Online Business

The Key Areas to Focus on in a Web Development Project

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Web-Design-Latest-Trends

Whether you are an amateur at web design and development, or someone who has been playing in the field for a long time, you’ll need a few pointers that are like a miniature checklist. This will help you focus on the key areas that need to be taken care of when you are developing a website. Some of them are pretty obvious, while the others are sometimes forgotten in the course of a typical web development program. Anyway, here are the nitty-gritty details of the important things that need to be attended to.

Browser compatibility – When you are developing a website for a client, it is important to make sure that the site is compatible with most of the commonly used browsers. Sites that are incompatible with popular browsers will only result in drastically low traffic for your client’s site, and that is not something you want on your hands.

The background templates –Pretty often, developers focus too much on the elements in the foreground and pay little attention to what runs behind it all. Having a user friendly background that is easy on the eyes seems like a small thing, but it contributes greatly to how popular the site gets with time. Obviously, people will not linger too long on a webpage that strains their eyes.

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Online Business

Two Major Web Design Mistakes To Avoid

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Web Design Mistakes

If you ask for web design advice from anyone who either has or has had a website they’ll tell you lots of things you should have on your site. Some of it will be correct but some advice will so wrong that if you follow it, you could harm your website and its usefulness permanently.

Here are two major web design errors that you must avoid completely when you design your website.

#1 Forgetting Why You Have A Website

There are literally thousands of business websites on the internet that seem to have no purpose whatsoever…don’t let yours become another one. It seems crazy that a business would pay a web designer to design them a website, only for that site to have no discernible reason to exist other than to showcase their skills built from web design tips.

When you sit down to plan the design of your website, the first question to answer is what goal or goals do you want the website to achieve for your business. If it’s a simple one-page sales letter or video, then the obvious purpose is sales.  Some single page sites might have the alternative goal of gaining email subscribers.

If branding is of paramount importance above all else, then branding should be prominent throughout the site. Your site might be a blog where you share information to build trust and eventually customers. A larger corporate site may have information on the company, with product ranges and services fully explained in order to generate leads.

Whether it is any of these or one of the many other reasons why you’d want your business to have a website online, when you come to design it, make sure that purpose is fully accommodated its design and structure.

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Online Business

Social Media Marketing – Marketing to a Brand New World

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Increased used of the internet, changes in consumer behavior, perceptions, brand preferences and lifestyles have all impacted the manner in which businesses used to operate. Nevertheless, internet marketing entails much more than just getting your website up and waiting for the world to beat a path to your door.

It becomes extremely hard for us to understand sometimes how our life has changed until we pause for a second and take a deep look at how different our life is from what it used to be ten or may be five years ago. Social media, in recent years, has impacted our lives more than anything else.

This global transformation that has taken place over the past few years because of advanced social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook might have been unimaginable for most of us at the beginning of this decade.

With the dramatic evolution of the internet, traditional communication methods have largely been replaced by the latest communication techniques including social media networking and marketing. Social media in today’s world has revolutionized the way in which businesses promote their offerings to their customers.

It is an undeniable truth that a number of businesses in recent times venture into social media marketing with hopes of getting a good return of their investment. The expectation is that customers will be attracted in droves and that the benefits and revenue generation will be phenomenal. The immense power of social media can be used to communicate with millions of web surfers who search the internet every day to look for products and services to satisfy their needs.

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eCommerce

How to Decide on the Best eCommerce Platform?

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The multimillion-dollar eCommerce industry is growing by leaps and bounds in Australia. When it comes to making the online business, a success an online business owner needs to take many things into consideration. And one of the most important aspect of any online business store is picking the right eCommerce platform.

People starting an eCommerce business may feel overwhelmed by the different types of online platforms that seems to offer the same services. However, the platforms differ in terms both in terms of price and functionality. Some ecommerce sites do not require separate hosting, however you can hire a professional hosting company. Here we will take a look at the most popular eCommerce platforms that offer the best deal for online businesses.

Shopify

Shopify is a hosted eCommerce platform that does not require you to purchase a separate platform. The big upside of the eCommerce store is that the availability of add-on apps that greatly extend functionality of the online store. However, a downside of the eCommerce platform is that it offers limited ability to customize the interface.

