Being a wedding coordinator can be a very rewarding career. However, it isn’t all butterflies and roses. The truth is that this job isn’t for everyone. There are some things you should know before jumping into this business. Here are five resources a wedding coordinator needs for success. 

Market Knowledge

It’s important for a wedding coordinator to know all of the ins and outs of the wedding business in their local area. Knowing the best wedding venues in the area isn’t enough. You have to know everything — or be ready to find the answers to everything you’re asked. 

Your clients will ask the expected questions like, “Who’s the best makeup artist near me?”, “Which florist does the best job?” and “Which photographer is most budget-friendly?” You should also be prepared for more difficult questions, such as, “Which venues are most handicap-accessible?” and “Which bakery offers gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan cakes?” 

It’s up to you to know the answers to these questions — and just about everything else related to the local wedding industry. 

Marketing

Being a wedding coordinator involves more than planning weddings. You will also need to know how to market your business. Over time, you’ll be able to gain word-of-mouth sales. But in the beginning, marketing is key to seeing your business grow and flourish. 

Social media marketing is the way to go. You’ll want to use Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn to get the word out about your business. Although it’s possible to see organic traffic, targeted advertising can also be a great way to drive traffic to your business. This means running paid advertisements, which leads us to our next point. 

Money 

It’s important to be able to fund your business. The expenses can add up before you even begin. You’ll need to invest in a high-quality website design, domain name, and website hosting. You’ll also want to be able to pay for advertising to attract potential clients to your business. 

Rather than starting out full-time, many wedding coordinators start out as side hustles until they’re able to make enough money to quit their day jobs. If going straight to full-time wedding planning is your plan, you’ll want to have enough in savings until your business really takes off. 

Legal Contracts

It’s easy to get so caught up in planning weddings that you might forget that this is a business, which means you must think about things from a legal perspective. 

Since you’ll be working with clients, vendors, and contractors, it’s important to make sure you have legal contracts in place. This will protect you from lawsuits if anything should go wrong. Although you might consider hiring a local attorney to help you draw up these contracts, there are also wedding contractor legal contract templates online that you can print out. 

Time

Being a wedding coordinator involves a lot of calls and meetings. This includes to and from clients, venues, florists, photographers, videographers, DJs, bands, bakeries, hair stylists, and makeup artists — just to name a few. 

All of these calls and meetings take time and energy. If you have multiple clients whose weddings you’re planning, it can get stressful over time. You might consider hiring assistants to help you with some of these tasks because we all know how easy it is to get low on time when we’re trying to balance everyday life. 

These are just five resources wedding coordinators need for success. Although this career may seem like fun (and it can be), there’s a lot more work involved than one might think. Being aware of the resources you’ll need for success can help you experience success in this career.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post 5 Resources a Wedding Coordinator Needs for Success appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Although you’ve mastered many professional skill sets – such as C++ with its wide variety of paradigms, or five-stage sales funnels – managing all the money you make is a different matter.

Still, a negative cash-flow scenario isn’t necessary. Check out some easy-to-follow suggestions that will help you manage your money better so you can focus on what matters most — running your business.

Apply for Tax Exemptions

Did you know that if you do business outside the United States, you might qualify for an exemption on your expenses there? If, for example, your company has incurred business costs in France, like hotel stays and restaurant meals, then you can claim a French VAT recovery.

When starting a new business or expanding an existing one, you can save money with tax breaks. To qualify for exemptions, keep up to date with relevant new laws and regulations both domestically and internationally.

Create Multiple Streams of Income

Owning a business often involves a feast or famine cycle. At times, you’re swamped with work. Other times, you don’t have any client projects. Creating another source of income can help you manage your finances if you run out of assignments from your existing clientele. Ideally, your second source of income should enhance your primary one.

