One of the most valuable assets that any startup has is the data the business generates as customers interact with your website. Data on what they click and which pages keep them hooked help you grow your site in tune with your audience. If you’re rethinking how you want to present data to your customers, or you just want to improve the conversion flow of your site, build tracking into your design and learn which stats will make the biggest impact on your work.

Create a Measurable Flow
Business executives are used to thinking about goals, and working towards accomplishing them. Apply that same strategy to your site and create a goal funnel. Funnels are a step by step flow that customers must follow before they accomplish a goal, like all the pages viewed before signing up to an email address.
Defining goals in Analytics helps you figure out whether the funnel works and where customers tend to bail throughout the process. One you have a flow defined, you can work on making incremental changes to improve it. One of the first things you can do is shorten the time it takes for a customer to complete an action. The more steps involved in doing something, the higher the probability of that customer bouncing from your site without finding anything of value.

Set Goals with Values
Defining dollar values for your goals helps you put the actions on your site into some monetary perspective. You can determine the amount of revenue generated per visit by looking at the revenue your site generates monthly and dividing that by the number of visits it receives. It’s a rough estimate, but it gives you an idea of the average amount each visit generates for you. Start with that baseline and increase or decrease the value of steps in your goal funnel as needed. If you see lots of traffic coming into a low value page, you can take steps to add goals to that increase the value of that page, or increase the time spent reading that page by giving customers something they want to see.

Test Landing Pages
The landing page you send someone to is the next most crucial step in refining the conversion power of your website. If you want to improve your landing page, you can focus on broad concepts like changing colors or adding images, but your best course of action is often falling back on data. Experts like Conor Goetz Cornell know by looking at the statistics for your site that when bounce rate is high, your landing page is weak. There are a few things you can do to improve the stickiness of your landing pages:

• Add headlines, using the H1 tag, that are keyword rich
• Use bullet points, bold and italic lettering to help identify key points
• Avoid flowery language, make every sentence punch

One of the most overlooked concepts, believe it or not, is giving customers something they can do. Giving them a button to click or a form to fill out that puts them on a mailing list is one of the most compelling aspects to your landing page. That call to action sums up the main ideas of your page behind one simple, impactful statement.

Brainstorm New Content
Google’s Analytics platform keeps a record of your all-time most visited pages, so you can use that data to help create new content that is guaranteed to see large volumes of traffic.

Publish Case Studies
Publishing a case study that looks at your site critically and shows how you improved based on data you analyze helps establish you as an expert. You might teach someone a valuable skill while presenting original data for research purposes. Google, and the community at large, will love you for it.

Nobody plans to fail they just fail to plan. That statement is no less true about the business world than any other aspect of life. One cause of new business failure is lack of funding and the inability to properly anticipate cash flow problems. However if you take the time to fully explore your possibilities and know where to turn for needed funding your chances of success are increased.

STARTUP FUNDING
If you have created a well thought out and detailed business plan you should have a good idea of the amount of money you need and there are several places you can turn to secure funding. While it’s possible you may get every penny you need from one source it’s likely you may have to find multiple sources.

1. Personal Savings.
This is the most popular source of funds for startups, and for good reason. Many investors and loan agencies will be hesitant to put up their money if you haven’t shown that you are able or willing to invest a portion of your own savings into the idea.

2. Friends and Family.
This is the second most popular source of funding. People close to you know your character and integrity and therefore are often more likely to help fund your business than outsiders. However this can become a tricky situation so be sure to set clear expectations and boundaries for all parties involved.

3. Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists.
Many of these individuals or corporations will gladly invest money in a business that has a solid business plan and the potential to make money. Crowd funding websites would fall under the category of angel investors. These people generally will help fund your business with little or no expectation of return or reward. Venture capitalists are in the business of making a profit off of their investments however. Before approaching an angel investor or a venture capitalist be prepared to make your pitch.

