5 Easy Ways To Reduce Stress At Work And Be Happy In 2020

Do you know that there’s a silent killer lurking around your head all the time when you are working in your office? Yes, you read that, right! And that silent killer that we are referring to right now is “stress”. Believe it or not, stress can affect your creativity and your productivity levels to the extent that you cannot even imagine. 

The worst thing is that stress won’t just mess up with your head, in fact, when it reaches a certain limit, it can even bring out some serious physical symptoms. These symptoms include headache, stomach ache, and insomnia, etc. In a nutshell, if you want to be the employee of the year when working for some company, you need to understand and eliminate “employee stress” at any given cost. 

Now that you are here, it’s obvious that you do realize the extent of harm that stress can do to you. You just are looking for ways to reduce it and be happy this year. Well, if that’s the case, then yes, you definitely are at the right place, and with some of the most effective tips, we’ll be more than happy to help you. 

1. Form positive relationships.

When it comes to your workspace, you need to leave your extrovert or introvert side at home. All you should do is that you should build positive relationships with other coworkers. This is important, and according to research, this plays a vital role in reducing employee stress. It’s not anyone else’s but your own duty to make a favorable work environment around. You should make friends in your office, eat with them, and when required, you should be able to get things off your chest by sharing your thoughts. 

2. Exercise.

Your body and your brain are dependent on each other. If your brain is not in the right condition, your body won’t be either, and the same is the case with your body. If you aren’t physically active, your brain won’t be active either, and this can be a real productivity killer for your work. The best thing to do is to exercise everyday. We aren’t asking you to hit the gym for hours and do some hardcore training. In fact, the truth is that even a half an hour walk will work for you. Just take out your stress and all your negative energy by exercising. It does wonders!

3. Eat Healthy.

The same phenomenon that we discussed in the above point, you need to stay physically fit in order to eliminate work stress from your life. This is where the food you consume matters the most. You need to give your body all the nutrients and all the vitamins it needs to stay active. Sometimes, it’s not the work of the life that’s giving you stress, in fact, it’s your own body. Your own body starts developing stress when you don’t consider eating nutritious food. The healthier your meals are, the happier you’ll be throughout your day. 

4. Get enough sleep.

We cannot stress enough on the fact that you should sleep properly at night. A disturbed sleep cycle can increase your stress levels, and it can mess up not just your professional life but your personal life too. You need to give your brain the energy it needs to stay productive and active. At least sleep for 6 to 8 hours everyday if you don’t want stress to be your silent killer. 

5. Prioritize your work.

It’s not easy to sit on the desk for consecutive hours and just work. It’s impossible for you to boost your productivity with such a hectic routine. This is the reason why you need to prioritize your work, take small breaks throughout the day, and work on the most important tasks earlier. 

Conclusion.

Following these 5 simple tips can do wonders for your work life. If you want to be happy and if you want to succeed, just use these tips, and we assure you that you’ll see some positive signs soon! 

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Seven Ways To Improve User Experience For Online Shoppers

In this era where speed matters, technology advances and competition grow with every passing day. The evolution has transformed the face of marketing that we know of, which seems to be customer centric, where every company and brand have indulged themselves in this rat race of providing consumers with best in class experience.

While observing the take of businesses with transforming marketing tactics, consumers have also upgraded the buying habits, backed by comfort and convenience. With this shift in trend, we witness a hike in online purchases with:

• 43% of shoppers globally searching products online.
• 75% of shoppers happen to make an online purchase once a month
• US alone is expected to exceed $740 BN by 2023

Scenario, as it explains – companies, now are expected more than ever to provide customers with the desired experience in order to justify the claims and to keep up with the shopper dynamics and evolution. As with increased awareness, interest and desired to online shopping, customers’ expectation is on the rise and to improve these online shopping statistics it is important to provide the consumer with the staggering user experience.

Here you will find some of the best targets to aim at, while planning a winning user experience strategy.

