Friday, December 5, 2014

10 Q & A’s to Overcome the Challenges of Entering in the Asian Market

Western companies attempting to enter the Asian market have quite a lot of trouble making the transition due to many factors, from cultural differences to different purchasing habits. Even some of the largest Western brands (like Walmart and Groupon) had a tough time getting established; it makes you then wonder what businesses not back by billions in capital must do to reach the Asian market.

The following are some of those frequently asked questions about our topic.

1. Is there a market for my product?

Ask yourself whether the location has an actual market demand for your product(s). Early entry can give a great advantage but can backfire, too, due to a lack of understand or inherent need/want for what you have to offer. Likewise, entering too late allows you to one-up the competition but poses the problem of being a late-comer that may not be accepted.

2. Who are the potential customers?

Understand the market to the finest detail. The demographics, age groups, social patterns, economics, and more. Attempt a trial run of the product to collect real-world data about the customers. Purchase market data from providers that have vast resources already developed to help foreign businesses.

3. Who represents the main competition?

Are you setting yourself up for failure by attempting to enter a market that is utterly dominated by the competition’ Good as a product may be there will be a great resistance due to the strong branding the competition has with the locals. If, however, there are weak points then it gives you a perfect opportunity to exploit them and sink your feet firmly in the ground.

4. Can my product cross cultural boundaries?

Many factors come into play when transitioning your product to reach Asia. Even the basic colors or choice in packaging can cause the market to be fickle about your product. Your best bet is to combine the use of your local research and working with a graphic/product designer that is versed in Asian culture and consumer nature to ensure any important changes are made before shipping.

5. How will I provide my product to the new market?

Success in the new market relies on your presence. The presence can be built through online means in combination with local marketing/advertising efforts which allows you to sell to Asia through an online portal. Alternatively, you have the choice of setting up shop which does require a greater investment but can be great for gaining local support and branding.

6. How will I deliver products to new areas?

Logistics are a choke point for many businesses attempting to reach new markets. It is vital to work with a logistics company that provide a myriad of flexible services, whether it’s freight across oceans, through the air, or distribution centers located in strategic parts of the world to greatly cut down the costs when operating from your original location.

7. What are the current economic/social conditions?

What is currently happening with the country? Are they at peace? At war? Is the local government stable and does the economy allows for foreign competition? Do your homework about the country in question down the finest financial and social detail to avoid the costly mistakes of entering a market that cannot support your presence.

8. Who can act as my partner in this new market?

Networking events or even the simple use of LinkedIn will play a pivotal role in finding potential partners that will aid in your entry. The partners will provide a wealth of knowledge about the marketplace and other important elements such as legalities and local culture. The right selection of a partner is, perhaps, one of your easiest options for laying the groundwork of entering Asia.

9. What legalities should I know about my selection?

It is essential that you understand legalities in both your current location and your selection. Ask yourself whether you meet these legal regulations when exporting and importing your products to and from the locations. Consider the taxes and whether the materials in your products are legal in the country, too.

10. Will a new market actually provide a return on investment?

One you should consider is the amount of capital investment your business will make when entering one of the many Asian markets. Rightly so you should consider what this investment does to your current location. It’s important that you do not stretch your resources too thin (ultimately damaging what has already been form). Keep in mind the financial implications.

Do You Fear A Job or Career Change?

Changing your career path part way through your working life can be thwart with challenges and mixed emotions. We know in life ‘change’ is inevitable, yet most of us don’t embrace it, in fact we’re scared of it and do anything to avoid it. Search results on Google suggest we stay in jobs and careers we don’t like due to the fear of change and that there is likely 80 percent of us doing just that.

Our fear of change has inspired many famous quotes over the years. Here is a quote with quite a few variations – all of them equally summing up why risks are worth taking – including the big ones like a job or career move.

