Business Tips | Lauren Kinghorn

The Importance of SEO For Dental Websites

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Elize Swanepoel

The coupling of strong dental websites and good search engine optimisation or SEO is crucial for effective dental marketing and attracting new patients. In this era of digital technology, everyone searches for their needs online. That is why you need to make sure that you make use of all the available tools at your disposal. You need to take advantage of their potential to boost your business.

Speak to a good digital dental marketing team today to get professional advice and assistance. They can help with setting up and maintaining a bespoke, modern, informative, and functional website. Such a website can help teach potential patients everything they need to know about your practice and the services you have on offer. This will subsequently help to attract new patients to grow and expand your dental practice.

Knowing your competitors

To put together an effective dental website, it is a good idea to first scrutinize competitor websites to see what they look like and the services they offer.

This will give you a good idea of what to include and what you need to do to stand out from the crowd.

Gaining The Upper Hand Over Competitors

You must find out which fields of dentistry the dental practices in your area specialize in, and look for gaps in the market.

With this information, you can put together a website that offers not only what your competitors offer, but also what they do not. This will go a long way in giving your website a competitive edge.

Furthermore, with this information, you can create an attractive and functional website that is informative, educational and puts you ahead of your competitors.

You have to highlight the significance of regular dental check-ups and the detrimental effects of failing to do so. This will encourage patients to book an appointment and address their dental needs.

How Does SEO work?

Once you have an optimized website in place, you should implement a combination of methods and techniques to improve search engine optimization (SEO) for your website. This means carrying out keyword research to find out which dental terms are most commonly searched for in your area. Be sure to use these keywords throughout your website repetitively and strategically. Once you do this, Google will recognize that you have the answers to what potential patients are trying to find out about dental needs.

By regularly carrying out keyword research, you can keep up with the current trends and use this to update and maintain your website. You can also create new content in the form of videos and blogs to upload onto your website. Or you can share on social media channels. The more you can engage with your patients, the more efficient you will be with boosting the success of your dental practice.

Conclusion

We hope this post about the importance of SEO for dental websites has been useful. Speak to a good dental marketing team today to find out more about the different techniques that can be used to maintain SEO and how they can help attract more patients to your website and your dental practice.

Effective Dental Marketing Using Research and Social Media

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Elize Swanepoel

Effective Dental marketing is essential for the growth and success of your dental practice. Over the last few decades, dental marketing has had a complete shift to digital dental marketing. And to make sure that you do not fall behind and lose potential patients to your competition, it is important that you also invest in digital dental marketing. This helps to attract new patients and allow your dental practice to continue to grow and flourish amongst the competition.

To do this you can speak to a multi-award-winning, digital dental marketing team who will have the knowledge and expertise to put together an excellent dental marketing system for you. To create a digital dental marketing strategy you need to begin with a modern and bespoke dental website which will be the virtual front door to your dental practice.

By delegating the creation and maintenance of your website to a specialist dental marketing team you will have a website that will be attractive, informative and educational.

However, the website must be individually tailored for your practice to help you stand out from the crowd.

Keyword Research

Once you have an eye-catching dental website in place it is important that you maintain this on a regular basis. Keep adding new content in the form of articles and blogs to help encourage patients, existing and potential.

This could encourage revisits to your website for more information and for further encouragement to address their dental needs.

To make sure that patients are interested in the content that you create, you need an experienced dental marketing team to carry out keyword research. Keyword research is essential for finding out which fields of dentistry are of most interest in your area.

Once you have a list of the key terms that are searched for most frequently in your geographical vicinity you can use them to write new articles regularly and upload them to your website. This shows patients that you have the solutions for their dental needs.

Facebook and Instagram

By creating social media pages you can engage with your patients further. The most popular social media platforms are Facebook and Instagram. By making sure that you are present on both you will have widened your audience significantly in comparison to having a dental website alone.

These social media platforms attract different demographics of the public and work in different ways. Also, by creating different types of content for each platform you will be giving your dental practice more exposure. More exposure will subsequently help attract new patients to your practice.

Uploading photos and videos of successful treatments and smile makeovers at your dental practice on Instagram, will show your patients the level of dental care that you are able to provide. Picture of the work you perform at your practice will encourage them to share these pictures with their friends and family. Sharing helps potential patients imagine how you can help improve the appearance and health of their teeth.

On Facebook, you may want to write small articles according to your keyword research, which potential patients can read and again share with their friends and family to educate them and help widen your audience at the same time.

Conclusion

Effective dental marketing is a crucial aspect of any dental practice to put your business on the map and attract more visitors to your website and create brand awareness.

