Why a Cafe POS System for iPad Is Right for Your Coffee Shop

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

The whole point of a cafe POS system for iPad is to help small business owners enhance the way their cafe or coffee shop operates. However, finding the right POS system is similar to hiring a new staff member. You need to understand what your business can improve on and pinpoint a POS system that tackles those issues.

Nonetheless, are you skeptical of making the switch to a cafe POS system? Then please keep reading, because we will break it down for you. We want you to understand why this is the solution for your cafe or coffee shop.

 

What Is a POS System?

“POS” stands for “point of sale.” The term refers to both the software and the hardware that can keep your small business running smoothly. For example, the right system will help your business with placing orders, managing sales, and even tracking profits. A cafe requires fast service along with customer satisfaction. Therefore, a cafe POS system for iPad will come in handy.

You might think your cafe is running fine without a POS system. However, you already know that it’s important to keep your business up to date. In other words, you need to join the 21st century, technologically speaking.

Small businesses tend to benefit the most from these POS systems. That’s because these systems minimize the amount of money you have to spend on accountants and such. For example, POS software simplifies many of the vital tasks it takes to run a cafe. This includes tasks from both the front and the back of the house.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO ANTICIPATE AND OVERCOME THE DIFFICULTIES OF STARTING A RESTAURANT

 

Set up the Cafe POS System on Your Terms

Cafe POS systems come with the capability of accommodating credit card payments and processing them in a matter of seconds. Front of house staff no longer have to deal with the pressure of waiting for a credit card payment to go through while the line at the register keeps getting longer.

The software also allows the user to print receipts that cater to the customer’s preference. Moreover, cloud POS systems don’t rely on the Internet to function. Therefore, your sales will continue to process without any issues.

With some cafe POS systems, you take orders with an iPad or a smartphone. If you prefer a more traditional setup, this system can still operate on a standard counter. An iPad seems to be a favorite among small business owners because it is large enough to use without having to strain your eyes.

 

Make Knowledgeable Business Decisions

When it comes to introducing something new to a cafe menu, there’s a 50/50 chance as to whether or not your customers will love or hate the addition. With a cafe POS system for iPad, you can make well-informed decisions regarding the cafe menu. That’s because this system allows you to know exactly what your customers are asking for.

The POS gathers information then reports on the best-selling items on the cafe menu. Moreover, it will also analyze profits. Therefore, you will have all the necessary information to make well-informed business decisions.

 

Conclusion

A cafe POS system for iPad can transform the way your coffee shop functions. However, take care to choose a system that comes with features that best benefit your business.

The post Why a Cafe POS System for iPad Is Right for Your Coffee Shop appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/28/cafe-pos-system/

5 Cryptocurrency Myths Busted for Business Owners

Photo by Worldspectrum from Pexels

It’s been one of the biggest stories in both business and finance all year. What is it? What does it do? Is it even real? And, what can it do for me and my business? Although it has been around for a while, a great deal of skepticism still surrounds cryptocurrency. Here, we bust five cryptocurrency myths to put your mind at rest.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY AND BLOCKCHAIN: 3 INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS

 

“It Doesn’t Actually Exist”

Well, no matter how many people repeat this myth, cryptocurrency does exist. It’s not an illusion or something intangible that others can trick you into wasting your money on. Generally speaking, though, you can’t use cryptocurrencies to pay for goods in a traditional way, at least not yet. Moreover, due to their more seismic fluctuations on the stock market, many people simply don’t want to buy in. At least, not yet.

However, cryptocurrency is real currency. Some people already use it to pay for real goods and services. And this makes it a fundamental aspect of the modern business world.

 

“They Just Aren’t Safe”

Buyers who invest in blockchain would certainly argue against this claim. In truth, blockchain is actually one of the safest methods of transaction ever created. Therefore, this is one of the cryptocurrency myths that needs to get busted.

 

Like any new market, though, and particularly a digital one, early cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin were susceptible to hacking. However, as the market has advanced, and technologies have progressed and adapted, cryptocurrencies have become a much more secure investment.

 

“They Are All the Same”

Are you confounded by all the cryptocurrencies with all their different names? That they are all the same is another of the cryptocurrency myths. What’s more, it’s a big reason why businesses are still uncertain about cryptocurrencies in general.

As the market grows and evolves, more and more cryptocurrencies arrive. As a matter of fact, 2,486 were being traded as of November this year.

To be clear, different cryptocurrencies actually carry different purposes. For example, some, like Bitcoin, are designed to be spent as currency. However, another cryptocurrency with a notable name, Ripple, speeds up money transfers and international transactions.

 

Image Credit: Pixabay on Pexels

“It Is Not Regulated”

Along with safety and security issues, this is one of the cryptocurrency myths that keeps people feeling cautious about cryptocurrencies. As a matter of fact, fewer than 3% of Brits have bought any cryptocurrency. However, while this “myth” is technically true, regulations are on the way. Moreover, the market already looks after itself very well.

In fact, countries like Japan have made Bitcoin legal tender. Moreover, other major countries have made no moves to ban cryptocurrencies altogether. Cryptocurrencies are still taking shape and will continue to develop, and denying cryptocurrency altogether would be a poor move for governments. That’s because this would signal a lack of interest in growth, innovation, and technology.

 

“It’s Easy Money”

Certain parties will try to sell you cryptocurrency in this way. However, that doesn’t mean you have to buy in.

On the other hand, some investors have made some serious gains. However, as with anything else on the stock market, you can win and lose very quickly. While cryptocurrencies are changing and adapting, they tend to be volatile on the stock market. Therefore, never invest more than you can afford.

 

Learn What’s Real and What’s Just Another of the Cryptocurrency Myths

To keep up to date with the world of cryptocurrency, see the cryptocurrency news at BTCNN. There you can learn about what’s happening. You can learn what’s real, too, and what’s just another of those cryptocurrency myths.

The post 5 Cryptocurrency Myths Busted for Business Owners appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/28/cryptocurrency-myths-busted/

The Best and Worst Ideas for Small Businesses to Start

While many successful small businesses are born from great business ideas, a passion, or a hobby, it usually takes a lot of hard work, perseverance, determination, and drive to start a business and keep it going. Here are some of the best and worst small businesses to start in today’s economic climate.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO LAUNCH A SUCCESSFUL CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS

 

Best Small Businesses to Start: Little to No out-of-Pocket Costs

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing involves promoting or advertising another person’s product in order to earn a commission. However, some methods of affiliate marketing, like pay-per-click advertising, can be costly. On the other hand, if you are proficient at writing, or you can afford to outsource the writing, you can drive traffic to a website, product, or service through article marketing.

Ride-Sharing

Ride-sharing is another profitable small business. Since most people own a car, you can utilize your vehicle to act as a taxi service in your area. To apply, simply download the ride-sharing app. Then add your vehicle information, driver’s license, and car insurance information. Once the ride-sharing company approves you to drive, you will receive notifications on your phone when someone near you needs a ride.

