Category: Uncategorized

Spotlight: Wandalyn Tan

Posted on by Odette Fernandez

Caltan Training and Consultancy with Wandalyn Tan

Without clarity of  purpose, passion & career direction, you may be feeling lost, unfulfilled & unhappy with your life and career. For this week’s Utility Avenue’s Spotlight, we bring you Wandalyn Tan, who can help you build a life & career that you love that is meaningful & rewarding. Her life mission is to help others live happier lives.

If you want to know more about her, feel free to read her Spotlight, and contact her.

Caltan Training and Consultancy
Caltan Training and Consultancy with Wandalyn Tan

What can you tell us about yourself? 

After suffering from burnout in 2014, I reinvented my career. I am an Audit Manager turned International Speaker, Amazon Author, Executive Career & Burnout Coach, and CEO of my company, Caltan Training and Consultancy.

What were the origins of your business?

Training and coaching positively transformed my life. I want to pay it forward by helping others by sharing simple and powerful tools that work for me.

What were the main challenges at the beginning?

Challenge is doing everything on my own from website management, business registrations, marketing, content creation, and everything in between.

Who was the most supportive of your idea?

My kids were very supportive of my idea because they saw how training and coaching makes me happy.

What is the main target audience of your business? 

My target is helping managers and women professionals, especially working mothers break through from burnout & build a purpose-driven career & living aligned with their passion, purpose, experience, and expertise.

What makes your offer unique?

I used my mind expertise (as an NLP master practitioner) and audit expertise of 20+ years to find the gaps and offer simple solutions that help clients fast track results. My clients land their ideal job in less than 6 months even during the pandemic. 

Do you have any other passions?

I am passionate about learning. I am listening to podcasts and webinars almost every day.

If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?

I would be more loving and accepting of myself and stop suppressing my emotions. I will express myself more without fear.

What future projects does your business have?

I am building a training company, specific to helping working moms build a purpose-driven career and living through training and strong community support of other working moms who have been on the same path.

What challenges do you see ahead of you?

Knowing which one to do first of the many dreams in my list and finding the right partners to work with.

What message would you send to your followers?

Keep on asking because help is always available, ask yourself, ask God and ask others to move forward and fast.

Define your business in one sentence.

I am in the business of positively changing lives through training and coaching.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Connect with me on LinkedIn to get a daily dose of inspiration.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachwanda/

Wandalyn Tan’s Contact Info

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Utility Avenue’s Spotlight focuses on promoting inspiring businesses every week. For a chance to be interviewed, contact us at support@utilityavenue.com with the subject Spotlight.

Be On the Spotlight

Posted on by Odette Fernandez
We are delighted to have you here. 

At Utility Avenue, we’re always looking for fresh content to help our audience thrive. If you can provide valuable insight into your area of expertise, you might qualify to be our next guest writer. 

If you’re interested in writing for the Utility Avenue Blog, keep reading.

Why should you write for Utility Avenue?

Utility Avenue is a platform for entrepreneurs and small business owners to promote and sell their services. As a result, our blog is rapidly becoming a trusted resource for entrepreneurs and small business owners all over the world.

Our commitment is to provide valuable information that can help you on your entrepreneurial journey.

We invite you to share your knowledge with our audience.

For more information on our publishing guidelines, check this article. https://www.utilityavenue.com/write-for-utility-avenue

Questionnaire:

Spotlight

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Social Media as a Marketing Tool

Posted on by Odette Fernandez
Social media as a marketing tool.
social media as a marketing tool
Marketing is essential for the success of a business. It helps you promote your goods and services and draw clientele. Hiring a marketing team should be seen as a cost-effective investment. However, some small businesses and solopreneurs need to focus on DIY marketing, which involves a lot of learning and time. They have to do the marketing themselves while also running the business.

What is social media as a marketing tool?

According to Wikipedia, “Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service. Although the terms e-marketing and digital marketing are still dominant in academia, social media marketing is becoming more popular for both practitioners and researchers.”
Social media as a marketing tool is essential, because online marketing will not function without social media. Marketing teams aim at attracting clients on all the different social media platforms.

