Elementor #4285

INVESTMENT TRENDS

10 ways to be valuable at work

Key Drivers of Business Growth that you haven’t considered

”Marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed”

. — Dan Zarrella

Are you launching a new product or business?

In a competitive environment you need apt knowledge about the concerns and preferences of customers. A market research is the surest way to gain insights that will help you increase customer satisfaction, identify the dynamics that affect your business, and improve your performance.

Here are 5 things you need to consider when conducting your market research.

1. Clarify what you need to know about your market. A focused market research is much more valuable.

2. Your next step is to prioritize the result, with the information overload out there, it pays to concentrate on information that will give you the best and fastest value for you time and money

3. Be creative, consider alternatives that can save you money and time, talk to experts and consultants

4. Ensure you have cost estimate, work within your budget

5. When choosing an expert be sure that they are able to provide results that you need, do not pay for what you don’t need.

A good market research will help you achieve the following.

1. A good market research will identify the problem areas within your business.

2. A market research helps your teams understand the needs of existing customers and why they chose your service over competitors.

3. It is key for Identifying new business opportunities and changing market trends.

4. A market research will help your team recognize new areas for expansion, and increase your customer base.

5. With a detailed research, you will discover potential customers and their needs, and it can guide you in creating valuable products and services.

6. Since you will understand the market potential, your teams will be able to set achievable targets for business growth, sales, and latest product developments.

7. Finally, a thorough market research will help you make well-informed market decisions about your services and develop effective growth strategies.

Who can help?

The Business Outliers

The Business Outliers is a business development consultancy. Our enterprise development services helps companies with high growth and high impact potential to become commercially viable. We develop growth strategies for impact focused African based ventures. Market Research and Feasibility studies is one of our Market entry services that helps you enter new markets and launch new products seamlessly.

Contact us at

The Outlier Hub

10, Bisi Ogabi Street

by Allen Avenue, Ikeja Lagos

Email- hello@thebusinessoutliers.com

Website — www.thebusinessoutliers.com

Phone Call — +23408179714138

Raising Capital For Your Business in 2018

Want you want to raise capital for your business in 2018? Please fill this form.  
Want to get ready for investment ?, Use our FREE Investment readiness tool.

#READTHIS
Last December, at the African Entrepreneurship awards bootcamp, which took place in Morocco, I met an amazing collection of extraordinary African entrepreneurs pitching for a total prize money of $1,000,000. Many of the businesses pitched were high growth and high impact businesses with potential to scale across Africa. 

Out of the 40 entrepreneurs that made the last round of the award, 12 won price money for their businesses. The awards won include Innovation award given to Moroccan company- Atlan Space® for developing artificial intelligence in drones to monitor ships and protect marine ecosystems. Environment award given to Nigerian firm- Vicfold recyclers for Innovative process to pelletize plastic products, as well as Environment award given to Ghanaian company- Green Afro palms for efficient palm oil cultivation methods for farmers. These entrepreneurs are proof that Africa is set for transformation, the kind that comes as a result of finding solution to problems around us.

As we begin 2018, opportunities for grants and investments begin to open up for SME’s to partake. As an entrepreneur with an idea, seed or startup stage project, you must position yourself to be ready for investment.

Being investment ready is not only a mindset thing, it involves taking a thorough look at your business and weighing factors like, your model, your sources of revenue, your route to market, even review of your internal structure and corporate governance is important. It is important to wear the investor’s hat and see through the kind of lens they use.

For an entrepreneur who has little experience in fund raising, putting all these together might sound a bit overwhelming. But, with the right kind of help and advice, it becomes easier with time. This is why I have put together a FREE Investment readiness tool It is a test to help gauge your business and qualify your level of readiness for investments.

 
Also, do you want you want to raise capital for your business in 2018? Please fill this form. You will get access to a personalized step by step guide on how you can raise capital for your business.

Join Think Finance Africa on Telegram here

Visit our website for more important details.

With Love,
Lawunmi

PS: Would you love to tell us about your business and how we can help you find the right funds for your business, Kindly write to us

Apply for Funds Here

You want Funds for your Business? Then take up these opportunities:

  1. KICKSTART Season 3.0 Business Grant Programme
  • The competition is open ONLY to South Westerners of 18 to 35 years who live or have their business within the South Western region.
  • Applicants must be at least 18 and at most 35 years with valid identification (e.g National I.D; Drivers License; International Passport; Voters Registration, etc.) as at the last day of the application period.
  • He or she must be willing to operate the business on a full-time basis.
  • Have an innovative business idea in need of a start-up capital or already have an existing small businesses needing capital to expand operations.
  • Applicant must be energetic and entrepreneurial in approach.
  • Must be able to read and write.
  • Application is from 9th October to 6th November 2017 (12h00).