Why Small Business Logo Design is Essential For Your Brand

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Lauren Kinghorn

Small business logo design plays an integral part in brand recognition. In this post, we explore why it is so important to design a logo that is memorable and effective brand recognition.

Why Small Business Logo Design is Essential For Your Brand

But before we delve deeper into this topic, if you need some ideas on logo design, check out this comprehensive guide to modern logos now.

Why Must Your Business Have a Logo?

A thoughtfully designed logo helps to build trust and get visitors to your site to stick around.

In addition, it tells them who you are, what your line of business is, and in what way it can benefit them. It is an excellent way of communicating with clients who have no prior experience or knowledge about your business, that you do splendid work.

A logo that does not look professional will only pose the question in people’s minds of how well you will be able to deliver your services or products. It is so easy for a potential client to hit the back button or choose another company merely because they look more legit. Visitors make instant judgements, and a poorly designed logo will only make them leave.

That is why it is worth spending some time on cultivating a strong logo that stands out, is memorable, and that creates a positive association with your brand. Logos have a strong symbolic association that connects to people’s emotions and memories.

How Can You Create a Strong Logo?

A small business logo design must encompass a clear and easily interpreted message. It must immediately connect with your target audience.

As far as a logo is concerned, the rule is to keep it simple, so that it works well across various media platforms, and is efficient at any given size.

Small brands, unlike larger corporations, do not have the advantage of years of brand recognition which people associate with their business, nor an extensive marketing budget to help consumers understand what their business is about and what it does.

That is why you must think outside the box and create a logo that clearly communicates who your brand is and what you do, instantaneously.

From concept to completion, there is a lot to think about when you design a business logo.

However, the three most essential components of an excellent small business logo are:

simple colours
excellent typography, and a
compelling visual element.

Select Colours Cleverly

The colour of your business logo will control how it is perceived and ultimately has the power to drive buying decisions. Colour gives meaning and triggers emotions. And when you use it persistently across all marketing campaigns, it can boost brand recognition by up to 80 %.

Picking your logo colours will depend on your target market and industry. You will notice that some industries usually stick with specific colours. For instance, financial institutions typically utilize blue since it communicates dependability and security. Brands use blue to instil feelings of trust in their services and products.

Select Typography That Signifies Your Business Values

The choice of typefaces and how you arrange them is equally important as the use of imagery, colour, or graphics when you create a small business logo.

Why? This is because people generally interpret the way that a word looks usually with what the word actually states to regulate how they feel.

Choose An Iconic Visual Element

Even though 72% of the top brand names are made up of acronyms or words, those names generate a picture in a person’s mind, using typography.

You can do the same by using graphic elements, icons, and symbols. Visual elements add interest, and they make a logo notable. It must grab the awareness of the customer for ten seconds in order for them to memorize it and generate an opinion about it.

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed this post about why small business design is essential for your brand and that you will take some of them on board when you design a memorable logo for your small business. Design is important for brand recognition and creating a good one can reap immense benefits for your business.

How to Level Up Your Life Fast with Elizabeth Batalla

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Lauren Kinghorn

Learn How to Level Up Your Life Fast with Elizabeth Batalla

Elizabeth Batalla founded The Institute for Achievement and Excellence.

Elizabeth has distilled her 30 years of experience in corporate management and training into her flagship online program, “Achieving Professional Excellence”.

The Institute for Achievement and Excellence

Course Details and GIVEAWAY

Find out more in our interview below or go to the full podcast on Fempreneurs Unite.

Level up Your Life and Be Unstoppable

Lauren: In your own words, what do you do for a living?

Elizabeth: I help women to be unstoppable so they can achieve success and fulfilment in their professional and personal life.

Lauren: If you wear many hats in business, which of these do you love most, which takes most of your time and which brings in the most income?

Elizabeth:

Love most: creating amazing content to help inform, instruct and inspire all who access it.
Most time: YouTube videos due to the animated content – current animation technology is great but it still has a long way to go.
Most income: It is word of mouth – i.e. personal references.

Elizabeth Batalla – Zone of Genius

Lauren: What is your zone of genius?

Elizabeth: Helping others recognise how attainable achieving their dream(s) actually is, providing practical steps to accomplish it and adding a splash of motivation so they realise living the life they want is not something reserved for the select few.

Lauren: Do you feel you are operating in your zone of genius in your business?

Elizabeth: Absolutely! It is the reason why I created The Institute for Achievement and Excellence.

After 30 years in the corporate world and mentoring many along the way, I decided to package my formula for success in a form that is easily accessible to someone with internet access.

