is a great platform. Windows users have access to it as just another computer directory! It’s simple to access and offers 5GB of storage free to anyone. Just like Google Drive works closely with Google Office Suite, OneDrive works with Microsoft Office. If you commonly use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and the like, OneDrive is a great option for you.

    If you decide to sign up for an Office 365 subscription Microsoft will reward you with an extra terabyte of storage on your OneDrive account. OneDrive for Business grants access to both storage and Microsoft Office. It’s just under $9 per person per month, which is actually a pretty good rate! If you already use a lot of Microsoft’s Office Suite, OneDrive is for you!

    Inventory Management Software

    Is your new startup going to require a large amount of inventory? If so, a comprehensive inventory management solution may be an essential piece of software for your business. Whatever solution you choose, it’s important that it’s capable of expanding with your business.
    Boxstorm, part of the Fishbowl inventory management system, allows you to track the cost of each item from the time it’s purchased to the time it’s sold. It allows you to have a real-time value of your existing assets. Ensuring your product gets from point A to point B is a core function of any business.
    Boxstorm can interface with multiple shipping solutions. It allows you the freedom to choose the solution that fits you best. They accommodate a wide variety of e-commerce solutions like WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento and Salesforce.


  • Best VPN for iPhone

    Best VPN for iPhone

    While it might sound weird that you’d want a VPN for a phone, it’s not a bad idea to have one. While iOS is great at protecting user security, it’s not able to help you when you’re surfing the web. The real reason you’ll want one of these is if you use public Wi-Fi often. Public networks are often unsecure, and any data sent to and from your phone while on them could be intercepted by hackers. If you want to keep your encrypted info safe from prying eyes, try these VPNs! They offer great protection for your mobile browsing.  

    Golden Frog VyprVPN 

    Golden Frog is a clean, well laid-out VPN with a lot to offer. While it doesn’t offer as many licenses per subscription as some of the competition, it’s a solid pick. It’s ten dollars to start and five bucks a month. Sadly, it doesn’t offer any ad-blocking. What it does offer, though, is a free trial and a ton of servers. Your server speeds on this one will be blisteringly fast! If speed is your bag, try Golden Frog. 

    Cyber Ghost VPN 

    Offering seven licenses per $2.75 a month subscription, Cyber Ghost is a good choice. The interface is unique and weird in a good way. Privacy is a major concern of this one, and it does a good job logging very little user data. You can’t location spoof while streaming, though, so if you’re trying to appear as though you’re somewhere else, this isn’t the right VPN. That said, this is still a fine VPN, and it costs $12 to get started. The $2.75 per month deal is limited time, though, so check it out soon! 

    Nord VPN for iPhone 

    If you’ve ever looked into VPNs, you’ve definitely seen the name Nord. They’re well-renowned for a reason, and it’s because they’re good. Their VPN for iPhone offers a ton of servers and great features. Just like Cyber Ghost, it’s $12 to get started and $2.75 per month. Also, like Cyber Ghost, that’s a limited time price. That said, if you’re looking for a strong iPhone VPN, this is a great pick. Offering six simultaneous connections and blocking ads is a pretty mean feat on an iPhone. The app and layout are both friendly and welcoming, too! Great for first-time VPN users. 

    Our Favorite VPN for iPhone: KeepSolid VPN Unlimited 

    Starting a $8.99 per month, this is a fantastic VPN for the money. It supports Open VPN and sports great speeds. KeepSolid boasts servers specifically tooled for streaming, which is awesome. It also offers a personal VPN server for users! That said, it has no free trial, which is a bummer. Compared to Nord it has a small number of servers, too. That said, the interface is excellent, and the user experience is top-notch. If you’re looking for a fantastic VPN for iPhone, this is the one for you!