“Fortune favours the bold”, “Fortune favours the brave”, “Fortune helps the brave”, and “Fortune favours the strong” – Wikipedia

The business world is forever changing including its resource needs. By way of an example right now New Zealand has a shortage of skilled engineers, IT specialists, and construction specialists and if you have these skills you have the pick of many jobs in various locations on top dollar packages.

My husband recently went through a career change and after 18 months of intensive study and on the job experience he is now – in demand! Making the move was scary but the potential upside proved worth the effort.

Another way of looking at it may be – if you don’t accept the change and continue in the job or career you don’t like or is clearly on a highway to nowhere – what will be the outcome – and that is probably more risky than proactively accepting change.

Fortune really does favor the brave. New opportunities seem to find a way to those of us who are open to them.

5 Ways To Streamline Your Business

Posted on November 14, 2014 .

Take just a moment to think about how you spend your time at work. Do you work all the time you work? If the answer is yes, then you belong to the 7% destined to a life of wealth and success. But, if you like the remaining 93%, then you struggle to stay on task.

Fortunately, there is a simple and elegant solution: systematize your 5 key business activities. Focus on setting up systems in the area of administration, finance, contact management, marketing, and sales.

Administration

Administrative tasks can be time-consuming. You can spend an excessive amount of time sifting through emails; invoicing; returning phone calls; making a to-do list; organizing your calendar; and so on.

The solution is to keep it all short and simple, and begin training yourself to reduce the time it takes. Focus only on managing messages and organizing tasks by priority. Set everything else you have to do on your task list.

Make a list of all the things you now do and how long it takes. If it takes you an hour, find ways to progressively reduce the time, going from 60 minutes to 45 minutes, then from 45 minutes to 30 minutes, and then, finally, from 30 minutes to 15 minutes.

Finances

You may not be thrilled at the idea of spending time figuring out how much money is coming into your business and how much is flowing out. But, if you set things up right, you can minimize the time you spend. You only need accounting software to keep track of revenues and expenditures to keep track of reimbursable expenses. Expense management software from Chrome River includes a common set of dashboards, entry screens, account selections, compliance policies, routing rules and approvals.

Contact Management

Your contact list will lead to more business. You need to surround yourself with people who lift up your spirits, educate you, and help you get referrals or create events. You should do this organically and keep track with either a contact book or software that works like one.

Marketing

The primary difficulty people have with marketing is online information overload. There are so many ways of marketing any business that it becomes a project in itself to research the best ideas. Once again, simplify.

Reflect on what has worked best for you and apply it. For instance, you might notice that cold calling, advertising, and social media marketing have brought in the most leads. Stick with those instead of constantly staying on the lookout for a better way of doing it.

Sales

While marketing will bring in people, sales will persuade them to buy. Make a list of all your best practices and use the ones that have been proven to work. Avoid the time trap of constantly figuring out how to do things better and faster. Find a system that works and stick with it.

Conclusion

Using this 5-step plan, you’ll no longer find yourself distracted or interrupted by irrelevant things that sap your productivity. Instead, you will be highly productive and progressively increase business profits.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

FitBit Charge Monitors Physical Activity — and More

Nov 11, 2014 by Joshua Sophy In Technology Trends 2

As an entrepreneur you may be on the go all day. Maybe you commute a lot by car? Maybe you spend a lot of time inactive, sitting behind a desk at a computer?

A new family of smartwatches can tell you something more important than whether you recently got an email or have a social media update. It can measure your heart rate how to stay healthy in a stressful and sometimes less than health-conscious career.

The Fitbit Charge is more of a wristband than it is a smartwatch but still offers some of the basic functions you might expect from such a device. The display on the Fitbit Charge can show you the time. And the wristband vibrates to alert you to an incoming call when synched with a mobile device.

But what makes this wearable technology really special isn’t its ability to do all the things your average smartwatch can do. It’s the Charge’s function as a fitness and activity tracker that sets it apart.

