Fresh Start of a Fresh Year!

Lately, I came across some really very useful reads and thought to share it on my blog. So, here goes what I found quite informative and valuable.

• VAT being introduced in the Middle Eastern region... http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/business/saudi-arabia-and-uae-set-to-introduce-tax-on-goods-and-services-820320.html
• All so called "organic product" are actually not organic. Know how to save your money on fake organic stuff. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-to-avoid-wasting-money-on-fake-organic-food-2017-12-27
• And, surely your business would need these tools. https://www.inc.com/nina-ojeda/20-tools-your-business-needs-in-2018.html
• McDonald India on a downfall... https://qz.com/1165413/mcdonalds-in-india-20-of-franchises-shuttered-after-a-showdown-with-a-local-partner/
• Tips for educators to promote their private tuition business http://www.commercebusiness.us/business-ideas/4-ideas-to-advertise-your-home-tuition-business.html
• How hiring people with entrepreneurial mindset can grow your startup http://www.smallbusinessguide.us/4-reasons-you-should-hire-employees-with-entrepreneurial-mindset/
• Email marketing segmentation for better ROI http://www.startupsbuzz.com/make-your-email-marketing-more-effective-with-segmentation/

Opening a Small Scale Laundry or Dry Cleaning Service

Laundry and dry cleaning services are among growing small business industries. That’s why there can be tough competition and so opening your own dry cleaning and laundry service can be challenging and labor intensive.

However, with careful planning, adequate financing and strong customer service skills, you can open and operate your own business successfully in this growing industry.

This article will sum up the steps to start your own small scale laundry service or dry cleaning business. Here goes the list:

1- Study the industry by working in a dry cleaner for a year before opening your own. While this is not a requirement, it will allow you to gain needed experience and to know what you need and don't need to purchase. You can also have a better idea about profitability of a home based laundry.

2- Must do market research, prior to starting your business. Find how many competitors are in your market, what they offer and what they charge for their services and what different you can offer to grab the market share.

3- Make sure to have a laundry business plan in hand to take start. It’s going to be a roadmap for success.

4- Get a complete list of equipment for laundry business and make sure you buy or lease durable one.

5- Get connected to local officials to get permits and licenses to operate your location.

6- Start operations and focus more on getting clients yourself.

7- Hire efficient people who deliver work on time, i.e. washers, delivery drivers etc.

8- Market your service to businesses in your community. Offer coupons, especially on social media, for individuals to try your service.

Starting a dry cleaning is almost same, however, you may need to see the profitability of small scale dry cleaning service in a different way.  Also, the cost of home based dry cleaning service may vary depending upon the required equipment and space.

Joining Equity Crowdfunding Platforms; a Key to Smart Startup Investment

Startup investment can yield in outsized return only if you have invested in the right business idea at right time. And, to do so, joining an equity crowdfunding platform can be really fruitful. With such a platform you can get access to deal flow and can invest in startups that give outsized return.

If you are struggling to find where to start, the best way to remedy that is to go online, and there are many well-known names, i.e. Indiegogo, Fundable, Kickstarters etc.  Besides these big names, there are many niche based crowdfunding websites as well; just in case if you have a particular niche to invest in.

By registering on investment platforms you will be able to navigate different deals. Especially if you are new to startup investing, you may want to see as many deals as possible before pulling the trigger. It is important to learn about the market before making any type of investments.

Do check out this post on how to reduce the risk of startup investment by examining monetization strategy!

Sales Pipeline Should Qualify Leads at Every Step

Lead generation itself is a hectic task, but it becomes more frustrating when the leads are not of good quality and the conversion rate is too low. This doesn’t just humiliate the marketer, but also results as poor ROI.

“You need to set up a process to convert the most leads possible. Put them in a sales pipeline … and add checkpoints to determine those who are qualified, versus those who aren’t.” – (Starts at 11:52) Justin Roberts, Infusionsoft Expert, Infusionsoft.

Yes, it’s a must to have a proper sales pipeline that qualifies leads at every step. This way you can filter the qualified leads and put your efforts in the right direction.

Check all major small business resources to develop a process for sales pipeline!

10 Useful Blogs & Resources for New Entrepreneurs

Starting a business is exciting, but the excitement starts turning into frustrations when you do not have a clear understanding of business operations and you find it difficult to deal particular situation.

Getting help from your business advisor or being guided by a mentor can save you lot of money, time and energy, but the problem with most of entrepreneurs is not finding a good advisor or mentor.

In this very particular situation, good blogs and online resources are the best choice. Here I am listing ten of the best blogs I read and have contributed for a few too!

1. Femalepreneurs.com Success Secrets
2. StartupsBuzz.com
3. SoloSavvy Blog for Solo Entrepreneurs
4. SmallBusinessClan.com
5. Small Business Marketing Blog
6. CareersLinked.com
7. Shipping and Global Business Growth Blog
8. Infusionsoft Blog
9. Eventzilla - Managing Events Made Easy
10. Business Success Tips for Entrepreneurs

Starting an Internet Café in a Village; a Hot Business Opportunity

With the ease of access to mobile internet, everyone is aware of the happenings around the world and so they wish to be part of these happenings either by sharing video opinions, or by being part of online debates and other forums.

Yes, they can do everything on mobile, but it has limitations and not all the villages and rural setups have access to high speed internet. This makes it a hot business opportunity.

So, if you live in a rural area or relatively smaller town, where high speed internet is not in easy access for everyone, stop exploring any more lists of small business ideas for villages! Starting your very own internet café can prove to be a hot business opportunity!

Some people may argue that in some time, your village will have high speed internet, and you will lose all the business. But, let me tell you; you can convert it to a download and upload center, or turn it into a coffee shop where people can come for a cup of coffee while enjoying free internet!

Here I am going to share some links and resources that can help you set up your internet café in a small town or a village easily while keeping you motivated.

Starting an internet café business.

5 essential tips to start an internet café business.

Starting internet café in an African Village.

Starting a Recruitment Agency in Chicago; Challenges & Opportunities

Life in big cities is getting faster than ever before; some things are getting good, but on part of income, almost every other individual looks for an additional income source. That’s the reason, people look for small business ideas that can be started part time. 

If you live and work in Chicago, you might already have explored tons of small business ideas for Chicago, but not all can be started as part time. Fortunately, if you have some work experience of HR, you can already think of a recruitment agency, but in case if you are a fresh grad, still you can consider it as an option.

Recruitment agency or a staffing firm can be a big success in just city, but when it comes to start a recruitment agency in a city like Chicago, it’s really different. The huge chances of success are still there, but you need to have something unique, which truly serves the need of the people!

Start something that contributes to the community by filling a need for specialized, professional, contingent workers. Focus on providing job hunters with a safe and independent environment, and also make sure that businesses get a high-caliber of employee available for project or permanent work. 

Check out these resources for a quick start:

5 tips to start a staffing firm

Starting a recruitment firm from scratch

Recruitment agency business plan

I’d also like to take the opportunity to explain the fact that Chicago has more opportunities than one can think of. Here’s a cool hostel business idea for Chicago, as suggested by Bianca.