Most design and development work, either as a freelancer or as a full-time employee, requires your utmost focus and attention. Every second of our attention is critical, and it is important that we do not waste any time troubleshooting work, re-doing work, or doing repetitive non-productive tasks. It’s a scenario …
Ready to take your client’s online stores to new levels? From adding products and managing orders to offering coupons and creating reports, WooCommerce packs a lot of punch. We’ll help you make the most of it with this 6-step WooCommerce tutorial. Before you get started with this how-to, be sure WooCommerce …
Pop-up shops are temporary storefronts that allow brands to connect with their customers in a brick-and-mortar space for a short period of time. For e-commerce brands, this usually means providing customers with an exclusive opportunity to shop in a brick-and-mortar location. For example, when popular makeup brand Glossier opened temporary …
Hey, everyone. Did you have a good July? We had a great month. Summer is my favorite season in Portland. The weather is usually very nice and there are lots of activities to do around town. This summer is a bit different than normal. There aren’t many events due to …
React is an open-source JavaScript library by Facebook that allows for building user interfaces. Its use has spread like wildfire. Not only will you see it when scrolling through the social network, but it’s also been integrated into popular software applications like WordPress. The hallmark of React is its ability …
Communication is frequently cited as one of the most important soft skills that business professionals need. It ranked fifth on the list of Udemy’s fastest-growing soft skills for 2020, with 40% of companies planning to invest in training employees on better communication and storytelling. As an entrepreneur, this skill is critical. …
Owning or managing a business requires a lot of effort — and cash. You find yourself responsible for sales, marketing, bookkeeping, HR, legal and operations all while trying to maintain a budget. As you work to reduce retail expenses, it can be a challenge to carve out extra cash to …
On today’s Business Beat, Jeff talks to Greg Packer, CEO of HR outsourcing firm AccessPoint and StartupNation’s human resources expert, about how crucial compliance in business is. Tune in to the Business Beat, below, to learn more about compliance in business and how the pros can help: Schedule a Consultation …
We all know that repetition is a guaranteed way to make people pay attention. It’s also a top reason why repetitive type design helps ensure people pay more attention online. To reiterate: repetitive design is a guaranteed way to make people pay attention. Even in everyday conversations, we often …
On this week’s episode of StartupNation Radio, Jeff talks to three Detroit entrepreneurs: Brad Baxter and Jacob Zuppke of AutoPets and Doug Schwartz of Detroit Wick. StartupNation exclusive discounts and savings on Dell products and accessories: Learn more here Tune in to the full StartupNation Radio show with Baxter, Zuppke …
The market looks vastly different than it did a year ago, which means new opportunities — for better or worse. As businesses reopen, they offer clues to which industries proved to be pandemic-proof, meaning they were hit hard but show strong promise of recovery, and which ones appear gone forever. …
Are you creating landing pages for your clients’ websites? The good news is that with WordPress 5.8, you can now create a landing page template without a plugin. A landing page is a page where website visitors land when they click a link to your website. Visitors may reach your …
On today’s Business Beat, Jeff chats with Michael Spath, client executive and small business advisor at Kapnick Insurance Group and StartupNation’s insurance expert, on the importance of small business insurance for entrepreneurs. Tune in to the Business Beat, below, to learn what types of small business insurance you should consider …
Web Features That May Not Work As You’d Expect – A look at web elements that require a little more effort than meets the eye. How To Migrate From WordPress To A Headless CMS – This guide will help you migrate your website from WordPress to Storyblok Headless CMS. The …
In 2019, venture capital investment into U.S. startups nearly doubled from $88 billion to $144 billion. So, while it comes as no surprise that 2019 was also a record year for female founders securing these dollars, many would be shocked to learn this funding amounted to a mere 3.4% at …
Today, more customers are online than ever before and they’re taking the digital approach in finding what they need, from ordering food and clothes to getting groceries. Data shows that 46% of these online searches are local, and almost 50% of online users have the intention of visiting physical stores …
There was a “shower thought” meme circulating recently, pointing out that “accents are just mouth fonts.” All the design nerds at GoDaddy Studio had a good chuckle at that one. But the insight is kinda profound, from the perspective of your brand’s identity, and more specifically, your brand font. You …
