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Leveraging The Profit First Methodology with Dan Dollevoet written by Sara Nay read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Where you can learn more about Profit First:

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The Simple Truths About Happiness written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

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While many aspire to entrepreneurship, very few understand the challenges that it presents. It may be a lucrative career to pursue, but it isn’t without its difficulties. It requires a lot of time and hard work, after all. And no matter how good your idea might look on paper, there’s a good chance that success won’t come to you overnight. In actuality, you’re likely to experience a lot of struggles. You may even doubt yourself and question if starting a business in the first place was the right choice to make.

The reality is that these are all commonplace for any entrepreneur. While a large number of businesses fail every year, there’s no reason to think that yours will end up in the same way. And I’ve listed down some tips below to help elevate your chances of succeeding where many others have not.

1. Conduct research on your market

One of the reasons why many businesses go belly up is that they don’t understand their target demographic as well as they thought they did. Even an incredibly unique product or top-quality solution won’t result in sales if there’s no demand for them. And it is for this reason that you must always conduct market research before making any commitments. Not only will it help you determine the feasibility of your goods or services. But you’ll minimize the financial risks involved as a result.

2. Prepare yourself for long nights

Having a business might present more opportunities for income generation, but it is exponentially more challenging than being an employee. Many times, entrepreneurs are required to wear a variety of hats and fill different functions, from sales and marketing to HR and operations. Because of this, you need to prepare yourself for the hard days ahead. If you don’t, then you won’t be able to persevere, especially during tough times.

3. Don’t ignore your customers

No matter what the trade or industry is, every business lives and breathes through its customers. Without them, they wouldn’t get any sales in the first place. As such, it is a general rule of thumb always to listen to your customers. Doing so won’t just make them feel valued by your company and keep them engaged with your offerings. But you may even find areas of your company that need improvement or attention too.

4. Don’t skimp on essential purchases

Many inexperienced entrepreneurs make the mistake of saving money to a fault and starving their businesses of what it needs to function and grew in lieu of improving profit margins. Don’t fall into the same trap and invest in necessary purchases. For those in the education industry, for instance, Verbit’s real time transcription software is a great solution that is well worth the investment because it can enhance certain aspects of the business such as meetings and courses that are virtual.

It is impossible to guarantee success in business. No matter how prepared you are, there’s no way to assure the desired results. However, with these tips, you can at least give yourself better odds and create more opportunities to flourish and thrive.

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Original source: https://socialmediaexplorer.com/content-sections/movers-and-makers/entrepreneurship-4-tips-for-success/

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There are overwhelming benefits to attending cycling classes regularly, or simply just once a week. Taking part in these rigorous classes affects not only the body, but cycling and moving the body affect the mind in many beneficial ways, such as the reduction of stress, anxiety, and improved quality of sleep. In addition to the incredible ways, physical activity can not only improve the physical body, but cycling can also decrease the levels of cortisol in the body by blocking a stress hormone that is an agonist to deep sleep. Cycling can also very much improve memory by kickstarting the growth of new brain cells. This process happens in the hippocampus which is where memory is stored. Building brain cells in that area of the brain can significantly strengthen our memory, especially in aging individuals. Former arbitrage trader, Helen Schifter, strongly encourages people to participate in cycling classes.

Attending cycling classes highly increases the dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain, which the human body relies on for producing happiness. Along with the need to stay positive and happy to maintain proper contentment in life, cycling impressively improves depression as well. Cycling releases negative toxins from the body while increasing the body’s heart rate, dopamine, and serotonin levels. That will push those vital neurotransmitters through the body. That process can activate more energy and motivation throughout the day.

Cycling classes are constructed in a way to work the whole body, using the main muscle groups. Drinking water is immensely important. Before actively participating in the class, stretching the whole body is crucial. The core is used to stabilize the body during the entire class. The upper body supports the weight of the body; classes sometimes incorporate weight jackets or dumbbells to increase the difficulty of keeping the weight up. As the whole upper body is being strengthened simultaneously, the quadriceps are also worked to cycle uphill toning the legs- as the hamstrings are strengthened and loosened doing so. The Glutes are worked as the legs of the body are challenged to keep moving forward on the pedals. The classes are usually high energy and can sometimes be intimidating. That is a tactic from the instructor to push harder in the class.

