Category: Career

Apple sold its first product in 1976, and it was a basic computer named Apple I. Today they have various products ranging from iPod to Macbook, but their marketing strategy remains the same. When Apple launched the iPod, the ad read “1000 songs in your pocket”. Today, the advertisement for the Apple watch reads “40 million songs in your pocket”. 

The same marketing strategy for two different products at different times suggests how strong the brand vision is. Apple is known today as the company that endorses innovation. The company has produced devices with varied services and innovated explicitly through the years with the changing market trends while increasing their sales year after year. It is a product of a clear brand vision and has a strategically planned roadmap.

What is the one document that will help a Project Manager, the CEO, the whole team when they get stuck on a project? It is the Business Roadmap.

A business roadmap is a document with all the key events and timelines laid out strategically. This document helps all teams and employees be on the same page and plan out events in a well-calculated way. Also, there’s no need for you to spend a cent, since there are many business roadmap software free to use. When implemented wisely, it will bring in high profits and excellent investments to the business. 

Many companies have benefited from having an efficient roadmap. This article talks about everything needed to build and work with a business roadmap.

What Are Some Of The Common Problems Businesses Face?

All companies face some common problems that can be solved only by spending time with it, and visualizing. Following are some of these issues:

1. Lack Of Business Process Management (BPM): Companies largely need the BPM system to grow and enter new markets. They also help in optimizing and automating business processes. A failed BPM system can result in an ineffective communication within the company and, eventually, a decrease in profitability. 

2. Lack Of Direction/Vision: Businesses grow exponentially when they go hand-in-hand with market growth. To sustain the business in this market in the long run, even billion-dollar companies need to constantly adapt and evolve with the growing demands with keeping the ultimate brand vision in mind. A lack of vision can also lead to a failure in keeping up with market transformations. In this case, you begin to lose your company/market fit.
   
3. Failing To Define & Sell On The Unique Competitive Advantage: If your business has not identified what skills and resources it possesses by which it can sell some products and services at lower prices and to a larger consumer base, you miss out on a lot of sales. 

Competitive advantage has the potential to make your brand more desirable. 

Importance Of A Business Roadmap

Airbnb’s former head of global hospitality built a document and called it “The infamous paper to take over the world.” It was a business roadmap. And today, Airbnb is one the best in their industry. A good business roadmap can help your business achieve goals more efficiently, just like Airbnb did.

What All Does A Business Product Roadmap Have?

1. Depending on the company and the product, the roadmap can have a few technical information and features.
   
2. The roadmap needs to have a vision about how the product will evolve with the market growth. Markets grow constantly and you will need to have a strategy of how your products will be in demand.
   
3. Besides an alignment tool, the roadmap should also consist of all the decided timelines. It will help everyone on the team be driven and focused.
   
4. The roadmap should have an answer to all the “why’s” behind decisions around the product. Why do you need to attract a certain audience? Why do you need to allocate resources from this source? 

How To Build A Business Roadmap?

No matter what others tell you, building a business roadmap is not a very daunting task. Only the first step is a little challenging, and you can keep updating certain parts of the roadmap as you advance through the journey. 

1. Write down your ultimate vision that you are trying to achieve with your product. You do not need to write what the product is or what the fine details are. Remember, it is a guide to where you want to go, not how to reach.

2. Calculate and analyze the company to market fit. Are the chances of this fit increasing or decreasing in the coming times? A perfect Product/Market fit will compound itself over time. In simple words: Product/market fit is when people sell for you.

3. Your business roadmap should prioritize the goal of the business before the features of individual products. You can build these features with time, but remember the goal is your foundation.

4. Now, decide on an ETA for this roadmap. You don’t have to mark a specific date, but be clear about the approximate time. The ETA gives a sense of time to other team members, which will keep them driven through the entire course of the project.
   
5. The last thing you need to talk about in the roadmap is possible risks and mitigation. Let us say one of your products does not do well for any reason; how can you fix it and achieve your goal in the decided ETA? In this part, you do not have to talk about what you will do but how you will complete the objective. It can be paying more attention to the brand’s social media presence or thinking of new ways to hold conversations with customers. Along with the right framework product prioritization in a business roadmap can help determine how you’re going to get down to it

How Can A Business Roadmap Help Overcome Business Problems?