Fitbit says the device can track steps taken, total distance traveled, and even if you’ve climbed flights of stairs. The Charge also tracks the amount of calories burned based on the activities performed.

Workouts are tracked and available for a statistical breakdown after you’ve finished via the Fitbit dashboard.

And Fitbit Charge doesn’t stop working even if you have for the day. The Charge is also a capable sleep monitoring device. It’s established that sleep is just as vital to health as avoiding a sedentary lifestyle is, even if many normally don’t get enough each night. At least now, the Fitbit Charge can remind you of the need for some shut-eye.

The Fitbit Charge has a motion sensor installed that tracks your activity while you’re sleeping and will confirm in the morning whether you’ve gotten a good or bad night’s sleep.

The battery on the Charge is designed to last up to a full week, so it can operate for longer periods even if you don’t have a chance to charge it.

The device is now available on Fitbit.com for $129.95, and is also available at retailers across the U.S. Fitbit is also planning to release two more smart wrist devices early in 2015.

The Charge HR will have all the features of the current device and include a round-the-clock heart rate monitor. That means it will provide even more fitness and activity data.

Despite the added features, Fitbit says the battery on this new device will last up to five days. It is expected to retail for $149.95.

In addition, Fitbit is planning to introduce the Surge wearable device early next year, too.

The Surge includes the activity tracking and heart-rate monitoring of the Charge and Charge HR but also includes a built-in GPS device that tracks stats like pace, distance, elevation, split times and workout summaries, the official Fitbit blogexplains.

Fitbit Surge is also more of a smartwatch than the others with its ability to show a Caller ID display, give text alerts and even control your music on another mobile device. All these features boost the price of the Surge up to $249.95.

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Last Minute Corporate Gift Ideas for When Time is Running Out

Nov 13, 2014 by Tabby McFarland In Management 0

No one has to tell you that your business relationships are important. Saying thank you and showing your appreciation creates a good rapport with your colleagues, partners, and clients. One of the best ways to do this is with thoughtful and timely gifts. But often in the busy business world it’s not possible to spend a great deal of time picking the perfect gift for every person you work with.

Below is a list of easy and flexible gift ideas you can find even if you are down to the last minute.

Gift Baskets

Gift baskets might seem overdone but people still enjoy receiving them. They are a great idea if you just don’t know what the recipient might like. For example, cheese and crackers, chocolate, coffee, and other delectable goodies are pretty universally appreciated. And gift baskets usually are comprised of consumable items. So you don’t have to worry about burdening someone with an unwanted gift that will only collect dust.

Another advantage of the gift basket is the large variety of items it can feature. This can be handy if you are buying a single gift for several people. Think of a colleague with a family or an entire office. Many stores carry gift baskets too, so if you are in a hurry you can purchase one quickly. Another plus is that they come already wrapped, saving you time. Pick one that is elegantly packaged and packed with treats anyone would love.

Watch

A nice watch with classic design makes a thoughtful and useful gift too. It’s also something you can quickly buy at a store if you are short on time. Buying accessories for someone else can be tricky, of course. That’s especially true if you are not familiar with their personal tastes. However, don’t shrink away from the idea because of that. Gifting a watch may be simpler than you think.

Try looking for watches in more timeless styles. Leather or metal bands are good. Avoid plastic or rubber since these materials can look cheaper. Look for solid color faces and neutral finishes. Remember, this is a business accessory to be worn with casual business attire. It doesn’t need to be fancy. It just needs to look nice.

Serving and Kitchen Ware

The popularity of hosting and entertaining opens up another avenue of gift giving. There are so many options when it comes to kitchen and serving ware. You can find a countless number of beautiful, useful items in a large range of prices. Even better, these items are easy to find whether you shop online or visit a nearby store.

Consider gifting a rustic wine trough or maybe a hand carved serving bowl. Stemware is always a nice option, too. Bottle tags, elegant utensils, interesting serving boards, tea infusers — the list seems endless. Try to choose items made from nicer materials like wood, ceramic, glass, or crystal. It will make a bigger impact and often won’t cost any more than a plastic version. The point is to choose items that are as nice to look at as they are useful.

