Find The Best Web Hosting

Did you know that 90% of startups fail within their first year? But it’s not all because of bad ideas.

Most of the time, it’s simply because the right structures aren’t in place. I’ve seen a lot of friends and other businesses launch and succeed, and there are definitely patterns in what made them work. So today I want to talk about some of those things and how they managed to get off the ground.

1. Having a clear business plan and market research

Firstly, having a business plan and doing proper market research is essential. A lot of companies just jump in without actually examining the market or even writing a plan.

Start by looking at your target audience. Talk to friends, family, colleagues – even a small inner circle if you don’t want to share it too widely at first. Ask them questions like: Have you heard of this idea before? Do you know anyone doing something similar? Then do research online. You’d be surprised how much you can find.

If someone’s already doing it, don’t panic – just figure out your unique selling point. What’s different about you? What problem are you solving?

2. Financial planning

Next, look at your finances. Think about what you want to achieve over the next five years. Break it down year by year. Will you bootstrap, look for funding, or apply for grants? When will you break even? Are you taking a salary in year one, or holding off for a while? These are all important questions.

Accounting systems

From the start, separate your business and personal finances. Set up a proper accounting system – Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks – don’t rely on spreadsheets. You’ll already be wearing many hats, so automate as much as possible. A good system shows you where your cash is coming from, what your profit and loss looks like, and helps with tax deductions.

Funding

Also, research funding options: angel investors, venture capital, crowdfunding, or government grants. But whatever you do, talk to an accountant. Starting a business is hard enough – you want experts helping you, especially early on.

3. Establishing a digital foundation

Then there’s your marketing and digital foundation. You’ll need a website. You can build it yourself if you’re tech-savvy or hire an agency if you’ve got the budget. If you do go with an agency, get referrals or go local.

Once the website’s up, how do you get people to it?

• Social media is one way to build your brand over time.
  
• Paid ads can get you seen quickly, but they can also be expensive. If your idea is unique, you might save money on ads, but generally expect to spend at least $1,000 per month.
  
• SEO is another route – and it’s one I really recommend. It takes 6–12 months to see results, but once you’re ranking, it can be a game-changer.

SEO agencies often cost $2–5k a month, so around $30k a year. One option instead is SEO coaching. Like having an accountant to guide you financially, you can have an SEO coach show you how to do it yourself. It’s usually a few thousand upfront, and then you’ve got the skills forever.

4. Brand identity

Tying into the last section, is your brand identity. So when you’re building your website, creating a professional brand, your logo design, the different typography choices and your brand colors. What’s going to look appealing, not just black and white on your website. You want something that pops, something that people engage with.

Getting those brand guidelines for all your documents and materials, getting that all uniform, your business card, letterheads, your email signatures, designs, because you don’t want to look all over the place.

On your website, having a compelling about us page, services pages, sales sheets, branded graphics, presentation templates, you want everything to be uniform. It shows that you’re professional.

5. Streamline operations

Streamlining your business processes. You’re going to be super busy, wearing many hats

CRM

So one could be CRMs – customer relationship management software. I’ve seen friends who don’t have one, and they’re just using emails, they forget to follow up with queries. They don’t put their notes on there. When you think about it, six months later, that query has probably already bought from someone else, because they weren’t followed up. Or you can’t remember what you’ve actually said, so you look unprofessional.

Project Management Tools

Also your project management tools. Once you actually get a project, you’re tracking it along. Again, I know friends that use Excel for this, but it’s very, very difficult. There is a lot of free software out there, so do research. Try and sign up for some freemium software and have a look if there’s any integration capabilities between all these different software that you may choose.

6. HR strategy & hiring

Contractors or employees?

Eventually, one of the biggest growing pains that I faced, is hiring the first employee or whether to go the contractor route and depending where you are in the world, there’s different legislation everywhere. So I’d advise speaking to someone in your toolkit like an HR consultant to actually discuss these options with you.

You have to think about the finances, advertising, how much you’re going to pay someone. You can speak to an HR consultant, start having a look at other blogs and start researching what the best route is.

Traditionally, contractors may be a safer route, whereas employees are going to be more engaged within the business.

Building Culture

From there, you need to build a strong culture and structure, potentially investing in HR software. Remember, if it’s your first employee, it’s exciting, but you need to give them learning and development. Why are they going to work for you?

Building professional development, training journeys, feedback, performance review systems, it might just be you and that one person for a long time. You’ve got to make sure that they’re in it with you. So again, speak to that HR consultant who will be able to guide you in that way.

7. Getting your first sale

This is a very important part of the foundations but also one of the funnest. Finding your first customers. One of the first things that I’ve done in previous businesses before is speaking to my network, speaking to friends and family, getting  name out there, going on social media, making yourself a thought leader, talking about partnerships.