Reselling

Many people earn a sizable income by reselling products on a variety of selling apps and online auction websites. You can quickly and easily earn the capital you need to start this type of business by selling unwanted clothing, electronics, books, and trinkets from around your own home.

Once you have accumulated the money to start your own business, pick up items from yard sales, outlet stores, garage sales, thrift and consignment stores, and estate sales to resell for profit.

 

The Best Businesses to Start: Channeling Your Talents

Online Tutoring

If you have a background in teaching or are good at a particular subject such as math, reading, or science, you can earn a competitive wage by tutoring students online. There are a large number of structured online websites that hire qualified candidates to teach students in a virtual environment. You can also advertise in your local community to tutor children in person.

Virtual Assistant

If you have a basic home office and a background in clerical or administrative work, you can contract with a variety of established companies to work as a virtual assistant. Popular online recruitment sites always have available virtual assistant jobs posted.

Pet Sitting

If you have a passion for pets, offer dog walking, pet sitting, and boarding services. Advertise your services online for free on job board, contract-for-hire, and classified sites. You can charge by the hour or by the service for basic pet care. If you live in a populated area, you can earn a full-time income by doing what you love: spending time with a variety of furry friends.

Home Cleaning

Transforming a cluttered space is one of the best small businesses to start if you have a passion for cleaning and organizing. Offer a competitive hourly wage by posting an ad online.

 

Worst Small Businesses to Start: A Large up-Front Investment

Pet Supply Store

Even if you have a passion for pets and the expertise and experience to back it up, a pet supply store requires far too much up-front capital. What’s more, it offers little chance for success, even in a thriving city. That’s because not many people want to make a special trip to a pet supply store to pick up specific items unless the item cannot be purchased online, at the vet’s office, or at a grocery store.

Travel Agent

If you have a passion for travel or have worked in the tourism industry in the past, you may have thought about opening up your own travel agency. However, budget-conscious travelers now scour the Internet to book their airfare, hotels, and car rentals. Travel agencies can still assist with luxury cruises and all-inclusive vacation packages. Generally speaking, however, the industry is in significant decline.

Clothing Store

When it comes to the worst small businesses to start, many people may be surprised to find that clothing stores are at the top of the list. Not only do you have to have the capital for rent, utilities, insurance, and maintenance, but you also need a huge investment for inventory.

Unless you are selling hard-to-find, high-end apparel and accessories in a major city, most consignment, thrift, and overstock stores simply cannot offer competitive prices. That’s because they have to beat the large retailers, big box stores, and huge online retailers.

 

Restaurant

While some may disagree, the absolute worst small businesses to start are restaurants. The vast majority of independent restaurants fail within five years. Most go under because of lack of patronage, constant staff turnover, poor management, and undesirable locations.

Blogging

Making a full-time income from a blog is almost impossible. It’s true that there are successful blogs with a steady stream of traffic. Most of these are in a popular niche topic, and this can bring them monetized ads. However, these blog writers had to work hard for many years in order to make a full-time income.

 

Conclusion

Entrepreneurship, self-employment opportunities, contract-based work, and home-based businesses offer flexibility, freedom, and unlimited earning potential. However, you must be prepared to work hard in order to reap the benefits.

Most self-employed people work 20 to 30 hours more per week than most full-time people working in a corporate environment. This is especially true during the crucial initial start-up phase of the business. However, if you persevere and remain motivated and focused, you can have a successful and thriving business.

The post The Best and Worst Ideas for Small Businesses to Start appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/28/best-worst-small-businesses/

Social Media Marketing Will Help You to Humanize Your Brand

Social media marketing and social networking can help your business with its business network marketing. That’s because social media marketing will connect your business with its customers, clients, or prospects. Billions of people interact on social media every day. What’s more, each of these people has the potential to become your customer, even your promoter.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW BEING ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA BOOSTS CUSTOMER APPEAL

 

Social Media Marketing Allows You to Humanize Your Brand

Social media marketing gives you the chance to get connected with people in a personal way. Being your own brand representative on a social media platform allows you to communicate with people as a person rather than as a faceless company.

Below are some tips that can help you to get better at social media marketing:

 

Know Your Customer

If you want success with digital marketing in general and social media marketing in particular, you need to know who your customer is. Ask yourself: “Whose problem does my product or service solve?” and “Who will be interested in what I have to offer?” Answers to these and similar questions will tell you who your customers are.

 

Stick with a Single Platform

There are a lot of social media sites. We all know their names: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, and more. What’s more, now that you know who your customer is, you have a good chance of knowing where he or she likes to hang out online. That platform is where you should focus your social media marketing efforts.

If you do decide to market over more than one social media platform, keep in mind that different platforms require different content. At the very least, you should present the same content in different ways for different platforms, according to the protocols and etiquette of each.

 

Set Some Goals

Set some realistic and measurable goals for your social media marketing campaign. Generally, brand awareness and conversions are two important goals most businesses aim for with social media marketing.

 

Decide on a Marketing Approach

The next step will be to develop your marketing approach. According to recent studies, many high-performing marketing teams prefer an approach that utilizes unique, original content.

When you’re deciding on your marketing approach, keep in mind the reason why you’re doing what you’re doing. For example, if your purpose with your social media marketing campaign is brand awareness, consider creating content in the form of compelling videos or interesting blog posts.

 

Focus on Generating Goodwill

A successful social media marketing campaign generates goodwill for your brand. However, how does one go about generating goodwill? The simplest way to do this is to create a lot of high quality and informative content. Moreover, stick to the best practices of social media marketing.

People will be attracted to your high quality content. This will lead them to appreciating your expertise. Word-of-mouth awareness about your brand will grow. And people will want to stay in touch with you by way of social media as well as elsewhere.

Another good way of generating goodwill is to interact directly with people who are engaged with you on social media. Reply to their comments, conduct Q&A sessions, and respond to their reviews of your products and services. All of this will help you to grow your circles and encourage more people to engage with you. And best of all, more people will become familiar with your brand.

 

Take It to the Next Level

If you choose, you can take your social media marketing to the next level with paid traffic. This can make it easier for you to expand your presence on social media. However, advertising on some social media platforms can be expensive. This can keep this tactic out of reach for businesses on a limited budget.

 

A Few Final Thoughts

Social media marketing is simple and can be inexpensive. In order for it to be effective, though, you must be clear about your goals. You must know what you want to achieve. However, if you are clear about your strategy and know where your customers like to hang out online, social media marketing can help you connect with the right people for your brand.

The post Social Media Marketing Will Help You to Humanize Your Brand appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/27/social-media-marketing/

How to Launch a Successful Construction Business

Starting a construction business is no easy task. You’ll need financing, the right materials, and talented people to work with you. Add to that plenty of thoughtful planning, a smart business strategy, and lots of hard work. Then, you could have a good chance at launching and developing a successful construction business. Further, here are some things that you should know before you begin.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: LOOKING FOR SOME GOOD SMALL SCALE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES?

 

Raise Funds Responsibly

No business ever began without an idea and an investment. However, not everyone has lots of cash to spare for a large, uncertain investment. If that’s the case for you, try alternatives for accumulating your funds.

