Business Improvement and Social media

Behind every great athlete there is an even greater coach. There isn't a top athlete--from Muhammad Ali to Tiger Woods to Serena Williams--who did not need a mentor to help them reach the top of their profession.  

 

If you think about it, your business is similar to that of an elite athlete. You may have the drive, the skills, and the vision, but there are times when you need professional guidance to ensure you stay on the right path, and how to best utilize your talents and work on your shortcomings in order to reach your goals. An executive coach can be that person.

 

No matter where you are on your career path--from eager up-and-coming manager to a seasoned senior executive to an entrepreneur--there will be times when you can benefit from some professional coaching.

Via The Learning Factor

You had a great idea for a product. Your prototype got great reviews from focus groups or even from a crowdfunding campaign. Now you’re planning for mass production, ready to launch your own website, prepping for massive online sales, and practicing poses in the mirror for your picture on the cover of Forbes. Whoa! 

 

Having something to sell is the easy part. Getting it into the hands of consumers is sometimes the more complicated step. E-sales may make marketing easy, but that can be deceptive. Ben Wong is the Head of Startup Launchpad at Global Sources. He helps startups understand the distribution channels they need to leverage, and the different challenges they need to address to get their products into the hands of paying consumers in an offline setting. Global Sources runs the largest electronics sourcing trade show in the world.  This October, more than 63,000 distributors and retailers from around the globe will wander the aisles at the Asia-World Expo in Hong Kong, stopping — or not — at 6,000 manufacturers’ booths. Among those will be about 300 booths where ambitious, hopeful, sometimes naïve, startup companies will beam with pride, burst with anticipation, and sweat with anxiety as they demonstrate their products and hope for a chance to launch a product, start a business, and scale to meet demand.

Via The Learning Factor

There are so many articles on Influencer Marketing. Most make it seem so very easy. Can it really be that easy? Of course not! Click here to find out why

Via janlgordon

Successful entrepreneurs have a lot of things in common; one is knowing how to make the best use of their time. When the clock is ticking and they are under pressure to deliver, many have a favourite productivity hack to ensure things get done on time. Here, seven entrepreneurs share their tried and tested ways of being more productive.

 

Create artificial deadlines

 

Business expert and author of The Startup Coach Carl Reader uses a clever technique of creating artificial deadlines to guarantee a productive finish.

 

“One of my favourite tricks is the ‘train journey to nowhere,” he said. “I book a return train ticket, don't take my mobile phone, and set a completion target for the journey. With a clear deadline and no distractions, I find that I often produce more than I would in the office in a whole day. It's great if you can tie this around meetings that you need to travel to, but if not, the productivity boost is well worth the cost of a train ticket.”

Via The Learning Factor

The 2017 Edelson Trust Barometer makes sobering reading for business leaders and the media, as many readings reach all-time lows

Via janlgordon