Partnership

So, for instance, a lawyer may refer business to an accountant, and an accountant might refer business to a lawyer. Think about those partnerships. Who could you potentially partner with?

Networking

Networking, going to small business events, potentially getting your name out there, making your own networking groups, and adding people on LinkedIn. You could also have referral programs for partnerships, or it may be just an informal referral partnership.

SEO & Paid Ads

You can also think about, like I said, that SEO and Google ads route as well.

Retention & Upselling

You also have to think that retention is cheaper than acquisition. Retaining a client, making them happy. Service service service. Asking for referrals from those customers, potentially offering repeat customer incentives. And also gain feedback from them. People that actually get feedback and implement it gives long term, happy customers.

Upsells are the easier form of revenue generation. A happy customer will most likely buy from you again.

Wrapping it up:

• Have a clear business plan.
  
• Get your financial foundation right.
  
• Build your digital presence.
  
• Develop a strong brand.
  
• Streamline operations.
  
• Plan your HR strategy.
  
• Focus on acquiring and retaining customers.

Every business is different, but these are fundamentals I’ve seen again and again in successful startups. Use every tool, every expert, every bit of support you can.

The post 7 Must-Haves for a Successful Business Startup appeared first on SiteProNews.

“Properly” is one of those funny words in marketing. It suggests there’s a right way and a wrong way — a clean playbook to follow — but anyone who’s been in the trenches knows it doesn’t work like that. What actually matters is whether your choices line up with your stage of business and the customers you’re trying to reach. 

Social media gets wrapped up in this conversation because it seems like the obvious answer. After all, almost everyone is on social media to some extent, so why not market there? But treating social as the default “proper” channel is where a lot of brands go wrong. 

The real “proper” approach is making conscious trade-offs instead of defaulting to what looks easiest or most popular. 

Reach matters, but context decides

For early-stage brands, time is a scarce resource. Reach usually follows attention, but not always. The mistake I see most often is over-investing in platforms that don’t have the scale to deliver returns. Teams spend hours polishing visuals, launching giveaways, and chasing engagement only to wonder why revenue doesn’t move. 

Sometimes, the issue isn’t the content. It’s the channel. Reaching 400 people who were never your customers to begin with isn’t a strategy; it’s an activity disguised as progress. 

That isn’t to say social media doesn’t work. It absolutely can, but one channel should never be the entire strategy. It’s important to diversify and thoroughly understand the roles of each ‌to make more informed strategy decisions. 

Be careful with “listening to customers”

You know the old motto, “The customer is always right.” While it’s true in a way, it’s not the whole story. It is important to listen to customer feedback, but don’t take everything they say so seriously. People often say things that sound good in the moment but don’t translate into actual buying behavior. For instance, just because someone says, “I’d buy this in a different color,” doesn’t mean you should create a new product. 

Purchases are driven by need, timing, perception, and emotion. If someone isn’t pulling out their wallet, you haven’t nailed one of those yet. Social media can help with these levers, but likes and comments aren’t enough, nor are they the best measurement of customer engagement. 

It’s crucial to learn the difference between signals and noise. Every brand gets bombarded with comments, requests, and casual suggestions, but most of them don’t reflect genuine intent. The better move is to validate patterns over time by watching how feedback aligns with actual sales data before implementing any strategic changes. 

Scale versus conversion isn’t the real choice

There’s a common belief that it’s better to have a small, highly engaged audience than to chase scale. The idea is nice in theory, but long-term growth usually doesn’t play out that way. There aren’t endless examples of niche brands becoming household names because a handful of posts went viral.

The reality is that local success doesn’t necessarily translate to broader markets. A small group of enthusiastic buyers may sustain you for a while, but the data doesn’t support the idea that this alone builds enduring businesses. 

Growth comes from finding ways to replicate conversions across various demographics. Social media plays a role here, but only if it’s treated as a testing ground that informs larger moves, not as your only way to grow and scale. 

In truth, you need both meaningful engagement and reach that consistently puts your product in front of the right people. Conversions from a small pool aren’t rare, but staying small forever means stalling growth.

Avoid the absolutes

Guru marketers love absolutes. You often hear to stick to only one social media platform or avoid another, but neither one is entirely true. The more strategic play is balancing short-term direct response with long-term brand building.

Adidas learned this the hard way a few years back, admitting it had leaned too far into short-term tactics at the expense of brand equity. The same principle holds today. Social media is powerful, but ROI comes from measuring what matters — not vanity metrics.

That’s why the “best platform” conversation misses the point. There isn’t a single best option, only what works in your specific market and how it fits into your growth strategy and timing. Timing is everything because what works today with this generation may not work tomorrow with the next. 

Some platforms may offer quick traction, while others offer steady brand equity. The trick is combining them in a way that doesn’t exhaust your resources or blind you to where actual customers are spending time. 