A great business roadmap is also an efficient coordination and alignment tool. Here are some ways in which the roadmap will help.

1. Product managers and Project managers can both benefit from having a roadmap. The roadmap will help in business process management as a great tool.
   
2. The roadmap also works as an amazing tool for communication between various teams in the company. The roadmap will be a single reference point to everyone so that the goals are clear and common. It will ideally also compromise each department’s contribution towards the goal.
   
3. Having a roadmap also negates the possibility of uncertainty in the timelines of individual products and projects. Clarity arising from this will lead to increased productivity and innovation.
   
4. A well-planned roadmap can also help you find investors in your business. Because a good roadmap has all the key milestones and dates lined up, you can plan when to find the investor in your journey.
   
5. Developing and updating the plan over time. Since there is such deeper coordination and communication between teams with the help of a roadmap, it will also help other departments know about the company’s accomplishments and advancements. It will make sure that everyone is on the same page.

Conclusion

The benefits of having a great roadmap are varied. It will also reflect directly on the overall sales of the company and the leads that your focused and driven employees will bring with them. As Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Wishing great success with building the best roadmap and for your venture!

Thanks to the advancements in modern technology, more and more people now have the opportunity to work from home or in any location they wish to for as long as they have the means to get connected. However, one of the first casualties in working remotely is creativity and productivity because of the many temptations you are bound to encounter. This article lists down some of the reasons why it is important to stay creative and productive while working remotely.

Motivation

One of the primary reasons why it is important to stay creative and productive while working remotely is that creativity can lead to motivation. For instance, if you feel discouraged or frustrated about a task, doing something creative in your workspace can uplift your mood. This will allow you to focus more on the task at hand, particularly because you get the inspiration or the motivation to keep you moving.

To help you find inspiration to be more creative and productive while working remotely, you can use mental or physical fitness exercises. The reason behind this is that physical fitness can clear your mind, opening up space for creativity to enter your being. In addition to this, you should also consider that mental fitness is just as important. For instance, you can try to meditate because this is a powerful tool in making space for new ideas.

You also have the option to dress for success even if you are working remotely. This will provide additional motivation for you to be productive during the day. This will also help you feel better mentally, allowing you to focus on checking the important tasks on your to-do list. When you are properly dressed, you will be prepared for any impromptu calls with your colleagues or clients.

Better Collaboration

Another reason why it is important to stay creative and productive while working remotely is that it paves the way for better collaboration with you and your teammates even if you are located in different parts of the world. In this case, you can consider the use of Lucid Spark’s creativity and collaboration solution to help you put your and your team’s ideas into action. When you are creative even when it comes to the means of communication that you and your team leverage, you will most likely find solutions even to the most complex tasks that you need to accomplish.

There are instances wherein you need to think beyond email when it comes to communicating with your teammates. This is where you can explore the use of other digital tools that can help replicate an in-person experience. For instance, you can try to use video conferencing tools or screen-sharing apps to ensure that people are on the same page during your meetings.

To help you overcome the challenge brought about by the lack of social interaction when working remotely, you can find a work buddy that you can chat with when you feel the need to talk to someone. You can also try to work in another location, such as a co-working space that will allow you to be with other people for a change. Sometimes, small talks with your colleagues and peers are necessary to get your creativity flowing and boost your productivity.

There is also the option for you to facilitate non-work interactions with your team, creating the time and space for you to simply talk about hobbies and other topics just as you would during break times in a normal office setting. This will help you be alleviated from stress and feel better connected. In this case, you can try to spend a few minutes catching up before or after your video conferences or host a virtual happy hour to build bridges between you and your colleagues.

Work-Life Balance

It is important to stay creative and productive while working remotely because it is the key to a work-life balance. With your creative juices flowing, you will most likely be able to finish any task at hand. In this case, you will have the opportunity to maximize the time that you spend with your family and friends.

Alongside this, when you are productive, you get to finish what you need to accomplish for the day ahead of time. This will give you the flexibility to attend to other things that matter such as fetching your kids from school or cooking for your family. This will also allow you to focus on self-care for your overall well-being.

If you are proactive, then working remotely may just be the means for you to live a healthier and more comfortable life. When you work remotely, you will save a significant amount of time in commuting that you can spend on exercising or joining a fitness club instead. You are also less likely to get sick because you are not picking up on the germs of other people such as your co-workers.