Magento

Magento has been considered the best online platform for eCommerce sites. The online platform is used by major e-commerce companies due to greater flexibility in customizing the site. The only drawback of this platform is that creating and customizing the site requires hiring a professional website designer which adds to the cost of operating the store.

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Legal Advice

Important Legal Issues to Consider For Protection of Your Startup

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As an entrepreneur engaged in a startup, there are several issues that need to be resolved in the early days of establishing your company. Failing to do so may involve complicated legal issues where you will need an experienced criminal lawyer or corporate lawyer especially in terms of copyright and patents, where even partnerships especially, can go wrong.

One of the biggest real life examples of copyright litigation was faced by Mark Zuckerberg himself in the Zuckerberg vs. Winklevoss faceoff regarding the rights of Facebook. Though Zuckerberg himself walked away with the company, still the payoff to those who litigated against him including his partner, won a considerable amount of compensation.

However, not everyone can be lucky enough to own a company worth millions. With such factors in mind, it is imperative to take note of the legal aspects of a startup where every loose end should be tight enough to protect you from any chance that litigation lawyers will pursue you for copyright claims.

Here’s what you need to do:

 Make a clear-cut agreement with your partners

An initial co-founder agreement will ensure you do not face any copyright problems from disgruntled co-founders. A partnership can go wrong, it happens. This is why you need to be firm in the beginning. A co-founder agreement should contain the following clauses:

  • Percentage rights of individual members
  • Designations of members and extent of responsibility
  • The limitation of rights of a member resigning from the partnership
  • The rights of remaining partners to buy shares from a resigning member

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Legal Advice

Pros and Cons of Buying Off the Plan

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Buying Property

Property lawyers will tell you that buying property off the plan means you are putting down a deposit for a property that is not yet built. This happens most often when a property developer buys a big acreage of land that he intends to subdivide into smaller blocks and build homes on, then sell. To get the money for that, he advertises the plans, which allows prospective buyers to choose one of many blocks in an area they like.

There are pros and cons of buying off the plan that should be carefully considered before going ahead.

Pros

There are several advantages for this type of purchase.

  • You only have to pay a deposit to start with and no more until the home is built.
  • This allows you to put off getting a loan if the interest is high, but you think it might fall in the next few years.
  • It may allow you to save up more so you don’t have to get loan, or can get a smaller one, thus saving some costs.
  • You may get to have a say in which finishes are used for your home, since you are the buyer.
  • It can allow you plenty of time to sell your own home, or to become more stable financially.

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eCommerce

Key Features That Your Ecommerce Website Should Have

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You may have setup a complete ecommerce website for your online business in Australia, but are you sure it has everything you need for next year? Here are some must-have features that can help you improve the business by making things more efficient:

Firstly, maintain an innovative, fresh, and engaging online presence. This is not something you have to look at annually, but on a daily basis, because ecommerce is a very competitive market. In recent years, the Australian ecommerce industry has not only served as a significant tool for revenue growth, but has encouraged consumers to spend beyond their limits. In the next year, there is going be an increase in overseas and local retail purchases by an estimated amount of $25 billion. Therefore, if your website doesn’t appear engaging, others will make sure theirs does.

Another important requirement is to keep your ecommerce processes competitive. You must try to cover all likely aspects to make sure that your customers can access your products and services. For example, The Iconic Magazine is not just available in hard copies, but is available online as well, making it accessible for mobile users too.

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Branding

Why The Right Brand Design Is Important For Your Business?

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Brand-Design

Do you know the relative importance of your brand? Do you know why it is essential to have the right brand for your business? If you think that the connection between brand and business has just been exaggerated, then think again! The importance of a brand cannot be stressed enough based on what it can do to ensure the success of the business. Because your brand is the first image of your business!

Playing Show And Tell With Your Business Brand
Isn’t it every business’s dream to have their customers absolutely adore what they have to offer? Well, the question is how do you achieve it? By making your brand the face of the business, and telling and showing customers your products through your brand; of course.

To have a brand which is the face of your company, you need to make sure that it brings your values and business commitment to the fore. Statistics share that around 81% of the decision makers regard their business brands to be critically important in driving purchases.

This signifies that customers pay great importance to brand perception. If yours is a brand design developed by experts who have infused your business value into the design, then you will be able to drive sales in the market.

