@BasilPuglisi

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New Startups to Watch For

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The TechCrunch Disrupt tech show just wrapped a 3 day event in San Francisco. This show looks at the latest and most interesting innovations in the tech world, and gives a prize to one of them. But the point of the show is not the prize ($50,000) but the buzz some of them will get as a result.

Why is this important? Because it might so happen that in one of these companies lies the next advertising platform.

Here are some of the most interesting;

–          Tweetbeat –  Almost 90 million tweets are posted every single day. How can you get those that are most relevant to you? Enter Tweetbeat that sorts out the Tweets with what is called “Contextual Data Mining Technology” and sorts the top stories, trends and the time they peaked. The company was just sold to AOL.

–          Voxy – A company that aims to simplify learning a language. The idea behind it is that text books are boring, people would rather learn from life. The company offers games, news stories, magazines etc. on smartphones and on the web, that have translation tools built in. For the time being they are concentrating on the Spanish speakers who want to improve their English.

–          GameCrush – it’s a site where people can go to play games and meet the opposite sex. A combination of social media and paid gaming or a virtual bar where you can meet people who like the games you do. The company tested the site in March and it crushed because of enormous traffic. The site has been rewritten since and is up since Monday.

–          Gild – Offers a way for programmers looking for work to show off their skills through games and puzzles. This site can replace a resume, says the founder. You show your skills by completing tasks and being creative.

–          Qwiki – The people behind Qwiki believe we are too busy these to stop and read everything we are interested in. That’s where Qwiki comes in. Search for a topic and what will come up is a multimedia, narrated presentation of the subject. It can be used as an alarm clock; it can read aloud your incoming e mails, the weather report and the appointments of the day.

The last one –Qwiki  – won the grand prize.

Those are but a few startups that were presented at the show. There are many shows like this one and many startups looking for attention.

Beyond Google: The truth about growing a business online

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In the Internet marketing arms race, companies are coming up short on google… here is why.

  • Google Only (100% effective) = 71% Market Opportunity
  • Mixed Search Engines Practices (80% effective) = 76% Market Opportunity

Google, Bing and Yahoo are the largest search engines in the United States, after that no one really comes close. In fact, small and inexperienced advertising and marketing companies would have you believe that google has such an advantage it is the only way to go. In fact, SEO companies promise you first page listings on google as the way to grow and build your Internet exposure, however, the math doesn’t add up.
Case Study:

  • Google is responsible for *71.79% of search traffic.
  • Yahoo & Bing are responsible for  *23.93% of search traffic.

        *Source: http://www.hitwise.com/us/datacenter/main/dashboard-10133.html
Traditional SEO and Internet Marketing Companies push just google, and on occasion some have started to push Facebook ads. Now let’s review the two major flaws in their logic.

  1. First page on Google is a clear way to success – False, Just because you’re the first place they stop doesn’t convert it into a lead or sale, what are you selling? How does the website sell it? Where is the call to action, user friendly environment?
  2. Google is the best way to generate leads from Search Engines – False, Yahoo & AOL communities are the oldest form of Social Media.  As such, they have an amazing and loyal following. In fact, a Yahoo user is far more likely to make a purchase from findings on Yahoo then they are on google.
  3. Google, Yahoo & Bing are the three major search engines – False, Google may own You Tube, but it doesn’t mean that Google and You Tube are in sync with search results. In fact, You Tube is the second largest search engine in the United States. So if you’re not leveraging Video content, you just missed an entire market. If your product has overseas opportunities, then you better learn about other search engines like Yandex (a Russian search engine).
  4. Statistically Google is a better source for SEO or SEPR success – False, Compare two strategies – Google vs. Mixed approach. Others say tailoring to anyone but google results in a lower google score or rank, so why do it?

A look at the real statistics:
If you are 100% effective with Google then you can capture about 71% of the market, but if you are conservative and only 80% effective across the three search engines then you can capture 76% of the market. If you did well and can become 90% effective across all three Search Engines, then you walk away with the opportunity to capture up to 87% of the market.
If you go one step further to realize that Yahoo attracts higher conversion rates, then the scales really start to tip. Now add some video content distributed throughout the web (i.e. You Tube) and now you starting to achieve real market visibility.
Google is an amazing company and an even better visibility tool, providing resources, information and solutions to the largest population searching the internet. That said, you know not to put all your investments in one place in any aspect of life, why would you do the same with your Internet visibility?