On today’s Business Beat, Jeff talks to Shay Berman, founder and president of marketing company Digital Resource and StartupNation’s digital marketing expert, about why SEO is the key to creating awareness for your business. Tune in to the Business Beat, below, to learn more tips about SEO and how to …
The ability to work from virtually anywhere is one of the true benefits of being a web designer. It affords us the freedom to get out of the office and still remain productive. And it might even be a way to boost creativity. Some freelancers take advantage by hitting the …
Whenever you hear the words “utterly, butterfly, delicious” or see a swoosh mark, what’s the first thing you think of? Be honest. Whenever you hear those three words, you might naturally think of Amul, “The Taste of India.” Whenever you encounter that distinctive swoosh, recalling Nike to mind is natural. …
Markdown is a fast and efficient way to write for the Web. It uses easy-to-read markup and plain text files. It comes with a low learning curve, no lock-in, and fits well with the simplicity of iOS and iPadOS. The syntax was created by John Gruber in 2004 and offers …
Keep your content relevant and on-topic, by identifying special days that create opportunities for your brand to join the conversation — or simply celebrate what you and your customers care most about. Let’s plan ahead for August and see what you can make with GoDaddy Studio templates. August is all …
On today’s Business Beat, Jeff discusses how three companies alone receive half of all U.S. ad spend: Google, Facebook and Amazon. Tune in to the Business Beat, below, to learn more about how Google, Facebook and Amazon are earning this U.S. ad spend and how you can get your business …
Perhaps it sounds ironic, but one of the hardest parts of a web designer’s job occurs before the project actually begins. Figuring out website project requirements can stump even experienced designers. Why is that? Quite often, it comes down to communication. Clients can understandably struggle with articulating their needs. Terminology …
StartupNation founder and CEO, Jeff Sloan, shares a conversation with Ara Topouzian, executive director of the Michigan Venture Capital Association and RJ King, editor of DBusiness Magazine, on the status of venture capital in Michigan today. Related: WJR Business Beat with Jeff Sloan: Michigan Leads Nation in Venture Capital Investment (Episode 229) Tune …
As a new founder at the beginning of your entrepreneurial journey, you have many tasks at hand and little bandwidth to do them all. There are countless responsibilities, from everyday tasks like investor pitch decks and elevator pitches to longer-term tasks like business plan revisions, product launch strategy and much more. …
As an official Pinterest Partner in the creative specialty, GoDaddy Studio makes it simpler than ever for small businesses and creators to unlock the vast potential of Pinterest for marketing. With more than 450 million monthly users sharing and drawing inspiration from the world’s most beautiful content, Pinterest is right …
When thinking about conversions and conversion rate optimization, we often contemplate product and service pages. After all, they are the most direct route to taking someone from lead to customer. However, your blog posts can impact your bottom line just as significantly. Long gone are the days when blog posts were …
Miranda Gilbert operates Girl Geek Communications, an agency based in Billings, MT that offers services including web design, reputation and social media management, email marketing, and more. Catch up with Miranda on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. The who: Given a business name is so central to a brand, we …
You’ve built a website, but how well does it perform for your end users? It’s crucial to ask this question, but how can you get answers? One excellent option is to use Lighthouse. Lighthouse allows you to easily and automatically analyze a web page’s performance and quality. It provides tools …
One of the keys to successfully scaling a business is being able to find and identify your ideal customer. You might already have some insight into who this customer is through your business plan. A traditional business plan will outline its target audience through a market analysis. Using Census data, …
WordPress is a popular, easy-to-use, PHP-based content management system and blogging platform. Many enterprise organizations believe that WordPress is simply a platform used by smaller companies, entrepreneurs, freelancers and companies who don’t have a robust or sophisticated infrastructure. But what if this simply isn’t the case? This article will discuss …
On this week’s episode of StartupNation Radio, Jeff talks to StartupNation’s new subject matter experts: Shay Berman of Digital Resource, Greg Packer of AccessPoint and Michael Spath of Kapnick Insurance Group. Tune in to the full StartupNation Radio show with Berman, Packer and Spath to learn more about our experts …
I’ll never forget the first video I made for my business. Literally wiping my clammy hands on my jeans, shifting my blazer every few seconds, blotting my face with a bath towel because the light kit I’d purchased was hotter than a tanning bed. A good friend of mine and …