1. Make sure your site loads quickly.

It hardly takes online shoppers 10 seconds to decide if they want to stay on a site or leave. Fast   sites make more money because with fast paced world, the consumers are now impatient with a limited attention span. 14% of the audience will start shopping on other websites if they don’t enjoy it. Mozilla saw 60 MN more downloads each year by making their web page 2.2 seconds faster.  If you fail to be fast, you’ll be lagged behind and consumers will leave without making a purchase, most probably with a negative impression.

Cloud web hosting solutions are perfect for eCommerce websites that focus on fast perfomance, smooth scalability, managed security and customer support. Acording to this cloud hosting review on Woblogger, Cloudways offers feature-rich cloud hosting platform for eCommerce sites so you can focus on maximizing your profits. Also, you can find a great discount to get started.

Tips on getting the desired speed:

• Get the hold of hosting, a cloud hosting service will add a star to your speed, and vice versa.
• Use a lightweight theme/framework.
• Get the hold on difference interfaces, as customer varies
• Be careful with third party application involvement, don’t let outside privileges slow you down.

2. Focus on easy navigation: (Shopper Journey Mapping).

A key to making a successful sale is to facilitate the shopper journey. User friendliness is the game and talk of the town, when it comes to business tools, that customer self-steer. Hence, the design of the website should be able to provide easy navigation. Complex designs result in confused customers and such confusions keeps the money aback.

Tips on enhancing user friendliness:

• Limit unnecessary clicks
• Implement special features like auto scroll, quick and custom search options.
• A site map is essential to understand the product placement. Placement of Categories and sub categories right at start of the journey.
• Include chat bots, for immediate query resolution

3. Optimize your online store for Mobile.

Studies reveal that 2/3^rd of the cell phone owners use it as their primary access to the Internet. People want everything at a click these days, from browsing about product, to reading customer review to making the final purchase. E-Commerce players merely have milliseconds to hook the customer

Mobile applications have proven to be a great way to keeping the customer engaged with promotions, wishes and updates about new products, simply putting everything you want the customer to know, let it be delivered right into customer hands – popping up into their notifications.

Tips on Mobile Optimization:

• Make it available on vast used platforms (iOS and Andriod)
• Make it available on Google Play Store & Apple Store
• Keep it simple and navigable
• Easy experience scrolling
• Font should be readable with imagery aloud

4. Use product images to build trust.

We live in a visual world, hence we should never underestimate the power of high quality photographs and visuals of products. Online shoppers find images reassuring. It helps identifying that they’re getting the thing they want.

Keep them large and Hi-Res, as according to VWO blog, there is a direct relation of larger product images to sales. A 9% increase is directly related to image inclusion in digital retailing. Consumers can extract a lot of information to help them from large images. Stick with clear views to add that extra oomph for the users.

Tips on Visual Excellence:

• The images should be realistic. If they do not match what user had ordered they might not return to your online store.
• Take care of Pixels: Make users feel like viewing a product right in front.
• Adding multiple angles and views help online shoppers better understand the product. It helps them make an informed decision. Size matters with product imagery.

5. Include customer reviews.

Customer reviews are a best judge of the product than any marketing gimmick. It can significantly improve the customer experience. Consumers consider an essential resource when making purchase decisions. Placing user generated content can create social proof and trust. One good review can help result in a chain of reaction and automatically generate more good reviews.

Tips to upscale customer satisfaction:

• Include legitimate reviews
• Don’t forget to add a review section on your website
• Actively respond to customer queries

6. Simple and easy checkout options.

One of the most irritating parts of online shopping is a difficult checkout option. If checkout options are too lengthy and takes time, user may get frustrated, give up and leave.

Tips on easy checkouts:

• Check out options should be user friendly so the customers who are not ready to buy yet  should have the option to return later and make a purchase.
• Easy checkout forms with auto filled options can help ease the user’s requirements.
• Once the online shopper has decided to check out there should be a clear path without any distractions.

