6 Things Your Small Business Needs to Spend More Money On

1. Design

Investment in design across your business is really necessary if you want to succeed. Most small businesses under invest in their design, especially graphic design for their products, because they believe that it is not important. This just isn't true. In fact, a customer will pay the most attention to your logo, according to research completed by Missouri University of Science and Technology.

You can do this by investing in the services of a reputable and well-known design company, not just asking your Uncle John to whip something up in Microsoft Paint.

This involves your logo, business cards, cellphone application and the general branding of your company. All these things require solid investment if you want your small business to be successful and have a good reputation with your clients and other businesses as a stand-out professional organization.

2. Marketing

Linked in tightly to design, marketing your business is another aspect you need to properly invest in. Don't try and do it yourself if you aren't qualified or skilled. Don't hire your friend for $20 mates-rates. Marketing is essential to your small business's success, especially if you are working in a field that is already filled with other businesses offering a similar service to you.

Marketing includes knowing your product's target audience, ensuring that advertising is relevant and accessible for that target audience, and making sure your product is coherent and consistent in its tone and advertising. These actions will maximize your business's sales, and give your design team a focus behind what they are achieving.

3. Technology

Technology is another valuable investment you should make in your small business. Everybody knows how important technology is to modern life. However, many people do not know how important technology is to business. You need to spend money on your technology, otherwise your reputation and revenue will be negligible until your business is dead. 

This includes lots of different things for your business. Programs like instant messaging systems, document organization systems and content management system, are likely to have an instant effect on the productivity of your workforce. However, two other aspects of technology are vitally important to your customers:

1. Cell service/coverage: You will need a long reaching cell coverage that can cover your entire office, ensuring no important phone calls are missed purely because someone was standing in the wrong place.
2. Your website not only needs to be designed to be pleasing to the eye, but it also must contain the most essential information about your company. If your website fails at either of these things, then you will lose customers and reputation.

Simply put, don't save your money when it comes to technology. You and your business will regret the decision.

4. Legal advice

Many small businesses fail to retain a legal adviser, calling it an unnecessary expense. Well, legal advice is actually pretty necessary to your business's success. By using a reputable law firm, you can protect yourself from potential legal issues. This includes writing and reviewing legal contracts, ensuring you have not violated any laws in your business and mediation in case of disputes.

In short, you need to get legal advice, or even a retained lawyer if you can afford it, if you want your business to be a success. Without this, you open yourself up to potential legal action being taken against you and even possibly shutting down your business before it has the chance to become successful.

5. Accounting service

Accounting is another thing you need to spend your money on, especially if you are currently lacking in capital. By hiring an accounting firm, you can optimize your business and reduce the wastage and inefficiencies that are limiting your business's growth.

This includes creating invoices for your employees, decreasing time wastage on duties that an accountant will cover for you and controlling the potentially spiraling costs that often paralyze small businesses. If you fail to make this investment, you are likely to have an inefficient and ineffective business that will waste money you could use for reinvestment in other aspects listed here.

6. Insurance

While this one may seem obvious to you, you need to invest your money in good insurance coverage for your small business. Many people scoff at the suggestion of insurance, arguing that it is not needed unless you are making serious money with your business. Honestly, this may be true for some small businesses. If you are an eBay reseller or small-time product designer, then insurance may not be for you.

5 Ways to Get Better Sleep Without Sleeping More Hours

Use bedtime affirmations.

This is a secret weapon that most people don't know about. I learned about this tip from Hal Elrod in The Miracle Morning book. You can use the power of affirmation to set your mind up for the best sleep, even if it's just for a few hours.

For example, you could say, "I'm going to wake up at (insert whatever time you're going to wake up), and that will be more than enough sleep to get me up and running." Priming your subconscious mind to get the most out of the time available to sleep is a great way to wake up happy and productive.

Nap the right way or don't do it at all.

Napping is great to help you get past the 3 p.m. slump and be productive for the rest of the day. The problem is, most people do it wrong. First of all, nap for less than 30 minutes or take an hour and half. Second, try to take your nap, especially if it's a short one, between 1-3 p.m. This way you will get better REM sleep.

If you take it after 4 p.m., your body will go into a long cycle, and you won't be able to wake up. You'll be like a zombie. That's why if you can't do it the right way, don't do it at all. 

Exercise is your best ally.

Another great way to set yourself up for higher quality sleep is to do some intense exercises a few hours before sleeping. The ideal time to exercise is about 6 p.m. When you're exhausted, your mind will go into deep cycles fast, giving you more time in the deep cycle, thus giving you higher quality sleep.

I have been exercising for a few months, mainly to avoid depression through the secretion of endorphins. But a side benefit is that I am getting much better sleep quality at night, and I am waking up feeling productive. I even have the opportunity -- and energy -- to work on my side business for a few hours before going to college.

Sleep alone when you can.

There's nothing worse than being disturbed in the middle of your sleep, especially when you're in the deep part of the cycle. Studies have shown people who sleep in the same bed with someone else suffer 50 percent more harmful sleep disturbances. Why decrease your sleep quality if you can sleep alone?

A hot bath before sleep.

This is something I learned from Arianna Huffington. She says that a hot bath is a very important part of her before-bed routine. I tested it out myself, and I can't go back. It is scientifically proven that it primes you to get into sleep faster. Having a hot bath after going to the gym is an important key to get better sleep, too.

Wake at the right moment.

Our sleep consists of cycles, which usually repeat every 90 minutes. Wake up in the middle of it, and you will feel groggy for the rest of the day. Wake up at the end of the cycle -- before a new cycle begins -- and you will feel refreshed. Be intentional about how much you sleep so that you get complete cycles. Use Sleepyti.me to help you calculate when to sleep.

Another great tip to prevent waking up in the middle of the cycle is to use an app like Smart Sleep to analyze your sleep, and when you start to get deep into the cycle, it wakes you up, even if it is 10 minutes earlier than your scheduled alarm. Those 10 minutes are the difference between feeling unrested and having a highly productive day.