Elizabeth the Entrepreneur

Lauren: When did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: May 2020 – during the early stage of the global pandemic.

I instinctively felt that the world would not be the same and judging from a couple of months prior to May 2020 – that the fallout would be intense and there would be many who would benefit from what I had stored in my head.

Lauren: Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: To do what I love full-time – help women to be unstoppable through easily accessible, high-quality masterclasses that can completely change their lives and ripple out to the lives of their loved ones.

Lauren: Is this your first entrepreneurial pursuit?

Elizabeth: No. I have tried other ventures but with the intention of doing it part-time. The Institute for Achievement and Excellence is the only venture I have dedicated myself to fully.

Lauren: What prompted you to start your own business?

Elizabeth: I was always interested in the possibility of being an entrepreneur but attempted it more as a hobby. I believe the pandemic was a turning point for many… I am one such statistic. I felt a shift in my priorities – from supporting women part-time as an element of my job description to empowering women full time as my burning passion.

Lauren: How did you come up with the idea?

Elizabeth: After 30 years in corporate education and mentoring many along the way, there was an unmistakable trend in the type of questions, concerns, desires, guidance needed etc.

Of course, there is an overlap with some of the elements but for the most part, they can be categorised into 9 life areas.

The flagship program – Achieving Professional Excellence – addresses these elements.

Who Elizabeth Serves

Lauren: Who did you have in mind when you started your business? Who do you serve?

Elizabeth: Who I have in mind: Women! Women of all beautiful shapes, colours and sizes.

Although we have come a long way, women still do not enjoy equal opportunities in their professional and personal circles. A woman may not always have control over her situation but she has control over how she shows up in the situation.

The woman I have in mind is someone who is keen to be the best that she can be, knows that investing in herself never ends and takes control of the outcomes in her life despite the challenges of inequality she faces.

Who I serve: Predominantly women from 25 to 50 who want to achieve success in their personal and professional growth, want a holistic approach to the process and have minimal time to accomplish it.

Career Highlights and Challenges

Lauren: What has been the number one highlight of your career?

Elizabeth: The wonderful feedback from women who have completed the masterclass and are now experiencing a life they thought was only possible for others not for them.

Lauren: What has been the greatest challenge for you to overcome in your career?

Elizabeth: Successfully navigating the world of male-dominated companies as a female…

Lauren: All things considered do you feel it was a good decision to become an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: Absolutely! I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Daily Work Schedule and Rituals

Lauren: Where do you work most days?

Elizabeth: I work from home because I like feeling comfortable and having access to all I need when I am working.

Lauren: How many days per week do you work on average?

Elizabeth: Every day except on Sundays (from noontime, onwards). I step away from technology completely.

Lauren: How many hours do you estimate you work per day on average?

Elizabeth: At the moment – 10 hours 😉

Lauren: Do you have any daily rituals to maintain a work-life balance?

Elizabeth: Absolutely! I follow what I teach. I strive for balance. I have rituals in the morning, mid-day and night. I ensure that by the end of each week, I have given adequate time to all 9 of my life areas.

Passion, Vision and Message

Lauren: Do you feel you are living your passion?

Elizabeth: Yes… and sharing it with the world!

Lauren: Do you feel you have already created your best work?

Elizabeth: I have… and more of my best is yet to come!

Lauren: If you were to die tomorrow, would you be at peace knowing you had lived a full, happy and meaningful life? Or would you feel you were dying with your song unsung?

Elizabeth: I am singing my song as we speak.

Lauren: Wonderful! Do you have a message you would like the world to hear?

Elizabeth: Regardless of your starting point, your dreams are possible to achieve so never, ever give up on them.

Elizabeth Batalla – Advice for New Entrepreneurs

Lauren: What advice would you give someone just starting out as an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: The number one piece of advice is:

Don’t wait for the ideal time to start what you need to do to get where you want to go!

There is never a perfect time to take action so let go of the notion that today is not the ‘right’ day. The biggest obstacle is simply getting started.

Start where you are, use what you have and do the best you can… but JUST GET STARTED.

Lauren: Is there anything you wish you knew when you started out as an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: My attributes of dedication, resilience and patience will be tested – CONSTANTLY.

They are required to maintain the momentum, recover from disappointments and control expectations because sustaining success as an entrepreneur is a race for the marathon runner, not the sprinter.

Lauren: What have you missed out on by becoming an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: The luxury of working 9-5.

The day of an entrepreneur starts earlier, ends later and spills over into the weekends.

Lauren: What have you gained by becoming an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: Patience, resilience and establishing clear boundaries.

Lauren: Do you feel you chose an easy path or a difficult one?

