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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

If you identify as an introvert and are interested in your own low-cost startup, you could be an ideal candidate for starting your own business.

Introverts are powerful in their own right. They are productive thinkers with strong opinions who can achieve great lengths. Despite what the media says -- often stereotyping them as "shy" or "socially awkward" -- introverts can make great business leaders and entrepreneurs. In fact, many successful business leaders are introverts, including Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Warren Buffett.
Related: 9 Business Ideas Under $1,000 You Can Run From Anywhere
At least one-third of all Americans are introverts, says Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking and the leading voice today on lost opportunities when undervaluing introverts.

"They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams," she says.

Here's a list of 12 low-cost business ideas under $1,000 to get you on your way.
Related: 10 Business Ideas to Make Easy Money and Change the World

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12 Low-Cost Business Ideas for Introverts

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. If you identify as an introvert and are interested in your own low-cost startup, you could be an ideal candidate for starting your own business. Introverts are powerful in their own right. They are productive thinkers with strong opinions who can achieve great lengths.

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eCommerce Platforms - places to sell online?

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eCommerce Platforms - places to sell online?

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Thinking of selling online but not sure where to begin? Interested in selling across multiple platforms and marketplaces but not sure where to go?

There are so many great places to sell online; it's not easy to know which one is right for you and your eCommerce needs. To help you out, we've put together a list of 32 marketplaces and platforms to help you decide!

The original online marketplace, eBay is a leader in C2C and B2C eCommerce sales. You can find anything from electronics and cars to handmade goods and used clothing. As a seller, you can ask shoppers to bid on an item or buy it upfront.

The biggest player in the U.S. online marketplace scene is Amazon, the bookseller turned retail powerhouse. The site offers millions of different products to a massive audience, and it's the go-to online store for your everyday needs as well as one of the best places to sell online.

Etsy is a bit like eBay, but is focused mostly handmade or vintage products. Perfect if you're selling anything arty and crafty.

Simple and easy to set up, Shopify lets you build your own eCommerce store from scratch. It has a beautiful admin interface, over a hundred mobile responsive themes and loads of amazing add-on apps for all your eCommerce needs.

If you're after a fully hosted site and are planning to grow big, Bigcommerce is the platform for you!

Volusion is a great all-in-one solution to building and running an eCommerce store. This platform is no stranger to eCommerce; with over 400,000 stores, over 450 employees and over $18 billion in merchant sales to date, they eCommerce.

WooCommerce is an open-source eCommerce platform. This means you will have a lot of flexibility and access to a lot of plugins, but will have to look after your own security and hosting.

A simple and affordable way to build your own website, online store or blog. Pick a theme, put your site together using a handy drag-and-drop creator, download the mobile app, and start blogging and selling.

If you're selling handmade goods, give Zibbet a go. It's the perfect place for artists, crafters and lovers of all things vintage or handmade. There are no transaction fees and Zibbet is free for up to 10 products, so if you've just started selling your work and want to see if eCommerce is really for you, you should try this platform.

Selz lets you focus on selling while it takes care of the rest. It's easy to set up and all payments are managed by the platform. There are no monthly fees, only transaction fees when you make a sale.

LemonStand is a platform designed to let you customize and optimize your eCommerce store's entire shopping experience. It's all about growth at LemonStand, so if you have a new idea and want to develop it, this service is the platform for you.

TicTail is a great platform for your first eCommerce store. Start your store for free, set up Facebook campaigns, manage social media channels and craft beautiful newsletters.

There aren't many websites as beautiful as Squarespace out there. Build your online store from scratch with access to millions of beautiful stock images. You can also design your logo with Squarespace's icon database. You'll have access to analytics, mobile apps and a developer platform.

Subscription boxes are an emerging eCommerce trend, so if you have a subscription box idea, CrateJoy is here to make it happen.

Commerce as a service and not just as a software; this platform will automatically scale as your business grows so you don't have to worry about server capabilities and extra costs.

Magento is owned by eBay, so you can trust they know eCommerce. Magento lets you take control of your own sales channel and scale your business with an emphasis on flexibility and functionality. They also have some incredible apps!

This Chinese company makes Amazon look tiny, racking up hundreds of billions of dollars in sales every year. Alibaba operates many online marketplaces, the largest being Alibaba and Taobao. These websites allow sellers to list not only goods, but services as well. The company is in the early stages of expanding into the U.S.

One newcomer to the online marketplace scene is Jet, a startup that launched in the spring of 2015. Jet is aiming at providing a low-cost marketplace using optimized shipping costs and a membership model similar to Costco. The service will carry branded products only, but for certain sellers it can be a great platform to reach consumers.

eBid operates in 23 countries around the world. The free listing service and cheap overall cost (which is based on the final price of an item) makes eBid a great place to list your products.

Another great alternative to the big marketplaces is Bonanza, a very shopper-friendly website where low fees are the norm. The site carries a wide variety of products, from fashion and jewelry to art and home furnishings, and offers sellers the ability to market their products via Google Shopping for a slightly higher fee.

If you're looking for a mobile-optimized marketplace, Depop is a great place to start. All you have to do is use the app to take a photo and share your link on whatever platforms you want. Depop handles the sale itself and takes a small cut, while you can use whatever social platforms you want to spread the word.

Folksy is a great platform for artistic and creative products, especially handmade items. It's a low-cost alternative for high-volume sellers and it has a great, growing user base. Unfortunately, you can only sell on Folksy if you're living in the U.K. (although products are shipped internationally).

Rakuten carries a huge range of products with a strong emphasis on electronics. Rakuten emphasizes shopping as a form of entertainment, as well as the concept of buying from other people and not from the internet. You can also collect Rakuten reward points.

If you're selling high-end fashion, Vide Dressing is a great site for your products, and the site makes things easy for low-volume sellers.

If you have furniture to sell online, Move Loot is the place to go. Submit your items via the website, and the company will pick it up and sell the items for you. It's a low-key, simple way to get rid of extra household items, and since the company lists the products for you, the process is as easy as it gets. Move Loot is only available in a few U.S. cities at the moment.

Flipkart is India's leading marketplace. If reaching rapidly developing markets is something that's in your business plan, you should definitely consider this platform.

eCRATER offers a somewhat unique take on the eCommerce marketplace. It's a company that both helps you build a free online store and curates an online marketplace of millions of products on Google Shopping.

Sears offers a marketplace for sellers to list their products and expose themselves to a very large audience. The program requires a monthly fee but can be a great option for volume sellers.

The place for any artist/designer/maker/hipster to start their creative business. It's a pay-per-month platform (with a free option if you're starting out). You'll get a lot of freedom in terms of designing your store, but unless you're featured on Big Cartel's main site, you might have trouble getting traffic. Big Cartel is for people with a large social media following or offline presence.

Not exactly an eCommerce platform, but you can still sell on Craigslist pretty easily because it's been around for ages and everyone knows it's a place to look. Just list an item, choose a price and upload photos. It's not the most efficient for bulk selling, but rather for one-off sales.

If you have a closet full of designer dresses, Style Lend is a great way to make some money. The service allows you to rent out your designer dresses for around 10% of the retail price. It's a great way for users to try out the latest styles without breaking the budget, and lenders can make some extra cash without too much work.

If you create high-end custom products like jewelry or woodworking, you should definitely check out CustomMade, an online marketplace with nearly 200,000 listings from artisans around the world.

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32 Places to Sell Online | Pixc eCommerce Blog

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Thinking of selling online but not sure where to begin? Interested in selling across multiple platforms and marketplaces but not sure where to go? There are so many great places to sell online; it's not easy to know which one is right for you and your eCommerce needs.

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Internet Marketing for Attorneys - Big Mouth Marketing

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Steve Jobs also asked 'why'. He challenged every single operation within his company. Everyone, from the engineers to the accounting staff, did things differently, because Jobs would ask them why they did things in a certain way.

And answering, "Well, that's what everybody else is going" simply wasn't good enough.

When I started my first business several years ago, the first thing I thought was "I need to get a website". Why did I think that? Why do I need a website?

I decided to get with the program and copy Steve Jobs to answer the fundamental questions about why I, a small business owner, actually need a website.

Why Do I Need a Website?

Reason #1 - Online brochure

Companies spend millions creating brochures and distributing them. By having a website you can skip that entirely. Your potential customers can find out about you and any of your products online. If you get most of your business through networking and personal connections, then they will want to check out your website.

Reason #2 - More customers

More than 2.4 billion people use the internet every day, and some 90% of those have purchased something, or contacted a company, online in the last 12 months. So by not having a website, you will be missing out on a big piece of the pie.

Reason #3 - Business value

Have you tried getting a business loan recently? It's not easy, but if you try and the bank manager asks to see your website, you better have a pretty good one. It doesn't just stop with the bank, the perceived value of your business will be lower in everyone's eyes - especially your customers.

Reason #4 - Influence

By having a website potentially thousands of people are going to see it. You are able to influence people's decisions and educate them.

Reason #5 - Time to show off

You know that great feeling you get when people recognize your work? Well, by having a website you can show off what you do and take pride in your work.

Reason #6 - Helps with business goals

That's right! When it comes to writing the content for your website you are going to revisit things about your business that you haven't in years. You will most likely reassess your business goals.

Reason #7 - Low barriers of entry

Ever wanted to start a business? Well, now you can do it with virtual space. In fact, by using some free website providers you don't have to pay a penny.

Reason #8 - 24 hours per day

Your website runs 24/7 without any supervision or need to lock it up. You can always be there for your customers.

Reason #9 - Communication with customers

By having a blog or even just a feed on your website, you can update customers on your newest offers, products, promotions, events, photos, or any other content.

Reason #10 - Marketing

The internet has opened up a whole new world of marketing that didn't exist before. Your website can attract new business by using a whole host of low cost marketing techniques.

Reason #11 - Customer support

You can greatly reduce the cost of customer support by have a ticketing system, or even just an FAQ on your website. I can think of about 5 companies off the top of my head that streamline your customer service straight from your website.

I know there are other ways to do this, but by having a website you can have your own email [email protected] It is more professional and easier to remember. I know you love your [email protected] , but it doesn't really resonate with customers.

Reason #13 - Press releases

I know that sounds a bit far out, but it is true. You can run really cheap press releases online about your business, but to do it you will require a website. In fact, I have had clients who were absolute nobodies get one million views on YouTube because of online press releases.

Reason #14 - Stick it to the man

The best answer to "Why do I need a website?" would be that you can stick it to the man. It is the easiest way to quit your job and earn a living.

Reason #15 - Any topic or hobby will do

Do you love sports? How about ballet, alternative dance, photography, holidays, Kit-Kats, cars, skateboards, science or animals? Well, then you have a business idea just waiting to happen. The internet has room for an unlimited number of niche blogs that can attract traffic and revenue. Just pick something you love and start writing about it.

Reason# 16 - Connect with fellow web masters

On a little side note, if you own a website you get to call yourself a 'web master'. Pretty cool! But reason #16 for 'why I need a website' is that you can easily make new business and personal connections with other website owners. This can lead to extra streams of income for you!

Reason #17 - Gives you a voice

Have you ever been in an argument with someone and said "Well, I have written an article about that on my website, and actually, that isn't the case." It feels great! For some reason people don't want to argue with you if you've written about something on your website. It also gives you a place where you can voice your opinion without judgment. If someone leaves you a comment you don't like you can just drag it over to the spam folder.

Reason #18 - Do business your own way

You don't need permission from your boss or company lawyer. Ash Ambridge drops the 'F-Bomb' all the time because she can, and no else is asking her to stop. Now she has a world class business with thousands of customers.

Reason #19 - Beat the big guys

Have you ever wanted to get into business, but don't know how to compete with all the big names out there? By creating an incredibly beautiful website with a solid strategy behind it you can smash the big guys to pieces. You have no chance of building bigger skyscrapers, but your website can break down the perceived wall between you and them.

Reason #20 - Instant credibility

Have you ever had difficulty making that sale? Or convincing someone that you are the real deal. By having a well structured website you can foster instant credibility with anyone. You can provide the ultimate proof that you are, in fact, the realest of all deals (couldn't resist that phrase).

Reason #21 - Helps you to find a new job

I bet you didn't see this one coming. I have been harping on about how a website can help your business, but it can help you personally too. Not only can a website host your resume or CV, but by owning and managing your website you have demonstrated tons of hard and soft skills. Having worked in HR once upon a time, I know it is valuable.

So... why do I need a website?

Can you think of a couple of reasons why you shouldn't? It wouldn't be a balanced argument if you don't.

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Why Do I Need a Website? Here are 21 Reasons -

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Steve Jobs also asked 'why'. He challenged every single operation within his company. Everyone, from the engineers to the accounting staff, did things differently, because Jobs would ask them why they did things in a certain way. And answering, "Well, that's what everybody else is going" simply wasn't good enough.

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If you made it here, you are probably looking for inspiration to create a pitch deck for your own startup.

