How to Start an Equine Therapy Program

Animal-assisted therapy is increasingly popular today. Just as its name suggests, it involves animals for emotional support, service assistance, and other emotional or behavioral needs. There are many different types of animals used in this, but the most common are dogs, cats, and even horses! In fact, equine-based therapy is effective in helping posture, emotional support, and mental health. Therefore, the growing popularity of equine therapy requires more equine therapists. These are the best tips on how to start an equine therapy program to build this unique small business.

4 Tips for Starting a Profitable Etsy Store

Etsy’s online marketplace provides you with a medium and a pre-existing customer base, but it’s still difficult to make your store stand out—especially when you’ve just started. Just like any small business, an Etsy shop requires a marketing strategy, an appealing webpage, excellent customer service, and many more positive attributes. Here are four tips for starting a profitable Etsy store and turning your talent into a successful endeavor.

Jobs Where You Can Be Your Own Boss

Self-employment doesn’t have to be an unrealistic or unattainable dream. With careful planning and preparation, you can make the leap to becoming your own boss. Take an honest inventory of your skills, experience, and especially your passions, and consider these jobs where you can be your own boss.

Personal Trainer

If you’re a fitness nut, why not share your enthusiasm with others, for a fee? Before you quit your 9 to 5, use your fitness time to earn certification as a yoga or Pilates instructor or a personal fitness trainer.

Caterer

Kitchens are your natural habitat, so put your culinary talent to work as a caterer. Check state and local licensing requirements for food services and start planning some sample menus.

Real Estate Investor

Sure, you could earn your real estate agent license, but did you ever consider investing in rental property and becoming a landlord? Real estate investing is a full-time and potentially lucrative career, if you put the effort into growing your real estate business.

Blogger

You’re reading proof right now that bloggers can make money, by offering knowledge, selling products, using affiliate links, and running ads. Never underestimate the power of the written word when coupled with some fascinating topics.

Tutor

From English as a second language to test preparation to help with math, tutors make money by helping students with subjects that challenge them. Adults need tutors too, from learning languages to using computer programs and apps. If you have specialized skills and experience, charge by the hour for it.

Social Media Manager

Small business owners are up to their eyebrows running their businesses. They know they need a social media presence but don’t have time to run it. If you know your way around Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn then make yourself useful and make some money. Bonus points if you have the videography skills for YouTube.

Freelance Writer

Writers actually do make money—if they put the work into marketing themselves. Technical writers who turn engineering or coder lingo into plain English make the most, but everyone needs content. If you can provide writing, writing can provide for you.

Event Planner

When your guests depart, they’re buzzing about what a great party host you are. Help others arrange events for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, corporate meetings, and even conventions. Earn a Certified Meeting Professional credential and you’ll have a step up.

Starting any new venture and turning it into a job where you can be your own boss takes planning, saving, budgeting, marketing, guts, passion, and time. Decide what you’d love to do and figure out how to get from dreaming to doing.

9 Fun Hobbies That Can Make You Money

Everyone seems to have a side gig these days, and you should too because it’s one of the best ways to increase your income. One of the best parts about these fun hobbies that can make you money is that you get to make your own schedule for most of these!

Creative Hobbies

If you need to flex your creative muscle, then consider one of these hobbies.

1. Photography is one of the most profitable hobbies if you’re good at it. If you want to get started or sharpen your photography skills, it’s best to specialize in one or two popular types of photography.
2. If you’re a crafty person, consider starting an Etsy shop with your creations. Just make sure you have a unique idea that won’t blend in with the rest.
3. Anyone who has a passion for playing music dreams of being a rock star that sells out Madison Square Garden, but unfortunately, reality says differently. Playing shows on the weekend can make you some money on the side, but don’t expect anything major.

Educational Hobbies

Maybe you’re an incredible teacher; plenty of hobbies can make you some side money.

1. Again, if you’re a musician, a better way to make money is by teaching. There’s always a big demand for piano teachers because it’s so popular.
2. If you have a mind for math, you should be a tutor because they’re always needed for students of all ages. They also make good money, and the more challenging the math, the more you can charge, so reward yourself for that noggin you have.
3. If you’re in good shape and love to workout, consider becoming a personal trainer. There’s a demand for fitness instructors all the time for different experience levels, and sometimes people just need a little guidance to reach their goals.