One common method is to find investors who will invest in your idea. However, investors are not always easy to find. Alternatively, try crowdfunding or other methods. For instance, you could go into partnership with someone. Or you could request loans from your friends and family. However, a bank loan is probably not the best way to go about things.

 

A Successful Construction Business Requires the Right Tools and Machinery

The most important part of beginning a successful construction business is having the right materials to work with. Therefore, you need to determine the sector of construction you’ll be working in. Moreover, you’ll need to decide what type of construction your firm will be doing.

Accordingly, you must arrange for all the tools you will need for constructions of your chosen type. For example, groundbreaking and heavy earthwork needs the use of specialized Hitachi excavators.

 

Obtain Licenses and Insurance

One of the very first things you should take care of is legally registering your company. In most areas, this means obtaining a local license or permit. This is something that is absolutely not an option. A license will permit you to deploy your machinery to use in whatever jobs your firm takes on.

Additionally, you should talk to someone who has legal expertise to discuss your new company.

Moreover, you’ll need insurance. While you may view insurance as an expense, it can actually save you money in the long run. For example, if any of your machinery should become damaged on the job, your insurance policy could pay to have it restored to full service. Therefore, be sure to have insurance coverage that sufficiently fulfills all your needs.

 

Find the Right People to Work with You

Once you are ready to go to work, you will need to find the right people to work for you. Labor laws vary from country to country. For example, labor laws can be fairly relaxed in places where labor is cheap. However, they can be strictly regulated in others.

 

Know the Standards

You must know the local laws if you don’t want to run into trouble. Furthermore, you must understand industry standards as well. In many cases, local laws will govern those standards. Falling short of the required standards may exact a price on your company’s reputation in the local market. Moreover, it could also cost you your license.

 

Develop a Strategy and Stick to It

No business can be successful without a good business strategy. Your strategy should be ambitious. However, it must also take into consideration the resources you have. Therefore, have the patience to allow your progress to be gradual. That’s because rushing things can lead to mistakes.

Moreover, in order to have a successful construction business, you’ll need to get a marketing team to work on your plan and help you fulfill it. The marketing team needs to be both skilled and experienced. They should understand market risks, sales psychology, and other details that affect the functioning of your company. Good marketing can either build or break an organization. Therefore, pay close attention to this part of your construction business.

 

Hard Work and Dedication Will Bring You to Success

In order to launch a successful construction business, you will need to have a plan and lots of patience. However, one of the most important things you can do is ensure that the service you give to your customers is of the highest quality. Additionally, offer discounts and other benefits to your customers. This can help you to gain new customers and build a loyal customer base. Finally, work hard and stick to your strategy and you may one day be the proud owner of a successful construction business.

The post How to Launch a Successful Construction Business appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/27/successful-construction-business/

VR: How Can Your Business Use Virtual Reality in 2019?

Photo by Tim Savage from Pexels

Virtual reality (VR) is finally having its moment. And in 2019, the medium is going to be even more available to developers and consumers alike. Moreover, sales have been growing consistently, year over year. As devices become cheaper and easier for the average person to use, their business applications are going to diversify and become more accessible.

So how can your business integrate virtual reality? And why would you want to in the first place?

 

RELATED ARTICLE: INCORPORATING TECHNOLOGY: HOW IT CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS TO SOAR

 

The Benefits of Integrating VR

Let’s start by looking at the potential benefits of utilizing virtual reality:

• New Channels to Reach Customers

VR is a new technology, a new content medium, and a new communication channel all in one. This means you can reach new customers in ways you previously couldn’t have imagined. Depending on how you use it, that could mean new lucrative advertising opportunities, or a chance to reach a whole new demographic.

• New Communication Possibilities

VR also has the power to bridge vast distances, making people feel like they’re a real part of an event happening hundreds of miles away. You can use this to optimize both your internal and external communications.

• Brand Reputation Benefits

Being an early adopter of VR technology can also make your brand seem more forward-thinking. It can distinguish you from your rivals. This is especially important for brands in competitive or fast-advancing industries.

 

How to Use VR for Your Business

Now let’s turn our attention to some practical examples of ways you could use VR in your business:

1. Show off Designs and Ideas

You could start by using VR as an innovative way to show off your core products or services. For example, Lumion enables architects and designers to show off their 3D renderings in a fully immersive VR environment. This gives prospective customers a 360-degree, first-person experience when evaluating the design. This is perhaps best applied to companies with large or immersive products, such as buildings, cars, or amusement parks.

 

2. Visualize Space and Brainstorm Possibilities

You could also hand off the VR headset to your customers. This can help them understand how your products work best. For example, IKEA offers a VR experience that allows its customers to visualize how a new piece of furniture might fit into an intended room, or how it might look against the backdrop of different styles. Whether you apply this with an in-store kiosk or a separate downloadable app, your customers will feel more connected. What’s more, they will have a better sense of the products you offer.

 

3. Host Immersive Events

You could also use VR as a way to host more immersive events, or allow remote attendance of those events. For example, if you’re giving a speech or hosting a conference, you could use a 360-degree camera to film the event. In this way, your customers and followers at home can feel like they’re a part of it.

 

4. Allow Employees to Virtually Attend

In a similar application, you could use VR headsets with your internal team to host collaborative, immersive meetings—no matter where they currently are. If your team works remotely, this could be especially valuable.

 

5. Create 360-Degree Content

If you’re already invested in content marketing, you could use VR as an engaging new medium to experiment with. For example, National Geographic has been producing some amazing 360-degree videos. These videos allow a viewer to experience their content in fundamentally new ways. There are practically limitless possibilities here. So get yourself a 360-degree camera and start filming.

 

6. Capitalize on Other VR Trends

If you aren’t equipped with the budget or desire to develop your own VR software or experiences, you could always take advantage of other VR trends by advertising with them. For example, if you catch wind of a new VR app garnering popularity among your target demographics, you could reach out to the developers to get an ad for your brand placed within it.

 

Use Your Imagination and Put Virtual Reality to Work in Your Business

Virtual reality is opening up a world of possibility. Therefore, these six examples present only a limited view of what’s possible. The most successful business opportunities through virtual reality are the ones that will sprout from innovation and creativity. So open your mind to the limitless possibilities, and don’t be afraid to experiment.

The post VR: How Can Your Business Use Virtual Reality in 2019? appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/26/virtual-reality-vr-2019/

How to Pass Strict Quality Standards and Get Your Guest Post Approved

Image Credit: geralt on Pixabay

Guest posting has become an integral part of effective marketing strategies in recent years. However, getting a guest post approved doesn’t come easy.

It is not enough to make your content SEO-friendly and write with impeccable grammar. How do you make sure your guest post doesn’t end up in the graveyard of failed pitches? Here are the seven crucial elements you need to include to give your guest post the best chance of approval.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: USE VIDEO MARKETING TO PROMOTE YOUR BLOG AND ENGAGE YOUR READERS

 

Write in the Same Voice as the Site You Are Pitching

Editors reject the bulk of guest posts immediately for one simple reason: they don’t match the blog or website’s voice. Too many people send the same post out to hundreds of bogs and sites hoping that one will approve the post.