Let me start by saying that this might not be the best approach to take when pitching investors:

"Each investor deck should be tailored to the company's strengths."

The story you tell about your idea, team and concept validation (yes, metrics!!) is what will ultimately determine if your deck is appealing or not. Still, getting some inspiration from previously successful startups is definitely a good place to start. Here we go.

Airbnb Pitch Deck

This is one of the most searched pitch deck references on the internet, probably because it's a company so familiar to us all. As you will see, this is a classic 10 Slide Investor Pitch Deck template, not too far from Dave McClure's Startup Viagra.

We've also taken the liberty of redesigning the original pitch deck using Slidebean's pitch deck templates, and wrote a full article about the process and a teardown of the original content. You can find that here:

Related read: Airbnb Pitch Deck: Teardown and Redesign

This is the slide layout:

1. Cover

2. Problem

3. Solution

4. Market Validation

5. Market Size

6. Product

7. Business Model <<< KILLER SLIDE!

8. Market Adoption

9. Competition

10. Competitive Advantages

11. Team

12. Press

13. Users Testimonials

14. Financial

The killer slide in this presentation is their business model slide because it lays out their revenue model in the simplest possible way. They make a 10% commission on each transaction, period.

Also, notice how simple the problem slide has been laid out on the presentation: 3 simple bullets are enough to portray the problem.

Even though we redesigned the original elevator pitch, the simplicity and the small amount of elements in each slide was inherent from the original deck. As we've mentioned before, less is more when talking about presentations.

Intercom Pitch Deck
Related read: Intercom Pitch Deck: a redesign by Slidebean
Intercom has become the backbone of many SaaS businesses around the world. With staggering growth, a profitable operation and a recent Series C round of over $50MM, Intercom is on a path to become the next unicorn in Silicon Valley.

But big things have small beginnings. They recently released the slides they used to raise their first, $600K convertible note, and we've taken the liberty or redesigning the slides for you.

This is the slide layout:

Buffer Pitch Deck

I'm a big fan of Buffer's transparency policy, so finding their pitch deck was a pleasant surprise. This deck was used for their first venture round, with little under 1,000 paying users and about $150,000 annual run rate.

Again, we took the original pitch deck and redesigned it on Slidebean:

Here's the slide layout:

1. Cover

2. Quotes from Market Leaders

3. Question for the audience

4. Product

5. Traction << KILLER SLIDE RIGHT HERE!

6. Milestones

7. Business Model

8. Social Media Landscape

9. The effect of Buffering

10. A Sharing Standard

11. Competitive Landscape

12. Team

13. Contact/Closure

Their traction slide is pure Startup Viagra! In a single slide, their pitch deck went from 'interesting concept' to 'company with traction.' They also rely heavily on quotes, which they gather from industry leaders or press publications about their company: credibility.

Our pitch deck at the 500 Startups demo day was the culmination of a 2 startup accelerator process, hours of rehearsal and dozens of adjustments thanks to the feedback from our mentors.

Pitching on a Demo Day event is very different from pitching to an investor on a one-on-one meeting. I've blogged about it before:
Related Read: A complete guide to creating a pitch deck presentation
Furthermore, if we advertise Slidebean as a pitch deck builder, our presentations need to ROCK, which does put a lot of pressure for any demo day or on stage pitches we need to do.

Here's the latest version of our deck:

Slide layout:

1. Cover

2. Question for the audience

3. Product slide (Dave McClure's ugly presentation)

4. Traction-1 << KILLER SLIDE RIGHT HERE!

5. Traction-2

6. Traction-3

7. Market

8. Problem-1

9. Problem-2

10. Problem-3

11. Product Demo

12. Product-1

13. Product-2

14. Product-3 (Pitch Deck Templates)

15. Product-4

16. Market

17. Business Model

18. Team

19. Summary << KILLER SLIDE REMINDER!

20. Contact/Closure

Notice the BIG difference in the number of slides. Remember this is a demo day pitch deck, so it is expected that somebody will be standing in front of the presentation.

Most slides have very little text and only one or two large images, so you can sweep over the presentation much faster. If you look at the video, you'll notice that each slide stays on the screen just a few seconds.

Tagged: pitch deck, pitch deck examples, airbnb pitch deck

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Pitch Deck Examples from successful startups

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We've collected pitch deck examples from companies like Airbnb, Uber, Facebook, Buffer, Snapchat and WeWork. Telling a success story about your idea, team and business model is what will ultimately determine if your deck is appealing or not and these decks have helped companies raise millions of dol

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Create fun and interactive presentations!

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Create fun and interactive presentations!

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You never get a second chance to make a first impression -- that's why your homepage is undoubtedly one of the most important web pages on your website.

For any given company, the homepage is its virtual front door. If a new visitor doesn't like what they see, their knee-jerk reaction is to hit the "back" button.

That's right -- unfortunately, a lot of people still judge a book by its cover.

What makes a website's homepage design brilliant instead of blah? Well, it takes more than looks alone -- it also has to work well. That's why the most brilliant homepages on this list don't just score high in beauty, but also in brains.

But before we dive into the examples, let's dissect some of the best practices of homepage design.

All of the homepage designs shown here utilize a combination of the following elements.

Not every page is perfect, but the best homepage designs get many of these right:

1. The design clearly answers "Who I am," "What I do," and/or "What can you (the visitor) do here."

If you're a well-known brand or company (i.e., Coca-Cola) you may be able to get away with not having to describe who you are and what you do; but the reality is, most businesses still need to answer these questions so that each visitor knows they are in the "right place."

Steven Krugg sums it up best in his best-selling book, Don't Make Me Think: If visitors can't identify what it is you do within seconds, they won't stick around long.

2. The design resonates with the target audience.

A homepage needs to be narrowly focused -- speaking to the right people in their language. The best homepages avoid "corporate gobbledygook," and eliminate the fluff.

3. The design communicates a compelling value proposition.

When a visitor arrives on your homepage, it needs to compel them to stick around. The homepage is the best place to nail your value proposition so that prospects choose to stay on your website and not navigate to your competitors'.

4. The design is optimized for multiple devices.

All the homepages listed here are highly usable, meaning they are easy to navigate and there aren't "flashy" objects that get in the way of browsing, such as flash banners, animations, pop-ups, or overly-complicated and unnecessary elements. Many are also mobile-optimized, which is an incredibly important must-have in today's mobile world.

5. The design includes calls-to-action (CTAs).

Every homepage listed here effectively uses primary and secondary calls-to-action to direct visitors to the next logical step. Examples include "Free Trial," "Schedule a Demo," "Buy Now," or "Learn More."

Remember, the goal of the homepage is to compel visitors to dig deeper into your website and move them further down the funnel. CTAs tell them what to do next so they don't get overwhelmed or lost. More importantly, CTAs turn your homepage into a sales or lead-generation engine, and not just brochure-wear.

6. The design is always changing.

The best homepages aren't always static. Some of them are constantly changing to reflect the needs, problems, and questions of their visitors. Some homepages also change from A/B testing or dynamic content.
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7. The design is effective.

A well-designed page is important to building trust, communicating value, and navigating visitors to the next step. As such, these homepages effectively use layout, CTA placement, whitespace, colors, fonts, and other supporting elements.

Now, get ready to learn about excellent homepage design through the following 16 real-life examples.
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21 of the Best Web Design Examples

Why It's Brilliant

It's easy to consume. There is much debate on whether short or long homepages work better. If you choose to do the latter, you need to make it easy to scroll and read -- and that's exactly what this site does. It almost acts like a story.

There's great use of contrast and positioning with the primary calls-to-action -- it's clear what the company wants you to convert on when you arrive.

The copy used in the calls-to-action "Get Started for Free" is very compelling.

FreshBooks uses customer testimonials on the homepage to tell real-world stories of why to use the product.

The sub-headline is also great: "Join over 10 million small business owners using FreshBooks." FreshBooks expertly employs social proof -- 10 million is a big number -- to compel its target audience to join their peers and try the tool.

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Why It's Brilliant

It includes the destination and date search form that most visitors come looking for, right up front, guiding visitors to the logical next step.

The search form is "smart," meaning it'll auto-fill the user's last search if they're logged in.

The primary call-to-action ("Search") contrasts with the background and stands out; but the secondary call-to-action for hosts is visible above the fold, too.

It offers suggestions for excursions and getaways Airbnb users can book on the same site as their lodgings to get visitors more excited about booking their trip on the site. It also shows which of these offerings are most popular among other users.

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Why It's Brilliant

Why It's Brilliant

Why It's Brilliant
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Why It's Brilliant
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Why It's Brilliant

It's simple and gets straight to the point. From the headline and sub-headline, it's clear exactly what Jill Konrath does (and how she can help your business).

It also gives easy access to Jill's thought leadership materials, which is important to establishing her credibility as a keynote speaker.

It's easy to subscribe to the newsletter and get in touch -- two of her primary calls-to-action.

The pop-up subscription CTA uses social proof to get you to join her thousands of other fans.

It includes news outlet logos and testimonials as social proof.

Why It's Brilliant

Over the years, Evernote has turned from a simple note-saving app into a suite of business products. This isn't always easy to convey on a homepage, but Evernote does a nice job packaging many potential messages into a few key benefits.

This homepage uses a combination of rich, muted colors in the video and its signature bright green and white highlights to make conversion paths stand out.

Following a simple headline ("Remember Everything"), the eye path then leads you to its call-to-action, "Sign Up For Free."

Evernote also offers a one-click signup process through Google to help visitors save even more time.

Why It's Brilliant

Why It's Brilliant

Why It's Brilliant

For a long time, Basecamp has had brilliant homepages, and here you can see why. It often features awesome headlines and clever cartoons.

The call-to-action is bold and above the fold.

In this example, the company chose a more blog-like homepage (or single page site approach), which provides much more information on the product.

The customer quote is a bold and emphatic testimonial speaking to the benefits and results of using the product.

Why It's Brilliant

Why It's Brilliant

Why It's Brilliant

The homepage is a great example of agility and constant change. Chipotle's current homepage is all about the forthcoming holiday, which it uses as a unique value proposition to get you to start clicking through your site. When I think Chipotle, I don't necessarily think about catering, but the site is a great reminder to consider different uses for the burritos you already know and love.

The food photography is detailed and beautiful, and it actually makes me hungry looking at it. Now that's an effective use of visuals.

Why It's Brilliant
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Why It's Brilliant

Unlike other online news publications that inundate homepages with as many headlines and images as possible, Digiday's first section showcases just one article. Its featured image (in this case, a scary one) is eye-catching, and the headline is just asking to be clicked now that the visitor has an idea of what they're going to read.

The top of the homepage, where websites normally showcase a ton of different sections and options to click through, only has one icon to click -- which leads you to a subscription page.

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Why It's Brilliant

Why It's Brilliant
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Why It's Brilliant

The film company's homepage is made up of only trailers for its new films. We know video content is format audiences want to see more of, and this is a great strategy to showcase A24's work in a highly engaging way.

At the top of the homepage, A24 immediately offers a myriad of ways to get in touch via social media and email -- something I appreciate as a visitor when so many other sites bury contact information at the bottom of the page.

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Why It's Brilliant
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Why It's Brilliant (If We Do Say So Ourselves)

The LEGO characters catch your attention (because they're cute), then they cleverly illustrate and reinforce the messaging in the headline and sub-headline.

It bears another eye-catching "Get Started" CTA -- with bonus microcopy detailing our free versions users can choose to upgrade in the future.

Throughout the homepage, our bright blue and orange color themes keep returning to draw your eye to links and CTAs.

Looking for more inspiration? Check out these incredible About Us pages.
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21 of the Best Website Homepage Design Examples

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You never get a second chance to make a first impression -- that's why your homepage is undoubtedly one of the most important web pages on your website. For any given company, the homepage is its virtual front door. If a new visitor doesn't like what they see, their knee-jerk reaction is to hit the "back" button.

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If you're considering a website redesign or are wondering how to generate more leads from your website, it's a good idea to start with your homepage.

Serving as your company's virtual front door, this page is generally responsible for drawing in a majority of your website's traffic. And despite its prominence, many businesses struggle to optimize it properly.

You see, your homepage needs to wear a lot of hats. Rather than treating it like a dedicated landing page built around one particular action, it should be designed to serve different audiences, from different origins. And in order to do so effectively, it needs to be built with purpose. In other words, you'll need to incorporate elements that attract traffic, educate visitors, and invite conversions.

So to improve the performance of your homepage, check out the following infographic detailing 12 critical elements every homepage must have.

12 Critical Elements Every Website Homepage Must Have

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What You Should Include in Your Website Homepage Design

1) Headline

Within three seconds, a website needs to tell visitors what the business has to offer. That's where your headline comes in. It may only be a few words, but it's one of the most important piece of copy on your website.

