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Since my childhood, I’ve always wondered how can someone earn that much money. I got my answer when I graduated from college and started working 9-5 for a firm. While I was busy working for someone else, my friend started his own business. To cut a long story short after three years, I just switched a few jobs while my friend was busy taking a vacation every week. What changed? A simple business idea changed his life.

“Life is like a hurricane, here in Duck Burg

Race cars, lasers, airplanes, it's a duck blur

Might solve a mystery or rewrite history!”

If you are a ‘90s kid then you might have recognized this song. For those who don’t know what I am talking about this is the theme song from Duck Tales – the famous cartoon series from the ‘90s. I’ve always dreamed of becoming as rich as Scrooge McDuck. He had this huge vault where he swims and feels proud and makes us jealous as kids.

“Ideas are easy. It's the execution of ideas that separates the sheep from the goats.” ~Sue Grafton

If you’re fed up with day-to-day jobs and reading this blog, this means that you are willing to make something good out of your life. I will present a bunch of startup business ideas that can make you start a business from scratch and make a small fortune out of it.

1: Recycling Waste

The rise of industries like packaging, construction, and automotive is expected to increase the demand for plastic goods in 2021. In a report, it was concluded that by the end of 2021, the plastic market would reach $645 billion. Figure out ways to use recycled plastic in things that are in demand. The more creative ways you can find, the more your startup will flourish.

If you have any doubts about what you can do with the plastic shoot, comment in the comments section and our experts will brainstorm some fresh startup business ideas with you.

2: Coupon Business

97% of the consumers in the US look for discount coupons while buying a product online. While 40% of the consumers believe they are smart when they find the best deals while placing an order. But hold on, you might be thinking, how will a business benefit from a coupon website? Groupon’s third-quarter revenue alone was estimated to be $495.6 million.

It is quite fascinating to see eStores like Amazon, BestBuy, Walmart, Staples, and others offering coupons to attract customers.

You will not be surprised to know that 3 out of 4 people have used coupons once in their lifetime. So, yes, if you plan to create a coupon website, you will not only get an insane amount of traffic; in doing so, you will make some good money out of it.

3: Online Tutor

Chris Spooner runs a YouTube channel Spoon Graphics. In an interview with Branex Talks, Chris revealed that he doesn’t work with clients to make money. Instead, he teaches people on his channel and makes his bread and butter from the channel.

Sienna Santer paid her college fees by advising students on her college experience and other activities at Harvard School. If you have skills, you can turn that experience into learning for others.

Tutoring online is one grand idea that doesn’t demand much investment, but the returns are mind-blowing. You can begin by teaching one course. Use tutoring tools and webinars to benefit people and gain popularity with a YouTube channel. You can take help from social media to increase your reach and get more customers.

4: eCommerce Store

The most straightforward internet-based startup idea that can easily make you a handsome amount of money. Don’t confuse the eCommerce store with an eCommerce website. I am talking about selling items either on Instagram, Amazon, or Shopify store.

This kind of business model, if executed correctly, can help you generate a steady stream of revenue. And the best part is that you don’t even have to go anywhere or know even an ounce of coding to start this business.

It would help if you bought an eCommerce store from an eCommerce solution provider and got started by uploading products and marketing them on social media.

5: Shoe Laundry

Frequently known as a shoe laundry business – the startup idea is both cool and exciting and has great potential in the market. Remember getting punished for having dirty shoes in school? You can start with one category of shoes and scale the business to every type of shoe. You can charge a premium price for cleaning premium shoes.

6: Anonymously Sharing App

Are you one of those people who love to share everything and anything on the internet? Five hundred million people share their stories on Instagram every day. More than 74% of the people in the US access Facebook once a day, and 51% of the people visit it multiple times a day. As it turns out, these sharing apps have way more power than we think.

People love sharing their lives with the world regardless of what people think about it. It is absurd that people around the globe share their darkest secrets using anonymity. If you create just another social media network that won’t do you any good, but if you make it anonymous, it can attract many people and make them share their lives with the world.

7: Niche Blogging

Often one of the most underrated businesses that people start with no or low expectations. But when it comes to making money online, people are earning handsome money through Medium. While on the other hand, people still think that it is difficult or impossible to earn from blogging.

Yes, you heard it right; blogging can act as a full-fledged source of income. Most people just put anything on their blog and get successful, but I am not suggesting anything like that.

Just like any other business, the core of blogging is to offer value to the visitor. For instance, if you are a website developer, you can start a blog in which you can share custom website development tricks or share your personal experiences on how to deal with angry clients.

As long as you share something that people can relate to, it won't even matter what your friends and family think about it. Choose any niche for which you can produce quality blog articles that offer something meaningful to the readers. Once your blog gathers critical mass, then you can start using AdSense or advertising to make money from your blog. When people start considering you as an authority, they would love to follow your advice.

8: Start Your Own YouTube Channel

Until a few years back, starting a TV channel was hard, but not anymore. Having a YouTube channel is the most profitable startup business idea that can make you a fortune in no time. You don’t need much investment in time. All you need is a camera to shoot your views about celebrity gossip or record reviews of the latest gadgets to help your audience find the best gadget they’re looking for. 

Pick a theme and start from there. As you grow, so your channel will mature. Check the demographics of your country and start sharing what people want to listen to and watch. If you find a unique angle in the simplest of life experiences, people will love to subscribe to your channel and share it with their friends.

9: Home Décor Business

The only startup business idea with a profit margin of 300%. The home décor market has been considered a booming business for the past couple of years. With a worth of $664 billion, home décor business is something that you cannot afford to miss. Whether you do it online or offline, customers will love to pay you a premium for a bespoke makeover of their abode’s interior. If you have an eye for beautifying homes, then you should make a business plan and execute it right now.

10: Tea/Coffee Café

Let’s start with Millennials. 87% of the Millennials drink tea regularly every day. The average coffee consumption in the US is 3 cups a day. Businesses succeed when their product offerings have a high demand. Now you know that tea and coffee have a huge fanbase. So, this is your opportunity to start a business around it. But before you start, here is a million-dollar tip for you. Starbucks doesn’t make the best coffee in the world. Yes, you can read that again. What Starbucks does differently is deliver a customer experience that people crave. If you can create a mind-altering customer experience around your coffee or tea, you’ll be able to handsome bucks out of it.