The long and short of it

I wish I could give you a neat how-to guide on how to “properly” market a product on social media. Plug-and-play steps. A tidy checklist. But it wouldn’t be real.

Marketing depends on where you are, who you’re talking to, what you’re offering, and how that lands in the real world. The only proper way is the one that actually works for your business. Social media might be your biggest marketing win, or it could be a supplement to another marketing tactic. Either way, it’s a tool, not the definition of “proper.” 

And that’s the challenge: resist the temptation of certainty. Social media won’t magically solve your marketing strategy, and neither will any single tactic. What works is putting in the thought, testing your assumptions, and committing to a mix of strategies that reflect both the immediate and the long-term growth. 

In other words, “proper” to you isn’t what is “proper” for the next entrepreneur. “Proper” is whatever your business needs to continue growing.

The post What Does It Mean to “Properly” Market on Social Media? appeared first on SiteProNews.

Much like private sector organizations, government entities are increasingly in need of flexible infrastructure and improved productivity. Many times, SaaS solutions are the best way to provide this. However, the processes governments use to procure new technology are always changing.

SaaS solutions provide both private and public sectors with more flexibility and cost-efficiency. However, the way they’re marketed between B2B, B2C, and B2G audiences can vary considerably. 

Marketing to the B2G market has various nuances that need to be understood in order to be successful. Below is a practical guide your business can follow to improve the likelihood of closing more contracts.

Navigating the Nuances of B2G Markets

Before beginning a new outreach campaign targeting the public sector, it is important to pay attention to distinguishing factors when working with governmental agencies. Some of these factors include:

• Slower Purchasing Processes – Government buying typically requires many more steps (and approval processes) than in the private sector. This results in a sales cycle that can take longer to close and requires following a very specific vendor framework.

• Additional Security Protocols – Products created by vendors need to comply with stringent security criteria such as FedRAMP and HIPAA regulations because government agencies often deal with sensitive public information.

• Financial Limits – Government budgets are tightly controlled, so vendors need to really provide tangible proof of their offerings’ value, benefits, and cost-effectiveness.

Effective Strategies for Government SaaS Pitches

Below are a few strategies you can follow to increase your success rate when pitching SaaS offerings to government agencies.

Customizing Your Solution to Public Sector Needs

To optimize your proposals, you’ll first want to roll up your sleeves and really understand the agency you’re trying to work with. Before attempting to send your first bid, spend some time identifying the agency’s goals and why they may be seeking new solutions. 

Consider the overreaching goals of the agency. For example, do they want to improve their public safety solutions, or are they looking to replace their systems altogether? Once you know their goals, you’re able to effectively address any primary concerns they might have.

Putting in the time and effort to really get to know the agency you want to connect with helps create more effective proposals and proves that you really care about helping them find the best possible solution for their needs.

Demonstrating Your Commitment to Data Protection

Public sector organizations deal with a great deal of sensitive information regarding the community they serve. Because of this, government organizations are very careful when adopting new technology solutions and pay close attention to the security precautions vendors follow.

To compete in this space, you’ll need to ensure that your SaaS products are up to date with the latest security standards relevant to the industry you’re marketing to. For example, CAD system software is usually subjected to security controls outlined in regulations such as FedRAMP, HIPAA, or NIST. Before submitting a proposal, it’s important to understand any of these requirements and make sure you’re meeting them.

Connecting with Key Decision-Makers

Networking is one of the most important parts of every sales outreach campaign. And there are a number of things you can do to connect and engage with the different governmental agencies. Trade shows and industry conferences are a great starting point.

To be clear, public agencies need to make sure that their buying processes are transparent and ethical – meaning you shouldn’t expect to get any special treatment just because of who you know. However, building a good report for procurement teams or buyer officers is still a helpful strategy for keeping you updated on specific bidding requirements or upcoming projects. This helps you to make the most out of your proposal submissions.

Quantifying the Value of Your SaaS Solution

Privately owned businesses have much more flexibility in how they manage their finances than public organizations. They are also free to decide which features are most important for their business and create their standards for determining business value.

Public sector entities, on the other hand, work under a different set of buying requirements. All spending decisions made by public-facing organizations need to be fully justified. As a result, all government buying programs typically have very specific requirements in order to show a reasonable return on the money spent.

As a potential vendor, It is important to state the clear benefits of your product or service to make it more likely for a government agency to engage with your brand.

Maintaining Operational Transparency

As a supplier, you should be prepared to answer questions surrounding your business processes and the design of your products. Quite often, this means describing various operational features, security safeguards you have in place, pricing rationale, and any commitments you’ve made toward sustainability initiatives.

Trust is an important element when government agencies establish new partnerships. This is why it’s critical to be as honest and transparent as possible during the evaluation phase. Doing this starts building a strong foundation that you can leverage to create a long-term working relationship.