Many different types of people might visitor your website, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a few words that hit home for everyone. Instead, the folks at KISSmetrics recommend writing your headline to target the 20-35% of those people that are most likely to be happy with your product.

Keep the headline itself clear and simple. Dropbox's headline is a great example: "Securely share, sync, and collaborate." It's simple, yet powerful -- no need to decode jargon to figure out what Dropbox really does. Plus, the word "securely" touches on a pain point for people looking for file managers. Notice how they repeat that word again in the sub-headline to really drive the point home.

2) Sub-headline

Your sub-headline should supplement the headline by offering a brief description of what you do or what you offer. This can be done effectively by zeroing in on a common pain point that your product or service solves.

To optimize your headlines and text for mobile, use larger fonts to give visitors a better experience. Small fonts could force mobile visitors to pinch and zoom in order to read and interact with the content on your site. Our advice? Make your headlines and sub-headlines at least 22 px, and body copy at least 14 px.

Here's an example of a great sub-headline from Podio: "Try the customisable work management solution leaders trust and employees love working on." It hones in on a few common pain points for work management solutions by assuring visitors it's customisable, trustworthy, and enjoyable to work with.

3) Primary Calls-to-Action

The goal of your homepage is to compel visitors to dig deeper into your website and move them further down the funnel. Include two to three calls-to-action above the fold that direct people to different stages of the buying cycle -- and place them in spots that are easy to find.

These CTAs should be visually striking, ideally in a color that contrasts from the color scheme of your homepage, while still fitting in with the overall design. Keep the copy brief -- no more than five words -- and action-oriented, so it compels visitors to click whatever you're offering. Examples of CTA copy are "Sign up," "Make an appointment," or "Try it for free."

To optimize your CTAs for mobile users, make sure it's big enough to easily touch with a finger. If you're using a button, make it a minimum size of 44 px by 44 px so it's big enough for people to press with their finger. Consider adding whitespace around your CTA, too, so mobile visitors can easily tap it without accidentally clicking on something they didn't mean to.

Uber has a few great Primary CTAs on their homepage that are geared toward different personas: "Become a Driver" for potential drivers, and "Sign Up" for potential riders. Notice how starkly the bright blue CTAs contrast with the dark background.

4) Supporting Image

Most people are visual. Make sure to use an image (or even a short video) that clearly indicates what you offer. Use images that capture emotion and cause action, and avoid cheesy stock photos. ( Here's a list of 17 great places to find free stock photos online.)

To will do the trick.) Also, optimize your images for mobile users, use high-quality images that have a reduced file size. (HubSpot customers don't need to worry about this, as images uploaded to HubSpot's software are automatically compressed. Otherwise, t ools like TinyPNG add alt text to your images in case mobile devices block any images by default.

The 4 Rivers Smokehouse homepage is a great example of emotional imagery: It features a series of short, high definition, and mouthwatering videos that play on a loop behind a simple headline, sub-headline, and primary CTA:

5) Benefits

It's not only important to describe what you do, but also why what you do matters. Prospects want to know about the benefits of buying from you because that's what'll compel them to stick around.

Keep the copy lightweight and easy to read, and speak the language of your customers. Evernote does a great job of listing features on their homepage in a way that's compelling, visually pleasing, and easy to understand:

6) Social Proof

Social proof is a powerful indicator of trust. Your product or service could be the best in the world, and it's okay to lay that claim -- it's just that people may not believe you unless they hear it from other people, too. And that's exactly what social proof does.

Include just a few of your best (short) quotes on the homepage, and link to case studies if applicable. Adding a name and photo gives these testimonials more credibility. Codecademy nails this on their homepage, and you can click into any one story to read the whole case study:

7) Navigation

The design and content in your homepage navigation could mean the difference between a website conversion and a bounce. To decrease bounce rate, give your visitors a clear path into your site from the homepage. Make the navigation menu visible at the top of the page, and organize the links in a hierarchical structure.

No one knows your website better than those who helped design it, so be sure to conduct user tests to make sure it's simple and intuitive for visitors to find what they're looking for on your site. Include a search box if you can. ( Read this blog post for more helpful website navigation tips.)

Here's an example of clear, well structured navigation design from Geek Squad's homepage:

8) Content Offer

To generate even more leads from your homepage, feature a really great content offer, such as a whitepaper, ebook, or guide. Folks who may not be ready to buy might rather download an offer that gives them more information about a topic they're interested in. If you need inspiration, here are 23 different content types to pick from.

Below is an excerpt from IMPACT's homepage. Below the fold, they offer four free ebooks on their own growth hacking secrets:

9) Secondary Calls-to-Action

Include secondary CTAs on your homepage to offer additional conversion opportunities for prospects who aren't interested in your primary objective. Think of them like the contingency plan: They offer another path for visitors who are not yet ready for something as high-commitment as you're asking.

While your primary CTAs should be above the fold, place secondary CTAs below the fold to give visitors things to click on when they scroll down. For example, below the fold on Trustev 's homepage, you'll find three, clearly labeled calls-to-action that give folks who've scrolled that far more options to click on. These secondary CTAs target three different categories -- retailers, virtual goods, and financial -- that appeal to three different buyer personas.

10) Features

In addition to benefits, list some of your key features. This gives people more of an understanding of what's provided by your products and services. Again, keep the copy light and easy to ready. Dropbox for Business, for example, doesn't shy away from showing off a features matrix right on their homepage below the fold.

11) Resources

Again, most visitors to your website won't be ready to buy ... yet. For folks who are looking for more information, offer a link to a resource center where they can browse relevant information. Not only does this keep them on your webpage for longer, but it also helps you establish your credibility as a thought leader in your industry.

KnowledgeVision makes a resources link one of their secondary CTAs below the fold. Notice how each of these secondary CTAs cover multiple stages in the buying cycle: a demo for people close to buying, examples for people who are interested but want more information, and resources for folks closer to the top of the funnel.

12) Success Indicators

In addition to customer success stories, both awards and recognition can also help inspire a good first impression. Is your company a critically acclaimed restaurant? Were you voted best new app this year? Let your homepage visitors know of your accomplishments. Like social proof, it'll give your business more credibility to those who don't know you.

On Cleanify's homepage, for example, you'll find the names of famous publications that have written about them, like The New York Times and TechCrunch:

Don't Forget to Optimize For Mobile

Whether you're tweaking your homepage or redesigning it completely, be sure that it is fully optimized for mobile. Not only are mobile-friendly websites better for SEO thanks to Google's algorithm change in April 2015, but they also make for a much better user experience for the increasing number of people browsing the web on their mobile devices.

Making your homepage mobile-friendly includes optimizing your headlines, sub-headlines, and body text copy, your calls-to-action, your images, and more. Here are some mobile optimization tips to get you started.

Does your website's homepage have all or most of these elements? Are there any we missed? Share with us in the comments.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in January 2012 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

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12 Critical Elements Every Website Homepage Must Have [Infographic]

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If you're considering a website redesign or are wondering how to generate more leads from your website, it's a good idea to start with your homepage. Serving as your company's virtual front door, this page is generally responsible for drawing in a majority of your website's traffic.

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What is Crowdfunding and How Does Crowdfunding Work

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Crowdfunding...well almost. Seriously, you don't need to look anywhere else for your crowdfunding project. This unique crowdfunding project is very different from the hundreds of crowdfunding platforms worldwide. There are no registrations fees. You could raise money without taking a dime out of your pocket, but with certain limitations.

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Browse 6,136 Singapore angel investors. Explore their angel investments and backgrounds. See how you're connected.

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More Funding Options for Singapore Startups

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More Funding Options for Singapore Startups

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Ask any fledgling startups about their biggest struggle as a company and they will, without a doubt, give you a universal answer: the lack of sufficient capital to get their business rolling.

This is why capital infusion from private firms and the government could not be overstated enough as a valuable contribution in uplifting the entrepreneurial atmosphere for startups in Singapore.

Here's a list of various government-initiated fund schemes, venture capital and private equity firms that startups can use to help them have access to funds for their business ideas.

Government Grants and Schemes for Startups

1. ESVF (Early Stage Venture Fund)

ESVF This is a specialized program initiated by the National Research Foundation (NRF) that seeks to collaborate with venture capital firms and invest in startups. This scheme is focused on startups in the early Series A stage and beyond.

ACE or Action Community for Entrepreneurship Grant is an innovative scheme initiated by the government to boost entrepreneurship in Singapore.

While most of its programs are managed by the private sector, it will still remain funded by the government. One of the major highlights of this program is offering a grant worth up to S$50,000 or US$38,800 to entrepreneurs.

3. i.JAM (IDM Jump-start and Mentor)

An initiative of Media Development Authority, i.JAM is a grant scheme that offers government funds to promising startups via the government-selected private sector incubators. Funds are extended generally in two sections: first, funds of up to S$50,000 or US$38,000 are given.

Second, once the requirements are met, startups can get funds worth S$200,000, 50% of which will be matched by a third-party investor.

4. PIC (Productivity and Innovation Credit)

PIC is not a startup scheme per se, however, it can still provide amazing benefits for startups. They offer cash payout scheme and tax incentives to SMEs under the technology or productivity sector. Many startups are using this to pay off their employee's IT devices and equipment, as well as research & development costs.

Qualifying businesses can seek 400% tax deductions or allowances and on up to S$600,000 of their expenditure each year for YAs 2015-2018, or convert up to $100,000 of their expenditure for each year into a non-taxable cash payout.

5. WDA Subsidies (Workforce Development Authority Subsidies)

WDA Subsidies is not limited only to startups but still very beneficial to all types of businesses. WDA is a government agency in Singapore that sponsors up to 90% of the course tuition fees to employees who wish to upgrade their skills and knowledge at a selected learning institutions such as Hyper Island and Institute of Systems Science.

6. Enhanced BIF (Business Improvement Fund, formerly, TTF - Tourism Technology Fund)

For tourism-oriented startups, The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) combined its old Tourism Technology Fund (TTF) and Business Improvement Fund (BIF) into an enhanced BIF and Kickstart Fund to assist travel agents improve their productivity and integrate technological advancements in the tourism industry.

70% of the qualifying costs will be awarded by STB to Singapore-registered companies that develop tech products for tourism businesses.

7. (Fast-Tech) Fast-Track Environmental and Water Technologies Incubator Scheme

Fast-Tech scheme is aimed at accelerating growth of environmental and water companies by providing funding and mentoring from expert incubators.

Startups with sound technical ideas in innovating the water and environment technology can seek funding of up 85% of the qualifying costs per approved projects with a maximum of S$500,000/project. Length of the financial assistance will be provided for up to two years.

8. SEEDS (SPRING Startup Enterprise Development Scheme)

A co-founding scheme that will bridge third party investors, SPRING SEEDS will help bridge startups with investors with up to S$1 million (US$770,000) investments. The first round of funds provided by SPRING SEED is generally capped at S$300,000 (US$232,000).

9. TIS (Technology Incubation System)

Another scheme initiated by the National Research Foundation Singapore, TIS aims to match 85% of the investments from the venture capital partners with early-stage startups. The investment is capped at S$500,000 or US$385,000 for each company. Investors can opt to buy back stake from NRF in the startup in three years.

10. SSA (Sector Specific Accelerator Program)

A SPRING-initiated funding scheme, SSA focuses on niche sectors like clean tech and med tech. In 2014, the government announced that they are pouring S$70 million to med tech startups through this scheme.

11. TECS (Technology Enterprise Commercialisation Scheme)

TECS is funding initiative that funds R&D projects done by early-stage startups which target developing innovative technology that can be produced for the mass market.

It is divided into two grants which depend on how mature the technology is. Through this scheme, a startup may get up to S$750,000 or US$579,000.

12. CEF (ComCare Enterprise Fund)

CEF is managed by the Ministry of Social and Family Development which offers seed funding of up to 80% of the capital expenditures and operating costs within the first two years for social enterprises that train and employ disadvantaged Singapore citizens. Maximum funds given is S$300,000.

13. Fenox Venture Capital

With Silicon Valley as its main headquarters, Fenox Venture Capital expanded its presence in Singapore, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and the Middle East.

They actively invest in emerging technologies targeting health, big data, cloud, IT, payment systems, mobile and consumer Internet. Anis Uzzaman and Vitaliy Arbuzov are the founders behind Fenox VC.

14. Golden Gate Ventures

Golden Gate Ventures is a global venture capital firm targeting companies that create revolutionary internet products and services in Southeast Asia, particularly in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. The best way to get in touch with them is through referrals in events.

A multinational venture capital firm under its mother company, IDG Ventures, which boasts an impressive $3.7 billion investments and 220 companies under its management. They focus on media, telecommunication and technology startups in Southeast Asia.

Gree Ventures is a venture capital firm in Japan with streamlined investments in areas such as cloud services, adtech, ecommerce and marketing platforms. They invest in early stage startups (Series A and Pre-Series) mainly in Japan and Southeast Asia.