4. Government and Bank Loans.
These can often be the hardest types of funding to secure, especially since the Great Recession. Yet if you have a proven credit history and a solid business plan you shouldn’t overlook this potential source of funding.

DAILY EXPENSES
Congratulations, you made it through the startup phase and opened your doors! But don’t stop now. You now have to work hard to maintain the steady cash flow needed to pay your expenses. This is not always easy or possible on a daily basis.

Often business, and subsequent profits, will come in waves but your creditors aren’t willing to wait for you to pay them. Hopefully you anticipated this ahead of time and secured enough initial capital to get you through however, things can happen that even the most savvy business person was unable to plan for. In cases like this you may have to turn to a business cash advance.

Business cash advances are short term loans designed to help businesses pay their daily expenses. They are available from a number of sources and usually have specific criteria your business must meet in order to qualify. But for those that do qualify, this can mean the difference between getting through a rocky patch intact and having to close your doors for good.

Don’t fail to plan. If you adequately anticipate your financial needs and know where to turn for funding, your business will have a greater chance of success.

Young entrepreneurs have a wonderful asset on their side: energy.

We see all around us amazing new inventions, applications, services, and products being developed by society’s youth because they have very little to lose when getting a start at such a young age. Their energy allows them to dedicate many hours, each day, toward a project of passion.

However, one hurdle these young entrepreneurs face is the fact that it’s easy to lose track of the bigger picture. These individuals will rush into an idea, hit the ground running, but fail to realize how to excel their work to the next level because they’ve yet to reach a mature understanding of the startup environment.

For this reason it’s important to have a business mentor.

A mentor is an individual that will provide level-headed advice in key areas of business that are unknown; they’ve already put in their time and have the wisdom to instill onto the younger generation (if they listen). The mentor acts like a role model but actually takes the time to guide the individual rather than being an individual to whom they may never interact.

Robert J. Finlay is one such business development professional with quite a few words of wisdom for those seeking advice (and perhaps even a mentor) to grow their business:

“If I had any advice for young entrepreneurs it would be to do something you’re absolutely passionate about. One distinguisher of success is someone who wakes up every day and just loves going to work because they’re making a difference.”

To make a business mentorship work it really comes down to showing respect, taking advice without becoming too emotional, and accountability.

The individual being mentored should be able to provide clear goals for their business, which will give the mentor a logical set of ideas and information to instill on the individual. Likewise, the mentored should be able to remain productive, provide reports on their progress, and continue to make the main business decisions rather than being completely dictated by the mentor.

Finding a mentor is easier said than done. Entrepreneurs may be hard pressed to find an individual willing to give up a good deal of their time because they too may have work which needs to be done. Additionally, there are many business veterans that may have never had the chance to be mentors so they aren’t accustomed to instilling their knowledge.

All that it really takes is identifying an individual that matches ones’ goals. The mentor should be an individual that had real, hands-on experience with the type of work and industry so that their information is applicable to the business.

A simple email, written letter, or phone call is enough to introduce oneself to a potential mentor. Cut to the chase and explain the situation, ask if they are willing to share their knowledge, and follow the process of productivity and accountability to develop a great mutually beneficial relationship.

Mentors matter more than ever, especially in an entrepreneurial landscape full of gung-ho starters.

According to figures cited on the Small Business Administration website, when planning to start your own business you should anticipate a cost of about $30,000. This is a blanket figure that doesn’t cover some of the unique circumstances a restaurant may encounter.

Opening Expenses
Opening expenses are easy to forget when you are mentally conceptualizing your restaurant for the first time.

Ground yourself in reality with a few fast figures:

· Permits: Serving alcohol and food require a permit in most cities, that you must pay fees for and display in public view. If you plan to make renovations to your location, you must make sure that you get proper permits for construction as well.

· Insurance: Insurance for a restaurant covers accidents for employees and customers, as well as building concerns.

· Accounting: Someone to track the financial aspect of your restaurant, detailing stock ordered and recording the daily sales figures.

