What do hiking a trail, driving to a friend’s house, and executing marketing campaigns all have in common? Each requires you to closely follow directions.

Directions are a critical part of our daily life. Used correctly, they can guide decision-making processes, make labor more efficient, and get where you want to go as quickly as possible. 

But failing to keep track of directions could cost youand not just gas money. When it comes to marketing strategies, not having a clear goal tanks web traffic, dissipates brand interest, and costs companies across the United States a whopping $ 400 billion a year.

Designing a marketing plan is certainly no easy task, but it can be made easier with best practices, strategic tips, and concrete examples from successful businesses all over the world.

What is a marketing plan?

A marketing plan is a strategic document that acts as a guide for marketing campaigns and strategies. These critical road maps detail where you are, where you’re going, and how you plan to get there.

The average marketing plan consists of seven major sections:

Writing an executive summary Discussing the mission statement Listing marketing objectives Performing a SWOT analysis Completing market research

How to Hone Your Elevator Pitch

Even in the business world, first impressions are everything. The average person has just seven seconds to develop their image, communicate their passion, and offer insight about their goals.

If you’re an entrepreneur, you know this “impression pressure’”all too well. If you can’t sum up your work, your business, or your personal angle in two minutes or less, you might not be putting your best foot forward for investors, clients, or key stakeholders.

Enter the humble elevator pitch, designed to spark interest and encourage questions across a wide variety of listeners. Elevator pitches are short, simple, and valuable, and used to create a strong connection with others through purpose-driven sentences.

But developing a coherent pitch about yourself and your business is no easy task. With the average elevator ride taking less than 118 seconds, crafting meaningful sentences with meaty information can seem daunting. Who are you, what do you do, and why should others care?

Let’s walk through the steps of creating a first draft elevator pitch, including some helpful templates that will guide and refine your final work.

Tips for crafting an impactful elevator pitch

how to hone your elevator pitch

Whether you’re pitching your business to a potential investor or introducing yourself to

Small Business Trends to Watch in 2022

It’s an understatement to say that things have changed lately. Some businesses are finding themselves more successful than ever, while some are still reeling from the damage the pandemic has brought.

So as a small business owner, it’s perfectly natural for you to be doing your research, keeping up on news and trends, and trying to prepare yourself for what the future might hold.

And you’re in luck. We’ve combed through recent research so you don’t have to do all the legwork. In this article, we’re going to look at seven of the most important trends for you to keep on your radar in 2022 and beyond.

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1. Offer buy now, pay later options


Over the past few years, buy now, pay later (BNPL) has gone from a payment option exclusively offered by large retailers to a common sight at checkouts of many businesses around the globe. Affirm, a US-based BNPL company, reported that the number of active merchants on its platform increased from 6,500 to 102,000 from July to September of 2021. Likewise, BNPL providers in other countries reported a sharp increase in

How to Sell Books Online Through Your Digital Bookstore

We’ve all heard stories about how Amazon and other major retailers have “killed the bookstore” as we know it. But these tales are nothing more than fiction.

It’s true that these mega-brands have changed the game—in all forms of consumerism, not just books. But it’s also true that tons of niche bookstores, brands, and resellers have been able to carve themselves a special slice of the pie.

These are the ones who realized that this market is massive and flexible. They’ve also realized that book lovers are even willing to pay extra when these stores offer a special customer experience or unique personality flair.

In this article, we’ll cover the ins and outs of how to sell books online. From opening an independent bookstore to reselling to self-publishing your own work, we’ve got you covered on your path to delivering good reads to the masses.

Don’t wait for someone else to do it. Hire yourself and start calling the shots.

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How to start an online bookselling business

1. Decide on a business idea

There are a dozen ways to launch a business in the book space. You can start with the traditional bookstore model, which covers many

It’s an understatement to say that things have changed lately. Some businesses are finding themselves more successful than ever, while some are still reeling from the damage the pandemic has brought.

So as a small business owner, it’s perfectly natural for you to be doing your research, keeping up on news and trends, and trying to prepare yourself for what the future might hold.

And you’re in luck. We’ve combed through recent research so you don’t have to do all the legwork. In this article, we’re going to look at seven of the most important trends for you to keep on your radar in 2022 and beyond.

Don’t wait for someone else to do it. Hire yourself and start calling the shots.

Get Started Free

1. Offer buy now, pay later options


Over the past few years, buy now, pay later (BNPL) has gone from a payment option exclusively offered by large retailers to a common sight at checkouts of many businesses around the globe. Affirm, a US-based BNPL company, reported that the number of active merchants on its platform increased from 6,500 to 102,000 from July to September of 2021. Likewise, BNPL providers

7 Part-Time Business Ideas to Make More Money

Part-time business. Side hustle. Weekend job. Second gig.

No matter what you call it, we’ve all heard stories of entrepreneurial people who have found success working outside their standard 9-to-5 job.

If you’re hungry to start your own business or just looking for some extra cash to live more comfortably, there’s an infinite world of possibilities out there. 

But we won’t sugar coat it: it’s not easy. To balance an extra part-time business, you’ll need to spend those precious few free hours you have after a long day’s work or over the weekend. The good news is that if you do your research, think strategically, and stay determined, you might find yourself in places you’ve only dreamed about.

In this article, we’re going to look at seven part-time business ideas to help you get to where you want to be.

Don’t wait for someone else to do it. Hire yourself and start calling the shots.

Get Started Free

7 part-time business ideas to run in your spare time

Print on demand is a great way to exercise your creative brain (and make money in the process). It’s when you work with a print company to customize