If you own a business that publishes content on the internet, then you need to understand content management systems or CMS. This visual guide will help you identify the various types of CMS and which type is the best for you and your business.
If you own a business that publishes content on the internet, then you need to understand content management systems or CMS. This visual guide will help you identify the various types of CMS and which type is the best for you and your business.
When entering the world of entrepreneurship, you may have already anticipated that building a business takes work. In this space, we see so many stories of what seem to be overnight successes and businesses that just seem to really nail it on the first try. These stories inspire us to build a business around something we’re passionate about and that will also financially support us.
Even though they don’t mean to, sometimes these stories can also create unrealistic or high expectations. The part about building a successful business is absolutely attainable – what sets us up for disappointment is the idea that all of this will happen overnight or with quick and easy fixes.
Understandably, many new small businesses start out with a limited budget and in a business world very focused on ROI, we sometimes get too caught up with the return part of the equation (as in: what am I getting out of this?) rather than understanding that the investment part is equally as important.
When we create these high expectations without putting in the necessary planning, work and resources, it may feel like we’ve ‘failed’ when something doesn’t do as well as we had hoped. This feeling may lead to frustration, dropping projects or abandoning ship much too early, but only because the expectations were skewed!
The reality is that we should treat our business as the opposite of a ‘get rich quick’ scheme. We need to build a solid foundation and then nurture and grow the business organically. We need to do our research and create a business plan that focuses on who our customer is and how we are going to help them. And when we put our business out there into the world – whether it’s a product launch, or a new website or service, we’ll learn from it. We’ll adapt, plan, launch and learn again.
Going into the business building process with realistic expectations and optimism is essential. Understand that the effort that goes into building it will be thorough, involved (and sometimes challenging!). But, also have the optimism that when the right amount of effort is applied and the learning cycle is expected, you’ll be building a business with a solid foundation to continue growing upon.
© Danielle Thomas, DemGen Inc. 2014
With ‘going virtual’ becoming a trend in the workplace, it’s key to understand the differences between a virtual team and virtual assistants before making any hiring decisions.
Though both have value, their capabilities and focus are very separate and distinct. It’s key to understand the difference to determine which will best suit your needs.
Virtual Teams
Virtual teams are typically comprised of a number of experts in their respective fields with complementary skills such as: project management, lead generation, marketing, graphic design, etc. These team members are professionals with years of experience. Most have an extensive background and have worked in the corporate world for many years, before making the decision to work virtually, to be their own boss and work with diverse clients not limited by their physical location.
Virtual teams are a literal ‘jack of all trades’ minus the ‘master of none’. The team dynamic allows for many people to work together and balance each other with their specific skills.
Virtual Assistants
Virtual assistants are just what the name implies – assistants. They often also come from a corporate background, although it tends to be in secretarial or administrative roles. As a ‘one man show’, they have limited capabilities and are best suited for simple tasks such as calendar or email management, travel arrangements or dictation. Virtual assistants are able to apply their specific skills to the tasks provided to them, but rarely have an additional person to collaborate with when they do not have the expertise for what they have been assigned.
Which one is right for you?
Whether a virtual team or virtual assistant is best for you depends entirely on your business needs. Please also keep in mind; a virtual team is not a grouping of virtual assistants.
If you’re just starting up and have very simple and straightforward tasks you need assistance with, a virtual assistant may be the best bet.
If you have an established business with a lot on the go and multiple needs, a virtual team is probably best suited for you.
You can learn more about how DemGen’s virtual team works by scheduling a Discovery Call.
© Tamara Smith, DemGen Inc. 2013
While listening to the results of a city audit today, a quote was mentioned from a member of the community: that you have three variables in capital projects – time, cost and quality. You can only control two out of those three and will always have to give up one in order to get the other two.
This had me thinking of how entrepreneurs have it right. They know they can’t control all three of these variables when it comes to their business (and it applies to a lot of other things in life too!) and they know what to do about it.
Mixing competence and intelligence
Knowing when to concentrate on their genius abilities and bring someone else into their business is a decision that at some point most business owners will have to make. They are wise enough to know that something has to give and also intelligent enough to realize which of the three it is. Giving up the quality of their services or products is not an option so that means more time spent on the business or they spend the money needed to buy someone else’s time.