Remember. Brand design is not just a logo, shape or a set of colours. It is a set of values, memories, commitments, goals and expectations, which are given a pictorial representation.

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Finance Advice

Salary Sacrificing vs. Paying Down the Mortgage

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Salary Sacrifice

Many financial planners agree that salary sacrificing is an excellent way to save and avoid paying high levels of tax, at least on some of your income, but is it really better than paying down your mortgage?  Andep Financial planning advice usually offers many ways to save money and reduce your costs; but whether this is one of them will depend on your specific circumstances.

For instance, if you are in a very high tax bracket, it can certainly pay you to salary sacrifice, especially if having done that, your income is then in a lower tax bracket level.  But it is not always the best thing to do as far as making the most of your dollars goes. It absolutely depends on your individual circumstances, which is why it is best to consult with a financial advisor; one who works independently of any company such as a bank.

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Legal Advice

What You Need To Know About Commercial Leasing

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If you have found the best property for your commercial premises, then you must now be considering signing a lease for the property. But do you know what a commercial lease is, and are you familiar with the different clauses which outline the importance of the document?

According to commercial law experts, the clauses in the lease highlight the rights and obligations of both the tenant and the landlord, and any discrepancy and negligence can result in breach of contract by either one of the two parties.

Your Commercial Lease – What Is It?
It is very important for you to recognize the importance of a commercial lease, as it is a legally binding contract. It is essential for both the tenant and the landlord to understand the different terms and conditions given in the contract before signing up the contract.

It is also important that both the parties recognize their obligations and rights, so that all disputes can be avoided, or easily handled if any should arise. Since most lease clauses are quite complicated, it is important to seek the help of an expert who can advise you on the matter.

You need expert legal help, before you,

  • Occupy any leased property
  • Pay any deposit or any other form of monies
  • Make commitment to take, lease or buy on any work which might affect your lease obligations
  • Sign a lease contract

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Legal Advice

The Importance of Business Contracts

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Business-Contracts

If you own a business you will have to sign a lot of contracts. There are many different types of business contracts and commercial lawyers are needed to ensure you are not signing something that will adversely affect your business or your ability to run it.  People agree to contracts in all their daily buying without even realising it. Such contracts are not signed, but include a clause that by doing business with the company you agree to the terms of the contract.

This can be as simple as setting up a bank account or buying a book online. It is in place when you purchase groceries or go to the doctor or dentist.  Most people don’t even read these contracts and it doesn’t really matter most of the time. It simply protects the business in some way.

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Online Business

4 Reasons Why Web Design Is Important For Your Business

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Web-Design

Web design is certainly a magic wand. All you need to do is wave it and your desired results are right in front of you. With the increased use of online media and ecommerce businesses, the concept of web design is gaining popularity and familiarity in the business world.

Not only people have begun paying attention to website’s designs but they have equally adhered to take steps in making the website more functional and effective. As Paul Cookson, a famous entertainer and author, has said:

“Great web design without functionality is like a sports car with no engine”.

The website design has a direct impact on moods, decisions and actions of your readers. With an effective web design, you can drive a lot of consistent traffic to your site. Not just this, there are many more advantages of web design for your business; four of them are discussed below in detail.

1. Increased Number of Visitors
A web design with effective and impressive features will ultimately attract visitors. If you’ve more symbols and figures rather than content on your site, people will instantly get your message without reading long paragraphs. Having their questions answered, they’ll prefer your website the next time they’re in search of anything related to your business. This will guarantee you consistent visitors.

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Legal Advice

Facts About Estate Planning

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Estate-Planning

If you have assets then you will need to plan for their distribution after you die. Having a consultation with a family lawyer will ensure that your estate planning is done correctly so it is legal and no one can step in to challenge or change it. You have a right to leave your assets to whomever you want, but the law says you have a duty to your family to support and maintain them, so they should not be left out.

That said, you can still leave gifts to charities and people who are not related by blood, at your discretion.

Step children cannot Contest a Will, but other family members may. If you leave out some family members but not others, those who are not included can challenge the Will. Even if people are included, they can still challenge the Will if they think they should have been left more. These are the people who can challenge your Will.