04 Situations When It's Best to Stick to Your Guns Instead of Compromise

1. Your core values and vision are in jeopardy.

Brands often reorient themselves a bit to accommodate the market. But this isn't the same as throwing the central beliefs and goals under which you started operating out the window. You should be able to leave an agreement confident that your customers will still be able to recognize and trust who you are. Retaining this sense of business self is critical for your employee morale and retention, too, because most hiring is done trying to find people who align with the heart of your business.

2. The agreement raises clear, avoidable legal risks.

Most people who go into business want to do some good. But there are also individuals who get so caught up in greed, profit and the bottom line that they become willing to look for any way to cut corners, such as risking a fine or closure for dumping waste improperly. Even if your company is able to survive the courtroom, the dings to your reputation might not be repairable. Strong compromises will leave the bulk of legal protections intact for both you and the other party.

3. You or someone else could get hurt.

Related to the legal circumstance above, this point has a surprisingly wide scope. For example, tired drivers still might ask for overtime, or a particular screw in your product might come out unless you tweak the design. Compromising here could cost you financially in multiple ways, such as lawsuits or having to train a temporary replacement for a worker who's recovering. But it also casts significant doubt on how much you care about your employees and customers. Both groups of people want to feel valued. They'll leave or stop buying if they don't.

4. The other party has insufficient experience, skill or understanding.

You might run into this problem when you're trying to reach agreements between people who are on the floor in regular operations and those who are not, when a non-involved heir inherits a business, or when a larger company buys a smaller one outside of its niche. In these situations, the goal by refusing to compromise isn't to prevent change forever or to paint the other party in a negative light. It's merely to slow down or halt decision-making until you've educated the other party about procedures, rationales and the science of what you do.

In any of the above situations, standing your ground doesn't mean abandoning decency and decorum. Explain politely to the other party exactly why you're saying no, detailing what you need to move forward. If there is a way to help the other party meet those requirements, do what you can to support them. Give them time to think and respond, and don't make it personal. If you and the other party go your separate ways in the end, it's not a loss. It merely means you haven't found the right partner yet. And in time, you will.

10 Worst Boss Traits (Ranked in Order of What Makes People Quit Most)

1. Your boss takes credit for your work (63 percent)

One of the big findings is that employees really hate it when the boss takes credit for their work. And, older employees (those over 45) get even more irritated. Why is it just a trigger? Employees want to be recognized, and then challenged to complete other lofty goals. When they realize they won't get any credit or someone will steal it, they lose all motivation.

2. Your boss doesn't appear to trust or empower you (62 percent)

Trust and empowerment can change employee perceptions. When you show trust, you're essentially enabling the employee to succeed. Bad bosses don't understand that. They command and control, assuming an employee is going to fail or create conflict. To change, you have to demonstrate to an employee you are OK with small failures.

3. Your boss doesn't appear to care if you're overworked (58 percent)

The boss is out playing golf or on vacation in Orlando. At work, the employees are stretched pretty thin. That's a problem because, from the perspective of the workers, there isn't an example of how to do the work, someone explaining how to finish tasks, or any time-table other than "get this done before the boss starts paying attention again."

4. Your boss doesn't appear to advocate for you when it comes to monetary compensation (wages/salary/bonuses) (57 percent)

A curious one that ranks high on the list (above setting expectations or not getting a promotion), not advocating for an employee puts you in the doghouse. Why? Like the other high ranking reasons, the employee knows they won't get any credit (in this case, financially) for hard work. He or she will produce the work but won't ever get the recognition.

5. Your boss hires and/or promotes the wrong people (56 percent)

Favoritism is another de-motivator. A bad boss picks the people he or she likes, regardless of skill level. It might be because that person also drives an Audi. Bad bosses don't fairly critique all employees and understand what it takes to do a specific job or role.

6. Your boss doesn't back you up when there's a dispute between you and one of your company's clients (55 percent)

We all want advocates, a boss who will stand up for us. We also crave truth in the workplace, an understanding that it was your skill or your attitude that landed the big customer or pushed a project forward. Bad bosses are weak-willed individuals. They do the hard work of advocating because that involves conflict resolution, time and effort, and maybe even some emotion.

7. Your boss doesn't provide proper direction on assignments/roles (54 percent)

When an employee doesn't know what to do it creates conflict because, really, that's why Susie is even on the accounting team. It's to use the skills and training she has to excel. We all want to be needed, to show we have amazing abilities. Good bosses know how to funnel all of that skill and creativity in the right direction; bad bosses zap it dead.

8. Your boss micromanages you and doesn't allow you the "freedom to work" (53 percent)

Another big killer for motivation at work is when the boss nitpicks all day. It also reveals a lack of empathy, because the employee sees his or her work output as simply a blip on a screen, a code in a handbook. There's a person doing the work. An exceptional boss recognizes that every employee has individual needs and a desire to work creatively and with discretion.

9. Your boss focuses more on your weaknesses than your strengths (53 percent)

A bad boss is a wrist slapper. He or she likes to point out anything that's wrong, mostly because the goal is for the boss to look good. When he or she constantly points out problems, it's because the boss wants to make sure the higher-ups don't see any flaws. Good bosses overlook minor issues and focus on the outcome.

10. Your boss doesn't set clear expectations (52 percent)

Ranking much lower than expected (ahem), this bad boss trait is still one to avoid. It means the boss is not a good communicator, and the employee is a little lost in a maze. What is the role here? What is success? What are the steps to complete a task? When an employee doesn't know the outcome he or she will slip into a mode of low productivity and apathy.

06 Legalese Terms Every Franchisee Should Understand

1. Choice of law

This covenant identifies the law that will govern the interpretation of a contract. In franchising, the franchisor will choose the law of the state in which it is located. This has several advantages, not the least of which is that the franchisor will be familiar with the common law and statutory law in a way that the franchisee from another state may not. Another advantage to the franchisor is that it may preclude the franchisee's attempt to choose the law of the state in which the franchisee is located, which in turn may serve to deny the franchisee certain rights not available under the law of the franchisor's chosen state. In franchising, this covenant is usually not negotiable; this may be different with general commercial contracts. 

