Ireland still among top countries to do business - Forbes

Ireland remains one of the top countries in the world in which to do business, according to the latest Forbes annual rankings, which puts the country in fourth spot, unchanged from last year.

Denmark takes the number one slot once again, followed by New Zealand and Norway.

Forbes produces its annual Best Countries for Business report based on seven information sources measuring 11 metrics including innovation, taxes, property rights, technology and stock market performance in 146 nations.

Ireland was previously ranked first in the world to do business in 2013 but dropped three places last year.

• Call for land tax to compel developers to build on vacant sites

In terms of sub-rankings, Ireland largely retained the positions it held last year, ranking first again in the category of “personal freedom,” ninth for “trade freedom,” and 17th for “corruption”. It declined two places to eighth place for “investor protection,” and was down two spots to 21st position for “innovation” and down five places to 24th for “red tape” facing business.

Ireland also ranked in 6th place overall for tax burden, 9th place for monetary freedom, 11th for technology and 11th for market performance.

Denmark has ranked first in six of the 10 annual polls conducted by Forbes. This year it ranked in the top 20 in all but one of the 11 metrics used to gauge the best countries for business.

European countries represent two-thirds of the top 25 countries in 2015. One of the biggest decliners in the rankings is the US, which slides four spots to number 22. This continues a six-year descent since 2009 when the US ranked second overall.

The study shows that while the US may be the financial capital of the world and have its largest economy at $17.4 trillion, but it scores poorly on monetary freedom and bureaucracy/red tape. Forbes notes that more than 150 new major regulations have been added since 2009 at a cost of $70 billion, according to figures provided by the Heritage Foundation.

The UK and Japan both moved up three spots to number 10 and Number 23 respectively this year. Germany improved two places to number 18. China rose from number 97 to number 94, with its ranking held back by low scores on personal and monetary freedom, as well as investor protection and red tape.

The bottom of this list includes a number of emerging markets restrained by high levels of corruption and little freedom. Chad replaces Guinea in last place, a spot Guinea held for three straight years. Chad scored in the bottom five in five of the 11 criteria used by Forbes. The rest of the bottom five includes Guinea, Libya, Haiti and Burma.

Courtesy by: irishtimes.com

Online business ideas: what’s the best online business you could start?

By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly what’s the best kind of online business to start.

But first, I love how 2,000+ of you responded to my question, “What excites you about starting an online business?”…

…with a bunch of ME-FOCUSED responses. “I want ___, I need ___, I can’t wait for ____.”

What are you, a bunch of 14-year-old girls? Who else talks only about THEMSELVES and what THEY want?

Attention weirdos: What about your customers? It’s great that YOU want a flexible schedule, and freedom, and recurring revenue.

But do you notice how nobody said, “I’m really good at helping my friends with their relationship problems. I don’t want to just help people 1-on-1…I want to help THOUSANDS of people.”

Or “I love helping people get in shape. I want to help as many people get fit as possible.”

NOBODY!

Look, I’m being tough because nobody else will. They’ll sell you the dreams of a 100% automated business based on your passion. That’s a lie. Your passion is important, but it won’t help you decide what idea to pursue, how much to charge, and how to SELL without being sleazy.

Oh, YOU want recurring revenue? Oh WOW! I’M SO IMPRESSED! I want to be in the NBA. I want to have a billion dollars. I want to have 10 houses around the world.

So what? Anyone can WANT something. Few will actually take action on it.

Few will learn how to dig deep into what their customers really want and put their needs first.

Few will build the systems required to turn your dream or passion into a real business that makes money.

No big deal, just revenue from a recent day

Do you want this? Do you want an online business that runs on systems — not on your time?

OK, then it’s time to get real.

ONLINE BUSINESS RULE #1: PASSION IS NOT ENOUGH.

What other “experts” teach:

1. Find your passion
2. ???
3. Profit!

Unlike other gurus who will tell you to follow your passion (then leave out step #2 and skip right to you somehow ending up living the dream lifestyle), I take a very different approach.

Yes, it’s important to create a business around something that interests you. But what separates a successful online business from everyone else is BUSINESS SYSTEMS.

