Tag: software

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Optimize Your Website

websites

Businesses should leave an impression. These days, most first-impressions are made by websites. Read on to discover how you can optimize this essential online-tool.

Websites: Where to start

Making a website is just like making a quilt — it can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be.

The first place to start is by choosing a partner that understands your business. For example, some software providers have solutions for assembling kits, fractional yards and fat quarters that can integrate into inventory management processes.

These same software providers can also add other tools including classes and block of the month subscriptions.

Website goals

The next step is to decide what sort of goals you have for your website.

From the above, increasing productivity is an obvious goal. You can go one-step further and tie in back-end business systems to your site as well. Further, you can make changes in one place and it will automatically update your website and in-store system.

It goes without saying, but your website should also help in two large ways: increase sales and drive foot traffic. To accomplish both of these, you’ll need to inform customers of your products and services, as well as determine how each section of your website will increase revenue. We’ll touch on both of those next week.

Inspiration for this post came from “Increase Your Website’s Value” by Brad Tanner of Rain Retail Software and was published in the April 2022 issue of American Quilt Retailer.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

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Podcast Basics: What You Need To Know

podcast

Everybody has a podcast these days. Should your business be one of them? Find out everything you need to know before you jump in.

Podcast Basics

As business owners we already have one thing many people who start podcasts don’t: a following. Before you decide to push a podcast to your audience, make sure you can provide enough information. Without the content, you don’t have a podcast.

The next thing to think about is your podcast format. Will you be the host? Will you cohost? What about special guests? Once you figure out your style you can determine how long you want the episodes to be (any where from 4 minutes to 2 hours) and how frequently you release episodes. This could be every week, every month, or seasonally to fill in your slow months.

Equipment

There’s a lot of information available as to what recording software is the best. The good news is starting a podcast is cheap; it shouldn’t set you back more than $100.

Another thing to consider is editing software. Again, you’ve got a couple of options so if you have any editing experience think about what’s important to you (ease of use? amazing features?). Do your research and tailor your decision based off that.

After you get the equipment, practice before you go live. (Talking in a microphone is more difficult than you’d think!) Plus you’ll get a better idea of how to script your episodes.

Once you start the opportunities are limitless! Eventually you can get advertisers and bigger-name guests.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

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Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity

With more time spent online, cybersecurity practices are more critical than ever. Check out this list to make sure you’ve got your business is safe.

Passwords

Train your employees to use strong passwords and require them to change their passwords every three months. Better yet, implement multi-factor authentification, or check with your bank and other vendors to see if they offer that option.

If employees use a shared laptop, create different accounts for each employee and encourage each employee to protect their account with a strong password.

Finally, make sure your business is using a secure, encrypted, and hidden WiFi network. Set up your wireless router so it does not broadcast the WiFi name and make it password protected too.

Cybersecurity

Installing a firewall on each of your computers is essential, and there are free versions online too. If employees work from home, make sure they have a firewall installed on their home computers as well.

Back up your data as frequently as possible. Per the FCC, critical data includes word processing documents, electronic spreadsheets, databases, financial files, human resources files, and accounts receivable/payable files.

Lastly, limit employee access to this data. Employees should only be given access to systems they need for their jobs, and shouldn’t be allowed to download additional software.

Hardware

Update your systems regularly and run antivirus software after each update. Also make sure you use a different computer to process payments than you use to browse the internet.

Nobody wants to be in a position where they have to pay someone because of a lack of online security. Start with these practices to protect your business from cyber attacks.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you.