Mohit Tater's Blog, page 560

2019 Spirit of Hope Benefit Exceeds Fundraising Records, Raises over $5 Million

The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center’s
(FSWC) Spirit of Hope Fundraising Benefit achieved its greatest success to
date, with the event, which was held on June 18th at Metro Toronto Convention
Centre, receiving overwhelming financial support.  The benefit raised over $5 million to aid FSWC’s education initiatives
and award-winning programs, such as the Tour for Humanity, Freedom Day and
Speakers Idol.

This year’s event featured former US
Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Nikki Haley, who in front of a crowd of
nearly 2,700 people, opened up about her stance on rising incidents of
anti-Semitism and hate, the Israeli-Palestinian Authority conflict and the UN’s
bias against Israel.

During an interview led by political
commentator and strategist David Axelrod, Haley spoke the following words to an audience filled with
community members, philanthropists, and political and business leaders:

“Every person has the ability to stop
hate…Every single one of us has to call it out every time we see it. We have
to be loud every time we see it.” 
Palestinians have lived in a false world for a long time. Moving the US
embassy to Jerusalem acknowledged a truth…Jerusalem is the capital of
Israel”.

Guests at the 2019 benefit also had an
opportunity to witness the inspirational recognition of  police officers Michael Smidga and Sean
Stumpf, who were honored for their heroic efforts in response to the October
2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. 

This year’s Spirit of Hope Fundraising Benefit
was chaired by Paul Bronfman and MC’d by award-winning journalist Lara Logan,
and was attended by supporters such as Mizrahi Development’s Sam Mizrahi,
Onex’s Gerry Schwartz, and others.  The event’s past speakers have included
prominent leaders such as: former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, United States
President Bill Clinton, United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and
Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

Spirit of Hope is an annual fundraising dinner
that celebrates the values of Simon Wiesenthal – a Holocaust survivor and
former Nazi hunter – and inspires and raises awareness for democracy and human
rights.

“The Spirit of Hope Benefit is the ‘must
attend’ event of the year, as seen by the influx in both the number of guests
in attendance and the amount of money raised,” said Sam Mizrahi, longtime
supporter of FSWC.  “I am honored to be a
part of a cause as worthy as the Spirit of Hope and look forward to its
continued success in the future.” 

In addition to the ceremony, attendees of the
iconic fundraising event also enjoyed dinner and entertainment.

The post 2019 Spirit of Hope Benefit Exceeds Fundraising Records, Raises over $5 Million appeared first on Entrepreneurship Life.

21 Design Tools to Help Streamline your Workflow

There are plenty of apps out there designated to streamline the design process. Some are super useful in making your workflow a whole lot smoother and seamless. Let me share with you a list of 18 amazing tools that will make your life as a designer easier. Some of these tools you make have heard of but never tried, and some are just hidden gems. Either way, I highly suggest giving every one of them a try. You never know what you might fall in love with.

Zapier Zapier is a fantastic automation tool. Its sole job is to help make your life easier by automating tedious and redundant tasks. It integrates with many applications, so there is almost nothing it can’t help you with. Zapier’s mission is to help you focus on the more important work you could be doing.

Aspect Ratio Aspect Ratio is a handy tool for getting exact breakpoints for mobile devices. You should bookmark it right away. It’s hard to remember the different screen sizes, especially if you’re designing for Androids. Aspect Ratio makes this much easier for you.

Designmodo Designmodo offers 3 tools you use in your work. First of all they offer two website builders, one of them is Boostrap based. The second they offer an email builder. Using these tools you can build a startup or commence website, also with a good looking emails you can send to your subscribers or clients.

Typeface Typeface is a MacOS only app, and it’s a font manager. It lets you keep track fo your font files. However, it’s essential feature is the font preview. Every font is displayed in its own design which makes browsing and picking fonts a whole lot easier.

FontBase FontBase is another font management app. It’s a lot more robust than Typeface, however. It works on all three OS platforms, Mac, Windows and Linux. FontBase has a lot of features such a styling previews and project collections. It’s an app worth downloading.

FreePhotos.cc FreePhotos.cc is a free image repository. It’s a lifesaver if you quickly need to find an image to throw into a design. Sometimes FreePhotos.cc photos are so good that you have to put it in your designs. There are countless images on FreePhotos.cc. You’re bound to find something spectacular there.