In May 2014, Gree Ventures was involved in the US$1.3 million funding for Yoyo Holdings, a Singaporean mobile rewards startup.

17. Fortune Venture Investment Group

With interests in technology-oriented industries in the US, Mainland China and Hong Kong, this venture capital and private equity firm has expanded their investments in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. Fortune Singapore was established in April 1999 to promote technopreneurship in Singapore.

In 2003, Upstream Ventures was established in Singapore focusing on early-stage companies targeting Asian and global markets in sectors like Internet, security and biometrics, IT software and solutions, semiconductors and interactive digital media (IDM).

Innov8 is a wholly-owned corporate venture capital subsidiary of Singtel Group, Singapore's biggest telecom company, which invests in early and late-stage startups in Asia Pacific, US and Europe.

20. Infocomm Investments

With more than S$200 million managed under its portfolio, Infocomm Investments provides venture capital funds to infocomm technology startups in Singapore.

They help them from early stage towards its growth and expansion. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), one of the government agencies in Singapore.

21. Digital Media Partners

Digital Media Partners is a venture capital firm that pours their investments in the emerging digital markets sector, particularly for early-stage and growth stage startups in Southeast Asia.

In August 2014, they led a US$1.5 million series A funding for WearYouWant, a Thai fashion e-store, to help penetrate Thai's busy fashion e-commerce market.

One of the world's leading venture capital firms, majority of Sequoia Capital's investments in Asia are focused on China and India-based startups at the growth-stage and beyond. Mr. Yinglan Tan is the venture partner from Singapore that manages investments for Sequoia Capital team in India.

A private equity firm headquartered in Singapore, Northstar has over US$2.2 billion equity capital aimed for growth startups in Indonesia and the rest of Southeast Asia.

Since 2003, they have invested in more than 25 companies under the financial services, oil and gas, insurance, agribusiness, retail and telecom industries.

24. 3V SourceOne Capital

A private equity firm with offices based in Singapore and the Silicon Valley, 3V SourceOne Capital targets growth to late-stage startups in Asia. They mostly collaborate with co-investors in Southeast Asia, China and US.

Venstar is an Asian private equity firm with combined 50 years of expertise in venture capital and private equity management, investment banking and business consultancy. With its main office headquartered in Singapore, Venstar have invested in more than 50 companies in Asia, with 30 of them having been divested through IPOs in Hong Kong or Singapore.

They mostly invest in growth sectors such as petrochemical, pharmaceuticals, offshore marine, environmental engineering, resources and energy, medical services and growth manufacturing.

26. Phillip Private Equity

Originally known as ECICS Management Pte Ltd, Phillip Private Equity, is one of the top Singapore-based private equity firms. They facilitate capital through equity and debt financing to accelerate growth for innovative companies.

This private equity firm has a diverse portfolio with direct investments in unlisted companies under the technology, sciences, manufacturing, electronics & semiconductor, marine services and alternative energy sectors.

Tembusu Partners invests in growth-stage companies that exhibit high-return potential for both their investors and investee partners. With its main headquarters in Singapore, they service markets within Asia, particularly China, India and Southeast Asia.

28. Adam Street Partners

Founded in 1972, Adam Street Partners is a private equity investment firm with investments in over 30 countries worldwide. Their humble beginning started with a single office in Chicago and has since then expanded to five other global locations, including Singapore. They managed a total asset of US$26 billion.

The Carlyl Asia team is actively involved in buyouts, privatizations, minority investments in Asia (generally excluding Japan). Their investments involve up to US$25 million in early-stage startups.

30. Grove International Partners

Grove International Partners uses the private equity approach when investing in real-estate related companies. While they don't directly invest in real estate, they acquire or develop investment platforms that invests in real estate and real estate-related assets.

They are very particular with their chosen investments, preferring to commit on a small number of platforms in selected markets globally.

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As an ICANN-accredited web hosting provider in Singapore, Vodien has partnered with premier organizations such as IDA, ACRA and SGNIC to create the SME (Small Medium Enterprise) Domain Name Reservation. With this scheme, any new startups can register a .sg or .com.sg domain names, and this is FREE for the first year.

The free domain registration is subsidized by Vodien and IDA so that new business or even existing business entities are one step ahead with their business goals. It's not a capital funding option but it is a great way for your startup to get your online presence up and running without paying anything for the first year.

Ready to have your own.sg or .com.sg domains? Make sure to CLICK on the link below to get started to get one today!

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30 Capital Funding Options for Startups in Singapore

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Ask any fledgling startups about their biggest struggle as a company and they will, without a doubt, give you a universal answer: the lack of sufficient capital to get their business rolling. This is why capital infusion from private firms and the government could not be overstated enough as a valuable contribution in uplifting the entrepreneurial atmosphere for startups in Singapore.

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In this document, you will learn about the different funding options available for start-up companies in Singapore. We will help you understand the key concepts of equity fundraising, angel investors, private financing, and venture capitalism.

It is a known fact that the rate of start-ups failing within the first few years of incorporation is quite high. One of the most common reasons for such failure is that the companies have limited funds as working capital to realise their business plans, run their business activities or expand sufficiently - which is why it is important for you as an entrepreneur to ensure the planning of a sound financial strategy for your company, even as you are drafting up your business plan pre-incorporation. Even recently, Forbes reported on data that showed strong consistency in failure rates across start-ups founded over the years from 1994 and 2001.

There are several ways of ensuring that your start-up does not suffer the same fate as many other spectacular blowouts in the corporate landscape of hopes and dreams, just because you have limited access to capital. The following are sources of funding options for Singapore start-ups that may propel the business to greater heights.

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Equity Fundraising

The landscape for the Singapore private equity funding scene is getting more robust these days, because the government actively encourages private investors to invest in the country's start-ups with numerous tax incentives, making Singapore one of the top most attractive markets for private equity and venture capital activities. If you opt to finance your business by selling equity in your start-up company, you sell partial ownership of your company (in the form of shares) for a cash investment.

Why would anyone give you money for your company that has no track record, no concrete guarantees of profitability, you may ask. Usually, this is because the investor is your family member, friend or simply someone who believes that your business has great potential. If your investor is in the latter category, this means that typically this investor would get a substantial financial return on their investment if your company subsequently succeeds as they (and you) think it would.

What such equity financing means to you as an entrepreneur is this: what you pay to your investors in the form of dividends on shares is typically comparably lower than interest rates you would pay to service a bank loan (called debt financing). Thus, depending on the situation, equity financing may sometimes be more expensive for you if your company turns out to be overwhelmingly successful- because if your company earns high profits, you will be paying out a total amount of dividends on these investments that are a greater value than the interest amounts you would pay on a fixed bank loan (that is independent of how much profit your business makes); however, if the company does not make profits then equity financing becomes less of a financial liability upon the company given that you are not obliged to pay your investors if there are no profits (versus having to still pay the bank back for the loan you took). In some ways, equity fundraising is preferable because the investors bear such investment risks if the company makes losses or fails i.e. the investors will then lose the money that they invested in that company.

Finally, private equity funding is an attractive source of start-up funding especially for companies that lack the burdensome collateral or credit-worthiness to leverage on, for taking large loans for purposes of working capital. However, it is crucial for you to understand that in order to have a good chance of securing equity capital in Singapore, you need to show your potential investors that you have a watertight and comprehensive business plan, clear exit strategies, reasonable and prudent financial projections, an experienced and go-getting management team, as well as strong growth potential.

Otherwise, you will have to seek other sources of funding like from venture capitalists, business angel investors, banks, investment companies/funds or financial institutions.

Angel Investors

Angel investors are private investors who typically not only invest capital but also contribute their business expertise/skills in early-stage businesses in exchange for a significant share in the company. They can be individuals, or be part of an angel network that engage in investing in businesses with high growth potential and in the industries that they are familiar with. That said, there are some business angels playing active roles in the business while others act as sleeping partners.

Angel investors are typically wealthy HNWIs or successful businessmen with an appetite for start-up companies with higher risk (but that are promising enough to yield higher returns), therefore your start-up should have a high growth potential, in order to win the favour of business angels. The quantum that individual business angels invest in can be sums of anywhere between S$25K to S$100K, while angel groups invest much larger sums in the range of S$250K to S$750K, and it has been shown that business angels in Singapore tend to invest in the business services, retail and hospitality sectors.

There are networks for you to refer to in seeking a business angel investor(s), for instance the Business Angel Network Southeast Asia (BANSEA), that match start-ups in the seed stage of enterprise formation with business angels. BANSEA invests in companies that offer exceptional opportunities for high returns on investment, which usually involves early-stage ventures with a high growth potential, either in a developing market (especially in emerging markets) or in an existing market with international expansion capabilities, and that is sustainable in the long-run.

Private funds

Private funds like banks, financial institutions, and investment companies are yet more options for entrepreneurs to consider when seeking financing for their businesses. These sources of funding are very rarely involved in an active role in managing the business (thus, giving you the autonomy of conducting your own affairs in the manner you deem best) as their main purpose is to receive an attractive return (usually in the form of high interest from 7-12%) on their investment. Thus, businesses that are already established, have a good credit track record, are already generating revenue in high amounts, and have a high growth potential would benefit from such sources, and not start-ups in early-stage growth. In Singapore, however, there are micro loan programmes instituted by the Singapore government under the auspices of Spring Singapore and IE Singapore that facilitate your taking of small business loans from participating financial institutions like UOB, OCBC, DBS, Standard Chartered banks.

Venture Capitalism

Venture capitalists are professional investors who have a more hands-on role in your business if they were to invest in your company, and they typically do so with the vested interests of their own clients' profitability. Venture capitalists offer not only funding but also advice on increasing your business profitability, and possibly in operational matters as well, especially if your business requires input from different areas of expertise in the team. However, take note that venture capitalists typically are involved in their investments for between 2 to 5 years and seek a higher rate of return from the companies they invest in, at the rate of above 25% ostensibly because they will have to account for a higher level of profits to their clients. Popular start-ups for venture capital funds are those in high growth potential sectors such as IT, biotechnology and nanotechnology with a competitive edge in the market and longevity of profiteering. Start-ups whose business involve scientific breakthroughs, Intellectual Property creation and other similar large-scale impact businesses are often favoured by these venture capitalists.

The venture capital industry in Singapore is relatively new and small compared to the US and Europe, nevertheless, there are actually more than 100 venture capital firms in Singapore ranging from independent limited partnership venture capital firms to corporate-backed venture capital firms. Additionally, it is also common for Singapore government bodies, large corporations and high net worth individuals to set up venture capital funds in Singapore due to the attractive tax incentives and other beneficial government policies.

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Funding Options for Singapore Startups | Rikvin

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In this document, you will learn about the different funding options available for start-up companies in Singapore. We will help you understand the key concepts of equity fundraising, angel investors, private financing, and venture capitalism. It is a known fact that the rate of start-ups failing within the first few years of incorporation is quite high.

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Business First Loan | OCBC Business Banking Singapore

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Suitable for start-ups as young as 6 months old, get access to a government-backed loan up to S$100,000, with a flexible repayment period of up to 4 years. Easy, 1 day approval and no financials needed. Find out more.

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SELFLY Camera: The smart, flying, phone case camera

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SELFLY Camera is raising funds for SELFLY Camera: The smart, flying, phone case camera on Kickstarter! An autonomous flying phone case camera which is only 9mm (3/8in) thin and easily fits in your pocket.

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6 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In her book Cash From the Crowd Reward , Sally Outlaw, founder and CEO of crowdfunding website peerbackers, reveals the secrets of funding your business with help from colleagues, peers, family, friends and even perfect strangers through a crowdfunding campaign. In this edited excerpt, the author offers details on some crowdfunding platforms that offer entrepreneurs the opportunity to generate funds for their new venture.
New crowdfunding platforms launch literally every day, so I'm only citing a few select ones that, in my experience, have the best track records, have been around long enough to build traction and a good reputation, and can be used to fund businesses. There are many reputable platforms, however, and a directory of crowdfunding platforms.

Indiegogo. Originally launched with a focus on film, Indiegogo pivoted to include funding for literally anything and is becoming known for financing personal and cause-related campaigns such as that for the bullied bus monitor, which raised over $700,000. It accepts all projects without review. As Indiegogo says on its website, "Our platform is available to anyone, anywhere, to raise money for anything." While its success fee at 4 percent is 1 percent lower than most websites (which charge 5 percent), it does charge one of the highest fees in the industry -- 9 percent -- if you don't meet your goal.

RocketHub. Initially launched with the arts in mind, it expanded to include science, education, business and social good projects. It gained traction in the sciences with its annual SciFund Challenge, an online effort to fund science projects. It also launched a partnership with A&E Networks through which some select projects will be chosen to receive extra support from the joint initiative.

