Are you aware of Google’s latest mobile algorithm roll-out?

It came out on April 21st this year.  Essentially, any website that is not optimized for viewing/interaction on mobile devices has potential to lose organic search traffic. 

Basically, if your website isn’t mobile-friendly your SEO efforts could and likely will suffer.

The solution is to make sure your website is developed in a way that allows it to automatically scale to the screen size of a mobile device when someone views your site on such a smartphone or tablet.

HubSpot.com states this about how to check to see if your current website is mobile friendly:

• “Check your website traffic, and mobile traffic and see if it has decreased.
• Ensure your most-important pages are optimized for mobile. If they're not, update them as soon as possible and Google will update their results in near real-time.
• Complete the mobile website assessment below and a HubSpot marketing specialist will help review your website to ensure it’s fully optimized for this Google update.”

Posted by Nick Venturella

Do you know anyone who doesn’t bathe?  



Well, for your sake I hope you don’t, but my point is everyone bathes (well most everyone...okay, likely everyone you know does).

Okay, hang on, I'll come back to the bathing thing...

As an entrepreneur referrals are one of the best sources of new leads you can get.  Referrals are also among the least expensive ways to get new leads.

Here’s the concept, you gain a new client, you build a solid working relationship with the client, you serve them well, and you ask them to refer others you could help as you did this current happy client.

The issue is that it’s not always easy to think of tactful ways to ask for referrals.

That’s where appreciation marketing comes in.  The idea is to show gratitude for your client’s business with a small token of your appreciation.  Something your client would find thoughtful, unexpected and genuinely useful.

A great idea is all natural cold process soaps from Paper Street Soaps.  Many people appreciate all natural products and, as I mentioned before everyone you know bathes so they’ll need some soap at some point (soap is universally useful to all).  You could order a couple soaps and/or lotions, create a small gift basket with a card thanking them for their business and asking for referrals.

posted by Nick Venturella

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Join the fun at Tuvalu Coffeehouse in Verona, WI on Sat. April 25, 2015.

I’m biased when it comes to creative entrepreneurs, being one myself.  

It’s a feat to have even some success as an entrepreneur in general, but I think it’s quite a another to be an artist, writer or musician trying to make a wage from your creative craft.

Marianna Bergues is a 17 year old children’s book author beginning to make her mark as a creative entrepreneur.

Her latest book, ‘The Cat, the Fish and the Waiter,’ teaches children about importance of responsibility. 

The story follows Peter, a waiter in Paris, who was entrusted by friends to pet-sit for a cat and a fish, while his friends (the pet owners) were on vacation.

When the cat and fish go missing, Peter needs to find them before his friends return from vacation.

The unique brand and approach of author Marianna Bergues is the fact that she’s authored the book in three different languages -- all appearing on each page together.  The story is told in English, French and Spanish.  So while the book is teaching children about the importance of responsibility it’s also teaching children new languages.

I’m always elated and extremely encouraged by creative entrepreneurs who are ambitious and determined to get their art out and bring it to market, even at a young age.  

Having that kind of experience of taking a project from a concept to a completed project and it being sold and earning money is a phenomenal accomplishment no matter how monetarily successful it ends up being.  

It teaches an entrepreneurial mindset and builds confidence that if one book can be produced more are possible.

Posted by Nick Venturella

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Have you ever heard of the fajita effect?  I read about this from Chris Brogan’s blog some time back.

The fajita effect is when you’re eating at a restaurant where the table next to you orders fajitas.

The wait staff brings out the sizzling plate of fajitas and the guests at every other table turn to look at who ordered the food that put on such an entertaining display of sight, sound and smell as it was delivered to the table.

Then, people like me decide to order the fajitas base on this experience.

At bars and nightclubs that allow patrons to order bottles of their favorite adult beverage something similar to the fajita effect can happen.  Not everyone orders bottle service, but when someone does it behooves the nightclub to make a bit of a spectacle out of it.  The reason is to entice others to order bottle service as well.

If you’re a bar, nightclub or restaurant owner, listen up.  You can brighten up your bottle service with bottle sparklers that attach to the ordered bottle and light up its delivery all the way to the VIP it’s intended for.

Sparkler City provides these bottle sparklers and clips to attach them to the bottles.  

The fajita effect will be in full force with a bottle sparkler making the VIP it’s intended for feel even more special while potentially triggering more bottle service orders.

Posted by Nick Venturella

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I sometimes get asked from sole proprietor entrepreneurs, “where can I easily get a small loan to help me get my life and endeavor moving forward?”  

Often sole proprietors are funding their own entrepreneurial pursuits with personal finances and pushing through short-term cash flow challenges can be the little boost they need to grow their operation from their tiny beginnings.  Traditional institutions like, banks aren’t always a viable or desirable option.

Crowd-funding and peer-to-peer lending are becoming more and more popular options.  In researching that question, I recently came across the site, moneylend.net.

MoneyLend.net operates a bit like Expedia, but instead of travel deal comparisons MoneyLend allows you to compare money lenders to find the right one for your situation.  

MoneyLend’s goal is to help you find the right loan in the shortest amount of time.  It’s like a search engine to help borrowers find lenders via comparison shopping.  It puts the power in your hands to find the best terms and rates to fit your unique scenario.

Posted by Nick Venturella

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Have you ever heard of Crypton?

No, I don't mean Superman's home planet (which is actually spelled, Krypton).

I mean, Crypton, the no mess fabric.

I hadn't either, until recently. 

If you run a business, like a restaurant, hotel or senior living facility you may have run into the issue of stains on furniture.  

Well, if you've ever wondered the trick to how furniture in those businesses stays clean it’s Crypton fabric.

Crypton developed a patented fabric that is soft and stylish yet repels stains.  Liquids bead up when spilled on the fabric.  Food stains are easy to clean and disinfect, and afterward the fabric looks as good as new.

When you run a business that is an experiential business (again like a restaurant, hotel or any sort of living facility) it's bad for business to have unsightly stains on the furniture.  It cheapens the experience and doesn't leave a good impression on the guest/client/potential resident.

Investing in fabric and furniture that can take a cosmetic beating and easily be cleaned to look like new will reduce your company's expenses later when you don't have to replace the furniture as quickly as you otherwise would have.

Crypton also has house hold furniture products too.  If you have kids, but want nice furniture, Crypton is the way to go.  No stain is too big or harsh for Crypton to handle.

Here's a quick video of Crypton's stain resistance in action.

Posted by Nick Venturella

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