Elizabeth: Definitely a more challenging one. Being an entrepreneur is no easy feat. The highs/lows, successes/failures, mastery/madness – it makes living quite a rollercoaster of a ride.

Hopes, Plans and Fears

Lauren: What are your hopes and plans for this year?

Elizabeth: To help as many women as I can to achieve their professional and personal transformation goals via my masterclasses.

Lauren: What are your fears?

Elizabeth: What I am doing now! It takes a great degree of courage to step off the cliff of your comfort zone, so you can soar to the heights you are destined to reach.

Tools of the Trade and Mentors

Lauren: Which tools of the trade have been enormously helpful for you?

Elizabeth: Online courses to bridge my knowledge gap. I invest in courses to learn the basics, how to do things correctly from the start, tricks of the trade etc. A lot can be learned from courses at a very reasonable price.

It is time, effort and money-saving. In this way, when I pay for coaches I get more value because the time I have with them is used more for strategic advice rather than basic guidance.

Lauren: Who has been enormously helpful to you? Do you have mentors in business?

Elizabeth:

Helpful: Everyone I come into contact with has value because that is how I choose to see others. As a result, I continue to receive help all the time (and I make sure to pay it forward).

Mentor: Not any one person as it depends on my point of focus or gap I am trying to close at the time.

If you told me a couple of years ago that I would invest in special software and binge-watch how to create animated videos for my youtube channel, I would have thought that maybe you had one too many glasses of Champagne (or whichever drink makes you happy).

Lauren: Are there any courses or studies you feel have been essential to your success?

Elizabeth: Yes – a more in-depth understanding of the various social media and search engine platforms – it’s a challenge to keep on top of changing algorithms and regulations.

Lauren: Is there a book, song or movie that has had huge significance or meaning in your life?

Elizabeth:
There are many so I will share the one that started it for me. I like its simplicity – of the message, of the implementation and of the result.

It is called:

The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn. (orig. pub. 1925)
Another honourable mention is: Who Moved My Cheese by Spenser Johnson (orig. pub. 1998)

Spreading the Word

Lauren: If there was any way I could help you, what it would it be?

Elizabeth: To help me spread the word that there IS a proven formula available for achieving success and fulfilment in one’s professional and professional life.

Lauren: Who is your target market? If I were to give you a referral, who would I be looking for?

Elizabeth: Women 25-40, at the operational – mid-management level in their companies or in-between jobs, eager to improve personally and professionally and want to level up their lives (in a holistic way) – fast.

Learn How to Level Up Your Life Fast with Elizabeth Batalla

GIVEAWAY

Elizabeth is very kindly giving away free lifetime unlimited access to her signature course, Achieving Professional Excellence to one lucky member of Fempreneurs Unite.

The program sells for $599.99 (plus charges) so it’s a VERY GENEROUS gift.

And it’s worth far more to you when you apply what is taught in the program because that’s how you will learn how to level up fast and be unstoppable.

If you’d like to be considered for this wonderful prize, make sure you’re a member of Fempreneurs Unite on LinkedIn (it’s free to join). And leave a comment below this post or our podcast post saying why Elizabeth and her panel should pick you for the award.

She is looking for someone who is ready to level up in their professional and personal life yet may not be able to afford to invest in herself at this stage.

The closing date for the giveaway will be midnight (UK time) on Tuesday 24th August and we will announce the winner on Wednesday 25th August.

Post Update – 25 August 2021

Announcement – We have a Winner!

Our warmest congratulations to Elize Swanepoel, the winner of our Giveaway. Elize left an amazing comment on our post on Fempreneurs Unite.

Elize is super excited to get started on Elizabeth’s course, Achieving Professional Excellence. Thanks so much, Liz for so kindly offering this generous prize.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lauren Kinghorn (@laurenjeankinghorn)

Visit The Institute for Achievement and Excellence

I’m doing this program myself, so I’ll be publishing a full review as soon as I’m finished. In the meantime, have a look at all course details here: https://courses.achievementandexcellence.com/

Remember that the signature course is a combination of every course Elizabeth has created.

Connect with Elizabeth

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Affiliate Disclaimer: If you purchase anything through a link in this post, please assume I have an affiliate relationship with the company providing the product or service that you purchase, and that I’ll be compensated in some small way at no extra cost to you.

Strategic Upgrades to Enhance Commercial Property Value

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Lauren Kinghorn

As a property owner, you are probably always looking for ways to get the most value out of your building.

While commercial property management often involves some challenges, there are certain strategic upgrades that can enhance commercial property value.

Paying attention to this could have a substantial impact, plus it can provide you with a rewarding and lucrative investment plan.