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Online Business

Top 3 Ways To Get More People Following Your Business Pages

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Business Pages

Social media is one of the most important advertising mediums for removalists and removalist businesses such as in the modern world. It allows a removals business to connect with potential clients, to offer special deals and to book jobs in an easy, streamlined manner.

However, it can be very hard to attract new followers to things like your Facebook and Instagram profiles. Removalist profiles are not something that people follow without a good reason to, which means that you have to give them that reason. Try and make your social media pages attractive and engaging by providing content that people can relate to.

Here are my top 3 ways for getting more people to follow your removalist social media pages:

  1. Post Relevant, Engaging Content

People use social media for a number of reasons. It lets them stay up to date with modern events, it provides a relaxing, humorous break from modern life and it helps them to discover new things that interest them.

As a removalist business owner, you need to try and create posts which people are going to be able to relate to and engage with. Use clever memes, share relevant news or web articles and above all, do your best to reply to comments and questions in a timely manner.

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Legal Advice

How is Commercial Property Rent Calculated?

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If you are looking to lease a property for commercial reasons, it is wise to consult with your lawyers & solicitors well before you sign anything. They can ensure that the lease is drawn up properly so that you know exactly what you will have to pay. And they can add clauses to protect you from many potential problems. So how exactly is rent for a commercial property calculated? Several things are taken into consideration.

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Online Business

The Tool Of Converting Curious Consumers Into Paying Customers

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Any business means purely for selling and getting profit via that. This is the basic need and is a must for any business. The question arises that how to attain this. Oxygen Marketing say that there are various necessities to do that. Here are few to help you in getting customers and changing them into final profit.

Step 1: Create website
Nowadays the Internet is a promising medium to let people know about your business. For getting best out of your business, it is the necessity to have a business website. It is better to get it done by professionals. They know best how to create a top-notch website to attract customers. It is a must to have for any business.

Step 2: Awareness
First most is that you should be able to reach customers and this can be done by various means. As soon as you can do that then only you can plan for something else. SEO is quite significant and helpful in this. Once you understand how to be at the top of SEO list which is free of cost, then other steps will become trouble-free.

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Starting a Business

How To Keep Customers Satisfied And Get Good Reviews From Them?

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online-reputation

Customer satisfaction is the key to the success of any business. When customers are not happy with the brand, they not only leave the brand, but they also spread a bad word for it, which ends up ruining its online reputation. Therefore, every business that wants to be successful needs to keep its customers satisfied. Happy customers talk well about the brand and spread a good word about it amongst others.

Below are a few tips that businesses can use to keep their customers satisfied and get good reviews from them.

Keep Customers Satisfied

Respond to Customer Queries
Customers don’t hate anything more than a brand that doesn’t care about their opinion and queries. Even if the product was not satisfactory, they will not get turned off by it as much as they will feel bad about the brand not caring about them. Therefore, if a business wants to keep their customers happy, they should reply to every customer query. By answering their questions, businesses will be able to improve their image and make customers feel valued.

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Legal Advice

Top 5 Legal Issues in Social Media

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The present age is the age of social media, where all small and big businesses are run through the use of social media.

Is your business protected against potential legal complications you could face while promoting your products and services through social media? Are your employees aware of these issues ways to steer clear of infringing upon laws? It’s high time you were aware of the top five legal issues in social media.

Many people operate their businesses solely through the internet, using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., as their primary medium of communication. While effective, this approach does come with its own set of risks. The gains it nets are proportionate to the legal issues your business might be exposed to if not taken care of properly on time.

1.     Revealing Confidential Information

The most common yet the most dangerous legal issue with regard to social media, is the disclosure of confidential information. Often times, the secrets of your business or some valuable information regarding shares and policies may be leaked out by the employee or any other party with information.

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Legal Advice

Common Legal Mistakes Made By Small Businesses

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Obstructions and hurdles in business is one thing. But, failure in business due to small legal mistakes and failing to get the correct legal advice is sheer foolishness.

Whether large scale or small, a business is a business and needs to be operated as such. You have invested a lot of your money and time into strengthening it. And once it is established, you reap long-term benefits out of it. The point is, not all small scale businesses reach their desired positions in the corporate environment. Faced by lots of hardships, your efforts to establish a small scale business mostly end in vain due to lack of attention to detail and responsibility on your part.