7. Keeping the website up to date.

Perception is powerful. A website that fails to create a good impression transmits the idea that the company is unprofessional and incapable. If the interface is not welcoming, the consumer will close the window. Therefore, it is important to have aesthetics and updates right in place to rank well on search engines and to offer customers with the best experience.

Tips on keeping up the website:

• Keep product inventory actual and updated at all times
• Add a blog section with informative content, this can drive magnets and potential customers.
• Skillfully constructed content guides shopper journey through the website. It positions it well in search engine too. It attracts more inbound links which will be helpful in spreading the voice about your business across the Web.

Conclusion.

eCommerce has reached its peak point. If you fall short online, it is the loss of opportunity. Any business that hopes to survive and scale should make an instant hit with its audience and an online impression, the answer to which  enhancing user experience.

All of the above points can help you improve user experiences for online shoppers. It will help develop a long term customer base for your site.

No doubt! An enjoyable user experience can lead to perpetual sales as it is the first step that online shoppers take to climb the rest. Therefore, improvising the online user experience is really a winning move.

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Start Your Own Medical Business: 3 Ideas

If there is one type of industry that is absolutely recession proof, it’s anything medical related. Many medical startups don’t require any medical training or going to med school at all. You just need some business acumen and find the right gap in the market.

Any entrepreneur can jump into the medical field and make a lot of money while also doing good for the community.

In this article, I will go over several small medical businesses that you can start and hopefully grow successfully.

1 – Mobile medical screening.

Mobility can be an issue and there are plenty of areas that are medical deserts. People in rural areas or even some urban areas that are poorly served by medical providers could use a mobile service that comes to them.

Flu shots and vaccine administration can be done where they live so you go to them instead of them coming to you. There is also the possibility to do blood tests and even eyesight and hearing.

If you are collecting samples, then using a service like ReliableCouriers.com to deliver your medical specimens can streamline your process so you don’t also have to think about logistics.

This can be a real money maker and at the same time provide a valuable service for people which can help improve their lives.

2 – Medical concierge.

Do you remember when doctors used to do house calls? Well, they still do if you are in the right network.

You can start up a medical concierge service and find a group of doctors who would like to belong to your service. Patients can sign up for a membership in which they recieve certain perks for their medical needs such as house calls.

Your service can provide members with perks like same day appointments, head of the line service for things like vaccines and new treatments. Think of it like a hotel concierge. If somebody asks them where to go to eat for the best seafood, the concierge sends them to the right restaurant. In this case somebody asks the concierge to find them a doctor that does over the phone prescriptions and you get the idea of how this works.

People will pay for convenience and when it comes to medical services, convenience is not always an option without the services of a concierge.

3 – Health fair organizer.

There is a big need for fairs to show doctors and other medical providers what the latest products and services in a certain sector are. By organizing these fairs, you can help be the bridge between manufacturers and the doctors who need to use their products.

If you have good people skills and know how to bring people together then this could be a great way to enter the medical industry without needing to know anything too technical.  The most important knowledge to have to get this off the ground is marketing and how to organize.

Find universities to partner up with and you will have more opportunities than you can handle.

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Labor Law Defense Tips & Strategies For Employers

– A strong HR and sound corporate policies can substantially minimize an employer’s risk of litigation.

– Intelligent W2 and 1099 contracts allow employers to control much of the process in case of conflict; don’t copy and paste a (useless) standard employment agreement.

– If litigation is inevitable, select an attorney with a proven track record in corporate litigation and defending employers — and who also does not shy away from using the strategy of offense as the best defense to compel an expedited resolution.

Your Corporate Defense Begins Before Litigation Arises.