6 Strategic Upgrades to Enhance Commercial Property Value

1. First Impressions Last

There is plenty you can do to make a large impact at the front of the building, especially if you are planning on selling the property. Make sure the garden beds are clean and neat, the lawns are mown, the windows are clean, and the overall exterior of the property is spotless.

Check that the paint is not peeling, the driveways and paths are pressure cleaned and swept before each inspection. If the building’s façade is looking a little outdated and tired and if your budget permits, think about having the outside repainted.

2. Present a Blank Canvas

It is imperative to present a blank canvas to new possible buyers if you are contemplating placing your commercial building on the market. Just like the essential aspects of home staging, the first thing to do is getting rid of pre-existing business items like equipment, photographs, and furniture. A clean slate will permit prospective buyers to envision themselves occupying the space.

The second thing to do is making the blank canvas as appealing as possible for the new buyers. You can do this by having every inch of the building deep cleaned. This includes things like flooring, carpets, windows, walls, etc.

This blank canvas approach will provide the illusion of more rentable square footage to the purchaser for possible rental purposes, or for the needs of their present business.

3. Update Old Flooring

You can also consider updating old flooring to make the space more attractive. Consider which resilient flooring options will work best for your space and increase the property value.

What is Resilient Flooring? The best options usually include vinyl, cork, LVT, linoleum or rubber. It’s flooring that offers more give or bounce-back than carpet, wood or stone tiles.

4. Give The Space a Renewed, Neutral Palette

Any feature walls or bright paint colours can polarise your prospective buyers whereas white walls permit them to imagine living in the space or renting it to prospective renters. A Neutral palette helps generate a sense of space. The same applies to carpets. If the carpets are a little outdated and on the old side, consider replacing them with neutral carpeting or flooring. Think of the rental property as a display home while it is on the market. You want it to appeal to as many different people and avoid alienating anyone.

5. Upgrade Structural Integrity

This suggestion is particularly useful for sellers that own the entire commercial building. Inspect the building and property for any signs of wear and tear or degradation.

Have an architect or building contractor come do an assessment on the building to investigate possible structural repairs that need tending. Make sure the structural frame of the building is secure, the waterproof membrane or roof does not leak, and the building’s foundation does not have any cracks.

6. Update Lighting

Installing better lighting in many areas is an affordable, yet impactful way to enhance the appearance of the space. Apart from adding new light fixtures, you can also think about adding energy-efficient light globes.

LED lights, for instance, use 25 to 30 percent less energy as opposed to incandescent lighting, plus they last 25 times longer. This is a considerable saving that boosts your cash flow and the overall long-term value of the property.

Also, keep in mind that natural light is an immense advantage for any space, therefore ensure blinds, windows, and curtains are clean and open during inspections, and the outside bushes and trees are trimmed.

Conclusion

We hope you have found this post of 6 strategic upgrades to enhance commercial property value useful and that you will implement some of them if you are looking to sell your commercial building or simply upgrading it to boost the long-term value.

Enjoyed this post? You may also enjoy Why Invest in Commercial Real Estate?

4 Useful Tips on How to Sell on Azure

Posted on July 10, 2021 by Lauren Kinghorn

How to Sell on Azure

Microsoft commercial marketplace offers two online stores namely Microsoft AppSource and Azure Marketplace which are both channels that help businesses to market and sell their cloud-based solutions.

Today, we are sharing 4 tips on how to sell on Azure. First, let us tell you a little more about Azure Marketplace.

Azure Marketplace

Azure Marketplace has all the IT resources to solve any issues you might encounter in your online store or business. It is basically like a cloud store or a helpful channel that allows you to effectively market and sell your cloud solutions.

However, only cloud solutions that are certified for running on the Azure Marketplace can be sold here.

Features of Azure Marketplace

When you are using Azure Marketplace, you have access to the following features:

Displaying simulated machine images
Access to the Azure customer base worldwide
Solution templates

There are two ways to start selling on Microsoft Azure Marketplace.

Publishing your Azure certified cloud solutions to run on the marketplace. All the information for publishing solutions on the marketplace and what the process involves can be found under the publisher guide on the website.
Starting your own company or online store for selling products through the platform. You have access to a business guide with information on how to set up your business as well as helpful tips on how to grow your business.

4 Tips on How to Sell on Azure

Before creating your free account on the Azure Marketplace, you have access to free services for twelve months. During this period there are about twenty-five other services that you also benefit from which are also at no cost to you.

You also have the option of upgrading your account to a paid one which will give you access to upgraded features and services.

