Thanks to the Internet, today’s companies are changing the way they market their services and products to the world. In the last few years, most businesses, small and big, have taken to using more unconventional methods of promoting themselves locally and globally. One such method is the use of Social Media. In fact, in the last year alone, Instagram has proven to be a formidable tool in the world of marketing. After all, with a billion active users on the platform, it’s the perfect way to reach clients with minimal effort. The best part is it’s free.
Learning Instagram basics
It’s really not difficult to understand how to use this platform. If you don’t already have an account, you need to sign up for one. Tip: choose a handle (nickname) and a password that are simple and easy to remember. Add a profile picture (if it’s for a business, you can probably use your brand logo), link it to your official website as well as your Facebook account and make sure your contacts know that they can follow you there.
You need to create a mix of posts
Instagram is an image sharing platform. That means whatever images are uploaded need to be visually appealing. Of course, while sharing pictures of your business is great, it’s best to sometimes throw in a few fun posts like cute animal pictures just to engage more people. It’s been proven that Instagram users click on such posts as they tend to be quite eye-catching.
Hashtags are a must
Hashtags play a major role in Instagram marketing. The trick in making sure they work for you lies in picking the correct hashtags as well as the right number of them to add to your posts. There is no exact science to doing this. It’s more a case of experimenting with hashtags relating to the services and products that you want to market and see what works best for you. The aim of using hashtags is to ensure that your business gets more visibility on the platform so that users will click to learn more.
Partner with Instagram Influencers
The basic definition of an Instagram Influencer is someone who has a large number of followers on the platform and is credible enough that he or she can get other users to check out and even buy the services or products that they are promoting through their page. This is a great way to gain clients that a business might not be able to tap through normal marketing channels.
Instagram Stories can go a long way
Everyone uses Instagram to post pictures and stories. While Instagram stories only last 24 hours, besides pictures, one can posts links to services and products that they want to promote. They can also post information about sales or just hold contests to attract more clients. It’s a great way to reach a wider range of people since this feature of Instagram is designed to increase audience engagement.
These are just some of the reasons why you should use Instagram to promote your business. However, as with all social media avenues, Instagram as a platform is constantly evolving. Its simple user interface, the fact that more people join every day and also that it only requires minimal efforts, time and money to be put in for promoting products just make it more appealing as a marketing tool in the business world. So hurry and get your business on Instagram. It will definitely open up a world of opportunity for you and your business.
An intrapreneur is an an entrepreneur within a large company, who uses entrepreneurial skills without having to worry about the risks associated with those activities. They usually have the resources of the company at their disposal. Being an intrapreneur is a relatively new concept that enterprises are trying to encourage. Here are a few reasons why.
- Endless flow of ideas
Old companies tend to rely on a selected group of people for generating new ideas whereas a company that embraces intrapreneurship encourages everyone to take part in the ideation process. At the end of the day, two heads are better than one.
- Leads to innovation
A work environment that’s intrapreneur-friendly allows an employee to take time off to work on their own projects that could benefit the company. For instance, at Google, Paul T. Buchheit created and developed Gmail and a prototype of Google AdSense which has helped Google expand.
- Creates problem-solvers in an organisation
Intrapreneurs are creative problem-solvers that aren’t scared to take risks and find more effective ways to increase productivity or help the organization.
- Creates a positive environment
Being intrapreneur friendly not only benefits the organization but also your employees’ attitudes and self esteem. By entertaining their ideas, you’re creating a sense of belonging for them which in return creates a positive attitude and a supportive environment.
- Can make a great impact
Intrapreneurs are very influential people and can make an impact on the world. They are passionate about what they create and make. For instance, Levi’s Water Less Jeans turned a drive to save water into an opportunity to innovate and sell their product. They used the same jeans but found a new way to use less water in its washing and drying process which has saved up to 172 million litres of water.
Entrepreneur or not, every employee can become an intrapreneur and help flourish the business! For some more entrepreneurial motivation, check out this blogpost.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a fledgling entrepreneur or a seasoned one; the business world can be intimidating and sometimes, we all just need a sprinkle (or several dollops!) of motivation. These books will give you just that.
1) The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
A story first and foremost about the importance of perseverance and self belief, Mandino makes the use of metaphors to lay out his 10 golden rules for success and sales. He advocates positivity, cultivating good habits and respecting the things you have, instead of obsessing over the things you don’t.