If you meet all the requirements Apply here 

 

  1. APPLY FOR THE CHIVAS VENTURE

Chivas Venture  looking for social entrepreneurs from around the world who are using business to create a better future.

If your business creates positive change, the chivas venture competition is for you. Applications are open until 9am GMT on 30th october. Apply here

 

  1. Shell LiveWIRE Nigeria

Shell LiveWIRE is a social investment programme that aims to help young Nigerians explore the option of starting their own business as a real and viable career option. The programme operates mainly in the Niger Delta region and aims to inspire, encourage and support young people aged 18-35 to start up their own businesses through the provision of finance and training for young entrepreneurs.

  • Are you aged 18-35 in Nigeria?
  • Do you have an innovative business idea?
  • Do you desire to  own and manage a business?
  • Do you possess a University degree or HND in any discipline
  • Have you completed NYSC (if mandatory)?
  • Not in paid employment.

Apply here

 

  1. Shuttleworth Foundation Fellowship

The Shuttleworth Foundation offers fellowships to individuals to implement their innovative idea for social change. They are most interested in exceptional ideas at the intersection between technology, knowledge and learning, with openness being the key requirement.

Applications for the 1 March 2018 fellowship intake are open. The application round will close on 23 October 2017. Apply here

 

  1. USAID

Innovations in Feed the Future Monitoring and Evaluation Program. USAID intends to provide up to $5 million in total USAID funding over a three-year period. USAID intends to award multiple Cooperative Agreements pursuant to this notice of funding opportunity, with award amounts ranging up to $1,000,000. USAID reserves the right to fund any one or none of the applications submitted. Apply Here

 

Idea Meets Market- Free for a limited time eBook

Idea Meets Market- Five critical steps to validate business ideas in the African market space – Ebook 

All through my career, I have helped entrepreneurs achieve success in both small and big ways. Some have raised financing, while others have successfully proven their business ideas.

Do you have a business idea, and you want to know if it is a good one, without spending too much money ? You’re not alone, a lot of the people I work with have the same concerns.

They were looking for simple, cheap and effective ways to know if their business idea can make money, and that’s why I wrote ‘’idea meets market’’.

It’s a business start-up book, that shows how successful African entrepreneurs have used minimal resources to validate their business idea.

The results gotten from this process, forms the premise for building high growth business, which investors seek.

I am giving the eBook out, FREE for a limited time via the link below.

Regards

Olawunmi

\\Click here to opt for the book Idea Meets Market- by Olawunmi Olatunji

 

 

6 Proofreading Tips to Create a Mistake-Free Resume

Your resume is one of the first impressions a hiring manager will have when you apply to a new job or position. As one of the few materials a hiring manager will get when determining whether to call you for an interview, you want to ensure you’re making a good first impression.

When applying to a new job, you want your resume to accurately describe who you are as a professional. This means you’ll want to only submit resumes that are mistake-free and impeccably done. Unfortunately, careless mistakes appear on resumes every day. When you submit a resume riddled with spelling errors and grammar mistakes, you probably won’t get a call back.

Related: 3 Important Tactics for Job Interviews

To improve your chances of getting the job, here are a few tips on how to create a mistake-free resume to apply to new jobs with.

1. Use an online checker

After you’ve created the first draft of your resume, run it through an online spelling and grammar checker. You can use the majority of these programs for free if you’re only interested in a basic check, which is typically enough for your resume.

While an online grammar checker won’t be enough to sufficiently proofread your resume, it can detect some of the major issues in your writing, like whether you’ve accidentally written then instead of than. This can give you a solid foundation to get started.

2. Read it out loud

Reading any document out loud can help you identify problems in sentence structure or wording that just doesn’t sound right. Reading out loud also forces you to focus on the words and how they sound together, so you’re more likely to catch any mistakes.

Related: Things to Do When Your Job Is at Risk

If you feel weird reading your resume out loud to yourself, ask a friend or family member to listen. They can help you identify any problems and provide you with a second opinion.