It is unnecessary to rely on your existing business model for cash flow. If, for example, you’re a web designer, you don’t have to earn all your cash from clients. You can also make money assisting beginner web designers to upgrade their skills by setting up a profitable blog. Your advice may include visual design tips or software recommendations.

A blog is a fantastic way to build an online presence and earn passive income. Here are some tips to generate multiple revenue streams from it:

• Identify affiliate marketing opportunities. Affiliate links let you earn commissions when readers buy products or services linked to your content. For example, you can recommend online courses in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that you’ve taken.

• Offer courses in web design. You can profit from your knowledge and experience by attracting people interested in your web design hacks. Making and selling online courses is one of the most popular ways bloggers make money online.

• Create and sell an eBook. Describe how you’ve used time management, problem solving, or communication skills to improve your business. Sell your PDF on your blog.

Create a Budget and Stick to It

Budget your work-from-home business to cover all your costs. There are many financial apps that you can use to stay on top of your company’s finances.

You can budget for your home-based business by:

• Tracking expenses with small business management software

• Installing a budgeting app on your phone

• Using online subscription-based accounting software

Track Your Business Expenses

The easiest way to track business expenses is to use an online SaaS-based expense tracker. Create an account on a fiscal management website and input all your expenses. The online program will calculate your monthly, annual, and overtime spending to help you detect when you’re wasting money on unnecessary business expenses.

Manage Your Income and Expenses

Online personal finance services that link to your bank account can help you track your income and expenses. With them, you can budget, save money, and manage your cash flow more efficiently. They also offer features that help you find the best credit card, get tailored investment recommendations, and even shop for business software at the lowest prices.

Apply These Ideas

In today’s fast-paced business world, managing your home-based business finances better will give you financial stability to boost your productivity and creativity. These straightforward ideas will help you keep track of your income and expenditures, pay your bills on time, and manage your home-based finances better with them.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Financial Chaos? Managing Your Own Business Is Easier Than You Think! appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Provide a Great Office

Optimal executive office design is key to attracting top talent. The office should include well-positioned chairs, tables, cabinets, and other components. An executive office should also get regular updates to align with current interior office design trends. It helps ensure that you provide and value the people who are crucial to the success of your organization.

Businesses may also consider giving their executives a level of control over the layout and design of their offices. Doing so reinforces the belief that execs are trusted with making their own decisions.

Research on Recruitment Trends

The recruitment industry is prone to change, and you must adjust to new developments. You also have to conduct more research on any recent trends in the recruitment industry. You will find it easy to develop customized recruitment for your organization with sufficient research.

The research can include platforms such as social platforms like LinkedIn. You have to use such platforms to gain real-time insight into the possible job benefits that such a person can give you.

Remember to include your competitors’ techniques as part of the research process. The reason is that such information will allow you to gain real-time insight into the current trends that other recruiters use. It’s best to train your recruiters to make sure they keep up with the evolving recruitment industry.

Reform Your Interviewing Process

Job descriptions are an essential resource for the recruitment strategy that your business should use. The reason is that a strategy helps you outline the most appropriate techniques and measures you can use to choose a suitable employee.

You need job descriptions that relate to the specific skills, values, qualifications, and experience that your business requires. The best way to update your guide is to have it written out on a document like Google Docs.

You can place it alongside various checkboxes that you seek out for the outstanding talent to join your organization. The document can also include the grading or qualification system you plan to get the best results.

Consider a Top Recruitment Processing Organization (RPO)

While a job recruitment agency provides services at a cost, they are an excellent solution for attracting top executive talent. The reason being a reputable recruitment agency has cutting-edge insight into the consumer market that can boost your business.

The recruitment agency will also streamline all the procedures, such as interviewing and handling paperwork. You can intervene in this process whenever you feel it’s most convenient and give practical advice to the agency.

You can also consult with the agency to help you develop a customized and concise recruitment strategy that suits your business. Eventually, you will gain access to talent from a reputable service provider based on insight.