Is your SEO or Visibility Company Wearing a Black Hat?

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Since the time when people first figured out that good placement on the search engines is crucial for internet traffic, they have been thinking of a way how to game the system.

Not really game. More, how to use the system for profit. You don’t really have to sell anything, they thought, you can provide information and link to sites that do.

Hence, a game of cat and mouse begun between Google and those thinkers. But to understand that we need a little bit of theory.

Almost everything uploaded on the web is being looked at. Not necessarily by people, although that happens from time to time, but mainly by machines.

One of Google’s systems scans the uploaded pages. “Crawlers” or “Spiders” scan the page to look for repeated words that will help it categorize the site. It looks at headlines, Meta tags, hyperlinks etc.  After that, another system Google uses involves indexing the pages according to the crawler’s find.

That much is known. Once the ‘thinkers’ manage to figure out what works best to get their site high on the search engine page, they took advantage of it. They stuffed keywords and tags and manipulated the system in what is called Spamdex.

Google adjusted. They added a few measures, like the amount of back links and their importance to the ranking on the search engine result page. Once the ‘thinkers’ figured that out, a way was found around the measure.  By 2007 Google mounted a campaign against what is called ‘link farms’ which, in some cases, included thousands of sites created for the sole purpose of creating back links.

This game is still going on. Google announced that it has more than 200 criteria for page rank and in 2005 started personalizing the search results for each user.

That is called White Hat seo. It is a technic used to comply with Google’s guidelines and is not meant to deceive.

White Hat seo is not just about following the rules; it is about providing the costumer with the correct information. It is about creating content for searchers, not for search engines. Making the content easily accessible to the spiders and the easy to index is what White Hat seo is all about. It is in many ways connected to the web development that enables customer’s accessibility.

White hat seo means using all the tools to have an effective marketing campaign.

Black Hat seo is developing a site for the search engine, not for the user. It is an attempt to learn the system and outsmart it. With technics like hidden text (when the text and the background are the same color thus the customer can’t see it, but the crawlers can) or another method, called cloaking, when the site gives a different page depending if it is a live searcher or a machine.

Search engines might remove a site or lower it’s ranking if they are suspicious that the site is using Black Hat seo. In 2006, two big German companies BMW and Ricoh were removed by the search engines for deceptive practices. The companies apologized, changed their sites and were beck on Google. But if you are a small company, this process might take a lot of time.

In order to avoid problems down the line, you should rely on a reputable consulting firm to do the seo for your site. A company like Puglisi Consulting Group which is able to help you in all your website needs and through their visibility arm, Visibility Acceleration http://www.visibilityacceleration.com/#/seo-visibility/4541420003 advise you on the right ways to approach your world wide web visibility.

Obtaining Funding: The Basics

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Funding can make or break your business. Start-up funding can get your business off the ground, and ongoing funding can keep your business afloat during tough economic times. Before you reach out to investors or banks to ask for cash, follow the steps below to make sure that your business is prepared to face potential investors.

First, incorporate as an S-Corp, C-Corp or LLC. Unlike sole proprietorships or partnerships, these forms of organization allow equity to be shared among multiple investors. Hire an experienced business lawyer to help you determine the proper structure for your company and obtain proper documentation and registration.

Second, register your intellectual property. Obtain trademarks and patents for any intellectual property that your company has developed, including proprietary trade names and inventions. Again, seek the aid of a qualified lawyer to help navigate the trademark process.

Third, clean up your financials. Prepare an easy-to-read set of historical financials that includes all relevant detail and backup data. Make sure that your company’s financial data is well-organized and easy to sort through in case investors ask questions. Prepare a set of financial projections that are reasonable and grounded in fact. Make sure that you can back up the financial projections with market data or company history.