Providing Opportunities to Demonstrate Products

Offering free trials and demonstrations can be very useful when trying to maneuver through government buying procedures. Giving agencies the ability to interact with your SaaS products gives them an opportunity to test their relevancy without the full obligation of purchase.

During your demonstrations, you can show the agency how your solutions work firsthand and answer any questions they may have along the way. This is a great way to improve your brand reputation and can make it easier for you to secure other government contracts in the future.

Start Closing More Government Deals

To close more government contracts for your SaaS products, it’s important to modify your outreach strategies. By applying the approaches discussed, you’ll generate more interest in your SaaS products while making it easier to navigate more complex buying cycles that lead to actual sales results.

The post A Practical Guide to Selling SaaS Solutions to Government Buyers appeared first on SiteProNews.

As the business landscape evolves, business leaders face new challenges. The rise of remote work, advancements in artificial intelligence, and the emergence of troubling tariffs are all recent examples of changes leaders have been forced to grapple with. New developments introduce new challenges that require new thinking.

Those who can conjure the thoughts needed to navigate new challenges help their companies excel in new environments. As their thoughts make it out into their industry, they also add value there and earn themselves the title of thought leader.

Achieving thought leader status pays dividends to both business leaders and their companies. It boosts credibility and trust among employees, consumers, and other stakeholders, who see the company as one whose leadership effectively addresses its industry’s pressing issues. It also enhances the visibility of the leader and their company. Both benefits open the door to new business growth opportunities. 

The following are some steps business leaders should pursue to become sought-after thought leaders.

Build on your strengths to become a master in your field

Developing a thought leader platform will be easier if you build it on your core competencies. Start with an assessment of your strengths. What expertise have you already developed? What unique perspective do you have that will set you apart?

Once you identify your niche, double down on developing your understanding in that area. Explore what others are saying about the topic. Identify the problems you are seeing and think through possible solutions. Remember that building a following requires knowing your audience and what thoughts will be most helpful to them.

It’s also important that your expertise go beyond the theoretical. As you develop new thoughts, test them in your company to see how impactful they are. Thought leaders must be able to show people they have more than good ideas. Their thoughts must be proven to work in the real world.

Always be ready to join the conversation

Growing your reputation as a thought leader requires taking advantage of every opportunity to join the conversation. That includes accepting invitations to weigh in on topics that are peripheral to your area of expertise. While this may require some creativity, it can help you to build your following.

For example, if your niche is healthcare technology, appearing on a podcast focused on AI will be a natural fit. Contributing to reporting on the impacts of US tariffs will not be as natural. However, you could explain how most medical devices are manufactured outside of the US, which means tariffs could increase costs for those who rely on those devices, and then share your thoughts on how the industry can effectively navigate the tariffs.

Limiting your focus will help you to increase your expertise. Limiting your engagement, however, will limit your exposure. Being ready to talk about everything will provide you with more open doors for engagement.

Engaging as often as possible will also position you as a regular contributor to the conversation, which will help to build your reputation. If you start your journey by seeking out every opportunity, opportunities will eventually seek you out. 

Establish a community and engage with it

A community of followers can be an invaluable resource for increasing both your expertise and reach. Social media allows you to establish that community and engage with it.

You can start building community by making sure people know how to connect with you. Share your X, LinkedIn, and other relevant social profiles whenever you have the opportunity. And make sure you are active on those channels. Allow those who look you up to experience the type of value that converts them to followers.

Taking conversations to social media can also help you grow as a thought leader. Share with your networks the issues you are wrestling with and solicit their thoughts. Invite them to share their wins and the things holding them back. Engaging with colleagues and offering support allows you to establish yourself as a fellow traveler and a trustworthy guide.

When you experience media wins, don’t hesitate to share them with your community. Provide links and key takeaways. As they see others calling upon you for your expertise, your value increases in their eyes.

Always be genuine when you share

Committing to authenticity will streamline your journey to becoming a sought-after thought leader. People will rarely trust you if you don’t come across as genuine. And they definitely won’t share the information you provide with their networks.

Staying transparent will add to your authenticity. Share with people how your experiences have contributed to your expertise, including both the successes and failures. Your audience can get ideas from AI. They’re looking to you for thoughts that have been tested and shown to be impactful.

To be seen as an authentic thought leader, you’ll also need to stay committed to providing value to your audience. Your goal should be helping people with insights they can apply. Simply promoting your products or services will position you as a salesperson, not a thought leader.

Becoming a sought-after thought leader won’t happen overnight. It requires an investment and a long-term commitment. By building on your strengths, cultivating a community, and always being ready to share something genuine, you’ll slowly but surely build a solid reputation and a dedicated following.

The post How To Be a Sought-After Thought Leader appeared first on SiteProNews.