Small businesses can turn profits faster than large scale ones. But because you think of it as just a small business, you tend to avoid important legal formalities and ultimately lose your business.

Here are some of the most common legal mistakes committed by small businessmen.

Not Entering Into a Proper Legal Contract with an External Party

Many small businesses enter into agreements without having advice from lawyers, any legal stamps or signatures by other party. People think that signing a formal contract is just a waste of resources. However, whether internal or external, a legally binding contract is very important. You may ignore the need for legal stamps in internal contracts, but when signing a paper with an external party, legalities must be invoked.

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Branding

What Mistakes You Should Avoid When Naming Your Business

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Company Branding

Naming your business is the moment where all your motivation and excitement reaches its absolute pinnacle. You start with a hazy idea for a business which gradually grows into a more detailed and comprehensive design and you then determine how you will manage different operations and management functions. Once you start work on your business plan, you start thinking about the best name for your brainchild. What group of alphabets will sum up all your services and values in a perfect way?

It is hard to choose a name for a business as it becomes the identity of your enterprise. A name which is difficult to relate to or remember can be a disaster, while the right name can be the perfect brand you had always wanted. So how do you make the right choice? By avoiding any major mistakes while choosing a name for your start-up!

Make sure that you don’t make any of the following mistakes while choosing your business name.

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Legal Advice

Legal Challenges and Hurdles In the Way of Small Businesses

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Survival of the fittest is what we are expected to focus on, in today’s fast moving Australian business community. Having a business and running it successfully combines different ingredients together. Therefore, a small business has to face many challenges and overcome innumerous hurdles on a daily basis. There is a never ending list that should be taken into account while talking about challenges and hurdles, but legal issues also take top priority. Few of the major legal problems associated with small businesses are listed below.

Choosing the Right Legal Structure

Not only do you have to make a choice of what exactly you are offering to the people, but also, it is immensely significant to choose the right legal structure. This decision can either make or break you in the anticipated difficult times of your business. This also directly affects your personal liability, amount of taxes your business will have to pay, and the entire future development of your business and its legal implications.

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Legal Advice

Ways to Avoid Any Business Legal Issues

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If you have put in a lot of thought, time and money in trying to set up your new business startup in Australia, then it makes sense to do your homework and avoid making any legal errors which can pour all your efforts down the drain!

Remember, a legal blunder will not only create a mountain of paperwork for you, it can also lead to case hearings and even penalties, subjected by the authorities. You might also end up damaging the company reputation, driving away customers at a time, when you need them the most. So, what is the best strategy to deal with this problem? The foolproof way to avoid any chance of a case hearing or getting penalized for a legal violation is to make sure that you go by the book and don’t leave out any legal responsibility at all.

Prepare to set up a business which conforms to all legal liabilities and thus, avoid any legal issues in the future. This simple strategy will take some effort as you make sure that all your legal obligations are met.

Following are some important points to keep in mind, which will help you avoid fines and penalties;

Register Your Business and Avoid All Trademark Infringements
When you choose a name for your company, make sure that it is not registered by any other enterprise. Get your company name registered after making sure that it is available for use, and you are not getting involved in the act of trademark infringement.

Once your name is registered, get trademark protection for yourself.

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Branding

Great Logo Design Tips for a Business Startup

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As a startup, you will likely consider whether you want to spend valuable resources and time on a logo design. A logo may cost as little as $5 to even hundreds of thousands of dollars to create a unique brand appeal. The essential goal of a logo is after all, to create a perception around the business, which is why creating a good logo in the beginning, is a good foundation for branding prospects.

When it comes to logo design, you have a wide range of options to getting it done as there are freelancers and creative design agencies that readily provide this service. However, if you want to incorporate your element into the logo, then follow these tips for a great logo design that becomes the foundation of your brand!

Focus on Simplicity

Simplicity doesn’t necessarily have to mean a stagnant logo that looks elegant, but nothing more than that. A simplistic logo could have some moving pieces, like the old Apple logo with the rainbow colours. To create a simplistic logo, focus on the colours and what emotions they are associated with. If your brand wants to focus on elegance, then grayscale and solid colours are good to work with.