2. Fair market value

In many commercial contracts, the value of a good or service is sometimes measured by its "fair market value." Generally, this means that the price will be based upon the value that a reasonable person who is under no duress or obligation would pay for an item, good or service that is being sold by a seller who is under no duress or obligation. In franchising, this term is often used to define the price that the franchisor will pay for the franchisee's trade fixtures, furniture and equipment at the end of the franchise relationship. As the franchisor is purchasing used items for which there may be no ready market, it is usual that the offer will be for a very low price. This may be different in a commercial contract for goods or services that are in high demand. 

3. Force majeure

Though this term may have many meanings, ultimately it identifies events the occurence of which will temporarily excuse the otherwise timely performance of a party under the contract. Sometimes called an "act of God" covenant, one often sees the following definition: "Performance of a party under this contract will be excused for the period of delay if such delay or hindrance is caused by reason of strikes, lock-outs, labor troubles, inability to procure materials, failure of power, restrictive governmental laws or regulations, riots, insurrection, war or other causes beyond the reasonable control of the party."  

4. Forum selection

The "forum" being selected is the locale in which any litigation or arbitration would be held in the event of a disagreement between the parties. In the franchise world, virtually all franchisors select their locale as the forum in which any problem is to be litigated or arbitrated. This could result in the franchisee being "home-towned," which is legal parlance meaning that the franchisee and his or her witnesses would be disadvantaged by having to travel to the franchisor's home state and by having to hire local counsel. This probably would not be negotiable in a franchise agreement but should be nonetheless be reviewed and discussed. 

5. Implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing

In almost all states, each contract is governed by an unwritten but implied general assumption that each party under the contract will act in good faith in the performance of the contract and will fairly deal with the other party. In franchising, many courts have interpreted this to mean that the franchisor will use good faith when it has the option to exercise its discretion. For instance, absent language to the contrary, a franchisee who asks permission to transfer his or her franchise rights to a new person can assume that the franchisor will exercise its right to vet the prospect using commercially reasonable criteria. The phrase "absent language to the contrary" is highlighted because in most franchise agreements, the franchisor will have a list of conditions that must be first met by the prospective franchisee prior to being approved. In turn, this list may contain requirements that may make it more difficult for the prospect to agree. For instance, the franchise agreement may require the new franchisee to sign the then-current franchise agreement the terms of which are materially different from those found in the current franchisee's version and which may be less acceptable to the prospect. Though this may be "unfair," it would most likely not be grounds for claim of breach of this implied covenant.  

6. Indemnification

This covenant is often found in commercial contracts general and in franchise agreements specifically. It means that one party (usually the franchisee) agrees that it will pay the other party's (usually the franchisor) losses when the franchisee's actions cause the loss. For instance, if a franchisee fails to clean up a spill which in turn causes a customer to injure herself, the injured party will often name not only the franchisee as a defendant in the lawsuit, but will also name the franchisor. If the injured party wins a judgment against both defendants -- and given that the franchisor had nothing to do with the franchisee's day-to-day operations -- the franchisee will "indemnify" the franchisor by agreeing to pay all of its losses including any damage award, attorney's fees and costs.

5 Habits of Successful People

1. Have meetings at the same location.

As CEOs and business owners, we are involved in countless meetings any given day. One way to maximize our time is to schedule meetings back to back and in the same place. Not only will you get those meetings out of the way earlier in the day, but you won't have to switch locations. You won't lose time going from place to place and can spend some time focusing on what needs to happen during the meeting.

Tiffany Pham, founder and CEO of Mogul, takes this practice to heart. As she told Inc.: "If I must have multiple meetings throughout a day, I often aim to set them back to back in one location. This way, I maintain efficiency and focus throughout the meetings, setting the pace according to the agenda and maximum time allotted, [while] knowing we must get straight to the points at hand since the next meeting is impending."

2. Get organized.

The supposed correlation between being organized and being productive is a belief that not everyone subscribes to. But it's something that works for me. My desk is organized; everything has its place; therefore, I feel ready to tackle the day. 

Some people argue that clutter -- whether at home or at work -- results in a lack of focus. In fact, scientific evidence says this is a real thing. Clutter prevents us from focusing on bigger goals. If organization is something that you strive for in order to feel that you've accomplished something, but you don't know where to start, start small. Organize one drawer, instead of your entire desk. Organize the left side of your closet, instead of your entire closet.

Then again, there are people who might be a little messier but are just as focused and productive as someone like me who likes "neat and orderly." Their motto is "my mess, my business." At the end of the day, it's the end result that counts the most.

3. Stay connected.

When we start our entrepreneurial journey, we're in charge of everything -- from answering phones and mailing packages, to billing and business development. As our venture grows into a robust company, we delegate some of those responsibilities to other employees; and if our business takes off, we delegate while focusing even more on how to expand the business. With expansion comes growing pains which can make us lose focus; we become disconnected, from the day-to-day details, and sometimes from our own employees.

Staying connected doesn't mean being in people's faces or micromanaging your staff. It means staying involved with what you love to do. For example, I enjoy getting involved in the creative side of things -- whether from a marketing/PR or production standpoint.

I occasionally sit in, for example, during planning sessions that my teams have with clients. That helps me stay up to date with what's going on with clients and what they want from the team, while enabling me to inject a different perspective and not get bogged down with the day-to-day activities.

Don't be the kind of entrepreneur who's disconnected, because more often than not, out of sight turns into out of mind -- and that's no way to run a business.

4. Learn something new every day.

When we're young, we think that learning stops after we leave college. As we get older, and hopefully wiser, we realize this is not the case. Learning never stops; and, if you're to become successful, you need to become a voracious reader or a big consumer of news.

Your activity here doesn't have to be anything fancy, but whether you're looking to upgrade your vocabulary or remain current with what's going on the world, you have to make time.

Mark Cuban says he reads three hours every day. Bill Gates reads for an hour before bedtime. Reading isn't just something you do to help clear your mind; it can also help you learn from the mistakes (and successes) of others. I occasionally peruse my social media feeds to learn a few things, too. Someone might share an article that is relevant to my industry and is something, normally, that I wouldn't have noticed.