Contrast Contrast is a paid Mac app for making sure your designs have WCAG approved quality contrast. This is to make sure that the colours you are using are accessible to visually-imaged users or viewers of your designs. For what it’s worth, the app only cots $6.99 and can hugely improve the quality of the designs you’re making.

Absurd Design Absurd Design is an absolutely amazing project that offers free illustrations which have many sense and meaning. One of the best selection of illustration with a unique touch created by human hand.

Abstract Abstract is a useful design tool because it takes care of version controls for designers and design teams. It’s currently in Beta and only works with Sketch files at the moment. However, it’s a very promising tool that will help us designers be much more organized with our files.

Made by Sidecar templates Okay, this one is a little bit different than the rest of the items on the list so far. Just about any template from Made by Sidecar will help streamline your workflow. They have many different kinds of items for that which includes branding bundle, presentation decks and even user flow templates. All of the items form Made by Sidecar are of extremely high quality – they are worth every penny.

Sketch for Designers Sketch for Designers is a library of the best Sketch resources. They have a large repository of all sorts of items such as plugins or kits. You must take a look through their website, as I’m sure you will find something amazing that will help you with your workflow. Plant Plant is another version control app for designers. It’s also currently in Beta and only works with Sketch right now too. Plant comes with a fantastic conflict resolution configuration. It also allows you to access your projects from its web app which can be quite handy.

Devices by Facebook Facebook created a free design asset called Devices. As you can image, it’s just an extensive collection of devices you can download. They come as both, PNGs and Sketch file. Photoshop or Illustrator files are not supported here. Facebook’s design team created these device files because they kind of had to. After all, Facebook is used on so many different devices around the world. This download comes with copious devices.

The Noun Project The Noun Project is a curated repository of millions of quality icons. All of them are free to download if you want to credit the original artist. Otherwise, the icons are just a few dollars each.

IconJar IconJar is a MacOS app for keeping your icons organized. They support a variety of file format and let you organize all the icons in collections or however you choose. With Icon Jar, you now have an amazing place to for all the icons you just downloaded form the Noun Project.

Marvel Marvel is a fantastic prototyping tool. For starters, it integrates flawlessly with Sketch; however, it does work with any imported images no matter where they were initially created. Marvel is great for collaborating with both clients and teammates. You can send out newly made prototypes with easy. You can build quick prototypes and wireframes from even pen and paper drawings.

Webflow Webflow makes designing and developing a whole lot easier. It’s essentially a visual web development tool. If you’re looking to quickly develop the designs you’re creating, I highly recommend you give Webflow a try. It will undoubtedly make your workflow much more efficient instead of first designing and then developing.

Zeplin Zeplin is quite the resourceful app. It’s perfect for handing off designs from the designer to the developer. It integrates well with Sketch – of course- but also with Adobe XD and Photoshop as well as with Figma. Zeplin does make the hand off process a whole lot smoother which does make the work lives of many designers a whole lot easier.

Flinto Flinto is a rapid prototyping tool. You can make all sorts of interactive prototypes with Flinto. You can even go as far as design your designs within it and prototype them on top of that. You can design both websites and mobile apps in Flinto. At this moment, it is a Mac only app.

Framer Framer is another design app on our list. You can design all sorts of things with Framer including icons or responsive websites. Framer comes equipped with naturally responsive layouts, making your design life a whole lot easier. The app also includes nesting and even advance vector editing all with a simple to ease and familiar looking app interface.

Conclusion

And that’s it for right now. I hope you found this list useful. And, more importantly, I hope that you will download some of these tools and give them a try. They are truly lifesaving. And, if you urself have a tool in mind that didn’t make this list, please share it with us in the comments.

The post 21 Design Tools to Help Streamline your Workflow appeared first on Entrepreneurship Life.

How to Integrate Direct Mail Into Your Digital Strategy

Direct mail is thriving now more than ever. According to the Data & Marketing Association, direct mail marketing response rates have increased by 43% between 2015 and 2016. And on average, the return on investment for direct mail was $12 for every dollar spent. Though many people believe digital marketing has pushed direct mail out, the opposite is true: the rise of digital tech has complemented direct mail so well that integrated strategies are now a power move. 

