Get your web and social presence ready.

No matter what business you plan to run, you’ll find success usually starts with buzz, which, in today’s digital age, is generated online. Build a web and social media presence that builds credibility, engages your customers, and helps you reach new audiences right from your home office.

Form an LLC.

An LLC is a business structure that allows you to take advantage of certain tax situations. It’s a fairly flexible structure, meaning that you can change your management style at any time. Keep in mind, however, that, despite the ease of formation, especially if you are DIYing it, each state has different rules, so do your research. An online formation service can give you all the information you need to know, and it’s much cheaper than an attorney.

Consider your space.

Not every home is ideal for a home office. And if you need manufacturing or storage space, you may have to buy something larger. Save yourself the headaches of the last-minute decision, and start looking online now for new homes that can accommodate your soon-to-be growing business.

You may also consider renting a place that you can comfortably fit a home office. Use an online real estate portal and filter by location and price range to see what’s available near you. Then, connect with landlords or property managers to schedule tours, and familiarize yourself with the neighborhoods to be sure the location is ideal for you.

Keep business cards handy.

If you plan to have people visit your home office in person, a business card is a must. Remember, business cards are the quickest and easiest way to not only leave an impression but also to ensure your customers have accurate contact information. Plus, they are a small token that your future customers or networking partners can remember you by, and these will likely get looked at more than a follow-up email. The American Management Association offers lots of advice on business card etiquette that can help you know who, exactly, should get a card.

Keep business documents organized.

Digitizing business documents can provide benefits such as reducing physical storage space, improving document searchability and accessibility, enhancing security with permissions-based access controls, and streamlining collaboration and workflow processes, saving time and increasing productivity.

Go for simplicity.

Chances are, you’ve seen an office that’s just a bit too much. Too many desks, too much clutter, and not enough functional workspace. Don’t make the same mistakes with your home office. The Order Expert says that there are many things you need for an office, but, when you’re working from home, you don’t have to double buy safety items, cleaning materials, and certain other supplies that you already have.

Now is the perfect time to start your own business… a business that you don’t even have to leave home to begin. From making sure you keep your documents organized to forming your LLC and setting up a professional online presence, today’s tips can help you get started on the right foot so that you can continue to move forward.

The post Practical Tips for Running Your First Home Office appeared first on AppTrawler.

Field service jobs that Jobber can be useful for:

1. HVAC technician – responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
2. Electrician – responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing electrical systems and equipment.
3. Plumber – responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing plumbing systems and equipment.
4. Appliance repair technician – responsible for repairing and maintaining various household and commercial appliances.
5. Carpenter – responsible for constructing and repairing structures, such as buildings and bridges.
6. Landscaper – responsible for maintaining and improving outdoor spaces, including lawns, gardens, and parks.
7. Pest control technician – responsible for identifying and eliminating pests and vermin.
8. Pool and spa technician – responsible for maintaining and repairing swimming pools and spas.
9. Satellite and cable technician – responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing satellite and cable television systems.
10. Generator technician – responsible for installing, maintaining and repairing generators.

Benefits of using Jobber app:

1. Scheduling and dispatching: Jobber allows businesses to schedule and dispatch technicians to job sites, ensuring that the right person is sent to the right location at the right time.
2. Invoicing and estimates: Jobber enables businesses to create professional invoices and estimates, making it easier to bill customers and get paid faster.
3. Customer management: Jobber allows businesses to store and organize customer information, including contact details, job history, and notes, making it easier to keep track of customer interactions.
4. Job tracking and reporting: Jobber allows businesses to track the status of jobs, monitor technician performance, and generate reports on key metrics, such as job completion times and customer satisfaction.
5. Inventory and equipment management: Jobber enables businesses to track inventory levels and equipment usage, ensuring that technicians have the necessary supplies and equipment to complete their work.
6. Mobile App: Jobber has a mobile app that allows technicians to access their schedule, job details, and customer information on the go, which helps them to be more efficient and productive.
7. Communication: Jobber allows businesses to communicate with their team and customers through the software, which helps to streamline communication and keep everyone on the same page.
8. Automation: Jobber automates repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as scheduling and invoicing, allowing businesses to focus on more important tasks such as growing their business and servicing their customers.

The Jobber app is a great tool for field service businesses of all sizes. It can help businesses schedule and dispatch technicians, track inventory and equipment, create invoices and estimates, and manage customer information. The app can be useful for a wide range of field service jobs, from HVAC technicians to electricians and pool and spa technicians. With its automation, mobile access and real-time tracking, it can help businesses increase efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction.