Fourth, get the right people on board. Hire employees that have relevant backgrounds for your company’s industry and product. This is especially important in very young companies; when investors look at early stage companies that have little operating history, they are often investing on the strength of the management team, not on the historical performance of the business.

Fifth, create a professional website and online presence. Potential investors will turn to the internet to research your company, and you want to make sure that your web page puts your company’s best foot forward. Add the company’s products and management team. Highlight any key customers or recent accomplishments. Keep the website up-to-date and professional at all times.

Sixth, keep an updated business plan. Business plans change over time based on business performance and market dynamics. Update your business plan to reflect these changes so that you are ready to discuss your company’s operations with investors at any time.

While the six tips above are a must for any business seeking funding, nothing “wows” investors like a highly-successful and well-regarded business. Be sure to continue to build your business as you incorporate these funding tips into your company’s goals.

How to Make your Small Business Grow?

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Sometimes it’s good to look at other small businesses and see how the owners made them grow.

Samy Liechi is a young entrepreneur out of Switzerland. At the age of 30, he had an idea for a business – he is going to sell exclusive man’s socks.

Today, 11 years later, he has sold over one million pairs of socks all over the world. How did he make it happen? Here is some of his advice for the budding entrepreneur.

Don’t wait too long – if you think you have a great idea, act on it quickly. Don’t overthink the business and don’t wait until everything falls into place. Do the design of the site the best you can, but not everything has to be perfect. 80% is good enough. You will learn the rest as you improve. It’s never really finished, is it?

Start Selling as soon as you can. A few small orders a day, even as few as 2 from family and friends, will start the business going and will put you in the mode of selling.

Make a plan – have company meetings every week and meet with your sales people for at least half an hour a week. Set those schedules ahead of time then you won’t have to waste time by trying to schedule a meeting. Everyone will have his weekly plan that will not change from week to week. Make a plan when you look at your finances. Looking at it every day might make you too anxious.

Have a marketing campaign – new business owners often make the mistake of thinking they can do it all by themselves. Outsource your work to experts but don’t think that with this your responsibility ends. Marketing companies need your leadership and your input to make things right.

And don’t stay behind the curve. Innovate your products and your website. If something is not working, think of ways to fix it. Consult with experts whose  job is to stay updated. Is there another way to do what you have been doing? Other venues that you didn’t think about?

If you are an entrepreneur, or just started up your own small business, you should contact the consulting firm Puglisi Consulting Group (http://puglisiconsulting.com/#), which through their visibility Acceleration arm (http://www.visibilityacceleration.com/) are doing what every business should be doing; checking what works and what doesn’t, adjusting, finding out better ways of achieving the goal and having the tools to measure the results.

Unusual Ways of Defining Success

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Is your business successful? You might think your are successful because you have a certain number of customers or have made a certain amount of money. But studies show that money does not buy happiness. In fact, a complicated set of factors contribute to each individual’s sense of success and happiness. Here are two unique ways to determine if your business is truly successful or not.

Does Your Business Line Up With Your Core Values?

In order to answer this question, you need to define what your core values are. Your core values should include what is important to you, not what is important to your business. Having a business that contradicts your core values is one way to ensure frustration, burnout and an unclear plan.

Core values can be anything that you believe is truly important. Some examples are integrity, education, self-reliance and health. Choose what resonates with you, not what you think others want to hear, what is trendy or what sounds right.

Once you have chosen one or more core values, assess how well your business lines up with these values at least once per year. Is your business furthering these values? If not, how can you change the business so that it aligns with your core values? Creating a business that is a reflection of your core values is a true sign of success.

What is Your Ideal Day?

Write down a realistic description of your ideal day. What are you doing from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep? Compare this list to what you actually do in a typical day. How well does it match up? If your ideal day closely corresponds to your actual day, you have a successful business on your hands. If not, take a look at which areas of your day don’t match. What changes can you make to change your actual day into an ideal day? Consider outsourcing unpleasant tasks or taking a chance on an initiative that could propel your business to the next level. Remember that a successful business brings personal happiness in addition to financial success.