This specific workout class is a difficult but rewarding workout. Many people every day make time for a cycling class and thrive from the endorphins and motivation from the teacher. Helen Schifter, a former editor for magazines, enjoys cycling classes and believes it to be incredibly helpful in her busy life, but has focused more on physical activity considering the unfortunate, current state of the global pandemic. By imploring her social media followers and fans to find the time for mental health, many people have taken to her advice. Indoor cycling is just as efficient as going to a public class, with thousands of different videos online to choose from. Having cycling as an option to reduce the stress and anxiety of everyday life is convenient and healthy as well. Having a practice that affects the body and the mind can be beneficial to everybody.

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It is impossible to ignore visual content because it is everywhere in our daily life. You can see it on the streets on your phone screens and even on giant billboards. And now you have your brand or personal blog and desire to improve the visual content. While creating a marketing campaign the most important thing is that the visual content should be developed with the same care as any other element. You might add some interactive pics or create designs with different tools but first let us help you by showing the right direction. No matter whether you are using stock content or your own images on social networking sites or Youtube we have prepared five tips to help you improve the visual part of your brand. 1. Know Your Audience Marketing research is a prerequisite for creating an effective marketing campaign it is not surprising that it is also important for creating effective visuals. Ask yourself who your audience is what platforms they use and how they use visual content. With this information you can shape your content in a way that makes sense for your marketing purposes. It is better to adapt your content to fit your audiences social media and video formats making it really engaging that even a glimpse of it gets captured by the brain. 2. Use Copywriting Methods and Be Consistent In addition to maintaining consistency and acknowledging your audience the use of basic techniques of copywriting to create visual elements can show the difference between the average and memorable visual content. No matter what your style: colorful graphics abstract shapes or thin corporate line stick to it. Every image you post for your brands marketing purposes should match your style. 3. Maintain Consistent Visual Marketing amp; Design on Different Platforms It does not mean that your visual content will a priori look the same (in fact it should be varied) there should be cohesive elements that fit together with other visual elements as well as your overall brand. Whether its done with the same color palette the same tone of voice or something as simple as a font it is a key step in creating professional and engaging visual content that perfectly represents your brand. 4. Simplify Content One of the best reasons for using visual content in your marketing campaigns is its ability to break up text and present information in a simple easy-to-read format. To maximize these benefits it is essential to simplify the visual content. Visual elements that rely too heavily on text are small and cramped or clutter up the page and can negate the benefits of visual content. 5. Use Different Types of Visual Content Creation It is a great idea to use dynamic and diverse visual content to engage and entertain users there are many forms of visual content so do not limit yourself to photos and images. If you have used an image once there is no rule that you are not allowed to use it again. Add it to a short video or turn it into a screenshot with interesting infographics. If you can do that why not use your creative to create comics or memes to boost engagement with your brand. The first thing that comes to mind when we think of visual content is pictures. A picture can sometimes say more than a thousand words and tell readers a lot of information in just a few seconds. Photos are the most common form of visual content and they are common for a specific reason. When used correctly they attract attention can be informative and help with the preservation of traffic. It is easy to use stock photos but theyre not personal and can disconnect readers from your message. Static infographics are more simple and easier to create. Dynamic infographics are new and trending as this type has a lot of opportunities to grab the audiences attention. The user will have more incentives to stop and read what you have to say. Whichever style you choose infographics and videos are very easy to share. GIFs can be a useful way to add static images to motion without having to click on the video. Likewise a blank screen and silence immediately grab our attention while watching TV motion on a static page does the same. Static images are often considering the main type of visual content creation but the video is a great addition to your marketing toolbox. Its best to create short and memorable videos no matter how long your post is. Anyone who has ever created and promoted a social media post knows that sometimes it can be tricky to find the right visuals. Visual content can be the secret that makes your post stand out from thousands of similar posts. It will also be helpful in retaining customers. The post 5 Easy Tips to Improve Your Visual Content appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Original source: https://socialmediaexplorer.com/content-sections/tools-and-tips/5-easy-tips-to-improve-your-visual-content/ The post 5 Easy Tips to Improve Your Visual Content appeared first on connect social networks. via Connect Social Networks http://connectsocialnetworks.com/5-easy-tips-to-improve-your-visual-content/