Combining the nostalgic
element of physical mail with the ease and convenience of online is a great way
to reach your target market. Although digital and print are two very different
worlds, you can merge these channels to optimize each stage of your marketing
strategy and gain a higher level of consumer insight. Here’s how you can
integrate direct mail into your digital strategy: 

Cookies
& Tracking Pixels

All businesses should
have cookies and tracking pixels to gain a better understanding of where their
visitors are coming from, where they’re going, and who they are. With tracking
pixels, you can mail your direct marketing materials specifically to people who
have visited your website but haven’t taken any action yet. You can also use
this data to gain a better understanding of which website pages or products
yield the highest engagement rates. Armed with this knowledge, you can design
physical mailers that align with what’s popular on your website. 

Add
QR Codes

QR codes have been
around for quite some time, and it’s a trend that has experienced the highs and
lows in the world of marketing tactics. However, recently more marketers are
harnessing the power of QR codes to provided detailed and insightful service
and product information without overloading the end user with text. With the
rise of mobile usage, all a person has to do is pull out their phone and point
the camera at the barcode-like image. From here, the phone completes an
action—whether it’s taking you to a product page or prompting you to download
an application. 

There are plenty of creative ways to add a QR code to your direct mail. Try putting it on the outside of your custom window envelopes, or adding it to your coupon flyers. Studies have shown that the majority of people who receive direct mail will, at the very least, scan its contents. Having a QR code could help eliminate the guesswork into one simple and convenient action. 

Display
Ads

Display ads are a form of pay-per-click ads that appear as
banners on webpages and text boxes in search engines. You can combine your
online display ads by connecting it to your direct mail data file. For example,
let’s say you’ve targeted the small city of Hiram, Georgia for your direct mail
efforts. You’d then make similar demographic decisions are you build out your
display ad campaigns so that these two match. Think of this as a reverse form
of re-targeting; it gets your brand name in front of the people that matters
most, time and time again. 

Social
Media

Social media is one of
the best ways to generate buzz around business news, and you can use this to
get people excited about what’s to come. First and foremost, you can use social
media as a springboard to post your direct mail ads. And of course, why not
include social media icons on your mailers to increase chances of social shares
and engagement? You could also develop a hybrid social-direct mail contest,
encouraging your followers and potential customers to keep a lookout for
contest instructions in the mail. Incorporating a social aspect into your
contest will help boost brand awareness. 

Email
Marketing

Although there are now
several different types of marketing, email marketing remains one of the most
effective. Although other types—like direct mail—tend to have a higher ROI,
email still remains the preferred form of communication between consumers and
brands. Because of this, you can create a highly integrated strategy by
building a campaign based solely around the people who have interacted with
your business before and offered contact information. This way, you can send
them an email with a subject line along the lines of “Guess what’s coming to
your mailbox soon?” This builds up your mailer in a unique and direct way. This
also provides them with a reminder to keep their eyes peeled for your marketing
materials. 

The post How to Integrate Direct Mail Into Your Digital Strategy appeared first on Entrepreneurship Life.

Four Factors that Could Affect Your Car Accident Injury Claim

If you have been injured in a car crash caused
by the negligence or recklessness of another driver, you deserve compensation.
You have the option of filing a lawsuit against the person whose carelessness
caused your injury and severely disrupted your life. In most instances, the
at-fault party is expected to pay the damages stipulated in the suit. However,
a specific dollar amount must be requested before the suit can move forward.

Experienced personal injury attorneys know how
to handle such cases. They can be trusted to determine a fair and adequate
settlement package. As the victim of a car accident, you should understand some
of the factors that go into establishing the demand your lawyer will make of
the respondent.

Here are the 4 factors that can
affect car accident injury claims:



1. Special costs

If you were seriously injured in a car crash,
you will have bills. You should request receipts for the costs of all the
medical treatments and procedures you have undergone, including the expenses
for prescription drugs and rehabilitation therapy. Chiropractic bills,
out-of-pocket expenses, lost income, and other costs you have incurred because
you were in the hospital or incapacitated should also be included in this
total.

Compensation for pain and suffering can be
trickier, but an experienced lawyer will know how to calculate this and get you
the money you deserve.

2. Lawsuit venue

The location in which your injury claim will
go to trial is important. Some venues are more favorable than others toward injury
victims. Through research and analysis, your attorney will get a good idea of
how much money you might get if the case went to trial.

3. Evidence

Your lawsuit is nothing without evidence, and
your lawyer will get it. They will go beyond the police report. They will
launch an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the
accident using their professional investigators.

Witnesses to an accident are not always
forthcoming to the police. Some people are more willing to speak to civilian
investigators than to law enforcement officials. Someone may have captured the
entire accident on their cell phone. This is the kind of evidence that can go a
long way toward backing up your version of events and getting you the money you
deserve.