11: Bottled Water

I don’t even have to talk about the potential of this business. The bottled water bottle industry is estimated to reach $279.65 billion by 2021. People are involved in the bottled water business on so many levels.

If you reside in an area where clean drinking water is scarce, you can supply it to customers in offices, bus and metro stations, railway stations, or even in villages. These are places where people are most thirsty and want easy access to potable water. So, if you have a location in mind, start small and scale as the demand grows for your product.  

12: Sell Tickets Online

Again, the idea is super simple. There was a time back in the ‘90s when people used to stand in long queues to buy tickets to movies, concerts, and sporting events.

However, with 4G and 5G technology, you can buy tickets online on the go. You can start a startup business. The best part is that there are no liabilities in it. You need a website or a mobile app that appeals to the customers and is easy to navigate. Before the development of your e-venture, you’ll have to partner with sports organizations, event management companies, and other parties. Once that’s done, the investment will go only into designing and developing codes for your website and apps.

To Wrap it All

I still remember my friend Jack. We both completed high school and chose different parts of our careers. I did the usual 9-5 job while Jack went on to start a business. I was pleased after one year that I was earning well while Jack kept struggling with his business. It was after two years when I met Jack at a party. He forced me to visit his grand mansion, and there I saw 5 6 brand-new cars. I knew right then that I was the one that made a fool of myself.

Regardless of wherever you are, starting a business takes a little bit of willpower. So, go out there and start a business cos if you don’t, you’ll remain stuck in someone else’s vision for the rest of your life.

Dallas is a big city and you know what they say about big cities? They are a treasure trove of opportunities. With a sub-tropical climate and a population of around 1.25 million, Dallas has become the third-largest city hosting the highest number of Fortune 500 companies in the US. Just take a walk down any of the main streets and you will find scores of businesses enjoying great fortunes.

As far as the city’s economy is concerned, it is mostly based on technology, healthcare, telecommunication, transportation, banking, and research. The city is also dotted with shopping malls, which makes it a haven for shopaholics. It also has many tourist attractions so it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Dallas is a highly prolific location for doing small business ideas in Texas.

Are You Wondering How to Start a Business in Texas?

A lot of people plan to move to Dallas and start their business there. But often they’re stuck in deciding where to begin their journey. What kind of business should begin? Or how to start a business in Texas? 

We have come up with seven profitable small business ideas that will help you score big in Texas if you play your cards right.

Let’s see what those ideas are and maybe one of them might be the one for you.

1. Sports Good Supplier

If there’s one thing Dallas individuals have a strong affinity for, it is the heavy sports culture. People in Dallas are simply crazy about sports. And where people crave sports, they equally crave sports goods. If you can’t come up with a business idea, to begin with, how about you invest in opening a sports goods store? Perform market research and learn about the six major sports leagues that take place in Dallas. Among the many small and startup business ideas in Texas, a sports goods supplier is one where you won’t require any skill to sell your services. Branded products will sell on their own.

2. Pet Grooming Services

If you’re a pet lover and have experience managing cute furry friends and want to make a small investment, then opting for a pet grooming service isn’t a bad idea. You can start small by offering an on-demand pet grooming service to individuals who want to get their pet hairs and nails trimmed. All you have to do is buy the necessary equipment and a truck to initiate the business. You will find yourself serving clients in different locations of Dallas before you know it, making quite a profit margin on earnings. Pet grooming is indeed one of the best businesses to start in Texas

3. Advertisement Agency

No wonder Dallas is home to many businesses. However, every business wants to be heard and the only way they can be heard is through effective marketing. If you do have some investments, start an advertising agency in Dallas, Texas. If you have a background in marketing and communication, you can use plenty of ways to make your business flourish.

An advertising agency has immense potential and can bring a great deal of profit, so there’s no chance other businesses will even negate the idea of making investments. As long as you have a promising pitch and a strong portfolio, you can crunch some great numbers. Choose the most feasible location for your small business ideas in Texas and begin your journey.

4. On-Call Tech Support & Repair Service

With COVID-19 affecting our lives and forcing us to go into lockdown, people are confined to their homes and work remotely. While we are working in an organization, there are IT teams that resolve your tech woes. However, when you are confined at home, there isn’t any technical team who can come to your aid and assist. Among the many best business ideas in Texas, on-call tech support & repair service is quite profitable and can be highly rewarding for you.  

In such times, people seek professional help to fix their computers and resolve internet/network-related issues at home. A great small business idea in Dallas, Texas, can be to start on-call tech support. The on-call repair business will be a successful model as there will be plenty of people who would require this service.

5. Mobile Restaurant Business

Stuck with wondering which small business is going to turn out profitable? If you’re good at cooking or can invest in an eatery business, then a mobile restaurant isn’t a bad option. Not only is it movable, but it also helps you earn quick cash daily. If a particular location isn’t working out for you, you can always choose a different location and move your mobile eatery someplace else. It will require some investment like custom mobile app development and other expenses, but it is definitely not a bad bet. If you are in for a quick earning profit, then the mobile restaurant business is quite a lucrative option for you.

6. Launch a Hardware Store

Dallas is home to enthusiastic individuals who love to do things by themselves. There are so many DIY products that are massively sold all across Dallas and people love to build their stuff. In a market where people love to create stuff on their own, every other person requires a set of tools or hardware to work their way through DIY products. How about you launch a hardware store so it can fulfill their requirements? From screwdrivers to light bulbs, from electric wiring to hose pipes, a hardware store has plenty of products that are more commonly used by people daily.

In Conclusion

Dallas is rich with creative people and entrepreneurs with brimming mindsets. If you have a knack for doing something, Dallas can be a great state to initiate your venture. You can start with just about anything you want. The possibilities of making investments are beyond your imagination. Brainstorm crazy ideas and implement them. And no matter how small you begin, the city supports those who have the will to strive and flourish.