It is common knowledge that Facebook is a marketing powerhouse for virtually all types of companies. In order to reach as many potential customers as possible and be more successful in today’s digital era, it is absolutely vital for you to have an effective Facebook marketing strategy for your startup. …
The way consumers buy goods and services is changing. Have a look at your bank statement over the last several months, and I’ll bet there are more than a few recurring charges for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify or Zoom. Consumers used to buy one-off products or services but are now …
Because almost half of all web searches are focused on local information and most people use search to find local businesses, optimizing your WordPress website for local SEO matters. Doing so helps your sites to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) and leads to more prospects, sales and …
Consumers have changed and evolved, and it’s imperative that your content marketing efforts reflect their current needs. Deloitte’s 2021 Global Marketing Trends reports the trends that can help organizations connect, engage and grow in our post-pandemic era, which include: Purpose: Knowing why and who you’re serving. Agility: How agile is …
When you’re hustling, time is money and that money comes in coins, not bills. It’s why we made our Website Terminology Glossary for web pros. This free resource for designers, developers, marketers or anyone else makes it easier explaining technical stuff to clients. Rather than a lengthy back-and-forth, quickly find …
The following is excerpted from “Make It Don’t Fake It” by Sabrina Horn (2021), ISBN 978-1523091492, with permission from Berrett-Koehler Publishers. There are many definitions of “brand.” I think of it simply as the unique relationship a person has with a company and what the company produces and sells. Successful …
Today’s cybersecurity threat landscape is evolving at an alarming rate. In order to keep pace for our customers, Dell Technologies deploys an intrinsic security approach that is intelligent, pervasive and built into the infrastructure, platforms and devices that our customers use. For years, Dell has been embedding hundreds of dedicated …
Marketing buzz has never been a true reflection of reality. No, the “right” drink won’t make you more desirable. A new car won’t bring your family a higher level of togetherness. And a WordPress theme can’t possibly fulfill every single need. The myth of that last one has persisted throughout …
A business plan is an essential tool for startups and, when executed correctly, it serves two key purposes: It provides goals and a roadmap for you to follow in order to build a successful company. It provides the format and information lenders and investors need to determine whether or not …
Pattern Collect – Browse this curated gallery of patterns from around the web. Designing for the Unexpected – Thoughts on designing for situations and devices you didn’t anticipate. GradientArt – Give this feature-packed, web-based CSS gradient editor a try. The Current State of Homepage UX – 8 Common Pitfalls – …
In this hyper-connected mobile age, the average person spends almost four hours a day using their smartphones. So, is the average person spending time on your ecommerce site? More importantly to you, are they buying? In this post, we’ll explain why it’s essential to optimize your mobile checkout for your …
If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that entrepreneurs must be prepared to pivot. Success is never guaranteed, but there are steps you can take to increase your chances of longevity as an entrepreneur. In order to future-proof your business and remain relevant to your target audience, you must stay …
Feedback is crucial to businesses. Between the good and the bad, we rely on feedback to help know what went well and what could use improvement. Sometimes asking for feedback can be an awkward conversation or you don’t know how to ask, so we’ve created these free templates to save …
On today’s Business Beat, Jeff discusses the boom in businesses being started by women, with nearly 12.5 million women-led businesses in the U.S. today, according to Fundera. Tune in to the Business Beat, below, to learn more numbers about women-led businesses and why this is welcome news: Tune in to …
As entrepreneurs, we must make sure to take care of our most important assets: our employees. In addition to meeting the demands of your business, your employees are parents, spouses, volunteers, family members … the list goes on. The stresses of work and life are an ever-present concern, and effective …
A crisis can happen to any business at any time. While planning for a crisis may seem quite ironic, given that the very definition of the word is something that happens unexpectedly, it is incredibly important that business owners invest in creating a crisis communications plan. A thoughtful and well-crafted …
You probably already know every business needs a website. However, you may not already know that every business also needs to build a strategy before they launch a website. It is no longer enough to simply post a standard webpage for your brand and call it a day. If you …