Peerbackers. Consistently recognized as one of the top crowdfunding websites in the industry, peerbackers, which I co-founded and run, focuses on funding entrepreneurs and innovators. The platform has hosted thousands of creative, civic and entrepreneurial projects from around the world and recently expanded to include young entrepreneurs ages 13 to 17 through partnerships with student organizations. After seeing such a high industry failure rate for crowdfunding projects, peerbackers launched Crowdfunding Academy to offer education and support to those who want to crowdfund.
Debt
Kickstarter. The most well-known of the crowdfunding websites, Kickstarter focuses on creative endeavors including design, the arts (film, publishing, music), gaming and technology. While Kickstarter can't be used to fund businesses per se, it does accept products and has had some remarkably successful campaigns, including about 50 that have generated over a million dollars in funding. Kickstarter "curates" its projects, meaning it has a rigorous submission process, and if you aren't approved to post, it can be quite disappointing.

Indiegogo, RocketHub and peerbackers are open to project creators around the world. Kickstarter only accepts project creators from the U.S., U.K. and Canada.

SoMoLend. A peer-to-peer platform, it facilitates friends-and-family loans, accredited investor loans, and bank loans to business borrowers looking for funding. The website targets brick-and-mortar companies that already have customers and cash flow and can service debt. Typically it looks for a business that's at least a year old and has at least a year's worth of receipts. Unlike most business lenders, SoMoLend doesn't rely heavily on FICA scores. It considers numerous factors, both traditional and nontraditional (social reputation and behavior, Klout score and online presence), to determine a rating that predicts what interest rate you'll be asked to pay from those who back the loans. SoMoLend anticipates opening up the funding of its loans to the general public in early 2014, when the JOBS Act is fully implemented.

Endurance Lending Network. Endurance Lending Network is a web-based lending platform that connects small businesses looking for up to $500,000 of debt capital with nontraditional lending sources (accredited individuals, family offices, wealth management platforms, debt funds, etc.). It aggregates and filters the opportunities into investment pools using web-based on-boarding and a sophisticated credit algorithm that is much different and more effective for entrepreneurs than those that banks use.

Equity Investment
The backers at these websites are accredited investors and not yet "crowds" of everyday Americans, so these platforms might not fit the typical definition of crowdfunding. However, these websites do permit accredited investors to back projects at lower investment thresholds (e.g., $1,000, $5,000 per investor), so they employ the "pooling" and online elements of crowdfunding.

Grow Venture Community. One of the first global, community-based platforms dedicated to entrepreneurs and investors, Grow VC enables great ideas to get visibility with the right investing audience and early support. Grow VC is more than crowdfunding- it's an ecosystem where entrepreneurs can connect with experts, funders, team members, new customers and partners to realize their ideas.

MicroVentures. MicroVentures calls itself an "investment bank for startups." It conducts due diligence on startups and then, if approved, helps raise capital from angel investors via its SEC-approved online platform, giving angel investors the ability to invest small amounts of capital to crowdfund a startup.

Angel List. What is known as the Match.com for early-stage startups and investors has rolled out an equity crowdfunding service. It's not for every entrepreneur -- you must have already raised $100,000 in seed funding and be incorporated in Delaware -- but Angel List has a convenient system that taps into its strong investor pool. It also has the advantage of putting all backers into a single-purpose fund -- a benefit for any entrepreneur needing to seek future funding as venture capitalists wouldn't have to manage multiple individuals who previously invested.

CircleUp. A niche equity website with a focus on high-growth consumer product and retail companies, CircleUp has partnered with Procter & Gamble and General Mills to offer more value beyond the funding, giving entrepreneurs access to these brands. There is no fee for investments from friends and family. CircleUp charges a fee only if you raise capital with a listing on its website from new investors subscribing via its broker partner WR Hambrecht + Co.

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6 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. In her book Cash From the Crowd Reward , Sally Outlaw, founder and CEO of crowdfunding website peerbackers, reveals the secrets of funding your business with help from colleagues, peers, family, friends and even perfect strangers through a crowdfunding campaign.

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($$$) HOW TO CREATE NEW REVENUE SOURCES?

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($$$) HOW TO CREATE NEW REVENUE SOURCES?

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As a small business owner, you will always want to have more revenue streams than to depend the whole your company only on one, especially when we know that small businesses operate in the highly uncertain environment. But, how you can create new revenue sources for your small business?

As an entrepreneur, you will always need to work on discovering additional revenue sources for your small business, because these other revenue streams will bring more money to your company. And you know that without money your business will be in real trouble.

Let's look at six different additional revenue streams that you can use immediately, or you can quickly create and use in your company.

Revenue Stream #1: Create additional new products and services

You can always have extra products as an addition to the current that you already have, and offer to your customers. New products and services will create additional revenue sources that will generate extra income for your small business. Think what you can add as products and services to your current offer, but think about something that will be related to your current offer and will be valuable for your existing customers as an addition to your current business relations with them. In such a way, you will ensure that new products and services will quickly become something that will generate more revenue for your company.

When you develop new products and services, start with the value-added activities in the product development process.

Revenue Stream #2: Start selling online and globalize your company

You can quickly transform your small business from local to national and from national to global. Why not? You already have all required conditions for this transformational steps. Local success will tell you that you can quickly expand your business in other places similar to the basic one where you have started your company.

Selling at the national level will generate more revenue than selling locally, and selling at the global level will generate more revenue than selling nationally. With the availability of today's technology and the possibilities that enable you to create e-commerce website without spending a fortune quickly, you can instantly transform your business from local to national and from national to global. These are logical steps to generate new revenue sources for your small business.

Here is what you can do with Weebly's powerful eCommerce platform:

Revenue Stream #3: Offer training courses for your products and services as an additional revenue stream

If your company sell products and services that will require considerable time for achieving operational knowledge for the customers, you can quickly create training courses that you can offer to them as addition to the primary products and services that you already sell. Again, you can create two options for your customers providing them more expensive physical training and more affordable virtual training that will be shipped online through the membership site. In such a way, you can quickly add additional revenue streams for your company.

Revenue Stream #4: Start increasing your customer's base

Getting more customers will always increase your current revenue. In many cases, small businesses have already achieved the highest revenue limits from existing customers base, and this is the sign that they will need more customers if they want to continue with the growth. The best possible solution is to focus all your efforts on getting new customers that will increase your current customers base. Improve your ongoing marketing efforts to reach much more potential customers for your products and services, and you will create new revenue streams for your company.

Revenue Stream #5: Ask your customers what would they like

If you want fresh ideas that will enable you to create new revenue streams for your small business quickly, you can use your current customer's feedback to tell you what they would like and want from your company in the future. When you know what they want from you, you can simply build it and ship it to them. If you create and ship what they want, you will increase the revenue for your company.

Asking your customers and listening to them about what they want and what they need will help you to increase the probability of success for your newly created revenue streams.

Revenue Stream #6: Build passive income through blogging and receiving payments from affiliates network or advertising

Another possible and easy to use additional revenue source for your company can be your business or personal blog where you can sell advertising or promote different affiliate products. But, if you chose to use this tactic on your business website or blog, be sure that you will promote only products and services that your customers will like, will be interested for them and will add value to your current offer.

There are many possibilities to create additional revenue streams for your small business. This six that I present here is only the fraction of what everything you can do for this purpose. If you are a creative entrepreneur, you will not have a problem to succeed in creating new revenue streams for your company. Just do it, try different things, and test different things, you will not lose anything.

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How You Can Create New Revenue Streams for Your Small Business

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As a small business owner, you will always want to have more revenue streams than to depend the whole your company only on one, especially when we know that small businesses operate in the highly uncertain environment. But, how you can create new revenue sources for your small business?

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EXAMPLES OF STARTUP AND RUNNING COSTS

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A business budget helps entrepreneurs determine how much money they need to start and operate from the day they decide they want a business, to the day the business begins to generate a profit. A budget also helps determine how many sales a business needs to make before it breaks even and begins operating at a profit. Aspiring entrepreneurs, no matter the industry or size of the business, create business budgets based on start-up and operating, or running, costs.

Rent and Facilities

Renting, leasing or purchasing a space to conduct your business is an ongoing expense that you pay monthly, quarterly or annually, depending on the arrangements you make. Businesses who operate inside of strip malls, office buildings and even local shops on main streets in their towns, incur this expense. If you're operating your business solely online, consider the cost of your virtual real estate by factoring how much you spend for monthly website hosting, support services and yearly domain fees.

Utilities

Water, electricity and heat are running utility costs that business owners incur regardless of how many sales they bring into the business for the month or quarter. These are necessary expenses that affect whether the business is operable and ready to serve customers on a day-to-day basis. Even as a home-based business owner, these expenses exist as operating costs.

Salaries

Whether full-time or part-time, the individuals who work as employees or contractors for your business are paid a salary or hourly rate for the work they do. These salaries are a part of the operating costs your business has to pay for, depending on the pay schedule you have in place for your business.

Equipment Maintenance

Equipment you use to perform services and create products for your customers may show signs of normal wear and tear as time goes on, and your business develops. Equipment maintenance fees may cover periodic updates to your equipment, or may include any money paid toward insurance or warranty coverage.

Supplies and Equipment

Supplies and equipment are necessary expenses for both small and large businesses in any industry. While the cost of supplies and equipment vary, the fact remains that this start-up cost has a great impact on the quality of the services and products you offer your customers. Faulty equipment and a lack of supplies can damage your brand's reputation with its existing and potential customers.

Legal Compliance

There are some start-up costs a small business cannot avoid before it begins offering services. Registering your business as a legal entity with the taxing authority in your area is a one-time fee that's a part of your business start-up costs. Additional licenses, such as health or professional permits may also be annual expenses and attorney and accountant services may be needed to set up business structure and business books.

Marketing and Promotion

While businesses incur monthly marketing and promotion expenses, there are some that are considered start-up costs, rather than operating costs. Paying a graphic designer to create a website and business card template are start-up costs, as there's a one-time fee in exchange for a product or service. Signs you order for your store, venue or business vehicle also count as start-up costs, as are pre-opening ads and grand opening offers to attract clientele to the new business.

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A business budget helps entrepreneurs determine how much money they need to start and operate from the day they decide they want a business, to the day the business begins to generate a profit. A budget also helps determine how many sales a business needs to make before it breaks even and begins operating at a profit.

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CALCULATING YOUR COSTS WHEN STARTING A BUSINESS

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calculating start-up costs; estimating start-up costs; business costs; business establishment costs; calculating your costs when starting a business; business expenses

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Calculating your costs when starting a business | Business Queensland

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Learn how to calculate start-up costs for your new business and use our interactive calculator to estimate your costs.

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BUSINESS STARTUP COSTS

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There's more to a business than furnishings and office space. Especially in the early stages, startup costs require careful planning and meticulous accounting. Many new businesses neglect this process, relying instead on a flood of customers to keep the operation afloat, usually with abysmal results. In this article, we'll look at how to estimate your startup costs and plan ahead to position yourself for success.

Essential to the startup effort is the creation of a business plan-a detailed map of the new business to be created. A business plan forces consideration of the different startup costs for the business. Underestimating expenses will falsely increase expected net profit, a situation that does not bode well for any small business owner. (See also: The 4 Most Common Reasons a Small Business Fails.)

Startup costs are the expenses incurred during the process of creating a new business. All businesses are different, so they require different types of startup costs. Online businesses have different needs than brick-and-mortars; coffee shops have different requirements than bookstores do. However, there are a few expenses that are common to all business types:

Advertising and promotion

Borrowing costs

Employee expenses

Equipment and supplies

Insurance, license and permit fees

Research expenses

Technological expenses

We'll look at each of these in turn.

Advertising and Promotion

A new company or startup business will never succeed without promoting itself. However, promoting a business is much more than placing ads in a local newspaper or magazine. It also includes ma rketi ng-everything a company does in order to attract clients to the business. Again, external companies are often used in this process because marketing has become such a science, any advantage is beneficial. (To learn more, read:Tips For Boosting Your Business.)

Borrowing Costs

Starting up any kind of business requires an infusion of capital. There are two ways to acquire capital for a business: equity financing and debt financing. Usually, equity financing entails the issuance of stocks, but this does not apply to most small businesses, which are proprietorships. For small business owners, the most likely source of financing is debt that comes in the form of a small business loan. Business owners can often get loans from banks, savings institutions and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Like any other loan, business loans are accompanied by interest payments. These payments must be planned for when starting a business, as the cost of defaulting is very high.

Employee Expenses

Businesses planning to hire employees must plan for wages, salaries and benefits, also known as cost of labor. Failure to compensate employees adequately can end in low morale, mutiny and bad publicity, all of which can be disastrous to a company.

Equipment and Supplies

Every business requires some form of equipment and basic supplies. Before adding equipment expenses to the list of startup costs, a decision has to be made to lease or buy. The state of your finances will play a major part in this decision. If you have enough money to buy equipment, unavoidable expenses may make leasing (with the intention to buy at a later date) a viable option. However, it is important to remember that, regardless of the cash position, a lease may not always be best, depending on the type of equipment and terms of the lease.