The above discussed are a few ideas that I believe can work wonders for you. Do you have anything more interesting in mind? Feel free to share it with us at Branex - A fully digital and web design agency in the USA.

With the surge of mobile app users around the world, specifically during the COVID-19 period, entrepreneurs and businesses must capitalize on mobile apps to promote their business operations. We are living in a time where mobile apps hold a high significance. Approximately 95% of the individuals around the world own a smartphone and they have plenty of mobile apps.

Believe it or not, the average individual prefers to use mobile apps more than a website.

With so much surge of mobile apps in the digital market, entrepreneurs must capitalize on the right business ideas and make the best of what they can during the pandemic.

That’s why I have taken the time to perform thorough research on what can work best for businesses.

Are you planning to invest in building a profitable mobile app?

Video Calling Apps

The requirement to stay connected with your loved ones during the grave hour of the pandemic has become a necessity for individuals around the world. And nothing serves the purpose more effectively than a video calling app. It has become more important than ever during COVID-19.

It’s because people worldwide are in a strict lockdown, yet they have to communicate professionally. They have to ensure things are sailing smoothly in a proper & systemized manner around the world. And with the right video calling app, they can make the most of this work-from-home opportunity.

Businesses can invest in creating video calling apps that can facilitate the group video call feature. This feature can assist office employees in holding video call conferences for meetings. At the same time, it can assist teachers in conducting classroom sessions where they could easily educate a group of students. People can also hold webinars as well as perform live presentations and do whatnot.

Mobile Payment Gateway App

With physical distancing becoming the new norm, people are preferring to make online transactions more and more rather than physically visiting places to trade in cash for service/product. And nothing captures the attention of the economy more feverishly than a mobile payment gateway app to help. Perhaps online payment gateway apps are the most effective method of making multiple transactions easily without having physical contact. And there’s no more effective time than now to invest in this.

Maintaining the element of trust, safety, and security of your customer finances, the perfect mobile payment gateway app can serve millions of transactions easily every month, making your app a very profitable option for you. It can easily be integrated as an add-on to other website platforms as well. If you’re planning to invest in building a mobile app, then considering payment gateways is the best bet. 

Fitness Apps

While people are required to spend time indoors because of the rising pandemic situation within the country, people are getting a significantly lesser chance of going outside. At the same time, gyms & parks are also closed, which increases the difficulty for the average individual to work and shed weights. At times as such, they must consider keeping themselves in good shape.

Nothing serves the purpose as incredibly as a fitness app does.

People are more conscious about their health and the right fitness mobile app can help them set up the perfect routine. Many app development firms are now creating a much more interactive experience for house gym enthusiasts in collaboration with expert trainers. They are creating mobile app solutions that allow users to connect with their favorite trainers and initiate the process easily.

If you fail to capitalize on the fitness apps this season, you’re missing out.

E-Commerce Apps

E-commerce has indeed captured a major share of the digital market. It has long taken a stance before the pandemic affected the global population and right now, when we are going through a major outbreak, the need for e-commerce apps has become more eminent than before. As the demand for basic necessities profoundly increases, so does the requirement for mobile e-commerce apps.

People operating in the consumer goods industries are more likely to churn the best results out of the e-commerce mobile apps. For example, if you’re running a grocery store or a drug store in the United States, then an e-commerce mobile app can definitely work wonders for your business. If you want to invest your budget in the right app, then you require the right custom software development company to help you with that.

With the right e-commerce app for your business, you can increase profit margin manifolds quickly.

Learning Apps

Last but not least, on our list for the day are learning apps. During the pandemic, many individuals are finding themselves locked inside their homes and are left with no choice but to engage online. Among the many activities that they eagerly perform, learning activity is one that comes as a priority.

With the desire to learn new things, people are seeking new ways to progress forward with their knowledge. And at times as such, what they need is a robust learning application that can help them.

Businesses can invest in creating remarkable learning app experiences for their users.

They can use multiple interesting features which can make an individual’s learning experience better.

In Conclusion

Mobile apps have become quite the norm for average individuals around the world. The above discussed are a few mobile app ideas on which entrepreneurs can easily cash in. Right now, the opportunities to earn are getting scarce. These are trying times and nothing can work more effectively in your favor than a mobile app. Finding the right mobile app development service can be a tricky task, but not with us. Branex is a mobile app development company offering mobile app development services at the best price. Are you interested in getting a mobile app for your business as well?

One of the most important factors for any business to survive and thrive in the modern-day competitive market is the idea of staying relevant and delivering products/services in the right way to their desired audiences. Back in the days when selling products depended on traditional brick-and-mortar stores, reaching out to your desired audience was a task usually involving traditional methods of sales and advertising. If you wanted to sell, the best way of doing it was by reaching out to your target audience through digital media and mass media campaigns, billboards, brochure distributions, or word of mouth.

Fast forward to today, and things have now changed. Businesses are now utilizing new media such as social media platforms and other web channels to sell their products/services. They are using modern-day communication tools to interact with them digitally to serve their respective needs. Data and trends have enabled marketers to identify where their target market is instead of expending a great fortune of the budget on a diverse marketing campaign. They can now narrow down their marketing practices to target a particular area of customers to sell.

The idea of detailed target marketing through digital means is one of the ways digital transformation is impacting our lives and changing the habits of how we perform business with others.

Today, I am going to discuss how some of the businesses have transformed their efforts by introducing digital transformation within their business practices. Are you eager to learn how some of the famous companies such as Target, Porsche, and Best Buy have increased their stock price percentage with digital transformation agencies? It’s time to explore it with us. Without further ado, let’s begin.

Target Remodeled 400 Stores Digitally to Provide Better Experience

Back in 2004, want things were only entering the folds of the digital world. Target thought it would be a great idea to outsource its web presence to Amazon. But as things progressed with time, Target saw what potential the e-commerce market held and took back the reigns in 2011. Since then, Target has worked at remodeling its 400 stores, an eight-year process, and has introduced online ordering, in-store pick-ups, and many new aspects of selling businesses using modern-day technology.