2) The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
Schwartz argues that the one thing that separates successful people from the crowd is their ability to think big. Really big. To quote René Descartes, “I think, and therefore I am.” Schwartz says that the quality of our life reflects the quality of our thoughts. Success isn’t a result of personal circumstances but a choice. This book can prove particularly inspiring to novice entrepreneurs just venturing forth into the business world, or just for anyone feeling a little low and demotivated.
3) The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy
It is understood in the business world that the presence (or lack thereof) of exceptional marketing skills can either make or break an entrepreneur and his/her venture. Tracey covers the marketing and sales tricks that’ll prove especially useful to young entrepreneurs. This book talks about tactics on how to sell more by focussing on one key factor; the customer. It is understood that you need exceptional marketing skills to be a successful entrepreneur. This book imparts valuable strategies and information about the ways to increase sales by just focusing on one factor: the customer.
4) Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson:
This book has achieved something of a cult status ever since it was published. A mere 96 pages long, this book packs a surprising amount of wisdom given its size. It makes the use of four mice who explain how different personalities can affect business output, while also stressing upon the need to be assertive and make firm decisions.
5) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
A business classic, this book won’t just teach you the do’s and don’ts of social life, it’ll also teach you how to be a better entrepreneur overall. It talks about how to convince people who aren’t interested in your propositions and that every stranger is a potential friend and how to go about turning them into one. This is one book that needs to be on every entrepreneur’s reading list.
Avid reader or not, these are some books you must read if you’re an entrepreneur. Do you know of any others? Tell us about your favourite entrepreneur-centric books in the comments!
Running a business is no mean feat and on some days it is but natural to feel a little demotivated when things don’t seem to be going your way. At times like these, we suggest you keep the following list handy. A round up of our favourite quotes, these will serve as your source of motivation not just on Mondays, but all week long.
1) “Tough times never last, but tough people do.”
– Robert H. Schuller
2) “Don’t worry about being successful but work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow.”
– Oprah Winfrey
3) “Remember why you started.”
– Anonymous
4) “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
– Walt Disney
5) “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”
– Steve Martin
6) “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
– John A. Shedd
7) “If you don’t have big dreams and goals, you’ll end up working for someone that does.”
– Anonymous
8) “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
– Thomas Edison
9) “Life’s too short to learn from your own mistakes. So learn from others.”
– Anonymous
10) “Don’t get distracted. Never tell yourself that you need to be the biggest brand in the whole world. Start by working on what you need at the present moment and then what you need to do tomorrow. So, set yourself manageable targets.”
-Jas Bagniewski
11) “My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long university education that I never had — every day I’m learning something new.”
– Richard Branson
12) “Fear is the disease. Hustle is the antidote.”
– Travis Kalanick
“Timing, perseverance, and ten years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success.”
– Biz Stone
13) “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
– Albert Einstein
14) “Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.”
– John Maxwell
15) “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
– Henry Ford
How’s this for some weekday motivation?
Being an entrepreneur sounds glamorous but most successful entrepreneurs who’ve gone through the process will tell you that it is anything but. Like most big decisions, entrepreneurship isn’t something you should jump into impulsively. Here are a few things you should know as somebody who wants to go down the entrepreneurial path.
1) Creativity needs to be viewed from a business perspective
While creative ideas are great, you need to be able to make money off them.
2) If the fox thinks the grapes are sour, then the grapes are probably sour
The only person who determines how good your product is, is your customer, because the customer is definitely always right. If they don’t like your product, you should consider reinventing it.
3) Learn from your mistakes
We’re all human so mistakes will come our way at some point or the other. Make sure you don’t let them get you down and most importantly, be sure to learn from them.
4) Be prepared to bid adieu to your eight hours of beauty sleep
You’ll have to work as and when the need arises, often forfeiting your sleep and other creature comforts. However, it is just as important to take care of yourself and not let your health go for a toss.
5) Keep your ego aside and be open to suggestions
If you try to micromanage every aspect of your company, your company will have trouble growing. Trust people (not blindly), and be open to constructive criticism and feedback.
Now, to see if you’re ready to start your own business, check out our blog!
Given the glorious uncertainty of the Internet, one can never tell what will and won’t take off. Here are some absolutely ridiculous business ideas that defied logic, common sense and market expectations and made it big.