The Power of Rituals in The Workplace written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

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9 Smart Apps to Stay Connected with Your Team and Coworkers written by Guest Post read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in July 2017 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

There’s been a massive transition to remote work in the last few years — especially in the last 12 months. The quick shift from in-person to virtual has pushed us to learn how to connect with our team and coworkers online.

Whether you’re in the office or online, effective communication is the key component to working together successfully. If you don’t communicate, how do you resolve problems and achieve your goals?

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

Luckily for us, today there are so many applications that can help you optimize your team’s communication, workflow, project management, and more.

In this article, you’ll find 9 smart tools and apps to help you stay in touch with and work effectively with your team, no matter where they are.

1. Zoom

It’s safe to say that virtual meetings aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The beauty of a virtual meeting is that you can join from essentially anywhere in the world – as long as there’s an internet connection.

Zoom takes the cake for being one of the best group meeting apps. Zoom is incredibly easy to use, has high-quality video, integrates with tons of other apps, and can record your sessions for anyone who wasn’t able to make the meeting.

Not only is Zoom great for meetings, but it also has other solutions like Zoom Video webinars, Zoom Room, and Zoom Phone.

For solopreneurs and small businesses just starting out, Zoom has a forever-free plan with unlimited one-on-one meetings. There are three levels of paid plans: Pro, Business, and Zoom United Business.

If you haven’t already, give Zoom a try for your next meeting.

2. Slack

Slack is one of the best apps for communication and collaboration. As their tagline says: Where Work Happens.

Slack is a fit for businesses of any size. There are channels that you can create to keep your work organized. You can create a private channel for a particular project or team, as well as a public channel for everyone to view. Slack also allows you to send direct messages to a group or a particular person. Not only can you use Slack for your business, but you can create shared channels to communicate with other vendors or businesses that you work with who also use Slack.

It isn’t just a messaging platform, it also supports voice and video calls. You can share your files, images, folders, and documents with anyone at any time from anywhere. Slack has these three plans: Free, Standard, Plus, and Enterprise Grid.

Try Slack to make communication easy and improve your team productivity.

3. Asana

Asana is a great app for collaboration and productivity. It has a clear interface, it’s easy to understand, and the functions are simple.

It allows you to create a team, track the team, and manage your important projects. You can see the status of any ongoing project without sending an email.

You can easily create tasks and assign one to a team member. You can use their Free basic version. With a Free account, you’ll get a basic dashboard where you can add up to 15 team members, create unlimited tasks, projects, and conversations.

Try Asana. You’ll love its simplicity and how it creates transparency among your team.

4. Calendly

Calendly is an automated scheduling software built to help you eliminate the back and forth of setting up any meeting of any kind. There are multiple types of meetings that Calendly works with like one-on-one meetings, round-robin scheduling, group meetings, and collective meetings.

The software integrates with many other apps and can connect with up to six of your calendars to automatically check availability and help you connect with your team, prospects, and clients.

Calendly has three pricing plans: Basic (always free), Premium, Pro.

Try Calendly to streamline your meeting scheduling process within your organization or with your clients.

5. Harvest

Harvest is a modern time tracking tool that can help businesses of any kind track time. From consultancies to internal departments, you can plan and estimate projects with real data, manage your team’s capacity and workflow, and invoice seamlessly.

The platform is simple to use. You can track time from your desktop or mobile and integrate time tracking into your existing workflow. Harvest integrates with some of the great tools on this list like Asana and Slack.