Data-Driven Recruitment

The business market has evolved significantly over the years, and recruiters nowadays have better alternatives for recruiting top talent. A good example is the data-driven recruitment approach which has proven to be highly efficient for various settings.

It involves the collection of large amounts of data about a particular job recruitment process. Usually, the data comes from big data analytics firms, which have to process the information in meaningful research metrics.

Big data analytics can come from various fields and undergo artificial intelligence processing measures. The result you will have is high-quality data that appeals to your unique job recruitment needs.

The recruiters can then process the information they can use for various other procedures involved in the process. These procedures can include data storage, screening, onboarding, and talent management techniques.

As you have noticed, there is more to recruiting top executive talent in 2022 than the average person can expect. You have to consider several factors to get employees who are a cut above the rest. With an informed approach, you are sure of excellent results.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post How to Recruit Top Executive Talent in 2022 appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Make your company stand out to the people who need what you do.  Then, give them a smooth, simple experience to make it easy for them to hand you over their money.

Networking

The adage “there’s no need to reinvent the wheel” is completely true when it comes to networking.  There is no substitute for having a network of personal contacts in business.  One of the huge benefits of your contacts is that they also have their own contacts that they can pass your name along to, or who you can reach out to for information or help.  Through the power of word-of-mouth, having one good contact can actually be like having ten contacts.

So much of business relies on trust.  You have to trust that the company or individual to whom you are giving your time, money, or resources, will act responsibly and honestly.  The more interaction you have with clients, the more comfortable they will be that they know who you are and that they can trust you.  Face-to-face networking is optimal.

Outsource for Cross-Promotion

When selecting an outside company to handle part of your business needs, consider how that company can actually be part of your networking and promotion.  For example, working with an accountant in your area, or who serves companies in your field of work, can be a great way to gain customers and expertise.  Your accountant wants its business clients to succeed.  A good accountant will also be a match-maker, introducing clients to each other who might benefit from the relationship.

The same can be true for a variety of types of outsourcing companies.  If your outsourcing company knows what you sell, they might pass your name along to another client of theirs who needs what you do.

Community Engagement

Client building is all about building trust.  There is no better way to grow your company’s image as a trustworthy community player than to get out into the community and do good.  When your customer base believes that you care about the same things they care about, they will not only see you as a company to be trusted, they will actually help promote you.

Community engagement is a triple win.  Your company establishes a positive brand image.  Your target demographic will actually help promote you to their networks, for free.  You and your employees get to make the world a little better, which feels good and makes your company feel like a nicer place to work.

Social Media

Although most companies know they should have some social media presence to be current, many are not sure how to effectively use social media.  Badly done social media can really hurt, not help your business. If you are going to do it, do it right. Choose the social media platforms that make sense for what you do.  Not every company should be on Twitter.  Decide in advance what your image and messaging will be.  Stay on brand.  Even when it’s tempting to share a joke or another company’s post, be ruthless about maintaining the integrity of what you put out there for the world to see.  That includes, managing other people’s comments on what you post.  Allowing trolls and bullies to run amok on your social media page can be just as harmful as sharing a joke some people take the wrong way.

Simple, Intuitive Web Design

After you have done all the hard work of finding and persuading your customer to buy what you sell, don’t throw all that effort and time away by allowing it to be too confusing or complicated to complete the transaction.  Keep your website design simple and intuitive to use.  Give your customers a feeling that you are there to support them, even if they are shopping online, with click-to call software. Even if they don’t use it, knowing that they can simply click a button for immediate assistance is a valuable piece of trust and confidence for the customer.  The bonus for you is that, in the event that they have questions about how to make the purchase, you can answer their questions, and thus not lose a lucrative sale.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post How to Make Your Business More Visible and Accessible appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

As an entrepreneur the importance of social networking is unsurpassed. It’s a way to generate business and referrals as well as connect with likeminded people.