1. Applying For a Listing

The first step that will be required from you is submitting your offer of the products you will be selling or the services you will be providing. Once your company gets listed on the Azure Marketplace, you can begin selling through the platform.

2. Driving More Leads

Once your company is listed on the Azure marketplace, you need to start generating some leads for your prospective customers. Such leads will give customers access to live instances of your business or applications that are currently available on Azure. This can be incredibly useful as it gives customers insight into how your company will be meeting their needs.

3. Promoting Your Services, Products, or Solutions

The next step will be gaining access to Microsoft’s enterprise sellers. Once you have access, you have the benefit of having access to all Microsoft’s customers worldwide (about 100 regions and countries). You can now start promoting your company or cloud solution via Microsoft’s enterprise sellers.

4. Expanding Revenue

You will also need to keep tabs on your transactions which are basically the income and expenses of your company. Any successful company must leverage some productive commerce capabilities. You also need to obtain insights into the performance of your business and whether you are gaining revenue. You must evaluate whether your business is expanding or not.

Conclusion

We hope this information about azure and 4 tips on how to sell on Azure have been of use to you. The Azure Marketplace is a useful resource for starting and building your own business. It gives you access to IT solutions and a platform with customers worldwide where you can promote and sell your services or products and grow revenue.

This was post was sponsored by Tackle.

Sales Tax Nexus Guide for Businesses

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Lauren Kinghorn

Sales Tax Nexus Guide

The concept of sales tax nexus has become somewhat complicated, particularly for online sales businesses that sell products in various countries and states.

A nexus refers to the connection between multiple entities and when it comes to tax, it refers to the relationship between a business and the taxing authority.

Simply put, before sales tax can be imposed a nexus must exist.

In this sales tax nexus guide, we will tell you everything about how tax nexus works and the different types.

More About What Tax Nexus Entails

When a business has a tax presence in a specific state it is called “nexus”. It is basically the affiliation between the business and the taxing authority that collects sales tax.

There are two clauses of the united states that constitute the derivation of a tax nexus:

Due process clause – that requires a relationship
Commerce clause – that requires a significant presence

The presence can be outlined differently for various types of taxes. This means that a business is physically present in a state, for instance, employing workers or owning and maintaining property within the jurisdiction. Having a nexus could also define the degree and amount of business dealings that must be present before the business’s income is taxable within that jurisdiction.

The taxpaying business must collect sales taxes and pay it to the tax authority if it has nexus there and the company must also pay income taxes on the sales generated in the jurisdiction.

How Does Tax Nexus Work?

Even though the definition of nexus can be different for various jurisdictions, it typically requires that the business entity must be committed to a particular type of action within the jurisdiction. You might have nexus in a particular region if you:

Maintain an office in the area
Employ staff
Store inventory or products in a warehouse

In such a case, you will need to establish a sales tax rate for the location and collect it from customers in the area that buys from you. You will most likely pay income tax for the state as well.

Different Types of Tax Nexuses

Income Tax Nexus

Nexus is generally generated for income tax reasons if the business:

Has fixed income from sources in the state
Leases or owns property in the state
Employs staff members in the state that conduct activities that merely exceed a solicitation
Has property or capital assets located in the state

Sales Tax Nexus

Sales tax nexus is defined more loosely. A company may have sales tax nexus in the state if:

It conducts business at a physical location within the state
It employs resident staff members that work in the state
It has a staff member who frequently conducts business there, like a sales representative
It owns property in the state (including intangible property)

Types of Online Sales Nexuses

States have created various methods to assess a nexus for online sales.

Click-through nexus – a direct link between the seller and the buyer. This can happen when the company in the state is paid a commission for referring transactions to out-of-state sellers via links on websites.
Affiliate nexus – refers to affiliates which are independent companies that sell through affiliate businesses. For instance, the Amazon affiliates program is an excellent example. The affiliate does not work as an independent contractor or staff member but is actively linked with the business. This type of nexus usually requires a commission paid to the affiliate for referrals.
Economic nexus – is the most basic way of assessing a sales tax nexus. It involves sales. The company may have economic nexus in the state if it has sales over a specified amount of threshold. For example, Idaho has a threshold of $100 000 in sales annually as the minimum threshold for establishing sales tax nexus.

Conclusion

I hope this sales tax nexus guide has given you some insight into the world of sales tax and that it has given you the answers you needed going forward.

What is Electronic Waste Recycling and Why Do it?

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Lauren Kinghorn

A question on many people’s minds these days is what is electronic waste recycling and why do it?

What is Electronic Waste Recycling?