4. Insurance policy limits

The at-fault driver may have low bodily injury
coverage limits. If that is the case, then their insurance company may pay the
maximum amount and no more. Indeed, they may opt to do so quickly to prevent
you from pursuing the matter any further.

Frequently Asked Questions about
Personal Injury Claims

Dealing with the consequences of a personal
injury can be complicated. If you have never been in such a situation before,
you may need answers to some basic questions. Here are few that may immediately
spring to mind:

Do I need an attorney?

The short answer is yes. You should contact an attorney. You should do so even before you report the accident to your insurance company. It is important to understand that insurance companies act in their own interests—that is, to protect their own revenue and profit. You need someone who is dedicated exclusively to the protection of your rights and interests. If you live in Florida, contact these Florida car accident lawyers.

How do I select an attorney?

You should go online to conduct your search.
Do not depend on advertising. You should select a law firm that specializes in
personal injury cases. And the law firm you choose should have a record of
winning cases and getting high settlements.

How long will it take to resolve my case?

This depends on the complexity of the case. A
typical car accident injury case can between 6 to 18 months.

The post Four Factors that Could Affect Your Car Accident Injury Claim appeared first on Entrepreneurship Life.

6 Wedding Venues With Golf Courses That Are Most Certainly Above Par

These six golf course wedding vacations are well above par. Your day will be classical and beautiful, with a trace of organized greenery spanning thousands of miles. Whether you’re looking for a guy’s hangout or a comfortable location for your family to have a good time, these courses are perfect. Prepare for luxury, unique photo opportunities, and more with these reasons to plan a golf course wedding.

The London Golf Club

The London Golf Club is a gorgeous wedding
venue located on North Downs. The team is proud of its excellent hospitality
and attention to detail by providing a scenic and personal location for your
wedding ceremony and reception under one roof. This site will make you say
“wow”. Positioned on 700 acres of greenery, the venue offers three elegant
rooms for hosting your wedding. Take the afterparty to your room for an
exciting view of two championship golf courses and serve up some drinks. For a
memorable wedding photo, capture you and your partner in front of a calming
sunrise.

EAST SUSSEX NATIONAL HOTEL

Any golf fan will love to have their wedding
at East Sussex National. This venue includes Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Sir Nick
Faldo and Colin Montgomery. These championship golf courses are where most of
the popular players have flocked to win. Married guests are given a special
golf discount that make it easy to bring together you guests. Even if you
aren’t a golfer, you can enjoy some practice at the driver range or taking a
class with a professional.

Sandford Springs Hotel & Golf
Course

Any golf enthusiast will love their wedding at Sanford Springs Hotel & Golf Course. This venue lays across the hills of Berkshire and Hampshire, between Newbury and Basingstoke. This hotel offers three nine-hole courses, a deluxe welcoming center, and club merchandise. No matter your golfing skill, Sanford Springs has something for everyone. A licensed civil ceremony called The Clock House grants a vaulted ceiling with open beams and is centered between the three courses. A perfect wedding spot.

The Stag or Hen

If you have a large party, The Stag or Hen is
a great choice for playing Foot Golf. Groups of 20 guests can play this
trending sport that combines golf and football together. It is very popular
among the country, so you will experience real culture.

Carnoustie Golf Hotel & Spa

Carnoustie is a fantastic golf club for a
wedding venue. It hosted location for the British Open in 199, 2007, and 2018!
The championship course offers challenging tests of golf and has become known
as one of the top courses in Britain. It is an ideal spot for playing before or
after your wedding!

Those who are put off by the Championship
Course can choose between two different courses. The Burnside portrays a great
deal of character with an advanced back tees that is perfect for those who love
a challenge. You can choose from several packages depending upon how big your
ceremony is. A dedicated team of wedding planners ensure you stay relaxed as
they plan out the entire venue.

Southern Hills Plantation Club

This beautiful wedding venue in Brooksville offers both outdoor and indoor wedding accommodations. Perfect for those rainy days. You can choose between two packages. Smaller weddings would do well with the verandah which adds charm to your intimate occasion. For those who like to splurge, the outside grounds overlooks the golf course and allows for 3,700 square feet of space all together. This is an ideal location for just about any type of wedding.

The post 6 Wedding Venues With Golf Courses That Are Most Certainly Above Par appeared first on Entrepreneurship Life.