Why should we use it?

Marketing is a necessary must for companies worldwide. No matter how reliable a marketing team or strategy may be, social media as a marketing tool will increase your possibility of success exponentially.
An article in LYFE Marketing offers 15 reasons to use Social Media Marketing.

1. Your customers are on social media:

Social media is where many people spend time, get information, and socialize. Having a social media marketing strategy provides visibility. The LYFE Marketing piece says that “According to Statista, 70% of the U.S. population has at least one social media profile. And by 2021, the number of worldwide social media users is expected to reach about 3.1 billion people.” Such an increase in the number of social media users also increases the possibilities of people finding your business.

2. Consumers will be more receptive to your messages:

The casual and fun way in which social media interactions occur. Although most users are on these social media to keep track of their friends, they also follow the things they are interested in.

3. Marketing through social media can help increase brand recognition:

The key is that promoting through social media gives you more visibility and makes you more accessible. It also allows them to share your content with their friends and followers, granting you more potential followers.

4. Marketing through social media increases your inbound traffic:

According to the piece by LYFE Marketing, your social media profiles give you “… another way to get more inbound traffic to your website. This makes marketing through social media an excellent strategy to complement your search engine optimization efforts. Each piece of content that you post to your social media profiles is another opportunity to bring new visitors to your site.”

5. Different social media channels help you reach specific audiences:

When you are marketing, you can target different audiences. Your followers might be the same on Facebook, or Instagram, or LinkedIn. But there is a high percentage of them that only follow you on one of the platforms. Therefore, if you use more than one platform, you create an opportunity to increase and diversify your audience.

6. Social media advertising allows you to target and retarget ideal consumers:

As per LYFE Marketing: “Though social media advertising does require a bit of an up-front investment, social ads can do a lot to complement the organic campaigns that you are running on your social media channels. With sophisticated targeting capabilities, social media platforms like Facebook help you target your ideal buyers, which allows you to drive more relevant traffic to your site.”

7. Marketing through social media is cost-effective:

You don’t need to spend too much money to market on social media. Instead, devote time to study and generate content, and you will probably get good results. Of course, you can spend money on ads to promote content, but generating appealing material and publishing at the right moment can be very helpful.

8. Social media marketing may help improve your search engine rankings:

When you have a strong social media presence, search engines use that for your ranking. If your social media activity is robust and engaging and has good feedback, you get reliability. This translates into a good reputation and might be a factor for search engines to rank your business.

9. Your competition is on social media:

Since all of your competition might already be on social media, your potential customers might be there as well. Your competitors might have been on social media for some time now, which means there are already a lot of possible clients for you as well. Promoting the right way may help you attract those customers to you.

10. Marketing on social media leads to higher conversion rates:

LYFE Marketing says that “According to HubSpot, social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing tactics. That could be because every post you make and each interaction you have on your social media channels is an opportunity to convert an interested lead into a happy customer. By building a report with your leads and customers and posting valuable content consistently, your brand can work to improve trust and credibility, which leads to more conversions.”

11. Social media marketing helps improve brand loyalty:

Engaging with your customers and target audiences on social media help you increase customer loyalty. Social media allows you to generate leads. It also provides an easy way to interact with them and get feedback. This can translate into loyalty, as clients will feel more pleased with your customer service and the way you respond to their requests, questions, and complaints.

12. Consumers are looking for recommendations on social media:

Social media is a space where people share their thoughts and opinions. Among those opinions, the one they have about your service can have an impact on your potential customers. It is the new word-of-mouth marketing, and having a social media account for your business will help people recommend you.

13. Social media helps connect your brand with customers you didn’t know:

You may follow specific keywords or analyze the trending topics related to your type of business. This can get you access to people who are making comments on those topics. These people are your potential clients, and you can engage with them thanks to social media.

14. Marketing through social media can help you improve brand authority:

Having valuable content on your social media helps you create brand authority, making you a reliable voice and even a reference. More valuable content will mean more evidence of your expertise, more traffic, and more clientele.