Adding a simple tooltip into your page or app isn’t difficult. You can easily find a multitude of JavaScript tooltip plugins and scripts that will all work perfectly well. But pure CSS is often a better option and has become the preferred choice for many web designers. If you’re looking …
Most Python newcomers don’t know how to set up a development environment that follows the latest standards used by professional programmers. This tutorial will teach you how to properly create a fully working Python development environment using industry-accepted best practices. Virtual Environments A virtual environment helps us to solve project …
Your productivity is Dell’s priority. Dell is here for you when you need remote solutions to help employees get more done. StartupNation readers can take advantage of an extra 5% to 10% on business-grade solutions during Dell’s Quarterly Business Sale, running July 22 through July 28. Visit www.Dell.com/StartupNation to access …
On today’s Business Beat, Jeff discusses what companies need to do to keep employees satisfied and loyal: implement hybrid working models. Tune in to the Business Beat, below, to learn more about why hybrid working models will soon be dominating the business landscape: “So, if you want to keep and …
On today’s Business Beat, Jeff discusses back-to-school spending, with estimates of $37.1 billion on elementary through high school and $26 billion for college-aged students, according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics’ recent survey. Tune in to the Business Beat, below, to learn more about what to …
This sponsored article was created by our content partner, BAW Media. Thank you for supporting the partners who make SitePoint possible. Page builders have revolutionized the way we create websites today. But with so many options available for WordPress, it can take some time to find the best one for …
It may be hard to imagine, but there was a time when it was rare to find high-quality photography on a typical website. Only the big-budget players had access to compelling images. And even then, they were likely borrowed from existing print materials. Those of us building websites for smaller …
Content on the Web needs to be presented in HTML format. Many web publishing tools (such as blogging software and CMSs) convert your content (text, images and so on) into HTML for you. But there are many situations where you want to write HTML content yourself … and marking up …
You have an exciting new business idea and have been studying how to start a business. But have you chosen a niche yet? Focusing on a niche allows your business to excel and become known for that particular thing. While it may seem counterintuitive to limit your target market’s size, …
When asked “who are you?” you might answer the question by saying “I’m a business owner” and sharing the name of your business and its offerings or services. As a thought leader, you might want to expand on your answer. Who are you? What is your background? Why did you …
Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.” These immortal words ring true for entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to succeed today, and that requires focusing on meeting customers where the action is increasingly …
WIWA is a German company and leading manufacturer of airless spray painting units, plus fluid handling, material extrusion, and injection systems. WIWA USA is a North American Master WIWA distributor operating in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. They’ve been a client for just a few years shy of a …
Your personal brand is a mix of who you are and how you’re unique in your field. Figuring out how to solidify your image requires attention to what others in your industry claim and digging deep into your personal values and practices. The persona your company has and your personal …
YouTube is a powerful tool. It is the second most visited website in the world according to Google (the first most visited website). And according to Pew Research Center, 74.5% of adults in the United States use YouTube. But have you ever considered using YouTube to grow your sales? Likely …
Disability challenges come in all shapes and sizes. A person with disabilities (PWD) typically has a much harder time thriving in our society because of restrictions others do not face…or even think about. This can be especially true when it comes to career opportunities, hiring practices, and advancement. Because of …
When you’re hustling, time is money and that money comes in coins, not bills. It’s why we made our Website Terminology Glossary for web pros. This free resource for designers, developers, marketers or anyone else makes it easier explaining technical stuff to clients. Rather than a lengthy back-and-forth, quickly find …
There are times when you will need to migrate a WordPress website to a new host or a different server. Perhaps you want to change a website’s structure, optimize it for mobile or you may just be dissatisfied with your current server’s service and performance. Migrating can solve your problem …