1) The Pet Rock
Founder: Gary Dahl
Gary Dahl was at a bar listening to his friends whine about their pets when he struck gold. What could make a more perfect house pet than a ROCK? It’s low maintenance, doesn’t bite, adapts to any diet and basically just lets you get away with being a terrible pet owner. All of these “virtues” must have struck a chord with aspiring pet owners and the Pet Rock became something of a phenomenon. Your pet rock comes delivered with an instruction manual of the proper way to care for your rock, and instructions on how to make your rock sit, stand, bite or play dead. It was incredibly cheap to produce and Dahl ended up with $ 15 million dollars in the bank.
2) Craigslist
Founder: Craig Newmark
Controversy’s favourite child since the day it launched (given the privacy and safety concerns it throws up), this hasn’t stopped Craigslist from everybody’s favourite online jumble sale. You can get almost anything here, be it a job, cat, boyfriend or girlfriend. And with its god-awful website design, Craigslist basically couldn’t care less about classy, elegant layouts. It’s plain, it’s ugly and it works.
3) Amazon
Founder: Jeff Bezos
The Amazon founders were quick to understand the appeal of being lazy. Why make a trip to your local Barnes and Noble when you could just have your book delivered to your doorstep. And that’s essentially how Amazon started, delivering books door-to-door.
4) Ashley Madison
Founder: Noel Biderman
“Life is short. Have an affair.” The site’s slogan is all you need to know about ashleymadison.com. While we’re unsure of where exactly it falls on the dating site spectrum, it’s been a massive hit despite the outpour of criticism, raking in upto 1,800,00 visitors per month. Oh, and the site’s founder, Noel Biderman is happily married. How’s that for irony?
5) The Yo App
Founder: Or Arbel
Launched by Arbel on April Fools’ Day, 2014, this absurd app initially allowed users to only send the word “yo” to their friends in text form or as an audio notification. Within two months of its launch, the app was valued between $5 to $10 million dollars.
6) Doggles
Founders: Dave Hampton and Caleb Jung
Another ridiculous business idea that’s turned into a million-dollar business, this funky eye gear for your dog has got the attention of the who’s who of the world; right from CNN, People magazine, Animal Planet and National Geographic. Now, you and your pooch can look cool together.
The next time anybody tells you your business idea is too wacky to work, just go do your thing and prove them wrong.
Being an entrepreneur isn’t a cake walk.
If you are embarking on your journey to building a startup, you should ask yourself, ‘did the above statement seem negative to me?’ If it did, you probably aren’t completely ready yet.
The basic thing every budding entrepreneur needs to possess is Positivity.
So, before you decide to take the plunge, make sure you are all prepared for the peaks, potholes and valleys that come with being a founder.
Here are 2 things to keep in mind before starting the journey
Be prepared, mentally!
An entrepreneur’s journey can be compared to a roller coaster ride. Huddles and struggles are going to be an everyday scene. There’ll come a day when you will feel you are ready to conquer the world, and the next day you will question your own mission. Yes, you will have to be mentally ready to push yourself out of all this and keep persevering. No one said it was going to be easy. Are you ready, mentally?
Out with the old, in with the new – Lifestyle!
It would not be wrong to dream of having a stress-free, cushy lifestyle as a founder/entrepreneur. But dreaming of this too early into the journey? A big no!
Initially, you will have to pull-up your socks even higher than normal – Stretch your hours, burn-the midnight lamp (like literally!) which means less sleep, run around for menial tasks, etc. All this is going to affect your lifestyle, and sometimes this regime can be hard on your body. So, make sure to prioritize your health too. Ready to adapt to the change?
These are just a couple of things you need to ask yourself before you decide to give in to your dream of building a startup.
If starting your business is on the latter pages of your career book and you are currently looking for job opportunities in Goa, contact us. We are one of the leading job search websites for IT jobs in Goa. Connecting with job seekers has never been easier!
The key to any successful job interview is thorough research, confidence and polished manners.
Having an up-to-date resume and strong references are not enough. Knowing what not to do is equally important as this improves your chances of making a great first impression.
Here is a list of the most common interview mistakes to avoid:
Arriving late
We all are well aware of the importance of first impressions. But did you know, even before you arrive at your interview, you can create an impression?
Well, if you arrive on time you will create a good first impression but if you arrive late… we don’t need to say it!
Running late not only suggests poor time management skills, but shows a lack of respect for the company, the position, and even your interviewer.