Career Advancement

Creativity and productivity in working from home are the keys to advance in your career. When you are creative in what you do, you will tend to surpass the expectations of your team members, and most importantly, of your superiors. When you are often credited for the work that you do, you are opening doors to advance in your career. In parallel to this, your productivity will not go unnoticed even if you work remotely as long as your output is delivered, perhaps even ahead of time. Just make sure to think of ways on how to stay creative and productive while working remotely.

With the advancements brought about by the internet, there are now several reasons why people opt to work from home or work remotely. However, in doing so, you need to ensure that you maintain your creativity and productivity. This is because when you do, you will be more motivated to work, you will have better collaboration with your team, and you will also achieve the work-life balance that you deserve. In addition to this, creativity and productivity will also pave the way for you to advance in your career.

Writing is an art, as well as an instrument through which different kinds of information and educational material are shared. The majority of learning is actually made possible by written material. From as early as 3300 BC, writing systems have been around for millennia, evolving widely over the centuries. Thanks to a huge number of internet consumers in the present day, a lot of today’s writing is done by online writers.

Now, just to set things clear, anyone with basic education can read and write, but not everyone can write readable material. To cement this even further, not everyone can write about anything. This is because writing is a process, one that involves creativity, conducting research, organizing your thoughts, and making the best use of your communication skills. Some of the best writers can turn an overly complex subject or piece of content into an engaging, and easily understandable piece of text. It’s a vast field, and this is why there are different types of writers. Some of them offer their services online, so you can choose depending on the purpose of the text you need. On this note, getting the best writer for your needs can be an overwhelming process.

Whether you are looking to become an online writer or need to hire one, this piece is for you. To help make it less daunting for you, here are the five most common types of online writers you should know about.

1. Essay Writers 

For a good reason, students form a huge portion of clients who seek online writers. If you’re a student, you know all too well that your final grades will depend on your performance in essays, term papers, and projects. Purchasing essays online is a risky game according to betterwritingservices.com, considering the huge number of essay writing companies out there. To avoid frauds, late submissions, and quacks that could even plagiarize your work, it is best to conduct thorough research on the best essay writers out there. Professional reviews can help you make an informed decision.

2. Content Creators

Writing content for companies, websites, or media posts is common today. Writers in this niche are the most sought individuals because of their flexibility. These individuals can handle specialized topics or anything you need to be written. Many organizations are after them to provide content that will generate traffic to their websites.

On the same note, blogging is a form of content creation that is gaining a lot of popularity. For this reason, bloggers are earning top dollar from this venture, either from their own blogs or as guest bloggers. The writing criteria used by these writers depend majorly on the client or audience’s preferences. To become one, you need to have good research skills, a creative mind, and some experience in the game.

3. Copywriters 

These are writers who simplify your brand, project, and service in a manner that customers can relate to. Most businesses use very complex terminologies and explanations in their guide, and this may not resonate well with the average consumer. Among other things, copywriters are usually involved in marketing campaigns, press releases, product descriptions, company handbooks, and newsletters. They are often hired by big companies to create promotional text in commercial prose. Some organizations reach out to copywriters when they need an enticing company slogan. This is why some of the best copywriters eventually get employed by production companies for commercial videos and infomercials. More often than not, their work also entails:

• Producing social media content
• Creating persuasive copies from simple briefs
• Providing ideas or proposals for content concepts and strategy
• Collaboration with other departments in the organization
• Multiple projects relating to content advertising and marketing

Copywriters analyze every detail of data given to them and present it in an enchanting manner. To get this right, they require a great understanding of the actual work. These types of writers are also sourced for editing jobs. This is because they pride themselves on the ability to produce a clean, flawless copy of the original.

4. Ghost Writers

These have great imagination and can shift their writing style to suit the clients’ needs. The categories they indulge in include books, autobiographies, articles, eBooks, websites, leadership notes, and any other written materials. All you need is to reach out and describe the nature of the work you require done. They can be very interrogative to capture the writing tone and angle you want to be showcased. The good thing is, they produce high-quality work and do not need any credit. However, in books, the client may choose to recognize them. Therefore, if you are on a time fix and need great content, these people got your back.