It has successfully established a powerful social media presence and has shifted most of its marketing efforts to a D2C model. Without having any intermediaries in between, Target is now able to take a headlong dive in selling to its customers more efficiently. Their social media page is very active, allowing users to actively engage with the Brand and even purchase products directly from social channels. The company that started its digital transformation back in 2006 has seen a stock value rise in the charts today. Target Corporation stands at a net worth of stupendous $62 billion.

How Porsche Took a Step Up with a Simple App to Control Everything

If you are a fan of fast, luxurious cars, then no car company does the job better than Porsche. However, Porsche has now taken a step ahead by extending its digital transformation efforts. The car manufacturing company has recently introduced a prototype called Car Connect. It’s an app that allows the owner of the Porsche vehicle to do just about everything while driving. You can easily navigate to your desired destination, learn about traffic flow on the roads, read the news, change music, get safety notifications, check vehicle status, locate the car, and even get valet alerts.

It simply fits the entire car care experience in a single mobile app.

To make the experience better for their customers. They also assigned separate User IDs to its customers to collect information on their experiences & provide them with relevant feedback.

Best Buy Introduced a New Digital Perspective to Improve Delivery

When Amazon stepped in, there was hardly any other e-commerce store that could’ve imagined paralleling the online retail market giant, Amazon. When it reached the heights of its success, brands like Best Buy felt themselves secluded into a corner, wondering if they would ever make a comeback.

However, almost seven years ago, a new CEO transformed the perceptions of many working at Best Buy by introducing digital transformation. By simply turning one of the CD stores to deliver a better customer experience. Best Buy utilized the power of technology to improve delivery times and provide customer assistance. In this way, it allowed customers to get the most out of their products.

Not only that, but it also improved its digital marketing practices with Snail Mail. Best Buy’s adoption of Snail Mail for digital marketing enabled the firm to provide more robust support to its customers. Side-by-side support, Best Buy also gathered data on customers and used it to design its future marketing campaigns. Before you know it, they were right on track toward their success in no time.

How DHL Digitally Transformed Supply Chain with Smart Glasses

If there’s one thing where DHL can take pride in, it’s the level of automation the company has introduced in stock management and supply chain. Previously, the company greatly relied on pen and paper, manual scanners, and other traditional methods to make sure everything within the department ran smoothly. However, when organizations like Ricoh and Ubimax came forward with the wonderful idea to create smart glasses, things dramatically changed in the inventory and supply chain department. DHL has successfully managed to automate a large area of its traditional record-keeping.

Employees can now deliver information, read bar codes, and streamline pick-ups and drop-offs, all using a single, smart glass. Plus, the chances of errors have been greatly minimized, giving quite an experience.

In Conclusion

Here are a few examples of how some businesses have adopted digital transformation to make their business processes more streamlined. Strategic investments and leveraging the power of technology. Digital transformation has allowed many businesses to pull their ships out of the storm and settle themselves in calm waters. Are you one such business seeking transformation? Get in touch with our strategists and let us help you understand how you can also undergo such a transformation.

If you can generate leads even with a mediocre product – you still win. Because in the end, it is all about more leads and more revenue. For now, forget your product. You can either jazz up your product, tie a bow to it, or offer the best price for your product – but in the end, nothing will matter.

Even if you have the most user-friendly website and an award-worthy product. If people don’t know about it, you are doomed. The research concluded that startups crash in the first five years. Those startups that generate sustainable business end up winning. Simple!

Let us unpack six ways in which you can generate more leads in digital marketing and set your business on the right path.

Leads Generation via various Growth Marketing Methods

It is not just about numbers games anymore. If you are getting 5,000 visitors a day with no leads. It means that you need to extend your reach and try various other mediums to generate leads.

Here are some ways in which you can grab the attention of potential customers:

1. Creative Popup:

There are plugins in WordPress that give you the ability to create popups and make the user think before they leave the page. Even if you can grab some details like email or phone number, this is a win-win case for you.

2. Give something valuable:

The world is quite selfish. If you are willing to ask the customer for a favor, you must first give them something. For instance, if you want to glean the email address of a customer, provide them with a report or an eBook that can help them in some way. If you are forcing a customer to order urgently, offer a time-specific discount that will force the customer to buy the product.

3. Referral System:

There will be times when a customer will love your service but won’t tell you. An excellent way to get some benefit from the customer is to ask for a referral. Every time a referral purchases from you, the customer who is referred will be given a reward in appreciation. The reward can be in the form of a coupon code or a gift voucher, whatever works for your business.

Leverage Video Marketing

We all know that video is the most attention-grabbing medium to convert users into raving fans. Have you ever noticed the level of curiosity you feel while you scroll your newsfeed on Facebook? Is it just boring text, or are you looking for funny, surprising, and inspiring videos?

Video marketing is a never-ending trend that is not going anywhere soon. Mostly, brands use video to showcase their product features. That’s because when it comes to buying a product, people rely more on video testimonials than any other form of feedback.

Honestly, ask yourself when you are about to buy a new mobile. Do you rely on detailed reviews or do you watch a ton of YouTube reviews about the product?

The key differentiating factor in video marketing is the story. Storytelling can scale up your creativity and force people to think from a different angle.

If you want to see the power of storytelling in a video, check out this Barbie video:

Influencer Marketing can help Big time

In a research report, 83% of people claim that they believe and trust the recommendation of a family and friend while buying a new product.

To gain the trust of the customer, a smart form of marketing is using a familiar face to endorse your product.

When you pick the right influencer for your target audience, it will be easy for customers to trust your brand.

On the other hand, if you pick the wrong influencer, the customer will get confused and won’t even try your product in the first place.

If you don’t have any idea which influencer is creating the most impact. You can use a tool like SocialBlakers.com to learn about a particular influencer and how much it can help to get your message across. Just fill out a form, and you’ll get to know a lot about an influencer.

Use Personalized Landing Pages to Evoke Emotions

Whenever a customer clicks on an ad, they will be directed towards a page. A landing page is your opportunity to engage with potential customers and create a first impression for them.

Upon learning the buying behavior of your customers, you will be able to create personalized landing pages that will evoke emotions among customers.

When the message on your page matches the values of the customer or claims to solve their problem. The customer will rush to try out your product.