On the other hand, if your brand wants to create a powerful and authoritative image, then dark red, green, yellow, and gold can work to perfection. In any case, make sure that your logo is simple and easy on the eyes as doing so will make it easy for people to remember it for a long time.

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Legal Advice

Are debt collectors crossing their limits?

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Dealing with bankruptcy is a stressful process, and with debt collectors nagging you again and again, it becomes even more nerve-racking and traumatic. Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was passed in order to keep the debt collectors at bay, and guard you from the unnecessary harassment. If you are being bullied by debt collectors then it’s high time you make use of your rights.

Covered Debts
Debtors can opt for Fair Debt Collection Practices Act if they owe; household, family, and personal debts. It also includes debt on personal credit card, mortgage, medical receipt, and car loan.  Debts that were acquired to accomplish a business are not a part of this act.

An individual can also limit the payments applicability to a specific debt when the collector tries to gather more than a single debt. The collector will then apply your debt payments to your selected debt. Similarly, if a debtor thinks they do not owe a particular debt, the collector cannot impose the payment to it.

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Legal Advice

How to Handle Business Trademark Issues

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If you are planning to set up a new business in Australia, there are a hundred and one things you will need to sort out before you can inaugurate the business. One of the most important things in this long list is a business trademark.

The name, brand, and logo of your business all need to be trademarked if you want your business to have its own identity in the industry and with the customers. If you don’t apply for a trademark, then there is a high chance that another business might use your logo or name and launch their own company, without any legal ramifications whatsoever. They could easily get a trademark and you might be charged for trademark infringement all because they registered it before you did.

Such are the technicalities of trademark registration. If someone uses your business identity and you didn’t bother to go to the trouble of getting it registered, you could be losing loyal customers who would unsuspectingly opt for your competitor’s services with the same name as you! And to rub salt into the wounds, you can’t file for trademark infringement since you didn’t have the brand and logo registered in the first place.

The only way to make it a win-win situation and ensure that your customers are not swindled away by anyone else is to register for a logo and business brand. Think it’s difficult? There are indeed a number of procedures involved and you can get answers to your questions below,

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Online Business

Top 10 Places to List Your Business

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Gone are the days when you had to trawl through large volumes of phone books just to locate the local contact details of a business. Now, every business is where you want it to be, right in front of your target market, making it easy for them to reach out, view your offerings, and browse through them to become a loyal customer in the process. How? By being online!

The internet has made it possible for everyone to access and learn about your business. But are you making it any easier for your customers to find you on the internet? Have you listed your business on the places which will get you great customer exposure and subsequently increase conversions? Customers now conduct searches about companies on different online directories, so if you have your business listed on the top online directories, there is a high likelihood of you being able to expand your market share owing to the improved visibility these listings offer.

If you don’t know how to go about it, then read on to know the top 10 places where you need to list down your business and ensure an increase in your market share.

1. Google

If your business is not listed here, then you are invisible to more than half of your customer market! Such is the popularity of Google as an online search directory that everyday around 6 billion searches are conducted on the portal.

You can register to get a business listing for free, and get a chance to be visible to a large chunk of the target market.

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eCommerce

Who are the Top Ecommerce Superstars in Australia?

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There’s no doubt that many successful online businesses exist in Australia that can boast about having the biggest cut of the cake. However, with so much competition, staying ahead of the game has never been tougher than it is now.

The Forrester analyst group reported in October that at least a third of the total number of online ecommerce businesses plan to invest in improving their technology for 2016. Thus, there will be more online spending options, multichannel retail strategies, mobile solutions, and back office integration next year. This means that there will be more benefits for consumers in terms of variety and easy access to services.

Our list of ecommerce superstars in Australia include market leaders, established and leading players in the ecommerce market, and rising stars of the Australian ecommerce arena.

#1: Appliances Online

This online store began as a simple online store and today, is a multimillion-dollar business. John Winning started it singlehandedly, but today, it has 80 employees and it has proved that Australia has great potential for online retail businesses. The website sells white-goods (domestic electrical items). In the past year, the number of customers using this platform has doubled with more than 150,000 online buyers.

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Online Business

14 Tips to Help You Get That Promotion

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get-that-promotion

Getting a promotion in some businesses, whether it be as a consultant giving business advice to clients or as a property manager managing clients’ property – it takes a great deal of effort and sometimes a younger person seems to sail effortlessly over you, leaving you feeling somewhat unappreciated – and you may even worry about becoming redundant due to your age.

