Posts made in July, 2015
Make more by spending less – how just about any small business can save thousands by hiring smarter
They way we do business has been changing dramatically thanks to the Internet. Interestingly, a business owner’s first thoughts of the Internet usually revolve around selling online. However, there are other, sometimes even more powerful ways a small business can use the Internet, such as enhancing employee engagement.
A common profit increasing strategy is to reduce costs, and wages is one of a businesses single biggest expenses. Most businesses have an opportunity to reduce costs in this area through outsourcing or offshore hiring.
There a literally millions of dedicated, experienced offshore workers looking for regular ongoing work ( also looking for one time small to large projects) who can offer unbeatable value for money.
Let’s take a look at just some of these opportunities:
Book keeping – Just about every business needs their book work prepared. Local costs range anywhere from $30 – $60 per hour. This is a task that can usually be outsourced for $5 – $12 per hour.
Data entry work – whether you need documents converted to digital storage, have data from documents entered into software systems, or perhaps data collected from around the web, there’s someone out there who can do this kind of work for between $3 – $5 per hour.
Personal / virtual assistant – Feeling pressured or overwhelmed? Need help managing your daily workload? How about a personal assistant for between $5 -$7 per hour?
Website / shopping cart admin – need someone to maintain and update content / product on your website? Whether it’s loading content, images or updating products and removing old ones, you can find experienced website administrators for between $7 -$12 per hour
Graphic designers – need a logo made? Or maybe a brochure designed? What about a whole website? Or even a complete corporate image pack? There’s no shortage of talented designers just waiting to work for you for between $10 – $20 per hour
Web / software developers – need a website built? Or perhaps your after a custom app for iPhones or android devices? Th cost of a good developer can range between $5 – $15 per hour.
Content creators – need someone to write content for your website, blog or social media pages? Content writers specialise is crating these type of articles. Content writers can be paid the following ways
- Per word
- Per article
- Per hour
Social media managers – if you use social media as part of your online marketing strategy you’ll know how much work is involved in keeping it updated and running smoothly. A social media manager can ease the workload considerably by taking on many of the daily tasks involved in keeping your social pages updated. Social media managers usually charge between $3 – $7 per hour. When it comes to digital marketing, their expertise in managing social media becomes invaluable in maximizing your online presence and engagement.
Basically, just about any task that involves a computer can be outsourced, at very affordable rates, to dedicated workers overseas. A by product of outsourcing is that the overseas workers often end up getting a higher wage than if they worked for a company in their own country. For example, a typical salary for data entry job in the Philippines is around AUD $400 month ( or $2.32 per hour ) while a typical outsourced worker would earn around double that at an average of around $4 p/h and they get to work from home.
If your you’d like to learn more about outsourcing then check out the outsourcing category as I add more article over the coming months.
Have you tried outsourcing before and how did it work out for you?
Read MoreWhat is a Business idea really worth?
You’re having an enjoyable dinner with friends, when some one at the table mentions an issue they just had with product x – and suddenly it hits you – the solution to the problem and the idea of the century!
You quickly explain your idea to the people at the table who all comment on what a great idea it is, how valuable they think your idea is, and how they would all use it.
Suddenly you’re convinced that you just came up with a killer business idea.
Over the last 20 years, I’ve had hundreds of ideas pitched at me, some, I just can’t see working at all, but many of them do have the potential to be commercially viable. Unfortunatly that alone is not enough. Just because a person has a great business idea doesn’t in any way, shape or form, mean that they have a viable business.
And here’s why…
Most people with a great idea, get caught up in the development / creation of the product or service that forms the basis of their business idea.
Believing that that is the most important aspect of their future success.
The truth is, the actualisation of the idea is often the easiest part.
In other words, turning the idea into a physical product or service is not the real challenge.
The real challenge, and where most ideas fall over, is the ability to commercialise it.
You see, once they’ve realised the product or service, they then have to create a whole business around it. They need to get out and market it, sell it, deliver it, support it and do all the other things it takes to actually run a business.
This is the part where most people fail – having a great idea in itself is worth NOTHING, unless you also have the ability to commercialise it.
Before you spend weeks or months developing your product or service, try these few tests to see if you’re able to commercialise your idea:
- Put together a mockup of your product or write up an brochure on your services.
- Go out and pitch it to potential customers
- Try and get some form of future commitment from them
This little exercise alone will give you an indication of whether you have the ability to commercialise it.
For example, if you find that you can’t get your idea in front of potential customers now, how do you expect to get in front of them once you have your product or service ready?
If your potential customers don’t show any interest now, why would they show interest later?
You could save yourself a whole world of grief, stress and money by performing these simple tests right at the start of your new business venture.
Read More