Being competent means knowing why certain things need to be done and having the intelligence to get things done properly. Realizing that the results won’t be immediate, they have the maturity and the capability to oversee their business in a way that will bring future success. This is a results oriented way of thinking which is extremely important if you are running a business.
Strength of Character
Quite often found compelling, an aura of strength is very attractive to customers and the public alike. Inner strength or character is often found in entrepreneurs as they aren’t afraid of change and quite often welcome it. They always meet it head on. Becoming stagnant worries them, as it quite often means the end of their business or at the very least, a downturn.
Strength of character is shown by the vision entrepreneurs see of their businesses, whether others can see it or not. Those outside of a business rarely understand the blend of thinking and creativity that most business owners take for granted. Their mixture of decisiveness and innovation is what moves them forward. Knowing when to move and when to stay still and regroup is a critical part of their entrepreneurial ability.
Knowing what has the potential to help their business and what the downfalls of each decision could be, entrepreneurs almost always have certain characteristics not often found in those who prefer to work at a 9-to-5 job. Their ability to know what to give up in order to have what they most want is something that works across all platforms of their lives. Being in control of how their business runs and having the qualities that help them make decisions, which in the future will have the best outcome, are a result of qualities they have nurtured.
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2014
You may think that multitasking helps you to get more done, but as this infographic shows, multitasking actually makes you less productive.
Our virtual team can help you to focus on your special skills and genius abilities to grow your business. Let us handle the rest!
With so many social media platforms out there, it can get a little confusing about the best ways to use each to receive successful feedback. LinkedIn is growing to become one of the most professional and productive social media platforms for businesses and entrepreneurs, but it doesn’t exactly follow the same rules as platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Here are 3 tips to using your LinkedIn profile to the best of your abilities.
1. Have a proper profile picture.
That’s really the number one rule: to have a picture. People will be turned off if they can’t put a face to the skills, so upload a picture as soon as possible. Secondly, your picture should be professional. Avoid mirror pictures, pictures from family vacations, or really obvious/badly lit “selfies.” Have a friend take a picture of you if you haven’t got a stock photo available, and try to make sure your photo is similar across all forms of social media.
2. Be active.
Not in the sense that you’re constantly updating your status about what you’re doing (this isn’t Twitter), but you should be active so that you’re seen on your connections feed. This can be done through sharing articles using the LinkedIn Bookmarklet, the Pulse feature, or updating posts with interesting information to a direct target. You can also share articles directly to connections – so don’t be afraid to send an article you think a connection would be interested in.
3. Monitor your Endorsements.
This feature was added to LinkedIn profiles a little over a year ago, and while it’s a good way to connect with people and support their skill sets – it tends to be over used. If you see people endorsing you for things that you didn’t originally set as an endorsement, or endorsing you for the same skills titled differently, make sure to edit them properly. Unmonitored endorsements can hurt you as much as they can help you.
© Zoe Begopoulos, DemGen Inc. 2014
Virtual teams have become a growing trend in small businesses and corporations alike.
The reason for the rise in popularity of virtual teams is that they offer all of the benefits of traditional employees, plus significant cost savings.
With traditional, full-time employees, companies have to pay for 8-hour days (though employees rarely actually put in that much time working), benefits, office space and equipment, for every role that’s required. They must also recruit additional talent every time a new need arises.
Virtual teams offer the benefit of all-in-one services, on-demand, so companies only pay for what they really need. For less than the price of one full time employee, companies can get access to an entire team of experts, for whatever they may require – both at that time and going forward.
Beyond the added expertise and cost-savings that virtual teams offer, they are also good for the environment, as employees aren’t forced to commute to an office when the work can more quickly be completed at a home office. This also allows for a faster turnaround with projects.
When you evaluate the top-level benefits, it’s no wonder more and more companies are choosing to ‘go virtual’.
The trend of hiring virtual shows no signs of slowing down because simply put, it’s the best option.
“Virtual work has the potential to be similarly world changing. The virtualization of business is like outsourcing on steroids: not only is it highly efficient, but it is probably the most advanced and evolved economic system yet devised.”
John Meyer, The New World Of Work: Time To Think Virtually, Forbes
If you would like to learn more about what virtual teams can do for your business, Schedule a Discovery Call today!