Know Your Audience

The first thing you need to understand about networking is what your contacts are looking for. Once you understand that, you can refer contacts to other people in your network. Being able to help others find what they are looking for will motivate them to also send referrals your way. This is a process that takes time and can’t be rushed. However, once your network begins to grow, so does your business.

Social Media

Use social media to your advantage. Networking platforms are the perfect place to showcase your professional credentials and let other business professionals know what experience you have to offer. You can highlight your successes by sharing digital badges on sites like LinkedIn. Displaying earned badges illustrates your achievements are verified.

By networking with other professionals, you’ll grow your business better than if you were doing business without it. You’ll have countless opportunities to cross-promote, invest and grow your business stronger.

You can also rely on the advice and experience of other business professionals. Being able to learn a different perspective or have fresh eyes look at something you may be struggling with is priceless. You’ll learn what methods and approaches worked for your peers when they were in a similar situation.

Meetings

Business meetings and events are a great way to grow your network. Interacting with other like minded professionals, you can learn about their business as well as highlight the key points of your own. These connections can reach globally. As you meet and connect with new people, make sure you don’t neglect your local connections.

Making a good impression when speaking to others at conferences or business forums, will help build confidence in your company. People will understand your brand and business culture from the way you present yourself and pertinent information. In business, it isn’t just what you know, who you know is equally important.

Reevaluate Goals

You may think that you have all the certifications and qualifications to ensure your business is a success. Through networking, you can see how you stack up against your peers. You may learn that what you have to offer doesn’t stand up to similar successful business ventures. If that’s the case, initiate conversations to understand the reasons behind their motivation and how their additional certifications or knowledge has worked to their advantage.

In order to be successful, you know that your approach to business must be one that’s able to evolve as business needs and demands do, and that means implementing new tools where necessary. Failing to keep yourself marketable and desirable among your peers will lessen the likelihood that you’ll continue to get referrals.

Growth

Being able to interact and build relationships with others is good for both your physical and mental health. By forming bonds with others, your well-being as a whole improves. It offers a sense of worthiness and accomplishment. Growth isn’t just about making business connections. It’s about fostering relationships and interacting with people who bring out the best in you.

Those who succeed are the ones who are open to diversification. Networking with people from different backgrounds, age groups and professions can broaden your horizons and feed your creativity and vision. Networking isn’t just about sharing your skills and abilities, but recognizing and appreciating those of other business professionals.

Networking is the best way to sell your strong points to other professionals while giving them a clear idea of how you do business. Forming relationships builds confidence, inspires growth and strengthens business ties.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post The Importance of Networking As An Entrepreneur  appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

We understand that finding the best talent, that also happens to be also qualified for certain roles, can be hard. However, this does not mean we are going to settle for less. So, with that in mind, here are a few pointers to help you find the best talent for any role in your company.

Have a Clear Job Description

For every role you plan to fill, you need a job description. This is where most prospective employees look at. They want to know what’s required of them, as well as what is in it for them. While you may be tempted to fill out an unending array of duties and requirements, also focus on what the role can offer to whoever is hired.

Highlight whatever unique benefits and perks that the job offers, like flexible schedules or any health benefits that your company provides. Also, having these clear descriptions help prospective employees get their minds ready for the tasks ahead of them.

Hire With Your Company’s Mission in Focus

Since your ultimate goal is to have employees who support your company’s vision and values, you should highlight your vision and mission and fill positions with these in mind. When spelling out the requirements of a job, it’s not a bad idea to let them know the company’s mission, so they can easily fit into the grand plan.

This way, your new hires will start off engaged with your values and vision in mind, especially when their career objectives are already aligned with your company’s values. Furthermore, they can easily focus their strengths on achieving goals in line with your company’s objectives.

Build Your Company Reputation and Culture

Companies with good reputations and standing are natural magnets for the best employees. The top performers from the best schools in the world aspire to work in companies that already have renowned products and services. Because of this, your recruitment processes should show your reputation to attract the best talents you can imagine.