· Point of sale software: Software that allows you to accept credit cards and process transactions. You often need a merchant account with the point of sale, which usually requires about 1.5-percent to 3-percent commission on every transaction you make.
These costs just help the restaurant open its doors safely on day one.

Rent
Renting for a commercial property works similarly to renting for an individual. You will need to come up with a security deposit plus the first month’s rent.

You also need to factor in utility costs, which may be higher than an average business because you have concerns about food storage (which often requires a large freezer and lots of power) in addition to fuel for your stove and water to wash dishes with.

Decorating Costs
The costs of actually prepping your restaurant will vary based on what you want to do with the location. You can often find silverware, plates, cups and other basic supplies at a restaurant discount warehouse. Shopping at these outlets saves money on basic supplies to help get you through the first month.

A trip to your local crafts or hardware store will yield lots of things you can build yourself too. Candle holders you can paint over with glass paint, wooden shelves that hold vintage cookbooks, mirrors in wrought-iron frames and other trinkets will add character to your location. Think that’s not important?

Yelp does, they even have a category for “ambiance.” Remember that dining is a sensual experience, so the tastes, sights, smells and sounds of the space should all be carefully coordinated. You may also want to invest in a streaming service like Spotify, which will let you design a soundtrack to fit the mood of your restaurant without investing in a large music collection.

Food and Payroll
It should come as no surprise that food and payroll should be around 40-percent to 70-percent of your monthly budget. Keep your initial food orders as low as possible until your restaurant is in the black, and carefully chart your most in-demand menu items. Work in the restaurant with your spouse to help keep staff requirements at a minimum until you can afford more staff. Use the extra money on marketing, or on improving the quality of your ingredients.

Marketing
Signage for your restaurant to advertise daily specials is a fun way to let passersby know what you offer. They are also expensive each time your order them so a lot of small restaurants use street-side chalkboards to entice customers.

Menus should showcase food, using copy that makes the patron’s mouth water. Avoid simply listing ingredients, instead taking time to talk about savory dishes in detail. Our Boef Bourguignon is served in a red wine stew full of hearty carrots, chunks of potato, fresh mushrooms and roasted garlic. Try it with the house Pinot Noir to accentuate the different levels of flavor.

Word-of-mouth is your strongest asset, so pay attention to your Yelp reviews and learn who your regulars are.

Would it surprise you to learn that most of the “big” CEOs don’t have social media presences? It’s true (warning: the video in that link plays automatically—make sure you’ve got your headphones in)!

Why is that? It is that those CEOs are too busy running their companies (something you can surely understand)? Or is it possibly because-though they might be loathe to admit it-they don’t know how to go about setting up or running an active social media presence? It is probably a little of both, with which you can undoubtedly sympathize.

Unfortunately, as a newcomer to business, you can’t afford to not have a social media presence. It is the corner stone of your branding and online reputation. This is why hiring a firm to set up and, until you get the hang of things, run your online presence is a good idea. The problem is that absolutely anybody can say that they’ve got social media, branding and startup expertise.

Unfortunately, very few of these firms are actually capable of what they promise you on their websites. So how do you figure out the difference?

1. Check Out Their Own Profiles
Every person or company that offers to run your social media and online presence should have really great profiles and sites already up and running. Click on those links and see what kind of impression you get. Do those companies just sell their own stuff over and over again? Or are they actively engaged with their audience? Profiles that are 100% sales are a bad sign.

2. Read the Reviews
Everybody knows how important reviews are. Reviews, especially when sought independently, can give you a really good idea of what to expect from any given company. Brand.com reviews actually assess all the different reputation management strategies that come out, effectively covering that niche. What do the reviews say about your company?

3. Manners Matter
When checking out the reviews, websites and social pages of each branding company, pay attention to how they treat the people with whom they are interacting. Etiquette matters. Do these companies manage to hit that perfect marriage between professionalism and personality outlined in Lauren Simond’s Time article?