3. Get a second set of eyes

It’s difficult to catch mistakes if you understand what you’re trying to say or you’ve been looking at the document for too long. In this case, you may need another set of eyes to scan over your resume and pick out any mistakes.

Send your resume to at least one friend or family member to look over. If you have a few friends or family members willing to check it out, don’t hesitate to send it to three or four. The more opinions you can get, the more likely you are to identify a problem before you send the resume in.

4. Hire a professional editor

While you may not need professional editing services each and every time you send in a resume, hiring an editor to comb through your resume before you hit the job market hard is a good idea. Because it is an editor’s job to look for mistakes and make suggestions, they can ensure you’re sending in the best version of your resume possible. In addition to your resume, they can also proof your application, cover letter, portfolio and other crucial correspondences.

Consider hiring an editor with experience editing resumes. The writing you use in a resume is typically much more direct than someone would use in sales copy or in a novel. Using an editor who specializes in editing job search documents can give you a leg up on the competition.

5. Double check contact information

When you’re worried about submitting a resume with a spelling or grammatical error, you may not even notice the contact information is incorrect. If you’ve recently moved, you’re using a resume template or you made a mistake when entering your phone number or address, it can mean prospective employers will have a challenging time finding you. Be sure to fix any incorrect information before you submit the document.

Check even the smallest of details, such as the abbreviations for states. While they may seem unimportant, using the wrong information on your resume can make you seem unprofessional and careless. Even something as silly as abbreviating a state the wrong way could cost you the job.

6. Come back to it later

Once you believe you’ve caught all the errors on your resume, set it aside and come back to it later. Although there may not be any additional mistakes, coming back to it with a clear mindset can help you feel confident when it’s time to send it off.

Related: 5 Steps to Finding Your Next Job

Give yourself at least an hour or two between edits. If you’re able, give yourself a full day or two. Be sure to plan for this break when you’re applying to a job. Don’t wait until the last minute to create a resume.

Whenever you send someone a resume, you are sending a representation of yourself — be sure it’s a good one. While it may be time-consuming to go through your resume with a fine-tooth comb, you’ll be happy you spent the extra time proofreading and editing when you get a call for an interview. Don’t jeopardize your shot at getting your dream job because you didn’t proofread.

4 Tips for a Successful Content Strategy

Many businesses, especially small businesses, struggle to keep their content marketing strategy on track. With constantly changing trends in social media, influencer marketing and other media, it can be hard just to determine a strategy, let alone keep it up to date. However, as marketing evolves into a targeted, data-centric field, it’s more important than ever to ensure that your content has a strong presence.

Try these tips to help your content strategy succeed.

1. Use an editorial calendar

Whether you type it up in a spreadsheet or use a plug-in for your CMS, a good editorial calendar can focus your content goals and help you achieve them. Keep a list of topics along with the best medium for delivering the content. Good content strategies will diversify and include multiple formats, such as infographics, videos, social media campaigns, blogs, press releases and more. Use the editorial calendar to plan out when you want content posted, but avoid focusing on too many details. Topics can be moved around to suit trends in your industry, and formats can be changed or combined if it works best for the piece.

2. Be trendy

Know what’s going on in your industry, and share this knowledge with your audience through new formats. Try a webinar or go live on Facebook. Create a quiz or contest. Don’t be afraid to fail at something new. Not every medium will work for your audience, but you can learn a lot from the campaigns that don’t work. If you see a new challenge that matches your brand voice, make it a priority to try that next. You never know which piece of content will go viral.

3. Invest in your content creators

Doing everything yourself is incredibly difficult, so it’s important to have a good team backing you up. Having a strong team will allow the work flow to continue even if one person is out and will help to create a more cohesive voice throughout your content. Building a rapport with your content creators will ensure they understand both your brand voice and goals, whether they are internal or external. The more invested they are in the company, the better the content will be. Find people who create content that best showcases your brand and be willing to listen to their ideas.

4. Analyze everything

With so much data now available, content marketers have unlimited numbers to help them determine what’s working and what’s not. Keep track of when content is posted; send reminders to customers that may have missed it at a different time and see which does better. Try different newsletter styles to see if one has a better open rate. Look over your social media posts and engagement rates to develop a strategy for each platform tailored to that audience. Adjust your strategy often to keep it running smoothly.

Having a good content strategy is essential for every business. By constantly evaluating that strategy, you’ll have a better chance of meeting those goals and staying on track.