When you understand the heart and mind of a customer, you’ll be able to develop relevant content and send it over to your customer.

Speaking of distribution of content, if you need to get an idea of how to create engaging emails. Do check ReallyGoodEmails.com which will help you to create content designed for specific niches.

Stick to the Data

Data is the brain-child for everyone and digital marketers are no exception. In an era where everything is in the mist, following a data-driven approach is a must. Everyone has heard about Google Analytics, but tools like Heap Analytics and Mixpanel can help you to understand the movements of your audience. And predict the highest possible ROI that your marketing campaigns can achieve.  

Analyzing your website or app’s performance through the aforementioned analytical tools makes it easy to know more about users. Having rich user data helps you understand the buying intentions of the customers and where they are in the sales funnel. Equipped with this information, you’ll be able to figure out better what is bothering your customers and causing hurdles to complete the purchase.

Never, Ever Stop Testing

Everyone deserves a pat on their back. You’ve developed your website. Pop-ups are ready, you have customized your landing page. Now, your work is done. You need to wait and watch for the leads to fill your inbox, right? Wrong!

Every brand’s digital marketing efforts are a work in progress and require constant optimizations to achieve the best possible results.

A/B testing is a fantastic thing. It allows you to test multiple versions of a page to see which one is giving a maximum return.

A/B testing is not just limited to landing pages or websites; in fact, you can use split testing to check out the efficacy of your email marketing and ad campaigns as well.

It is hard to predict the result of A/B testing, but sometimes even a small change can make all the difference that you need to increase your leads.

The critical thing to keep in mind is to keep on testing and adapting to the dynamic digital landscape to get the best results for your brand.

It’s a Wrap

In the end, it is wise to say that digital marketing is not a sprint; it is a marathon. Keep this in mind and you’ll create every campaign, every page, and every email with a growth mindset. If you want to know more about digital marketing services, or are feeling confused about where to start for your business. Let us help you take away your worries.

I have sensitive skin and it goes haywire if I apply something it doesn’t approve of. In the endeavor of keeping healthy skin in this dry winter, I recently purchased a moisturizing cream that was referred to me by a friend of a friend. The cream is excellent, and I am happy with it. I purchased it because I trusted my friend and his friend had given positive reviews of the product.

Do you know that 92% of online consumers read online reviews before buying a product from a brand?

If you have a new eCommerce store, a few positive reviews can impact the buying decisions of the customers.  To boost your sales, you must focus on gaining the trust of the customers.

There are a ton of ways in which you can encourage the customer to leave a positive review. But if you are planning to grow your business fast, it is better that you create such a fantastic experience that customers rush back to your website to leave a positive review.

Here are five ideas that will help your brand to impact your consumer marketing initiatives.

Online Reviews Widgets

On a good day, if you Google, ‘Online Review Widgets', you’ll see around 206 million search results. Most of these widgets are WordPress-based and designed to work with WordPress websites.

These WordPress widgets are simple, easily installed, and offer a superior user experience, and allow you to integrate the reviews from Facebook, Google into your website. 

When you give customers an option to leave their feedback in one place, you’ll create a sense of transparency on the website. When actual customers leave a review, it will be a chance to showcase these reviews to visitors.

Whether the customer will leave a review on Yelp, Google, or Rize, it will help you to get a positive response from people.

Collaborate with Local Bloggers

The easiest way to generate traffic on your website is to get positive reviews from local bloggers. Send these bloggers a free sample and ask them to leave a review on the site.

Of course, every review is critical, but a single review from an influencer can leave a significant impact on your potential customers.

To begin your search for a local blogger, you can use tools like Right Relevance or GroupHigh and pinpoint influencers who may be interested in your products and services.

For some influencers, you need to start a conversation before they take any interest in your product. Once a relationship is built, it will be easy to ask them for a product review.

Just like everything else, this, too has a downside. The review will be posted on your website or even your social media page. So, if there is even a single unsatisfied review, it will take ages to recover from negative traction gathered through the review.

The key here is to keep improving your product/service so that even if you get a negative review, other reviews might cover that up.

Lastly, keep a check on your primary customer audience. For instance, if the audience is 45, do not send a 23-year-old blogger to represent your product.

Social Media Advertising

Social media is a powerful platform to get genuine reviews from customers.

Platforms like Twitter and Facebook have a massive amount of data on customer buying psychology. The customers are already there in groups, on pages where they are looking for products that overcome their needs.

When you take advantage of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, it will be easy for your products to reach the potential market of your customers. You can install social tracking pixels on your website so that you get a better idea of your target audience.

Check-in & Win

Apps like Wikets, Foursquare, and iPoints award points to customers, which can then be converted into points and get discounts.

You can add a check-in option in your custom mobile app/website where the consumer can get rewards, points, and even custom discounts when they check in at your store.

You can also add an option to leave a review and get coupons that you can then avail in the next order.

Ask!

In the end, it is okay to keep life simple and ask the customers for reviews.

Just like Google Maps, which sends push notifications when people visit a certain place. You can always ask new customers to leave a review on your website. Make the feedback mechanism intuitive to make the feedback process easy. When it comes to repeat customers, they’re usually more than happy to share feedback without feeling uncomfortable.

Don’t forget to support your family and friends who run a business. It might sound a bit cheesy when your grandpa leaves a review and shares how proud he is of you. But this might start a good stream of reviews from your family and your closest supporters.

Final Word

Don’t force customers to leave a review for your brand. Make the website experience so enriching that they come back to leave a promising review for your brand. Don’t tell the customer how you are different, show them with your service and with your product.

You’ve been grinding away for the past ten years and religiously followed a 9-5 routine at the workplace.

One day at work, you had an epiphany.

You realize that after a professional journey of ten years and three employers, you’re still not where you wanted to be financially.

To achieve your financial aspirations, you should begin your entrepreneurial journey as you’ve amassed enough skills and knowledge in your domain.

Keeping your competence in mind, you conduct market research and look for demand gaps that you can fill with your product/service.

All of this requires a ton of perseverance and a high level of optimism to go through this initial difficult period.  Sounds tough? You bet it is.

