February 2023 - Page 3 of 12

Starting an Aquarium Maintenance Business

Getting Started…the Necessities

Note: Use this information at your own Risk! Lantz Enterprises Inc ( http://www.walltanks.com ) assumes no responsibility whatsoever.

Business Licenses

The cost of a business license is minuscule. Unless you plan to sell from a retail store, the common price in most areas is approximately $25 per year. In addition, you will also need to obtain a special tax identification number for sales tax. In order to acquire a tax ID you must contact local and state governments to set up an account.

2. Business Essentials

o Business cards

One of the most important steps when starting a new service is the purchase of business cards. Generally, for $75 it is possible to print 5000 cards in multiple colors. Keep in mind that in order to gain a potential customer’s attention a more professional looking card will reflect on your business.

o Letterhead

It is very important to maintain professionalism at all times. One of the ways to do this is through your letterhead. Letterhead is commonly used for sales letters, business correspondence, sales promotions etc. First impressions are crucial to draw in potential customers. When targeting high-end customers they will expect a certain level of professionalism.

Other marketing tools such as brochures and advertisements are essential in getting your product out to your potential clients however they are not always necessary. Normally, depending on the quality of brochure or advertisements you decide on, these can generally range in price from $50- $500. There are many print shops and graphic designers in your area that will take care of this.

o Invoice book

o Appearance

The personal appearance of you and your employees is a very important detail. Formal business attire is not necessary, either a golf shirt or a regular t-shirt with your company name and logo should be worn. T-shirts with simple pocket embroidery will cost between $10 and $12 per shirt. Embroidered golf shirts will cost around $15 to $19 per shirt.

o Insurance

Do not step in the door without some type of liability or damaged property insurance. No matter how careful one can be while servicing an aquarium, accidents will happen. Nothing will end your business endeavor quicker than a lawsuit for damaged property. Normally running around $90 per month with some variation of types of policies that are available, it is truly better to be safe than sorry.

o Liability

It is good business practice to have some type of basic liability insurance. It gives the customer and you a sense of security and adds credibility to your business. A liability disclaimer against fish and livestock deaths as well as aquarium leaks and other collateral damage caused by leaks is included in the “Sales Section”.

3. Marketing

The greatest challenge in starting an aquarium maintenance service is finding your base clientele. By allowing a local pet store and friends to pass out your business cards, you essentially turn them into free sales representatives. Positive contact made between a potential customer and others that recommend your service is truly a priceless commodity.

o Newspaper ads

Advertising in a newspaper is deemed ineffective and can become costly. A better approach would be to develop a catalogue or brochure, which you can personally drop off at potential businesses.

o Display your name on the tank

Always display your name and number somewhere on the tank. Always ask your client’s permission first then offer a free month’s service or free fish. Invest in some business cards or stickers that you can leave on or around your tanks.

o Radio / TV Advertising

o Keep it spotless

Most people associate a spotless tank with a healthy environment. Don’t try to argue this point. You will be doing yourself a favor and promoting your business as a clean running service.

4. Customer Service

If finding new clients will be the most challenging aspect of this business, keeping them is a close second. Depending on your local area, business can become very competitive if you are not the only service provider. Keeping your clients happy involves much more than simply cleaning their aquariums. It is important to go “that extra mile” and maintaining a top-notch service. Having flexible service hours and “on call” availability is vital for success. For example, restaurants and other businesses often close at extremely late hours. During their business hours clients will not want their patrons viewing a cleaning service. Offering late or “off hours” times to your clients will keep them happy and put you above your competitors.

On call availability is important. Customers can and will call at the strangest times so it may be important to give them access to a pager number. Not only to schedule appointments but to ask questions or report some type of emergency. From leaking tanks to major fish kills, you will be the first one your customers will call when there is a problem with their aquarium. If you are not available, they will seek out somebody else.

5. Aquarium Location

When examining the best possibilities for a tank location keeping a few factors in mind is crucial. You will want the tank to be in a high traffic area with maximum exposure where it is easy to maintain, has an abundance of natural light and no direct sunlight. More specifically, “Wall Aquariums” can only be installed in inside non-supportive walls.