Contrary to common conception, a large number of labor law disputes are avoidable. While no mechanism exists that controls people’s behavior and securely governs their conduct, employers — small and large — are ill-advised to believe that there isn’t anything that can stop a lawsuit against your business. There is. Too many employers simply focus on responsive measures and act when a threat of litigation, a civil lawsuit, or a whistleblower action arrives. Then, understandably, they are all mad, often emotional, and quickly realize that even a bogus claim filed against them with the EOCC or in court can trigger thousands and thousands of dollars to defend.

The better approach is prevention. At the end of the day, no matter what a former employee claims—discrimination, retaliation, harassment, unsafe workplace, wrongful termination, violations of the FMLA — it all comes down to them carrying the burden that your company was negligent or reckless in some way. Well, just like a supermarket can install safety mechanisms such as a big yellow sign warning of a wet floor, you, the employer, and business operator should consider demonstrated efforts to show zero tolerance for workplace misconduct and legal violations. Now, there is a big difference between what you have in mind, and what you do, what you show, what you share with your employees. It helps your employees to know about your business philosophy and your diligence and to make sure workers are safe — but also informed upfront about your expectations and guidelines.

In light of tens of thousands of litigation proceedings against American employers each year, you are not a good businessman/woman to ignore the power of company policies, employee rules, and sharing the process in case of unhappiness, suspicious violations, and maintaining a positive and safe work environment. Anyone working for you must understand that employment is not a one-way street, where you, the employer will do everything for your staff — paying salaries, protecting them, caring for them — and they, in return, can turn against you at their will. Legally sound and firm businesses are based on reciprocity and mutual expectations.

Prevention begins with your HR department. Your hiring officer is likely one of the most important persons working for you. HR determines who gets in. Selection begins before hiring, and your HR team should pay close attention to who applies with a history of litigation or conflicts. Troublemakers need to stay outside. With the help of your HR team and outside counsel, you should create rules and procedures that everyone needs to abide by. These rules provide a clear process of how to report misconduct, how to act and behave (both: for management and staff), and how to resolve potential conflicts. Professionally drafted policies are a powerful first line of defense arguments to disprove negligence. If utilized effectively and enforced, these policies are the constitution of your company signaling to everyone who you are and what you stand for.

For example, Covid-19 hit most employers entirely unprepared. While the pandemic was admittedly unprecedented, those employers reacting quickly and using counsel to develop safety rules and minimize future lawsuits for lack of PPE or offering an unsafe work environment are less likely to find themselves in litigation — because they articulated standards and thus showed that they care, and are not indifferent, reckless, or negligent. This does not mean their operations are necessarily perfect; however, if these employers are ever challenged, any judge will understand that they did, as demonstrated in their handbook and policies, whatever they could, i.e. were the opposite of negligent, to exercise good care for their staff.

Have an Experienced Attorney Create Intelligent W2 and 1099 Agreements to Control the Dispute Resolution Process.

No matter your efforts, a guarantee against getting entangled into litigation does not exist. By law, you cannot prohibit an employee from legally challenging you. However, with some nuances across the different states, you should choose the effective language in your employment agreement to reduce the risk of public litigation and the threat of jury trials. For example, in particular with management and 1099 contractors, your attorney should advise you on how to select favorable dispute resolution language, how to select the right forum in case of litigation, how to exclude jury trials, and how to promote an amicable and non-public resolution. Don’t just copy and paste one of these standard employment contracts that have proven so many thousands of times disastrous for employers and companies. If there is an area (besides creating smart policies tailored to your particular industry) where investment into an experienced attorney will pay off big time, it is likely this mentioned area of developing intelligence, conflict preventing corporate W2 and 1099 agreements.

This Is What You Must Expect from Your Company Litigation Defense Lawyer.

