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31 Small-Business Wins to Keep You Motivated This January

31 Small-Business Wins to Keep You Motivated This January

by The Brio Team | Jan 1, 2017 | Startups

31 Small-Business Wins to Keep You Motivated This January.
What’s the best motivator in life and business?
The power of a small win, says Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile.
Small wins serve as catalysts for productivity, creating happiness and momentum.
We built a daily calendar for the month of January to help you ramp up to a winning year.
See how many you can check off.
And if you need support, we’re there for you.
Entrepreneur.com will be posting daily reminders of each small win on social media.
As you finish your own mini-challenges, be part of the conversation — use the hashtag #SmallWinsBigImpact.

3 Inbound Marketing Best Practices to Steal for 2017

3 Inbound Marketing Best Practices to Steal for 2017

by The Brio Team | Dec 31, 2016 | Startups

In HubSpot’s Eighth Annual Report on the Future of Inbound Marketing and Sales, 65 percent of companies cited lead generation as their top marketing challenge, As many as 80 percent of marketers reported that their lead generation efforts were only slightly or somewhat effective.
Just ask the marketing team at Medjet Assist, the air medical transport and travel protection company, which recently oversaw a significant sales boost, using a re-tooled inbound marketing strategy that brings fewer leads into its pipeline.
“Our inbound marketing has always generated a steady stream of leads, but not all of the leads were qualified,” Bill Miller, chief sales and marketing officer at Medjet Assist, told me. “By taking the time to understand our target audience and testing different call-to-action messages, we honed our lead generation to focus on those most likely to convert.
Here’s what MedJet Assist did that your business should do, too: 1.
Use your ideal client profile to weed out leads that simply aren’t worth your time, and focus your lead-nurturing program on those who are.
A/B test your call-to-action.
If you’ve never invested in A/B testing before, even running a few simple tests can result in a 5-to-20 percent increase to your bottom line, reports Kissmetrics.
Why is A/B testing so important for inbound marketing?
Seven out of 10 leads generated from inbound marketing are not “sales ready.” That doesn’t mean they aren’t qualified.

The Startup Checklist: 25 steps to a scalable high-growth business

The Startup Checklist: 25 steps to a scalable high-growth business

by The Brio Team | Dec 31, 2016 | Startups

He classifies typical mistakes founders make into four types – fundamental (eg.
Table 1: Phases, Steps and Tools for Startups Phases Steps Online tools and resources Preparation Learning, business modeling, lean business planning, competitive analysis, team formation, equity allocation, MVP, entrepreneur ecosystem networking Business model canvas, lean business plan; Kompyte, SimilarWeb, eDataSource, Google Alerts; QuickMVP.com, InstaPage, LanderApp, Optimizely; SurveyMonkey; SelfPromotion.com Launch and growth Incorporation, lawyers, boards, accounting, credit profile, banking, tech platforms, analytics, hiring, stock option plan Quickbooks, Concur, AccountEdge; Google Analytics, ChartBeat, KissMetrics, MixPanel; UpWork.com Funding and exit Understand investors, pipeline, crowdfunding, term sheets, investor relations, valuation, exit types AngelList, SeedInvest, FoundersClub, CircleUp, OurCrowd; Gust Checklist I.
Preparation for launch David offers a list of useful books as starting resources (see also my pick of ‘Top 10 Books for Entrepreneurs’ for 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012).
Competitors should be mapped and assessed via their websites, marketing collaterals, online reviews, industry appearances, social media presence, and even employees.
Equity is allotted via shares, shareholder agreements and the board of directors.
Accounting and bookkeeping functions help founders track balance sheets, cash flows and budgets.
Founders should understand what investors are looking for: strong management team, business opportunity, ‘painkiller’ product, stage of the business, and business plan quality.
A number of online funding platforms have been launched by investor groups and angels.
The author also provides useful checklists of the different types of equity investments, diligence, and term sheets.
In the long run, the founder can continue with his startup, sell it to a larger company, take the company public, or shut it down – and then start all over again!

3 Changes Your Company Should Make to Performance Management in 2017

3 Changes Your Company Should Make to Performance Management in 2017

by The Brio Team | Dec 30, 2016 | Startups

3 Changes Your Company Should Make to Performance Management in 2017.
Both millennials and Gen-Xers see work and life as closely intertwined; they tend to want a different kind of relationship with their managers, and more frequent feedback.
New performance standards Performance evaluation often quantifies how much face time employees put in, not necessarily the quality or outcome of their work.
To ensure your team members feel supported and valued, measure output, not time spent.
Systems, for example, was able to keep its staff focused on its vision after taking EOS companywide.
You, too, should clarify how team members will be evaluated, and let them know how to win.
If team members don’t know what you value, how can they target their behaviors to meet expectations?
Younger, remote workers want greater accessibility to leadership, and, as a result, an annual performance review just won’t cut it.
We take a proactive approach to feedback by sending out weekly surveys to staff and conducting quarterly check-ins.
One strategy is our rule to give feedback on something within 72 hours or let it go, as quarterly check-ins shouldn’t address issues that should have been discussed long ago.

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