This isn’t an effective strategy. Instead, your post needs to appeal to the site’s target audience. Aim for writing tailor-made content, then submit that post to a specific site. Avoid generic, poorly written content that you send out to hundreds of blogs.

 

Adhere to the Blog’s Guidelines

Each blog and website should have guidelines for its guest blog posts. You should make yourself familiar with these before you start writing.

For example, HubSpot has specific criteria for posts submitted to each of its blogs. They could be as mundane as how many links to your blog you can include, or the proper attribution of data. However, unless you adhere to these criteria, your post will not be approved.

 

Keep Your Guest Post Direct

When it comes to guest posting, less is more. Internet users like punchy content from which they can easily extract information. This means keep your sentences brief and to the point. If a sentence isn’t offering new information, don’t include it in the post.

 

Offer a Fresh Perspective

Blogs and websites are constantly on the hunt for fresh new content. Find something different or write about something that has already been covered but with a new perspective.

 

Use a Guest Posting Service

If you don’t want to invest the time and effort in researching and producing new, engaging content to submit as a guest post, you can use a Blogger Outreach Service. Blogger Outreach Services will produce content with backlinks to your website and get it published on a third-party blog or site. It will cost you a small fee, but it is worth it if you don’t have the time to spend yourself.

 

Use Images or Video

If you include a striking visual—such as a picture, infographic, or video—alongside your post, the site or blog manager could find your guest post particularly enticing. Aside from saving them the work of finding an image, it gives them engaging visual content ready for sharing across social media.

 

Put Links to the Website You Are Pitching in Your Post

Including links to the site you are pitching, as well as backlinks to your blog or site, shows that you are willing to help them if they help you. It is a personal gesture that goes the extra mile. What’s more, it could land you that first guest post approval.

The post How to Pass Strict Quality Standards and Get Your Guest Post Approved appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/26/quality-guest-post-approved/

Looking for Some Good Small Scale Business Opportunities?

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

Today many people want to support themselves by doing something they love. Are you one of those people? In this post, we suggest a few ideas for starting a small scale business with only a small investment.

However, one of the biggest challenges in starting even a small scale business is finding the funds to get it up and running. That’s because, even for a small scale business, there can be numerous expenses for the owner. Additionally, it’s important to organize business funds as well. To this end, free small business budgeting templates can help.

And if you are just beginning to look for opportunities for starting a small scale business, the following ideas could help.

 

Home Based Opportunities

As the owner of a home based business, you can shape your work life depending on your goals. You will have the freedom to work as you choose and set your own hours.

One of the best aspects of starting a home business is being able to convert your hobby into income. Moreover, the convenience of having your office be only a few steps away from your coffeemaker saves on transportation as well as other expenses.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO TURN YOUR HOBBY INTO A PROFITABLE BUSINESS

 

Online Businesses

According to recent data, more than half the world’s people are now using Internet. You can use this fact to your advantage by working online. You just might find that the lifestyle suits you well.

For example, many people find it hard to balance their work life with their family responsibilities. However, working online will give you flexibility in your work life so that you can spend more time with your family.

Additionally, you will be able to save money because you’ll have fewer expenses such as lunches out and commuting.

 

Franchising

You don’t need any experience to run most franchises. What’s more, if you choose the right franchise, you’ll get support and training from an already established business.

However, some franchises can be expensive to purchase. Therefore, be sure to do lots of research when you’re choosing a franchise. You want to end up owning a franchise that’s right for you.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: SUPERCUTS FRANCHISING: NOW YOU CAN OWN YOUR OWN HAIR SALON

 

Freelance Web Design

If you are good at programming there are some online sites where you can find good-paying freelance work. What’s more, web developers are in high demand these days.

 

Organizing Events

Do you love a good party? And do you think you might enjoy organizing events such as parties, weddings, and corporate events? Then look into starting a small event planning company. Once it’s going strong, you will earn appreciable profit.

However, you’re going to want to know the business inside and out before you launch. Therefore, try working for a local event organizer while you learn the ropes.

 

Graphic Design

Companies large and small are continually looking for new ways to improve their branding efforts. Graphic design is central to these efforts.

If you’re good at drawing and you have an eye for design, this field might be the one for you. Once you’re established as a graphic designer, you can earn a good living in this way.

 

Writing and Editing

If you have the right skills and training, a writing and editing career can be a good business to start. This requires little initial investment and has the potential for substantial expansion. You can offer services such as proofreading, copywriting, article and blog writing, and so on.

 

Taxi Services

Offering taxi services can be a lucrative business to start if you live in an urban area. That’s because many business people prefer hiring a driver over driving themselves.

Depending on local regulations, however, you might need to obtain a special business license for this venture. Alternatively, you could sign up to drive for a company such as Uber or Lyft.

 

Tour Guide

Do you live in a city or region that attracts tourists? Many tourists want to see more than just the local tourist spots. However, they need guidance to find those off-the-beaten-path sites.

Therefore, if you know your town or region like you know the back of your hand, you could make a nice living by giving tours. This is one of the easiest businesses to start. And it requires little or no investment.

 

Best of Luck with Your New Small Scale Business

If you’re one of those people who wants to start a small scale business but you need some good ideas, maybe this post has helped to spark your imagination. If so, we wish you the best of luck with your new small scale business!

The post Looking for Some Good Small Scale Business Opportunities? appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/25/small-scale-business-opportunities/

Take Advantage of Branding Perks with Custom Apparel

Imagine looking for help in a grocery store but having no idea who’s an employee and who’s a shopper. Or think about what it would be like for a real estate agent not to have business cards to give to prospective clients. Business owners and professionals alike know the importance of presenting a clear company image. One of the most popular and effective ways to build a company image is through the use of custom apparel.

When it comes to spreading the word about your business, you need to have a way to set yourself apart from the crowd. Business owners should never underestimate the importance of a consistent brand image. With the help of custom clothing provider R&P Prints, you can take advantage of the business-boosting benefits of branded apparel for your company.

 

Get the Word Out

When you take the time to focus on branding, you’re making an important investment in the success of your business. Take a look at the huge and internationally recognized brand of Starbucks, for example. The company’s logo is one of the most iconic of all time. And it got there by being consistently focused on the ubiquitous siren.

The popular coffee company’s commitment to brand consistency has helped propel its image to the top of the public’s radar. However, businesses without large marketing budgets can still reap the rewards of a strong branding strategy.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: CHOOSE A LOCAL LOGO DESIGNER INSTEAD OF OUTSOURCING THE JOB ONLINE

 

Giveaways and Custom Apparel

A strategically planned giveaway can end up growing your business quickly and effectively at a low cost. One way of doing this is to simply give samples of your product away. This will spread the word and get your brand’s presence out there.

Another way to take advantage of a giveaway, especially if you’re using custom apparel, is to motivate people to enter a contest. Give them a chance to win some of the promotional materials. Additionally, include other desirable items as prizes. For example, offer such items as electronics or restaurant vouchers.