So how does your business stack up? If you find that you are monetarily successful but not happy with the direction of your business, it’s time to stop and plan. Think of what truly defines your core values and happiness, and make small and steady changes to ensure that your business is a bona fide success.

The Benefits of Virtual Assistants

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Have you considered hiring a virtual assistant? Virtual assistants are widely used to help with simple, repetitive tasks that are easily processed via email. Hiring a virtual assistant is a great way for your business to free up valuable time that can be better spent on other, more important tasks. Here are some of the key benefits of virtual assistants.

Low Cost Labor

Virtual assistants often provide labor at rates well below the salary that you would have to pay an in-person assistant. This is because virtual assistants are often located in developing countries such as India or the Philippines, where wage rates are below minimum wage in the United States. Even if you end up with a virtual assistant that is located in the United States, you will avoid the cost of benefits and office supplies that accompany a full-time employee.

The rate that you secure will vary by website and by provider. Some websites allow you to negotiate rates, and it is possible to find virtual assistants for as little as $2 per hour. Keep in mind, however, that the cheapest virtual assistants are often not of the highest quality. One of the most reputable websites, AskSunday.com, provides rates that range from $13.50-$14.00 per hour.

Off-Peak Hours

Virtual assistants can provide around-the-clock service. When you leave the office, you can email a task to your assistant and have it in your inbox the next morning. Of course, the time that your assistant is available to work depends on the assistant’s physical location. If you want your assistant to work primarily during your workday, look for someone in your same geographic region. If you want someone to work while you are off the clock, look for someone on the opposite side of the globe. You can even find teams of assistants that will provide service twenty-four hours per day.

Streamlined Hiring

Hiring a full-time employee takes a lot of time and resources. You must post a job ad, interview, hire the correct person, and spend weeks or months training them. Hiring a virtual assistant is a much quicker and less painful process. There are a variety of websites that simply the process, such as AskSunday.com, oDesk.com and eLance.com. These websites allow you to search for a virtual assistant, interview candidates and process payment. The hiring process can be done in a few hours or a few days, depending on how specific your hiring needs are.

For many business owners, a virtual assistant is an excellent way to free up time spent on repetitive tasks and to focus on the more important issues. If you are spending a lot of time on small tasks, try out a virtual assistant to see if you can increase your businesses productivity.

Who needs Consulting? I can do it by myself

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When you embark on this new adventure called internet visibility, or internet presence, and you are a thorough individual you immediately come across offers upon offers of e-books, lectures, webimanrs, clubs and everything else, to help you understand how to use the internet to advertise your business.

You spend time and money downloading, reading, participating in group discussions, and you learn a whole lot of new things, but when you look back at your business, you think “Gosh, I’ve spent so much time learning how to do advertise it, I don’t have time to take care of my business”.

There is a lot to learn, and if your objective is to make money by opening websites with information only and have links and link backs to sites that do sell something, you are being used as a recruiting agent. And you get finder’s fee. But to be visible with information only site, you have to learn some more and you have to add content, all the time.

It is amazing, the amount of information you need to absorb to be knowledgeable about the internet, and there are so many people advertising the “how to” classes that you know they have turned it into their full time profession. They are not doing, they are teaching.

Of course there are the scams, that give you very little for your money or those who enlist you in a pyramid type business where the objective is to bring more participants, not sell a product or a service. In these tough economic times, people are looking to reinvent themselves in a new area, and the internet filled up with useless, one page sites.

Visibility on the internet is very important to your business, but so is doing what you do best, providing a product or a service.

You will hear about press releases, social networks, articles, blogging, email newsletters, videos, expert question sites and viral marketing, but to do what those people are writing about and recommending will take all of your waking hours.

When you have a small business, with a store front, you spend a little money on keeping the front clean, re painting, re carpeting, and you spend a little more to reach new customers to enrich the circle of repeat customers. Same goes for the internet and internet commerce. You have to put some money into the upkeep of your business to make it grow. And the competition is not only local anymore, it’s global.

But so is the reward.

Your best bet is to save time on research into an unfamiliar subject and hand it over to the experts. You will have the information without having to learn how to get it, you’ll have people that make a living by staying updated on the latest trends and markets and you can see your business take off.