10 Best Practices to Refine the Dental Accounts Receivable Process

Accounts Receivable forms an integral part of any business. It is defined as the amount of money which a business expects from its customers in the form of payments against the services or goods provided to them. In the dental practice accounting; billing, receiving collections and payments, and client intake comes under the management of accounts receivable.

The dental clinic or hospital has to not only take care of the clinical procedures, but also manage a lot of clerical work such as clearing appointments, scheduling patients, organizing medical records, recording diagnostic and treatment methods, and more. Dealing with all these tasks, along with accounts receivable management is surely overwhelming. However, by following the below-mentioned guidelines, managing accounts receivable becomes effortless.

Complete Guide for Dental Accounts Receivable Management

Dental invoice processing is hard to manage to owe to different types of treatments of the patients which go on for weeks and months. This guide will surely help in lowering down the dental billing complexity and streamline the accounts receivable process.

1. Have a Written Payment Policy in Place



Documentation: It is imperative to have a written payment policy in place that makes the customers legally know that they have to make the payments fast or else face the penalties against overdue payment. From client queries to behaviors, everything should be documented in order to refine the payment policies. Having a well-documented and customized payment policy ensures timely payments, along dealing with client excuses.Offering Payment Plans: The most successful dentists are the ones who offer payment plans to their clients. The reason being most of the clients find it hard to pay their health bills, especially in one go. They need customized payment plans and offers to make the payments and offering them this option assures timely payment for sure.



2. Accept Different Payment Methods

The dentists who struggle to receive timely payments are the ones who prefer only one or two modes of payments. This approach limits the patients to pay on time as they might be ready to pay you in one of the forms which they are comfortable in, but you don’t accept that payment form.

So, it is vital to accept almost all payment forms, especially the online ones, and structure your accounts as required for eChecks, ACH payments, credit cards, HSA and FSA accounts, and more.

3. Patient Financial Services

The timely and accurate delivery of the accounts receivable is ensured with patient financial services in the medical world. For efficient handling of the medical billing, knowledge of the laws and insurance payers, along with healthcare regulations is evident.

Apart from this, timely submission of medical claims to the insurance agencies, along with a quick follow-up speeds up the claims and accounts receivable process.

4. Collect Money Upfront

For medium and large projects, this approach is definitely recommended. There should be an agreement in place that states half of the bill amount needs to be cleared during job initiation and the remaining amount at the end of the job.

This makes it for good faith, and you will most likely be paid at the end of the job as discussed. Apart from increasing the cash flow, it will train customers into paying before the completion of the work.

5. Rejected Claims Management Planning

When claims are rejected, it delays the accounts receivable and cash flow progress. It is important to find the root cause for claims rejection and plan to put appropriate strategies in place to ensure zero claims rejection.

It is essential to monitor the claims metrics closely with the medical payers and dental accountants to ensure the limitation of any unreasonable demand. This also decreases the accounts receivable days and make the revenue cycle more proficient.

6. Precise Price Assertion

Price assertion is considered to be extremely critical in the times of high-deductible offers and plans in terms of patient collections. By leveraging transparency in finance and clearing doubts regarding care costs upfront, better opportunities for the patients can be established in the form of payment plans, which eventually leads to even better management of the healthcare bills.

7. The Amalgamation of RCM/EHR System

Majority of the healthcare systems are opting and incorporating the use of the wholly integrated RCM/EHR systems to consolidate and streamline collection and billing processes. Through the integration of management systems for revenue and EHR in the healthcare sector, organizations can witness significant gains by the optimization of the revenue streams at the care time directly. This speeds up and maximizes reimbursement, streamlines collection processes, and minimizes denials at large.

8. Get Paid or Hold On to Work

This is more of a penalty tip where reinforcement in a negative way needs to be brought in use against some situations. The main motive behind this type of approach is to highlight the fact that relationships in the working arena constitute transactions where payments and work go hand-in-hand.

9. Provide Best Service Possible

Apart from getting treated for a particular dental problem, most of the patient complaint of not getting appropriate services. There are times when they have to wait a lot or do not have a good experience in the form of refreshments, washrooms, and other stuff.

Dentists should make sure their patients have the best experience when they enter their premises in terms of treatments, refreshments, infrastructure, washroom, utilities like free Internet, and more. This makes the patients feel good and respected, and this favor is returned gracefully by them in the form of timely payments.