Electronics Recycling is the process of transforming e-waste and turning it into reusable materials. It is an essential activity that is beneficial to the environment and businesses.

We live in a world where users keep upgrading or changing their electronic devices and invest in faster and more effective products. This means more waste is produced that is not biodegradable.

Massive amounts of electronic appliances, phones and other electronic waste (e-waste) are ending up at landfills every day, despite most of them being recyclable.

E-waste involves anything that you can plug into an electrical outlet that you no longer have a use for. This includes refrigerators, cell phones, old televisions, lights, and even hearing devices.

Every electronics recycling effort at home or at the workplace makes a difference, and this is why.

5 Benefits of Electronic Recycling

1. Protecting The Environment

Electronics Recycling keeps an array of toxic materials out of the environment. Lighting such as lamps and fluorescent tubes contain harmful mercury that can seep into waterways when it is discarded at landfills.

However, when lighting equipment is recycled, the mercury is salvaged and safely utilized to produce products such as dental amalgam. The same applies to batteries, where cadmium, lead, and mercury is retrieved.

For instance, when you recycle a lead-acid battery, both the toxic lead-acid and the plastic casing is recycled, while the sulphuric acid inside is neutralised and transformed into sodium sulphate for making detergent and fertilizer.

2. Lowering Business Expenses

E-waste recycling is not just beneficial for the environment, but it could have a positive impact on your business finances too. Most governments are banning dumping or charging exorbitant prices for dumping. Your business can also benefit from non-tangible dividends by reducing future costs of non-renewable materials and uplifting staff morale and retention.

3. Supporting Non-Renewable Recycling

The ever-growing demand for electronics means an increased demand for metals and nonrenewable resources that must be mined and processed. But, electronic devices like appliances, cell phones and other e-waste can be salvaged and reused.

These resources include aluminium, gold, steel, and copper, not to mention the substantial amounts of plastic that can be used for making new products.

E-waste recycling means these materials can be re-used, providing more resources to manufacture your next TV or laptop.

4. Showing the World Your Business is Environmentally Friendly

Staff members increasingly prefer to work for companies that support the community and care about what happens to the environment.

Recycling is an easy and tangible way to show your business’s commitment to environmental and social values, and reinforcing these principles to your staff members.

More and more companies nowadays are playing their part by promoting green and sustainable practices.

5. It has Never Been This Easy to Recycle E-Waste

Recycling electronic waste doesn’t take a lot of effort but it reaps tremendous rewards. There are many places and waste companies that are more than willing to accept your old printers, TV’s, laptops, phones, or unwanted gadgets that you no longer have a use for.

Conclusion

I hope that this post has been useful and that it has convinced you to consider electronic waste recycling as a way to create a better world and doing your bit to save the planet.

What’s PKI and Do I Need PKI Certificates in My Business?

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Lauren Kinghorn

What’s PKI?

PKI is Public Key Infrastructure. Gulp… I know, quite a mouthful, right? Yet it’s not as complicated as it sounds.

PKI was introduced for businesses to facilitate protected data transfer between two points. X.509 Electronic certificates use public-key encryption which are known as PKI certificates.

I know this may sound a bit technical but the truth is, you probably have PKI certificates and you don’t know you have them. If you have a website, you’re likely to have a PKI certificate, better known as an SSL certificate because that’s what secures your site. It transforms your website from an HTTP to an HTTPS. Find out how I get my SSL certs free through Wealthy Affiliate.

So, do you need PKI certificates for your business? Almost certainly, yes. Do you need to know all the technical details of public key infrastructure? Nope. All you need to know is in this short article.

What is The Role of PKI Certificates?

Public key infrastructure certificates are basically data files that communicate particular information about their distinct certificate requesters and are utilized to confer encryption strictures.

Generally, they use formulas to:

Confirm the identity of websites, servers, email clients, browsers, publishers, and software developers.
Encrypt and decrypt resting data such as files and emails that are resting on servers.
Ensure safe transporting of data via the web, including e-commerce transactions.
Affix electronic signatures to documents, emails, and software.

Various Kinds of PKI Certificates

The most commonplace PKI certificates are:

1. TLS/SSL Certificate

An SSL/TLS certificate is useful for safeguarding data transfer between user browsers and website browsers. The website owner purchases and installs SSL certs on their server from where the website is hosted.

SSL/TLS certificates differ in terms of:

Functionality – depending on the data they are securing, for instance, multi-domains, single domains and wildcards.
Validation – OV (organizational validation), EV (extended validation), and DV (domain validation).

2. Personal Authentication Certificates

Also referred to as email signing certificates, personal authentication certificates and S/MIME certificates ensure email communication is secured by adding electronic signatures and making use of hashing functionality. They can also be useful for authenticating client information.