Furthermore, your company culture also works in hand with your company’s reputation. When the work culture of a company is very accommodating and allows the skills of every employee to shine, this reputation will naturally project itself. Therefore, potential employees will dream of working at your company.

Look Beyond Your Walls

Naturally, companies tend to hire within their direct neighborhoods for obvious reasons. However, this may be restricting you from seeing talents that are mind-blowing. With the pandemic making hiring a lot more decentralized, people are now seeing the benefits of hiring global employees.

Hiring foreign talents to work remotely does not only encourage diversity, but it also opens you up to fresh and new ideas from around the world. In fact, with a few clicks on social media sites and apps, you can overrule traditional hiring methods and connect with amazing talents with equally amazing portfolios.

Involve Your Current Employees

If you already have great talents working for you, and they are also achieving new heights, they are possible sources for new talents. When your culture is favorable, they become walking advertisements of your company’s reputation. Hence, they will easily attract great talents with their achievements.

Also, great talents tend to connect with other great talents, so when there is an opening, your employees can easily suggest a potential recruit who is a great talent for you. Moreover, simple perks such as referral incentives can take the work off your marketing team entirely, as this can motivate your current employees to bring in the amazing talents they are already in contact with.

In Conclusion

You should not have to work too hard to find the best talents that will help your company shine and achieve its mission. In fact, you can also meet people in person at campuses and job fairs, or even get recommendations from seasoned professionals in your job field. Also, with a balanced reputation, providing internships can be a good source for attracting the best talents your company needs.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Five Key Tips for Finding the Best Talent for Your Company appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

However, looking for a job and finding the perfect one might seem like a daunting task. And it certainly can become one, especially if you don’t know what to look for.

To help you get started, we have prepared our own list of 6 fantastic student job ideas. Read on to feel inspired and start making money!

Ridesharing

Uber or Lyft, whichever you prefer, ridesharing is a great way to earn some extra money. If you have a car and are not using it all the time, ridesharing can be a perfect opportunity to make a little extra cash without spending too much time on it.

The thing about ridesharing is that you don’t necessarily need a car of your own or an expensive one. Any vehicle will do. However, you might want to consider buying one if you plan to work as a driver long-term. If you cannot afford the car at the moment, you can always lease it yourself or take over someone else’s lease. Here is the guide to taking over a car lease to understand all the advantages and disadvantages of it.

Ridesharing is fun and easy — you just need to download the app, tell them where you are and, depending on how much you’d like to make, you can either start working immediately or wait for a call from the company.

Freelance Writing

Most businesses spend about $10 billion dollars on content marketing every year. There are countless websites and blogs out there, and they all need quality content that will help them grow their business. And if you are good at writing, there’s no better way to earn some quick money than to start writing for various websites.

The best part is that there are plenty of websites out there where you can start working online right away. Some of them hire students, too. If you are looking for a flexible job that will let you earn extra cash anywhere and anytime, then this is the perfect job for you.

For those of you who want to improve your English skills while making some extra cash, writing essays for other students might be a great way to do it. There are many websites online that offer essay writing services. All you have to do is register yourself on them and wait for the customers to come.

Designing Posters and Flyers

One of the most popular ways to earn money while studying is designing posters and flyers to promote events and parties at local bars and nightclubs. If you have good graphic design skills and creative ideas, this can be a great opportunity to build up some side income. All you need is to register yourself on several freelancing websites and wait for the clients to arrive.

Teaching English

The world’s language learning industry has been gaining traction lately, and it’s not hard to see why! People who travel extensively have been trying to learn languages on their own for years now, but most of them struggle with pronunciation and grammar. That’s why they often turn to professional teachers who can help them learn the language faster and easier.