10. Hire a Dental Accounting Practices Expert

When it comes to managing accounts receivable and other tasks related to accounting for dental practices, it is imperative to hire an expert for the same. This lets the dentists focus on the treatment of their patients and not on financial management.

It is imperative to look for a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) who must possess an undergraduate degree, along with the industry experience and eligibility for state certification. Also, your requirements for managing the accounts receivable and other financial tasks should be kept in mind, along with any other financial complexity at the time of hiring. For further necessities, hiring a team of CPAs or a firm providing accounting services for dentists is advisable.

Conclusion

The above-post clearly explains the need for efficient accounts receivable management. The step-by-step guide removes every possibility of an error during the management of accounts receivable and also provides great insights into finding the best expert accountant for your dental practice.

Also Read- 8 Tools to Make Your Business More Efficient

The post 10 Best Practices to Refine the Dental Accounts Receivable Process appeared first on Entrepreneurship Life.

Why Working in a Coworking Space Is Ideal for a New Startup

Many startups choose to work in coworking spaces these days. The trend is gaining momentum each year, and more and more startups elect to work for longer periods in shared working spaces before moving to a dedicated office. The following are some of the most important reasons for this new trend.

Fierce Competition

Any new startup will find the competition to be extremely fierce and even hostile. New businesses need to do their market research very carefully to ensure that there is a viable place for them in the community. There is also the issue of startup capital to cover the overhead of the business until such time that it to stand on its own two feet financially. Statistics show the harsh reality: 50% of all startup businesses will fail in the first two years. Therefore, any action that can be taken by the owner to reduce the operating costs can help the business have cash on hand for more important things. That is exactly why sharing a coworking space can be of tremendous benefit, especially during that time when a business is still struggling to stand on its own two feet.

The Case for Coworking

In many industries, coworking situations are frequently encountered, especially among startups. In most cases, a businessperson will pay for a membership, the cost depending on a wide range of options. You may require a certain number of seats to run your business successfully, or you may require one or more dedicated desks to do what you need to do. In such a coworking space, there are often things such as printing services or a variety of beverages for the convenience of people working there. There will also be telephone services that are then debited to the various businesses using the service.

Such a coworking space provides a new business with many benefits. There is no need to rent expensive offices or purchase office furniture and other important resources that normally needed to run a conventional business. The cost of those expenses is saved by using a coworking space, which is often the saving grace of a new startup. In fact, coworking spaces can make the difference between success and failure in a very competitive environment. There is also no need to commit to long-term leases as far as office space is concerned.

Looking at the Situation Objectively

Obviously, the most important reason why startups should consider a coworking space is that it provides a more cost-effective way of doing business. If the startup owners don’t find an effective way to curb excessive spending, they may very quickly find themselves in a situation where the startup’s capital is exhausted, and refinancing may not be a viable or cost-effective option because the potential of the business may not be sufficient to seriously consider additional finances.

It is important to approach the issue of coworking space with the necessary care, and several things have to be taken into consideration, such as the expected monthly costs. Furthermore, business owners should look at the value that can be derived from that coworking space, such as how much space is available and how many people can fit into that available space.

Basic Business Necessities

To run your business successfully, you may need meeting rooms and other office equipment. Another very important consideration is the future growth of that startup; therefore, the shared office space should be sufficient to allow the business to operate efficiently. In some cases, the target market of the startup might change, especially when market research has not been done properly, resulting in a location choice that later turns out to be less than perfect for that business. This situation may require the business to relocate to another part of the city where it will be closer to its target market. Such relocations can be very expensive, and once again, the option of shared office space could enable the startup to continue normally, something that would not be possible if conventional offices are leased. The problem is that there may be so many uncertainties when starting a new business and so many things for which there might not be a definite answer.

Many Things to Consider

Even though shared office space can be a wonderful solution, it is important that they provide all the things the startup requires. There needs to be scanning and printing options, an internet connection, and appliances for making coffee and other beverages so that things are civilized and comfortable. When it comes to conventional office spaces, business owners may have to run around and search for all the things needed to run that business successfully. Finding all those things can be time-consuming and expensive, but all of this can be avoided by finding adequate coworking space from which to run your business.

The post Why Working in a Coworking Space Is Ideal for a New Startup appeared first on Entrepreneurship Life.

What Skills do you Gain from Property Investment?

There are so many benefits to investing your money into property. The main reason people consider investing is to boost their income and achieve better financial security, but there’s actually a range of other ways that making an investment can benefit you. One of these benefits includes the impact that property investing can have on your skillset, helping you with future investments as well as developing skills to benefit your primary career. Here are some of the main skills you can build upon thanks to property investment. 