5. Technical Writers

These are people who have mastered the art of breaking down complex technical materials into layman terms. They create work like FAQS, user and instructional manuals, and reference guides. Their purpose is to make the end-user comfortable in using the product. This is achieved by giving an explanation of how, when, why a product should be used, along with other crucial information about it

Most of these writers are experts in this field. This means that they have the skills and educational background to back up their work. However, their work is not limited to tech materials because they can write media posts and other content. These writers are above average because of their technical background as well as the ability to connect and collaborate with the company’s staff or team members.

Most online writers have perfected their skills around a single line, perhaps the one they excel best at. Nonetheless, an expert writer will deliver high-quality and satisfactory work. To avoid frustrations, it is crucial to know the kind of online writer you need depending on the purpose of your text or content. The above few tips should guide you accordingly when hiring an online writer. In case you have a passion for writing and want to join the bandwagon, this piece should also help you in making an informed decision.

If you’re aiming to land a job as a paraprofessional, then it is extremely important that you manage to pass the ParaPro test in order to show the school district of your choice that you have the cognitive skills necessary to take on the role of a teacher’s aide.

After all, it will be part of your job to help students understand the topics or even subjects that they are having troubles with.

Since each state has a different passing score for the exam, it is absolutely necessary for you to go the extra mile and pass ParaPro test score requirements so that you will only have to worry about the training and other certifications needed.

The Math Test

There are a number of reasons why students have troubles with math, but even if this is due to mental or developmental issues, it will be part of your job to figure out a way on how they can overcome this, especially if they ask you for help.

This means that you will need to show a good grasp on a number of mathematical concepts so that you can explain the ‘shortcuts’ or teach them tips on how to solve them easily.

At the very least, you can expect questions about the basic operations, functions, systems and equations, as well as fractions and decimals to appear in the math portion of the ParaPro test.

On the other hand, however, there will be tougher subjects to tackle such as number sense, basic algebra, geometry, measurement conversion, and data analysis.

The Reading Test

This part of the assessment is quite simple: you will be given a passage around a paragraph or so long, and you will need to extract the information that the question is asking you to look for.

Although there can be various types of questions such as searching for an author’s intent, bias, inferences, among others, the method of looking for the correct answer remains the same: you need to have a good amount of reading comprehension skills.

Reading comprehension, after all, is a vital skill to have in the workplace, not just if you’re aiming for a job as a paraprofessional where you need to understand the text of a book so that you can explain it in a simpler way for students to understand.

The Writing Test

As a future teacher’s assistant, you will need to have a good grasp on the English Standard.

This means that you need to have sufficient, or even perfect, grammar skills so that students can look up to you and strive to do the same when it comes to their essay or report writing activities.

Here, you will encounter questions that will revolve around the foundations of grammar and punctuation,  sentence structure, parts of an essay, and many others.

One of the easiest questions to encounter in this test is the ‘error checking’ questions where you will have to select which part of the sentence contains an error, while the hardest can revolve around needing to identify which of the provided choices is the best one to choose based on the MLA formatting rules.

How to Prepare for the ParaPro Test

Check the passing score for your state

Before anything else, check what is the passing score for the ParaPro exam for your state so that you can have a good idea of what you need to achieve on test day because the qualifying score varies completely from state to state.

Get as much practice as you can

Due to the timed nature of the exam, where you need to answer 90 questions in around 2 and ½ hours, it will be extremely important for you to dust off any high school or college books that you may have so that you can review its contents with renewed focus.

Using the questions available in these books, you will be able to create a practice test of your own, especially if you weren’t able to answer them the first time around.

Consider online resources

If you’re short on time or you need more help in preparing for the ParaPro test, then there is no shame in turning to online resources where both in-depth study guides and expansive practice tests are readily available.

Get enough rest before test day

One of the worst things that you can do on test-day is to take this exam tired or not fully rested.

With how mentally exhausting it is, and with peer or even financial pressure looming over you, the last thing that you’d need is being unable to focus enough to figure out the correct answers in the exam.

In the past year, most of us have had to tangle with working from home in some capacity. While many miss the office and long for the days of water cooler chit-chat, others have flourished in their sweatpants. Even before in more normal times, many workers were opting out of the office. Writers, graphic designers, and even people working for stock picking companies were beginning to choose jobs that would let them work from home. The key difference between those struggling and those who are adapting well is strategy. Effective home workers set up their lives and spaces to get the most out of working from home. Whether you love the work-from-home life or are still learning the pros and cons, here are some strategies that boost productivity.