Your giveaway should have measurable and realistic goals. It should offer an exciting prize. What’s more, you could partner with other businesses or people with influence. This could help to boost your company’s profile.

When your company has a strong and consistent brand image, hosting a giveaway is a great opportunity to create some buzz. Additionally, this will help to build a community around your business.

 

Whose Swag Is It Anyway?

Depending on your age, you may be hesitant to let the word “swag” come out of your mouth. However, maybe it will help you to know that the word is a stand-in for freebies. Plus it’s an acronym for “stuff we all get.” What’s more, everyone loves swag. And the truth is that swag bags are a fun and exciting way to promote your business.

No matter what you call it, promotional material that you give away for free is a great way to generate buzz around a product and delight potential customers. Use branded custom apparel to strategically give away swag. This will spread the word about your product far and wide. Further, it is an important business technique you don’t want to ignore.

The post Take Advantage of Branding Perks with Custom Apparel appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/25/branding-perks-custom-apparel/

Why Cell Tower Leases Are Undervalued and What to Do About It

Image Credit: Pixabay on Pexels

Cell towers affect us every day. What’s more, with the rise of 5G, many more cell towers are being installed. As telecommunication companies clamor to win the race for 5G-compatible services, the number of cell towers is increasing to support the demand. Meanwhile, people continue to debate health concerns and where to put additional towers. However, one problem is being completely neglected. Cell tower leases are hugely undervalued for most landowners.

In fact, Vertical Consultants states that throughout the life of a cell tower lease agreement, landowners miss out on more than $852,000 of possible income.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: 7 WAYS SMARTPHONES HAVE HELPED BUSINESSES GROW

 

How Cell Tower Leases Are Undervalued

The main reason cell tower leases remain undervalued is because landowners are unaware of the true value of their site. Too many times property owners attempt to tackle cell tower lease negotiation with a DIY attitude.

When people research market values on cell towers, the first place they start is often with information they find online. However, they should consider any comparisons they find online with a large grain of salt. Since cell towers don’t operate based on market rents, cell tower lease agreements cannot be viewed like real estate. Therefore, comps are one of the trickiest parts of the equation.

Cell tower lease agreements are utility contracts. This means that each site will have an individual value. Since most landowners are unaware of this, cell tower companies take full advantage. That is, they offer landowners terms that take advantage of their lack of knowledge, and often undervalue their property.

Trained representatives of the tower companies utilize fear tactics and sales strategies designed to entice landowners into signing agreements quickly. The representatives typically withhold information about all of the benefits the company will receive by using the land for a cell tower.

 

Cell Tower Leasing Has Similarities to the Oil Industry

This approach is not new for US landowners. During the oil industry boom, oil companies often exploited property owners for drilling rights by offering a flat rate without royalties. “The oil companies paid landowners for the right to use the land, but of course all of the money came from what they got out of the land. The best-case scenario for the oil companies was to pay for the right to extract and sell the oil, but not be obligated contractually to paying royalties,” says Hugh Odom, president and founder of Vertical Consultants. “The cell tower lease industry is similar, except that the profits are from sending signals into the air instead of drilling them out of the ground.”

NPR recently wrote an article about two landowners. One landowner is getting a lot of money every month. Meanwhile, the other is in a class-action lawsuit against the energy company. It’s an example of how important it is to understand all the aspects of your contract before you sign.

 

How to Handle Cell Tower Lease Negotiations

The first step for any landowner considering a cell tower lease negotiation is to slow down. Making a quick decision about a matter you are unfamiliar with could mean lost income. Moreover, it could also lead to problems down the road.

It’s important to remember that if a cell tower company has approached you, they need you. The use of your land is valuable to them. And that puts a lot of the negotiating power in your hands.

They will try to get you to focus on what you’re getting. However, it’s just as important to understand what you’re giving up.

 

Talk to an Expert

When negotiating cell tower leases, it’s crucial to find an expert for advice. Cell tower companies will attempt to distract landowners by emphasizing rent or initial buyout offers.

As landowners turn their attention to initial money offers, they are more likely to overlook the details of the deal. The right expert can ensure fair value for initial land utilization. The expert will negotiate the best terms possible for the landowner. What’s more, they will negotiate for coverage on the property throughout the lifetime of the lease.

Property owners need to take measures to protect themselves. The best place to start is by negotiating for the lease they deserve.

The post Why Cell Tower Leases Are Undervalued and What to Do About It appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/25/cell-tower-leases-undervalued/

Payment Processing: 5 Innovative Trends to Watch in 2019

As 2018 comes to a close, business experts are turning their attention to the trends we can expect in the coming year.  The payment processing industry is no different. As a matter of fact, several trends are starting to take shape in that industry. These trends will undoubtedly change the way businesses take customer payments for years to come. As you begin making your own plans for the last year of this decade, keep an eye on these big trends.

 

1. Increased Adoption of Mobile Payments

The idea of mobile payments isn’t necessarily new. However, it hasn’t always been popular. Nonetheless, after a few years of consumers being slow to adopt the technology, it’s beginning to catch on. In fact, researchers predict that by 2020 more consumers will use mobile payments than credit cards in stores. This will take mobile payment revenues from around $75 billion to more than $500 billion.

Experts attribute much of this growth to the fact that mobile payments appeal to younger shoppers. Moreover, both Generation X and millennials are expected to overtake baby boomers in terms of population in the next few years. Therefore, businesses that wish to remain competitive will need to embrace mobile payments.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER PAYMENT SO YOUR BUSINESS CAN THRIVE

 

2. Mobile Wallets Become More Popular

With more people willing to use mobile payments, it only makes sense that mobile wallets are also becoming more popular. Services like Apple Pay, Android Pay, Google Wallet and Samsung Pay make it easy for customers to make payments without taking out their wallets.

It’s not just convenience, however. That’s because mobile wallet payments are actually more secure. This is mostly because the payment information is encrypted. Moreover, consumers must provide authentication to make the payment.

Again, businesses wanting to remain competitive in 2019 need to consider using mobile wallet technology.

 

3. Increased Emphasis on Customer Experience

As more people switch to using mobile payments, the emphasis on user experience is also increasing. Consumers expect a seamless, simple, and efficient experience, without any complications. This means that payment processors need to be more focused than ever before on user experience in 2019. In other words, they need to make the payment process not only simple and intuitive but even enjoyable for customers.

Keep in mind that most younger consumers don’t see mobile payments, online digital payments, and other alternative forms of payments as replacements for existing methods. Instead, they view them as enhancements and improvements on the way that things used to be done. Therefore, your focus in credit card processing needs to be on improving the customer experience. You want to give your customers an experience that will make them want to continue using these forms of payment and feel satisfied and secure doing so.

 

4. The Use of AI for Fraud Detection

Criminals are becoming more sophisticated all the time. This means that payment processors need to also increase their efforts to fight fraud. One of the increasingly common tactics is the use of artificial intelligence to detect fraudulent transactions and protect consumers.

