Stressed out? Maybe you should see a psychologist

posted in: Business

These days finding the right work-life balance can be a challenging task. With the speed at which the world changes and how much we find ourselves running from point A to B without even a break is incredible. It is not uncommon to hear people talk about going to see a psychologist Merida. But strangely enough, many still feel the stigma of going to the therapist when we should all at some point of our lives take some counselling therapy. (more…)

Tips for Businesses to Grow during the Covid-19 pandemic

posted in: Business

In these difficult times, we are responding to a pandemic that affects businesses and retailers around the world. Covid-19 is harming businesses in every country and destroying the economy. Uncertainty and not knowing when the pandemic will end will undoubtedly cause losses to most companies.

Things change every day. Different locations and states enforce different rules. Businesses of all sizes, from global institutions to small family businesses, are feeling the impact of the virus economically and emotionally. However, compared with brick-and-mortar retailers, this feeling is even greater. Because of the implementation of blockade measures, encouraging social isolation, and requiring people to limit contact with others, many physical locations have to open their doors to the public. Although this may encourage online shopping behavior in COVID-19, brick-and-mortar retailers need to find ways to stay relevant and improve their revenue figures to survive. (more…)

Is it good to use stock photography on a website?

Is it good to use stock photography on a website?

posted in: Business

It is hard to find the right images to showcase your business and your products, especially if your business is a service. Hiring a photographer can be expensive, more if you don’t know exactly what you want, paying for a photographer to wait for hours for you to come up with the right idea is not a good use of money. But you still need images.

Stock photography is a great alternative to hiring a professional photographer AND models. Can you take the pictures  yourself and use a couple of friends as models, sure you can. Will they have the crisp quality and excellent presentation of a professional photo? Most likely not. (more…)

6 great online marketing tactics to increase your leads

posted in: Business

Every day, week and month there are a series of inbound marketing strategies that a business owner should know to increase the number of leads. Having an excellent website design Guelph helps a lot. The top 10 tactics are right here:

Redesign the sales process

Seems obvious, and yet, when a business is not generating enough leads, the sales process is often overlooked and as a result, the little leads your business has are lost for an inadequate sales process. Users’ behaviour has changed in a drastic manner, if adjustments are not made to the sales process so that it matches the way your potential clients want to purchase, your business is at risk of loosing qualified sales.

Create a memorable experience

What is a memorable experience on a website? It starts with the very first interaction with your brand, a user needs consistency and reliability to gain trust in your products and services. A memorable experience is simply one that can be remembered, either because it was shocking, easy to go through or fun. Make your brand stand out or be forgotten. (more…)

Preparing your ecommerce website for the holidays

posted in: Business

The holiday season of 2015 is getting closer every minute. We are about 1 month away from the beginning of the busiest period of the year for retailers. In 2014, ecommerce sales had a record year and the expectations are that in this 2015, sales online are just going to keep increasing. With billions of dollars at stake, you want to be sure that your online store is ready for the most important season of the year.

Mobile ready, responsive, or whatever, but be mobile!

Not even going to try to convince you about the benefits of being mobile. Everyone holds a smartphone now, it is not 2008 when smartphones were still some sort of a high end thing. Smartphones and superphones are just phones now, it takes real effort to want to go back to a flip phone or a mobile that is just a phone. So, why is it that many ecommerce sites are still not mobile friendly? This year, mobile purchases are expected to grow in at least 32% compared to last year. This is almost double the growth since 2014. Get moving and hire someone to build your new web design with mobile in mind… now. (more…)

How to become a Trusted Sender

posted in: Business

Email deliverability. It is a common problem, you start sending business emails, doing some email marketing and using your business email. Suddenly, someone tells you that your emails are going to the junk folder or are being labeled as spam by their email software (Outlook, Thunderbird or whichever the person happens to use). Your business depends on being able to communicate with its customers, so you go into crisis mode. Start calling your hosting company, your web developer, and start asking everyone you know about it. Congratulations, you now have an “email deliverability” problem. (more…)

Renovations Waterloo

posted in: Business

Waterloo, Ontario is a beautiful town. Housing is high quality, the standard of living is superior and the people are very friendly. If you find yourself living in this beautiful small city, you are lucky.

If you ever need renovations Waterloo, you should consider talking to an expert like DaMaren Renovations. An expert will assist you in deciding the right design and plan for your home, ensuring that all considerations are taken and that the legal requirements of your city are met. They also know great ways to find savings and improve the reach of your budget, so that it will go beyond what it normally could. (more…)

Surfing Costa Rica

posted in: Business

Surfing is a fantastic experience. The beach, the sun and the waves, what could be any better than that?

During winter in Canada, people dream of escaping to a sunny destination like Costa Rica. Some even consider Costa Rica surfing as a great option… (more…)

Starting a business in Ontario

posted in: Business

Many people find themselves with a great idea for a product or service. Even though the prospect of starting a business seems daunting at first, many attempt it. The learning curve is long and difficult, however, success is always at hand.

The most important thing to keep in mind when starting your business, is a clear understanding of your product or service and how you plan to market it, in other words, how you plan on getting the word out so that people come to you.

In any case, below we give you some basic pointers to consider when starting your own business in Ontario:

  1. Time and effort are the two biggest tools of an entrepreneur. Starting a business and running it can be a lot of work. Take time to consider all it will take and your willingness to work for it. Are the risks associated with business’ ups and downs something you can manage?
  2. Structure. What will be the structure of your business? Will if be a sole proprietorship, a partnership or a corporation?
  3. Marketing. Consider a budget for marketing. Many businesses are started without any consideration for marketing, it is important that you take some time to research the potential and evaluate the best marketing options. Who are your competitors and what are they doing? Why should a customer prefer your products over the competitions? Do you need a website?
  4. Financing. How much money do you need to start? Plan your budget realistically and decide whether you need financing. Keep in mind your overhead, every cost including staff, office/store space, marketing, tools and operating budget. Can you support your business and yourself for at least 2 years? Most businesses only find out if they succeed after the second or third year, the first one is usually the hardest one when starting.
  5. The Law. Learn about taxes, licensing, health and safety regulations, etc. Understanding your local and federal legal obligations is important, particularly taxes.

This is a primer of what you should think about when starting a business in Ontario. It is by no means an exhaustive exploration of each element and each one deserves special attention and consideration. Take your time to plan and work hard, good planning and resilience  are trademarks of successful business owners.

A picture from a road in La Mancha, Spain
The road ahead

Another complexity is if you are trying to start a business in Ontario (register it), but that operates at another location outside of the province. When we were asked by Water Dreams Costa Rica to do their web design, we faced an interesting situation. They provide surf camps in Costa Rica and wanted to attract people interested in surfing and SUP. Their main customers are in Canada and particularly from Ontario. Their marketing had to consider several law complications, licensing matters in two countries and business structure and management. A simple idea of having a surf school where people can learn to surf and do SUP, became quite complicated. Fortunately, they were able to sort through the complications and people are enjoying great surfing experiences through the Water Dreams team.

When you are considering starting your business, look at all angles before opening the doors. Digital marketing can do a lot for your business, but do not rely on it to make your business, it is still marketing and as such it is just one component of a much more complex endeavor.