How do you know which idea will be most profitable? How do you know if people will pay? How do you get traffic, and buyers…and then set the business on autopilot?

Look at this:

I told Grace she had to wait, just like everyone else. I don’t want starry-eyed dreamers joining my Zero to Launch course. I want you to know EXACTLY what it takes to start a successful online business. And if you’re ready to put in the work, I’ll show you the exact, step-by-step roadmap.

UPDATE: You can join the Zero To Launch waiting list for more detailed information, along with first access to the course when it’s open.

(By the way, imagine what it would feel like to have an online business where customers beg you to let them pay you thousands of dollars…BEFORE THEY EVEN KNOW WHAT’S IN YOUR COURSE.)

Hmm…if only there were a way to learn how to do that…

In true IWT fashion, I’ll give you the exact tactics you need to create a dependable, scalable online business — including word-for-word scripts and conversion techniques you can use to quadruple your revenue.

In today’s post, I’ll show you the different ways you can start your first successful online business — with my specific recommendation.

Which online business should you start?

Lots of options here. Should you start a drop-shipping company? Software? Etsy? Online courses?

How do you know which is best?

I could give you a bunch of theory, principles, and a long history of the relative pros and cons of each. Or I can just tell you the answer.

• There are 6 main options for an online business
• I have systematically tried them ALL, and I’ll tell you the straight truth about which is good and which is bad
• As always, learn these rules. When you get more advanced, you can break them!

Your 6 options for starting an online business: Software (including apps), physical products, ads, affiliate marketing, coaching, and online courses.

What do you notice about this illustration?

1. Using a simple framework lets you instantly see if a business model is attractive or unattractive (most people never do this)
2. You don’t have to quit your job and raise millions in venture capital funding (which I’ve done as well…and I can tell you I love IWT way more)
3. Online courses and coaching are both very attractive. So how do we decide?

At this point, either model is great. I love coaching, and I’ve taught thousands of people how to become freelancers/consultants/coaches via my Earn1K course. It is the single-best way to start learning business skills.

But if you want to scale your business — so you can create something once and profit for YEARS to come — that’s where an online business comes in.

Specifically, online courses.

Which online courses could you create?

Here’s where it’s easy to get tripped up. “But Ramit,” people say, “I’m not an expert in personal finance or finding a dream job. I don’t know anything that people would pay for!”

Oh really?

Take a look at these 3 amazingly weird (yet successful) courses.

• Toilet Trained Cat: Train cats to use the toilet. Revenue through books and courses.
• The Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide: Take a vacation to Disneyworld for half the price. Revenue through ebooks.
• Hear and Play: Play the piano without years of lessons and sheet music. Revenue through courses.

What are you good at? What do your friends call you for advice on? What kind of sites — fashion, sports, marketing? —  do you read while you’re waiting to check out at the grocery store?

Notice how, at this point, we’re already jumping 50 questions ahead:

• “But what if I’m not sure what I’m good at?”
• “An online course? But I don’t have a website/traffic”
• “What kind of software should I use for…”

SLOW DOWN.

Part of trusting the system is focusing on ONE step at a time, not jumping ahead. I have a proprietary process to show you how to identify what you’re ALREADY great at…and what the market will pay for.

Am I going to teach you that right now? Not yet. You can join my course when I open it on March 30th.

For now, I want you to know that YES — you have passions and experiences in you that people will pay for. Even if you’re not the world’s expert on them!

Let’s take a minute and celebrate. You already learned more in this post than in the last 3 months of reading blog after blog.

courtesy by : iwillteachyoutoberich.com

business promoter marketing

A promoter's main task is to inform the public about an event and make it look attractive while doing it. Event organizers hire them to bring in an audience to watch sporting events, fashion shows, live music performances and nightclub parties. They must develop an effective marketing plan to draw a crowd. Without one the promoter is likely to waste resources and fail to reach the goal.

Defining Terms

The outline of most successful marketing plans includes the four Ps: product, price, placement and promotion. In the case of event promotion, the product is the event itself. The promoter's job is to determine what makes it unique, special and attractive. For instance, he or she can market a new nightclub as having the hottest DJs, the best music and the most exciting atmosphere to draw a young, energetic and free-spending audience.