Insurance, License and Permit Fees

Many businesses are expected to submit to health inspections and authorizations and obtain certain business licenses and permits. Some businesses might require basic licenses while others need industry-specific permits. Carrying insurance to cover your employees, customers, business assets and yourself can help protect your personal assets from any liabilities that may arise. (For more, see: Don't Get Sued: 5 Tips to Protect Your Small Business.)

Research Expenses

Careful research of the industry and consumer makeup must be conducted before starting a business. Some business owners choose to hire market research firms to aid them in the assessment process. For business owners who choose to follow this route, the expense of hiring these experts must be included in the business plan.

Technological Expenses

Technological expenses include the cost of a website, information systems and software (including accounting and payroll software) for a business. Some small business owners choose to outsource these functions to other companies to save on payroll and benefits. (For related reading, see: The Best Online Accounting Systems for Small Business.)

Additional Considerations on Startup Costs

It is always a good idea to have some extra money set aside for any overlooked or unexpected expenses. Most big companies fail because they lack the cash to deal with unexpected problems during the business season. (For more, check out: How to Keep Your Small Business Afloat During Hard Times.)

It is important to note that the startup costs for a sole proprietorship will differ from the startup costs for a partnership or corporation. Some additional costs that will be incurred by a partnership include the legal cost of drafting a partnership agreement and state registration fees. Other costs that will be incurred by a corporation include fees for filing articles of incorporation, bylaws and terms of original stock certificates.

Launching a new business can be an invigorating experience. However, getting caught up in the excitement and neglecting the details can often lead to failure. Above anything else, observe and consult with others who have traveled this road before-you never know where the best business advice will come from.

(For further reading about starting your own business, see: Starting Your Own Small Business.)

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Business Startup Costs: It's in the Details

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There's more to a business than furnishings and office space. Especially in the early stages, startup costs require careful planning and meticulous accounting. Many new businesses neglect this process, relying instead on a flood of customers to keep the operation afloat, usually with abysmal results.

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How to be an entrepreneur

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Are entrepreneurs born, or made?

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This video is from https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/starting-a-business-1 'Starting a Business 1: Vision and Opportunity' is a free online course by the University of Leeds available on FutureLearn.com In this video, Professor Nigel Lockett considers entrepreneurial thinking, or the age-old debate - are entrepreneurs born, or made? At FutureLearn, we want to inspire learning for life.

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Introduction to Marketing

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Guerilla Marketing Ideas

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Steve Jobs | Apple Motivation & Inspiration

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Eight Innovative Marketing and brand ideas Cool marketing tips Also watch Experience Marketing https://youtu.be/f4iQ3TCbqTk Keywords: Proven marketing concepts Branding strategy marketing tips for small businesses Marketing strtaegies marketing management marketing strategies in India Consumer marketing tips and strategies marketing lecture advertising and marketing tips how to gain publicity great brand positioning strategies examples of great marketing

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Starbucks Marketing Mix Analysis

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52 Types of Marketing Strategies

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As a student of sleight-of-hand magic, I value the number 52. Here we bring you 52 types of marketing strategies and tactics you can use to bring new customers to your business and grow your brand.

In order for businesses to win market share and stay relevant they need to consider many types of marketing strategies. Each marketing strategy can communicate to a target market the benefits and features of a product.

Marketing strategies can also communicate an overall value to their customers. In many cases, this is the core of building equity or good will in your target markets. Apple, for example, has invested in creating commercials for television, billboards, and magazines that showcase their products in such a way that their customers feel an affinity towards Apple's products.

52 Types of Marketing Strategies In Use Today:

Cause Marketing

Finding a causes both your customers and your company cares about can create magic for your business. This requires internal knowledge about what your organisation cares about and who they want to help in the world. A good example of this is Toms Shoes. Instead of doing the traditional "buy one get one free" promotion, Toms built a strong customer following and reputation for giving back by giving away a free pair of shoes to someone in need for every shoe purchase made by their customers.

Close Range Marketing (CRM)

Use Wifi or bluetooth to send promotional messages of their products and services to their customers' smartphones and tablets at close proximity. Close Range Marketing is also known as Proximity Marketing.

Relationship Marketing

Many companies focus on building relationships with their customers instead of always exclusive trying to sell them something (transactional marketing). Customers who love your brand more will also spend more money with your brand. Many traditional retailers have found this to be true. Walgreens has seen that customers who buy from all of their purchasing channels (store, web, mobile, etc) buy up to six times more than the average customer that only buys in their store.

Transactional Marketing

Driving sales can be challenging, especially for retailers that have to consistently sell products in high volume to consumers. In order to stay with the demands of investors, retailers have to encourage consumers to buy using coupons, discounts, liquidations, and sales events. High volume big-box retailers like Target are constantly running promotional events in order to get interested consumers into their stores.

Scarcity Marketing

In some markets it's important to control how much product is available at one time. In many cases this is done because of the difficulty of acquiring raw materials or higher quality of the product. A company may choose to make their products accessible to only a few customers. Rolls-Royce's release of their Chinese edition car called Phantom sold quickly. While the cost of the car was higher than most cars the scarcity drove the desire and the price.

Word of Mouth Marketing

Word-of-mouth Marketing is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Customers are very excited to share with the world the brands they love. Many consumers find meaning in sharing stories of their favorite products and services. Word of Mouth is one of the ancient ways people learned about what to purchase. Modern marketers have learned how to create authentic word of mouth for their companies and the products they represent.

Call to Action (CTA) Marketing

CTA Marketing refers to methods of converting web traffic into leads or sales on websites using text, graphics, or other elements of web design. Conversion strategies help improve the percentage of online visitors who become customers or who join the mailing list.

Viral Marketing

Cult Brand marketers are constantly creating new business ideas that keep their products in the heart and minds of the global consumer. Each time a new product is created, customers have to be given a reason to dream about their future purchase. Sometimes marketers of Cult Brands hit on something so great that people can't help but share with others. Getting your customers talking about your products and services is very important to growing awareness for your business.

Diversity Marketing

Develop a customized marketing plan by analyzing different customer segments based on cultural differences including tastes, expectations, beliefs, world views, and specific needs.

Undercover Marketing

Sometimes not telling everyone everything can become a great source of buzz. Think of a movie trailer that got you very excited to go see the movie. While not showing all the aspects of the movie, the advertiser can create enough intrigue to drive viewers to want to see more.

Mass Marketing

Major corporations need to drive large numbers of purchasing of their products in order to survive and grow. While mass marketing may seem like a shotgun approach to marketing this is far from the truth. Big businesses spend big money in understanding big data-thats a lot of bigs!) This gives them an insight to where to place media for their potential national customers who buy their products and services. Walmart is an example of an effective mass market retailer. As the number one retailer in the world, they are very smart about their mass marketing efforts, often giving their customers a feeling of locality and warmth.

Seasonal Marketing

Seasonal events offers a great way to meet new consumers. Sometimes these events can be actual changes of weather or national holidays. For a retailer like Hallmark, Valentine's Day represents a large portion of their business. By tuning into the various seasons that are important to your customers you can become more relevant in their lives.

PR Marketing

One of the most important marketing strategies is public relations. Many effective marketers work with the media to bring awareness to their products and the benefits their products offer. Also, in many cases where things go wrong, a good PR marketing strategy is vital. When Apple's founder Steve Jobs was alive, Apple held a major press conference to announce every new product. This tradition is now continued by their new Apple CEO and CMO.

Online Marketing

As commerce has propagated to the Internet, a new form of marketing has emerged. From online banners to those annoying pop ups, online marketers have attempted to get their customers attention any way they can. Most online strategic marketing efforts today are a mix of growth hacking strategies ( A/B testing taken to the max) and a variety of awareness tactics that drive attention. A very effective online marketer is the insurance company Geico who simply asks their users to enter their zip code for an instant quote on a better savings.

Email Marketing

As soon as customers migrated into the online world, Internet marketers have attempted to collect and organize emails for potential prospects. Many business-to-business marketers depend on email marketing as a primary way to connect with customers. At industry tradeshows, IBM consultants can often be seen exchanging email information with their prospects.

Evangelism Marketing

Develop raving fan customers (what we call Brand Lovers) who become advocates of your brand or product, and who represent the brand as if it was part of their own identity.

Event Marketing

Creating events is a great way to drive sales. Customers often need a reason to shop and events can often offer the perfect reason. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has become part of American culture by connecting two events together that consumers love: Thanksgiving and shopping.

Offline Marketing

With mass adoption of the Internet, many companies are finding new ways of integrating offline marketing with new technologies to create more engaging customer experiences. The Coca-Cola company has create vending machines that invite customers to hug them. This continues to tie the Coca-Cola brand to the core emotion of happiness, but also invite customers to experience the real product offline.

Outbound Marketing

Sometimes it's important for companies to let their potential customers know they exist. By developing a list of prospects a company can begin to reach out to their individual target groups in order to find new customers. When Microsoft was selling their accounting software they often used outbound marketing to identify potential targets before trying to call the companies for an in-person meeting.

Direct Marketing

Communicate directly with customers and prospects through mail, email, texts, fliers and other promotional material.

Inbound Marketing

Companies often have customers calling them for various reasons. This can present a great opportunity to sell customers additional products and services they currently don't have. When business customers call to check their balances, the business bank Chase often takes the opportunity to ask if they are interest in a credit line, a 401 k plan, or a variety of other services the bank offers.

Freebie Marketing

Promote free give aways or sell your products and services sold at low rates to boost the sales of other related products or services.

Newsletter Marketing

A fun way to promote a business is to write a newsletter that highlights some of the newsworthy things that have happened for the organization. The Motley Fool have been sharing their investment insights with their community for many years. These newsletters create a sense of inclusion and participation with their members and has provided a key driver for their incredible growth.

Article Marketing

In industries where expertise is highly valued, articles can offer a powerful tool to showcase your knowledge and expertise. Some innovations are shared in the form of articles or white papers where technical information needs to be convey to specialized buyers. Amazon.com has dedicated part of their site for white papers on technical know-how on cloud computing. This is a very sophisticated form of marketing for specialized buyers.

Content Marketing

Write and publish content to educate potential customers about your products and services. For the appropriate businesses, this can be an effective means of influencing them without using direct selling methods.

Tradeshow Marketing

Many products have to be experienced to be bought. There are very few customers that will buy a new automobile without doing a great deal of research and test-driving the car first. Tradeshows are industry gatherings where customers are invited to come sample all that the industry has to offer. To introduce their new lines of products, Ford Motor Company spends a great deal of time setting up and operating their booth at the international consumer auto shows each year. These auto trade shows give reporters and consumers a chance to experience cars first hand.

Search Marketing

These days, when consumers have questions they often don't ask their friends; they go straight for Google. In fact, Google is so good at answering our questions that millions of people daily search for their answers on this leading Internet search site. One does not have to look far to see the power of search marketing. Google has shaped the industry for many years now and has helped hundred of retailers grow their businesses. While many businesses used to advertise in their local yellow pages, as less and less consumer consult their local physical directory, this channel becomes increasingly less effective each year.

Direct Marketing

Advertise and promote your products and services to customers using a range of digital devices including computers, smartphones, and tablets. Internet Marketing is an essential practice in Digital Marketing. Once a target market has been clearly identified, it is possible to work in conjunction with the USPS or a professional mail carrier that knows where your customers live. Direct marketing can be an effective way to reach consumers right where they live at home. While there is often a negative side to this approach (consumers don't want to be bothered with a flurry of mail), many smart companies execute direct marketing well. Catalog retailer L.L. Bean, for example, created direct marketing programs that their customers looks forward to receiving.

Niche Marketing

Finding a niche and filling it could be described as the secret recipe for growth in over-crowded marketplaces. Take the shoe business, for example. There is a great demand for shoes in the world and so many top companies have evolved to satisfy most of the immediate shoe needs in the marketplace. The shoe space might seem crowded, but shoe manufacturing company Vans noticed an underserved customer: the skater. By focusing on this niche market Vans has developed a thriving business.

Drip Marketing

Drip marketing is a communication strategy that sends, or "drips," a pre-written set of messages to customers or prospects over time. These messages often take the form of email marketing, although other media outlets can also be used as well.

Community Marketing

Engage an audience of existing customers in an active dialogue, speaking to the needs and wants of this particular customer group. Instead of focusing on generating the next transaction, community marketing promotes greater loyalty and higher levels of engagement within an existing brand community. Learn how to build brand communities here. Community marketing can also lead to word of mouth marketing.

Social Media Marketing

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter offer a unique opportunity for savvy businesses willing to invest in customer engagement. Social media marketing is still in its infancy but is growing up rather quickly. Companies like Southwest Airlines have departments of over 30 people whose primary responsibility is to actively engage with customers on social media.

Cross-Media Marketing

Provide customers information through multiple channels like email, physical mail, websites, and print and online advertisements to cross promote your products and services.