Ask the client to choose three areas they want to consider and do a checklist. Make sure the final location has access to power and educate the client on why some areas may need further prepping.

6. Working with Contractors

You will need to work closely with a contractor unless you are licensed. Contractors can be found in the Yellow Pages and range from $50 – $70/hour on average. Average installation in an existing wall takes 12 hours, from nothing to fish.

7. Financing Services

If your customer wishes to finance the installation, payment plans are available from Finance Companies. You will be paid 100% of the cost upfront from the service and your customer owes them the balance. These businesses can be found in the Yellow Pages under “Finance Companies”.

8. Fish Selection

Most “non” fish hobbyists struggle with fish selection and compatibility. You must educate the client on understanding why some fish can cohabitate and some cannot. Listen to your customer and get a general idea of size and colors they want. Suggesting species will help guide them through fish selection and your professional opinion will be appreciated.

Once you have a good idea of what they want, do some homework. Put together a list of compatible and available fish for the tank. Listing an estimated price per fish will aid the customer.

9. Service Equipment

Gathering all of the necessary equipment needed to run your service is simple and easy. Most of the tools required may be found in your personal equipment that you have acquired through the years.

You will need:

o Bucket

o Aquarium cleaning siphon (battery operated ones work nice)

o Algae scraper (acrylic friendly)

o Fresh & Saltwater test kits

o Filter media

o Fish medication (Melafix, Pemafix, Kich-Ich, Salt)

o Instant Ocean Bio-Spira (instant tank start)

o Fish food

o 100% Cotton towel

In addition to these items, a canister filter that can be taken from site to site would be a good investment. You may also consider purchasing a portable diatom filter for ‘polishing’ your client’s aquarium water. If you do not already have these tools you may be looking at an equipment start up cost of $100 to $200.

10. Aquarium Set-up

o Water

1. Fill the aquarium with pure water. Culligan works great or you may want to invest in a R/O unit (reverse osmosis).

2. Add the appropriate amount of water conditioner to neutralize chlorine.

3. Add a starter fish or two.

4. Test the ammonia and nitrate levels.

5. Anywhere from 2-5 days later pending the results of your tests you can introduce more fish.

o Test the ammonia and nitrate levels every time the tank is serviced so that you will be well aware of any unseen problems.

o In the case of a sudden fish fatality, test the water to see if anything has changed.

o Lighting

Depending on your client’s tank the ideal ‘photoperiod’ (the length of time the aquarium is lit) ranges from two to four hours for saltwater and six to eight hours for freshwater.

If algae is a problem in the tank, a contributing factor is usually too much light. Reducing the artificial lighting time to eight hours, or a bit less may be necessary.

Plugging the light into a timer is essential in creating a controlled environment.

o Temperature

Most aquarium inhabitants prefer water temperatures around 77°F. Typically, if water temperature increases above 80°F, or below 72°F, disaster is imminent. Secure the heater as directed and place a thermometer as far away from the heater as possible in an easily readable area.

o Filtration

Follow the instructions included with your filter for proper system set up. The filter cleans the tank water and provides vital oxygen for the fish so it must be left on 24 hours a day.

There are three types of filtration that you must educate yourself on: mechanical, chemical and biological.

o Mechanical filtration (the removal of pieces of debris from the water) works by passing water through a screen, a thin piece of sponge, or through a floss material.

o Chemical filtration works by passing water through small pieces of carbon. The carbon removes molecules such as ammonia from the water.

o Biological filtration works by certain types of bacteria that live on gravel and in your filter. These bacteria remove ammonia and nitrites from the water (see next section).

Most filters will clean mechanically and biologically if not all three.