The Price Is Right

Setting the price of admission is among the most important factors in its success. Although more people will show up for a free event than for one with a high ticket price, the promoter must work with the organizer to determine whether the circumstances call for a large, raucous crowd or a smaller, more affluent gathering. For some events a high ticket price carries a sense of prestige and class that attracts a more sophisticated audience.

Placement Planning

In a standard marketing outline the placement of a product determines where it will be located and how it will be displayed. In event promotion the placement is often out of the promoter's hands. However, he or she can use the venue as part of the promotion package. The interior decor and amenities can be attractive components of the event marketing plan.

Promotional Efforts

In both product marketing and event planning, the promotional component deals with how the event will be presented and which communication channels the organizers will use to reach the intended audience. The promoter of a rock concert will use channels such as rock radio stations, music-video channels and social media, where a boxing promoter will use sports talk radio, sports news channels and boxing-oriented websites.

courtesy by: smallbusinesschron

Lets remember Robin Williams

A CONSTANT QUALITY: ROBIN WILLIAMS, 1951-2014

It's hard to choose a single moment that represents the career ofRobin Williams, who was found dead this morning of an apparent suicide at 63. Somehow they all seem representative. The Chicago-born, Michigan-raised actor's performances shaded antic clowning with deep melancholy, and vice versa. There were flashes of anarchic joy in his grimmest roles, and moments even in his most outwardly featherweight performances when it seemed as though a cloud had passed across his face. Last seen on TV in "The Crazy Ones," a CBS series set at a Chicago ad agency, Williams battled drug problems and depression throughout his life. Although he had crests and troughs, the light never traveled far from the darkness or the darkness from the light. Like Jack Lemmon, you could believe Williams as a man standing on a ledge or walking on air.

That was the most surprising and often haunting thing about Williams: that sense that when he unleashed the full force of his talent—chasing a spark of inspiration as it hopped from neural pathway to neural pathway like a speed-demon driver changing lanes; rattling off free-associative thoughts that were sometimes connected by shared words or images or vowel sounds; pacing or racing while yammering and gesturing as if his whole being were taking dictation from his subconscious—he was reaching out to the audience and running away from something.

"He could make everybody happy but himself," said Garry Marshall, who cast Williams in a star-making role as Mork from Ork on ABC's "Happy Days" and its long-running spinoff, "Mork & Mindy." Whether playing comedic or dramatic roles or doing standup routines or goofing around on talk shows, he never stayed in one mode for long.  And it wasn't just gradations of fun. You always sensed the darkness lurking. He could be sweet or silly for a while, or light and sweet; then you'd get a flash of anger or bitterness that seemed to erupt from nowhere and that did not seem fake, and then he'd slip back into sweet or silly, and make everyone laugh again.

"When he appeared on the Jonathan Ross show earlier this summer, he'd been vintage Williams, hyperactive to the point of deranged, ricocheting between voices, riffing off his internal dialogues," wrote The Guardian's Decca Aitkenhead in a 2010 profile pegged to "World's Greatest Dad," a pitch-black comedy with unbearably painful dramatic passages, many of which revolve around a suicide note. "Off-camera, however, he is a different kettle of fish. His bearing is intensely Zen and almost mournful, and when he's not putting on voices he speaks in a low, tremulous baritone–as if on the verge of tears–that would work very well if he were delivering a funeral eulogy." Anyone who knew Williams or spoke to him for any length of time or simply studied the man sensed this, and understood it. Somehow none of it seemed incongruous or inappropriate because he was Robin Williams, and Robin Williams was everywhere and everyone at once, look out. 

Continue reading here : Roger Ebert

30 TIPS FOR GREAT DIGITAL MARKETING

A man walks into a bar/restaurant/hotel/car repair shop. Chances are, he found it online. That’s because today’s consumers, 80% according to Google, rely more on the Web to find and choose local businesses.

So how do you make sure that these consumers find and choose your local business? By using a mix of these four strategies for great digital marketing: search advertising, webSite, search engine optimization, and social media. Here are 30 tips to get you going.