Go the extra length to make sure that you aren’t late, and arrive on time, or even early.
Inappropriate dressing
Although every company has a different dress code; how you dress at your day-to-day work may have very little to do with how you dress for an interview.
How you present yourself during an interview, can have just as much impact on your career as the achievements on your resume.
Remember to dress modestly, you can impress someone with not just your skills but also by the way you carry yourself.
Bad-mouthing your previous employer
The last thing your recruiter would want to know about you is that you are a whiner. Whatever you say and do, never talk ill about your past employer, work or colleagues. You may want to highlight certain things you were not comfortable about at your past workplace but do not put it in a bad light. Try to keep a positive spin on things – What did you learn from the experience? How can you prevent that situation from happening again? Incorporate that mentality in your responses, this will bring the conversation up, with good vibes.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to make these mistakes without even realizing it.
But if you develop and keep a positive attitude throughout the interview process – right from arriving early to the end – you will surely be on your way to a new job in no time.
When it comes to being interviewed, the question mentioned in the blog title is one of the trickiest to answer.
You agree with me on this, don’t you?
And whenever you are asked this question during the interview, it feels like a trap. Thoughts like these cross your mind – ‘OMG, what should I say now, the truth or revolve a story around the truth?’
Well, it depends on the humor of the hiring manager, but in general, that’s probably not your best option. Remember, you want to be honest, yet, not convey any negativity. Since this seems like the most important question, it would be in your best interest to be well prepared for it.
To begin with, try to understand why employers ask this question.
The reason is, they need to know your work background. This is very important, as no employer wants to hire someone who does not carry a good work reputation.
So then, how should you handle this question?
Be honest. Not negative.
Yes, frame the answer in a way that makes your employer feel confident about you and is able to trust you. Remember, the way you deliver your answer is just as important as the content it carries. Do not manipulate your answer even if you think you can. Afterall, you’re sitting in front of a recruiter who has gone through such manipulations tons of times and can easily detect a manipulative answer. Be direct and firm. The goal is to leave a positive impression.
Maybe you could use one of these lines if they fit your situation –
- I’m at a point where I am looking to further my career and there isn’t much room for growth in my current position.
- I am looking for a job with new learnings, new responsibilities, and new challenges.
- I had to quit my previous role due to family commitments, but I am now ready to get back into a full-time role.
- The company underwent a cost-cutting period and was cutting down on resources and unfortunately, my department was dissolved. They did give us a notice about the same.
- While I’m happy with my current company and role, I believe this opportunity will allow me to use my skills to their full potential which I cannot do at my current job.
- I am looking for a workplace closer to home as commute seems to be taking a toll on my health.
Well, you might want to say anything you want, but remember the thumb rule is not to bad mouth anybody, especially your previous company.
Bad-mouthing leaves a negative impression about you, not your previous company/employer. The interviewer may wonder if you will be bad-mouthing his company the next time you’re looking for work. Remember to remain professional at all costs.
Let us know if you ever got asked this question in an interview and what was your reply? Or if there are any other questions you’d like advice on answering. Leave your comments below.
With the aim firmly fixed on increasing IT jobs in Goa, the State government has increased its focus on startups in Goa. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar while announcing allocations under the budget for IT, allotted about ₹169 Cr for the IT sector, including ₹15 Cr for startups with the aim of creating 4,000 IT jobs in Goa per year.
The Goa Government will also set up a Start Up Promotion Board in the coming financial year. ₹50 Lakhs has also been allocated to encourage incubation centres and entrepreneur development centres in the state to boost IT jobs in Goa.
While speaking about the budget allocation, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said, “There is no evidence that more regulations make things better. With minimising regulations my government will emphasise on ease of doing business initiatives in Goa and implement the business reform action plan in the state, to be among the top 10 Indian states through an e-governance platform, integrating and synergising all government departments and entities.”
He also stated that the government will focus on the implementation of the Goa IT Investment Policy 2015. Parrikar assured that the Chimbel IT Park would be completed in the next two years after taking all the stakeholders into confidence.
Apart from Goa, other state governments are also started encouraging startups. Recently, the Bihar Government announced ₹500 Crore in order to facilitate startups. Earlier the Odisha Government had signed a MoU with Invest India to promote state startups. All these steps were taken by the state government under Prime Minister Initiative Startup India.
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