Importance of branding your business

Importance of Branding Your Business

What is a Brand?

Branding your business is an essential step that any business owner need to take, whether yours is a small- or big-time business. In fact, it is something that must be looked into during the phase of business planning.

A brand is basically a name or a logo that will be used in advertising campaigns to represent your company or business. This will be used when printing out your business cards or when referring to your company. Hence, deciding on a brand must be undertaken with much consideration and thought. To sum it up, a brand details who you are, what you do, and how you do it.

Importance of Branding

There are several aspects that involve branding businesses. Each has its own importance and impact on attaining your business goals. This is a step that every beginning businessman needs to educate him or herself about because it will determine the company's performance in the future.

Here are reasons as to why business branding must be given careful thought:

Creating Business Identity

When you use a business idea to start your own business venture, chances are there are already some other existing businesses with the same nature as yours. Therefore, you need to create a brand for your business that will differentiate you from your competitors.

So when deciding on a brand name or logo for your company, you need to think of creative ways that will help make your business be easily remembered by potential customers. Distinction is a vital part of every business venture and when people find that you have something unique to offer that lets you stand out from competing businesses, then you are one step closer to your business goals.

Once you have created your company brand, then that is when you need to look into delivering quality product or service that your brand will be perceived as. That takes you now to the next essential aspect involved with branding, which is marketing.

Marketing and Advertising Campaign

Branding also impacts the sales force of your product. If you are able to create a brand name that people will easily remember and recognize for your outstanding products, then it helps create an efficient branding system for your company.

The first step for a successful business is taking the time to let people know who you are, what you do, and the means at which you do it. Properly communicating your company's vision through your brand is an essential stage of any business branding effort. Having established an effective company brand will also create awareness of the product you are promoting.

So, when people hear your brand, then they would easily think of your products or services and your company's reputation.

 

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Import export building a profitable home based business with zero capital

Import/export - Building A Profitable Home Based Business With Zero Capital

Woolen jackets, paper rolls, light up teddy bears, clocks and DVDs - there is tremendous potential to make a very good profit from all of these products and countless others just by knowing the basics of one of the worlds oldest trades.

Importing & exporting may not be the first thing that leaps into your mind when you think of home based businesses. However, there are few genuine opportunities that offer better prospects - big profits, subsidised travel and a good work-fr...

import export,home business,make money home,best home business,import export book

Woolen jackets, paper rolls, light up teddy bears, clocks and DVDs - there is tremendous potential to make a very good profit from all of these products and countless others just by knowing the basics of one of the worlds oldest trades.

Importing & exporting may not be the first thing that leaps into your mind when you think of home based businesses. However, there are few genuine opportunities that offer better prospects - big profits, subsidised travel and a good work-from-home lifestyle are just a few of the benefits you'll enjoy once your import/export business is up and running. The set-up and operational costs can also be accommodated on a total shoe string budget.

So is importing/exporting from home right for you? Here are a few factors you need to consider before taking your first steps into this lucrative business:

1. Creating Contacts - You will need to contact many different importers and exporters and this can be difficult for some. In the internet age just about every contact you need is already online. There are hundreds of free bulletin boards you can visit to see who wants to buy or sell any number of products, in addition to several specialist websites and trade magazines.

2. A fair level of attention to detail is required - by keeping your customers satisfied and providing them with exactly what they request you will be setting yourself up for a good stream of future business.

3. You will need to create a detailed plan to identify your own desired goals and objectives from your business. We all know the saying ''if you fail to plan then you plan to fail'' - ask yourself the difficult questions that many shy away from. Here are just a few of these..What do you have going for you to make this a success? Will you start full time or part time? Can you get any help (family/friends) in the beginning? What type of products will you trade? In which countries? What mode of transport will you use to get your goods from A to B? How will you learn about international trade regulations? What method of international payment will you use? What foreign regulations must you be aware of? Again, these are just a sample of the questions you need to ask - get some paper and scribble down everything you could possibly think of.

4. You will need to decide on your form of organisation - will you operate as a sole trader, partnership or limited company? Each form has it's own distinct advantages and disadvantages.

So how do you go about finding products to import and export once all the nuts and bolts are in place? One great way is actually by travelling around - there are literally millions of products out there that have the potential to make you a small (or large) fortune once you import them into your domestic market. To illustrate my point, last year while on a holiday to India I stumbled over some delightful glow-up keyrings that were being sold for 10 rupees each (about 40 cents) - instinct had told me there was enormous profit potential here and upon returning home I found the same key-rings selling for $7.95 in a popular department store. Do you think it would be possible to profit from this situation? Of course it is, and there are countless other opportunities like these simply waiting to be discovered. It is also possible to write off your travel expenses (flights, hotels, dining costs etc) against your profits which gives you a great chance to travel the world at a heavily subsidised rate.