SEARCH ADVERTISING TIPS

1. Identify and follow the rules of Bing, Yahoo!, and Google search ads before running your campaign as all have slightly different formats.

2. Optimize the URL displayed in your search ad so that it’s relevant to the product or service you are promoting.

3. Include target keywords in your headlines and copy that either match or closely match the keywords you bid on in order to boost the chance that your ad appears for those terms.

4. Write strong calls to action for your search ads that directly state what you want consumers to do. For example “Contact for a Free Estimate” or “Get a 50% Coupon.”

5. When using a click-to-call extension, consider using a tracking number so that you can identify and measure which ads perform the best.

6. Don’t spend precious text ad character count on your business name. It should already be in your optimized URL.

7. Do capitalize the first letter of major words in your ad. Don’t (read “NEVER”) go crazy with all caps.

8. Should you use correct punctuation in text ads? Yes! It just makes good sense.

9. Using trademarks in text ad copy is a no-no unless, of course, you own them. You can, however, bid on terms relevant to your business.

10. DUUA (don’t use unknown abbreviations). While it could pique the interest of a few searchers, why take that chance?

WEBSITE TIPS

11. If you haven’t updated your website since 2010, do it now. A clean, modern design is key in digital marketing, plus it ensures that you meet today’s best practices and Web standards.

12. Make your website mobile-friendly! The 2014 Local Search Study results indicate that nearly 80% of local mobile searches end in a purchase. This is a big audience you shouldn’t ignore.

13. Accurately complete your site’s metadata (title tags, descriptions, alt text, etc.). Not doing so can negatively impact your visibility on SERPs.

14. A business blog is a winning addition to your website. It can help boost your site’s SEO, set you apart from the competition, and demonstrate your knowledge and expertise. It’s a win-win situation.

15. In order to get found by local consumers, you need to optimize your site with local information like your address and geo-targeted keywords.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION

16. Having a business blog is useless if you don’t regularly create and promote original and sharable content to help prove relevance and therefore rank in search engines.

17. Enable share buttons on your blog so that readers can easily post your content to their social media pages and drive visitors back to your website.

18. Optimize your Google+ Local page to help your business name, phone number, location, and even opening hours show up in Google Maps and Google’s local search results.

19. Much like Google+ Local, Yelp is platform to complete and post information about your business. More importantly, it helps feed Apple Maps with local business results.

20. Include geo-specific keywords, such as your city, neighborhood, and zip codes, in your website, blog, and even social media copy to appear in search results for these terms.

19. Don’t only promote blog posts once. Repurpose them as engaging images, quotes, or questions in order to generate additional views, shares, and subject relativity.

21. Getting backlinks from influencers and other industry-related websites that have already established credibility are great for building your own authority and driving more visits back to your site.

23. Enable Google Authorship to help build your personal brand. By establishing yourself as a subject matter expert, you can share your own content, generate more shares, and drive more website visits.

22. Since positive reviews rank in search engine results, generate positive reviews with high rankings to help persuade consumers to choose your business.

26. Once you receive positive reviews, promote them on your website and social media sites so that consumers who search for you business on social sites or local directories see the great things others say about your business.

25. Images can help sell your business, and they also rank in search engines. Don’t name your images “photo.jpg,” and instead name them more descriptively, add alt text, or captions on your website to help images show up in search results.

SOCIAL MEDIA

27. Think, review, and review again before you make a social media post or comment. The ability to easily take screenshots makes it difficult to take back a social media mistake.

28. Since your employees also represent your brand, both in person and online, implement a social media policy that at the least permits them from sharing internal information.

29. Before you jump on a trending hashtag, make sure you know the origin of it. Not doing so can potentially cause social media regrets.

30. Like it or not, you “share” your brand on social media. And since consumers can start good and bad conversations about you, make sure to set up alerts that notify you of new mentions, comments, or messages.

Tara Banda is a brand-builder, copywriter, and social media marketer in Dallas, TX. She has worked with businesses of all sizes — from Fortune 500 companies to local non-profits to startups — to define their voice, promote their brand online through digital marketing, and build lasting relationships with fans and advocates.  Tara is a currently a Content Marketing Manager at ReachLocal. In her spare time, she is obsessed with learning recipes for international cuisines. You can learn more about her on LinkedIn or Twitter

courtesy by : ducttapemarketing

10 Businesses That Will Boom in 2020

It's hard to predict the future, especially if you're still struggling to figure out what's happening in today's economy. But predicting the future is exactly what you need to do if you're enrolling in college, starting a fresh career, or investing in new skills.