Communication skills

For investors that choose a hands-on investment, in which they manage the property themselves, communication is critical. You need to be able to communicate effectively with your tenants in order to build rapport and trust. If your tenant feels like they can count on you to respond to queries and resolve any issues as quickly as possible, they’ll be more likely to stay for longer. This is a huge benefit for any landlord, as you want to be sure to avoid any potential void periods where you could lose rental income. Communication skills are a big part of so many roles, therefore building on this skill is sure to benefit investors in all aspects of their life and career.

Money management

Investing is all about money, so it comes as no surprise that money management is one of the key skills that come from investing in property. Unless you hire a professional to help you, property investors need to be able to track their finances effectively, being aware of any outgoings and income. You should take into account all extra costs that come with owning a buy to let property, such as taxes, and make sure you know about terminology like rental yields. Many property investment companies will be happy to help their clients feel more knowledgeable and on top of their investment. For instance, popular company RW Invest provide their clients with expert advice and guidance every step of the way, along with informative guides for those keen to find out more about the property market. 

Research skills

Property investments require a large degree of research in order to be successful. You wouldn’t just jump straight into an investment without doing some research first, which is why those who invest in property are equipped with such strong research skills. Research should start with the initial stages of investing, as you need to look at things like location to make sure you’re securing an investment with the best rental yields and capital growth potential. After you’ve invested in a property, you’ll also need to carry on researching the current state of the property market, so that you’re aware of any fluctuating prices or major changes that could affect your venture. 

Patience

While not exactly a skill, one area that property investors tend to build upon is patience. Property investment can be tricky at times, and it might take some time before you start seeing the results you want. This could mean anything from waiting for an off-plan property to complete or waiting to find the perfect tenant to rent to. Being patient is necessary when it comes to investing, but it’s also a beneficial quality to have that will help with other aspects of life. 

The post What Skills do you Gain from Property Investment? appeared first on Entrepreneurship Life.

The Key to Growing Your Business

In the business world coming out on top can often come down to the finest of margins. One area which can make or break your business is the way you market your company. While word of mouth is great, you can’t get the ball rolling if you don’t have the initial clients coming in to see the excellent service you’re providing.

The marketing industry has been completely revolutionized in recent years as more and more businesses realize the importance of social media, streaming video and other digital elements in a marketing campaign. If you’re looking to take your business to the next level here are the biggest areas you should not ignore because they are prime opportunities to raise brand awareness and find new customers.

Social Media Advertising

There are few people alive who aren’t using some kind of social media platform today, so it goes without saying that social media provides an excellent opportunity for advertisement to grow your business. That doesn’t mean that all social media sites are created equally, however. As businesses invest more time and resources on social media advertising it becomes easier to track what is and isn’t working and to move the money being spent around accordingly.

The big winners of the social media sphere are Facebook. According to a Social Media Examiner survey asking simply if companies planned to increase or decrease their spending on a variety of social media sites nearly all showed more reductions than increases. Only two sites bucked the trend. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, showed a +19% result. Facebook fared even better with a staggering +55%. These changes are because those platforms have proven their worth, so follow suit and turn your focus toward them.

Interactive Video

One of the hottest trends in video marketing is the use of interactive videos. When it comes to getting effective branding the key is interaction. When you can get viewers interacting with your videos, not only will they be more likely to share them with others, but the videos will also make a stronger impression so you get more out of each view.

Technologies like 360-degree videos catch the eye of viewers and make them want to keep watching, resulting in longer view times and increased engagement. If you want a video showcasing a new product or location to really make a splash, an interaction may be the answer.

Chatbots

When you get instant interaction with customers it has been found to improve their experience with your company and increase the chances of converting them into a new customer. While it may not be possible to have someone on staff to speak with customers online 24-hours a day, that doesn’t mean you can’t offer 24-hour service.

Chatbots are programmed to serve clients who visit your sites automatically, using algorithms to read their messages and respond with pre-written answers to their questions. It’s a great way to quickly solve problems and drive viewers to your services. Chatbots are an excellent addition to your sales funnels and landing pages to help visitors progress through the process.

Personalized Targeting

One of the best things about the increasing prevalence of Facebook around the internet is your ability to use it to focus your marketing efforts. Many people use their Facebook to log into a wide range of sites while also providing Facebook with information about their careers, education and interests. This information can be used to target your ads to the browsers most-likely to act on them.