If all of these well-intended, preventive measures fail because one of your employees just can’t resist the temptation to seek shelter with a plaintiff’s attorney, you must select an attorney with the right skillset. Your expectations should be high because if your attorney turns out to be a bad choice, you may pay the price by entering an unjustified settlement to overcome your lawyer’s failed defense strategy. First and foremost, your lawyer must have a track record of defending employers. Especially in employment cases, this means that your employer defense attorney knows how to dismiss a case. Excellent writing and advocacy skills and profound familiarity with applicable case law are among the most dominant features of an effective corporate defense attorney. After all, judges do understand that many employment cases lack merit and they want to be convinced early on that this is a case that does not deserve their attention when they already have a busy docket. Conveying this message early, having that ability to subsume the facts under the standards of dismissing a case thus is a key characteristic of an excellent choice.

Sometimes Offense Is the Best Defense.

Recognize that sometimes a case will not settle quickly. Keep in mind that the lawyer representing your former employee is likely compensated on a contingency basis. That means, that lawyers must get money from you, or else law firm and client do not get paid at all. These cases will eventually reach discovery where requests for documents and notices of depositions will take months before the parties reconvene or are ordered by the court to settle. Now, there are two types of settlements from the perspective of an employer: a total surrender or a smart settlement as part of a good business decision. For you to achieve a business-friendly outcome at mediation or settlement conferences, you must position yourself and argue from a position of strength, not weakness.

The best way to do so is to have an attorney who no one wants to go against in court, who has a proven track record in trials, and who everyone knows can convince judges and juries. Your opponent must recognize that even a small settlement may be much better than being deposed by your attorney or losing the entire case in court. It is that type of a litigator and courtroom attorney who understands how to force the other side to settle, and how to minimize exposure — always with the view that the alternative would face fierce opposition in the litigation process. In some cases, that approach also means that your attorney should have no problem considering a counter-lawsuit and taking other proactive steps to get your case resolved so that you can continue building and expanding your business — without that unpleasant former employee sabotaging or paralyzing your operations.

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WhatsApp Web 8

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WhatsApp Web can be used on any PC. I mean you can really send or get messages from WhatsApp of yours direct. For specific people, this will be a giant steak for their data. In other words, WhatsApp is stacked up with numerous individual messages and media records. For whatever time span that the device and PC are related, people can get to your substance and send messages and records remotely. Despite the way, this is a very accommodating component to have, the day’s end it will be a huge issue for some people.

Open Whatsapp Web, if you have unfortunately closed the tab, open it you can take a gander at WhatsApp Web or you can directly visit the webpage by entering this URL. web.whatsApp.com Presently, you will see that your discussions are all there as you didn’t log out. Towards the left where you have all of your contacts, on the upper right corner, only contiguous the new talk image, you will find a three-spot menu, many equivalents to you can find on your phone. At the point when you open it, there is an opportunity for you to logout, click on it, and assert. In case you ignore logging out and you’re out unfit to get to the PC, well you can essentially open Whatsapp Web on your phone and select logout from all the devices.

In a little while with this post, our earnest point here is to guarantee everyone examining this article will wind up being dynamically familiar with everything about WhatsApp and the colossal prize WhatsApp Web also! Before we get the hang of anything about the WhatsApp Web let us instantly become continually acquainted with everything about WhatsApp. As a matter of fact, you needn’t lounge around inertly with any extra-record or something. You can use your current WhatsApp Messenger to address this. If all else fails, It bearings to your messages to the webbing adjustment using a relative record. Both are strong and consistent for sending messages and access different things, for example, natural media and comparable sorts of stuff.

In spite of the way that it has been an exceptionally prolonged stretch of time since WhatsApp first came out and pushed its Web-based stage where all the enlisted WhatsApp users can sign in to the website and use WhatsApp on their work regions. This component is severe and uncommonly significant, be that as it may, then again, like Messenger and Telegram it’s no usage autonomous. That suggests it has been related to your phone continually. Thusly, to be a great deal of clear, you should be related continually. Whatever the story here is, in this post we will discuss everything about WhatsApp and moreover will make you perceive how these capacities and how to sign in and logout from this organization as well.