© Tamara Smith, DemGen Inc. 2014
image courtesy of dashingdivawest
Small business owners want to spend their time and their money wisely. The success of their business counts on them being able to decide what they can do in the present that will aid them in the future and also being able to plan ahead and set goals that are attainable. There are certain questions a business owner should ask themselves and also signs they should pay attention to, that tell them it’s time to get help.
Loss of direction
When you first started your business, believing in your product or service should have been uppermost in your mind. Starting a business for financial reasons or because you hated your job and were looking for an out were not the best reasons for starting a business and can lead to failure. If you saw a better way to provide a service or improve a product and started a business because of that, those were both good signs that you were headed in the right direction. If your reasons are good but you are losing your sense of direction, need additional marketing and sales staff as well as a long list of other necessary business skills, now is the time to hire a virtual team before chaos takes over.
Inability to focus
Another symptom of chaos, overwork, disorganization and lack of support staff is no longer being able to focus on the necessary tasks that keep your business running smoothly. Multi-tasking, having too many projects on your mind at one time and various solutions for different business problems popping into your head while you’re trying to concentrate, all result in poorer business performance, lower sales and eventually, a lack of enthusiasm for the smallest of tasks. A virtual team can take over any number of smaller and/or larger jobs that you need completed, from customer service to spreadsheets, from returning calls to advertising and marketing.
Lack of energy
When your energy lags and your interest with it, it usually means that you are either doing too much or have so many things to do you are unable to prioritize them and actually get them done. Suddenly nothing about your business interests you; not the work that you previously enjoyed as you watched your business grow and not your new customers, products and services. This can be a death knell for your business and one of the most glaring symptoms of a business that has been in need of help for quite awhile.
Whether any of the above signs sound familiar or there are others that leave you feeling you’re not doing for your business what needs to be done, hiring a virtual team is not as difficult as some business owners think. With a variety of services and talents, it’s as simple as taking the first step and arranging to speak with a professional team. Your business deserves it.
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2014
It isn’t difficult with the present economy to find small business owners who are questioning their decisions and choices as a toll is taken on their finances. Many entrepreneurs are struggling to find their way to success and though the conditions are difficult, there are both challenges and opportunities in adversity.
Insurmountable odds that may cause some business owners to throw up their hands and quit, send others on a quest for ways to deal with the opposing factors. They have the resolve to keep going and to develop a method that will help them not only deal with present circumstances but will also help to avoid any future setbacks. Adversity has made these people stronger. Instead of looking the other way and pretending nothing is happening, they have accepted the challenge and began to put steps in place that will help them overcome any problems.
Adversity and Stress
Any serious challenge, whether physical, emotional or in this instance, financial, as it affects your livelihood, causes stress. It’s how you handle the stress that makes the difference. Staying up all night worrying, overeating, focusing on only a bad outcome – these are all good examples of how not to handle stress. Making reasonable decisions based on fact and working from there, trying to live your life in as normal a way as possible while still handling things in a responsible manner – this is the successful way to handle stress.
Lessons Learned
Transforming your business from one that is just on the edge to one that continues to grow or is at least stable will make you realize that you are a lot stronger than you thought. Confronting reality and making business decisions regarding issues you have never run into before will change you from a business owner to a business professional. Other business organizations and owners respect those with the tenacity to get things done under extreme circumstances and appreciate the leadership qualities that are the result of dealing with challenges.
Qualities Needed
To have the ability to deal with adversity and overcome it, you must be emotionally mature and emotionally intelligent. Big decisions call for big people, not those who will hide behind fear. Knowing where you want to go and having the wherewithal to get there by accessing outside sources if needed shows trust, a quality much needed in a successful business owner. Being able to put things in perspective and deal with them accordingly, in a professional way and without panicking shows that you can deal with tough situations and keep a cool head.
Know When to Ask for Help
In any situation where you face a problem that may end your business, don’t wait. Ask for help. Thinking you can do it all by yourself may be the mistake that causes your business to fail. Think of outsourcing some tasks to a virtual assistant and then concentrate on your business. While this may seem contrary and not cost effective, if you are worrying about every little thing involved in your business and not taking care of the big things, the impact may be loss instead of gain. Whether or not the situation you find yourself in has a positive outcome, adversity tends to strengthen the strong and break those who are weaker. Keeping your thoughts positive and focused on what needs to be done, choosing to be satisfied no matter what, will help you have the power to succeed.
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2013
image courtesy of neimanlab