Food and Wine

Wine’s popularity and ready availability makes it great for any occasion, and everybody eats food. Couple these two together and you’ve got the perfect last minute gift. Even separately, it’s hard to go wrong with this gift idea. You can find lovely options at just about any grocery store or beverage retailer. If you have a little extra time, you can even track down a specialty shop for something a little fancier.

You may not know much about wine. But you can ask an employee at a wine retailer to help you select something suitable. When purchasing a gift of food, look for attractive packaging and items a little out of the ordinary. Ethnic food shops, gourmet stores, and local delis will have a better selection of unique options. However, if you just don’t have the time, even something with attractive packaging from the local grocery store will be appreciated.

Flowers and Plants

A bouquet of flowers or a houseplant make a beautiful gift and are easy to find anywhere. You can order them online and have them delivered if the recipient lives far away. It’s also easy to visit the the local florist and select an arrangement. Even many grocery stores carry bouquets and potted plants. So if you are really short on time, you can pick up a gift while doing your regular shopping.

If the recipient has a love of plants and likes greenery in his or her office, consider the potted option. It’s a gift that will remind the recipient of you year round. Bouquets and arrangements are better if you are not sure the person wants the responsibility of keeping a plant alive. Either way this is a great idea that brings a little nature indoors.

Office Decor

If you are really short on time and need a gift fast, office decor is another option. Gifting decorative items can be a little daunting, but office decor need not be. You are not looking for items that coordinate with the recipient’s home decorating, so you can be a little more generic. Avoid art, pictures, linens, pillows, or cheesy novelty items. Think paperweights, calendars, desk organizers, clocks, and name plates.

Choose items with neutral colors and natural finishes. You don’t want to give anything that will feel cheap.Instead, look for products made from stone, wood, glass, or ceramic. A hand blown glass paperweight might be one example. There are also desk calendars made from heavy paper and featuring vintage art. A granite desk organizer could also be a great gift. So could a glass name plate. There are lots of elegant and attractive options to be found in any price range.

Books

Not everyone may be a reader, but books, depending on the type, can still be good gift. A motivational book or one full of business tips and tricks would both make great gifts and are not subject to individual tastes. If you have a favorite book that has influenced you, this might be a good place to start. Cookbooks are also a great idea, if you aren’t sure the recipient will want to read a business book.

You can peruse your local bookstore’s motivational section to identify different options. Department stores will also sometimes have a book section. Even some grocery stores carry books. If you are in doubt about a title and haven’t read it yourself, never fear. It’s easy to look up reviews online. There are so many options available it’s hard to go wrong.

Candles and Bath Sets

Candles and bath sets make great last minute gifts. You can find them just about anywhere and pricing varies from a few dollars to those in a much more expensive range. Pick up a candle and some bath salts, wrap them up, and you are good to go. Or maybe buy a gift set that is packaged for you. It’s a flexible gift idea with a lot of options.

And just because candles and bath sets are viewed as generic gifts doesn’t mean you can’t find a way to make them special and unique. Consider finding a specialty shop, or a locally made option. Maybe you know of a health food store that has a candle section. Or look for a retailer selling handmade soap. Seek out items that are special and unique. Try goats milk soap, soy or beeswax candles, or specialty bath salts. Even everyday stores can carry some options. The sky’s the limit with this gift idea.

Gift Cards

If all else fails a gift card is an easy and quick idea. It may not be appropriate to give a gift card to some people on your list, but in many cases it works just fine. Gift cards might also be the ultimate last minute gift idea because you can purchase them almost anywhere. It’s hard to find a store or restaurant that doesn’t carry them. And some grocery stores even have a gift card section with options from larger retailers and restaurants.