4. Outlandish Promises
When you visit the website of a potential online reputation management firm, what do you see? Do you see a lot of blinking ads? Are you presented with an un-closeable subscription box? Do you see crazy promises to get you on the front page of Google for your keyword within 24 hours (or less)? Run away! Sure it would be nice to get a million followers to each of your profiles and be on the front page of Google by the time you finish sneezing but those things take a while to accomplish. Any social media management firm worth hiring is going to know that.

5. Meet a Few
As you search you will start out with probably dozens of prospects and, over time, whittle that list down to a few. When you’ve got it narrowed down to, say, five or fewer, it is time to start interviewing. Set up meetings with each prospective candidate. Ask them these five interview questions.

You know that having a social media presence and good online reputation are important. Everybody knows that. Not everybody is able to set it up single-handedly. This is why hiring a firm to take care of your branding and building your online reputation is a good idea.youn

As an entrepreneur, you’re probably running your business out of your home. You’ve got a post office box for your mail. You set up a dedicated phone number on Skype. You’ve converted your dining room into an office space and every day you sit in it and do your work. As your business grows, though, you find that the little bit of space you’ve carved out for yourself isn’t enough anymore.

There are lots of reasons that you need to find more space for your company:

Maybe you’ve expanded enough that you need help and it’s time to hire employees. You can’t exactly expect your new assistant or new sales team to sit on the floor in your living room.

You make your products yourself and demand has driven up the supply quantity that you need to keep on hand.

You’ve started new direct mail and guerilla marketing campaigns and the materials have over taken every spare inch of space in your house.

Your spouse has threatened divorce if you order any more inventory or supplies because getting through your home is like sidling along the labyrinth.

The type of space you need is going to depend upon what you intend to do with it.

If you’re taking on an assistant or hiring some employees to help you with your sales (or other parts of your business), you’re going to need office space. In some cities, like Portland or Indianapolis, office space is prevalent and, for the most part, affordable. In other cities, like Las Vegas or Louisville, finding the right office space is difficult and, often expensive. In these cities, you might have an easier time setting up as part of an office park.
Setting up in an office park does have some benefits. The park usually has a built in mail service (especially if the park is just a really big building). It might even offer reception services (which saves you the hassle of having to hire someone). Maintenance and grounds keeping is typically taken care of as well.

If the problem is simply a matter of needing space to store stuff, you can easily solve the problem by renting a storage unit. Here’s the good news: it is easy, whether you live in Portland, Indianapolis, Las Vegas or Louisville to look locally to rent temporary storage when downsizing office space. Even better, this temporary storage is usually super cheap. You can rent a unit for the duration of your marketing campaign or while you figure out how to work with a drop shipper and then clean it out and viola! Done! No muss, no fuss.

It might even be worth it to go with a storage unit in which to store supplies and files so that you can rent a smaller and, therefore cheaper, office space for your company.

Really, the type of space and services you need are going to depend upon the ways in which your business is expanding and where you want to take it.

Times have been hard. Ever since the financial crash and the ensuing recession, many companies have been struggling to turn the same profits and enjoy the same commercial success as they may have done before. However, the tide is turning, with many starting to see light at the end of the downturn tunnel.

This is evidenced by the fact that many firms now feel in a position to expand their workforces.

People are recruiting
Back in April, the Recruitment & Employment Confederation’s (REC’s) monthly JobsOutlook survey of 600 employers reported that recruitment was looking good, with almost two-thirds of respondents claiming they planned to boost their workforces over the subsequent three months.

Fast forward to May and that figure had increased four per cent, revealing an upturn in the number of firms looking to take on new staff. As REC chief executive Kevin Green commented at the time: “Employer confidence does seem to be on the rise.”

Another four weeks on in June and Mr Green confirmed that 400,000 more people are now in jobs than this time a year ago, illustrating that while it has been - and continues to be - a struggle recovering from the recession, recruitment is happening. People are taking on staff.

