The performance of your business is directly proportional to the performance of your website homepage. The first impression always counts. If you agree, you’re already aiming for the best possible first interaction between your brand and your first-time online visitors. Here are 7 ways to improve your website homepage:
Savvy entrepreneurs know that customer feedback can directly translate into real competitive advantage and boost bottom line growth in revenues and profits. Well established companies all across the world, too, are inviting customers to help them: create better, more meaningful and motivating advertising & marketing communications and to design and actually develop new products that subsequently sell faster. Here's how to get customer feedback that you can take action on:
Information is becoming more and more valuable - and its value is being recognised more and more. In many cases, "soft" assets like information are more valuable than all the "hard" assets of a business and more critical to the growth of the business. Information is power, here's how to understand it for your business:
When you run a business that is reliant on a fleet of vehicles, that fleet can often be one of the most expensive costs your company faces. From petrol to services and MOTs, ensuring your fleet is up to scratch and performing safely is a hugely important consideration if your business is to run smoothly. Here are 5 ways to reduce your business fleet running costs:
If you own a business, your goal should be to make money (of course!). However, you should also strive for happy employees. After all happy employees make a happy company. We’ve been inundated with images of quirky offices around the world that find unique ways to boost productivity and encourage creativity. Small business owners might not be able to do things on such a grand scale, but there are smaller and more affordable ways to lift your employees’ mood. Here are 5 simple ways to ensure happy employees:
Formulating and executing an exit strategy is one of the most difficult challenges the entrepreneur faces in creating and then subsequently realising value in the business venture. Here's an in depth guide to how to put in place an exit strategy to maximise value:
Technology and social media have definitely disrupted marketing and offered new opportunities for startups and small businesses. But many businesses jump onto platforms without a plan. If you don't have a marketing strategy, your time and money could be going to waste. Here are ten tips for making sure you build an effective marketing strategy:
It is an immutable business fact that 80 per cent of revenues come from 20 per cent of your customers. It therefore pays to target those key customers. Here's why appointing Key Account Managers is a smart move for your business:
Getting a startup or small business off the ground can be tough. It can take a lot of time and investment to get the whole operation going. On top of that, you also need to build up a loyal customer base. That's why marketing is essential. Here are the most effective marketing strategies for small businesses that I've come across:
(Pictured L to R Olivia Lynch, KPMG, Mary O'Brien, VideoDoc, Julie Sinnamon, Enterprise Ireland)
The call has just opened for a new cycle of Going for Growth. This will be the 11th cycle of the programme funded by Enterprise Ireland and KPMG. We asked Paula Fitzsimons, National Director of Going for Growth to tell us more:
You’re trying to get your startup business off the ground. You’ve reviewed your business plan to within an inch of its life, you’ve received input from mentors and advisers, you’ve built up your foundation and you’ve steeled yourself as much as you can for the rough waters ahead. Now, you have to find people who are willing and able to navigate those waters with you. As you go about looking for people to join your business team, here are 3 things to look for when hiring for your startup:
Your website is a key marketing and lead generation tool. But is it up to scratch and as user friendly as it can be? Here are 6 mistakes not to make with your business website:
It is one of the most important responsibilities of the CEO to keep the business funded at all times. No funding equals no business. Here's how to keep your business financed:
The latest InterTradeIreland Business Monitor shows that trade has remained resilient over the past quarter with 41% of companies continuing to grow. Read on to find out how trade remains resilient in the face of growing challenges:
Are you working on a press release to go to the media? Here are some tips for how to write a press release that is more likely to get published.
In the fast-developing fintech sector, a strong grasp of roles and responsibilities will help companies grapple with the finer details of regulation and strategy. From the Companies Act 2014, which places the onus on directors to fully understand their role and responsibilities, to the raft of financial regulation, directors in the fintech industry have a lot to contend with. So where to begin? This guide, aimed at start-ups, gives an outline. Here are tips for fintech startups:
This month our featured business book is Going It Alone by Jane Bwye, a practical guide to starting your own business, and we have 1 copy to give away!
The first stage in developing growth plans for your business is to determine where you want to go in a personal context – in other words, why you want to grow your business. You need to decide this in a personal context, before you can approach the business context – otherwise, the two may be out of sync, and lead to disaster. Here's some food for thought on growing your business: a personal perspective:
2017 was really “the year of the data breach”, seeing a higher than ever level of data breaches in companies across the world. All businesses can be affected, and because the cost of a potential breach can be very high, extra attention needs to be paid to potential data breaches and cyber security. Here's how to protect your company from a data breach:
