Category: Startups

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Optimizing Customer Experience: 5 Tips for Start-ups 

Optimize and personalize every customer experience and have repeat clients. The customer journey will speak for your brand, so make them happy.

So you’ve decided to start your own business. Congratulations! You have a revolutionary new product and great ideas for your business model. You’re excited to introduce it to the public. 

However, the products you create or the services you offer are not the only considerations in opening and growing your business. There are more things you need to learn before officially launching your company. 

Customer Experience (CX) Optimization is something you should pay attention to. Detail your plans from initial contact with clients to customer retention strategies.  

What is customer experience optimization?

To put it simply, customer experience is your customers’ perception of how your brand treats them. It’s the quality of all interactions and every point of contact. It includes visiting your social media pages or watching your ads, making queries using the live chat services on your website, or purchasing your products—these, and a lot more.

An essential part of the CX is the emotions associated with each interaction, such as expectation, satisfaction, loyalty, or disappointment. Think of it as the totality of your brand’s relationship with an individual. These interactions, along with associated feelings and perceptions, affect behavior.

Customer experience optimization, then, can be understood as making the process of attracting customers, engaging with them, and improving their perception of your company better. This is key to striking a balance between the customer’s expectations and your brand’s goals.

In today’s world of oversaturation and competition, a top-notch customer experience will set you apart from the crowd. Positive brand recognition is just one of the benefits that start-ups can enjoy, thanks to CX optimization. Here are some tips you can use. 

1. Create a loyalty program 

Attracting customers to buy your products once is good, but clients who regularly support your company are better. Making your customers feel valued builds brand loyalty. It will also make you the most profit in the long term.

One of the best ways to do that is by having a loyalty program. This can look and function differently depending on the products you offer, but the goal remains the same. In restaurants, for example, birthday celebrators get free cupcakes.  

Stamp cards, often used by cafés like Starbucks, encourage customers to buy more frequently to get stamps for their every purchase, of course, with the promise of a reward in the end. These can be free drinks on the house or products like tumblers or pens. The Starbucks planners are trendy and practical. Since you cannot buy it without purchasing a set number of drinks, customers will spend more.

Additionally, these products can serve as promotional merchandise. Giving discounts to repeat customers is also a common practice. The cost of implementing a loyalty program often pays for itself by driving extra sales.



2. Be present on multiple channels 

The development of social media platforms, messaging services, and the like has provided many opportunities for better CX. Your website or your emails are not the only points of contact you can establish anymore.

You can take advantage of social media by making a presence on all relevant channels. Social media sites and apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are all used by companies. Such tools aid in engaging with their current user base and attract more potential customers. Each platform has its features and communities that you can take advantage of.  

Messaging services can also make it easier for direct communication between you and your customers. The instantaneous response time expected is more favorably received than email. Also, make sure to prioritize the mobile interface. Smartphones are now used in going online as much as laptops are, and your website needs to adapt to this change.

3. Regularly monitor reviews and complaints

A bad review from one customer can quickly go viral in minutes and do significant damage to your brand. To prevent this, it is a good idea to monitor your Facebook page, for example, or any popular review sites where your customers may be present. Complaints may result from a misunderstanding on the customers’ part. Responding can clear your name to prospects who base their opinions on other customers’ reviews.  

4. Request feedback from current customers

You can glean lots of helpful insight from asking your current customers. You can, for instance, learn exactly why they buy your products or services. There may be specific reasons for different groups of customers that you can take advantage of. Happy customers may have suggestions that can increase the good experience of other customers.  

Identify areas for improvement to provide better service. Are there any aspects that they feel dissatisfied with, for example? Does the overall service meet all their expectations? You may even scope out potential interest in future products or offerings.

Giving customers discounts for their feedback makes them more likely to stick around and entice them to buy more. You, in turn, will have data that you can use to improve your business. It’s a win for everyone. 

5. Be responsive

Customers often feel valued when they get quick responses to their feedback or inquiries. Whether through email or messaging services, they don’t want to wait for answers. Faster response times make it easier for you to capture customer interest as it comes and lead to higher success rates. Answering customer queries immediately can be challenging, primarily if your start-up is composed of a small team. 

Having auto-responders or chatbots is an excellent solution to this. You can use auto-responders to set expectations for when customers can hear back from you. Chatbots can answer common questions that do not necessarily need your team’s attention.  

6. Put your customers first 

Good quality products and low prices are not the only deciding factors for customers anymore. Customer Experience is now widely considered essential for businesses. Companies are prioritizing CX optimization over other factors like pricing and product development. Start-ups especially need to focus on the quality of CX they offer, as initial performance in this area can affect the growth of their business. 

Following these tips will undoubtedly help start-up owners optimize the buyer’s experience and retain customers. 

Author: Trevor Michael 

Author Bio: Trevor Michael is a Customer Contact Industry Specialist of Select VoiceCom. He has operated successfully within this niche industry for over ten years across Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. He enjoys writing, golf and going to social events.  



Tools You’ll Need for Your New Electrical Company

Opening a new electrical company is a big undertaking. Here, we’ll discuss some of those essential items that every electrical company needs to stay safe and productive on the job site.

Opening a new electrical company is a big undertaking. It’s not just about hiring qualified electricians and purchasing the necessary equipment for your team to do their jobs; you have to think of all the tools that will be needed as well. Here, we’ll discuss some of those essential items that every electrical company needs to stay safe and productive on the job site.

Ladder

Ladders are probably an essential item to every electrical company. If there is only one thing you buy for your business, it should be ladders. You’ll need them frequently, and they’re relatively inexpensive compared with other tools you might purchase down the line. The type of ladder you need will depend on what kind of work you’ll be doing. A telescoping ladder is a good option if you’ll mostly be working indoors. If you’ll be mainly doing outdoor work, then a fiberglass ladder is a better choice.

Wire Strippers

Wire strippers are another essential tool for any electrical company. They’re used to strip the insulation off of the electrical wire, making it easier to connect the cables. There are a few different types of wire strippers on the market, so it’s essential to choose the right one for your team’s needs. There are manual wire strippers, which require a lot of hand strength, and electric wire strippers, which make the job a lot easier.



Voltage Detector

This tool is mainly used to test the amount of voltage in a wire. If you’re working on an unknown system like circuit breakers, you must make sure there isn’t any electricity running through it before you start making connections. If your business provides emergency power installation or other services requiring voltage testing, then this tool should be at the top of your list.

Hammer

A good hammer is always handy to have around. It can be used for various tasks, such as pounding nails into wood, breaking things open, or removing staples. When you’re working in the electrical industry, there are a lot of times when you’ll need to use a hammer. Having a quality one on hand will make your team’s job a lot easier.

Measuring Devices

This is one of those tools that can be easy to forget while you are packing to leave for an electrical job. You will want to make sure you have a variety of measuring devices though. Include measuring tapes, laser devices, and ammeters. You will need to measure distance as well as electrical currents.

These are just a few of the essential tools that every electrical company needs to succeed. Make sure you have them all on hand before you start your business, and you’ll be able to tackle any project with confidence.



3 Top Benefits of Staff Augmentation for Rapidly Expanding Tech Startups

In this article, you will learn how staff augmentation can provide your startup with inevitable benefits for your business and how it can help you refine your business process for a very long time.

Working on a revolutionary idea is half the battle for an IT startup. Entrepreneurs can win the other half by intelligently organizing the business process and, for instance, developing a quick and effective marketing strategy, cost optimization, innovation implementation, and hiring a skilled development team of employees. For all these reasons, thriving entrepreneurs take advantage of a staff augmentation strategy to meet all the challenges effectively and efficiently.

Additionally, the staff augmentation strategy is outsourced from reliable and talented software developers; it can help startups effectively launch the product to the market while mitigating many business risks. Consequently, several growing IT startups in Latin America seek assistance from a software development company to meet future demands and customers. And to be prepared for the future is necessary for a particular IT startup and for every growing tech business that needs to expand and grow.

In this article, you will learn how staff augmentation can provide your startup with inevitable benefits for your business and how it can help you refine your business process for a very long time. Let’s get started:

Cost-Effectiveness and Flexibility

Startup owners know that they have to work with limited time and resources. As a result, flexibility and cost-effectiveness become crucial parameters that they can’t ignore.

With a staff-augmentation startup, owners get the ability to handpick software development specialists and work with the chosen teams day and night, depending on the project. In this manner, your tech startup finds a well-equipped team of professionals that focus on realizing your dreams while helping you reduce the expenses by utilizing only the essential software development specialists. With Staff Augmentation Latin America tech startups have successfully realized their vision while making the most available resources. This way, a tech startup not only saves its resources but also finds a practical way to deal with its competitors.

Furthermore, startups prefer working with their augmented staff remotely to encourage more budget savings. This allows them to cut down the overhead cost related to workplace requirements, providing employees with extra benefits and severe other expenses.



High-Level Expertise

To meet the needs of the industry and their customers, startups utilize innovative technologies like Blockchain, AI, and vast chunks of data that can provide them with the information they need. Thus, entrepreneurs must work with specialists who are fully informed about the latest technology and trends in the industry. Sadly, the tech industry is going through a skill shortage in multiple fields, and it can be a challenging task for startups to find a specialist in their area of expertise.

On the other hand, staff augmentation focuses on helping your business by quickly filling the technological gaps with the essential skills and specials which are well equipped to work on your projects.

Transparency and Command Over the Development Process

In comparing many outsourcing strategies, staff augmentation gives all control to the hired software development team and then directly to the customers. Therefore, entrepreneurs control software development tasks, project efficiency, and results when you opt for staff augmentation.

Conclusion

A startup’s success mainly depends on the innovations they use and the intelligent application of business processes. For this reason, staff augmentations are now considered a crucial part of the development process. It helps entrepreneurs become more efficient with their projects, meeting customers’ demands without delay and errors. Consequently, you establish your stature in the market and find a way to succeed in the long run.



Contracts You Need to Set Up Before Your Startup Opens for Business

If you are not careful with your startup, you could fail out of the gate. One thing you need to do is to set up the right contracts before you open for business.

Many startups have gone on to become multi-billion dollar companies. This includes companies like Netflix, Uber, Instagram, and Square, among many others. However, if you are not careful with your startup, you could fail out of the gate. One thing you need to do is to set up the right contracts before you open for business. Below are just some of the examples.

Operating Agreement

While it is indeed possible to found a startup company without a legally binding contract on paper, doing so would be extremely foolhardy and introduce your company to a host of different problems. One contract you should have from the beginning is an operating agreement. Whether your company is an LLC, corporation, or some other legal entity, an operating agreement will explain who owns what percentage of the company, how decisions are made between owners, and how disputes will be resolved. It may even explain how founders can leave the company. Overall, it’s the basic framework your startup needs to operate.

Employment Agreements

Founding a startup typically requires hiring staff to get your project up off the ground and transform it into a fully functional business. As such, you’ll need to draft employment agreements with different hires to ensure that the best interests of your company and your employees are attended to. Contracts should also be carefully drafted for independent contractors. These contracts should outline how payment works and what will be expected of workers while on the job. It can help to have some templates set up before you start hiring.



Intellectual Property Agreements

One of the most important legal aspects of a startup, or any business for that matter, that needs to be protected via legally binding contracts is that company’s intellectual property. Intellectual property agreements will specify that any ideas, concepts, or other work product created within the scope of work for the company will belong to the company. The wording of such contracts should protect your property rights so employees or contractors cannot claim later that they own your intellectual property.

Confidentiality Agreements

Protecting your company also means protecting trade secrets. This is why confidentiality agreements are so important. They will help prevent the secrets you have developed that will give your company a strategic advantage from falling into the hands of your competitors. Without such an agreement, you can’t trust that these secrets won’t leave with your employees to another company.

While you can find many contract templates online, it’s always a good idea to consult with a business lawyer, like those at the Carter West business law firm. They can give you information specific to your situation and company needs. That way, your contracts will cover all of your bases.

Startups have a high risk of failure. One way to lessen that risk for  your new company is by having the right contracts in place from launch. The examples above are only a starting point. Discuss what contracts you need to create with a seasoned business attorney.



5 Start-up Ideas That Can Give Me You Profit In 2021

Do you know what are the best startup ideas that will generate profit for you in 2021? Well, we have a list. Follow this article, and get some powerful insights.

If the covid pandemic has taught us anything in the past two years, that is, ‘nothing is permanent.’ We have seen how the hospitality industry has suffered majorly during this time. But, on the other hand, we have also noticed the growth of eCommerce businesses more than ever. So, if you have always dreamt of your own business, we have some helpful startup ideas that will help you this year.

When we are talking about the best startup ideas of this year, you must have guessed that we are indicating towards online businesses. However, the startup ideas we will share here will not require much investment or comprehensive market research. So, we suggest you keep reading this article, and we guarantee you to cross paths with at least one good idea that will captivate your mind.

What Are The Best Startup Ideas Of 2021 For Generating Profit?

Before we dive into the list of the best startup ideas, let us tell you one more thing. You must have some solid marketing strategies in place no matter which business idea you choose. So, as you start exploring the best startup ideas, make sure you will need to make reasonable marketing efforts to generate profit from all of these startup ideas.

1: Translation Services

At number 1 on our list of the best startup ideas, we suggest you open a translation service company if you speak more than one language. So multilingual people were always in demanḍ. Moreover, many companies have already shifted their operation online, so you can harness this opportunity and be their translator when they do business with foreign clients.

This is the easiest way to generate profit from a startup because you don’t even need to know how to write a business plan to execute this idea. In addition, the more companies or clients you will work with, the better recognition you will get in the market. You can also hire other people who speak multiple languages once you have got some loyal clients of your own.



2: Dropshipping Business

For the past few years, the dropshipping business has witnessed newfound popularity, from graduates to professionals. If you know how to invest 1000 dollars, you can start a dropshipping business right now. All you have to do is set up an online store and partner with suppliers who will ship your products to your customers.

The best part of the dropshipping business is you don’t need to keep your products in inventory. You don’t even have to spend hours after hours behind product research because there are plenty of dropshipping apps for that. Oberlo, Printify, Dripshipper, Sprocket, Syncee are some apps that are best suited for a dropshipping business.

3: Online Teaching

As the pandemic has imposed lockdown restrictions on us, many entrepreneurs have thought of starting online teaching businesses to earn profit. You must have a bachelor’s degree in the subject that you want to teach. You can always find clients on apps like Tutor.com and Skooli. It is one of the most influential startup ideas of this year because you can set your working hours, fees, and student age group as you deem fit.

We suggest you teach a subject well within your expertise because a student will reply to you. If you can employ a social media strategy to highlight your teaching requirements, you will get even more responses from people. You can teach students worldwide because all you’ll need is your knowledge and a stable internet connection to start this business.

4: Content Writing

Content writing has always been in the market, but with the immense rise of social media marketing, this business idea has been even more popular in the recent era. Every business needs content to promote its brands and to increase customer engagement. You can easily find clients on your social media accounts. You can also find them on websites like Remote.co, Problogger Jobs, and BloggingPro, etc.



If you have a passion for writing, this is one of the best startup ideas for you. Once you leave a good impression on your clients, you can ask for their testimonials too. Then, include them on your website to attract more clients. You should also start hiring more writers, and that way, you can set up a business without much of an investment.

5: Online Consultancy

From McKinsey to Deloitte, from PWC to Ernst & Young-these are the best online consultancy firms globally that generate revenues of billion dollars every year. So, you might have guessed by now how beneficial this startup idea is in terms of financial gain. But, first, you need to assess your skills, figure out the market needs, and write your elevator pitch to convince clients.

Marketing consultant, associate consultant, HR consultant, technology consultant, investment consultant are some of the highest-paid consultancy jobs. So you just have to find out in which of these areas your passion lies, and that way, you can start advising people. We suggest you keep a social media marketing plan in hand to promote your business for the initial stage.

The Bottom Line

We have talked about the best startup ideas of 2021 in this article that will indeed generate profit for you. So, if you have always longed to become an entrepreneur but backed out due to a lack of finance or resources, these ideas are for you. Neither will you need a considerable investment, nor will you require much staff to pull off any of these ideas. So, you better start figuring out the details of these ideas so that you can start your own business soon.

Author bio:

Sofia kelly is a passionate blogger. She loves to share her thoughts, ideas and experiences with the world through blogging. Sofia kelly is associated with Tech Mag News, Plus Lifestyles, World Tech24, Exclusive Rights, Worthy To Share, Voice of Action, Lower My Legal Fees, Simply Law Zone, Circle Box Blog, Istana Green World & World News Inn.



10 Best Startup Business Ideas to Earn Money in India

Anything between 60 percent and 90 percent of all startups in the world flounder and fail during the first two years. Start working with a small business idea that you can manage easily and possess the necessary skills to keep it running.

India has one of the most vibrant startup ecosystems in the world. The Indian government provides fast clearances to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through its online portals. As a matter of fact, you can register a startup in India in less than a week.

Additionally, there’re several ways to get funding to launch a startup in India. We have several crowdfunding platforms from where you can raise some seed money for the startup. Or approach venture capitalists to fund the business initially.

And then we also have the Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) loans for startups available from various public and private sector banks. Furthermore, entrepreneurs from certain communities can also get business loans on soft terms to launch a startup.

However, the main hurdle in launching a startup in India is the business idea. We have almost all sorts of businesses that’re fairly well established and running well. In such a scenario, finding the right business idea can prove difficult for some. Therefore, in this article, I will be discussing the 10 best startup business ideas to earn money in India.

10 Best Startup Business Ideas in India 

Before I write about the 10 best startup business ideas in India, here’s something you should know about. Anything between 60 percent and 90 percent of all startups in the world flounder and fail during the first two years. That’s because entrepreneurs behind these startups don’t have adequate experience in that specific field of business.

Therefore, start working with a small business idea that you can manage easily and possess the necessary skills to keep it running.



Digital Marketing Agency 

The digital marketing industry in India is projected to cross the $160 billion mark by the year 2025, according to a report by Goldman Sachs. This clearly indicates that there’s an ample scope to start a digital marketing agency as a startup business. However, to launch a digital marketing agency, you’ll require the necessary qualifications. These qualifications are fairly simple to acquire since there’re several excellent digital marketing academies in India providing both online and offline courses.

Food Processing Plant 

About 35 percent of all food produced in India goes waste due to lack of food processing units and adequate cold chain logistics. Therefore, you could consider launching a startup business that processes food such as fruits and vegetables, meat, fish and poultry products as well as food grains among other items. This is a very profitable business too and you can easily get the necessary permits and licenses since the Indian government is actually encouraging entrepreneurs to enter the food processing business. You can also export processed food outside India since there’s a high demand for such products.

Dropshipping 

Dropshipping is a relatively new business in India. You can launch a dropshipping business with very little capital. If you’re new to dropshipping, here’s a brief description of what this business is all about. There’re several wholesalers and manufacturers you’ll find on websites such as Indiamart.com. They offer products at wholesale rates. You’ll have to sign-up with these companies and suppliers for sending products to your customers. As a dropshipper, you’ll need own website or marketplace to sell these items. Whenever anyone places and order, you have to pass it on with the money to the supplier, after retaining your portion of the profit. The supplier ships the goods to the customer.

Milk Parlor 

The demand for milk in India never goes down. As a result, there’s fierce competition between dairy cooperatives and companies to sell their products to the public and grab a larger slice of the market share. Therefore, you could consider a startup business of a milk parlor. In some states of India, dairy cooperatives are providing all the necessary infrastructure such as the freezers and refrigerators as well as signboards to those who’re willing to open their branded parlor. Nandini in Karnataka state is one example. All you need to show is a commercial premises located in a busy business or residential area from where the startup can attract customers for milk and milk products, including sweets.

Medical Sample Collection Centre 

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, most people that require their medical samples such as blood, urine, stool and sputum, among others to be tested, prefer a home service. This means, they’re willing to pay for someone to collect the samples from their homes instead of visiting a lab for the purpose. This directly implies that you can open a medical sample collection center as your startup business. This business earns money through labs, clinics and hospitals. They will pay you a monthly amount for collecting samples from patients on their behalf and handing over for testing. The one in highest demand is collection of oral and nasal swabs for Real Time- Polymeric Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests nowadays for people that wish to travel.

Blogging 

Blogging is no longer the hobby that it once was. Instead, blogging has graduated as a startup business because it’s very simple to open a blog and make money. All you require to launch a blog is excellent knowledge about anything related to your profession, studies or even passions and hobbies. And you’ll need superb writing skills to create amazing content that people would love to read and engage with. Starting a blog with your own paid website is possible with an investment as little as Rs.3,000 per year. You can buy a superb domain name and website hosting as well as other essentials and start blogging. A blog makes money through Google AdSense, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing and native ads, among others. This is a simple, home-based startup business idea that requires very little capital to launch.



Meal Services 

In some places, a meal service is also known as a “tiffin service.” Basically, it involves providing deliveries of meals for lunch and dinner to clients at offices and homes. This is an evergreen startup business idea since there’s no shortage of customers for meal services. All you require is a small team that will help you prepare food that people love, crew for packing and delivering these meals to customers. You can provide both veg and non-veg food or just veg or simply non-veg. The choice is yours. As a matter of fact, several entrepreneurs without much educational qualifications have become millionaires by opening a meal service business.

Health Drinks Stall 

Have you ever been to a jogger’s park in your area? If not, I would suggest you visit one at the earliest. Usually, there’re some stalls that sell health drinks such as juices of various herbs, fruits and roots to joggers and health-conscious people that go for a morning walk or job. And these stalls prepare fresh juices and sell to their customers. You too can enter this simple business which involves working just during the morning and evening hours when people go for jogs and walks at parks.

Food Truck 

While we’re still on the subject of food and drinks, here’s one more superb startup idea that you can try. And that’s opening a food truck. According to industry sources, starting a food truck doesn’t cost more than Rs.750,000 which includes the vehicle, commis equipment and permits. Dining out or having a snack at food trucks is trendy nowadays. As a result, you can see several food trucks parked outside malls and other busy places. You can offer superb meals through a food truck and make a lot of money.

Online Tutoring 

Also, as an aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, there’s a huge surge in the demand for online tutoring. Students from standard VIII to standard X and standards XI and XII require online tutors to help them crack the tough exams conducted by various educational boards. Since lots of brick-and-mortar coaching classes are now shut due to fear of spreading the Covid-19 contagion, you can offer coaching classes online. All you require is a website to advertise your courses and enroll students and software such as Zoom to conduct online classes. The e-learning industry is witnessing a boom and is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years.

In Conclusion 

You can try any of these top 10 startup business ideas to become an entrepreneur. I’ve included only those business ideas that have a high rate of success and a superb demand from customers. As you can see, some of these startup business ideas also require low or zero investments. Therefore, you can select from any of these to launch own startup.



 

The State Plate – India’s Top Marketplace for Regional Food

The State Plate aims to bring a little bit of home back to people through their indigenous food, and at the same, create awareness and celebrate the country’s amazing food diversity. 

Before Covid-19 struck, undergraduate classmates Raghav Jhawar and Muskaan Sancheti were ready to jump into the corporate world with their recently secured campus placements. But the pandemic played spoilsport and their hirings were put on hold. That period of lull turned into entrepreneurial inspiration when one day in May, Muskaan’s family ran out of traditional Rajasthani papad. “I’m a Marwari,” she says. “And if you’re one, then you know we’re talking about a major crisis here.” In the midst of the lockdown, her family tried procuring authentic papads. They got it but only after much hassle and overpaying for delivery. That sparked an idea for Muskaan who immediately called up Raghav. 

“Soon, we realised that we weren’t the only ones with this problem. Multiple people around us wanted to get their hands on authentic, local food products but didn’t know where to get it from. The market was simply too unorganised,” Muskaan said. The 21-year-old duo got together to start The State Plate, an online delivery service that procures authentic regional delicacies from various parts of the country that usually won’t be available in supermarkets and mainstay e-commerce websites 

The State Plate aims to bring a little bit of home back to people through their indigenous food, and at the same, create awareness and celebrate the country’s amazing food diversity. 

It’s a simple design. The startup finds vendors for regional food items, tests out their product and then gets them on board. When an order is placed on the website, it facilitates the delivery and charges the vendor a fixed percentage on the sales. 

And whether it is Induben’s Khakhras from Gujarat, Subbama’s Nippattu from Bengaluru or Rajgira Laddoos from Maharashtra, the duo tries them all out before selecting the vendors. 

“For homemade products, we sample each of the products before listing them on the website to ensure quality and taste. We also set packaging guidelines to ensure that the packets are sealed and moisture-proof,” Raghav said. 

The State Plate also sells packaged products of iconic local brands like the Parsumal Bhujia from Rajasthan, Mukhorochak from West Bengal or the famous Karachi Bakery biscuits from Hyderabad 

The startup has its own network of delivery people in Bengaluru, where it’s headquartered, while it has tied up with Delhivery for pan-India deliveries. 

The duo started the pilot for The State Plate with just Rs 5,000 and built the website on their own. After that, they were funded by family members and were able to invest more for inventory, web development and marketing. “While we’re open to seeking funding for the business, we feel like this isn’t the right stage in our business to do so,” Muskaan said. 

The bootstrapped startup has a total of 10 personnel working on the venture currently. 

Muskaan said that their startup is also a good way to enable home cooks, particularly women, to sell their delicacies and boost their incomes. “It’s wonderful how food is such a powerful way for women to empower themselves.” 

The startup will now look to expand its product portfolio to include more regional food items and reduce delivery costs. They’re also mulling more long-term goals of expanding to international markets and starting a private label for authentic snacks.

“We still want to complete our masters and get a feel of how the corporate world runs,” Muskaan said.

“As of now, The State Plate is our baby, and we do not plan on giving it up any time soon.”

Visit the website, click here. 

The journey from a team of 2 to the team of 100+ People, GraffersID is fastest growing IT Company

When COVID struck hard on companies and a massive layoff was seen in Industry, people were losing their jobs, phasing no employment. GraffersID was constantly hiring more professionals.

When COVID struck hard on companies and a massive layoff was seen in Industry, people were losing their jobs, phasing no employment. GraffersID was constantly hiring more professionals.

GraffersID was founded in 2017 under the leadership of Sidharth Jain with a mission of turning the story of success for Startups. Today, GRAFFERSID is the Tech Company behind popular successes of startups incubated or funded by Sequoia, TechStars, YCombinator, Google, Coca-Cola, Harvard, MIT Labs among others.

It was an office with 2 people in 2017 and a room of merely 10 X 20 in size. Today, GRAFFERSID is powerful as 100+ people, Dedicated Office Space, and Global Leaders as Clientele.

Startup Started the GRAFFERSID – The journey begins when Startups are experiencing a 90% Failure Rate.

During one of the networking sessions Sidharth has attended, his friend said to him “Sidharth, It’s been more than three months for us, and there is no traction even after launching the product at the right time. Our product is still not market fit even after six months of the development cycle.”

Sidharth was always supportive of Entrepreneurs and their hard work put behind an idea. After that conversation, he found a depressing fact about Startups and Failures that – the success rate for Startups was merely 10%.

The primary reason was the lack of proper tech consultation and technology support. There were few companies who understood the dynamics of a Startup.

GraffersID was born at that moment on a mission to turn the tables for Startups and send them to the driving seat of growth.

Failing because of inferior technology is not what an Entrepreneur deserves. GRAFFERSID always worked to ensure that technology should be the power of startups.

GRAFFERSID is like a Sports Team that fights the Battle to Win Gloriously!

In any sports team, it’s always about the team effort and winning the game irrespective of the individual’s performance. During one previous lockdown, one of the Interns at GRAFFERSID came up with an Idea and everyone played their part to make that Idea hit the goal. In the words of Sidharth, it goes like –

“His idea was to – play with the same username of @GraffersID and make others curious about it” So, on weekdays, our team members were playing multiple games. Sounds like a crazy day at work? Indeed, it was.



People were literally curious and we ranked up in Google Search. Gamers, professionals, and everyone was searching “GraffersID” and we were receiving traffic, leads, and clients through it.

That is just one way where the team GRAFFERSID comes up together to achieve the goals.

Breaking the Myths and Creating a Culture based on Values!

GRAFFERSID believes in a value-based approach instead of focusing on traditional ways to work, hire and operate.

During the last hiring round the previous month, GRAFFERSID had to hire 1 out of 10 applicants.

For final selection, they checked the rejected applications once again. There was one application with No Degree but few projects as Freelancing. That was interesting. One of their senior HR Manager gave it a shot. It turned out that one freelancer has worked on many more complex projects than the experienced profile.

GRAFFERSID quickly hired him and his experience has helped clients multiple times. These are some instances where people don’t agree, but such incidents turn them down. GRAFFERSID highly believes that numbers or papers are not the correct criteria to judge or hire someone.

“There are lots of myths created over a period of years in the Corporate Industry. We have been breaking most of them.”

Today, GRAFFERSID doesn’t have a sales team. It’s all a result of our high-quality work that most of the clients refer them to friends and family and their marketing experiments which succeed more than they fail.

During the initial days, One of the very first problems for GRAFFERSID as a Startup was winning client trust. As a new startup, not very many were ready to trust easily. A possible solution was to have a big portfolio which was again not possible for a Startup. It was difficult to engage high-value clients. So, here’s one trick that helped them overcome the shortcomings.

So the marketing team of GRAFFERSID made a value proposition to our clients.
“FREE LANDING PAGE”

As Sidharth Jain says

“We created 1 free design for our clients to prove to them our skills, which would also win their trust.

This strategy allowed us to flaunt our confidence and get more exposure. Most of the time we won the client, but even if we didn’t win some clients then we definitely won their referrals.”

Failures keep coming to you, they will never stop. Change your attitude and keep learning from them.

GraffersID see FUTURE as a plethora of Opportunities and want to help STARTUPS in more than one way!

Today, there are some mission-driven and high-quality Startups who are struggling in the ocean of a billion startups. After working with thousands of entrepreneurs and hundreds of experienced investors, GRAFFERSID has found that there is still a very important path lacking in the Industry.

Startups should be able to connect with the right Investors who share the same mission and vision. While on the other side, Investors should be able to know any Startup deeply to evaluate every aspect.

Sidharth says

“Networking and connecting with people is one of my habits. Eventually, it has helped many startups gain insights from top Industry Leaders.”

GRAFFERSID wants to help Startups to connect with these potential leaders whenever they need them. Mentors, Investors, Experts, and Industry Professionals are ready to incubate and grow deserving Startups. Similarly, good investors deserve to know the real story of Startups before pushing into them.

GRAFFERSID can work as a single platform for both of the parties to understand, build trust and connect on the same values.

After working with Fortune 500 Companies, Unicorn Startups, and Market Leading enterprises, GRAFFERSID now knows the elements, values, and aspects which make any Startup successful.

And, that exactly is the vision of this team at GRAFFERSID. Unleash the real potential behind the right partnerships between a tech company, startup, and investor.



Why do Experts think that Education Startups are set to disrupt the Education Industry?

One of the biggest reasons for this disruptive change in the education field is EdTech startups. The easy connectivity, affordability of mobile devices, and advanced software have made it possible for everyone to access high-quality educational resources online.

Technological advancements are changing the way we live our lives, how humanity tackles global challenges, and how we do business. Every industry is grappling with the break-neck speed of changes in technology – and education is no exception. In the past couple of years, there has been a massive change in the way students learn and how educational institutions work.

One of the biggest reasons for this disruptive change in the education field is EdTech startups. The easy connectivity, affordability of mobile devices, and advanced software have made it possible for everyone to access high-quality educational resources online. The Online Education Market size is projected to reach USD 53.13 Billion by 2027, from USD 8.4 Billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of 30.15% during 2021-2027. {SOURCE} It is needless to say that EdTech startups have a massive opportunity up for grabs. Online EdTech startups deliver similar offerings at affordable prices as compared to traditional educational institutions.

Here’s why EdTech startups are all set to disrupt the education industry

Automation

EdTech startups provide efficient and intelligent online assessments with face recognition technology for attendance, admission automation and personalized learning. Automation also makes it easier to hold reliable and interactive online assessments with little or no manual effort from school administration. Online exam management systems go a long way in making the examination process easier for students and teachers.

The Need for Accessible & Flexible Education

Globally there are millions of children who are unable to access full-time education. There are various reasons for this, including lack of access to an educational facility, unavailability of qualified educators, etc. Technology improves access to education for everyone. Technology enables them to provide digital versions of textbooks and online classes at a fraction of the cost of physical classes. A college management system can help millions of students. EdTech startups are overcoming education barriers with such innovations every day.



Data-driven Insights for Smart Decision-Making

EdTech startups gather valuable data about the consumption of educational resources such as online classes, videos, digital textbooks and more. This data helps provide data-driven insights to enhance the educational experience for learners.

Promote Personalized Education

Traditional education formats are instructor-centric and do not cater to the individual learning needs of students. EdTech startups use emerging technology such as machine learning and artificial intelligence to offer in-depth personalization of unique learning experiences.

Rising Demand for Interactive & Immersive Education

Students are keen to explore advanced educational mediums that allow them to learn at their own pace and sharpen their skills. EdTech startups offer a plethora of interactive and immersive educational experiences wherein learners enjoy the process of education. The demand for such experiences is increasing at every level of education.

Key Technologies that Promote EdTech Innovation

Education needs to be made more flexible and personalized for the learners of today. Technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning hold the answer for unlocking the next level of education innovation. EdTech startups leverage big data from IoT devices and other digital tools to create personalized learning experiences and better learning opportunities for all.

It is indisputable that EdTech startups are not only here to stay, but they will disrupt the education industry for good. Technology is changing the way we teach, how we learn, and how we hold assessments. EdTech companies leverage technology to create groundbreaking solutions for smart learning. Therefore, more education institutions worldwide are opting to use the inventive ideas implemented by EdTech startups to take learning experiences to another level.

Author Bio:

Arnav Kakkad is a tech enthusiast and a content writer who passionately follows the latest technology in higher education in India and beyond. He works with CollPoll, an AI-powered online platform for digital learning and campus automation, where he develops content on technology, startups, and education. With a knack for understanding audiences and simplicity in presenting ideas, his content connects with people. In his free time, he enjoys reading and discovering new authors. He also goes hiking when he can, to feed his free spirit.



Green business ideas for startup entrepreneurs

There are several ways on how you can start your own eco-friendly business, depending on your interest and funds.

To help mother Earth and turn it into a business is an excellent advocacy to start a business with. It is a promising niche, since more people are becoming conscious of environmental changes, the waste produced, and how they could be a part of the solution. In fact, many consumers are willing to pay extra for a product or advocacy they support.

There are several ways on how you can start your own eco-friendly business, depending on your interest and funds. So whether you’re environmentally-conscious or simply passionate about using sustainable materials and methods, here is a list of green business ideas that startup entrepreneurs can venture.

Organic Food

Organic food is grown without the use of synthetic chemicals. With today’s rise in obesity and lifestyle diseases, people are becoming more conscious of their food choices. If you can grow food in your home, you can start by selling it to family and friends, then consider expanding to a stall or store with other product variants.

Eco Restaurants

Restaurants who practice Farm to Table (greens) or Farm to Fork (meat) source their ingredients from local farmers and hoggers, guaranteeing freshness. It also helps small-scale entrepreneurs and producers cut down on extra costs on transportation and storage fees.



Organic Body Products

Our skin is the largest organ of our body, and we use different products for our hair, face, body. In addition to the chemicals present in our surroundings and the food that we eat, these chemicals, despite being present in small amounts, can build up inside our bodies over time. Ingredients commonly included in products are parabens, fragrances, artificial colors, and alcohols, giving scent, improving the appearance, and prolonging shelf life. Using organic body products minimizes irritation and is less likely to trigger allergies and other skin conditions. Moreover, the ingredients are grown and produced using sustainable practices.

Green House Cleaners and Soaps

Cleaning supplies generally have numerous chemicals which can be harmful when inhaled or absorbed by the skin. Some of the best ingredients with antibacterial properties are common ingredients we can find in the kitchen. Instead, you can substitute synthetic chemicals with natural materials such as white vinegar, baking soda, and lemon, to name a few. The good thing about it is it does not involve complicated chemistry and machines and is safe for kids and people with health conditions.

Recycled Crafts and Household Items

Recycling different materials for crafts just needs a little bit of creativity. Instead of buying, consider the repurposing items, such as bottle caps, egg trays, empty cans. You can get these items almost for free, and you can decide how to redesign them so you can make them into something useful.



Pre-loved Items

The culture of consumerism leads to people purchasing items that exceed their needs. In many people, buying things became a form of therapy, known as retail therapy. Not only does this give us a false sense of happiness, but it also contributes to the growing pollution produced in manufacturing these items. Buying second-hand items not only spare you money but helps reduce items wasted in landfills as well.

Eco-Friendly Fashion

Next to oil, the fashion industry is the largest polluter in the world. Since textile production and disposal require lots of energy and resources, it leaves an enormous environmental footprint. In addition, the rise of fast fashion left tons of unused clothes and cutouts to end up in the dumpsters.

Making clothes from sustainable materials such as natural fibers—organic/ recycled cotton and synthetic vegan fabrics can be pretty costly compared to fast fashion retailers. The materials used contain little to no chemicals, so they decompose naturally.

Upcycling Furniture

Depending on durability and size, the construction of a piece of furniture needs several materials. The most common material used is wood. Unfortunately, we know that we cut down trees faster than we can grow them, posing a significant problem for our forests. As a furniture seller, you can reduce this negative impact by utilizing old or scrap pieces and using other recycling materials during construction and assembly.

Composter

Composting is simple and cheap; all you need is three materials—browns, greens, and water. The browns include dead leaves, branches, and twigs, and the greens can be vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds. Since composting requires a decent amount of area to mix and store, it is ideal to have space outside with open air. It’s a little to no-cost investment, since these are materials that often end up in our trash cans. The finished product can be sold to local plant growers and gardeners.

Green Vlogging & Content Creation

The popularity of video content paved new opportunities for social media influencers.

For entrepreneurs that are more focused on writing, you can start a blog about environmental topics and then make money through advertising or selling green products of some kind.

Solar Panel Installation

With the rise of electricity consumption, there is an increased interest in harnessing renewable sources of energy. The initial installation of solar panels may be costly, but it can help reduce pollution, mainly from fossil fuels, and significantly reduce electricity bills.

If you’re starting and profit from a project basis only, consider a new face of the workforce, where you can hire people only when needed. It can save you the costs of employing full-time for seasonal work.



Green Architecture

Involves designing new homes or buildings using methods that advocate sustainability and energy conservation. It also aims to minimize the harmful effects of the construction project on both human and environmental health. Depending on the project scale, consider the types of materials used, location, timeline, and how to pay contractors.

Bottom line

The improvements in technology and industrialization resulted in massive waste by-products, and we are starting to feel the effects of climate change. For example, the increase in global temperature causes iceberg meltdown in the polar regions, leads to coastal flooding; the frequency of wildfires and increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere all contribute to the rise in temperature. Pollution ultimately affects our health and food supply. As our global population rapidly grows and is expected to balloon over the next few years, all of us need to take part in preserving our planet for the next generations to come.

About the Author:

Bash Sarmiento is a writer and an educator from Manila. He writes laconic pieces in the education, lifestyle, and health realms. His academic background and extensive experience in teaching, textbook evaluation, business management, and traveling are translated into his works.

Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook



Asset Management for Startups: A Smart Entrepreneur’s Guide

Today we’re going to look at asset management for startups, to help entrepreneurs keep track of resources wherever they may be.

There’s never been a better time to own a small business. Never before has a small business owner had so many powerful tools to help their business succeed. Small businesses are flourishing all over.

In fact, the great majority of businesses in the United States are small businesses.

With so many going into business for themselves, it stands to reason that not everyone is going to have a solid background in business. Just because someone starts a business doesn’t mean they have the tools necessary for success.

Today we’re going to look at asset management, to help you keep track of your resources wherever they may be and in whatever form they may come. Having an experienced asset manager to work with you will benefit your company a lot. Like Global Partnrs have included Formerly at Natixis John Hailer in their board of directors.

What Is Small Business Asset Management?

Small business asset management is both simpler and more complex than it might seem at first glance. Unlike other compound words, it’s more than just a sum of its parts. Small business asset management is more than just asset management for smaller companies, this is why we recommend Business Asset management systems Australia.

First off, asset management itself refers to maintaining someone’s investment portfolio. Asset management for small businesses is a little different. It’s more akin to inventory management than any kind of investing.

The confusion comes from what constitutes an asset. Thinking of generic asset management software might conjure images of basic accounting software. If you own a business, however, you know there’s a lot more to it than that.



Why You Need Small Business Asset Management

Imagine you’re running a tech company. Does your development team upload to a communal GitHub repository? That’s an asset.

Assets could also include invoices and accounts payable. That means you need to keep track of when those payments are due. Asset management software and tools will keep track of all of that for you.

Modern asset management software tends to handle all of the things you need to keep track of, maintain, and process your assets.

Asset management software will often let you process invoices and payroll through one convenient portal. It includes the latest features for privacy and security, so you don’t need to worry about sending sensitive information.

Asset management software can also offer in-depth control over every component of your enterprise. Things like access and permissions become of utmost importance when you’re dealing with intellectual property. A good asset management resource will take care of that for you.

Of course, employees are one of a company’s biggest assets. If you need help optimizing your human resources, consulting with a headhunter is a sure-fire way to ensure you get what you need.

Business has gotten unbelievably complex in the 21st century. It becomes impractical to try to keep track of it all in your head past a certain point. Putting an asset management system in place helps clear your mind so you can focus on making your business its absolute best!

Want More Startup Advice?

There have never been so many outstanding resources for business owners of all sizes, in every industry. Whether you’re looking for advice on choosing an asset management platform or how to find the right talent, we’ve got everything you need to make your startup flourish.

Browse the rest of our site today for more business wisdom!



Factoring 101: What Is a Factoring Company?

What is factoring and how does it work? This article gives you the basics you need to know to decide if a factoring company is an option for your business.

Managing cash flow is crucial for small businesses. Around 48% of small businesses had concerns about their cash flow in 2020, up from 40% in 2019.

If you’re looking for ways to free up cash flow to help your business function and grow, have you considered using a factoring company? Are you aware of how they can help you gain access to cash tied up in your invoices?

What is factoring and how does it work? This article gives you the basics you need to know to decide if factoring is an option for your business.

What Is Factoring?

Invoice factoring is a form of cash flow financing sometimes known as accounts receivable financing. A factoring company buys your outstanding invoices so you can receive the cash right away, rather than having to wait the 30-90 day terms on the invoices for your clients to pay.

While it is used by businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies, factoring is especially well suited to small and medium-sized businesses. Small business invoice factoring is a fast and easy way to boost cash flow, especially for businesses that may have trouble securing a loan from a traditional lender.

How Does Factoring Work?

A factoring company pays up to 90% of the value of an invoice as a cash advance and collects the payment that is due from the client. Once it approves an invoice it can pay the money in as little as 24 hours. That makes it ideal for businesses that need cash quickly to cover expenses.

The factoring company charges fees of around 1-5% depending on the amount of money, the length of the invoice period, and the client’s credit quality. Longer payment terms and questions about the client’s creditworthiness increase the fees.



There are two types of factoring. In recourse factoring, the business is responsible if the client fails to pay the invoice by the due date. In non-recourse factoring, the company takes on the credit risk. Some companies offer both options with different terms, so you should make sure you understand the terms you accept.

How Do Businesses Use Factoring?

Some businesses factor all of their invoices, while others use it only for customers that may take longer to pay. They use the cash to pay employees, buy inventory and new equipment, expand the business, or cover other expenses.

Small businesses often prefer factoring over other forms of financing, as it does not involve taking on debt or long-term contracts and the fees are low. It can smooth out uneven cash flow and keep a business afloat between invoice payments.

Some invoice factoring companies specialize in providing services tailored to specific industries, including trucking, construction, health care, or staffing. Some banks offer factoring, but most factoring companies are independent service providers.

A Factoring Company Can Unlock Cash Flow for Your Small Business

Using a factoring company can release cash tied up in your accounts receivable. There’s no need to undergo a long loan application process or take on debt.

Now that you know the benefits, you can research to find the best factoring company for your needs.

If you found this guide useful, keep reading the blog for more tips and growth strategies for your small business.



Sujata Pawar, Apurv Agarwal are helping the environment by developing eco-friendly

Menstrual pads contribute to a fair share of pollution, this what Sujata Pawar and her husband Apurv Agrawal are doing for the environment is worth a mention.

Menstrual pads contribute to a fair share of pollution, this what Sujata Pawar and her husband Apurv Agrawal are doing for the environment is worth a mention.

Their startup Avni is solely based on providing eco-friendly menstrual care products to women in India. The entire menstruation cycle has remained a big taboo in the country, however, with time, things definitely are changing and people are becoming aware that it’s essential that hygiene remains on the forefront during this time of the month.

Avni is based in Thane and was founded in the year 2020. Both the founders, Sujata as well as Apurv have worked in pharma brands after completing their bachelors in pharmacy. Both of them also holds an MBA in marketing. Their experience in the pharma sector helped them in taking the plunge.

Sujata previously did realize that using plastic pads had its own disadvantages and cloth pads were something that was environmentally friendly. In fact, Sujata wants other women to realize the same and shift towards using menstrual products that won’t harm a woman’s body nor the environment.



Plastic pads without a doubt cause irritation to the skin when used for longer durations. Avni on the other hand has organic sanitary napkins that are reusable in nature. The company also has cotton disposable pads.

Avni has already raised 75 thousand dollars in the seed funding round.

The name Avni means Earth, which holds symbolism as a personification of the mother of all life. Their first launch was Avni safepad, which is a reusable organic antimicrobial cotton oaf. This keeps women safe from any kind of infection during use. The product helps both the women and the environment in one go.

Thereafter, there was another launch called Avni Ezeepad for the masses since women prefer disposable pads. There are also silicone menstrual cups. They’ve also started helpline numbers so that people’s concerns and queries regarding the product could be addressed.

The products from Avni are not only available on their website but also on e-commerce Giants apps including Amazon, Flipkart, 1mg, Qtrove, etc. A few retail stores in Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad are also selling these products.



Delhivery joins the COVID 19 fight, to get oxygen compressors via Charter Planes

Delhivery has joined the bandwagon and announced that they will fly charters in India with oxygen concentrators as well as other essential supplies.

India has been fighting its biggest war against coronavirus. Delhivery has joined the bandwagon and announced that they will fly charters in India with oxygen concentrators as well as other essential supplies. The announcement was made by Delhivery’s co-founder Sahil Barua through a LinkedIn post.

The flights will fly out on Wednesday as well as Thursday. An executive from Delhivery also tweeted that in case there is an increased demand even further, they are ready to arrange for more such flights as well. They are doing this at a minimum margin.

India is facing a massive shortage of oxygen cylinders with many patients even losing lives due to unavailability of oxygen concentrators. In fact, with the cases in India reaching new heights, Indian healthcare hardly has any bandwidth to cater to new patients.



The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has directed its officers to ensure that all import consignments which include oxygen equipment and essential drugs must be cleared, considering it as the highest priority.

This is to make sure that anything related to fighting against COVID 19 reaches the ones in need in the shortest amount of time possible.

Just about a few days ago, Tata Group had mentioned that cryogenic containers were being imported by them for transportation of liquid oxygen. Moreover, Tata Steel will supply liquid medical oxygen to hospitals and state governments in need.



From Moga to Singapore to Bengaluru, Manav Garg built his startup against all odds

Manav Garg, against all odds, managed to take the startup plunge and excel by founding Eka Software Solutions.

When dreams are as high as the sky, nothing else matters. It doesn’t matter if you’re from the commercial capital or a small town, as long as you want it and strive for it, you get it.

Manav Garg, against all odds, managed to take the startup plunge and excel by founding Eka Software Solutions. Manav was born in Moga, Punjab, and belonged to a middle-class family.

He graduated from NIT Jalandhar with an engineering degree in Instrumentation and Control. Thereafter, Manav pursued his MBA from IIFT, Delhi.

With a good package in a trading company in Singapore, there was no looking back for him. He travelled across Southeast Asia as a coffee trader meeting several people from about 400-500 companies.

During that time, he realized that there wasn’t any system which was able to manage the risks and trading in the business. Thus, he decided to work through that and see what could be done.

He left his job, and did not tell anyone about the big move. Due to his father’s failed entrepreneurship journey, both his parents were not open to the startup idea, in fact, they were quite against it. Moreover, Manav did not know enough about software but he was sure that he would be the one to fill the gap that he had found out.

After quitting his job, Manav was back in Delhi. His initial plan was to start in the national capital since it was also closer to home. However, one visit to Bangalore changed his decision, and he finally started his company in the good weather software city.



In 2004, Manav’s startup saw its first product. And while the operations were initially financed by Manav himself, he got seed funding later by his former employer amounting to a million dollars.

In 2009, Nexus, a venture capital, funded 10 million dollars to Eka, whereas $40 million was received in 2013 by the Silver lake.

Today, Eka has over 100 customers across the globe including Cofco, Unilever, Cargill. Eka helps businesses in adapting as well as overcoming challenges in several domains including supply chain, trading and risk, business collaboration as well as financial management.

With more than 400 employees, Manav has created a niche in the market for himself. His dream of coming back to India and creating something has come true. He was attracted to the energy India has which none of the other countries could offer him.

Today when you hear Manav talk, you’d by no chance even think that he’s the same man who didn’t know how to converse in English until the time he went to college.



5 Ways To Enhance Your Business’s Branding

Branding is not just about the logo of your company or an ‘about us’ page on your website.

Branding is not just about the logo of your company or an ‘about us’ page on your website. It’s more than that. Branding is a well-thought plan that will ensure that your customers are served in the best way possible.

A brand image will help you build trust with your customers and make them loyal to your business – after all, that’s the aim of every business.

Therefore, as a business, you need branding than anybody else. It will not just help you build trust, but it will also help you increase your sales. Below are five ways to enhance your business’s branding:

1. Be consistent with your social media accounts

Social media might seem like a place for only socializing and making jokes, but it should be more than that. Social media should also be your hub for getting clients and customers, hence connecting with them. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn are excellent places that can help you enhance your business branding.

You could enhance your business branding on platforms like Facebook through crafting excellent posts that your target audience love. If you don’t have a target audience yet, you need to do research and have people who you are going to target.

After you have known who to target, you can go back to Google and search some of the problems your target audience are experiencing and then you can come up with solutions through regular posts. Still not satisfied? This useful site can help you out.

2. Use your business blog

Many businesses don’t value having a website or if they do, they aren’t updating their posts regularly. Sure, if you don’t update your blogs often, nobody is going to recognize your brand. That’s why you need to hire reputable freelance writers to help you craft excellent blog posts that will drive your traffic.

Besides crafting excellent blog posts, you can also offer a freebie on your website. Most people provide free mini-course while others offer templates that guide you to do something. It is no secret anymore that people love free things. So, go ahead and offer your target audience something they would have bought.



3. Identify a niche

The biggest blunder most businesses make is failing to choose a niche. For chrissake, how can you operate or start a business without having settled on one niche.

Let’s get honest here: assuming you want to hire a freelance writer to help you write articles about personal finance. You have two options – there is a freelance writer that writes about every topic, then there is another freelance writer that specializes about personal finance. So, who are you going to hire?

It’s apparent that you will hire the expert and leave the generalist. Generalists in most cases will spin content or take too much time researching, which can inconvenience you.

4. Provide great customer services

Customers are the lifeblood of your business. If you don’t handle them, they will go elsewhere – a business that can handle them well. You should also note that customers are always right.

Providing excellent customer service is an excellent way of attracting more people to your business, hence enhancing your brand.

5. Invest in marketing campaigns

Don’t make the mistake of overlooking an important tool for marketing – that is, your branded product packaging. Leverage the potential of your product packaging and branding studio to capture the attention of consumers and reinforce the identity of your brand. An attractive, well-designed product packaging is perfect for levelling up your social media posts, amping up your social media presence, and encouraging user-generated content.

Final Thought

Branding may seem hard, but it will only be hard when you don’t do things right. The good news is that the tips above have worked for many businesses and they can also work for you. Implement them.



Why a startup may need more than just worker’s comp

It only takes one lawsuit, natural disaster, or unplanned interruption in business to bankrupt you.

You are an entrepreneur with great ideas and strong leadership skills. You’ve identified and hired key employees, and sales are growing. Why do you need more insurance than simply state-mandated workers’ comp?

It only takes one lawsuit, natural disaster, or unplanned interruption in business to bankrupt you. Find out about the different types of insurance available for small businesses from a busy Philadelphia bankruptcy lawyer.

Business Liability Insurance

This type of insurance includes general liability insurance and commercial general liability insurance. It covers your business should someone sue you for property damage or physical injury on your site. You can click for more information here and learn about the benefits of opting for workers’ compensation.

If you own a building or allow the public on your property, this type of coverage is a must, even if you believe that being on your property is safe. Be protected should a bystander, passer-by, or customer suffer an injury on your site, or if their car is damaged from falling debris from your building.

This type of insurance also covers you in case of libel, slander, or advertising injury claims against your company.



Professional Liability Insurance

Also known as malpractice insurance, or “errors and omissions” insurance, this type of coverage is a must for certain professionals and maybe mandated in your state. For example, it is common for attorneys, doctors, and accountants to be required to carry professional liability insurance. Even, insurance for recruitment agencies is also available.

Business Income Insurance

This type of coverage pays out if you lose business due to property damage from fire, wind, or theft. It doesn’t cover you if you or other essential personnel cannot work due to injury or illness, and income is lost.

Some insurance companies offer the following extensions to business income coverage:

  • Coverage for lost income due to absent essential personnel;
  • Coverage for lost income due to cloud service interruption;
  • Coverage for lost income due to damage to business property or tools off-site;
  • Coverage for lost income due to interruption in any utility service;
  • Coverage for lost income due to vendor or third-party inability to supply you;

Data Breach Insurance

Also called “cyber liability” insurance, data breach insurance protects you if your site is hacked or your data is stolen. For example, if due to a virus or cyberattack your customer’s personally-identifiable information is exposed, your customers or patients may sue you. Your company may face high public relations costs to repair your reputation after the breach.