3. Document Signing Certificates

These certificates are utilized for keeping documents that you’re sharing over the net secure by adding electronic signatures as well as hashing functionality.

4. Code Signing Certificates

Code signing certificates are ideal for protecting your downloadable drivers, executables, and software. They are mainly used by publishers and software developers. They are also available in individual validation, organizational validation and extended validation format and assist software developers with avoiding security warnings.

More About PKI

PKI is a set of policies, procedures, technologies, and frameworks that embodies and supports public key authentication and encryption. Public key infrastructure was founded in the 1960s by the Government Communications Headquarters and entails using mathematically connected key pairs called a private key and a public key.

These keys are created and assigned for verifying the identities of endpoints. They are also useful for encryption and decryption of data.

Do I Need PKI Certificates in My Business?

People often have uninformed misconstructions about cybersecurity. For instance, start-ups and small businesses are secure online and do not need PKI Certificates or other forms of online protection to protect their data. However, cybercrime statistics tell a different story.

Irrespective of the size of your company, you could be at risk. Being cybersecurity attentive is something that keeps expanding since cybercriminals become more creative and smarter by the day with their cyberattacks.

PKI technology is essential when it comes to cybersecurity and digital communication. Installing a KPI certificate on your server could protect not only you, but your customers from different kinds of cyberattacks like phishing attacks, middle man attacks, DDoS attacks, session hijacking, email spoofing, and more.

One cyberattack could lead to a company losing its reputation and millions of dollars in noncompliance penalties and lawsuits.

Did you know that you were using PKI certificates in your business?

This post was sponsored by Key Factor. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

6 Benefits of Hiring a PR Agency For Your New Business

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Lauren Kinghorn

Many people understand the importance of public relations agencies thanks to TV shows and movies from the 1990s. These experts are always showcased as professional, glamorous, fearless, and bringing in heaps of money. Public relations play a significant role in business and it is crucial for new business owners to be successful.

Many businesses are under the impression that hiring a startup PR agency is costly and probably not necessary. On the contrary, a good PR agency can prove to be invaluable for businesses of all sizes, no matter if they are a startup business or have been trading for a few years.

Working alongside a public relations agency that specializes in startup PR can substantially boost the growth of your company and assist with being one of the best in the industry you trade-in.

6 Benefits of Hiring a PR Agency For Your New Business

1. An Excellent Way of Finding Investors

Having investors and reliable funding is detrimental for your company, particularly in the beginning phase. PR Agencies can assist with attracting investors by displaying the credibility of your business and producing strategies that specifically target prospective investors at the opportune time.

2. Lowering Business Costs

Public relations companies are now unified with other services to assist clients’ companies by offering valuable marketing strategies and SEO initiatives that work.

Hiring a startup PR agency helps to cut down the expense associated with finding the best tactics that are needed for expansion and gaining new clients. You can gain SEO and social media benefits by working alongside a PR agency instead of working on your own.

3. Establishing a Good Reputation for Your Business

Reputation is everything when it comes to attracting new clients, talented employees and investors in your company.

PR approaches can go a long way to boosting your business profile among competitors in the industry which could subsequently attract more talented individuals wishing to work for you and generating more business.

4. Targeting Media Outlets

PR Firms can benefit your business by bringing in fresh leads from specialised marketing approaches and implementing digital media into these tactics.

Hiring a PR company is incredibly advantageous because of its utilization of targeted media outlets as well as data analytics. A targeted media operation will create new investors and clients without wasting valuable time while trying to find them on your own.

5. Boosting Business Productivity

A PR Agency can provide more time for both you and your employees since you don’t have to spend time on brainstorm meetings trying to think of media strategies to boost your business. You can focus on other company tasks that need your full attention. Your employees can also focus on essential tasks to achieve favourable results.

6. Access to Unbiased Advice

Working alongside a PR company that is not part of the in-house team is beneficial since they can provide you with non-biased opinions about events and new products that are in the pipeline.

A professional PR agency that cares about their clients’ business will speak the truth and give valuable advice about whether it is worth spending cash on something that you think might expand your business.

They can also assist with sculpting your brand image since new business owners often get overly excited about fresh concepts and ideas that may not be the best thing for the business.

Conclusion

I hope that you have found this post helpful and that it has helped with giving you some insight into why it is worth investing in a startup PR agency to help your business with gaining success and getting an edge over competitors.

Feel free to leave us a comment highlighting your own experience and benefits of hiring a PR Agency.

This post was sponsored by Brandstyle. All opinions are my own.

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