It might be about a new trend, a new technology or a new tool that might help streamline my workload (I'm always looking for neat tips and tricks to help me save time). Whatever it is that you choose to learn that day, whether it's industry-related or not, make an effort to learn it. After all, knowledge never killed anyone.

5. Ask the right questions and push the envelope.

Most of our workload revolves around the "what" or the "how" -- what are we working on today? How are we going to accomplish this task? But, what we don't focus more on is the "why." Successful people are constantly asking questions and pushing the envelope. Sure, that might sound like a toddler asking endless questions, but asking "why" helps you understand the process and, possibly, find alternative ways to fix a problem.

"Why" is always the hardest question to ask. For some, it may come across as questioning authority, but that's not the case. If that's how you think, you should get out of that mindset. Settling for the status quo never made anyone stand out.

But, questioning things is actually how you push the envelope. I understand this might be difficult to do, but here's the catch: It's not necessarily what you say, but how you say it. You can ask almost anything, push any envelope and even challenge authority if you do it calmly and respectfully.

Earlier, I mentioned how your daily habits help determine how you run your life. Ask yourself a couple of questions: a) what does success mean to me? and b) is there anything in my daily routine that I need to change that will help me become more successful?

10 Secrets to Making Money While You Sleep

1. Automate marketing, sales and customer care chatbots.

While you may have already delegated some of your marketing, sales and customer care duties to team members, or even automated them with tools such as Hootsuite, there is an easier way to take the time and monetary load off your shoulders.

Chatbots have become extremely popular recently because the technology powering them has evolved dramatically. Today, creating an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot is a piece of cake, and thanks to chatbot-building platforms, you don't even need any coding knowledge.

You can create a chatbot that:

• Can take orders and answer customer queries from Facebook Messenger, comments, and posts
• Integrates with all the major payment platforms
• Is available 24/7 to answer customers from across the world
• Can push personalized promotions, offers, and deals, on demand 

2. Promote yourself as a brand.

Whether you have already found success or are still on the path to finding it, you should look at ways in which you can promote yourself as a brand. Of course, your chatbot will help with minor marketing tasks, but you need to promote yourself in a way that makes others aware that you are a trustworthy, reputable, and a reliable authority figure in your industry.

To achieve this, create informational products, such as books, videos, and online magazines for your audience. Once you've put in hours creating these pieces, the next step is simply to market them and watch the money roll in. 

3. Simplify your outputs.

You can't do everything, especially if you want to automate the operational aspects of your business. To get everything done to the best of your ability, you need to simplify your outputs. To do this, hone in on what you are offering.

Instead of offering a huge variety of products and services to your audience, focus on a maximum of five that you do perfectly and grow from there. Take Starbucks, for example. The brand offers coffee, sweets, and some fast food. The simplicity by which it operates is a key reason why it's able to expand its offerings on a global scale. 

4. Sell at a flat rate.

Selling your products and services at various rates is complicated and not efficient. Aside from the fact that you probably have clients big and small, from across the world, it can make your invoicing system messy. Create a company that offers specific services at a flat rate and allow customers to buy these subscriptions and packages directly from your website. You'll make more direct sales and your customers will automatically be more invested in you.

Create a company that offers specific services at a flat rate and allow customers to buy these subscriptions and packages directly from your website. You'll make more direct sales and your customers will automatically be more invested in you. 

5. Create a product or service that never goes out of fashion.

You need to create a business that either offers a product or service that many people need now or better yet, one that won't go out of fashion. When it comes to products, think of one that can be created cheaply and that requires refills to function.

With this, you'll not only make huge amounts of money selling the original product, but you will receive a steady stream of revenue from the individual refills. Think about a printer, for example; you can now buy one at a very reasonable price, but to use it, you will always need ink. Printers are the product and ink cartridges are the refills. 

6. Become an affiliate.

There are a number of ways you can make money without really doing much. For example, you could become an Amazon affiliate. If Amazon makes a sale that comes from the link on your website, you make a profit. Simple. If you have the right following, you could find affiliate marketing extremely profitable. 

7. Teach others.

By teaching others, I don't mean switching careers altogether to teach math in a primary school. I'm referring to taking an authoritative role in your field of work and teach entrepreneurs your methods. There are a number of ways you can teach others, some of which include:

• Mentoring
• Lecturing at a college or university
• Writing a blog
• Creating a book
• Talking at events and conferences 

8. Invest in other companies.

An investment is, in simple terms, a way for your money to make more money. Although your lending needs to be calculated, you should invest some of your profits into other companies that fulfill other needs your customers may have. It's a good way for you to make more money while establishing yourself as a figure that helps others and understands your audience's desires. 

9. Hire a team.

As I mentioned before, you can't do everything on your own. Simplifying your outputs is great, but you need to have the right team to back you up. You need a team that is reliable and diverse. Every area of your company needs to be covered by an expert in that field. You will need a marketing, sales, customer care, finance, and human resources guru, among others. 

10. Optimize your efforts.

Once every aspect of your company is up and running, you must evaluate, re-evaluate, and optimize them to ensure they are performing to the best of their ability. You wouldn't write a blog post without proofreading and optimizing it; the same goes for the rest of your marketing, sales, finance, and other operations.

5 Mobile Marketing Practices Every Profit-Minded Business Should Adopt

1. Location-based marketing
The era of location-based marketing is here. Businesses send customers notifications when they pass a store and promotions when they are near strategic locations where the brand's products or services would be useful.

In this context, Foursquare recently released Foursquare Analytics, which grants client businesses and marketers access to location intelligence and technology for more than 90 million geofenced locations around the world.

The company has also moved to integrate Uber into its system, enabling users both to discover places to go and also get there, using the same app. In fact, users can now order a ride from inside Foursquare without having to switch applications. No need to type in the address, look up directions or struggle through translations.

2. In-app marketing
Google Play currently offers 2.8 million apps, while Apple has 2.2 million. With such intense competition, apps must offer the most personalized service possible, or risk being ditched. In-app marketing fuels relevance and engagement, which in turn drives retention, loyalty and lifetime value.