General Hobbies

If you’re not interested in a creative or educational hobby, one of these hobbies should apply to you.

1. If sports are your thing, you could be a local coach, umpire, or referee for recreational leagues. These positions tend to have flexibility in scheduling since it’s for a recreational league. They allow you to be near the game you enjoy and get paid!
2. There’s nothing better than pets unless you’re allergic, then ignore this suggestion. But you can make some great money by pet sitting for people that have to go to work or out of town. Not to mention you get paid to play with animals.
3. If you have a green thumb, then you could start your own garden and sell your crops. If you have space, you could welcome people to your property to sell, or you can get a booth at your local farmers’ market.

Whatever your skills and interests may be, there’s a hobby out there for you! Plus, making money from something you love is great. You can monetize tons of hobbies, so if we skipped something here, that doesn’t mean you can’t make money from it.

How to Maximize Revenue in Your Retail Store

Owning a retail outlet is one way to quit your day job for something your passionate about. This could be for clothes, shoes, toys, books, games, or other goods. Still, sometimes business stalls. For those experiencing this, you should know how to maximize revenue in your retail store to increase your sales and net profits.

Establish Sales Targets

Your sales target is your goal for the units sold over a given time. Keep in mind that this is different for everyone, and it depends on your store. Naturally, some stores will have a higher sales target than others, but keep yours appropriate to your market. The best way to do that is to have a reasonable expectation of the sales your store will see and the sales target you want to see. Compare these and adjust accordingly. From there, research your target audience and discover the best ways to attract them to your store.

Diversify Your Products

Another tip to keep in mind is that you should offer a diverse range of products centered on a theme. For example, if you operate a women’s clothing boutique, you should offer tops, bottoms, accessories, and possibly shoes or perfumes. All these products resemble the target audience—in this case, adult women—with items to upsell. Ultimately, offering more products related to your original market plan will greatly increase your revenue.

Use the Best Technology

Unsurprisingly, all retail stores must implement the best technology for success. The most important piece of technology for your retail store is your point-of-sale (POS) system. You should update your POS system if yours is slow and outdated. POS systems make transactions fast and efficient. Additionally, they offer better functionality than older models, with features such as tracking inventory and accounting.

Advertise

It goes without saying, but you need to advertise your business to attract more customers. This can occur in different ways. The primary advertising techniques for small businesses today are social media and email. This is because most customers spend their time online. Therefore, these marketing platforms are optimal, since you can target customers directly. For example, social media platforms allow you to post messages about your operating hours, sales, discounts, or other important information for your customers to see.

Be Personable

Always be personable in and outside your store. While you should always act kindly toward customers, take this time to engage with them. Find out more about them, talk to them, and connect with them. All these factors will build a strong customer-business relationship which is essential to retaining customer loyalty. This will also increase your word-of-mouth status, which will increase your foot traffic. Another way to increase your reputation is through your community presence. Build this through charitable donations or sponsorships to local sports teams or youth organizations. These will increase your brand recognition, sales, and revenue.

Credit: Clover Connect

Reasons that a Business Should Have a Target Audience

The more we understand effective marketing advances, the more we begin to realize the importance of catering to a specific audience. Targeting your ideal customer is a practice that can be traced back to newspapers and the radio, but the extent to which we can accomplish this continuously refines as technology progresses. Failure to locate the appropriate audience can slow down your progress. Today we can narrow down our targeted audience in several ways, which can include the following:

• Age
• Location
• Marital status
• Income
• General interests

Once you discover why you need this audience, you can begin to actually find them. Before you actually get to this step, however, read our outline on a few different reasons why you should have a target market in advertising.

It Helps Better Utilize Your Budget

If you throw your ads into the world without any idea who will see them, you effectively waste a large amount of money. The budget you set determines just how many people will see your ad, and you want it to appear in front of individuals that will actually convert. Tools such as Facebook Pixel can help you build your ideal customer so that Facebook’s algorithm will make sure the right people see your ad.