It’s already difficult enough to begin a venture in your city, let alone in a foreign country.

Now imagine you plan to start a venture in a foreign country. For that, you make a ton of investment, hire employees, and later find that the country isn’t conducive at all for business.

How would that make you feel?

I’m sure it would be something way beyond “not good.”

That’s why no matter how much technical knowledge you have or how amazing your product is, if you don’t know the country you’re planning to start a business in then you’ve already lost it.

While in some countries, it is easy even to set up a business in a few hours, on the other end of the spectrum are countries that are absolute hell when it comes to business.

Here is a list of the best and the worst countries to start your business on the planet.

Best countries to Start a business

United Kingdom

In all the 15 criteria that Forbes used to rate countries, the UK topped Forbes list of the most stable countries to start a business.

They say that numbers don’t lie, which means that there are huge investments, capital flows, and many opportunities for entrepreneurs who are willing to go places where they can start from scratch and scale big.

These are not only the factors that will entice you to start from the UK, there are other factors as well.

• You can set up your business within an hour or so.
• The British Government offers some benefits to founders and investors who pay regular taxes, and the employees get some attractive incentives from a financial point of view.
• Moreover, the UK has one of the lowest corporate tax pay rates among other countries which is quite attractive as well.

Singapore

As per the World Bank, Singapore gives one of the healthiest opportunities to start a business. Apart from the economic indicator, there are a couple of other factors that will help you to decide better:

• Singapore is a politically stable country.
• It is one of the wealthiest countries that has a lot of disposable income.
• The labor force is strong.
• There are no dividend or capital gains taxes imposed.
• Offers free trade agreements for huge markets.
• Easy to register your business online.

Moreover, Singapore offers low airfare to the neighboring countries, which means that the business owner can easily travel to Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

Canada

Even though the standard of living is high in Canada, the country is progressing at an impressive rate with its manufacturing, service, and mining sectors. With these gains, the nation transformed from a rural economy to a highly urban and industrialized economy.

The country also has vast oil and gas reserves just after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia.

Canada shares a balanced trade with the US that offers enormous opportunities for investors to tap into the Canadian market through the US.

The stable political situation, excellent health care, and skilled labor are a few other advantages for starting a business in Canada. All of these make it a lucrative destination for business investors looking to take advantage of the service or industrial sector.

Hong Kong

In the past few years, Hong Kong’s economy has grown steadily, which makes it a perfect gateway for startups, and entrepreneurs to set up their businesses in Hong Kong. As a free-market economy, Hong Kong is dependent on trade and international finance.

The highly trained workforce and well-designed transport and communication make it easy to start any business. The economy is doing great in that it is established as a go-to stock market for Chinese companies that want to trade abroad.

On the other hand, natural resources are limited in Hong Kong, so the import is quite high. This might sound a bit discouraging but there are no tariffs on imported goods on a few items like petroleum, hard alcohol, methyl alcohol, and tobacco.

Worst Countries to Start a Business

Chad

The biggest problem with Chad is that everything has to be imported, which makes it challenging to start a business because even before the start, there will be transportation costs and high dependency on its neighbors.

Moreover, oil is the biggest commercial commodity, and the whole country is served by just one refinery that makes it short for businesses.

Even cheap labor is not of any use because the available work is unskilled and uneducated. Apart from the above issues, other issues surround the Chad economy:

• There is limited communication and transport infrastructure.
• The elevated level of corruption in the government is one major drawback.
• Extensive government bureaucracy

The country is an excellent dept country with unskilled labor and inadequate infrastructure. To start a business in Chad is not only impossible; it is merely frustrating at best.

Haiti

There was a time when Haiti was considered a place for gorgeous beaches and warm ocean water. But after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010, Haiti is now more of an emergency state. The economy was excellent before the earthquake, but after that, everything went south.

There is a high level of corruption, political instability, a low level of education, and a high level of poverty.

It is without a doubt that Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Even though the tariff-free exports from the US are a good sign, the unskilled labor, and the vulnerability to natural disasters make it a terrible place to start a business. Plus, after the earthquake, communication and transport never became stable after 2010.

Libya

Libya was considered as an African powerhouse. But after the Arab Spring that spread like fire across the Northern African nations in 2014, Libya’s trade reduced significantly with the world.

The country is entirely dependent on oil and gas exports, but after 2015 the radicals took control of the oil terminals and after an armed conflict, the oil production was halted. 

It is due to the armed conflict that the country is not safe to work anymore. The lack of infrastructure, the lack of food & security for the people, and the lack of a stable labor force all make Libya not conducive to business investments at the moment.

India

In a survey done in Expat Insider 2019, it was revealed that India ranks fifth from the bottom in terms of safety and security among 64 countries.

The survey concluded that four out of every ten people hold negative feelings about peace in India and are worried about personal safety in a Hindu-majority country.

India scored low in the environmental pollution area as well, which makes it difficult for professionals to work in an unclean country. In a survey, an American pointed out, “I always have to take my guard with me when I go outside, I don’t feel safe working here.”

Sure, Indians are working across the globe, and maybe that sends a clear signal that India is not safe to start a business even for Indians. Moreover, the continuous political instability raises concerns for expats who feel unsafe working in India. The level of corruption in the government sector makes it very difficult for entrepreneurs to do anything reasonably.

Lastly, the above-average working hours are erratic for people who are new in the country. Just being affordable for expats doesn’t make India the safest and most peaceful place to begin your business.

Finishing it up

Even though it is tough to sleep in an uncomfortable bed, away from your family, the real motivation –passion can give you possible reasons to start a business in another country. When you plan to start a business, just be sure that you don’t pick and choose the worst countries to work in and start a market where it is advised and preferred.

"In the early days of building Unity, I was told to hire a business executive that someone I look up to had previously worked with. Because of the warm recommendation, I went on to ignore my intuition that said something was wrong.

What happens next is the usual story of a bad leadership hire.

You’re too busy to notice that things slowly go wrong for the new person and his or her team. Old team members are alienated; new team members fit poorly or are misapplied. Pressure in the organization grows, but as the recommendation for this hire was warm and so many were impressed by their CV, it takes months to react. The hire reflects badly on the founders. Damage is done and will take a long time to fix." ~David Helgason, Founder of Unity Technologies, a real-time 3D development platform.