An example of this is the challenge faced by India's Federal Bank as a result of that country's 2016 "demonetization plan" (when it replaced its 500 and 1,000 rupee notes with 2000 notes). Within months of the plan's implementation, over 14 million Indians downloaded the bank's new apps, and digital-payment use surged up to 80-fold among India's 260 million smartphone owners.

To capitalize on this deluge of new app users, the bank turned toInsert, an in-app marketing platform that allows marketers to create and publish targeted campaigns quickly, independent of development resources.

It further deployed contextual campaigns around a national holiday, as well as other targeted promotions, directly in the app. This resulted in an immediate uptick in conversions and retention.

3. SMS marketing
Mobile text marketing is the focus of many misconceptions, but with91 percent of millennials text messaging weekly, marketing is essential. Many corporations, including Coca-Cola, Walmart and Toys 'R' Us, have integrated text messaging into their mobile-marketing strategies.

When a Domino's pizza franchise in North Carolina wanted to improve advertising at college sports games, it turned to EZtexting, a short messaging marketing service (SMS). Previous campaigns had displayed Domino's web address in ads, but the franchise found that most fans didn't bother jotting down a URL during a basketball game.

In response, Domino's reconfigured its new ads to tell viewers to text a certain number to get free or discounted pizza. Responses skyrocketed.

4. Mobile marketing measurement
Mobile ad revenue recently surpassed the amount spent on desktop ad revenue. With billions of dollars being dedicated to reach customers on their mobile devices, a scientific approach to mobile marketing has become necessary. AppsFlyer illustrates this approach, as a mobile attribution and marketing data-analytics company that helps marketers pinpoint their targeting, optimize their ad spend and boost their ROI.

Take the example of Game Circus, creators of the smash hit mobile video game Coin Dozer. Without the right data, mobile game developers were having difficulty reacting quickly to changes in the market or determining if the quality of users generated by certain ad channels was improving or declining over time.

The marketing team took action: It began using AppsFlyer to linkattribution data to the engagement and LTV metrics it was monitoring at the game or campaign level. The result? Coin Dozer subsequently achieved a 2.3-times increase in total installs and more than a 40 percent increase in gross profit.

5. QR codes
One way to swiftly provide relevant information to mobile users is through the use of QR codes. These digital bar codes act as shortcuts for getting valuable information into the hands of customers and prospects. QR codes are highly versatile and can function as a Facebook "like" button as well as offer coupons, provide tourists with information and perform other functions.

One memorable QR campaign was the "Guinness QR code on a beer glass" action brilliantly dreamed up by advertising agency BBDO. When customers poured a Guinness -- and only a Guinness -- into a special glass, the beer's black color filled out a code on the glass that was scannable with a smartphone. Once it was scanned, customers could tweet about their pints, update their Facebook status, check in via Foursquare, download coupons and promotions and invite friends to join them.

The QR code could even launch exclusive Guinness content.

#6 Things to Keep in Mind While Running a Business from a Different Country

Few tips for a new set up:

1. Research Business Practices – Business law and practices vary from country to country. So, before you make the big move, get started and study the laws and requirements for the county you plan to set the business up.
2. Study Cultural Differences – You need to understand the cultural differences that could affect your business's viability. Research the culture surrounding the product you'll be selling to ensure that there's a market and need for it.  
3. Understand the country's political climate – It's very important that you understand the political climate of the country you're entering.
4. Get legal advice – Seeking legal advice is always a good idea, especially when starting a business abroad.
5. Seek Local Guidance – Just like you might get involved with the process you should seek to get involved with other business owner.
6. Give yourself time – Even if you're excited about moving abroad and getting started remember that all good things take time. Don't rush.

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9 Low-Budget Marketing Strategies Every Startup Can Afford

1. Referrals
One of the best ways to market is to avoid marketing altogether; instead, create a system that lets your customers do the marketing for you. Consider the fact that people are four times more likely to buy a product when it's referred to them by a friend.

Despite tech publication reviews, we still trust personal recommendations more than anything else. What's more, establishing a referral program doesn't cost much, and depending on how you structure it, might be entirely free. You could offer your current customers a discount on their subscriptions in exchange for referring a new customer, or offer a cash reward, if you're really invested in this strategy. Just make sure to get word to your customers (possibly using one of the other methods listed below).

2. Press releases and news features
People read the news regularly, and if you have something newsworthy to report, most news outlets will gladly report it for you. Press releases are an inexpensive way to get your brand mentioned in major publications, and possibly pick up some inbound links along the way. If you do all the work yourself, hunting down and emailing journalists, press releases can actually be a free marketing strategy.

Otherwise, you might pay a couple of hundred dollars to have a release syndicated through a service like PR Newswire. If you're only interested in getting yourself referenced, check out Help a Reporter Out (HARO) to provide tips to journalists just waiting for them.

3. Content marketing
Content marketing takes many forms, but none require significant investment. The simplest approach is to manage an on-site blog, adding new content a few times a week that informs or entertains your readers in some unique and practical way.

Infographics, videos and podcasts all belong to the content-marketing category as well. Reason? All these content mediums have the power to improve your brand reputation, increase your inbound traffic and complement the multiple other strategies you draw from this list (as you'll see).

4. SEO
If you're spending time writing articles for your content-marketing campaign, you might as well invest in improving your search engine optimization (SEO).

New to SEO? It might seem technically complex, but the reality is, with a bit of reading and dedication, you can easily understand the basics. You'll use online tools like Moz's Keyword Explorer to identify relevant keywords that could attract high traffic to your site with low competition; you'll then tweak your site to include those keywords.

You'll also need to make structural changes, write consistently high-quality content and attract backlinks to your domain. It's a lot of work, but if you do it yourself, your only cost will be time -- which is worth it, because the long-term benefits are enormous.

5. Social media marketing
Social media marketing isn't something you can do casually, but it is freely available, and it's something you can master if you invest the time. Start by establishing profiles for your business on major platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Flesh out your profiles; and start syndicating content that your target market would like.

Reach out to individuals, and make sure to stay connected. In time, you could grow an audience of thousands, representing an anchor stream of traffic to your site.