Create Separate Work and Home Spaces

One of the most difficult parts of working from home is switching from your relaxed home mode to work mode. One of the reasons people feel more productive in the office than at home is that the office is a completely different space from home, and that puts them in a working mindset. In order to simulate this “different space” mode at home, dedicate a space in your home to work. A separate room for work is ideal, but I’ve seen many effective work corners, home cubicles, and even converted loft beds serving as at-home working centers. The trick is to have it set up, so you can comfortably do your job tasks in that space and then dedicate yourself to working in that space. Don’t waste your time making a perfectly nice work corner by then working on the couch!

Have a Morning Routine

Just as it is important to maintain regular work hours, it is just as crucial to have a routine that gets you from bed to the home office. Most people like to start their day with the basics: coffee, breakfast, and a shower. In addition to the standard working in the office morning routine, you may want to incorporate some light exercise, such as yoga or tai chi, into your work from home morning routine. You have more time now that you aren’t commuting, but you’re also getting less exercise not moving, so it’s good to make up the difference by adding in some movement to the morning. An effective morning routine can greatly help to clear your mind and get you geared up to focus on the tasks ahead.

Wear a Work Shirt

Make sure that getting dressed is part of your morning routine. While you may not be in Zoom meetings all day, it is still important to wear a proper work shirt. A Northwestern University study concluded that participants who wore a lab coat performed better on cognitive tests than people wearing plain clothes or a different job uniform. It seems that simply wearing certain clothes made people better at performing tasks. The same principle applies to working from home. You want to put on at least a work shirt. If you can’t take yourself seriously in sweatpants, put on some slacks too.

Hold Boundaries With Household Members

Just because you’re in your flow working from home doesn’t mean everyone else in the home understands that! Spouses, children, roommates, and even pets can all have trouble grasping the fact that “work from home” means working at home, and not getting paid to goof off all day. Tell everyone in your household that when you are in your working space, you are not to be disturbed. Since pets cannot be negotiated with as easily, you might have to put them in a separate room or outside while you work. If you live in a noisy household, investing in a good pair of noise-canceling headphones can help maintain that boundary around work. You don’t have the separation of a building to keep the boundary around work, so you will have to enforce it yourself.

Prioritize Daily Tasks

The first thing you want to do when you start your workday is exactly the same as in the office: prioritize what tasks need to be done today. Typically, the most time-sensitive tasks need to be done first, then whatever’s most crucial. If there are Zoom meetings that day, make sure to note when it is and set an alarm to remind you if need be, since no coworkers will bother you in your cubicle to attend a meeting you forgot. Most effective home workers have a whiteboard or calendar in their work area, so they can write down deadlines and make daily to-do lists. Remember, when you work from home, it’s all on you to set an effective schedule.

Incorporate Chores Into Breaks

For those who work in an office, housework can be an entirely dreadful second job on top of work. For those who work from home, chores can be a welcome change of pace. After completing a mentally taxing work task, get up and do a quick chore somewhere in the house. Following mentally taxing tasks with an easy, but kind of boring task can re-energize the mind. Also, when you finish work it’s easier to relax because your home is clean. Remember how much time you used to waste going to the water cooler and back just to clear your head when working? Now you can turn that much-needed mental break into a task that makes it easier to relax later.

Bottom Line

Whether you love working from home or yearn to return to the office, more and more companies are looking into continuing remote work as part of how modern companies function. Learning to establish your work from home flow can not only maximize your current productivity, it can also teach you how to best adapt to a changing economy. Whether you want to be a writer or work for stock picking companies, it is in your best interest to learn how to effectively work from home. The future is calling– will you answer?

It is a commonly held belief that setting up an online eCommerce store is a straightforward process and leads to quick results; this is not entirely true. The real challenge lies in developing an appropriate website to showcase the product and draw viewers to it. The second hurdle is to ensure that all logistical and fulfillment issues have been anticipated and appropriately planned. So, suppose you wish to avoid suffering a setback in your new eCommerce business. In that case, it is necessary to understand the most common eCommerce mistakes to avoid this year and how you can avoid them. eCommerce experts and Amazon Consultants at www.christurtonecommerce.com have come up with this list to help you. 