Nevertheless, results from the organization also showed that the availability of candidates to fill permanent job vacancies in May in fact declined ever so slightly - evidence of the skills shortage splashed across the media at the moment.

According to the figures, there seems to be an increasing lack of people with all of the necessary credentials for certain professions.

How to stay ahead
The CBI/Pearson Education and Skills survey published recently revealed that businesses fear the skills shortage will hamper growth, as they are unable to get their hands on the candidates they seek.

It goes without saying that in order to stay ahead, therefore, companies need to ensure that they are securing the skilled candidates that are out there - and, moreover, that those skilled applicants are not taking up positions in rival firms.

Not only is recruiting important in order to keep a workforce fresh, motivated and at the top of its game, but for an industry like sales where a delicate balance of personal and professional attributes is absolutely paramount, companies need to make sure they are getting their hands on the right candidates - the number of which the figures would suggest could be dwindling.

Mr Green recently confirmed: “Employers are struggling to find the skilled candidates they need in sales, marketing and business development to prepare for the upturn in the UK economy, while the majority of the unemployed do not have the skills for the jobs that are available.”

Using an agency like Aaron Wallis to recruit sales staff could be the solution for firms who find they are struggling to seek out the right individuals to fill vacancies, but who do not want to find themselves falling behind rivals in the so-called race for recruitment.

Such an agency will take care of the process by, for example, formulating bespoke interview questions, carrying out psychometric profiling of candidates and consolidating the online presence of a firm in terms of advertising the position appropriately - all of which will help to entice the right candidates.

As someone who is well versed in online business, it’s easy to assume that going offline is going to be easy. The truth is that running your own business offline is an entirely different animal than running your business through the web. Here are some of the things you need to consider and figure out.

Where Will Your Business Be Located?
If you are a creative type, you can probably join an existing studio and run your business out of your own corner of it. For professionals in the business world, office parks are best. If you’re going to be opening a shop of some sort, you’ll need to find a storefront where your market is most likely to shop.

Do not sign the first lease on the first space you see. Take some time to shop around and learn how to evaluate commercial and business spaces. Remember—your lease is not the only expense to consider here. What will your utility costs be like? Are you going to have to pay for space in the parking lot for your customers?

How Will Your Customers Pay You?
If your shop is going to be small you can probably continue processing your customers’ payments online. Square makes it easy to set up a smart phone or tablet computer to be an ad hoc register. Other companies, like Inuit offer similar processing but also help you setup equipment for printing receipts. This option helps you eliminate merchant processing fees, credit card terminals and a bunch of other bulky stuff.

If you expect your business to be busy, though, you’ll want a traditional register system (and you’ll want to have a few of them in the store). This way you can ring up several people simultaneously and cut down on your customers’ wait time.

If you are expecting your business to be really busy (a grocery shop, for example), you might want to invest in a couple of self checkout terminals. You can set up an employee to monitor them for loss prevention and people can check out at their own rates. This is particularly helpful for customers who prefer to do their own bagging or who might only have one thing who don’t want to wait in line behind someone who has twelve.

When You’re Gone
With an online business you can set it up to run automatically even in your absence. When you have an offline business, this isn’t so easy. You’ll need to have someone to cover for you in your absence. At the very least you’ll want an assistant (or assistant manager if you’re running a retail operation). You cannot simply close up shop for a sick day or week of vacation. Your lease might demand that you be open during certain hours on certain days.

Hiring employees is a challenge—even if you’ve had plenty of HR experience. First, make sure you’ve got their salary or wages already in place before you hire them. Next, make sure you only hire as many people as you can already afford to pay for a year. Then, follow the rules of HR to find the best candidates and check out their backgrounds and references.

Above all else, don’t forget to have fun! It’s scary, but you’re undertaking an adventure that could completely change your life for the better!