Here are some more tips to ensure the next promotion is more likely to be yours.

  • Always dress well and appropriately. This may mean upgrading your wardrobe on a regular basis to ensure you are not dressing in an old-fashioned way without realising it. Choosing good quality clothing is also important. You may find a $5 top on a special, but it won’t look very special after the first wash. Every businesswoman and man should wear clothes that are of good quality.
  • Grooming is an important part of your image. Taking care of yourself will help you to look young and fresh all the time. Applying moisturiser at night will help to keep your skin in good condition so you look younger.
  • Grooming also includes hand and nail care – and foot care. If your feet hurt you’ll end up frowning and those wrinkles will eventually stay in position. Besides which, you’ll end up walking like an old person.

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Online Business

Start That Online Business You Have Always Dreamed About

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Online-Business

If you are anything like the average modern day man or woman, this is how a typical weekday in your life would look like – you wake up, get prepped up and all set to get to work, spend the next ten to twelve hours working from a desk, and get back home exhausted. And all the while, there is this tiny spark of an idea that is fluttering inside your head. But you are too scared to fuel it and let it grow into a fire. Well, here is the right amount of inspiration for you, and it’s just enough to inspire you to fan the flames and get your online business up and running; because here is why it is such a great idea.

  • You get to follow your passion – This is undoubtedly the biggest perk of starting an online business. Passion is the most important thing in life, and for various reasons, most people do not get to follow theirs. If you can manage to shake off the initial fear and take the big leap, you can fly.
  • You have more time on your hands – Yes, yes, we know that starting your own online business needs a lot of effort, commitment and late night working hours. But the upside to this is that you can pick your own hours, and create your own schedule. In other words, you get to work when you are at your creative best, instead of sticking to a rigid schedule.
  • You earn scalable income – Too often, the biggest complaint in a day job is that people work for more than they are paid. With an online business of your own, you get to actually control how much you earn depending on how much of an effort you put in. And the best part is that you earn revenue that is proportional to the investment you put in, in terms of time and commitment.

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Legal Advice

What is a Non-Compete Agreement and How to Implement It?

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A non-compete agreement or clause is a lawful contract, in the form of writing, between the boss and the worker. It is applicable after the employee leaves their current job. The necessary terms and conditions within this contract include a prohibition to work in the same industry or with a firm which is competing with the organization, for six months to 2 years, following the end of the employment.

Although a non-compete agreement is for the protection of the company’s clients and other private information which is not accessible to everyone; at some places, it is disapproved of, because it stops an individual from earning a living for themselves in the field of their choosing. For this reason, the court system closely analyzes legal disputes arising from non-compete agreements also called as covenant in restraint of trade.

Benefits of a Non-Compete Agreement

Non-compete agreement works in the favor of the employer because it forbids the ex-employees from giving out important confidential information to the competitors that will facilitate them in earning more profits. This information includes; list of clients, business plans, company’s secret of success, and industry experience and knowledge, etc.

The employees can benefit from this agreement by getting some reward which can be; a job, monetary payment, or promotion, in return for signing the clause.

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eCommerce

Why an Ecommerce Business in Australia is a Good Idea in 2015?

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According to the predictions for the retail ecommerce market, based on stats collected since 2009, we are seeing retail sales increase by 14.4%, which equals to approximately 10 billion dollars. In Australia, ecommerce sales have increased to 17.3% and account for more than 4% of the total retail sales. By the end of this year, this figure will rise by an additional 4.5%.

Based on these facts, by 2017, the world will see a double-digit increase and retail sales will increase to approximately 14.52%. This will stand for 5.6% of Australia’s retail sales. Today, Australia stands in the middle of the ecommerce market when compared to Asia-Pacific countries like India, Indonesia, China, Japan, and South Korea.

An interesting fact is that the highest number of customers for the ecommerce market in Australia are the second highest recorded in the Asia-Pacific region. EMarketer predicts that by the end of 2015, 79.4% of the total number of internet users in Australia will use ecommerce websites to purchase things. The leading country will likely be Japan, which may have approximately 82.0% internet users. Australia is a little further down the list, mainly because of its comparative population size of digital buyers.