The post Jobber: The Essential Field Service App appeared first on AppTrawler.

Why Market Research?

Importance of market research: As the industry becomes more competitive, marketers need to be aware of what is happening in the marketplace. The market research gives you a clear understanding of how your product or service is perceived and how it can be improved. It helps you develop strategies to meet customers’ changing needs, and it can also help you build a solid business foundation. Market research involves collecting and analyzing information about the people who buy your product or services. You can collect this information by interviewing customers, observing their behaviour, and looking at their demographic information. In a nutshell, market research gives you the information you need to make the right decisions for your business growth.

5 Ways Market research can help build a strong business

There’s no sure-fire formula for instant success, but you can boost your business’s growth by conducting market research. Here are some areas where market research can help you build a more substantial business.

Market Research Centers Business on the Customer

Side Customer satisfaction is one of the most important factors for a business. Knowing how customers perceive their brand and what they like and dislike about the products, services, and experiences they provide is critical for any company. If you are a market research organization, it is crucial that you understand your customers and their perceptions.

• Age group: How old are they?
• Gender: Are they male or female?
• Location: Where do they live?
• Qualification: What is their level of education?
• Behaviour: What do they like or dislike?
• What is their marital status?
• Do they have children?
• What kind of social media do they use?

Create a persona profile for each segment Personas are fictional, but represent a typical customer within a particular group. For example, a persona might be a 25-year-old female with two children who owns a home and has disposable income. You can then use this persona to develop an advertising campaign that targets a specific audience.

Such consumer studies help us understand the target audience to develop a focused brand positioning. You can see faster results, improved efficiency, and excellent performance from your marketing campaigns if you focus on the right target market. Hire a professional Customer Research Agency is advisable.

It Helps Understand Your Competition

One way to understand your competition is to conduct market research. This can help you understand their business models, competitive advantages, and target marketing areas. It can also help you identify any potential areas of overlap or competition.

Here are some of the details that you can research about your rivals:

• Sales volume, Market share
• Efficiency, Suppliers
• Labor cost, Strengths, and weaknesses
• Their market research/brand strategy solutions
• Your window of opportunity for market entry
• The importance of your target market to your competitors
• Any barriers that may stop you from entering the market
• Indirect or secondary competitors who may impact your business

When you’re a small business, you have to be more nimble than larger companies. You don’t have a big sales team or a marketing budget. So, if you want to compete on price, you must get creative. One of the best ways to do that is to study what your competitors charge for similar products and services. And one of the most efficient ways to do this is to use online tools to compare pricing across hundreds of websites.

It Enables You to Test for Success

When you need to know whether your customers will connect with your new product or service, use this simple test to judge its success. Research is the most effective way to test out ideas before you decide to go full-throttle with them.

You can do quantitative research, which is looking at how many people have bought a product or service in the past, or qualitative research, which is looking at the thoughts and feelings of people about a product or service.

It Ensures Your Relevancy

Researching the evolving needs of consumers and analyzing your competitors’ reactions to those needs is a great way to ensure longevity and relevancy in your business. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting, market research reports will help business owners to make smarter decisions and achieve the desired marketing goals faster.

Small businesses are not uncommon to feel overwhelmed by the number of marketing options available today. It is also easy to make the mistake of thinking that because you have a small budget, you can’t afford to invest in any type of marketing. However, there are many things that you can do on a limited budget that can have a significant impact on your business.

It Grows Your Business

When creating your sales plan, it’s essential to know the demographics of your target market and the competition in your space. You’ll find out how to calculate your target market and determine how much you need to spend to reach them. By conducting market research, you can find out what people want and need and how best to serve them. Research can also help you identify new marketing opportunities to scale your business.

Get in touch with BrandIQ to learn more about how they approach market research. They believe that brands are not just about making a great product or service but about creating relationships with customers and their communities.

Post courtesy: BrandIQ, Los Angeles-based Market Research Company.

The post 5 Effective Ways Market Research Can Grow Your Business Quickly appeared first on AppTrawler.

Research on enterprise data breaches from various countries indicates that costs related to data security hacks rose to $4 million in 2021. More alarmingly, along with the rise of ransomware attacks (an attack happening every 11 seconds, Cybersecurity Ventures), the cost of downtime is also increasing. Veeam’s 2022 Data Protection Report found the average cost of downtime to be around $88,000 per hour or $1,467 per minute. SMEs now find themselves in a quandary where they cannot afford to spend as much as big businesses on data security and neither can they not afford to. A single serious enough breach may be enough to wipe out an organization altogether. While it might be tempting for organizations to opt for cheap data backup solutions and hope for the best – it might be the costliest way out. A cheap data backup solution is only good for the short term. Eventually, it will become too expensive or incapable of protecting your data, leaving you with no choice but to switch to another option. For comprehensive security solutions for your local business, please refer to IT Support Redding.

