Venturing off into the startup world is scary, as it should be. You hesitate over the fact that your startup may not become successful; you worry about spending an unprecedented amount of money, and all-in-all your head is in a tailspin. Luckily, there are important steps you can take which lead to a rewarding return on your new company: copyright, trademark, and patent agreements. Copyrights, trademarks, and patents are areas of business that startups often forget about until it’s too late. ... [more]
Small business owners can say open sesame to open the cave of wonders and access Alibaba, the world’s largest marketplace, pairing buyers and sellers on their ecommerce platform. While investors are busy sizing up the potential with Alibaba’s IPO quickly approaching, people across the world are discovering the opportunity for small businesses to leverage the resources and technology that have typically been accessible only by larger companies. Buying business and production supplies is different from buying shoes at Zappos. There’s simply more to the buying equation. ... [more]
Have you ever needed to create a budget, understand the stock market and how to invest, be able to read a financial statement, or understand any number of other topics related to personal finances? You are not alone. Taking control of your personal finances and understanding how to be “money wise” is a great aspiration, but many people do not know quite where to start. OpenSesame offers numerous finance courses which can help you become Fluent in Finance by understanding different aspects of finance and enable you to better manage your economic lifestyle. ... [more]
We all have greatness within ourselves as people, and our challenge and mission must be to also live out our greatness in our roles as Business Analysts. So what makes a Business Analyst GREAT? ... [more]
Zack Brown’s Potato Salad Kickstarter campaign got a lot more buzz than he originally intended. His goal of $10 seemed like pocket change after only a short time online when investors began pouring in dollars and support. Within a few days, he had already raised $5,000 from 850 backers, and he eventually saw a total pledge amount of around $55,000. People seemed to be excited and become united by the All-American potato salad. ... [more]
The customer service industry is multi-faceted—you can be a waiter or waitress in a restaurant, a sales person at a department store, or a cashier at the local market. Many people don’t think of banking as part of the customer service industry, or if they do it tends to be with negative connotations. Banks tend to have a stereotype of bad customer service, which leads to unhappy customers and can potentially lead to customers closing their accounts. ... [more]
Organizations are finally starting to see the benefit of cross-functional approaches within management. Marketing is no different. The David Packard quote “marketing is too important to be left to the marketers” is not only shared, but also put into practice as the business landscape continues to evolve. Why? It is not to diminish the role of marketers. Rather, it is to drive attention to the fact that today, everyone needs to find their inner marketer. It is important for all of us to drive value for customers across the board. Cultivating this mindset at an organizational level leads to success in our fast moving, competitive world. ... [more]
Interest in American Sign Language is growing thanks to viral videos like this one of ASL interpreter Tina Cleveland and her fiance roadtrip jamming to “You’re The One That I Want” from Grease and this one of kindergartener Claire Koch signing her Christmas concert for her deaf parents. As ASL interpretation becomes more and more common at events, including political rallies and speeches, concerts (check out these ASL interpreters’ mad skills!), and conventions/conferences, more and more people are becoming aware of the need for interpreters. However, not everyone is familiar with what interpreters do, how to learn ASL, or the history behind the language and profession. ... [more]
Shakespeare suggests in Act 1 of Hamlet through his character Polonius, who says to his son Laertes that the man should ‘trust in himself’ and ‘take care of himself first in order to be in a position to take care of others.’ I think this great advice is just as applicable today and especially as it relates to your personal brand. ... [more]
You are doomed to face conflict. It sounds harsh, but it is the unfortunate reality for those working in customer service. No matter how excellent you are at your job, someone at some point is going to direct their anger toward you. The customer is not in fact always right and the responsibility for breaking that news to them, and ensuring they leave happy and are willing to return, falls to you. Conflict resolution is a vital and undeniable part of the customer service role; luckily we’ve devised some tips to help you get through it. ... [more]
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