However, investing in ecommerce businesses in Australia is a good idea because it has a crowded ecommerce market with international competitors. In fact, the country showed the highest number of retail customer visits during a week of study. Sites like eBay have also recorded the highest number of visitors, followed by Amazon, and then other ecommerce websites, like AliExpress.

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Legal Advice

Tips to Lease the Right Business Property

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Getting a property lease for your business is quite different from finding a home to rent. Whether your business is new or needs more space to accommodate the growth, you should know that the market is working in favor of business owners when it comes to commercial real estate. Hopefully, these 7 tips will help you lease the right business property for the long term!

  1. Compare Rent Against Amenities

You may be getting a commercial lease at cheaper rates, but if there is inadequate space for common areas like meeting rooms, hallways, elevators, and restrooms, then you may have to invest extensively in renovations. Also remember that commercial lease agreements will have an annual percentage-based rent increase, so don’t invest in a property you can’t sustain for the long term.

  1. The Use Clause

The use clause is incorporated in lease agreements to define activities the tenant will engage in on the property. Make sure that you negotiate a cap with the landlord on the rent increase in order to avoid any unmanageable costs or costs that are not controlled by you.

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Starting a Business

How to Choose the Right Name For Your Business?

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Choosing a name for your business is every bit as important as trying to ensure services to customers in the industry, and even more so! Since your business name is the identity of your service, it will be the name with which the market and customers will identify you. If the name is unrelated and seemingly irrelevant to the product or service you offer, then the customers will find it hard to remember, and your name will eventually be forgotten.

Remember, in an industry which is highly competitive, a name which is difficult to remember or relate to a service, is bad enough to drive away customer traffic of existing customers. This is why, if you don’t choose the right name for your business, you run a high risk of losing customers who have the potential to become loyal clients.

Do you want to know what your business name should be? Keep the following points in mind while deciding an appropriate name for your business. Read more on branding

Reinforce Key Elements of Business Value
Make sure that your potential customer doesn’t have to think twice, to understand what you have to offer. Ambiguity or vagueness in a name can prove catastrophic for the business. Make sure to have combinations of words which give the customer an idea of the value you offer.

Experts discourage the use of number strings and symbols displayed as a business name, as it might confuse the target market about your product or service portfolio.

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Starting a Business

What Challenges Does an SME and Business Start-up Face In Australia

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If you have planned out everything for your new start-up; then are you ready for the challenges which lie ahead in your endeavour? There are many things to take care of in your new business, but you also need to be ready for any possible challenge which may come in your way.

Do you know what challenges you need to be ready for, and what do you need to do to tackle them? Following are some challenges that every business start-up has to face in their initial days.

Will To Persevere
The first set of problems is demanding enough to get a new business owner thinking. Many start-up owners begin to see quitting as a viable solution as compared to the problems of huge bills, negative customer reviews and unstable operations.

The key solution to deal with this challenge is to persevere and keep working hard.

Harbor Unrealistic Expectations
It is important to analyse the due demand for your business product and garner realistic expectations. Project your initial revenue with a clear idea of the realistic situation. Setting unrealistic expectations can prove to be problematic for the business in the long run.

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eCommerce

The Future of eCommerce Business in Australia

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Majority of Australians have already made the switch to digital superhighway in buying goods and services. Recent survey results from Australian Digital Economy E-commerce Trends and Statistics Report highlight the fact that people are increasingly buying goods and services online.

At the moment Australians still lag behind UK and US when it comes to online shopping. This means that there is great scope for start-up firms to build a strong base and capture untapped market.

eCommerce start-up firms stand to gain a lot from changing trends in the digital arena. Below we take a look at some of the upcoming trends that will change the way eCommerce is conducted down under.

Shift of Focus to Mobile eCommerce
Mobile eCommerce in Australia is going to increase in popularity in the coming years, Small business eCommerce retailers will be incorporating technologies that provides improved customer experience for mobile users. Some the technologies that is expected to make headway in Australia include NFC redeemable coupons, QR codes, and free Wi-Fi.

In addition, it will become increasingly important for eCommerce retailers to ensure that the shopping cart, online payment and layout are all optimised for mobile users.

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