Examining WhatsApp Web, as referenced earlier, it isn’t autonomous. For instance, Telegram Messenger, one of the most notable ones available for gatherings and systems. You can use telegram like WhatsApp, or more accommodating than to be accurate. Telegram is a lot of equivalent to Messenger by Facebook, which can be completely used in the autonomous stage. That suggests you have to sign in just once using your mobile phone. At the point when you enter the OTP, there is really no necessity for you to take up your phone.

Open your Android or iOS phone and guarantee it is related to the web. We eventually endorsing you to use the Wifi sort out for reliability. Next up, Open WhatsApp application and tap on the three-touch various on Android. iOS patrons need to tap on the setting’s image. Presently you will get the chance to see an option named “WhatsApp Web”. Select it to open. It turns on your camera and shows a square. By and by you should open WhatsApp Web on your PC. Visit, web.whatsapp.com and you will have the alternative to see a scanner tag in the square shape. Here you ought to just, check the Bar Code using your smartphone. That is all, by and by you have successfully marked into WhatsApp Web.

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What Does It Really Mean To Be A Spiritual Leader In Business?

by Hilary Jane Grosskopf, author of “Awake Leadership” and “Awake Ethics“

Over the past few years, we have seen a rise in the importance and emphasis on soft skills and emotional intelligence (EQ) in leadership. More recently, there has been a new kind of leadership skill introduced: Spiritual Leadership (SL). As a former leader of teams in the corporate world, an entrepreneur, a leadership coach, and a yoga teacher, this new terminology sounded a bit strange at first. Then, I realized that my own sense of spirituality is actually what made me a successful leader. My spiritual practice also sustains my leadership practice at work and in life today.

So, many people ask, “What does it really mean to be a Spiritual Leader?” We often think of spiritual leaders as people like Ghandi or great yogi and meditation teachers only. However, being a spiritual leader in business is a bit different from being a great yogi or classic spiritual leader. Business leaders are not necessarily teaching others to be spiritual or leading the spiritual world, but they are using their own practice of spirituality to influence others, make sustainable progress, and build strong teams and organizations.

Spirituality is not a religion. Though all religions are welcome in the spiritual world, to be spiritual is not to be religious. To be a spiritual leader in business, there are two foundational concepts to understand. With genuine understanding of these concepts, spiritual action follows. I have found that yes, it is possible to be spiritual in business as a leader. Spiritual leadership might not be for everyone, but I hope this article gives you some insight into the benefits of exploring spirituality and integrating spirituality into your work and your life.

Concept 1: Interconnectedness.

Interconnectedness of all things is the foundational belief of spiritual seekers and leaders. If you zoom out and think about the world (and universe), everything is truly interconnected. Each action we take has an impact on someone else or something else, and so there is a reaction and a following ripple effect.

How does this belief in interconnectedness apply in the workplace? Many leaders, especially in business, employ a separatist mindset at work. Given the realities of scarcity, money, and competition, it’s easy to act selfishly and ignore the reality of interconnectedness at work. Leaders that do not remember the rule of interconnectedness fail to acknowledge others in order to save time, they hoard or hide information in order to build their own power, and they often fail to give opportunities to others in order to save time and maintain control.

Leaders that fail to remember the reality of interconnectedness in the workplace build a stagnant team instead of a growing team. Leaders that lead with a belief in interconnectedness acknowledge team members to fuel motivation and greater productivity. They give opportunities to learn and grow to fuel progress and organizational growth. They share information intelligently to cultivate connection and discussion for greater progress.

Another concept related to interconnectedness is karma, or the belief that for every action, there is a reaction and response. It’s similar to a ripple effect. Each action we take as leaders has an impact on our team members, ourselves, and the world. Belief in interconnectedness and practices that support greater interconnectedness build good karma, or fortune and happiness for everyone.

To practice interconnectedness in the workplace: 1) Acknowledge team members for achievement at weekly meetings, 2) Communicate with a positive tone, 3) Give others opportunities to grow and progress 4) Be transparent and honest 5) Clean your workspaces, leaving a space better than you found it it, 6) Listen in meetings; add to a conversation rather than replace or shoot down ideas

Concept 2: Surrender.