Making mistakes is part of a startup. But the sad part is that not every startup founder is willing to learn from these mistakes that would eventually stifle the organization’s growth. Here are some of the most common problems and challenges that frustrated the founders in the year 2023.

Globalization

An interview done by the Lean Methods Group concluded that Fortune 500 CEOs mark Globalization as the top concern when it comes to business problems. To penetrate a foreign culture, it is necessary to understand the culture so that products can be modified with a local touch or to find out whether the local culture is even going to accept the product in the first place.  

The problem can be solved by understanding the global market by gathering information and analyzing the demand of the customers. To scale the business on a worldwide level, it is necessary not just to understand the culture and the people but also the laws and regulations of the government in the country you wish to operate.

Information Overload

Does the number 1,630,322,579 ring any bells?

I guess not.

It’s the total number of websites created in the year 2018. As of 2019, there are 2.47 million mobile apps on the Google Play Store. But the real question to ask is, how will this information help you to grow your business?

None!

Because this is information overload, any information that doesn’t scale up a startup is information overload.

The problem with this kind of information is that it feels like an essential piece of information but it is not. Most of the entrepreneurs fall into this false trap of information upload. Everywhere you go, there is a plethora of information out there.

The insurmountable challenge is to eliminate all the information that cannot be converted into valuable knowledge and used to make the business better.

Crunching numbers is good, but at the end of the day, what’s important is what we do with these numbers.

Simplifying Complexity

There is no denying that life and business are both getting complex. Due to information overload, specific tasks and activities have no doubt become easier. People are connected on a global scale.

The suppliers, manufacturers, and customers are looking forward to a way to reduce the number of steps required to complete a process. For instance, 3D printing is a fantastic example. The printer analyzes the patterns and creates something complex with just a few steps.

The problem is how to develop better systems that enhance the overall business models, processes, and services in a way that minimizes unnecessary complexity.

Security Threats

Do you know about the 14 Million data breach on Hostinger? What about a security breach at NASA from a hacker for 10 months? Or the information breach at Flipboard?

You might not have heard about any of the above data breaches, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t happen. These were just part of the data breaches that happened in 2019.

Tech leaders have been gearing up for next-generation, AI-driven cyber-attacks.

Security experts are vigilant in detecting and training against these data threats. The year 2024 will not be different.

The founders need to take notice of the AI security risks that can bring their business operations to a halt by gaining access to their IT infrastructure.

Scaling Up

So, your product has phenomenal growth. Congrats! You are one of those startups who got lucky. To start and run a business is easy. If you want to sneak out from the typical 9-8 dilemma, then keep running at your normal phase.

But if you have that fire in your belly, you’ll have to scale your business at some point. Mind you, not many businesses can handle scaling up.

No scaling up does not only mean adding employees to your startup; it means you need to focus on a strategy and business goals that can handle more customers and high-value clients.

Of course, you need to increase your office space or find a more prominent place to squeeze in the new staff but before that, you need to plan how you will handle the scaling up of business. Here is a fantastic speech by Jack Ma on how to scale your business fast.

Glued to Comfort Zone

Since childhood, we have been trained to play safely. Don’t get out too much with your friends. And don’t eat anything from outside. Don’t talk to strangers. While most of these instructions are okay, some of them force us to stay in our safe zones. As a child, it feels lovely to remain in the safe zone. But as you grow old, the safe zone will not benefit you at all.

One of the startup problems in 2019 was that businesses were not convinced to leave their comfort zones at any cost.

Scaling a business is like taking one step back after every two steps forward. It takes grits.

You’ll have to wear a lot of different hats, and you must put yourself out of your comfort zone.

So, are you prepared to take the leap and make your investors beg you to choose the funding? Or you’ll take whatever they decide and whatever they ask without negotiating anything for you in return.

When you figure out your comfort zone in the early stages of your startup, it will help you to drive the direction of your startup. It would help if you also had people in your team who are okay with you leaving your comfort zone.

Not Finding a Mentor

Merely having a great product doesn’t guarantee success. Your ability to take the product to the next level depends on seeking advice from experts. The mentor’s wisdom can help you clear the roadblocks that are holding your startup back.

Having somebody on your back, who can help you in making major decisions is super useful. There are times when you might feel stuck and in those times, you need the maturity, emotional stability, and experience of a true mentor. 

And, when you reach the peak, make it a habit to share your wisdom with people who need it most.

Finishing It Up

Now that I’ve shared some of our top challenges, we’d love to hear about your business startup journey. Has your startup faced any particularly tricky obstacles? How did you handle them? Let us know in the comments below.

Remember that first job interview for an online business?

You are stumbling on every step, sweating your way out, not being able to think clearly, and realizing that you are shaking while you are talking with the interviewer.

Often, it is not about the interview itself; it is about the first impression that you create on the person conducting your interview.

Just within a few seconds, you are evaluated based on the way you look and communicate with the interviewer. 

Mostly, they will create an impression of you based upon your expressions, gestures, and postures or the way you explain your skillset to them.

Similarly, when people visit your website, they will judge you on a few things. If the site is attractive, they will stick to it; if not, they will move on to the next best website in the list.

These tips will help you create an impressive experience in the eyes of the visitors.

Keep it Neat & Clean

Although Minimalism can generate more leads, every business has its target audience, which means you need to use an approach that fits the best target audience.

I am not going to tell you how to design a website; our custom web design agency can design & develop a website for you. But what I want to emphasize is that the website design must sync with your business values and the nature of your business.

There’s no point in developing a funky website if it doesn’t reflect your brand identity or fulfill your goals. 

Sure, everyone wants a cool website. A website that can attract customers and facilitate them to do business with you. The goal of the website should be to give people what they want. That being said, a bland website cannot achieve such a goal. A neat and clean site with a seamless flow can help you to engage the customer and keep their focus on your product.

Check how DigiLab has placed the elements and did an excellent job of creating an attractive website design.