6. Email marketing
Email marketing remains one of the most cost-efficient marketing strategies around, with some sources claiming a return on investment (ROI) of 400 percent or more. As long as you have a good list (organically curated, rather than bought), and a steady but non-invasive stream of outgoing email blasts, you should be able to see a significant return on any time or money you put into it.

7. PPC ads
Pay-per-click ads can get expensive if you're targeting high-traffic head keywords, but there are niches and platforms that are friendly even to the most budget-conscious startup entrepreneur. For example, on Facebook, you can pay as little as $1 a day for certain ads (though you'll probably want to invest a little more than that if you want to see significant results).

8. Personal branding
Personal branding works much like corporate branding, except it's going to apply to you as an individual. You'll promote yourself and your expertise across social media, and possibly on a dedicated blog, earning new followers and a separate source of traffic and interest.

The value here is that people tend to trust other people more than corporations, so eventually, you'll have a separate, powerful outlet you can use to syndicate your content or attract new leads -- all without paying a dime.

9. Forums and groups
Don't underestimate the power of lurking on public forums and social media groups. You might see someone asking a question that you can answer (with your expertise), or catch wind of a local event you can use to promote your business. The more involved you are with your respective communities, including your local neighborhood as well as your broader industry, the more you stand to gain.

Best of all, it usually doesn't cost anything to become a member of these communities, so you can reap the benefits with nothing more than a few hours of your time.

The takeaway here? If you find yourself struggling with your business's budget, don't resort to cutting marketing out of the equation. Instead, find creative ways to build recognition for your brand and products that don't require significant up-front investment.

06 Steps to Go from Procrastinating to Productive

Don't overwhelm yourself.

It's easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work on your plate, meetings and deadlines. Lately, I've been focusing on launching new avenues for C-Suite TV, and it can be overwhelming sometimes.

When tasks seem insurmountable, here's one way to lessen that burden: Get out your "to-do" list. Then, instead of writing down that big task as one huge thing, break it down. Breaking a big task into multiple line items makes it more manageable. You have your end goal, but by reducing it to its smaller components, you get a clearer picture of what you need to do.

Crossing off the smaller parts of the larger task gives you a sense of accomplishment you wouldn't have if you tackled the massive task all at once.

Flip the script.

I don't care who you are: Whether you're a worker, a manager or a CEO, you're just like everyone -- and we all hate doing certain tasks. So why not flip the script? 

Bite the bullet, kiss the frog -- whatever you want to call it: Put that task at the top of your to-do list that day. You'll eliminate the task quickly and move on to the rest of your day. Not to mention, you'll have a bigger sense of accomplishment knowing that you've steam-rolled the largest obstacle you had awaiting you.

Forget perfection.

Everyone wants to make a good impression and put his or her best foot forward at work. Procrastination comes not from the inability to get the job done, but from fear and insecurity. Being unsure how to perform a specific task makes us fear failure and being seen in a negative light by the boss.

I always tell my team that, "No one's going to die." What's the worst thing that can happen if a specific task isn't perfect? I might get mad if the task is not completed within the given deadline, but not if it merely needs to be tweaked. Many times, the worst conversations happen inside our own heads and we let that imaginary conversation rule our other decisions. That's when we make mistakes.

If you're worried about your work quality, allocate a set amount of time each day to complete (or revise) parts of the project. It's possible to perfect a task without obsessing over it and losing focus. That's when you know it's time to let go of the project and focus on other things. Say it with me: No one will die.

Kill the squirrels (or distractions).

It's easy to procrastinate with the million distractions we have every day. According to a survey by Stop Procrastinating, 68 percent of Americans surveyed said they'd been distracted from their work duties by checking their emails, browsing the web or engaging in social media. And that was a 9 percent increase from a year before. Of that 68 percent, 39 percent said distractions cost them a whole hour a day.

Sure, it's tempting to constantly check your Facebook or Twitter feeds, but here's a radical concept: Log out of your social media accounts for a few hours every day.

Instead, focus on your tasks and nothing else. Do whatever it takes to get into the "zone," to accomplish your goal. Some people at my office use headphones to muffle outside noise. I block out time on my calendar, which my employees have access to, and dedicate that time to a specific task I need to accomplish. I may even specify "no phone calls" to ensure I stay in my zone.

Be a good time manager.

To transition from procrastinator to proactive leader requires organization on your part, from your mindset to your schedule. It's hard to be organized when you feel you're juggling multiple things, but to succeed, you must learn to juggle. Deciding how much time to dedicate to each task makes you more efficient.

For some of us busy executives, even our down time needs to be scheduled.

Recently, I attended the Rocky Mountain Economic Summit, where I mingled with top economists, business leaders and policymakers. I had a busy schedule, interviewing a top CEO. But I also managed to schedule down time. Being from South Dakota, I enjoy the outdoors so I scheduled some fly fishing time -- away from technology, emails and phone calls.

If you're a good time manager, you'll have time for everything, including play time. It takes some dedication and discipline, but it's not impossible.

Remember that the early bird gets the worm.

I operate on little sleep. As any workaholic will tell you, when you go to bed at night, you can't wait to start your day the next morning. Indeed, dawn is the most productive part of the day, according to this Wall Street Journal article. That hour of the morning brings minimal distractions, no email and hardly anyone on social media.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, starts his day at 3:45 a.m.. Richard Branson likes to "sleep in" until 5 a.m., and even my friend and fellow entrepreneur Peter Shankman gets up before it's light out. As a business owner, entrepreneur and keynote speaker, I've done my fair share of early mornings; You'd be surprised how much you can get done by the time everyone else walks in the office.

The one takeaway here is that in order to make a successful transition from procrastinating to productive, you have to be disciplined, motivated and focused: disciplined enough to curb distractions, motivated enough to want to reach your end goal and focused enough to execute a plan that works for you.

8 Unconventional Ways to Grow Your Instagram Following

1. Don't use banned hashtags.
Yes, Instagram is actively censoring and blocking a huge list of hashtags. The list of banned hashtags is dynamic, so new "unsavory" search terms get added all the time. What is most interesting, however, is that even the most innocent-looking hashtags, like #petite or #singlelife, can be banned. That's because quite a few pornographic or otherwise unacceptable images have seeped into hashtag streams and the team behind Instagram is working hard to clean the platform.