The second concept that spiritual leaders in business understand is that there is a greater force than humans acting at all times. In spirituality we often call this the “Universal force” or “Greater force”. This concept is different from religious forces and is more aligned with a natural force like the force of the big bang and the continuous force of nature.

Why is this concept relevant in the business world and workplace? Many leaders in the workplace suffer from clinging to control over people, situations, and outcomes. Maybe you know someone who seems to suffer from this mindset. Given the pressure to achieve results, maintain control, and gain more scope or power in business in order to “progress” or move up, many leaders suffer from this attachment. However, belief in this Universal Force allows us to surrender to the reality that we really don’t have total control over every person or situation. Spiritual leadership is about genuine belief in the capabilities of others and support of team efforts.

Though we have control over our behavior and ability to responsibly execute our tasks and objectives to a certain extent, we don’t have total control over other people or large-scale outcomes. Spiritual leaders work hard and seek to influence others genuinely but they also believe that everything has a way of working out as it should. They know their own responsibilities and trust others to do their part. They believe in supporting people, especially team members, in reaching greater potential and acting as a guide without overreaching. They believe in articulating the vision clearly and focusing on building the right team so that they can truly trust in others’ abilities.

An understanding of the Universal Force is liberating because when we can let go of the clinging to results, power, and people, we can focus on what we can truly control. We can enjoy the journey and witness more than manipulate. This is challenging in an environment that promotes territorial behavior and competition. The leadership must lead by example in delegating responsibility and building trust. This is the practice of surrender.

To practice surrender in the workplace: 1) Delegate responsibility, 2) Guide rather than micromanage, 3) Welcome, discuss, and implement new ideas from others, 4) Welcome constructive feedback, 5) Embrace change and support evolution

Spiritual leadership is an approach to leadership that is selfless yet deeply rewarding. Many leadership approaches promote individual progress and paint the goal to “rise to the top” with more power in an organization. Spiritual leadership resides at the intersection of personal growth and professional development. Spiritual leadership is about true teamwork and world-work, which fuels greater individual and collective progress. From my experience, I have found that incorporating these spiritual concepts into workplace leadership allows for better team alignment, greater motivation, lower stress, and improved productivity.

 

Hilary Jane Grosskopf is the author of “Awake Leadership: A system for leading with clarity and creativity” and “Awake Ethics: A system for aligning your actions with your core intentions“. She is a leadership strategist and founder of Awake Leadership Solutions. Her new book, “Awake Apprenticeship” is due out later this year.

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Timing Is Everything: How To Secure Early-Stage Funding

by Ash Rust, founder and managing partner of Sterling Road

Money is constantly on the mind of any entrepreneur: how to raise it, where to invest it, and how to make more of it. Given that mindset, it’s only natural that most entrepreneurs jump at the first chance they get to secure early-stage startup funding. The sooner they have the funding, the sooner they can invest it in their business.

However, strategy — not speed — is often the name of the game. Most startups will need a viable product and proof of credibility before they can expect early-stage investors to really bite.

The most common fundraising mistake I see is when early stage entrepreneurs focus all their attention on trying to secure a $1 million check from a lead investor. If they fail, they’ve spent months fundraising with nothing to show for it.

Instead, approach your fundraising in tiers. For your very first funds (up to $100,000), start with your friends, family, and connections. These are the people who have known you for a long time and want to see you succeed. Ideally, reach out to people from your past who have wealth, influence, or a network.

When raising your pre-seed round (usually $250,000 to $750,000), you’ll want to focus your outreach on active angel investors and the new generation of small fund managers, often called micro venture capitalists, whose fund sizes are usually less than $100 million. By this point, you will have had the chance through your customer traction to establish credibility, which will make you more attractive to investors than a mere idea. You can find these investors on services like AngelList, Crunchbase, or PitchBook.