One of those companies is the Puglisi Consulting Group (http://puglisiconsulting.com/), and it has the experience in website solutions, linguistics, public policy, Business solutions higher education and life couching. Through their specialty arm Visibility Acceleration (http://www.visibilityacceleration.com/) can tailor a campaign for your needs.

You either spend that time and money on learning something you don’t want to know, or you pay the experts to do it for you right, the first time.

Business Growth: Issue 27 – Know How to Hire

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As your business grows, you quickly realize that you can’t do all the work by yourself.  Finding people that you can trust is difficult, and just a few bad hires can send your business into a tailspin.  Take the time to make sure that you adhere to these simple hiring tips.

Interview, Interview, Interview

Your first stop for new hires will likely be your close network of friends, families and former co-workers.  This is an excellent starting point, because these are the people that you know and trust the most.  However, don’t stop there.  Cast a wide net during the interview process.  Post jobs online and through any professional or collegiate networks that you belong to.  You never know where the best candidates might come from, and by interviewing a wide variety of people, you will get a better idea of what  you do and do not want in a new employee.

Be Honest

As you craft job descriptions, be brutally honest in what the job entails and what you expect in new employees.  If the job title is “Warehouse Logistics Executive”, but the employee will mostly be performing m annual labor in a warehouse, consider changing the job title to “Warehouse Personnel” to attract the correct candidates.  If you expect new employees to be available during off hours or on the weekends, state that in the job description.  There is no use sugar coating the details or making the job sound different than what it really is.  Deception might attract some great candidates, but these employees will quickly become disgruntled as they realize the true nature of the job. 

However, do be sure to list the highlights of the position.  If you offer great benefits, flexible hours or extra vacation, be sure to include that in the job description.

Pay Attention to Culture

Before you hire, be sure to consider the culture of your company.  Do you want the work environment to be laid back and collegial, or quiet and professional?  Seek out candidates that fit with the culture that you are trying to create.  Hiring people that fit together culturally is key to creating a healthy work environment and happy and productive employees.

Know When to Say No

Interviewing is a personal and intense process.  It can be difficult to say no to candidates, but it is extremely important to know when to say no.  Remember that just one bad hire can take up time from other productive employees, and just one unhappy employee can bring down an entire company’s morale.  Say no and move on to the most qualified candidates.

 Hiring new employees takes a lot of resources for a small business, but finding the right people is critical to success.

Why consultants are a must for every business owner!

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The hardest part of being a business owner is almost always the lonely perch or the glass floor the partnership is initially created on. As a business owner you really can’t ask an employee how you are doing… well at least with the intent on possibly getting the harsh truth you may need.

The hardest part about employees is that you recruited them! That’s right, you selected them, which means that they fit into a specific set of guidelines, experiences or education that you value. As such they are not bringing a new perspective that will really jolt the direction or growth of your business.

Why Consultants are a must

The consultant provides you an opportunity to think outside the box, consider issues, policy and procedures that are not influenced by budget limitations, family input or employee’s self-serving influence. The consultant should have an experience and preferably an education that brings value to your business. A consultant can also be a temporary fixed cost that is easily dismissed if they bring no results. They should also bring an opinion that is not bias because of fear of your supervision.

Beyond your script or plan

The concept behind having a consultant comes from the need to grow! Your business is likely already successful because of what your brought to it, be it hard work, ideas, capital whatever. The role of the consultant is to give you a snapshot of where you’re at and where you can go, and how!

A case for value

Consultants provide you with a valuable tool and personal that you may not be able to supply or provide just yet. Take Social Brand Reputation Management, the concept is so complex and solved so simply.

A company or business wants to protect their brand, product or anything else. To hire a Public Relations employee might be 40k-80k, but to protect their brand online or to promote the business with social media they may spend hours and hours of their time or again hire a technology staff of 1 or 2 at an additional cost of 30k – 80k, that could be $160,000 plus benefits!!! A consulting service who services 4-10 clients in this subject will likely charge a fraction of that and be better connected to media sources and technology because they cover a wider scope of clients.