The pace of change in the business world is faster than ever these days, thanks largely to globalization and digital technology. One way to zero in on fields that will be hot in the future is to stay away from those that are not. The government's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes an annual list of declining industries that follow a few common trends. They tend to involve work that can be done more cheaply overseas, such as low-skill assembly-line work, or technology that's rapidly replacing human workers, as in call centers. Fields vulnerable to cost-cutting and downsizing—such as government—are vulnerable too.

Employers themselves sometimes provide useful hints about the kinds of skills they want. In the latest annual survey for the National Association of Colleges and Employers, companies planning to hire were most interested in grads who had majored in engineering, business, accounting, computer science, or economics. Unfortunately, many students prefer majors such as social sciences, history, education, and psychology, which aren't in high demand.

To develop a more thorough list of fields likely to offer plenty of jobs and good pay, I analyzed data from a variety of sources, including BLS and the industry-research firm IBISWorld, which projects future employment levels in dozens of fields. A couple rules of thumb: First, it still pays to have a college degree, even if you're worried about the expense. Consulting firm McKinsey & Company predicts that by 2020, there will be a shortage of 1.5 million college grads, which means employers will continue to place a high premium on better-educated workers.

Another important point: The most successful people tend to be lifelong learners who develop new skills long after they graduate from college or complete a training program. In fact, building multiple skill sets—such as analytical expertise combined with a liberal-arts background, or scientific knowledge with a law degree—can be a terrific way to differentiate yourself in a cluttered job market. Plus, the most lasting skills are often those that can be transferred from one field to another, as the economy ebbs and flows. 

But you have to anchor your career somewhere, so here are 10 fields that are likely to flourish in 2020:

1. Data crunching. The era of big data is just getting started, with many firms eager to tap vast new databases to gather more info on their customers, their competitors, and even themselves. The challenge isn't just crunching numbers; it's making sense of them, and gaining useful insights that can be translated into a business edge. Marketing and market research are two growing fields where the use of data is exploding.

2. Counseling and therapy. There's now widespread recognition that mental health is as important as physical health, which is likely to increase demand for professionals in this field. The BLS expects the need for marriage and family therapists, as one example, to grow 41 percent by 2020.

3. Scientific research. New technology will continue to generate breakthroughs in medicine, manufacturing, transportation, and many other fields, which means there will be strong demand for workers schooled in biology, chemistry, math, and engineering. Some areas that show particular promise: biotechnology and biomedicine, nanotechnology, robotics, and 3D printing, which allows the manufacture of physical products from a digital data file.

4. Computer engineering. A lot of software development is done overseas these days, but the need for high-level computer experts able to tie systems together is still strong. In finance and investing, for instance, high-speed computing is increasingly a prime competitive advantage. And most big companies will need networks that are faster, more seamless, and more secure.

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courtesy by : money.usnews.com

Ecommerce trends to watch 2016 [Infographic]

These trends will shape the ecommerce industry this year

Ecommerce business is on the rise, as online shopping is predicted to increase by 45% in 2016 in the U.S - see the latest ecommerce growth statistics. To stay ahead of the game or to grow your online business, you need to benchmark against the latest growth rates, both for overall business in a category for specific devices and then implement marketing strategies and tactics that work to achieve business goals.

For example, year-on-year e-retail sales continue to grow with online sales up to 10% in January 2016 according to the United States Custora Pulse Ecommerce benchmark. So your online trading volumes could be 5% up YoY, but you are actually going backwards compared to the competition.

We thought this infographic was a nice summary list of the top trends that will enable any e-Commerce business to grow in 2016 and beyond. Beacons, big data & predictive analysis, advanced personalization, omnichannel tactics, localization, digital tech taking over the brick and mortar stores, and an increased focus on customer experience are some of the most important trends to watch in 2016.

continue reading here : smartinsights