8 steps to starting a successful YouTube channel
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Becoming a successful voiceover artist
If you have a great voice and a passion for storytelling, becoming a voiceover artist may be the perfect career path for you.
With the increasing demand for audio content, there has never been a better time to break into the industry.
To get started, take a look at this video to discover four important steps to develop your skills.
7 Essential Tips For Selling on Etsy
6 best tips to find clients on Fiverr
Even though the demand for flexible employment continues to grow, finding a job as a freelancer isn’t easy. With the help of freelance websites like Fiverr, your search for work could be made simpler.
Fiverr is one of the more popular online platforms that connects businesses with freelancers offering a wide range of services. It stands out because clients come to you rather than you having to seek out and bid for job projects.
With millions of active buyers and sellers, it can be challenging for you to stand out and attract new customers on the platform.
Here are six tips on how to get started and find customers on Fiverr:
- Complete your profile: A solid Fiverr account starts with a complete and professional-looking profile. Use a clear profile picture, write a compelling description of your skills and experience, and showcase your best work in your portfolio.
- Offer a unique service: To make your services stand out from the rest, identify a service that you can offer that is in high demand and has low competition. This will increase your chances of being found by potential customers.
- Use descriptive keywords: Use relevant keywords in your gig title, description, and tags to make it easier for potential customers to find you when searching for specific services.
- Provide excellent customer service: Respond to inquiries promptly, be polite and professional in your communication, and deliver high-quality work on time.
- Use packages and prices effectively: Create different package levels (basic, standard, and premium) based on your level of expertise and what’s included in your gig. You can also offer discounts or bundles to entice new customers to try your services.
- Request feedback: Ask your customers to leave feedback on your profile to increase your visibility and credibility on the platform.
By following these tips, you can increase your chances of getting noticed by potential customers on Fiverr and building a successful freelance business.
For more help with setting up a profile on Fiverr, check out these resources…
Getting Started On Fiverr – The Ultimate Guide
Chris Hanna | Nov 15, 2022
https://sophicalcontent.com/getting-started-on-fiverr
How to Get Started as an Anywhere Worker
Karen Maristani | Jul 26, 2022
https://blog.fiverr.com/post/how-to-get-started-as-an-anywhere-worker
How to Work on Fiverr? | Step by Step Guide To Work on Fiverr Without Skills
Varsha Pillareddy / Mar 6, 2023
How to become a virtual assistant in 5 easy steps
In today’s digital age, the demand for virtual assistants is on the rise, making it a great career option for those looking for flexible work arrangements. As a virtual assistant, you can work from anywhere and provide services to clients all over the world. Here are some steps to becoming a virtual assistant:
- Identify your skills: Assess your strengths and determine which services you can offer. Some common tasks include social media management, bookkeeping, content creation, and customer service.
- Establish your online presence: Create a professional website and social media accounts that showcase your skills and services. Make sure to include a clear description of what you offer and the benefits clients can expect when working with you.
- Build your network: Join online job platforms, such as Upwork or Freelancer, to find clients and build your reputation. You can also attend networking events and join industry groups to connect with other virtual assistants and potential clients.
- Continuously improve your skills: Take courses, attend webinars, and read industry publications to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and techniques in your field.
- Set your rates: Determine your hourly or project rates based on your skills and experience. Be competitive, but don’t undervalue your services.
By following these steps, you can start your journey towards becoming a successful virtual assistant. Remember to stay dedicated, provide excellent service, and always be open to learning and growing in your field.
For more information, check out these resources…
Virtual Assistants: How to start your own business, create a flexible schedule, and make six figures in revenue
Alexandra York | Feb 17, 2023
How to Become a Virtual Assistant in 2023
Coursera | Feb 21, 2023
https://www.coursera.org/articles/how-to-become-a-virtual-assistant
How to Become a Virtual Assistant (With Little Experience)
Grant Sabatier | September 7, 2022
https://millennialmoney.com/how-to-become-virtual-assistant/
What’s the Chance a Startup Business Will Fail?
There are many factors that contribute to a startup’s success, so the folks at Staff.com, a global employment website based in Sydney, Australia, created this infographic on those factors, or chances that your startup will fail or succeed.