When setting up advertising campaigns on the social media giant you have the option to get extremely granular with your parameters. This means that it’s much easier to ensure that the majority of your budget goes to putting your advertising in front of users who are hot leads.

Beacon Targeting

Few major consumer corporations don’t offer customers the opportunity to use an app to save or get special offers. These apps can be used for more than just driving sales with those specials, however. Some companies have begun using beacons in stores which can connect to the apps to track a customer’s progress through the store. This allows for detailed analysis of high traffic areas to help you focus and direct your marketing toward the hottest products likely to draw in the most eyes.

Break the Mold

Sometimes the best way to grow is to do something that nobody else has done before. When Mark Crumpacker was head of marketing and strategy for Chipotle he innovated with the idea to create original programming for iTunes and Hulu. Taking a bold swing like that is a high-risk option as there is the potential to fail in untested waters, but when properly executed it allows you to blaze a new trail and reap the rewards of your courageous marketing.

If you’ve been using the same marketing techniques for years then you’re behind the times. Trying out these hot new trends will take your marketing campaigns from the past into the future.

The post The Key to Growing Your Business appeared first on Entrepreneurship Life.

How to Make Your Email Marketing Effective

Email marketing is one of the most important aspects when it comes to getting new customers so if you are a business, ecommerce, or a service provider, you need to stay on top of the game. Here are some important aspects that you need to focus on and how to get them to work for you to make your email marketing effective.

Adding Subscribers

When trying to attract people to sign up for your newsletter, consider adding an incentive. This will make it easier for you to add new subscribers. While there are people who might sign up just out of curiosity, relying on that alone will get you nowhere. It is important to note that the human mind operates in terms of profit and loss.

If you can make the incentive attractive enough for a user to feel like they will lose out on a profitable opportunity if they opt out, then you will attract new subscribers like a magnet. The incentives can be a discount coupon, free samples, sweepstakes, and so on.

Email Validation

Now that you have been focusing on gathering subscribers, another aspect of it is validating the email addresses. Email validation is necessary to churn out the bots and inactive users from the ones you really need to focus on – you can try an email validation and verification service.

How most email validation services work it that they extract the MX records from the email address and then it is connected to the mail server and then a message is sent over SMTP to make sure that the email really exists. This is necessary so that you don’t focus your energy and resources on something that isn’t even real and won’t give you a return.

Segmentation And Targeting

How you segment your subscribers and market to them will make a world of a difference as to whether your email strategy turns out profitable or not. Generally, you can first segment subscribers based on their profitability – loyal customers, new customers, and potential customers. Email validation is also an important aspect to segregating your target audience who can be turned into customers.

Once done, you can then classify them again based on their interest in the products.  So, if you sell gadgets online, then segment them based on people who are interested in mobiles, laptops, tablets, etc.

There are infinite kinds of segmentation you can perform on your list. What type of segmentation you do is completely up to you. Just make sure that the email platform you choose allows the segmentation options you are looking for.

Converting Subscribers To Customers

Once the segmentation is complete, you can start sending targeted emails to convert subscribers into customers. Make sure that the email you send is structurally sound and perfect. It must be in the correct format and have an intriguing subject line so that the audience will click and open the email. It must also have a body content that gets the message across in a short, succinct, and attractive manner. There needs to be a clear Call-To-Action button at the bottom of the email asking the receivers to act in a way you want them to.

For better results, you can use a tactic known as the ‘drip sequence campaign’. The idea is pretty simple. When someone subscribes to your email list, you must send them a free gift like an ebook, discount coupon, etc. Then wait for a few days and send an email once again asking whether they liked the gift you gave them.

Clear any doubts your customers may have and after a few more days, you can send invites to your customers asking them to check out products they might find interesting. Since they have already accepted a free gift from you, the customer will be compelled to check out your offerings in a positive manner and may end up buying it. This is usually done automatically and is a service provided by the email marketing software.

Analytics

Finally, make sure that you are an expert at tracking and interpreting e-commerce email analytics. These include open rate, click through rate, bounce rate, opt-out rate, and so on. Make sure to know what they mean and how to use such metrics to strengthen your hold over your business. When you master the analytics side of email marketing, you will be able to improve both the quality of your emails and the conversion rate.  

The post How to Make Your Email Marketing Effective appeared first on Entrepreneurship Life.