If you have a passion for teaching and helping people, then teaching English is one of the most rewarding jobs out there! You can teach individuals or groups of people from various age groups using different methods depending on their level of English skills. And what’s even better is that you can teach anywhere in the world! You just need to be confident in your speaking skills and ready to work long hours at times (depending on the student’s schedule).

There are also many different programs available all over the globe where you can get certified as an English teacher. So, go ahead and reap the benefits of this truly fantastic student job idea.

Online Surveys

Surveys are great ways to earn extra money sitting at home in your pajamas! These surveys aren’t like the ones we grew up with; they are simply online questionnaires designed to collect information from customers. The best part is that these surveys aren’t just passive: there are usually some tasks involved that require personal input from your side. For example, you might have to watch an advertisement video before answering some questions about the video or the products featured in it. Once you sign up for these sites, they will deliver targeted ads to your email inbox or social media pages. You will also get surveys sent directly to your email account or received via text messages once or twice a week. The pay varies, depending on the website but averages around $3-5 per completed survey.

Another great thing about these surveys is that they don’t require much effort or time from your side. They usually take around 20-30 minutes and pay well enough to be worth your time. You can register with several survey sites at once and collect your earnings once or twice a month depending on the site’s terms of service. You can always choose which site pays more, but be careful: some survey sites will send spam emails or texts while others will simply waste your time. Make sure that you read reviews about each survey site before signing up for it!

Freelance Photography

If you are a creative person with an eye for details and stunning compositions, then you may want to consider becoming a freelance photographer. Although it might seem like a tough job, there are many opportunities available online. You can start your own blog or use social media channels to promote your services. Keep in mind that to be successful, you need to invest some effort in building up a portfolio.

Conclusion

Getting a part-time job is never easy, especially if you are a college student. But it doesn’t have to be as hard as it seems! These fantastic student job ideas will help you find a flexible job that will allow you to work around your classes and social life. And the best part is that they are all 100% safe for your credit score!

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post 6 Fantastic Student Job Ideas appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

You’ve heard the expression “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer;” this is solid advice when it comes to running your business. You have to keep a constant eye on your competition. Remaining competitive and keeping or maintaining your edge over them is only possible if you stay informed about how they’re evolving. How are they attracting their audience? Watch what they’re doing and learn from their mistakes without tripping over the same stumbling blocks. 

Ideally, both growth and profits should go hand in hand. If you find you’re sacrificing one for the other, it’s time to reevaluate your approach. Look into your finances and find where you can cut costs. Where are the majority of your expenses? Consider selling obsolete machinery or surplus inventory. If you’re in the medical industry, negotiate insurance contracts. Examine your credit terms. If changes can be made in any of these categories, you will save money and increase your cash flow. 

Grow Your Business 

To keep money coming in, consider making some changes to the way you’re currently conducting business. If you aren’t yet using social media to your advantage, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice. Visibility not only promotes your business but gives you the opportunity to forge alliances that can save you money. With a business that offers a complimentary product or service, you can save money by partnering up with advertising efforts.

Find services or products you can offer your customers that complement your current business. Add-on products can help to boost your profits. For example, if you run a tanning salon, consider offering tanning products your customer can use when they come in to tan.

Be money savvy. Investigate what you can offer in terms of discounts with prepaid accounts or subscriptions. When it comes to your accounts payable, are you being wise with your money by making payments on time? If not, you can be wasting money on late fees and other monetary penalties. If you have customers that consistently pay late, consider tightening your terms of credit. Lower the amount of credit you extend to less-than-ideal customers and consider using a collection agency to recover monies owed. 

When it comes to your liquid money, don’t just use any checking account for your business deposits. Look into accounts that offer a higher interest rate for the bulk of your deposits. Be sure to meet minimum balance requirements in accounts that have lower interest rates, as financial institutions may charge you for falling below an established threshold. Keep the rest of your money in a higher-yielding account. You could also ask customers to pay directly into the higher interest-bearing accounts to be sure you’re earning that interest from day one. 

