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5 Goals for Small Businesses in 2013

As the year winds down and there’s a natural break in your work flow to plan for next year, consider where you’d like to see your small business in 2013. Whether you’d like to better connect with your clients, expand to more employees or just revamp your office space, here are a few goals to get you started.

Organize Your Office

Begin 2013 with a fresh start by organizing your office. Clean off your desk, set up a filing system for all of your lose documents and enter those networking business cards into your data base. Purge your inbox and computer hard drive of emails and documents that are no longer needed. Make the process of organization easy and convenient so all of your hard work won’t be pointless in a week. By doing this you’ll feel in control and be better able to handle your work as the new year rolls on.

Improve Customer Service

No matter your business, clients need to be able to contact you. This year, improve your customer relationship management system. Consider your client base and what ways you can better stay in touch. A growing number of customers are preferring online help to telephone customer service. Whether using live chat software from LivePerson or social media, expand your customer service and give your clients more options to reach you. Read More...

3 Ways to Create a Marketing Plan on the Fly

Lyne Noella

by Lyne Noella, CEO, WavePlay

If you are a CEO managing your startup day to day, it’s time to stop putting out fires or jumping from one perceived opportunity to the next without results. To get organized and grow your business in 2013, create a strategic marketing plan to focus your team on gaining traction and attracting investors. Read More...

US Firms Watching & Waiting over Egypt Investments

Is Egypt open for business? Not really would be the answer if quick and easy access to online government information is anything to go by. Access to some government web portals is sometimes frustratingly slow and cumbersome, with information often out of date. The Mubarak era is over, yet you wouldn’t think so judging by some web pages which have yet to be updated to reflect the seismic changes which have taken place. Egypt, it’s time to get the online act together!

Thankfully, there are areas of Egyptian business which have kept well ahead of the online game. A quick check of the web pages offering business banking from HSBC, Barclays, Citibank and many of Egypt’s home-grown financial institutions proves this to be the case. It’s now easier than ever before to obtain the sorts of business banking services to help kick start any promising entrepreneurial venture.

Understandably, many foreign companies are adopting a wait-and-see position in terms of increasing their investment in the country because of the continuing uncertainty. However, it would be fair to say, none doubt the long-term investment potential of Egypt. Read More...

Developing a Customer Profile Helps with Selling

Karen Milde, CEO and Co-Founder, Reframe Marketing Inc.

To determine what the customer wants, needs and desires, most companies and business will develop a customer profile. It is also helpful when doing marketing analysis and advertising since you will have a list of targeted customers. There could be more than one customer profile as products are different and can be matched up with suitable customers. Below are some tips when developing a customer profile.

1. Collect a customer’s characteristics. They are the foundation of your customer profile. Consider the age, gender, marital status, household size, employment status, location, income, occupation, education level and country of birth of your potential customers. Read More...

The Hierarchy of Facebook vs. Google

by Ruby Claire of HierarchyStructure.com

Inspite of their similar origins, internet market giants Facebook and Google vary a lot in their purpose, beliefs and goals.

Google began in 1996 when Larry Page and Sergey Brin took their PHD project and started bringing it to life as a business. They brought into the market a new system of managing the webpage importance by a term called “PageRank”. This is determined by the number of pages that link to the website. Read More...

The High Price of a Bachelors Degree!

by Ruby Claire of EducationRequirements.org

To obtain a Bachelor’s degree from a top university is growing more expensive year after year. The reason seems to be the very simple: a Bachelor’s degree can improve the earning capabilities of an individual by a large degree — excuse the pun!

It is estimated that at least a million dollars more can be earned over a working lifetime (25-64) with a Bachelors degree compared to those who lack one. Read More...

Appsfire

So much has happened in the App Store. Tons of new apps, a new iTunes Store design on iOS6 and the Mac. We thought now would be a good time to get some perspective and look back at this very healthy and very busy app economy.

Before you dive into our insanely amazing and priceless infographic, here are some of the observations:

The App Store is a very healthy ecosystem with well over 1 million apps ever created and approved by Apple
There is a slowdown in year-on-year growth of new apps published. It does not mean that there is less activity, but rather that growth is decelerating. This is likely the sign of a maturing market.
Free is clearly prevailing over Paid. 74% of apps published in 2008 were Paid, in contrast to 34% this year. This can be explained by the growing popularity of in-app purchase as a way to efficiently monetize an app.
A red flag: Over 25% of the apps submitted and approved have been pulled out of the store.
A low number of apps (a little above 1000) reached the top ranks of the App Store in the US in 2012. This stresses how difficult discovery is if you’re not part of the elite group.
We estimate that a very large number of apps (over 600,000) never got substantial traction, which is a very bad news for the app economy.
Although games represent only a fraction of the total number of apps ( <17%) in the App Store, they comprise a majority of apps which appeared in the top 10.
Let’s note the presence of Google Maps as a new entrant in the top-quality ranked apps next to the already much beloved Angry Birds franchise.

Tenancy Agreement Myths Busted

by Ruby Claire of Agreements.org

A tenancy agreement is a contract which binds the landlord and tenant regarding the terms and conditions of rental space. It is a legal document which specifies the responsibilities of both the parties involved.

The tenancy agreement can also be oral. Most people are not aware of the legal requirements when they enter into a contract. The letting agents take advantage of this and hoodwink their clients, so that their business continues to grow. It is necessary to know what statements are true according to law and what statements are myths when you sign a tenancy agreement. Find out the six myths related to tenancy agreements in this infographic. Read More...

Peter Fenton and Jess Lee on becoming a CEO

Peter Fenton, Benchmark Capital, introduces rising star Jess Lee, 1st time CEO of Polyvore. Together they explore the defining characteristics of a successful CEO within the context of determining the potential of a 1st time CEO.

In this seminar, entrepreneurial leaders share lessons from real-world experiences across entrepreneurial settings. Speakers include entrepreneurs, leaders from global technology companies, venture capitalists, and best-selling authors. Half-hour talks are followed by a half hour of class interaction.

Bootstrap Marketing

Bootstrap Marketing is our partner and has a special startup package they can offer you. Contact Martyn Crew, the CEO, at [email protected] and be sure to mention the Founders Space Special.