There’s also a large selection of visual dashboards you can create that helps you keep your projects moving smoothly.

Try Harvest to make the most out of your time.

6. Google Meet

If your business is using Google Workspace, Google Meet is a great app that’s already integrated that you can use for secure video meetings for businesses of all sizes.

Google Meet takes the headaches out of joining a video call at work. All you have to do is just set up a meeting and share a link. There’s no worrying about whether teammates, clients, or customers have the right accounts or plug-ins. It makes multi-person video calls a breeze.

You can also join meetings directly from a Calendar event, an email, or directly from Gmail.

Work easier and give Google Meet a try.

7. Monday

Are you a busy team? Are you managing multiple clients?

Monday can help you with managing teams, clients, freelancers, and important projects.

It will make it easy to track project status, prioritize tasks, add updates on projects, communicate with team members, create automations to streamline your processes, build visual dashboards, and so much more.

You can easily track who’s working on which task (or project) and assign the task to someone on your team. It also allows you to integrate your favorite apps and tools.

Try Monday and it will keep your team organized.

8. LastPass

LastPass makes sharing and managing passwords across team members easy. LastPass offers secure password storage giving employees their own vault for storing every app and web login they use. It allows you to easily share logins while keeping your data safe and revoke access if needed.

LastPass has multiple solutions and plans to choose from. There are two plans for businesses – the Teams or Enterprise. This is great for businesses managing multiple users. There are also two personal plans you can choose from – Free or Premium.

If you want smart password storage, convenient password sharing, and an easy-to-manage dashboard, give LastPass a try.

9. Basecamp

Basecamp is a project management and communication app that helps you to organize your projects and teams in one place.

It allows you to break a project into multiple portions and assign it to your team members. The 6 core tools it provides are:

Weekend Favs February 27 written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

My weekend blog post routine includes posting links to a handful of tools or great content I ran across during the week.

I don’t go into depth about the finds, but encourage you to check them out if they sound interesting. The photo in the post is a favorite for the week from an online source or one that I took out there on the road.

People like doctor Cory Harow are always finding a way to become better, and to find peace for themselves in an otherwise busy and hectic world that leaves them filled with stress and anxiety. Those alone can leave a person feeling depressed and empty with no vision of hope for the future. What people truly seek in their lives is renewal for themselves so that they may feel an inner peace that will allow them to move through the world with a soul full of strength. There are many reasons why people should practice meditation to enrich their lives.

Rejuvenation of the Soul

With times that are so busy, it’s easy to leave all a person has on the line every day. People give of all of themselves to their job, their family, and sometimes their friends. It leaves them little time to take care of themselves. If people can’t or won’t take care of themselves, then they won’t be able to be ready to help others who need them. Practicing meditation gives a person the ability to rejuvenate the soul, and it helps to keep the person running in tip-top condition where they are efficient.

The practicing of meditation gives a person the ability to be more grounded. It gives a person the ability to become more level-headed. During busy and stressful times it’s easy to become more agitated than usual to try to meet work deadlines, and that can lead to mental mistakes that can even cost a person their job if the mistake is too great. Meditation allows a person to see life at a slower pace. It allows a person to become more of an observer in the world than just a reactor to their surroundings. It gives a person a chance to take a deep breath and allow things just to flow instead of forcing issues.

Becoming More Self-Aware

Each day is a race to the finish line. Each day demands more time and more effort from people. They are expected to become more efficient and handle more work loads than the day before, and to become more productive. This is a harsh way to exist, and this can lead a person to experience more stress and frustration than ever before. People have thousands of thoughts and decisions to make every day, and some can be very crucial. Meditation gives a person mental clarity where they can withstand the bombardment of decisions and thoughts that come their way and they can handle them without feeling the burden of stress and anxiety.

Inner Peace

Finally, practicing meditation can give inner peace to an individual who desperately needs it. With life becoming so consuming, it is easy for people to feel ragged and out of touch. But meditation can clear a person’s mind of all the junk it’s holding and release it from the body. Meditation can do for a person what it has done for Dr. Cory Harow when he practices meditation in his free time each day.