You can try to make a gift card more personal, if you know some of the recipient’s tastes. For example, consider one from your recipient’s favorite restaurant or local boutique. If he or she has a hobby or interest, you could focus your search there. It’s even possible to purchase gift cards for online retailers like Amazon. This gift idea may be last minute, but you can make it special with a bit of care.

Use some strategy and creativity and you can give a great gift without stressing yourself out or spending too much time. Hopefully this list of corporate gift ideas inspires the perfect gift to express your appreciation for those important.

Top All-in-One Printers for Small Businesses

May 8, 2014 by Annie Pilon In Product Lists 5

If you haven’t shopped for a printer recently, the models currently available for small offices might surprise you. Prices have decreased substantially over the past 5 to 10 years, yet devices have gotten better and the print quality much higher. You can find a good quality printer that does color printing for under $200.

We recently looked at printer lines suitable for small offices. We define a small office as having up to 5 people, with modest levels of usage. So that means these devices are suitable for a home office, or for a small business that does not require high volumes of printing and is satisfied with moderate printing speed. In other words, these printers are not for businesses that routinely print many thousands of pages per month and require high speed and high-volume paper feeders. Instead, the typical small office needs a printer that balances economy with convenience and features.

Also, most small offices get benefits from having several functions in one device. All-in-one printers include printing, scanning, copying, and faxing capabilities in one device, thereby saving space and money. That is why they are called “all-in-one” or multifunction devices. Today these are very popular among small businesses.

What’s more, today’s top all-in-one printers pack a surprising amount of technology in them. Simply put, printers are getting smarter — and they do more. Some of the printer lines below offer sophisticated features like wireless connectivity, printing directly from mobile devices, ability to download photographs directly from a camera, touch screen menus, and access to documents stored in the cloud. Look for more of these kinds of advanced technology features to become standard in the near future.

Today’s machines generally are more energy efficient than predecessors. You can leave your printer on all the time, but with power-saving mode it will use little power, and it won’t take forever to warm up when you finally do need it, either.

For most small offices, we recommend an inkjet device — versus a laserjet. Compared to a laserjet, inkjets in general are:

smaller and lighter
less expensive to buy
better at printing photographs and documents containing images, than laserjets
suited to relatively low volumes. If your printing volume is low, then low speed and capacity won’t be a negative. But if you need to print thousands of pages in a day, or regularly copy or scan long documents yet the document feeder only holds 30 pages, this can get old, fast.

If you need professional quality printing, such as for printed brochures and signage, or for occasional high-volume print jobs, we recommend your local print shop for those.

And of course, with visuals so much a part of today’s documents, you’re going to want a color printer, not just black and white.

Don’t forget to factor in the cost of buying ink. Ink for inkjet printers can be expensive, and may add hundreds of dollars of cost per year even for a very small-volume office. Consumer Reports has tips for saving on ink costs.

Take a look at the options below. They are listed by company name in alphabetical order.

Top All-in-One Printers for Your Small Business

Brother Business Smart

Brother Business Smart printers range in price from about $170 to $250. Basic features include touch screen displays and color printing. As you might expect, extra features come with the higher priced models. These printers all offer wireless connectivity with computers and mobile devices. You can also access documents from online accounts like Facebook, Picasa, Google Docs and Evernote and print them from the Web directly on these printers.

There’s another unique feature that comes with the Business Smart printers line. That’s the ability to customize your printer by creating different shortcuts for the functions you use most often.

Canon PIXMA

Canon’s PIXMA line handles basic printing well, and specializes in printing photos and graphic documents. Canon also has four different PIXMA printers under $100. So this is a consideration depending upon your budget. Overall, prices range from about $70 to $150. The bare bones model still offers photo printing and editing options. The higher end models offer higher resolutions and other added features.

Epson WorkForce

This line of all-in-one printers includes some options that are compact and basic. But there are also printers with more versatility and features for a slightly higher cost. Prices range from $100 to $200, so it depends on the specific features you are looking for in your printer and your budget.