15. Social media marketing allows you to gain new customer insights:

Quoting LYFE Marketing,  “… social media marketing gives you the valuable opportunity to gain new insights into your customers. By interacting with leads and current customers on social media, you can see what your customers are interested in and what drives them.”

Which Social Media platform should you use?

Many sites agree that the top Social Media use in marketing include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others. Web FX provides a list of the top 10, which are pretty much the same as the lists offered everywhere else:

1. Facebook

Daily active users: 1.45 billion
Monthly active users: 2.20 billion
Best use: Engaging your audience, Collecting reviews, Customer service, Advertising

2. Twitter

Monthly active users: 320 million
Best use: Building industry authority, Real-Life updates

3. LinkedIn

Registered users: 562 million
Best use: Reaching B2B prospects and potential employees

4. YouTube

Registered users: Over 1 billion
Best use: Highlighting company culture, Tutorials, Demonstrations

5. Pinterest

Monthly users: Over 175 million
Best use: Sharing products

6. Instagram

Monthly active users: Over 400 million
Best use: Building your brand

7. Google+

Monthly active users: 395 million
Best use: Managing your Google My Business listing

8. Snapchat

Daily active users: 187 million
Best use: Real-Time updates, Promoting events

9. Tumblr

Registered users: 412.8 million
Best use: Reaching a young audience

10. StumbleUpon

Registered users: 25 million
Best use: Increasing site traffic

Don’t forget blogging!

Please, don’t forget blogging! An excellent blog is a good means to draw attention to your goods and services. Blogs generate reliable content you can create on social media. Keep your blog active with engaging content. You will get more traffic into it, and more people knocking on your virtual door to do business with you.

Final thoughts on Social Media as a Marketing Tool

Marketing through social media can be done either by your marketing team or by yourself. The advantages are limitless, and the reach you can get is enormous. It would be helpful if you created your content intentionally and targeted your audiences effectively. Remember marketing will be more effective because of the quality of your content and the feedback provided on your social media platforms by happy customers.
So, choose what social media you want to use for your business and start promoting and engaging. It would be useful if you chose those you are more comfortable with to make your work easier. You can get a lot of clients through that.

The Need for a Digital Free Economy

Posted on by Odette Fernandez

The Need for a Digital Free Economy

The Free Market focuses mostly on supply and demand, and avoids government interventionism to a high degree or completely. The need for a free market today seems crucial for the economic growth of individuals, which will lead to a better life standard for them and their communities.

Although some try to minimize and demonize the free market, its importance is undeniable. People who live in countries with strict restrictive rules often need to access the black market to get goods and services that are not accessible otherwise.

Although no country gives full freedom to the market and the economy, the decentralization of both is necessary for the development of communities and individuals. The higher the level of economic freedom, the more levels of well-being will be found.

Characteristics of the free market:

  • A market that is self-regulated by supply and demand.
  • Freedom in price setting.
  • Freedom in the design of products and services.
  • Free interaction between demanders and suppliers.
  • Free commercial competition.
  • No interventionism that distorts price dynamics.

Even in countries that have a high degree of economic freedom, the free market has room for improvement.

What is not working in economic freedom?

  • Providers cannot design their services. Instead, they are defined by the gig-economy platforms.
  • Providers cannot set prices.
  • Clients and suppliers cannot interact freely.
  • Providers cannot compete with gig-economy platforms due to the high cost of development and publicity.
  • Investments that distort the dynamics of prices.

 

A free digital market or a digital free economy—like the one proposed in Utility Avenue— could solve some of these issues. Gaining independence from platform monopolies, which sometimes become predator platforms that make their users depend on them while taking a significant percentage of the transaction money.

How would the digital free market or digital free economy be?

For example:

– Drivers would not need Uber. Instead, they could compete against it, with the chances of offering better prices and personalized experiences, such as touristic trips around the city. This would increase the income of providers while fostering diversification and personalization.

– They could offer any kind of service, similar to the way Uber does, but without losing any percentage. While following government regulations related to their activity, they will significantly increase the offer, reduce prices, and raise quality.

– People could sell products without having to pay a percentage to Amazon, eBay, or any other.

