Real Estate Investment: Does It Make Good Business Sense?

There was once a time where everyone was telling you the best thing to invest in is bricks and mortar. Of course, last decade’s economic downturn turned the property market upside down. These days, most nations are still in economic recovery mode.

So, if you wanted to make your money work for you, should you avoid real estate investment? In a word, no. Let me give you some reasons why it makes sense to put your money in property:

Property prices are low

It makes sense to buy properties when their value is low. Unlike other types of investment, real estate is less volatile. Sure, there will be times where there are dips and curves. But, if you invest in property you will do so for the long haul.

5 Software that Help Small Business Owners Grow

No matter how much drive entrepreneurs and small businesses have to innovate, they can’t do it alone. The most successful small businesses know where to find help and how to do more in less time. The easiest way to achieve that goal is to take advantage of software that helps them generate profit even while they’re sleeping. The five types of software below can help entrepreneurs grow their businesses without expending too much on extra resources:

1. Customer Relationship Management

The relationships you build with your customers are what ultimately push your business toward success. If you have a clear way to create, monitor and capitalize on these relationships, you can continue to grow. CRM software helps you make every interaction count by providing a comprehensive understanding of every point of contact, whether it’s through your sales, marketing or customer service department. CRM software is incredibly flexible and customizable and can help you coordinate team processes, automate call center systems and thoroughly analyze information to help you drive profits.

Is it Worth Translating Your Website for International Business?

The internet has made it absolutely necessary for businesses to be competitive across a variety of mediums, borders and cultures. Even small brick and mortar businesses must find ways to maintain loyal customers in the face of increasing competition from all over the world. As such, a strong web-based presence is always a good idea for any business that wants to be successful in the long-term. Many businesses face a tough decision with respect to international commerce and engagement: whether or not translating the website into multiple languages is worth the effort. Below, we’ll discuss whether this strategy is a sound effort and what can be expected from the effort.

The Reality of Consumer Behaviour

The first and perhaps most important data-point regarding international business pertains to shopper behaviour: customers are much more likely to purchase a product or service if the website is in their native language. This is the biggest motivator for businesses that would like to expand their horizons into new markets. However, translation services can often be expensive and require professional services in order to deliver proper results. As such, businesses that have explicit targets in specific countries may find translating website content to be useful, but businesses that wish to merely broadly target a variety of different languages and countries may not find it feasible.