Not Understanding Your Target Audience 

The biggest mistake a business leader can make is failing to understand the demographics of the audience they are trying to reach. If you have a well-developed marketing strategy and a great website, but you do not know who your target audience is, then merely producing a site and a product is not enough. A good understanding of your target audience is essential so you can entice them to shop at your store repeatedly. 

To avoid this eCommerce mistake, make sure you need the product, understand your audience’s language, learn about their pain points, know what content engages them online, and address their issues related to your products. By following these guidelines, you will be better positioned to speak with your audience and showcase your products to them.

Wrong eCommerce Platform

One of the biggest eCommerce mistakes that people make is picking the wrong eCommerce platform for their business. It can determine the success or failure of your business. An eCommerce platform enables you to present your products to customers and attract new visitors over time to your website. To make sure you have chosen the right eCommerce platform, you should consider various factors, such as the platform’s tools to integrate multichannel channels, financial resources, template design, user experience, and marketing plan. 

You could limit the growth of your business by choosing the incorrect eCommerce platform. Choose the one that offers the level of customization you desire or integrates with your existing systems. This eCommerce mistake can result in issues ranging from reduced traffic, revenue loss, lowered conversion rates to security problems and errors in your website design which could result in you experiencing additional issues and having to invest even more time, money, and effort to either update your platform or move to a different one. Make sure you carefully select the platform that best suits your online store.

Poor Website Design

A robust eCommerce platform is essential for a website’s success. The following error to avoid in the year 2021 pertains to inefficient website designs for future growth. Don’t make this mistake if you hope to expand your eCommerce market. Make sure your website offers complex features to allow you to accommodate a greater variety of products.

An eCommerce website should appear appealing and remain cohesive in its design, functionality, and performance. This step will also assist you in converting visitors into paying customers. If your website’s navigation or design is confusing or difficult to use, visitors will get frustrated and leave. To avoid this mistake, consult an expert to optimize your website design for smooth navigation so you can deliver a great user experience to your visitors. This step will enable your customers to find the information they are looking for quicker, and that will also mean more sales for you.

Complicated Shopping Cart

In line with poor web design, websites with complicated shopping carts have a high shopping cart abandonment rate. One too many steps result in a complex process and a lack of interest of the user. You must make your customers’ lives better since they have invested their time in your online store. Please remove the unnecessary fields and make the buttons and text visible.

Don’t leave clients with unanticipated charges and hidden fees. Be very clear about the cost. The majority of customers are resistant to paying extra fees and are cost-sensitive. One of the most irritating reasons for abandoned shopping carts is the high shipping cost that customers genuinely despise. Provide an estimate of the time it will take to deliver each product and its cost.

Poor SEO Content

If your eCommerce site content is not optimized for search engines, it will negatively affect your business, depending on organic traffic to ensure customer acquisition. Make sure you don’t make this eCommerce mistake and include quality content on your website, keeping your users and SEO in mind. Each time a piece of SEO-friendly content is added, it allows you to attract more traffic to your website and eventually convert those visitors into customers.

You will need to offer users well-optimized content to entice them to read your content and purchase your product. You should update the content of all your website sections, from the homepage to product descriptions. You should provide relevant content that appeals to your target audience. Whether you are doing it yourself or with the assistance of a professional agency, it is beneficial to produce SEO-friendly content.

Weak Brand Message 

A brand message establishes your company’s identity. Brand recognition comes from a strong brand message that elevates the image of a company throughout the world. Don’t make the eCommerce mistake of believing that your products can sell themselves. The first step in building a successful business is to create brand awareness for your organization. Developing a solid brand message relevant to your audience will allow you to increase your brand awareness. You should understand what your audience is searching for, what they prefer to buy, and the type of language they speak. Consistent messaging is all that is needed. A brand message should be trustworthy, attention-grabbing, and relate to your customers.

Here you have it, six Commerce mistakes you must avoid to do well in 2021 and grow your business. It is important to include high-quality images and high-quality written content on your website. This information will help potential customers understand your product or service more readily and make a more informed purchase decision. Furthermore, consider your brand messaging, your site design, and your target audience. If you do not, your customers could stop visiting your website. If you wish to avoid that, follow these suggestions above.