Social media is essential for everyday entrepreneurs — but it’s a waste of your valuable time if you’re not using it properly. To stand out from the crowd and be recognized over time, strong design is essential for both of these things. If you’re not standing out, it might be …
The following is adapted from “Startup CXO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Company’s Critical Functions and Teams” by Matt Blumberg. In April 2020, just as the pandemic was beginning to wreak havoc on markets, commerce, communities and the general public, I started a business along with a group …
Every year, amazing businesses fail simply because the people who would buy from them (their target audience) didn’t know they existed. I blame “Field of Dreams.” The movie came out in 1989 and was an instant classic, but the concept behind its tagline — “If you build it, he will …
If you’re starting a business, you’re probably focused on the product or service you’ll sell, but there are other essential tasks you’ll need to tackle, too. Not only do these tasks help establish your business as legitimate and professional, but they can also help your business as it grows and …
Starting a side hustle or turning a passion into a career is becoming more popular, but how can aspiring entrepreneurs ensure there is demand for their services as well as growth potential in their field? LegalZoom analyzed some of the most profitable small business ideas from the Bureau of Labor …
The dreaded 180-day notification arrives on your computer. It’s time to change your password again. What version of a pet’s name or mother’s maiden name will you use this time? Max1234? Sherbert5678? Now, you must remember this new password and the one to your credit card and your bank and …
The small biz journey is a tough one — but there are a few tools that can help you compete with the big players in your space, even with a smaller budget and fewer resources. One tool is to create great content for your blog and social media channels — …
When you’re hustling, time is money and that money comes in coins, not bills. It’s why we made our Website Terminology Glossary for web pros. This free resource for designers, developers, marketers or anyone else makes it easier explaining technical stuff to clients. Rather than a lengthy back-and-forth, quickly find …
How often do you update your LinkedIn company page? Many successful entrepreneurs utilize the professional networking platform to show off the best of what their business has to offer, from sharing job openings to posting videos about their products and offerings. Other novice business owners may not utilize their company …
The practice of protecting sensitive information with codes and ciphers is thousands of years old. Today, it’s a technical art form that secures digital data that is being sent, received or stored. Better known as encryption, this protection method masks digital information so that only those with the correct encryption …
We’re entering a new golden age — one of social audio. Talking and tuning into discussions on social audio has become the equivalent of posting on your Instagram and LinkedIn feeds. Clubhouse couldn’t have come at a better time. The platform launched in April 2020 with the air of invite-only …
It’s your biggest fear. Pouring yourself into building something that’s met with that uncomfortable feeling of silence. Nobody reads your blog. Nobody buys your product. Only your mom and your spouse visit your website. It’s something we all fear before we launch our websites. It’s scary to pour your energy …
There’s a lot of confusion about parallax design and how it works on the web. Generally speaking, parallax design uses motion to create the illusion of depth on a page. This can relate to background changes or semi-fixed position items that move alongside the user’s scrolling. We’ve covered many examples …
Early Black Friday in July business deals start now! Save over 45% off on the stylish and sleek Latitude 7420 laptop, combining power with an edge. Continue to enjoy your exclusive member discounts on cutting-edge tech and powerful end-to-end IT solutions. For more information, visit www.Dell.com/StartupNation to access these savings …
On today’s Business Beat, Jeff discusses this year’s boom in fireworks sales, including a 200% to 300% jump, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association via CNBC. Tune in to the Business Beat, below, to hear more about this big win for the fireworks sales industry: Tune in to News/Talk 760 …
In an ongoing effort to empower everyday entrepreneurs, GoDaddy continues to innovate and add to its product offerings and the latest has arrived — GoDaddy Payments The new payment solution enables Websites + Marketing and Managed WordPress WooCommerce customers to handle their commerce transactions directly through GoDaddy. After a quick …
Even if you’ve landed on a winning idea for a new app, you’ll need a strategy to get downloads and regular, sustained usage in a highly competitive market. We’re here to help by sharing the growth strategy we followed when we developed our successful driver’s education app in 2018 — …