Employment Practices Insurance

This type of coverage protects you against any employee claims of wrongful termination, workplace discrimination, workplace harassment, and retaliation.

When you’ve identified which types of insurance you need in addition to workers’ comp, shop around. Look for carriers that offer bundles of the type of insurance you need, and you will get a discount.

About the Author

Veronica Baxter is a legal assistant and blogger living and working in the great city of Philadelphia. She frequently works with David Offen, Esq., a busy bankruptcy and foreclosure lawyer in Philadelphia.



How to find a voice for your brand and use it to your advantage

Since you are a business owner who is facing competition that gets stiffer each year, you don’t have time to go through a trial and error period when it comes to getting your brand well-known to consumers.

Since you are a business owner who is facing competition that gets stiffer each year, you don’t have time to go through a trial and error period when it comes to getting your brand well-known to consumers. Instead, you need to hit the ground running with a marketing strategy that will produce immediate results. If you’re ready to take your brand to the top and keep it there, here are some of the best ways to reach your goals.

Use Social Media

Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or the many other popular social media sites, take advantage of this goldmine of worldwide advertising to get your brand out in front of people. With millions of people accessing their social media accounts daily, you can tailor your social media presence to virtually any type of customer base.

Make Your Brand Unique

No matter the product or service you offer, adding a uniqueness to your brand will guarantee you will stand out from the competition. To do so, you should work with a creative agency when developing your brand identity. Whether you choose to use humor and charm or instead decide to have your brand be associated with the social issues you know are most important to your customers, doing so will make your brand memorable.



Tell Your Brand’s Story

If there is anything consumers today love, it’s a good story associated with their favorite brand. An extremely effective strategy for online advertising, using emotions to connect to your target audience will almost always pay off in terms of profits. By being willing to get personal and show how your brand relates to the average person, chances are customers won’t be able to buy what you’re selling fast enough.

Develop a Podcast

If you have looked around within the business world over the last decade, you may have noticed more and more podcasts starting to pop up for different companies and their products. There are audio recording and editing tools available that can help you create an excellent podcast. If you don’t mind letting your voice be heard by potentially millions of people, seriously consider developing a podcast agency for your products or services. Considered to be a very good strategy for those whose products or services are considered to be niche markets, a popular podcast can bring about instant brand recognition.

Once you find a voice for your brand, definitely use it to your advantage. Whether your brand goes to the top via podcast, social media, or through your ability to tell a story, the end result will be increased publicity and increased profits.



What you need to have ready before you can open the doors of your new piercing shop

Opening your own piercing shop can be a major step forward in your career, but it can be a daunting task.

Opening your own piercing shop can be a major step forward in your career, but it can be a daunting task. From day one, you need to have everything on hand to deal with every situation you might encounter. With all the legalities under control and a space for your shop secured, you’re almost ready to open your doors. First, though, make sure you haven’t forgotten some crucial things.

Business Plan

Piercing professionals often have the mindset of an artist rather than a businessperson, and it can be tempting to move forward with no plan for attracting clientele, paying the rent when business is slow, or dealing with unexpected costs. However, that won’t help you in the long run. A business plan can help you focus the scope of your offerings, decide if you will bring on additional staff, and determine how much inventory you can keep in stock. Skipping this step can lead to failure even if you’re good at your job.

Sanitation Items

Customers and regulators will expect to see a clean shop with a focus on sanitation. Be sure to have an adequate supply of your favorite disposable gloves as well as surgical scrub. Items that may not immediately come to mind include dental bibs to help you establish a sterile field and protect clothing, gauze pads for bleeding, and rinse cups for cleaning small tools and rinsing before oral and cheek piercings. Government regulations in your area may require that you also have other sanitation equipment on hand.



Body Jewellery

A substantial part of your income will come from selling piercing jewellery, so you’ll need to work with one or more body piercing jewellery suppliers that can provide the barbells, studs, piercing retainers, and any other ear and body piercing jewellery you will need to keep in stock. You may want to have a range of matching necklaces, bracelets, and other pieces in your inventory to help increase sales to piercing clients. Body piercing jewellery suppliers can often provide sanitation supplies and may have tools too.

Piercing Tools

Tools of the trade include body needles in a variety of sizes, tapers for internally threaded body jewellery, piercing needle receiving tubes in a variety of gauges, septum forceps, dermal anchor forceps, ring-opening pliers, and similar basics. Depending on where you were trained and what services you plan to offer, you may have specific tool preferences. If not, you’ll have to establish preferences for brands and tool types. Be ready with extras of tools that break easily.

If you’re well-trained and have experience working at a shop, you should already have a good idea of what you need to do piercings. However, owning your own shop is different than working for someone else, partly because the responsibility for having everything you need in stock rests on your shoulders. Make sure you’re ready to help prevent embarrassment and lost business.



Enjoyed your last trip to our favourite café? These are the suppliers & vendors you can thank for helping the hospitality Industry?

we have these start-ups to thank for helping our favourite restaurants and cafes survive some of the darkest periods of their time.

After a long-drawn tryst with relentless lockdowns during the first half of 2020, the Indian youth have shown a great inclination to going out much more often as compared to the pre-lockdown periods. This is in line with most estimates as experts predict that the hospitality & travel niche will experience a “mini boom” phase in the immediate aftermath of the lockdown.

While many have already contributed to this boon, several others will soon follow. And when the demand does hit the roof, we have these start-ups to thank for helping our favourite restaurants and cafes survive some of the darkest periods of their time.

Aker Foods: B2B grocery exchange start-up Aker foods [Aker Foods Agrotech Limited] braved the Covid lockdowns at a time when traditional suppliers were nowhere to be found. Thanks to processes which helped it comply with COVID-19 protocols. It was able to supply groceries at lighting fast speed to cafes and restaurants that would otherwise have faced an uncertain future due to the absence of the ability to cater to online orders.

GoFrugal: For large restaurants and hotels with banquet arrangements that were otherwise being managed in a very traditional manner, GoFrugal offered some impressive solutions that made the management of these minute aspects rather smooth. With everything being tracked well, the company also offered gateway and wallet services to customers to help them make payments at a time when social distancing was encouraged. This helped the image of several cafes and they continued receiving additional customers.

Zomato: Okay this is no surprise. But Zomato really did help a ton of cafes & restaurants survive solely on online orders during the pandemic. They were one of the early adopters of imparting hygiene practices and protocols to delivery boys during the pandemic and they consistently encouraged their partners to move towards online ordering to survive the harsh times through their sales team. Popular mentions include Swiggy, UberEats etc who have contributed on similar lines as well.



FurnitureRoots: The value proposition of supplying social-distancing compliant furniture to cafes and coffee shops is something that had a tremendous impact on the hospitality industry in the aftermath of the lockdowns. The general public was still quite intimidated when it came to moving out of their houses and such initiatives helped. The idea was that using furniture that ensures enclosed seating arrangements would prevent the spread. Additionally, the company also promoted the idea of outdoor and patio seating arrangements (just like bistros in western countries). Which made a whole lot of sense considering the fact that outdoor seating is a whole lot safer than indoor.

EazyDiner: Although EazyDiner has been a long since a long time, the Yuvraj Singh backed startup has helped several restaurants & cafes in the Delhi-NCR region and Mumbai bounce back into sustainability during the second half of FY 2020. Thanks to its ubiquitous application, it has helped businesses reserve tables and manages seating for its customers in a rather efficient way thus reducing wait times and increasing the businesses’ ability to manage a sudden increase in footfall.

Arguably, the most affected industry & sector during 2020 is the hospitality sector, we should forever be obliged to these businesses for taking a step up and taking these initiatives.