B2B Marketing

Business-to-business marketing is a marketing practice of individuals or organizations (including commercial businesses, governments, and other institutions). It allows businesses to sell products or services to other companies or organizations that in turn resell the same products or services, use them to augment their own products or services, or use them to support their internal operations. International Business Machines is a well known B2B marketer. IBM's business has grown because taking a very intelligent approach at marketing their products to other business and governments around the world.

Promotional Marketing

Promotional marketing is a business marketing strategy designed to stimulate a customer to take action towards a buying decision. Promotional marketing is a technique that includes various incentives to buy, such as:

Contests: We all enjoy winning something for free. Contests offer an attractive marketing vehicle for small business to acquire new clients and create awareness.

Coupons: According to CMS, a leading coupon processing agent, marketers issued 302 billion coupons in 2007, a 6% increase over the previous year. Over 76% of the population use coupons, according to the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) Coupon Council. Coupons still work and provide an affordable marketing strategy for small business.

Sampling: Try before you buy. Giving away product might appear profit-limiting, but consider how giving your customers a small taste can lead to a big purchase. Retail genius Publix supermarkets share samples of their award-winning key lime pie not because people question the goodness of the pie but to get their customers to buy more.

Ambush Marketing

Advertiser use this marketing strategy to associate with specific events and brands without paying sponsorship fees. This allows the business to capitalize on these events or leverage the brand equity of the other business, which has the potential effect of loweringthe value of the original event.

B2C Marketing

The ultimate goal of B2C marketing (business-to-consumer marketing) is to convert shoppers into buyers as aggressively and consistently as possible. B2C marketers employ merchandising activities like coupons, displays, store fronts (both real and online) and special offers to entice the target market to buy. B2C marketing campaigns are focused on a transaction, are shorter in duration, and need to capture the customer's interest immediately. These campaigns often offer special deals, discounts, or vouchers that can be used both online and in the store.

Cloud Marketing

In this new form of marketing, all marketing resources and assets are brought online so customers (or affiliates) can develop, modify, use, and share them. Consider how Amazon.com gets customers to buy digital books, movies, and televisions shows in a digital library that is accessible in the customer's online account or on their digital device like their Kindle Fire.

Mobile Marketing

Marketing on or with a mobile device, such as a smart phone. Mobile marketing can provide customers with time and location sensitive, personalized information that promotes goods, services, and ideas. Here is a recent example of mobile marketing in action.

Alliance Marketing

A joint venture is formed between two or more businesses to pool resources in an effort to promote and sell products and services.

Reverse Marketing

In reverse marketing, the idea is to get the customer to seek out the business rather than marketers seeking the customer. Usually, this is done through traditional means of advertising, such as television advertisements, print magazine advertisements, and online media. While traditional marketing mainly deals with the seller finding the right set of customers and targeting them, reverse marketing focuses on the customer approaching potential sellers who may be able to offer the desired product.

In 2004, Dove launched the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty focusing on the natural beauty of women rather than advertising their product. This campaign caused their sales to soar above $1 Billion and caused Dove to re-create their brand around this strategy. Although successful, this campaign caused a lot of controversy and discussion due to what people saw as an advertisement with a contradictory message.

Telemarketing

I know what you are thinking, you hate telemarketers. You are not alone in your feelings. However, telemarketing can play an important part of selling your products to consumers and it must not be overlooked as many companies rely on it to connect with customers. Telemarketing (sometimes known as inside sales, or telesales in the UK and Ireland) is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits prospective customers to buy products or services, either over the phone or through a subsequent face to face or Web conferencing appointment scheduled during the call. Telemarketing can also include recorded sales pitches programmed to be played over the phone via automatic dialing. Telemarketing has come under fire in recent years, being viewed as an annoyance by many.

Free Sample Marketing

Unlike Freebie Marketing, this is not dependent on complementary marketing, but rather consists of giving away a free sample of the product to influence the consumer to make the purchase.

Direct Mail Marketing

A channel-agnostic form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits organizations to communicate directly with the customer, with advertising techniques that can include text messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional letters, and outdoor advertising. Direct marketing messages emphasize a focus on the customer, data, and accountability. Characteristics that distinguish direct marketing are:

Marketing messages are addressed directly to the customer(s). Direct marketing relies on being able to address the members of a target market. Addressability comes in a variety of forms including email addresses, mobile phone numbers, Web browser cookies, fax numbers, and postal addresses.

Direct marketing seeks to drive a specific "call to action." For example, an advertisement may ask the prospect to call a free phone number or click on a link to a website.

Direct marketing emphasizes trackable, measurable responses from customers regardless of medium.

Direct marketing is practiced by businesses of all sizes-from the smallest start-up to the leaders in the Fortune 500. A well-executed direct advertising campaign can prove a positive return on investment by showing how many potential customers responded to a clear call-to-action. General advertising eschews calls-for-action in favor of messages that try to build prospects' emotional awareness or engagement with a brand. Even well-designed general advertisements rarely can prove their impact on the organization's bottom line.

Database Marketing

Database Marketing is a form of direct marketing using databases of customers or potential customers to generate personalized messages in order to promote a product or service for marketing purposes. The method of communication can be any addressable medium, as in direct marketing.The distinction between direct marketing and database marketing stems primarily from the attention paid to the analysis of data. Database marketing emphasizes the use of statistical techniques to develop models of customer behavior, which are then used to select customers for communications. As a consequence, database marketers also tend to be heavy users of data warehouses, because having a greater amount of data about customers increase the likelihood that a more accurate model can be built.

There are two main types of marketing databases: (1) consumer databases and (2) business databases. Consumer databases are primarily geared towards companies that sell to consumers, often abbreviated as [business-to-consumer] ( B2C) or BtoC. Business marketing databases are often much more advanced in the information that they can provide. This is mainly because business databases aren't restricted by the same privacy laws as consumer databases.

Personalized Marketing

Personalized marketing (also called personalization, and sometimes called one-to-one marketing) is an extreme form of product differentiation. Whereas product differentiation tries to differentiate a product from competing ones, personalization tries to make a unique product offering for each customer. Nike ID is a popular brand that has developed a strong business around this personalization marketing concept.

Affinity Marketing

Create strategic partnerships that are mutually beneficial by forming alliances with complementary brands. Also known as partnership marketing, with this strategy, one brands generates sales while the other creates new customers and builds brand awareness.

Cult-tural Marketing

The proposition of cult marketing holds reign upon the notion that a way to convert-ahem, excite ... OK, convert-consumers is by using timeless human behavioral drives found in religious cults. Heck, fellow acolytes, nothing is more permission-, buzz- and one-to-one-based than "a central ideology with a parallel social universe rich with customs." Cult marketing is a bright spot in the list of newfangled marketing templates, one that applies timeless social-science principles in a powerful way. To the list of newfangled marketing buzzwords, let's add the term cult.

Humanistic Marketing

Human needs are "a state of felt deprivation." They distinguish between physical needs (food, shelter, safety, clothing), social needs (belonging and affection), and individual needs (knowledge, self-expression). Needs are a relatively narrow set of non-cultural states of felt deprivation.

Guerrilla Marketing

Grass root, untraditional, and low-budget methods that found involve creativity, big crowds of people, and the element of surprise to market or promote a product, service, brand, event, or new launch.

Brand Lover Marketing

Brand Lover Marketing is a marketing concept that is intended to replace the idea of traditional brand marketing. Brands are running out of juice and Brand Lovers are what is needed to rescue brands. But what builds loyalty that goes beyond reason? What makes a truly great brand stand out? Brand Lovers bring brands to life. For a brand to elevate itself into the " Cult Brand " category, it has to give customers a feeling of belonging while generating strong feelings of love for its customers. Creating loyalty beyond reason requires emotional connections that generate the highest levels of love and a sense of belonging for your brand.

Contact us to discuss how you can better prepare for what's ahead. We can help you identify ways for your organization to tap into the power of cult branding, create value, and ultimately thrust your performance.

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As a student of sleight-of-hand magic, I value the number 52. Here we bring you 52 types of marketing strategies and tactics you can use to bring new customers to your business and grow your brand. In order for businesses to win market share and stay relevant they need to consider many types of marketing strategies.

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People who are not willing to learn will never succeed!!!!!

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DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR?

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Image credit: Maliha Mannan | StockSnap.io

Grow Your Business, Not Your Inbox

Stay informed and join our daily newsletter now!

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

There is an enormous difference between wanting to do something and being able to make a living at doing that something. Have you ever watched the American Idol audition shows and witnessed a tone deaf singer's shocked reaction when the say he or she will never have a shot at becoming a professional singer? The same thing can be true for entrepreneurship.

Being a successful business owner requires investing your own money in addition to a ton of time and effort. Despite the appeal of being your own boss, the reality is that not everyone is cut out to be a successful business owner.

Here are five quick personality assessments to evaluate before taking the entrepreneurial plunge:

Are you Santa or an elf?

Entrepreneurship requires managing a wide variety of tasks as part of the business, from marketing and accounting to training, customer service and more. Can you wear multiple hats, as Santa does with Christmas, or do you prefer to be the elf that loves to execute specific tasks? Do you take initiative or do you want clear instructions? Santas make better entrepreneurs than elves do.

What's your relationship with money?

Starting a business requires money to start, to operate and for you to live on while it scales. If you are a big spender and aren't great at managing money, those bad habits are likely to follow you into a business. And if you are usually unable to make worthwhile investments in the future of your business for fear of ending up living in a cardboard box if things go wrong then you may end up penny wise and pound foolish, as they say. Having a solid, non-emotional money relationship will help you make wise business decisions.

Are you comfortable flying blind?

The only thing that is certain in business is that nothing is certain. Are you comfortable with being uncomfortable? Can you handle taking educated risks and surviving the constant ups and downs of owning a business? If you are looking for the certainty or a drama-free zone, you may find yourself terrified of the entrepreneurial roller coaster.

Are you ready to commit?

Running a successful business is not just about having great ideas. It's more about strong execution. So, if you have a hard time staying focused, you are lousy with commitments and you're averse to the idea of working day in and day out on the same thing, then entrepreneurship may just be a passing fancy for you.

Were you born for business?

Were you interested in business as a child? Did you seek out entrepreneurial roles in school, in social organizations or even in your previous job? A natural inclination of past interest in entrepreneurship seems to be a good potential indicator of future success.

Think you're cut out to be an entrepreneur? Or are you still unsure? Take this informal quiz to see how your answers compare with the popular profile of today's successful entrepreneurs.

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Quiz: Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur?

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Stay informed and join our daily newsletter now! Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. There is an enormous difference between wanting to do something and being able to make a living at doing that something.

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5 Secrets for Making Your Logo Stand Out

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The best company logos have several things in common. Learn how you can design a killer logo by following the example of big brands.

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LOS ANGELES - An enterprising seven-year-old boy in the US has saved more than US$10,000 (S$14,000) towards his university fees after starting his own recycling business.

Ryan Hickman developed a bug for recycling after tagging along with his dad to a recycling centre four years ago at the age of three.

"We had gone to the centre with a couple of bags, and he really loved the actual act of putting all the cans and bottles into the machine and getting the money for it, and that kind of got him hooked," dad Damion Hickman told ABC News.

While his dad was at work, Ryan and his mum, Andrea Hickman, went to homes in their California neighbourhood distributing plastic bags to neighbours to collect their plastic and glass bottles and cans.

Now at the age of seven, Ryan oversees an operation named Ryan's Recycling that spans close to five neighbourhoods, a golf course and multiple local businesses. The locals drop their recyclables off at the Hickmans' home, or Ryan and his parents pick them up, said ABC.

The Hickmans, led by Ryan, then drop the recyclables off at the local recycling centre and Ryan saves the money he collects from the plastic bottles.

"I'm his driver and I have to lift the heavy stuff but, to be honest, the focus is him," Hickman says of his son.

"I've recycled 200,000 cans and bottles," Ryan said.

Every week, he and his family sort through bags of recyclables.

"If it's me, my dad and my mom and my grandma doing it at the same time, one bag will be gone like in, let's say, two minutes," Ryan told ABC.

Ryan's efforts were recognised on Tuesday (Feb 7) by members of the San Juan Capistrano, California, city council, who presented Ryan with a conservation award, said the US broadcaster.

The youngster, who is also saving to buy his own garbage truck, also sells T-shirts on his website designed by his dad, who is a graphic designer. Proceeds from sales of the T-shirts are donated to the Pacific Marine Mammal Centre in Laguna Beach.

Ryan's parents hope he continues saving for college, but they say their son is primarily concerned with protecting the environment. He does not want cans and plastic to end up in the ocean.

"That's a big deal to Ryan," his father said.

Said Ryan: "If you already recycle, just keep on recycling. If you don't recycle, start recycling."

