Category: Tips and Tools

When you first started turning your retail empire dream into reality – taking the plunge by setting up an online shop – working from home was the safest bet.

With fewer costs, smaller risks and less chance of having to blow every bit of profit on astronomical childcare costs, common sense told you it was the way forward.

But now a growing demand from customers and an increasingly healthy turnover are clear signs that it’s time to scale up.

And that means getting a foot on the high street.

Although it’s the right next step, committing to a bricks-and-mortar shop has you almost as scared as you were starting out all those years ago – the last thing you want is for standards to slip or costly mistakes to eat into your bank account.

To help you manage the delicate process of opening your new flagship store with as few sleepless nights as possible, we’re sharing our top tips for handling the big move.

#1: figure out what you need

From storage space to parking facilities, figuring out everything you need from your new premises – and how much you’ve got to spend – is your first job.

If your expectations are too high you’ll struggle to find anywhere at all, so whilst some factors – like the price – are non-negotiable on your end, you’re going to have to practise the fine art of compromising with other less important ones.

#2: get the location right

Picking the perfect spot is another factor you shouldn’t compromise on. High footfall, nearby parking, a good enough distance from home or your children’s school – there are lots of different elements at play when deciding on the right location.

Online databases let you narrow the property search according to location, so discovering the available shops for sale in any given area doesn’t have to involve endlessly hunting around local high streets.

#3: make it your space

Once you’ve settled on a shop, and hopefully ticked ‘perfect location’ and ‘within budget’ off the checklist, you can finally get started with the fun stuff – putting your own personal touch on the place.

Get the interior cleaned and the layout organised before working on amping up the curb appeal. Sparkling windows, fresh paintwork, a memorable sign and an eye-catching display of your most valuable wares is how you’ll attract lots of new customers. Additionally, look into cardboard displays and other POP fixtures to help drive sales.

#4: tell the world the good news

Although you’ve been working on the high street move for months, unless you share the news far and wide your customers will be left clueless about your exciting plans.

Email marketing, a social media campaign and a good old-fashioned opening party will help spread the word amongst existing fans, and could help lure in a whole load of new ones as well. To do it properly look to an external marketing firm for expert help.

Have you got any other top tips for successfully launching a high street shop? You can always share your advice by leaving a comment.

It’s fair to say 2016 has been a mixed year for businesses. Whatever your position may be, though, there’s no doubt that this year has also been home to two of the most significant events for businesses in recent memory. The results of both the UK referendum and the most recent US election shocked experts all around the globe. Here’s how they could shape the near future.

The UK Referendum

The UK’s decision to leave the EU was met with disbelief at the time, with the majority of pollsters before the final event predicting the wrong result. It’s important to remember that the UK has not left the EU yet. We’re still waiting for Prime Minister Theresa May to trigger Article 50, which she has said she intends do by the end of March 2017. This will give the two sides another two years to agree the exact details of the split.

Nevertheless, we can expect to see some significant consequences of the decision occur before the separation has formally took place. The International Monetary Fund has predicted the UK will be the fastest growing of the G7 leading industrial countries this year. However, despite the 1.8% growth that is expected to come, the IMF added that it expects the results of the Brexit vote to hit home next year with growth dropping to just 1.1%.

The US Election

Donald Trump’s ascension from the outside candidate for the Republican nominee to President Elect this month will go down as one of the greatest political upsets in modern history. Trump, too, will not take full control until early next year, but his action over the last few months are already influencing the wider economy. During the course of the election night alone, we saw how currency exchange rates can experience ups and downs based on the market potentials.

Perhaps Trump’s most lasting memory will be his decisions over foreign policy. As well as claim that he will build a wall across the United States and Mexican border, Trump has also said that he would support a 45% tariff on Chinese exports into the country. This has many worried about the possibility of a trade war, that would impact not only the United States but the wider global economy as well. Many countries, including Japan and South Korea, are involved in the deals that bring Chinese goods to the United States.

Have the surprise outcomes of this year caused you to change your business strategy in any way moving forward? Let us know all about your own experiences in the comments section below.

Hello, Helen here! As well as being the founder of Business Plus Baby I also make online courses and I’d like to tell you a little about them and my Black Friday discounts coming up later this week.
 
I have two types of courses, here are the ones that you can use personally (like a student):

HelenLindop.com

I’ve got courses on Facebook groups for marketing, making courses and making videos. Later in the week you’ll find my new course ‘Content marketing for small business’, too.

And I have courses you can sell on your own site (otherwise known as done-for-you, white label or PLR courses):

TotallyCourses.com

Here you’ll find WordPress courses, a course on making online videos and my new content marketing for small business course.

I know a few people get a little confused about the difference, so just post me a comment if you’ve got a question!

The coupon code is ‘Friday’ and it’s valid from this Friday 25 November until 30 November.

What can women do to ensure they succeed when starting and running their own business? Successful entrepreneurs including Tech Track winners and alumni such as Catherine Wines and Simon Calver, Partner, BGF Ventures and former CEO of LoveFilm, share their thoughts…

(Source: succeed as a female entrepreneur.)

And if your daughter is an aspiring entrepreneur, here’s how we could do more to support young women into entrepreneurship.

(Source  do more to help female tech entrepreneurs )

Photo credit Medith IT

You’ve been busy planning, writing, and marketing your business. Days go by. Months go by. And suddenly years have gone past and you cannot remember the last time you took an active look at your website and updated it. Well it’s time for a makeover!. Here are a few tips and idea to bring your website up to date.

Set up analytics

If you haven’t already added Google Analytics to your site, now is the time to do it. Google Analytics are free and the information you receive is priceless. Once you’ve installed  analytics you’ll know why people come to your site, how long they stay, what they click on and what keywords they use to find you.

It’ll change your entire mindset when it comes to your site. You can put the most popular pages right up front where each visitor can see them and you can create similar content and pages to keep your prospects coming back to your site.

If you set up analytics some time ago, go back and check that it’s set up to gather the data you need now. It’s easy to set up a new site and forget to add it to your analytics account, for example.

Add some video

Video is an easy way to add a nice and personal touch. Your video doesn’t have to be long. You can include a short welcome video – less than one minute. Video helps give your visitors a face and voice to your site. It also helps them connect to you on a personal level. Did you know that people, you included, tend to buy from people you like and connect with? Video on a sales page can help you boost your conversions.

Add free content

Do you have free content on your site? Not just free articles and perhaps videos but free reports, e-books, video series – maybe even workbooks or webinar recordings. If you do have free content, make sure it’s up to date. You can update a free e-book and suddenly you have a new promotion to share with your audience. If you don’t have an abundance of free content, create some. It boosts your credibility, authority, and of course it keeps your visitors coming back to your site.

Refresh your Social Media Tools

Finally, let’s not forget about social media tools. Facebook, Twitter, and many other social sites have plug-ins and tools you can add to your site. They can help others share your information. They can also post updates and build your social media connections.

You might also consider other useful tools like a print function so visitors can print your articles and posts. And don’t forget to set up a way for visitors to subscribe to your content via email or via a reader.