Each of the four models has mobile and wireless printing options. They can also print black and white documents at much higher speeds. But, like all the printers you’ll find on this list, they also offer color printing. The pricier models have LCD screens and additional features like automatic two-sided printing and energy efficiency.

The less expensive models have fewer features and lower print speeds. But, on the plus side, they are more compact for a home office or small business office.

HP Officejet

HP’s Officejet printer line is solid and proven, and ranges in price from about $100 to $400. You get basic features like wi-fi compatibility and duplex printing on all of these. The higher priced machines give you higher printing speeds, better resolution, and some more advanced features, most notably additional Web functionality.

Kodak Hero

Not all of the devices in this Kodak series have faxing capabilities, but they all print, scan, and copy. Some models also have features specific to photo printing like a separate photo tray for photo paper. All models include basic features like wireless and two-sided printing. Kodak doesn’t sell its Hero line of printers on its website, but popular retailers like Walmart carry them starting at $100 for the base model.

Kodak came out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2013 after reorganizing. The focus now is on providing businesses with solutions.

Lexmark MS310/410 Series

Lexmark offers a series of three printers that are affordable and functional for most small offices. They range from about $200 to $400 in price. So they can be more expensive than some other available models in our listings. But they include features like LCD screens, mobile printing, dual core processors and built-in memory to handle complex documents.

Ricoh Multifunction

Ricoh carries 25 different all-in-one printers with color printing. The devices vary in printing speeds and offer different specialties and even the ability to handle varying paper sizes. However, many are built for larger businesses and volumes and the prices reflect that. The SP models tend to be the most compact and still offer wireless printing and sharing capabilities. Prices for those models start at around $350.

Xerox WorkCentre

The Xerox brand at one time was almost synonymous with copiers (ever heard of “xeroxing” something?). Today, Xerox tends toward the higher end when it comes to all-in-one devices, compared with some of the other manufacturers. For example, its WorkCentre 6605 model pictured above can handle up to 80,000 images per month, but sells for nearly $1,000.

However, Xerox does offer some less expensive, color multifunction devices starting at around $450. Still, most WorkCentre models are better suited for higher-volume offices.

First Phones Under the New Microsoft Lumia Brand Arrive

Nov 12, 2014 by Joshua Sophy In Technology Trends 0

The first two phones under the new Microsoft Lumia have arrived — Microsoft Lumia 535 and Lumia 535 Dual SIM.

Microsoft recently announced that it was replacing the former Nokia Lumia brand with its own Microsoft Lumia beginning with the company’s next Lumia phone release.

The name change follows Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s Devices and Services division — the phone and tablet part of the Finnish company’s business.That acquisition was announced in late 2013.

The devices come out this month and will be available in bright green, bright orange, white, dark grey, cyan and black.

But perhaps more important are the price and features:

Both phones will run Windows 8.1
Both will integrate apps for Skype, Office, OneDrive, OneNote, and Cortana — Microsoft digital online assistant
Both will feature a wide angle 5 megapixel front facing camera
Both will feature a large (960 x 540) 5-inch qHD display
Both will run on a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and have 1GB of RAM, the Verge reports.

In fact the only real difference between the two devices is the addition of a second SIM card so personal and word data can be kept separate, an increasing trend these days.

Microsoft had been playing things close to the vest with its latest devices under the Microsoft Lumia brand.

Just prior to the release, the company teased consumers with a partial photo and the briefest information about the upcoming release date on its Nokia Conversations website.

The company was also promoting the hashtag #MoreLumia on social media to encourage chatter on the new smartphones.

Finally, the company released a video promoting the new smartphone but it reveals even less about the new devices. Get a glimpse below:

Cost of the new phones is expected to be between $130 and $137. And the devices are expected to be out sometime this month.

Microsoft has already re-branded many of the existing Nokia apps and is in the process of re-branding global and local Nokia websites and social channels.