According to politician Helmut Schmidt, “the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.”
No matter where you are in your journey towards success, there will always be new learning experiences and opportunities for growth.
Whether it’s an ever-expanding customer base or a few extra sales per week, improving customer service or getting on an extra five-star review online, there will always be hurdles to jump, or goals to smash.
Need some inspiration to keep on learning and improving your business?
We’ve collected some of the best business resources on the ‘net for you to explore and find fresh inspiration or ideas for growth in your own business.
Read on.
#1. HubSpot [Blog]
HubSpot is an inbound marketing and sales platform that offers customer relationship management (CRM) software for marketing, sales, email automation and customer service. They also offer a free option for select software.
HubSpot also has a stellar blog full of helpful tips and resources including videos, ebooks, training courses, and guides.
HubSpot covers SEO, ecommerce, marketing, customer service, web development and more. No matter your business type, HubSpot has resources to help improve your business tenfold.
Haven’t got time to sit down and read a mile long article? HubSpot includes a “read time” at the top of each blog (e.g. “10 MINUTE READ”) so you know what you’re in for from the get-go. Just pop-open their website on your coffee break and continue learning with a fast, two-minute article which relates to your business.
Image: HubSpot
Want to sample the goods? Check out these articles and start learning from the best in the business.
10 Ecommerce Trends to Expect in 2018
The 4 Email Templates That Earned Us $100,000 in 30 Days
33 Responses to the Dreaded Sales Objection “It Costs Too Much”
How Brands Can Achieve a Customer-Centric Digital Transformation
How to Write Thank You Letters to Your Customers to Show Them You Care (With Examples)
How to Measure Customer Satisfaction in 5 Simple Steps
#2. TED Talks: Business [Videos]
Sometimes the best way to learn is just to listen.
One of the most valuable resources business owners have is TED Talks. This media organisation started in 1984 under the slogan “ideas worth spreading”. Videos are shared online for free distribution, sharing insights and ideas about technology, entertainment, design, science, global issues, and business.
Apart from sharing some of the most inspirational rags-to-riches stories on the planet, TED Talks are perfect learning opportunities for business owners in the digital market.
The ecommerce world is ever-changing and these entrepreneurs have solid ideas about where it’s going, plus provide tips on how you can improve your business moving forward while preparing for the future.
We’ve collected some the freshest TED Talks relating to business, so you can start hearing stories from successful business-people from around the world.
How China is changing the future of shopping
Forget shopping – soon you’ll download your new clothes
Why the secret to success is setting the right goals
How to make a profit while making a difference
How to build (and rebuild) trust
#3. Screw The Nine To Five [Podcast]
Want a little bit of sass and enthusiasm with your business education? You’re going to want to check out the podcast from Screw The Nine To Five!
Named one of Kochie’s top nine podcasts all business owners should be listening to, Screw The Nine To Five has a husband and wife hosting team, Jill & Josh Stanton.
Their dream started for Jill & Josh in Toronto, Canada, in 2012. Jill left her job as a social media marketer and started a skincare business with her partner, Josh, and within a couple of months, their online business was making more than $1,000 per month.
Using simple marketing strategies and Jill’s savvy social media skills, the couple achieved ecommerce success at a shocking rate, and within ten months were making $6,000 a month in revenue.
After two years, the couple owned 30 websites in niches from skin care to diet supplements, racking up over $43,000 a month.
The couple were able to quit the jobs that were making them miserable, generate profits from their talent and skill, then sold their business for a whopping amount of money.
If that’s not a success story, we don’t know what is.
Their podcast is available for free online, providing tips and insights on how they made it to the top in such a short amount of time. Jill & Josh also have a great blog, including some of the following…
Our Go-To List of Tools You Need to Start and Grow Your Business Online
How To Create a Dangerously Effective Automated Sales Funnel
4 Fun and FREE Ways to Increase Online Visibility and Get Noticed in Your Industry
Momentum Marketing: The Roadmap to Building Your Brand Online and Screwing Your 9-to-5
How To Come Up With Online Business Ideas When You Don’t Have A “Passion”
#4. Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It… And Why the Rest Don’t [eBook]
Need some novel ideas to upgrade your business?
Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It… and Why the Rest Don’t is an ebook packed with practical tools and techniques to help turn your business into an industry-dominating empire.
Written by author Verne Harnish, Scaling Up is based on three decades of Harnish advising thousands of CEOs and executives, helping them navigate the increasing complexities and weight that come with scaling up a venture.
Harnish offers experienced advice on succeeding in business for a range of audiences, from fresh employees to CEOs.
The goal of the book is to help turn what feels like an anchor into the wind in your sails. Harnish aims to help you create a company where the team is engaged, the customers are doing your marketing for you, and everyone is making money.
Scaling Up is available for download on Kindle via Amazon.
Upgrade your success by learning from the very best in the ‘biz
Taking a lesson from the best in the business can be a major push for reaching your own success. There are some popular ecommerce businesses out there achieving amazing things using simple tricks of the trade, like optimised call to actions on product pages, offering exclusive discounts or benefits to repeat customers, or even just fast, low-cost shipping.
Check out these successful ecommerce businesses – they’re changing the ecommerce game in 2018 with the subtle, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it ecommerce strategies.
Learn from competitors and other successful ecommerce businesses, then make sure to visit the insightful resources listed above. From podcasts to blogs and TED Talks, there’s much to be learned from these business leaders.