Not Secure Against Cyber Threats

As the threats from cyber-attacks are increasing, it is important to protect your data. Your existing backup solution may not be able to withstand a cyber-threat. For instance, if you’re infected with ransomware and cannot recover your data through backups, you could lose months’ worth of critical business documents or financial records — resulting in major losses for your company!

To protect yourself from these types of attacks, look for solutions designed specifically for this purpose. When choosing a cloud service provider, it’s important to consider the security of your data. Look for a provider that offers features like top-notch encryption, along with other tools to protect your files. In addition, consider investing in in-house data backup methods for extra protection.

Increased Bandwidth Cost

Bandwidth can become a bottleneck in your business if not used strategically. If you are using cheap data backup solutions, it might not be able to handle the amount of data that you need it to. Bandwidth is expensive, so you will need to pay for more bandwidth or move onto the next solution for a better one that meets your needs. ISPs rarely advertise upload speeds (that you need in order to effectively back up all your files), because higher upload speeds nearly always cost more. With a cheap backup solution, the process might be even slower resulting in more bandwidth usage.

Storage Technology May Not Be Secure

Cheap data backup solutions are often not secure. Cheap storage technology can be easily hacked, corrupted and lost, putting your files at risk. Such storage is also a privacy risk as they make it easier for third parties to access your data without your knowledge. Such solutions can also land in legal problems if you’re using cloud solutions that improperly store personal information, such as credit card numbers or social security numbers. Finally, cheap storage increases the likelihood of data loss from disasters and cyberattacks. For cost-effective and secure storage solutions for your business, consider reaching out to Managed IT Services Fresno.

File Sync Cannot Replace Proper Backups

File sync (also called “cloud backup”) may not be all that you hope for it to be. It can’t replace a proper backup solution for your business, and you shouldn’t trust your data to it.

The problem with file sync services is that they’re designed to only protect the most recent version of a file. If you make changes to that file again at any point in the future, then those changes will be overwritten by the new version and there is no way for you to recover them. This means that if something happens to your computer or phone—or even if an attacker gains access using malicious software—they’ll have access not only to your current working files, but also all previous versions of them too!

Data Restoration Issues

In order to ensure your data is restored in case of a catastrophe, it is important to understand how to restore your data. One factor that differentiates cheap from premium software is the ability to test a backups restore functionality. If you cannot restore your data, you will not only damage your brand but also run the risk of incurring penalties due to compliance violations. Manual restoration could take hours to complete, but it offers many advantages. Additionally, you can make up for the shortcomings of automated restoration testing. When performing manual restoration testing, it is important to test application, data, and operating system integrity; scan for viruses before and after restoration; restore your backup in an isolated environment; build a report based on findings etc. Cheaper services will not give you these options; however, if you have pricier software that offers automation options and if you manually perform these tests once in a while then you’ll have a more reliable restoration process. Some cheap data backup solutions may not be able to restore your data at all.

Unable to Protect Sensitive Data

When you’re choosing a data backup solution, it’s important that you choose one that can protect sensitive data. Sensitive data includes any type of information that would be damaging if stolen or made public. This includes employee records, medical records, financial information such as credit card numbers and social security numbers, trade secrets and other intellectual property like software source code for your company’s apps or website.

The solution should encrypt all of this sensitive data so that it is protected from breaches and hacks by malicious hackers. The solution also needs to be able to prevent ransomware attacks against your network in order to protect all of your valuable files. The solution that you choose must be capable of handling high-end security to keep your data safe from breaches, hacks, and data theft. The ideal tool will have multiple layers of protection that can withstand cyber threats. Cheap data backup solutions may not be able to secure your customer/ user information effectively, jeopardizing their privacy, leaving them vulnerable to identity theft and a host of other issues. Failure to protect sensitive information will also attract serious regulatory ire and hefty penalties for your organization. If you have faced data privacy issues in the past, IT Consulting Fresno will be able to help.

About George:

George Passidakis is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Apex Technology Management, providing IT Consulting Sacramento, Redding & Sacramento. George has 30+ years of experience as an Information Technology professional. He also has extensive knowledge of Microsoft technology and other SMB IT products and solutions. Stay connected via LinkedIn.

The post 7 Ways That Cheap Data Backup Solutions Fail Your Business appeared first on AppTrawler.