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One of the many buzzwords in Internet hosting has been the cloud. You see this word almost everywhere in modern-day language. However, the majority of people don’t know what the cloud is. It is a way for them to sound like they are educated about computer technology. The reality is that cloud computing is a wonderful achievement, and it has changed the Internet hosting industry. Microsoft Azure is one of the many competitors in this industry.

They are part of the big three, along with Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services. These three companies are responsible for the majority of the market. Microsoft Azure offers its own marketplace, which is a great thing for these cloud companies to have. The marketplace is just an extension of the stores you have come to expect. The biggest problem is that most other companies don’t know what a cloud marketplace is, and they don’t know how to exploit this marketplace for their own benefit. There are many things you can do, but you need to understand how it all works for that to happen.

How Cloud Computing Benefits Internet Companies

Cloud computing has basically guaranteed that many people can now access unlimited computing infrastructure at a low price. The cloud has also meant that web companies can now scale infinitely. One of the biggest problems with owning a website is the need to scale vertically and horizontally. You never know when you are going to get a burst of new traffic that your Web server has to serve. You can pay extra to have that extra compute resource in reserve, or you can hope and pray that when that time comes, everything will be okay.

This is one of the biggest things you have to think about in this industry. Cloud services essentially give you the ability to adjust to demand in minutes instead of months. You can now provision just enough cloud computing resources to perform the job you need. This enables you to spend money on only the resources you are currently using. It is one of the greatest achievements in the world. However, cloud computing can be difficult to understand. That is why you have marketplaces to help you out.

Why Do These Marketplaces Exist?

Marketplaces on these cloud platforms exist to provide software services to people looking to use the cloud infrastructure available. There are many things that a marketplace does for cloud users. The Azure marketplace provides a lot of useful tips and other tools to make sure that you get the best results possible. For example, the marketplace might offer preconfigured software, so you don’t have to do any of that setup work.

The biggest thing that this does is it allows you to focus on what matters most. You can spend your time focusing on actually using and enjoying the service you have paid for. You don’t have to spend a lot of time trying to understand how the infrastructure works. These marketplace items are especially useful for people who are just casual users of the cloud infrastructure. It isn’t for people who are hard-core users, but there are other things you can do to make it work for you. As a hard-core user, you can start doing things on the marketplace that will make it work just the way you want.

What Is the Azure Marketplace

This marketplace exists to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and other services among users of Azure. If it didn’t exist, there would be a lot of people stuck trying to do things by themselves. They would have to spend a lot of time learning and figuring out what to do in certain situations.

This would be a horrible experience, so it makes a lot of sense for them to simply use things on the marketplace. There are over 17,000 certified apps and services that you can simply deploy with an easy click. It includes some of the most common things that people do in the cloud, so it makes your job a lot easier.

Making This Marketplace Work for You

With all that being said, how can you make the marketplace work for you? The main thing you need to know is that there are multiple different ways you can make it work for you. As an Azure cloud user, you can make it work for you by finding the best free apps and solutions for whatever you are looking for. However, you can also make it work for you as a business.

The main thing you can do is to use this service to sell your own marketplace items. It might seem difficult, but there are plenty of ways you can use this to your advantage. You can be a creative business professional, and that means creating your own unique apps for the marketplace. The main thing to focus on is your marketing and advertising. You can build your own unique persona and brand in this industry.

Building a Business from It

If you want to be successful in any long-term business, you need to understand branding and marketing. These are the two main things you will need to do to be successful here. You can create your own brand, and that means being able to understand what people need.

If you can do that, you are going to be in a much better place. Once you have built your own marketing systems, you will be able to sell your software services on the marketplace, which will help you become even more popular. You can diversify into other revenue streams at a later date.

Wrap Up

Ultimately, as a savvy business, you can go very far in this world. The marketplace will continue to grow as cloud adoption continues to skyrocket. However, it is on you to figure out what services and apps you can create for others. If you do this successfully, you will have a lot of rewards from a monetary perspective.

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