You can also find ideas on what to sell by sifting through specialised publications & websites, investigating trade shows and by browsing national trade statistics (eg via the United Nations Yearbook Of International Trade Statistics). But above all, be alert - when you see something interesting, ask yourself ''can I import this thing in my home market?''

Now a word about marketing - whether you like it or not, the long term success for any product depends to a large degree on the way it is marketed. Get this right and you could make a lot of cash very quickly. Get it wrong and you could struggle. Like most things marketing technique can be acquired and refined but you should come up with a marketing plan in addition to your general plan. Encouragingly from a work-at-home perspective there are any number of marketing methods that will bring you success, some at very low (or no) cost.

OK, what we have gone through is just the tip of the iceberg. A profitable work from home import & export business is more possible than most could envisage but as with any worthwhile venture you will require some level of persistence and willingness to learn. If you're willing to put in the effort the rewards are far greater than you could possible imagine.

 

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Importance of a business analyst

Importance of a Business Analyst

Each year technology advances at break neck speeds. These advances are utilized by businesses all across the globe. Multi-million dollar corporations are caught in a "keeping up with the Jones" race to develop new products or better ways of serving the consumer. At times, the bottom line starts to fall. When the trend starts to become a normal thing, there is a problem. This is when a company may need to step back and regroup. Even then, trying the same old thing just does not produce the desired results. A business analyst can come in and trouble shoot the issues.

A certified business analyst is trained to recognize problems and come up with solutions. He or she can listen to what the management is saying and turn it into facts and figures which can be incorporated into a project program. Listening is one of the best attributes a business analyst can have.

When the professional business analyst listens, he or she will hear what is being said. They will also hear what is being implied. The management may know what the problem is, just not how to fix it in a timely manner. Listening to all parties involved will give the analyst a broader scope of the problem. This may mean meeting with IT and other employees. Listening to lower level teams may lead to discoveries no-one knew existed.

The business analyst is removed from the situation, an outsider looking in. This does not mean the analyst has to be an outsider. He or she can be in the organization already. It is just that they can look at the project objectively and determine what is a waste of time and what is not. A different perspective is always a fresh start to any program. It is important to not follow in the same path. It did not work the first time, why would it work this time?

It is important to bring in someone who has a creative side. Someone with good people skills can manage a group of people to motivate them into action. A good business analyst will do this very thing. Acting as a liaison between different teams and departments, the business analyst can keep each unit informed of what is happening. He or she can delegate duties while explaining what must be done and why. He or she may allow freedom of expression and allow someone to generate fantastic ideas which may have been tossed aside in the past.

It can become frustrating to implement a plan of action only to discover when it is put into affect, it is no longer a viable solution. The business analyst will not allow this to happen. He or she is looking at the end goal and keeping up with changes which may affect the outcome. The perfect business analyst is abreast of what is needed and what is wanted. He or she can use this information to develop a flexible plan. Instead of a plan "B", the plan "A" will be structured to allow for change or new needs.

The reason it is important to have a business analyst is because businesses need "what if" people. They are the ones who determine if a market changes how to incorporate new ways to target it. The business analyst knows if a new technology is on the market, and how it may help the company. Looking at a "what if" situation, the business analyst can determine what will or will not work. The professional business analyst can put a floundering company back on top.

 

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Importance of technology changes in business computing

Importance Of Technology Changes In Business Computing

The importance of keeping up with changes in business computing and technology can be more important over time as your business grows. As and an IT professional far too often I have seen many small businesses get way too far behind in computing technology and wonder why they should pay for the upgrades. Usually I have to explain to them the hard way that the current computers system that are over 4 years old are not going to perform the requested task very well and are not su...

business computing,small business computer, home business computer, home office, computer checks

The importance of keeping up with changes in business computing and technology can be more important over time as your business grows. As and an IT professional far too often I have seen many small businesses get way too far behind in computing technology and wonder why they should pay for the upgrades. Usually I have to explain to them the hard way that the current computers system that are over 4 years old are not going to perform the requested task very well and are not supported by software. Usually do to combination of software changes and incompatibility with older software and hardware platforms that cause issues. I explain that it actually will cost them more money in the long run to try and maintain there existing computer equipment then buy a new replacement.

Most small businesses fail to recognize that keep computer equipment very long periods actually can cost them more money to maintain those systems then the price of a replacement. One cost is the amount if money you pay out for replacement

 

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