– Clients would be more loyal because, unlike gig-economy platforms, the client could choose the provider. That way, excellent service would be rewarded, which will increase quality.

How beneficial would it be for society?

It is essential to highlight that statistics show that, as the economy gets more freedom, wealth increases, which diminishes poverty and many associated issues.

Index of Economic Freedom

 

We can use the US economy as an example. The Constitution of the United States is mainly liberal. This graph shows how the economy grew during its first century, despite harsh periods, to become the world’s biggest economy.

Real USA GNP percapita

When the government’s interventionism started, these trends began to change. In 1913, the Federal Reserve was born. By the late 1920s, the country got into the Great Depression, and after World War II, there was a flourishing that has progressively decreased the real gross domestic product. This graph shows an increase in the public spending, and as a result, a State that grows bigger and bigger with an increasingly regulated economy.

Real Gross Domestic Product

Public social Spending

 

Conclusions

Milton Friedman, 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize recipient in economics, said, “Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.” The free market is crucial for the elemental freedom of individuals, and the outcome it brings will be substantially positive.

The digital free economy is a necessary step for economic recovery. It will also be a leap towards a financial system with more justice, in which smaller companies do not compete in a position of permanent disadvantage.

The digital free economy will increase the income of service providers and small businesses, despite reducing prices and improving quality.

To Start or Not To Start a Business: That is the Question

Posted on by Odette Fernandez

to start or not to start a business

To start or not to start a business, that is the question. Many people who wanted to open a small business before COVID-19 found themselves in limbo, hoping for things to change or a miracle. The healthcare situation hurt most companies, big and small, and many have had considerable financial losses.

However, some businesses have thrived during the pandemic, which makes us wonder.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a list of businesses that have done pretty well. Among those experiencing growth: cleaning services, delivery services, drive-in movie theaters, grocery stores, liquor/wine stores, meal prep delivery services, canned and jarred goods companies, game makers and sellers, fitness equipment companies, landscaping and yard care, bread-baking companies, coffee subscription companies, gardening suppliers, mask makers, telehealth services.

Opening a related business might be an excellent decision to make.

So, is it a good time to start a business?

According to Adam Singolda in Op-Ed: Analysis of 8 billion page views shows where the next hot start-up can thrive, it is. “The news cycle is a direct reflection of what’s grabbing consumer attention in real-time,” he says. “Successful businesses will heed its advice and use it to “look outside” in times of crisis, but also how to “look inside” effectively to determine where to save costs and make responsible business choices.”

His piece describes industries that show massive growth after the COVID-19 pandemic started.

  • Consumer interest in Home Improvement has increased by 140%,
  • Consumer interest in Pet Products has increased by 50%,
  • Consumer interest in Home Beauty has increased by 36%,
  • Consumer interest in Gaming has increased by 145%,
  • Consumer interest in  Fitness and Health has increased by 2,000,000 %.

Some of these activities will only need time, courage, and dedication. For some others, you will need more significant savings, or trustworthy investors because banks are reluctant to offer loans due to the crisis.

As Annie Lowrey puts it in The Small-Business Die-Off Is Here, “… banks have been prioritizing applications from bigger clients; some have even developed “concierge treatment” options for wealthy firms.” She adds, “Much of the help (referring to the government relief package) has gone to the companies that need it the least, among them firms with employee counts just under the SBA caps, franchises of major chains, and publicly traded firms, which are by definition able to raise money from investors.”

Here are some pros for opening a business in related fields:

  1. These businesses will work even if COVID-19 gets contained. So, don’t worry about losing clients when scenarios change.
  2. People need these services, which makes you an asset to your clientele.
  3. Some potential new businesses will not open because their owners are still afraid, which will give you more opportunities.
  4. Some established businesses are closed, and their owners are reluctant to reopen because of the pandemic.
  5. People are eager to try something new and to help small businesses.
  6. These industries are booming right now.
  7. If you succeed, you will succeed BIG TIME.
  8. How you adapt now will work for you even past the pandemic, and also prepare you for further contingencies.