When you reach the seed stage and you’re looking to raise $1 million to $3 million, that’s when you should start discussions with potential lead investors who can invest $1 million or more on their own. But the warning still holds: Don’t focus on lead investors exclusively (even if they’re the ideal outcome).

How to Secure Money to Ensure Success.

It’s tough to be patient in fundraising when you’re eager to build a huge business, but it’s worth it in the long run. Follow the steps below to raise the money you need, when you need it:

1. Start with people you know.

Start by talking to your contacts, particularly those who could help you get started. For example, you could call a pastor, politician, military officer, or college professor whom you knew well in the past. These individuals’ large spheres of influence will likely include investors. You may be nervous to reach out after so long, but most people will be very glad to hear from you, especially given your exciting update and request for feedback. When you’re in the meeting, tell them about your startup and ask, “Is there anyone you think I should talk to?”

2. Apply to accelerator programs.

Accelerator programs can be great preparation for your pre-seed or seed round. A lot of possible options exist, but look for programs that have histories of success and that actually invest capital (versus just providing advice). The typical range of investment is $50,000 to $150,000, and the program would ideally have at least one company that has reached a $100 million valuation. Some good options include: Y Combinator, Techstars, Alchemist, Pear, and SkyDeck. If you’re lucky, your college may also provide a program like Velocity at the University of Waterloo or the Foundry at Oxford.

3. Raise on strength.

Now that the global economy has turned, competition for investment from seed funds (usually $100 million to $350 million) will be especially fierce. To give yourself a chance to beat the odds, wait until you’re in a strong position in terms of customer traction before going out to fundraise for $1 million or more.

If you’re not sure, meet with three to five seed funds and ask them for feedback on where your company would need to be for them to be interested. If they get excited immediately, you might be ready to fundraise for your seed round.

4. Start with momentum.

If it is time to fundraise, you’ll need to start scheduling meetings to build momentum and create competition. If you’re in an accelerator program, it will usually provide a demo day, which is a great way to generate your initial meetings.
Ideally, you should aim to have 40 meetings scheduled during the first few days of fundraising. If you don’t have a demo day (or if yours didn’t go well), you can make up for this by requesting introductions to seed funds, micro VCs, and angel investors. Try to get about 60 introductions. Assuming a 2-in-3 success rate on your requests, you should be able to give yourself the needed boost.

5. Test the investor market.

If you’re looking for a large check, be sure to test the market’s interest. Schedule about 10 meetings with seed funds or larger VCs and measure how many come back within the next 24 hours asking for a follow-up meeting with more of their team members. If it’s fewer than 40%, you should focus more of your time on smaller check writers (e.g., angels and micro VCs), which will give you a better chance of building momentum.

6. Close the round.

For all investors, you have to be willing to push them to a no. Always follow up, and if they don’t respond, it’s OK to give them a deadline (individually) to push them to a decision. Just remember: A maybe is worse than a no.

If an angel is interested, make sure you tell them you will hold a spot for their usual check size. This reservation can’t be given to another investor, thus building momentum through soft commitments. Even if the larger funds aren’t initially interested, don’t be discouraged. Focus on the investors who are excited, and that momentum will increase pressure on everyone else. For most founders, the largest checks come at the end of the fundraising process.

When you know you have a great idea, it’s tempting to jump into fundraising headfirst. However, you’ll be more successful in the long run if you choose to build first and be strategic. By segmenting out your fundraising rounds and intentionally using a tiered strategy, you’ll have the chance to build a stronger foundation that will ultimately make you much more attractive to investors.

 

Ash Rust, founder and managing partner of Sterling Road, is an entrepreneur turned pre-seed investor. Sterling Road is a venture fund focused on pre-seed B2B companies. Ash has mentored hundreds of startups through accelerator programs including Y Combinator, Techstars, Alchemist, and universities such as Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Oxford. Connect with Ash on Twitter @AshRust.

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