According to one survey, 61 percent of financial services companies are either already using AI or plan to adopt AI technology by mid-2019. These companies will use AI for data analysis and for identifying potentially fraudulent activity. Using AI to spot unusual activity, suspicious transactions, or odd customer behavior is quickly becoming the industry standard. Therefore, payment processors should develop plans to implement these protections if they haven’t already.

 

5. Increased Adoption of Biometrics

Finally, AI-based fraud detection is not the only means of increasing security in payment processing. Expect to see more adoption of biometric authentication for making payments next year. This will include the use of fingerprint technology and facial recognition. Several mobile wallets already offer biometric authentication of purchases. However, expect to see increased demand for payment processing equipment that is also equipped with the technology for use with in-store purchases. Biometric authentication is both more reliable and more cost-effective than passcode-based authentication. Moreover, it reduces loss to both customers and businesses. Therefore, it’s likely to start building more steam as a security measure in 2019.

 

Some Final Words About Payment Processing Trends

These certainly aren’t the only trends that will be taking hold in the payment processing industry in the coming year. However, they are bound to be the most disruptive. As technology improves and more people become comfortable with different forms of payment, the entire payment processing landscape is likely to look very different 12 months from now.

The post Payment Processing: 5 Innovative Trends to Watch in 2019 appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/25/payment-processing-trends-2019/

Getting Your Business on Google My Business Before It Even Opens

Photo by Deepanker Verma from Pexels

In this post, we offer a quick guide on how to get into the local pack on Google My Business. From there, you can get to the top positions on the biggest search engine there is.

 

Every Search Engine Marketing Campaign Starts on Google

Google recently opened up a new way for businesses to become a part of their local listings. It’s called Google My Business, and you can create a listing even if your business is not yet open to customers. Here’s how it works.

Once you’ve set up your listing, it will show in Google search results 90 days before the day of your company’s opening. This will enable you to engage your customers early. You can start building your online presence and create some hype around your business, even before you open your doors.

Businesses can also interact with their clients through their Google My Business listing. For example, business owners can answer questions people might have before the business starts.

Aidan Booth and Steve Clayton recently published a quick guide on how to establish an effective SEM business and Google My Business listing for a not-yet-opened stores. You can check out the detailed review by GFKamerica here: https://www.gfkamerica.com/product-reviews/parallel-profits-review/

 

RELATED ARTICLE: WILL USING SES GIVE YOU HIGHER SEARCH ENGINE RANKINGS?

 

Making a Google My Business Listing and Setting an Opening Date

The first thing you’ll need to do is claim your listing. In order to do that, go to google.com/business. There, you’ll find detailed instructions for the procedure you’ll need to follow. The whole process is pretty straightforward, so just follow the guidelines from Google.

If you wish to set up a business that will open in the future, tick the »Verify Later« box when you are asked to verify your business. This is the most important part of the process. That’s because otherwise your business will appear as open before it really is.

The next step is setting up your opening date. You can do that by signing into Google My Business and opening the location where you are going to start your business. From the menu, click »Info«. Next, look for the »Opening Date« and press the pencil icon. This is where you can enter the date of your opening.

After you have entered your opening date, click apply.

You can set up your opening day on any day as long as it is less than one year in the future. However, you will be required to put in an exact day, month, and year of your opening.

Once you have set up the date, your business will be verified. After the verification process, the Google My Business listings will make sure that your business appears in local search results 90 days before your business opens.

 

Now Create Relevant Content

Finally, you’ll need to create relevant content.

You can add content to your Google My Business listing 90 days before your business opens. From then on you will be able to publish articles, add images, and supply a description of your business. Then, after your opening date, your listing will be flagged as recently opened.

 

It Couldn’t Be Easier

Now you have a way to generate buzz around your business, even before you open your doors. Just go to Google My Business to get started.

The post Getting Your Business on Google My Business Before It Even Opens   appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/25/google-my-business-before-opens/

Risk-to-Profit Ratio and More: How to Make More Profitable Trades

Image Credit: Royal Anwar on Pixabay

In this post, we are going to talk about the trading business. Specifically, we’re going to discuss how traders can use certain principles, including the risk-to-profit ratio, to manage their business and make more money.

 

Adhere to Your Risk-to-Profit Ratio

As a trader, every time you make a trade, you should establish a goal. In other words, what do you want to accomplish with this trade? As you answer that question for yourself, the size of your position will become clear to you. Additionally, you’ll be planning for a successful trade.

In order to establish your goal, moreover, you’ll need to understand your risk-to-profit margin. What this means is that you’ll understand how much you’re willing to risk in order to possibly gain the profit this trade could make for you. All the while, you’ll understand that any trade is, indeed, a risk. Therefore, the trade might not go the way you hope.

This concept is a fairly simple one and easy for most people to grasp. That’s because any business person must go through this sort of reasoning process in the course of running almost any kind of business.

However, if you will take the time to think through your trades in this manner before you make them, you’ll have a better chance of making more profits from your trades.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: UNDERSTANDING STOCK MARKET TRENDS: THE KEY TO SUCCESS WITH INVESTING

 

Define Your Risk Factors

You’ll determine your own specific risk-to-profit ratio by understanding your own risks. The level of risk tolerance varies greatly from trader to trader. For example, you might feel comfortable risking five percent of your account balance. On the other hand, another trader might feel safe risking only two percent of theirs.

For this reason, it’s imperative that you have a good grasp on your own level of risk tolerance. Only in this way can you can craft the best risk management policy for you.

Professional Singaporean traders in the exchange traded funds community suggest never risking more than two percent of your account balance in any one trade. They stress that it’s unnecessary to take big risks in order to earn a decent profit. Instead, aim for a high reward-to-risk ratio. This will allow you to earn good money without taking big risks.

 

Use Your Own Trading Edge Properly

Each and every trader in the world has their own unique trading edge. You will determine your trading edge by taking into account your training, your experience, and the skills you have gained so far in your trading career.

For these reasons, your trading edge will change over time. As a matter of fact, as you gain experience and education about trading, your edge over other traders is sure to grow.

Moreover, your trading edge is really important. It is the core of your trading performance. It will affect everything you do with your trading, including the sizes of your positions and the ways in which you will analyze the market.

Additionally, you will set your stop-loss and take-profits points based on your trading edge. From your earliest days as a trader, you’ll be creating your own trading edge by way of your own effort. At the beginning of your career, your trading edge will be weak. However, as you gain experience your trading edge will improve. In time, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your trading edge is solid. And your trades will bring you profits regardless of the condition of the market.

 

Understand That Stop Loss Orders Are Good for You

An exceptional tool for preventing and minimizing losses is the stop-loss order. With the stop-loss order, you can maintain the quality of your trading regardless of the risks.

A stop-loss order sets a loss limit on your trades. Therefore, when the market condition reaches a condition that you have defined ahead of time, the trading platform automatically closes the trade. You should use stop-loss orders on every trade you make.