Of course, there are cons:

  1. People might still be reluctant to use certain businesses out of fear of contagion.
  2. People might be reluctant to spend money.
  3. Some people are engaging in DIY activities at home.
  4. Some people in your area might have beat you to it.
  5. It will be hard to get bank loans to set up your business.
  6. In case of not being successful, there is little chance for recovery.

With these things in mind, it is up to you to make a decision. If you open a new business, it is crucial to adapt to the current situation and make your business more attractive to people from the get-go.

Final words

Life is not going to be the same after COVID-19, at least, for the foreseeable future. Starting a new business or not, it is necessary to adjust to the new reality. If you want to start a new business, thoroughly analyze the pros and cons. You decide. Creating your safety guidelines based on the CDC instructions will help you out. You might also want to do proper research on the market capabilities of your area and your potential clients regarding the business you want to start.

Hellen Keller said: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” Taking risks will always bring uncertainty, but it will also take you places. If you want to start a new business, do everything necessary, be creative, and don’t be afraid. Give value and serve people.

So, what kind of business do you want to build?

The Future of the Gig Economy, by Kaylania Chapman

Posted on by Odette Fernandez

What’s the future of the gig economy?

We discovered Kaylania Chapman (a.k.a. The Blessed Driver) two years ago while doing research about the gig economy for Utility Avenue. Kaylania has a Youtube Channel, The Blessed Driver, where she shares personal opinions, reviews about gig apps, creative business strategies, and so much more.

Now, as times are uncertain, she graces us with her opinion about the future of the gig economy in our country.

kaylania chapman, the blessed driver

During these critical and uncertain times, the fate of gig workers today may seem unclear. There are a plethora of negative factors that can be compiled together in what many independent contractors are facing. However, I indeed have had to brace myself for the unknown. I first started working in the gig economy in 2014 as a house cleaner for a debunked company (now renamed Homeaglow) called HomeJoy. It was a temporary fix to earn some extra cash to support myself and my son. In 2016, I started driving for Uber and Lyft. Then I began doing food deliveries for Postmates. Instacart soon followed in late 2016, as well as other food delivery companies.

For a few years, the gig world was booming. I was making great money. I rented a condo and got a car. It was great. I chose that route because I was a single Mom and needed a flexible schedule. Without going into too much detail, things were great until mid-2019. Issues with Instacart’s insane rules, platform outages, and pay cuts hit my pockets. Food delivery companies such as Uber Eats, GrubHub, and others, began to cut pay, companies got greedy, and it wasn’t worth it anymore. I knew my season as a gig worker was soon coming to an end in 2019, and I was okay with that.

Looking back, I do not regret a thing.

I worked very hard and did the best I could. But what about today? Is there a fighting chance to make a decent buck on any of these platforms? The short answer is ‘possibly‘. Many of these gig companies hire so many workers and are often short-staffed (mostly with non-English speaking) on customer service personnel, which makes it hard for gig workers to dispute any issues. Each individual has situations they deem as acceptable or not. While many workers still earn great money, others are suffering. Some gig workers have had a hard time finding decent employment while others choose the gig economy as it fits their schedule or lifestyle.

At this current time, gig work is sparse for most. With the onslaught of people creating software and bots to steal “batches” and orders from the apps, finding what used to be quick and easy work seems rare these days. With the recent breakout of COVID-19, things slowed down a bit in the gig world but remained a bit steady for grocery delivery shoppers (and drivers), and some restaurant drivers.

I have always said to my audience on my channel on Youtube, The Blessed Driver, to pursue entrepreneurship. Allow working gig jobs to be a stepping stone to a better future; otherwise, they’ll be like a hamster in a wheel going in circles without reaching a destination.

I feel that gig work (at this current time) is more fit for college students or people needing a part-time job to earn an extra few dollars. Full time could be possible, but not likely.
Seeking a full-time job or starting your own business will be more sustainable than working on the gig platforms. Know what season you’re in, and don’t be afraid to step out into doing something better for you and your family.

Life’s about taking risks.

You never know until you try.

 

Kaylania Chapman’s Contact Info

Twitter: @blesseddriver1