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Seven-year-old saves over $10,000 for university with his own recycling business

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LOS ANGELES - An enterprising seven-year-old boy in the US has saved more than US$10,000 (S$14,000) towards his university fees after starting his own recycling business. Ryan Hickman developed a bug for recycling after tagging along with his dad to a recycling centre four years ago at the age of three.

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Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Here are 10 characteristics that set successful entrepreneurs apart:

1. Passion and Motivation

Although there are many traits that make an entrepreneur successful, perhaps the most important are passion and motivation.

Is there something you can work on over and over again without getting bored?

Is there something that keeps you awake at night because you haven't finished it yet?

Is there something you have built and want to continue to improve upon?

Is there something you enjoy so much you want to continue doing it for the rest of your life?

From building and implementing a prototype to pitching your idea to venture capitalists, success is a function of passion and determination.

2. Not Afraid to Take Risks

Entrepreneurs are risk takers, ready to dive deep into a future of uncertainty. But not all risk takers are successful entrepreneurs. What differentiates a successful entrepreneur from the rest in terms of risk? Successful entrepreneurs are willing to risk their time and money on unknowns, but they also keep resources, plans and bandwidth for dealing with "unknown unknowns" in reserve. When evaluating risk, a successful entrepreneur will ask herself, "Is this risk worth the cost of my career, time and money?" And, "What will I do if this venture doesn't pay off?"

3. Self-belief, Hard Work and Disciplined Dedication

Entrepreneurs believe in themselves and are confident and dedicated to their project. Their intense focus on and faith in their idea may be misconstrued as stubbornness, but it is this willingness to work hard and defy the odds that make them successful.

4. Adaptable and Flexible

Being passionate and dedicated is important, but being inflexible about client or market needs will lead to failure. Remember, an entrepreneurial venture is not simply about doing what you believe is good, but also making a successful business out of it. Successful entrepreneurs welcome all suggestions for optimization or customization that may enhance their offering and satisfy client and market needs.

5. Product and Market Knowledge

Entrepreneurs know their product inside and out. They also know the market. Most become successful because they create something that didn't already exist or they significantly improve an existing product after experiencing frustration with the way it worked. Remaining unaware of changing market needs, competitor moves and other external factors can cause even great products to fail.

6. Strong Money Management

It takes time for any entrepreneurial venture to become profitable. Until then, capital is limited and needs to be utilized wisely. Successful entrepreneurs plan for present and future financial obligations and set aside an emergency fund. Even after securing funding or going fully operational, a successful businessperson keeps a complete handle on cashflow, as it is the most important aspect of any business.

7. Effective Planning (Not Over-Planning) Skills

Entrepreneurship is about building a business from scratch while managing limited resources (including time, money and personal relationships), which requires planning. However, trying to plan for everything and having a ready solution in place for all possible issues may prevent you from ever taking the first step. Successful entrepreneurs have a business plan in place, but remain capable of dealing with unforeseen possibilities.

8. The Right Connections

Many people seek comfort in commiseration-friends, colleagues and neighbors are happy to complain about "the global slowdown," poor demand, or unfair competition-but that won't improve the bottom line. Successful entrepreneurs reach out to mentors with more experience and extensive networks to seek valuable advice. If they don't have the necessary technical or marketing skills, they find someone who does and delegate these tasks so they can focus on growing the business.

9. Exit Preparedness

Not every attempt will result in success. The failure rate of entrepreneurial ventures is very high. Sometimes, the best solution is to call it quits and try something new instead of continuing to dump money into a failing business. Many famous entrepreneurs weren't successful the first time around, but they knew when to cut their losses.

10. Ability to Question Themselves - But Not Too Much

You may ask yourself, am I an entrepreneur? The very question may make you doubt the answer. Even if you don't have the flair of Steve Jobs or the hair of Elon Musk, if you have the courage to ask yourself intimidating questions-"Can I do this? Do I want to do this?"-you have the stuff to be an entrepreneur.

Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Instead of worrying about fitting the image, check in with your gut. Is it on board?

(For related reading, see: Is Majoring in Entrepreneurship a Good Idea? Turn Your Passion into a Profitable Side Business Entrepreneurs Make Money: Why, How, Where and When)

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10 Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

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Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Here are 10 characteristics that set successful entrepreneurs apart: Although there are many traits that make an entrepreneur successful, perhaps the most important are passion and motivation. Is there something you can work on over and over again without getting bored?

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Do you have what it takes?

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Starting a Business /Entrepreneurs

Do you have what it takes to get through hard times? Here are the traits that help home-based business owners thrive.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Regardless of your definition of success, there are, oddly enough, a great number of common characteristics that are shared by successful businesspeople. You can place a check beside each characteristic that you feel that you possess. This way, you can see how you stack up. Even if you don't have all of these characteristics, don't fret. Most can be learned with practice and by developing a winning attitude, especially if you set goals and apply yourself, through strategic planning, to reach those goals in incremental and measurable stages.

The Home Business Musts

Like any activity you pursue, there are certain musts that are required to be successful in a chosen activity. To legally operate a vehicle on public roadways, one must have a driver's license; to excel in sports, one must train and practice; to retire comfortably, one must become an informed investor and actively invest for retirement. If your goal is success in business, then the formula is no different. There are certain musts that have to be fully developed, implemented and managed for your business to succeed. There are many business musts, but this article contains I believe to be some of the more important musts that are required to start, operate and grow a profitable home business.

25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Plan everything

Planning every aspect of your home business is not only a must, but also builds habits that every home business owner should develop, implement, and maintain. The act of business planning is so important because it requires you to analyze each business situation, research and compile data, and make conclusions based mainly on the facts as revealed through the research. A business plan also serves a second function, which is having your goals and how you will achieve them, on paper. You can use the plan that you create both as map to take you from point A to Z and as a yardstick to measure the success of each individual plan or segment within the plan.

25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Manage money wisely

The lifeblood of any business enterprise is cash flow. You need it to buy inventory, pay for services, promote and market your business, repair and replace tools and equipment, and pay yourself so that you can continue to work. Therefore, all home business owners must become wise money managers to ensure that the cash keeps flowing and the bills get paid. There are two aspects to wise money management.

1. The money you receive from clients in exchange for your goods and services you provide (income)

2. The money you spend on inventory, supplies, wages and other items required to keep your business operating. (expenses)

25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Ask for the sale

A home business entrepreneur must always remember that marketing, advertising, or promotional activities are completely worthless, regardless of how clever, expensive, or perfectly targeted they are, unless one simple thing is accomplished--ask for the sale. This is not to say that being a great salesperson, advertising copywriting whiz or a public relations specialist isn't a tremendous asset to your business. However, all of these skills will be for naught if you do not actively ask people to buy what you are selling.

25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Remember it's all about the customer

Your home business is not about the products or services that you sell. Your home business is not about the prices that you charge for your goods and services. Your home business is not about your competition and how to beat them. Your business is all about your customers, or clients, period. After all, your customers are the people that will ultimately decide if your business goes boom or bust. Everything you do in business must be customer focused, including your policies, warranties, payment options, operating hours, presentations, advertising and promotional campaigns and website. In addition, you must know who your customers are inside out and upside down.
Related: Keeping Your Customers Satisfied -- It's All in the Details

25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Get to know your customers

One of the biggest features and often the most significant competitive edge the home based entrepreneur has over the larger competitors is the he can offer personalized attention. Call it high-tech backlash if you will, but customers are sick and tired of hearing that their information is somewhere in the computer and must be retrieved, or told to push a dozen digits to finally get to the right department only to end up with voice mail--from which they never receive a return phone call.

The home business owner can actually answer phone calls, get to know customers, provide personal attention and win over repeat business by doing so. It's a researched fact that most business (80 percent) will come from repeat customers rather than new customers. Therefore, along with trying to draw newcomers, the more you can do to woo your regular customers, the better off you will be in the long run and personalized attention is very much appreciated and remembered in the modern high tech world.Related: Why You Should Never Prejudge a Sales Prospect

25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Build a top-notch business team

No one person can build a successful business alone. It's a task that requires a team that is as committed as you to the business and its success. Your business team may include family members, friends, suppliers, business alliances, employees, sub-contractors, industry and business associations, local government and the community. Of course the most important team members will be your customers or clients. Any or all may have a say in how your business will function and a stake in your business future.
Related: Why Teamwork Should Be Your No. 1 Sales Tool

25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Invest in yourself

Top entrepreneurs buy and read business and marketing books, magazines, reports, journals, newsletters, websites and industry publications, knowing that these resources will improve their understanding of business and marketing functions and skills. They join business associations and clubs, and they network with other skilled business people to learn their secrets of success and help define their own goals and objectives. Top entrepreneurs attend business and marketing seminars, workshops and training courses, even if they have already mastered the subject matter of the event. They do this because they know that education is an ongoing process. There are usually ways to do things better, in less time, with less effort. In short, top entrepreneurs never stop investing in the most powerful, effective and best business and marketing tool at their immediate disposal--themselves.

25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Be accessible

We're living in a time when we all expect our fast food lunch at the drive-thru window to be ready in mere minutes, our dry cleaning to be ready for pick-up on the same day, our money to be available at the cash machine and our pizza delivered in 30 minutes or it's free. You see the pattern developing--you must make it as easy as you can for people to do business with you, regardless of the home business you operate.

You must remain cognizant of the fact that few people will work hard, go out of their way, or be inconvenienced just for the privilege of giving you their hard-earned money. The shoe is always on the other foot. Making it easy for people to do business with you means that you must be accessible and knowledgeable about your products and services. You must be able to provide customers with what they want, when they want it.

25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Build a rock-solid reputation

A good reputation is unquestionably one of the home business owner's most tangible and marketable assets. You can't simply buy a good reputation; it's something that you earn by honoring your promises. If you promise to have the merchandise in the customer's hands by Wednesday, you have no excuse not to have it there. If you offer to repair something, you need to make good on your offer. Consistency in what you offer is the other key factor. If you cannot come through with the same level of service (and products) for clients on a regular basis, they have no reason to trust you . . . and without trust, you won't have a good reputation.

25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Master the art of negotiations

The ability to negotiate effectively is unquestionably a skill that every home business owner must make every effort to master. It's perhaps second in importance only to asking for the sale in terms of home business musts. In business, negotiation skills are used daily. Always remember that mastering the art of negotiation means that your skills are so finely tuned that you can always orchestrate a win-win situation. These win-win arrangements mean that everyone involved feels they have won, which is really the basis for building long-term and profitable business relationships.

25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Get and stay organized

The key to staying organized is not about which type of file you have or whether you keep a stack or two of papers on your desk, but it's about managing your business. It's about having systems in place to do things. Therefore, you wan to establish a routine by which you can accomplish as much as possible in a given workday, whether that's three hours for a part-time business or seven or nine hours as a full-timer. In fact, you should develop systems and routines for just about every single business activity. Small things such as creating a to-do list at the end of each business day, or for the week, will help keep you on top of important tasks to tackle. Creating a single calendar to work from, not multiple sets for individual tasks or jobs, will also ensure that jobs are completed on schedule and appointments kept. Incorporating family and personal activities into your work calendar is also critical so that you work and plan from a single calendar.

25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Follow-up constantly

Constant contact, follow-up, and follow-through with customers, prospects, and business alliances should be the mantra of every home business owner, new or established. Constant and consistent follow-up enables you to turn prospects into customers, increase the value of each sale and buying frequency from existing customers, and build stronger business relationships with suppliers and your core business team. Follow-up is especially important with your existing customer base, as the real work begins after the sale. It's easy to sell one product or service, but it takes work to retain customers and keep them coming back.
James Stephenson is an experienced home based consultant with more than 15 years of business and marketing experience.

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25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

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Starting a Business /Entrepreneurs Do you have what it takes to get through hard times? Here are the traits that help home-based business owners thrive. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Regardless of your definition of success, there are, oddly enough, a great number of common characteristics that are shared by successful businesspeople.

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Why is it important for a company to identify its target market?

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Do you ever find yourself wishing you could go back to school, or maybe even teach a course in a subject you're skilled in? Skillshare, founded in 2011, makes both of these things possible. The company allows experts to teach online courses on any subject they choose via short videos, while students can watch classes at their own pace and use the community to get feedback. Students can even take classes offline via smartphones and tablets if they'd like to learn on the go.

Unlike college or graduate school, with their high tuition rates, Skillshare costs a small fee of $10 per month, with a free 14-day trial. Half of that fee goes to pay the company's teachers, so if you're an expert in something, it's a great way to make some extra money. Skillshare also gives back: According to the company's website, for every annual membership purchased, Skillshare gives a membership to a student through the company's scholarship program.

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10 Unique Business Ideas to Inspire You in 2018

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Do you ever find yourself wishing you could go back to school, or maybe even teach a course in a subject you're skilled in? Skillshare, founded in 2011, makes both of these things possible. The company allows experts to teach online courses on any subject they choose via short videos, while students can watch classes at their own pace and use the community to get feedback.