Quickly Satisfy their Needs

If you’ve ever attended a webinar, you may have noticed most of the speakers purposely beat around the bush before revealing anything productive. And they do this so that you can buy a book or pay something to get all the answers.

You don’t have to do any such thing on your website. Be prompt in offering your audience the information that they need. When the target audience gets the desired information quickly, they will not just love you; they will share the experience with their friends and family.

For instance, giving a return policy on the shopping cart page will save time for the user.

Choose One Layout Pattern

I’ve learned this from a senior website designer at my firm. There are two ways in which the visitor views every website. Either they see it in an F-shaped flow or a Z-shaped flow. And this is why bullet points get attention fast.

If you want the customer to view the critical information quickly, ensure those points are in either of the two layout patterns.

If a page loads within 2-3 seconds, it gives an average bounce rate of 9%. But if it takes 5 seconds or more, it provides a bounce rate of 38%.

The most common problem that website owners face with a website is its loading speed. To deduce the speed of your website, you can do the following things:

• Begin by optimizing images and writing content in a web-friendly format.
• For images to load quickly, cache the images.
• To get the best results, it is advised to use a high-end server.

Speed is one factor that affects the ranking in search engines. How quickly your website loads represents what kind of business you are. If it lags, then your image will be that of a company that doesn’t respond promptly to the needs of its customers. Therefore, make sure your website is optimized to load quickly across different devices and browsers.

Use Catchy CTA Buttons

The only purpose of a Call to action button is to stimulate people to act desirably. What you need to make sure is to give the visitor an unforgettable experience.

However, it is essential that the flow of the page should not break, and the design must entice the user to act.  

The CTA is just like a trigger that can motivate the visitor to take the desired action. It could be to fill out a contact form or drive the visitor to the portfolio page. To ensure this happens smoothly, the CTA must complement the overall design of the page, if you plan to blend it into the design and naturally turn the potential customers into revenue-generating customers.

These are some of the locations where you can put the CTA button for maximum results:

• Right at the bottom: The best place to start is by pitching the services and educating them with all your offerings.
• Somewhere in the middle: Right when you are discussing the important stuff, you can disclose your services on the page.
• Side CTA: When grabbing the attention of the users, it is necessary to change the place of the CTA to the side of the page.

To Wrap It All Up

It is all about offering a pretty good first impression. The hard part is to maintain that impression throughout the journey of the customer. Once lost, is it impossible to get it back? As the saying goes, “Never make promises you can’t keep”.

You must not overcommit to the customer at the start. If you have something worthy, offer it right there. If not, use the tips above to create something that will get people talking.

Even if you are not a fan of online shopping, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are days when even a penny-pincher finds it difficult to resist the temptation to spend. Two days when you allow yourself to go berserk and purge your credit card limit in a shopping frenzy.

These are the days when people spend money on gifts for their loved ones or to treat themselves. Major B2C retailers take it as an obligation to offer huge discounts in the form of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to their customers to grab their attention. Price slashing in the holiday season is a must-do activity that no B2C retailer can ignore.

While some people hate these days, for the rest of the people and the retailers these days are the happiest and most profitable days of the year.

That’s why people cannot live without offering discounts, promotions, and whatever they can offer to get business on these critical days.

But before you even start thinking about marketing campaigns for Black Friday or Cyber Monday, here are some tips that will surely add a couple of hundred to your account.

Encouraging New Customers

• Social Proof Popup: Add testimonials to the shopping cart page. When new customers see that others are buying from you, it will build trust for your brand.
• Sales Popup: Display new promotions on the main page or category pages of your website.
• Display Activity: When the customer sees that people are buying from the website and sales are increasing every minute, it will force them to buy from your brand.
• Timebound Offers: Time is a valuable commodity. When you know that a specific discount is available for a certain period or when there will be a discount on a particular day, it will entice people to order on that day.
• Discount to Specific Groups: If you are targeting a vast range of customers, it is advised that you use special discounts to target micro-segments of customers.

Retaining Old Customers

• Exit Popups: When an old customer is about to leave the store without ordering anything, you can capture their attention with a heartfelt personal message. This might change their minds.
• Free Shipping Bar: When customers add a product to their cart, show them how much they need to avail of free shipping.
• Countdown: An extension of the timebound offers is a countdown. You can countdown to create a sense of urgency and stimulate your customers by displaying how much time is left on Black Friday or Cyber Monday so they can plan their budget accordingly.
• Cart Timers: If you want to eliminate cart abandonment, you can always display how much time is left before the product gets removed from the shopping cart.
• Animated Notification: Whenever a customer switches to a different tab, you can get their attention back with animated or creative notifications.

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Social Media Tips

• Combine two products: When people browse products on social media, they often seek the most discounted items. On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you can combine more than one product and offer an exclusive discount.
• Run Ads: To maximize your exposure to social media tips, run promotions and target visitors who are not your customers yet.
• Collaborate with other brands: Every brand offers something on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You can seek brands that provide products that can complement your brand.
• Use the Power of Landing Pages: One prominent tactic that brands use again and again is landing pages to attract targeted customers. Make custom pages and drive the traffic on those pages to boost your sales.
• Celebrate Discount Every Day: What you can do is pick one category from your website and offer a discount for a whole day. Choose another category and provide some more discounts. Continue a discount for an entire week.     
• Extend your Discount: Amazing thing about the human brain is that it loves comparing things. When you compare your Black Friday & Cyber Monday discounts with the previous year's discounts, it will be easy for the customer to choose the latter as they will instantly see which one is more beneficial.
• Launch a referral program: Do you know that a well-planned referral program can generate 3900% growth? Yes. When done right, a referral program can increase your fans and make massive sales for your business.
• Offer Flash Sale with a Contest: When people browse social media, they often look forward to instant discounts. When you offer flash sales, it gives people a motive to take part in and avail of the discount.

To Wrap it all up

Bear in mind that the holiday season is a treasure trove of opportunities to try something new with your ordinary email marketing campaigns. If not you, someone else is already trying different campaigns to succeed on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

So, grab your cup of coffee and fasten your seat belt to embark on Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, with these fantastic tips. I’m sure the tips mentioned above inspire you.