How can you be sure your engagement rates aren't dropping as a result of banned hashtags? The easiest way to spot a banned hashtag is to search for it on Instagram and check whether it's shown in both the "Top" and "Recent" categories. If the hashtag is temporarily suspended or blocked, Instagram will only display a few top posts and remove all recent posts. 

2. Always use a location sticker for your stories to gain local exposure.
This new feature gives Instagram users an opportunity to quickly check what's going on in the chosen location. It is particularly handy for gaining exposure and capturing the imagination of users who are looking for ideas or inspiration. It has become second nature now to browse Instagram images of travel destinations, hotels, restaurants and events as part of the research phase. If you want your Story to be seen by anyone who's searching for your location or is in the area, be sure to add location tags to your Stories.

3. Use less popular hashtags for a chance to make into the "Top" section.
It can be very tempting to pepper your image descriptions with the most popular hashtags that are, in fact, just simple words, such as #summer, #love, #dog and so on. It's true that these hashtags have millions of posts, but they won't do much for your account's growth in the long run. What you need are community-oriented, specific hashtags that will drive more engagement and help you build a brand. INK361 is a free tool you can use to find less popular hashtags. Simply search for a term and choose a hashtag to see the search volume. If your account is small, don't target hashtags bigger than 50,000 in search volume. 

4. Test and play with your bio.
You have 160 characters to charm your potential new followers. Yeah, no pressure. The importance of this element cannot be overstated; if you succeed and manage to tell people what you do, who you are and what drives you in a compelling and personal way, you'll be picking up new followers every day. Play around with your bio copy to find what clicks with your audience.

5. Choose your Instagram name (not username) wisely.
Don't use your name (unless you're famous), but rather pick a keyword or keywords that people will be searching for. That's why my name on my account is Travel Lifestyle Entrepreneur, which is easy to change and test while my username @tomaslaurinavicius stays the same. 

6. Consider joining or creating a pod.
Instagram pods are the pro Instagrammer's answer to the removal of chronological posts. To beat the algorithm, bloggers, businesses and passionate Instagrammers that have similar audiences are creating private groups of 10-15 people (otherwise known as pods). The goal of Instagram pods is to increase engagement and get new followers by getting exposure to the right audience. Once someone in the pod publishes a new post, he or she shares it with the group via a direct message and asks all the other members to like it and comment on it. The genuine comments give the post more weight and generate more engagement. In the end, everyone wins.

7. Use tags that will get you featured on collective accounts.
Research the right tags or use branded hashtags, such as #SonyRXmoments, to get featured on curated accounts like @sonyrxmoments. The key is to find smaller, active and relevant communities to feature your photos. Always submit your work only! 

8. Organize an exciting giveaway.
A giveaway is an excellent way to grow your mailing list, get new followers, increase community engagement, raise brand awareness or connect with local businesses and like-minded people. Before you start working on a giveaway idea, though, make sure you pick one goal and stick to it! Like with every promotional campaign, the success of a giveaway depends on how thorough your plan is. For a contest to run smoothly, you need to consider things like finding the right theme and hashtags, deciding on an attractive prize, monitoring participant entries, promoting the contest and finally, picking out the winner. Giving away great stuff for free has never let anyone down.

06 Ways to Make Online Reviews Work for Your Business

1. Emphasize quality.

To be truly effective, reviews should go above and beyond star ratings. Customers want rich content that describes the product, its usage, its upsides and drawbacks, how it compares to other brands, and so on. So when you're asking for reviews, provide customers with an opportunity to do more than select a given number of stars.

Of course it's ideal if the major portion of this content is positive, but a few negative impressions are okay too. We'll touch on why below.

2. Emphasize quantity.

Studies consistently find that when it comes to customer reviews, the more the better. That's because the more reviews a product has, the more social proof and credibility are baked into it. Customers seem to believe that products with a high number of reviews warrant more trust.

If you're starting with zero reviews, then simply bumping that number up to 10 can have a significant effect on your conversion rates. But you'll reap the most benefits if your product generates 50-plus reviews. In fact, one study by Reevo found that increasing the number of reviews past 50 resulted in a 4.6 percent increase in conversion rates.

So, how can you generate more customer reviews? Start by providing your customers with a product and purchasing experience that's worth talking about (in a good way). Then, solicit reviews by asking for post-purchase feedback via email, on social media, via an app, on the product page itself, and so on.

The goal is to make it as easy as possible for customers to provide feedback via a platform that feels convenient to them. You may also consider providing customers with incentives for sharing their feedback such as discounts, free samples or sneak previews of new products. 

3. Respond well to negative reviews.

It might be tempting to censor negative reviews. But not only is that dishonest, it's also bad for business. Customers become skeptical when they see nothing but 5-star ratings for a product, because we all know that no product will satisfy 100 percent of its customers 100 percent of the time. So you're actually better off leaving negative reviews in place, because they lend authenticity to the product page.

But don't just let negative reviews sit there. Instead, turn criticisms into an opportunity by responding in a constructive, helpful and efficient way. Doing so can actually improve customer loyalty and satisfaction and endear your brand to potential customers.

4. Repurpose reviews across platforms.

The more you can get your reviews in front of potential customers, the more likely you are to establish credibility for and stir up interest in your product. To that end, don't be shy about utilizing reviews on multiple platforms and in a variety of media, from videos and social media to blog posts and email promotions. You can also look beyond your own customers' feedback to off-site or third-party review sites.

(For those not familiar, a third-party review site is a site that exists to review certain types of products and isn't affiliated with the actual maker of the product -- e.g. Security Baron, which provides third-party reviews of security systems; or Brain Wiz, which provides third-party reviews of nootropics.)

If you reach out to owners of these types of sites, be as courteous and transparent as possible. While you do want a favorable review for your product, you don't want to do anything that would be considered a bribe.

5. Optimise for SEO.

Product reviews can boost SEO in a number of ways, from ranking for long-tail keywords to increasing the chance that your products will show up in search whenever people search for "_____ review." One of the best ways to get product reviews to appear in search results is to use rich snippets. These are bits of code that alert search engines to your review and allow you to mark up individual reviews and/or aggregate content from a grouping of reviews.