The infographic also includes some research on projections for the best sectors to start your new business.
Providing a Local Service in Your Neighborhood
If you need some inspiration to start a small or home-based business, you don’t have to look too far. Stop and think for a minute about providing a service in the local market of your own neighborhood.
Whatever type of area you live in, there are services you can provide to your local community that people will pay you for. Begin brainstorming for ideas and opportunities by conducting research. Peruse the phone book, search the Internet, physically look around the neighborhood, and talk to people in the area to see what types of businesses are in your local area.
After you get a sense of the kind of services that are available, answer these questions … Is there a business service that is lacking? What does my local area need that I can provide?
For example, do you live near a business district? People who work in offices are busy today and often need help running errands. Starting an errand running business solves particular delivery problems for people or businesses.
Let’s say you noticed a local listing of a small mail order company. That business may need someone to regularly pick up brochures from their printer. Upon further research, you may find other errand services in the area. If so, set your prices in line with your local competitors.
Perhaps you live in an affluent area where there are big houses with significant gardens — gardens that will need tending and houses that will need maintaining. If you have a knack for gardening or you’re pretty handy with tools, people would be willing to pay for such maintenance.
You can promote your local business service in community newspapers or through popular online listings like Angie’s List and LocalBlox, which specialize in connecting neighbors to a myriad of local service providers, including businesses, professional services, and community activities.
Here are ten more ideas designed to help you think about the type of services you could provide for your neighbors:
1. Provide a lawn maintenance service
2. Provide a swimming pool maintenance service
3. Provide a handyman/odd-jobs service
4. Start a dog walking service
5. Provide an external painting service
6. Provide an internal decorating service
7. Run a local fitness group
8. Run a local newsletter and sell advertising space
9. Provide a carpet cleaning service
10. Provide a shed or garage clearing service
Before pursuing a local business service, call your county or city administration office to make sure you are allowed to operate certain businesses from your home. Your city might have local restrictions or zoning laws that prevent you from running certain home-based business.
For more inspiration, take a look at these 50 Small Business Ideas for Your Local Area for an expanded list of local service prospects within your neighborhood. Some of the opportunities may require that you to get specific training (and possibly experience) or invest in the right tools for the job.
Overall, your time and investment in tools will be worth it. Potential customers will be prepared to pay for that knowledge, experience, and just the fact that you have the tools to perform the service.
Source: Business Ideas Daily
Related articles
- Is Your Home-Based Business Illegal? (therealsupermumblog.com)
- Start a Home Business with an Idea and this Checklist (staples.com)
- Show Your Local Community You Care (hiscoxusa.com)
What VCs Want to See In Startup Founders
How would you know if you have what it takes to launch a business? One sure way to tell whether you have the makeup of an entrepreneur is when an investor is willing to finance your startup. For some venture capitalists and angel financiers, that investment won’t happen unless the startup founder also shows some promising personality traits.
Here are three attributes discerning VCs want to see in founders before they invest in their startup.
1. Startup founders who understand the risk of being too early to market.
Having an amazing idea is not enough. Founders should have vision, as well as a clear understanding of their target market. Otherwise, they risk running out of money before consumers are ready to adopt their products.
2. Startup founders who plan for tomorrow and five years down the road.
An emerging company has different needs than an established one, and startup founders have to be prepared to address both sets of challenges and opportunities.
3. Startup founders who know what they want.
This is an important characteristic for entrepreneurs who are seeking funding. As founders develop their expertise, they need to understand what to do with that know-how. Preferably, they should pursue a business they really enjoy doing. The founder’s passion serves as a vital foundation for a successful startup.
“Entrepreneurs need game-changing ideas in order to stay alive in their markets. But great ideas are not enough,” says Shlomo Kramer is an angel investor and founder and CEO of Imperva Inc. “When it comes to attracting investors, founders need to demonstrate they offer all of the qualities required for long-term success.”
To see the complete list of seven attributes Kramer wants to see in a startup founder, read his article, What Do Investors Look for in Start Ups?
Source: Globes
Entrepreneur and VC Mark Suster lists the qualities that he believes marks a successful entrepreneur.