Examine Contracts 

When you have an agreed-upon contract with a customer, be sure you understand exactly what you’re offering. If for any reason you have to provide additional services or materials, make sure you pass those costs along to the customer to avoid losing money for the sake of doing business. 

On the same token, offer your customers discounts for paying off their balances earlier than expected. Incentives to save money can influence those who can pay more to do so in order to get the best deal. 

To keep your income high and costs low, be sure to examine your current practices and notice where you can make changes to save money and put those changes to work for you. 

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Improve Your Business Bottom Line appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

A successful and sustained sales team usually requires a dedicated and constructive coaching system that defines targets and interprets the skill level of each and every salesperson on the team.

Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the entire sales team is paramount in crafting and transforming a good salesforce into an award-winning sales team. 

The coach is usually the one behind the scene assessing the entire scope of a company’s overall business model and its relationship to its salesforce. 

Moreover, the size, reach, and diversity of a company’s product line within the marketplace may also impact how an effective coaching system needs to be crafted.

In that, a multifaceted company with a diverse product line of goods and services may have several different divisions within the company, with perhaps each having its own sales goals, which may require a different coaching approach than a company producing one product line. 

However, the core principles in crafting a successful salesforce don’t change in that although a sales strategy may require a different approach for a particular product or service, the fundamental tools needed in successfully selling remain the same.     

Most sales managers know that effective sales coaching begins with understanding the marketplace, identifying and measuring accurately critical sales data from each team member that will impact the overall performance of the entire sales team. 

Knowledge is power

No doubt we’ve all heard the phrase “knowledge is power” in that the more information gathered in identifying the sales goals and aspirations of your customers, the easier it becomes in creating an action plan tailored for their individual needs.  

Today’s changing business environment requires regular and structured reinforcement of both the sales team and managers. Sales development initiatives are critically important in establishing a viable coaching methodology that can quickly identify and resolve problem areas. 

This requires everyone working as a unit, in short, “working on the same page.” Issues need to be well thought through before ever engaging the customer to maximize a successful closing.

The sales coach should work in partnership with the manager in analyzing the customer’s product line(s), craft a compelling sales script, role play with the team, anticipate and respond to customers’ concerns and complaints, utilize and embrace state-of-the-art coaching software.

Moreover, as stated previously, the fundamental principles of developing an award winning sales team lies with understanding the five basic elements needed within every coaching program in assuring a successful salesforce:

Collect and assess critical data

Much like a good detective, an effective and successful sales team needs to assess critical data. This requires an honest approach in gauging the performance of each individual rep, analyzing their individual strengths and weaknesses. This means collecting empirical data, which would be factored into developing a coaching strategy. Without indisputable data to guide the overall process in tracking the performance of individual reps, the entire sales operation becomes flawed.

Identify and reward top performers

On every sales team, there are top performers, those individuals that continually and successfully close deals. Evaluate and discuss their performance with the other team members, explore their sales approach. For example, one team member may have excellent negotiating skills; however, their presentation skills may be lacking, and conversely, another sales rep may be a strong “closer” however may lack the temperament in working within a highly regulated sales environment.

Develop a personal approach 

It’s called the “likeability factor.” Research shows that having a good personal relationship with your customer is the best way to retain continued business. Sales reps that continually “service” their customers, follow up on orders placed and take care of minor disputes beyond the initial sales and advocate on their customer’s behalf are usually rewarded with repeat sales.   

Finalize and implement the sales coaching plan

We’ve put into place the top three elements needed in creating an award winning sales team. However, just as important is building some flexibility within the overall coaching structure, in that no two individuals assess an issue or solve problems in the exact same way. Therefore it’s extremely important to personalize your coaching strategies targeted for those individuals requiring additional training support in areas that need improvement. Personalized coaching interactions with individual sales reps show that you understand their needs.

