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Are trade shows worth it for your startup?The answer is yes. While many businesses forgo trade shows for other forms of advertising, if you do this, you're leaving money on the table.Trade shows create an incredible opportunity for your startup to be seen. It's a great place for people to try your product and see it in person.What's more, Meeting Professionals International found there's a 40% close rate for meetings you have in person. Let's say you're selling hot tubs at a trade show – that's ...

As a standard business practice, most companies survey their customers. You may have even sent surveys of your own. Businesses survey their customers to gauge customer loyalty, see how likely customers are to refer a business to family and friends, and to measure their overall satisfaction with the products and services they are using.Customer surveys provide powerful data that can help your startup improve. So, it stands to reason that asking your employees for their opinions can even further y...

The job market is tight, and the number of voluntary separations by employees is rising year over year. It's an employees' market, and it's more important than ever to take care of your staff. What does this mean for your startup?To be successful and retain the best employees, you want to put the professional development of your team at the forefront. The most talented workers want to enhance their skills.This is good not only for your team but for your startup. Here's how startups can offer car...

You may not think your employees are feeling overworked, but the reality is that many staff members are at risk of burnout.That's the word from a Gallup poll conducted last year, which found that 23 percent of employees felt burned out at work either "always" or "very often," while another 44 percent described themselves as being burned out "sometimes." This leaves only about a quarter of full-time employees not at risk of burnout.If you're of the mindset that staff members are replaceable if th...

 Did you know that nearly 80% of adult Americans don't get the recommended amounts of exercise each week? This is a set up for many different types of problems.What's more, many people spend most of their day sitting in uncomfortable chairs in front of a computer. This can lead to back, wrist, neck, and hand pain.Ultimately, without a workplace wellness plan, your startup may end up with unhealthy and unhappy team members. But you can help. Let's look at five ways startups can encourage hea...

Going through the hiring process for a new startup is not only time consuming but costly. You've put forth a lot of effort to create a top notch team, and you'd like to retain them into the future.To create employee loyalty, you want to help them feel engaged with your company. In this article, we look at how to help your employees feel more engaged at work.When they're more engaged, they're more productive and more committed to your startup.Model communicationOne way to create an engaged workfo...

If you dread the thought of going back to work after a break, it may be a good time to reflect on what's really important to you and how well your current job fits with your career, life and personal goals. This is when many people dream of quitting their job, running their own business, and working on their own terms. Entrepreneurship isn't a good fit for everyone however. So, before planning your escape to 'live the dream,' make sure you have the right skills and attributes to thrive an entrep...

There are plenty of entrepreneurs who experience multiple—and sometimes spectacular—failures before accomplishing their dreams. And very few startups achieve success without experiencing at least some failure along the way. This is where entrepreneurial resilience comes in. Your ability to bounce back depends on how you respond to failure. And your future success depends on what you learn from failure that you can take forward to your next venture. Here, John Boitnott shares "a simple and effect...

Webinars offer one of the best ways to reach, engage, and share valuable content with a wide audience. Short for 'web-based seminar', a webinar can be any presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar transmitted online. And while a key feature is being able to host a live event with interactive elements such as live chat, you can also publish a recording later to reach an even wider audience. Running a successful webinar requires considerable planning and careful execution. Here, Kristen...

There are many aspiring entrepreneurs who dream of quitting their regular 9-5 job to start their own business and work on their own terms. Yet it remains just a dream for most, because abandoning the financial security of a regular salary is a risk they can't afford to take. However, there is an alternative to taking the leap without a safety net—and that's to start building your business while still working at your job. To help you succeed in turning a side hustle into a thriving business, Shan...

When it comes to growing your business, figuring out ways to be more organised, efficient and cost-effective is the best place to start. By saving time, effort and expense on the day-to-day running of the business, you'll free up valuable resources that you can invest in further growth. Based on "real-life ideas from successful businesses," Elizabeth Walker and Ken Burgin share here some top tips for growing your business that you can put into action "right away, without having to research, test...

​Expanding your network can open doors to new opportunities for business, career advancement or personal growth. And since the aim of networking is to build authentic, long-lasting, and mutually beneficial relationships, you should be prepared to pay it forward by offering to share your own knowledge, skills and experience before asking others for help or advice. A great way to establish your credibility while providing value to others is to organise your own networking event. To help you make i...

Understanding employee engagement, what drives it and how it can be nurtured to boost productivity, performance, and loyalty, is an essential part of your job as a leader. Employees who involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work are happy and productive employees who seek to achieve successful outcomes for themselves, their team, and the company. While there are numerous factors involved in keeping employees happy, engaged and motivated, it's up to leaders to create a positive ...

As a new startup, you can set your company culture and employee morale right from the outset.You've worked hard to hire the right people for your business. This may mean you have people of all ages, races, genders, religions and political affiliations sharing a space.In addition, you want them to feel comfortable and happy so you can build a cohesive team. To do this, they must all be welcomed.Here are five ways startups can help employees from all backgrounds feel welcome. #1: Startup at t...

When it comes to staffing your startup, the price is high. In fact, your hiring decisions are vital to the success and upward trajectory of your startup.In this article, we look at five reasons why bad hires are so costly to startups. From the actual cost, to your time, your reputation, lost opportunities, and the culture impact, you can't afford to mis-hire.#1: The costThe straight up costs with putting your job on job boards, culling through applications, interviewing candidates, calling refer...

When it comes time for startup valuation, you may wonder just how you can work out the value of your startup.The methods are important because you may not have a huge revenue stream which makes valuation a bit harder.In this article, we look at five tips to help you determine the value of your startup. After all, you want to earn this highest valuation from your investors, instead of being undervalued. #1: Talk to your accountant, lawyer, and investorsYes, you are most often worth what the ...

If you think your new business is too small for a human resources (HR) department, think again.Many new startups think they're too small for HR to matter, but this couldn't be further from the truth. You might think you can handle issues as they arise, but this leaves you open to conflict and even legal trouble.As a new startup, it's best practice to set get HR onboard in the beginning. In this article, we look at why your startup isn't too small to develop HR policies and processes from the sta...