 

Conclusion

Employ the principles we have discussed here for more profitable trading:

• Risk-to-profit ratio
• Understanding your own risk factors
• Using your trading edge properly
• Utilizing stop-loss orders

These principles can help you to become a more successful trader, regardless of the market in which you operate.

The post Risk-to-Profit Ratio and More: How to Make More Profitable Trades appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/25/risk-to-profit-ratio-profitable-trades/

7 Signs That Your Business Needs New Technology Today

Image Credit: Pixabay.com on Pexels

Investing in new technology can be daunting for the average small business. The expense is a concern, of course. Additionally, it takes time to bring the business itself, as well as all staff members, up to speed with any new program.

However, if you don’t keep up with the world as it changes, your business could suffer. But how, exactly, do you know when you need new technology? Here are a few signs that can tip you off.

 

1. You Don’t Take Orders Online

One of the biggest mistakes any business owner can make in today’s world is not to have a website. That’s because when you launch a website, you instantly increase your customer base from local and regional to global.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: EVERY BUSINESS—INCLUDING YOURS—NEEDS CLOUD TECHNOLOGY

 

2. You Are Unaware of Social Media

Your business needs to be active on social media. If it’s not, you’re missing out on engaging with customers on a personal level. Like it or not, this can can translate to sales figures.

 

3. You Don’t Have a Computer

Are you still doing things the old-fashioned way—with pen and paper? Sure, this might provide you with an effective way for you to do what you need to do with your business. However, a computer would make all of those menial tasks much easier. From tracking inventory, to ordering, and even keeping your customer lists in order, you need to move your business activities onto a computer.

 

4. Your Staff Has No Idea When They Are Supposed to Be Working

Scheduling can turn into a huge problem. Moreover, you can even lose revenue if you’re not handling staffing efficiently. These days, you can easily obtain remarkable computer software tools to assist with scheduling. Moreover, these tools can easily adapt for holidays and swapped shifts. In short, they can track all the hours your employees spend on the job. What’s more, you’ll enjoy more ease at pay time.

 

5. Your Customers Can’t Reach You

Most businesses these days have an answering machine and email. However, would your customers also appreciate it if you had an answering service for responding to their after-hours emergencies? Depending on the type of business you have, you might need to be accessible to your customers at all times.

Whatever formats you choose to use for contact, be sure to promote them on your business cards, your website, and your social media channels as well as in all of your advertising.

 

6. Your Customers Don’t Know About Your Deals

The days of expecting to make sales just because you happen to own a business are over. The competition is high. Moreover, in order to catch the attention of your client base, you have to use different forms of marketing.

“Old school” tools such as billboards, posters, and print media are still effective. However, you might get a better bang for your advertising buck if you also incorporate digital marketing as part of your promotional efforts. That’s because your customers spend their time online, and your business had better be there, too.

 

7. You Think New Technology Is a Fad

If you own a smartphone, watch television on a flat screen, play online video games, or even have access to a fax machine or email, you have already been touched by new technology. None of these things are going to go away anytime soon.

Moreover, if you own a business, doesn’t it make sense that your business should get on board and ride the new technology wave? Yes, fads do come and go. However, when you see how many ways new technology can improve the ways in which your business functions, you’ll also see that you can’t afford not to take part.

 

In Conclusion

New technologies have made our world smaller. They have connected all of us. They have contributed to changes in the ways in which we communicate, shop, and seek information. What’s more, they can greatly enhance the way in which your business functions.

So don’t ignore the signs. Instead, jump into the spinning world of new technology. In so doing, you will enable your business to match its competitors, reach more customers, and engage with those customers faster and more frequently.

The post 7 Signs That Your Business Needs New Technology Today appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/25/business-needs-new-technology/

Grow Recurring Income with Digital Loyalty and Mobile Marketing

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

Mobile marketing is a broad term. It includes many aspects of using mobile devices to market a business. For example, some mobile marketing products include digital loyalty, mobile deals, text marketing, appointment reminders, text-to-win programs, and more.

Every business needs to be leveraging mobile marketing in some way, in order to attract and retain customers. However, even with all of the mobile marketing options available, most busy business owners don’t end up taking advantage of them.

 

What, Exactly, Is a Digital Loyalty Program?

One of the best things you can do with your mobile marketing program is to include a digital loyalty program. Most business owners understand that both new customers and returning ones are necessary to keep any business thriving. Additionally, experienced business owners understand that retaining customers is much easier and cheaper than trying to gain new ones.

Therefore, customer loyalty programs have been around for years. For example, perhaps you carry a punch card from your favorite deli in your own wallet. Once you’ve purchased nine sandwiches, you’re going to get the tenth one free. That’s your deli’s customer loyalty program.

A digital loyalty program operates in much the same way. The difference, however, is that a digital loyalty program is based on smartphone usage.

Therefore, before you dive headfirst into a digital loyalty program for your business, you need to take the characteristics of your target audience into account. For instance, what is the general age of your customers? Are they seniors? Or are they mostly people in their twenties and thirties?

If your customers are mostly in the latter group, a digital loyalty program could work for your business. That’s because people in that demographic are highly dependent upon their cell phones. What’s more, one of the major pluses of a digital loyalty program is that you can include links in your digital loyalty app to your social media accounts. This will increase your reach into your target demographic even further.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO INTEGRATE EMAIL WITH SOCIAL MEDIA FOR A POWERFUL MARKETING STRATEGY

 

Here’s How You Can Get Started

The best way to get started with a mobile marketing program is to hook up with a local mobile marketing expert who is trained to work with business owners.

 

Or Maybe You’d Like to Be That Mobile Marketing Expert?

This is where PerkUp comes in.

PerkUp provides a white-label reseller program. This program helps turn people into mobile marketing entrepreneurs in their own hometowns.

Resellers with PerkUp start their own businesses using PerkUp’s turn-key system. This system provides everything you’ll need to start and operate a successful mobile marketing business. The program provides:

• A website branded with your own domain
• White-labeled software
• Merchant agreements
• Marketing materials
• Training

Plus, you don’t need to have any experience to start your own mobile marketing business with Perkup.

 

Conclusion

PerkUp was founded by Jeremy Tyler, a successful mobile marketing and software reseller builder. Over the past 10 years, Jeremy has helped thousands of entrepreneurs become successful mobile marketing business owners. These business owners, in turn, enjoy recurring revenue using Jeremy’s marketing software systems.

You, too, can start your own mobile marketing business. What’s more, your new business will include digital loyalty and mobile deals as well as text marketing.

To learn more, visit PerkUp.com. Also check out PerkUp’s Social Powered WiFi Reseller system, SavvyWiFi.com.

The post Grow Recurring Income with Digital Loyalty and Mobile Marketing appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/22/digital-loyalty-mobile-marketing/

Understanding Stock Market Trends: The Key to Success with Investing

Image Credit: Pixabay on Pexels

Investing in the stock market can be a risky business for even the most advanced investors. In fact, on occasion, it can feel like playing the lottery. However, there are ways of better understanding stock market trends and making better investments. For example, you can use smart tools that make for wise investments.