Be aware that Google has some specific requirements for rich snippets; do your research before creating this code.

6. Be careful with sorting.

It's easy to sort reviews by most recent and call it a day. But you're missing out on valuable persuasion opportunities by doing so. When you think about it, this is a really arbitrary sorting system. For example, what if all the reviews above the fold are merely star ratings instead of ones that provide rich content? Or, what if you happen to get two negative reviews at the very top? Even if every other review on the page is positive, that's going to have a significant impact on potential customers' perception of your brand.

The right sorting option for your product will be determined through testing. That being said, a few options tend to perform best across the board--namely, "most helpful," "representative sample," "most positive" (for each star rating), "best linguistic style" or some combination thereof.

5 Strategies for Women Entrepreneurs to Save for Retirement

Develop a plan for caregiving responsibilities.

Because women are often the primary family caregivers for children and aging parents, it is important for women business owners to have a plan in place for how to manage and share these responsibilities. Building a support network is key. 

Considering the financial ramifications of a work absence is also advisable since less income means less retirement savings -- and a prolonged period away from work could negatively impact the future success of the business. That being said, finding work-life balance is important, since family time and life experiences often enrich and sustain the lives of female entrepreneurs.

Invest in retirement, even in those lean early days.

During the startup phase of a business, when companies are cash poor, business owners may have little to invest in their own retirement. And even as a business gets its legs and ramps up, entrepreneurs often feed the beast and reinvest in their business. Women business owners would be wise to work with a financial advisor who can make recommendations during these lean times for their personal retirement savings -- as well as for their business.  

Invest cash distributions in retirement vehicles, not the business.

When a business owner receives cash distributions from her business, she would be well-advised to invest her personal draw in stocks, bonds and non-traditional investments so as to diversify away from the single enterprise, concentrated risk of her business. Of course, it would not be prudent to invest business profits in these same investment vehicles. Businesses require a certain level of liquidity to meet their financial obligations and having funds tied up in investments like long-term bonds, for example, would be problematic. 

Consider cash balance plans when profits are soaring.

When a business is in its "cash cow" phase, women owners should consider fully funding retirement plans, including advance strategies such as cash balance plans. What sets these plans apart from other retirement savings vehicles for business owners is that they have higher contribution limits that increase with age.   

If they have not worked with a financial advisor, it is possible that older female entrepreneurs may need to make up for some lost time on the retirement savings front after spending their prime savings years focused on building and investing in burgeoning businesses. For them, the higher contribution limits permitted in cash balance plans are appealing, allowing them to accelerate retirement saving. In 2017, the contribution limit for 401K plans with profit sharing is $59,000. With cash balance plans, business owners and executives are able to amass more pre-tax dollars; up to $137,000 in total employer and employee contributions for a 50-year-old, up to $235,000 for a 60-year-old and up to $303,000 for a 70-year-old. Of course, significant cash flow is required for businesses to be able to make such sizable contributions to these plans. 

Reduce tax liabilities through HSAs.

For those female entrepreneurs with the ability to pay for upfront medical expenses through a high deductible plan, the tax advantages of health savings accounts (HSAs) are many: a) if the contribution is made as a payroll deduction, no taxes are paid on the contribution, b) investment earnings in an HSA account are not taxed, and c) qualified health expense withdrawals from an HSA account are tax-free.  

By adopting these strategies to balance retirement savings with business growth, female entrepreneurs can look to their futures more confidently -- which can only be good for business.

7 Myths About Emotions That Will Prevent You From Being Mentally Strong

1. "I can't control my emotions."

When it comes to your emotions, you don't have to be a passive victim. Yet many people think they're stuck in whatever emotional state they happen to be in right now with no control over anything.

If you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, you can take steps to feel better. If you're angry, you can calm your mind and your body. If you want to change the way you feel, change the way you think and change the way you behave.

2. "I should feel differently."

Even though you do have some control over your emotions, your feelings aren't wrong. But people often say things like, "I know I shouldn't be so upset over something so little," or, "I really should be happier than I am."

Rather than waste energy beating yourself up over how you feel, accept that you feel that particular emotion right now and recognize that you have choices in how you react to that emotion.

3. "Venting will help me feel better."

Venting about your bad day or your mean boss won't make you feel better. In fact, research shows the opposite is true.

Talking about all the things that contribute to your emotional state adds fuel to the fire. So don't call your friends to complain and stop telling kids to get their feelings out by punching pillows. Acknowledge your emotions, label your feelings, and move on if you want to feel better.

4. "Controlling my emotions means behaving like a robot."

Regulating your emotions isn't the same as suppressing them. You're capable of experiencing a wide range of emotions, but you don't have to be controlled by them.

Emotion regulation is a skill that can help you build mental strength. The more you learn about how to cope with your feelings in a healthy way, the better equipped you'll be to heal from emotional pain, turn your feelings into productive action, and make the best choices for yourself.

5. Other people have the power to make me feel certain emotions.

Your boss can't make you mad and your mother-in-law can't make you feel insecure. No one can make you feel anything.

Clearly, others can influence your feelings. But they can't control them. It's up to you to be in charge of the way you think, feel, and behave.

6. I can't handle uncomfortable emotions.

Doubting your ability to deal with uncomfortable emotions, like anxiety or sadness, can lead to avoidance. And the more you avoid discomfort, the less confidence you'll have in your ability to deal with hardship.

Although some emotions are uncomfortable, they're tolerable. Allowing yourself to experience those emotions can be part of healing and they can be the key to creating the best life for yourself. So give a speech even though you're nervous, speak up when you're afraid, and say good-bye to someone even when you feel sad.

7. Showing emotion is a sign of weakness.

While it's healthy to be able to behave professionally even when you're not feeling at the top of your game, letting your guard down isn't a sign of weakness. In fact, being aware of your emotions and making a conscious decision to share those emotions with others--when it's socially appropriate to do so--can be a sign of strength.

Expressing emotion also signifies a certain level of trust in a relationship. Telling someone you feel angry or sad shows that you are willing to be vulnerable.