Continue the coaching process

Simply developing a one-time coaching strategy isn’t enough; if you want to continue developing an award winning sales team, you need to continue the process. Many coaching strategies fail simply because those in charge lack the desire to maintain a continuous coaching program.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Why Maintaining a Successful Salesforce Requires Effective Coaching appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

COVID-19 turned the financial world upside down. The initial stages of the pandemic led to large-scale lockdowns, which led to unemployment figures exploding to

Even hospitals, which people have become reliant on to help them when they’re sick, started to struggle due to overwhelming numbers of people being admitted for COVID.

The population has also been tested, with many people abiding by mask requirements and those that tested positive but were asymptomatic wondering why people are so afraid to go out in public or why businesses closed.

COVID impacts different people differently, and even businesses are impacted differently.

As a global downturn is hitting economies across the world and governments try to prop the economy with stimulus checks and other measures, some businesses have managed to break revenue records.

Which businesses had some of their best quarterly and yearly earnings in 2020? 

Zoom

Zoom calls have the pandemic to thank for enjoying a 367% increase in revenue at the end of the third quarter in 2020. The company benefitted from the work-from-home movement, as employers started to use Zoom to have meetings and client calls.

The company’s fiscal Q3 revenue was $777.2 million, with over 485% year-over-year growth in customers and over 10 employees.

Zoom has grown drastically in the past year, with substantial growth that isn’t likely to slow as video-first communication continues to be one of the most important parts of working from home.

In fact, West Houston is a prime example of big enterprises relying on Zoom. Known for being home to many of the world’s largest oil companies, big names have over 10,000 employees using Zoom and working from home, including:

• BP America
• Conoco Phillips
• Shell

The Energy Corridor business district, often overrun with employees filling businesses, rely on Zoom to bring communication together for thousands of corporate employees. 

Amazon.com

Amazon.com has capitalized on the pandemic as the world’s largest retailer. Prime subscribers were able to have essential items delivered to their doors, many in two days, and stock for items across a variety of categories suddenly ran low.

The company was able to increase net sales in the US by 37% in the third-quarter and has capitalized on their own delivery service.

Whether you’re in Houston or in North Carolina’s mountains, you’ll find the Amazon Mercedes Sprinters delivering packages to doorsteps virtually everywhere.

In North America alone, Amazon has hired over 400,000 people to fill positions in warehouses, as drivers and everything in between. Amazon is one of the first companies to increase minimum wage to $15 and has sparked the same trend among other large retailers.

Jeff Bezos, the current CEO and founder of Amazon, has positioned the company for growth for the foreseeable future. Not only does Amazon sell virtually everything, they’re also one of the largest players in the cloud computing industry and are planning to launch their own satellite Internet service in the coming year.

Amazon is one parent company that has shown it will remain profitable, even while other companies are shutting their doors.

Car Insurance Companies

Car insurance companies started the pandemic by offering consumers rebates and discounts on their auto insurance. The practice helped put car insurers in the spotlight, as millions of people struggled to pay their bills.

The companies did help their policyholders by offering discounts, but they also benefitted from the pandemic.

An overabundance of people are driving less often and working from home. City streets are less congested and crowded, resulting in a huge drop in car accidents being reported across the country in 2020. Insurers benefitted from paying out less claims and being able to funnel a lot of that money back into their businesses.

Insurers are still stuck paying insurance policies, while the risk for the insurer has dropped significantly.

What does this mean for insurance companies? Higher profits. All we need to look at is Allstate’s Q3 earnings to see how quickly net income for these industry giants rose. The insurer posted a 26.7% increase in net income in the third-quarter, rising to $1.13 billion dollars.

The pandemic has changed a lot of what we know to be the “normal” in the United States. But we’re seeing a lot of companies that have become an integral part of people’s lives grow their profits. The companies mentioned above show how some business models are able to thrive even while others are showing they can lose their revenue overnight.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Companies With The Strongest Performance In 2020 appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.