You Can Use the Appropriate Language

Knowing who you will talk to helps you decide how to speak. Instead of a generic, one-size-fits-all tone, you can communicate to your audience in a way that appeals to them. Using the tone that best fits your brand will more likely align with what your potential customers will want to see, but the ability to truly relate to them helps them feel connected to your brand

You could communicate through social media channels such as Facebook or Instagram, SEO, email marketing, or even print magazines. It’s important that you carefully consider your ideal customer before choosing your marketing channel(s). And Just a random suggestion is to use Hashtags for Likes Tool if you're planning to get started with Instagram as it help you research the popular and trending hashtags which will surely result in growing your followers.

You Can Choose the Appropriate Marketing Channel

You have various marketing channels at your disposal. Many of the most popular ones are online, though other mediums can prove just as successful, and which one you chose depends on who will likely buy your product. You could communicate through social media channels such as Facebook or Instagram, SEO, email marketing, or even print magazines. It’s important that you carefully consider your ideal customer before choosing your marketing channel(s).

You Challenge Competitors

If you researched your competitors and found that they perform well, there’s a chance that they landed on an audience and know how to cater to them accordingly. When you methodically select your audience and know how to speak to them, you can begin to push more against your competitors.

It Creates Conversions

The ultimate goal of a business is to create valuable conversions. When you have a marketing strategy that shows your ads to anyone and everyone, you may get a lot of clicks, but you won’t get actual conversions. Narrowing down your audience means that the clicks to buy ratio may dramatically increase, which increases your profits.

Top Money-Saving Tips for Small Businesses

Finances are arguably the most important factor in any business operation. This is especially true for small businesses—while they’re crucial to our economy, it’s hard to manage all the expenses. Here we introduce the top money-saving tips for small businesses.

6 Tips for Becoming A Successful Realtor

There are plenty of ways to bring in more money for yourself and your family. If you’re in search of a side gig, real estate can be a lucrative opportunity. If you’re interested, here are some tips for becoming a successful realtor.

Stay on Top of Trends

In any industry, there are constant changes, and you must stay well-informed. Being informed with the latest trends allows you to adapt in the real estate industry so you can continue to survive and find success. For instance, some real estate trends to look out for in 2020 include concierge services and non-traditional living situations.

Promote Yourself

Part of evolving in the real estate industry is finding new ways to promote yourself. Social media has changed this aspect in a big way, so make sure you have a quality online presence on various social media platforms. Besides social media, consider hiring a publicist, reach out to local papers, and networking with other realtors.

Practice Fast Communication

Real estate is a very competitive industry, and it comes with a lot of skills that you need to constantly improve. One of these skills is being available. A missed call from a client can be a missed sale. This is why you need to make it a habit to get back to people as soon as possible, whether it’s via social media, text, email, or a phone call. Never have your phone silent, and if you see a missed message, get back to them immediately.

Find Guidance

Another tip for becoming a successful realtor is to find yourself a Yoda. There’s plenty to learn, and having a mentor can set you up for success. To find a mentor, got to local events, reach out to established real estate agents on social media, hire a coach, or go to training sessions. You want to ensure you get plenty of education and the proper licenses before you jump into the real estate profession.

Host Open Houses

A huge aspect of real estate is hosting open houses. This is when people who are interested in a home you’re selling can tour it. To gain experience, host as many open houses as possible to get used to different buyers and clients.

Establish a Budget

When you enter a new profession, you should also be financially conscious. Create a budget so you can take care of the various real estate expenses you’ll have. Find out how much money you must put aside each month so you can remain afloat and benefit from the extra income.

Becoming a real estate agent on the side can be incredibly beneficial for you and your family. However, it’s important to come into the industry with some knowledge beforehand—heed these tips to really start off on the right foot.

Smart Savings: 3 Ways to Eliminate Debt

Debt can be crippling. A person who’s in deep debt may have a difficult time finding a job, purchasing a home, or simply getting ahead in life. Luckily, there are solutions for people who are stuck in this situation—you don’t have to stay buried forever. Follow these three ways to eliminate debt so that you can start fresh this new decade. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

How to Start a Photography Business and Keep It Going

Do you take stellar pictures? If so, perhaps it’s time to turn your hobby into a money-making gig. We briefly walk you through how to start a photography business and keep it going.