Find Your Business Idea Without Reinventing the Wheel
Entrepreneurs love to take an idea and customize it to the needs of a potential customer. That’s what starting a business is all about, isn’t it? Sure, you can add your own creativity to any concept and market it as a unique selling proposition (USP), but that doesn’t mean you have to reinvent the wheel.
In fact, customizing a concept isn’t a choice; it’s a necessity if you want your business to be successful. All you have to do is find an unserved need in the market, look at its potential to offer something different and fill that gap.
For example, have you ever been charged a late fee for returning a past due rental video? You probably grumbled about paying the late fee, but you paid it anyway. Well, when a video store charged Reed Hastings a $40 fee for the “Apollo 13” DVD because it was six weeks late, he didn’t get mad, he got inspired.
Hastings wondered, “How come movie rentals don’t work like a health club, where, whether you use it a lot or a little, you get charged the same?” It was from this thought that Hastings created Netflix, a flat rate DVD rental-by-mail service. From its start in 1999, Netflix has grown into a big business with revenues topping $1.3 billion.
Finding Your Business Idea Is Only the First Step
How do you go about finding the right idea to start a small business? Begin by listing what you are good at, what you like, what things bother you? What would make your life easier?
Get a piece of paper, make a list and write down the answers to those questions to help inspire your ideas. So it might look like this:
Things I am I good at:
• Solving problems correctly and effectively
• Calming people down when they are upset
• Expressing emotions in ways that build healthy relationships
• Reading between the lines to understand someone’s real feelings
Things I like to do:
• Immersing myself in a good story when reading novels
• Spending quality time with my family and loved ones
• Playing computer games on my PC
Things that bother me:
• Finding poor spelling and grammatical mistakes in published books
• Picking up my dry cleaning
• Being stuck in traffic jams
Things that would make life easier:
• Having a personal chef to prepare my dinner
• Creating a chic capsule wardrobe on a budget
• Finding a dry cleaner that delivers
Of course, your list will be unique to your talents and pet peeves, but you should start to see themes and ideas emerging. In the above list, for example, opening a call center that provides customer service is one option, starting a fiction editing service is another.
Once you’ve created your list of potential business ideas, focus on the ones that are feasible and weed out the ones that don’t appeal to you. If you are passionate about something, but don’t have the knowledge to turn it into a business, keep it on the list. It’s easier to figure out how to acquire the skills and knowledge to start a service than pursuing something you’re not passionate about.
Settle on the idea that has the most promise and do some market research. If the idea looks promising, move it to the business plan stage.
Source: PressPort: Why Starting a Business Doesn’t Mean Reinventing the Wheel
6 Steps To Finding Your First Business Idea
Related articles
- Starting a Business? You Don’t Need a Big Idea (smallbizdaily.com)
- How to Find Business Ideas (business-opportunities.biz)
- How To Come Up With Business Ideas (business-opportunities.biz)
Developing Mental Habits for Business Success
When it comes to starting a business, you always want to follow the proper guidelines to make sure your startup will grow and become a successful venture.
The truth is, there are no set rules to follow, according to Street Smarts: An All-Purpose Tool Kit for Entrepreneurs, a business strategy book written by Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham, columnists for Inc. magazine.
Brodsky and Burlingham say there are “mental habits” that can help street-smart entrepreneurs grow their business, resolve problems and pursue opportunities as they arise.
For example, many new business owners start out with the primary goal of growing their company, usually for no other reason than believing that’s what they are supposed to do. However, the book’s authors say, “You don’t have to grow at all if you don’t want to… there’s no rule of business that says you must.”
Street Smarts includes many helpful ideas and concepts for would-be entrepreneurs who are in the process of honing their ideas, and establishing a direction and goals for their own business.
In her review, Palletenterprise.com’s DeAnna Stephens Baker explains how the book does a good job of avoiding abstract ideas. Instead, the authors modify their best advice in the form of a comprehensive guide for managing a variety of businesses.
The book delivers a worthwhile read that’s full of real stories, examples and details that explain how anyone can apply their business ideas in real-life situations.
Brodsky is a veteran entrepreneur who has founded and grown six businesses. Along with Burlingham, he has chronicled his entrepreneurial journey in his column in Inc.com.
Source: PalletEnterprise.com
Starting Your Business 