Seasoned investors are generally accustomed to market swings. These investors make their investing decisions according to a long-range plan. In other words, they don’t make quick turnarounds with their investments. Also, they use market tools to analyze stocks before investing in them.

The novice investor, on the other hand, might not understand that all stocks go through periods of highs and lows. However, all investors should know that the markets can be volatile. In other words, things can and do change abruptly in the marketplace as well as with individual companies.

 

The Science of Investing

The key to any investment strategy is understanding some basic principles of stock market trends. These include knowing:

• What stocks are good investments
• The best time to buy a stock
• The important signs to sell off stock
• When to hold losing stock for rebound

 

Understanding Volatility

Stocks that can seem like they are on a steady incline can suddenly crash in an instant. This can leave investors feeling as if they have been duped out of their hard-earned money. However, on a good note, because of fluctuations in the stock market, individual stocks and the overall market can suddenly surge in value as well.

Fortunately, understanding stocks is a science. Serious investors know there are tools to help both the expert and the novice investor make better investments. These tools ensure that investing is not equivalent to gambling or playing the lottery.

Investing in any stock is equivalent to investing directly in a company. Therefore, understanding stocks is a combination of analyzing both the company you’re investing in as well as the economy within which it exists. This means buying stocks can be an analyzable investment.

Since all companies have highs and lows, it is understandable that their stocks would fluctuate as well. The biggest question is, “How do you know when a stock is going to excel or have analyst upgrades without using a crystal ball?”

 

RELATED ARTICLE: 3 HEALTH-BASED INDUSTRIES THAT ARE PRIMED FOR INVESTMENT

 

What Stock Analysts Analyze

Fortunately, there are some talented experts out there who spend a great deal of time analyzing stocks and stock market trends. We call these people stock analysts. Their primary job is to analyze a company and its business trends. Their analyses allow them to understand the company’s future trends. Then they can forecast future events within a company. These future events affect the company’s stock as well as the value of the company overall.

Some of the basic criteria analysts look at include a company’s:

• Debt
• Assets
• Income
• Vision
• Credit and viability
• Growth
• Products and services

Additionally, analysts seek to understand the marketplace for the company’s products and services as well as the economic trends that affect the company’s future earnings.

 

Analysts Provide Pointers for Understanding Stock Market Trends

All these areas are considered as important indicators of the health of a company. Like individual credit monitoring, these factors all play a part in how healthy a company is and what its future looks like.

In most cases, each company will have its good ratings on some items and poor ratings on others. That is why it is essential for an analyst to spend time looking into the details below the surface appearance of a company. Stock analysts get paid to look at all the data of most of the primary stock market companies. Their key job is to analyze and appraise the value of companies for investment and then they sell their expert advice.

If the company overall has positive ratings, it will be considered a sound investment. By contrast, if the company is on a downward trend with some vital factors, it will be considered a risky or poor investment.

Because most individual investors do not have the time or capability to analyze all the companies they are looking to invest in, stock analysts are vital to the investment marketplace. They are key to helping investors make well-informed investments.

 

Using the Analyst as a Tool

A good stock analyst is trained to know what to look for and how to study the market. Their track record on proper forecasting is important to their livelihood. That’s because their track record affects the extent to which their clients trust them.

Some of the top stock analysts become so proficient with understanding stock market trends that they become the experts others look to for investment advice. As a matter of fact, they determine the analyst upgrades and downgrades of individual companies for some of the top stock marketing strategy firms in the world. Using their information is often key to ensuring whatever you invest in has a good chance of increasing in value over time.

Analyst upgrades in a stock mean that professional analysts have projected long-term value for that company’s stock, based on solid signs of growth. Downgrades by professional analysts mean that a company has a decreased projected value and investors should be more cautious.

The post Understanding Stock Market Trends: The Key to Success with Investing appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/22/understanding-stock-market-trends/

The Advantages of Commercial Cloud-Based Surveillance Security

Photo by PhotoMIX Ltd. from Pexels

In the US, more than 35 million cameras reduce crime and provide business owners with a sense of security. However, recent security breaches and distributed denial-of-service (DDos) attacks originating from these devices have turned them into hackers’ tools. However, the concept of the cloud-based surveillance security camera is the perfect solution to these modern-day concerns.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: 8 POLICY CHANGES TO IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS’S SECURITY

 

End-to-End Encryption

Any business that records customers, employees, and other parties should be concerned about the privacy of those recordings and the accessibility of that data.

Therefore, as with other systems that obtain and store information, a logical step in protecting these systems is in the encryption of this important asset. Nevertheless, many security system providers do not encrypt recordings. This leaves the data vulnerable to exploits, should hackers end up gaining access to the devices.

The use of video surveillance already draws concerns from the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations. They caution about the loss of privacy from the practice of installing camera systems.

This creates a level of responsibility on the part of businesses that capture video to implement strategies that keep recordings safe. Moreover, surveillance data encryption should be a standard in any system. Video should also be available in multiple points. However, this level of access requires following a security plan.

Commercial cloud-based cameras generally provide a way to store video on cloud servers. Nevertheless, the better alternatives are products that also store encrypted video on the cameras. Authorized users can then access the video from whatever device. This could even include phones or tablets. Additionally, it would forego the need for a DVR or NVR and the resulting vulnerabilities.

 

Effortless and Automatic Upgrades

Internet-connected devices, including cameras, have been the focus of hackers in the last few years. Many of the problems arise from the use of older technology and basic security protocols that make the devices vulnerable to attacks.

In one massive distributed denial of service attack (DDoS), for example, hackers targeted these systems and used them as cryptocurrency miners and proxy servers, among other uses.

Adding to the concerns, many of the camera systems available on the market also use insecure transmission. This means that hackers can intercept and modify signals. However, although cloud-based surveillance can provide added benefits, not all providers are the same.

Companies looking for solutions should focus on vendors that can offer automatic updates. Then, these organizations can push updates to their cameras in the event of a critical patch or security concern.

 

Comparing Cloud-Based Surveillance Solutions

To take advantage of the benefits that arise from cloud-based surveillance solutions, organizations need to understand the differences among providers. Moreover, they also need to understand why such differences are important.

For example, although most providers can store data on cloud servers, the way that the data is stored and its access are important factors. Consider exploring hybrid cloud security solutions. These provide the benefit of storage even during Internet outages. Additionally, they can have a much smaller footprint on your bandwidth.

 

A Few Final Words

Finally, ensure that the data is encrypted. Then, make sure that access to such data implements security protocols that use two-factor authentication. These two features distinguish effective solutions from inferior ones that are susceptible to flaws.

Furthermore, since in most companies surveillance equipment is generally maintained by the asset protection or security departments, look for vendors that provide an easy way to update cameras. This is indispensable for safety and maintenance.

Most hacker attacks on this type of infrastructure can be avoided by patching software vulnerabilities. Companies that address each of these important points guarantee that they are taking advantage of the benefits of cloud-based surveillance systems.

The post The Advantages of Commercial Cloud-Based Surveillance Security appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/11/21/cloud-based-surveillance-security/