11.Understanding the Nitrogen cycle (Fish make Waste – Bacteria get rid of Waste).

o The Biological filter process:

1. Starter fish are introduced to aquarium.

2. Ammonia from the waste starts to build up (toxic).

3. Bacteria start growing that use Ammonia.

4. Ammonia level starts to drop as Nitrite level builds (toxic).

5. Bacteria start growing that use Nitrite.

6. Nitrite level starts to drop as Nitrate level slowly rise (much less toxic).

7. Water is changed and Nitrate level drops.

8. More fish are introduced.

o These bacteria are called Aerobic Bacteria because they need oxygen. The best way to fuel them is to have well-aerated water and plenty of places to grow.

o A new tank isn’t ready for a full load of fish because the biological filter hasn’t built up yet. Slowly adding fish during scheduled visits will aid in water quality.

12. Water Changes

o Cleaning frequency

You will want to do a 20% water change every two weeks. This would be a partial cleaning. If your customer prefers less frequent visits, a 30% water change can be done every three weeks but will cost more. A major water change is only necessary if tank has not been cleaned in a long time.

Clean your aquariums in the following order:

1. Inside aquarium walls

2. Decorations (rocks, plants, etc)

3. Gravel

4. Filter

5. Outside and fixtures

Cleaning the inside walls will cause particles of debris to fall on the plants, decorations, and gravel, so it’s best to clean them first. Removing the plants and decorations will cause debris to fall to the bottom, so hold off cleaning the gravel until the plants and decorations have been taken out. Also, the gravel is much easier to clean once the plants and rocks have been removed. Cleaning the inside of the tank will cause the outside to get dirty, so clean the outside last.

Algae pads

Start your cleaning process by giving the acrylic a good cleaning on the inside. All you need for that is an acrylic algae scraper or sponge. There are a wide variety of algae scrapers on the market, from long handled scrubbers to magnetic scrubbers. Buy your algae scrapper at a pet shop instead of the house wares department at a regular store. Although the pads may look the same, they may have a soap or chemical residue in them from the manufacturing process. A residue will not affect your kitchen sink, but it can leave a lethal film in your aquarium.

For particularly stubborn residue on the sides, use a special plastic razor blade, as standard razors will scratch acrylic.

Bleach

Once the inside walls are clean, remove any rocks, artificial plants, or decorations that have significant algae growth, or are noticeably dirty. Do not clean them with soap or detergents. It is very difficult to completely remove soap, and even the smallest trace can be lethal to fish. Usually a good scrub with an algae scraper will remove the algae and dirt from rocks and plants. For particularly stubborn cleaning problems, prepare a 10% bleach solution (1 part household bleach to 9 parts water) and soak the items for 15 minutes. Scrub any remaining residue off, rinse well in running water, and let air dry to eliminate any residual bleach. Leave the rocks, decorations and plants out of the tank while you vacuum the gravel. That way none of the debris stirred up from the gravel will settle on them.

Get a new bucket and designate it for aquarium use only. Using a bucket that has already been contaminated with other household chemicals could result in the loss of your fish.

Siphon

Clean the gravel next by using an aquarium siphon to vacuum away the debris into a bucket. There are several types of siphons available, all of which work essentially the same. Be sure to vacuum all of the gravel thoroughly so that all debris is removed.

Glass and Lime cleaners

Once the inside of the aquarium is cleaned, the hood, light, tank top, and outside glass can be cleaned. Only use cleaners designated as aquarium safe. Regular glass cleaners contain ammonia, which is toxic to fish. Standard lime cleaners are even more toxic. Use aquarium safe cleansers and rinse. Do not scrub the acrylic with paper towels or any wood by-product. Use a 100% cotton shirt or towel.

Filter cleaning

After doing a partial cleaning and it has been 4 weeks since you last cleaned the filter, it is time to clean it again. If you did a major water change you may want to wait until the next visit to clean the filter. The reason for this is not visible to the naked eye. The major cleaning you just performed has disturbed the bacterial colonies on the plants, rocks, and in the gravel. Fortunately a significant number of the beneficial bacteria reside within the filter media meaning you haven’t completely upset the eco-system. However if you changed the filter at the same time, you could end up with a significant spike in ammonia levels due to the lack of beneficial bacteria. For that reason, it’s wise to give the tank a rest before removing the filter and cleaning it.

In most cases your filter has media containing carbon, ammonia absorbers, or ion-exchange resins, and should be replaced if it’s more than four weeks old. After a couple of weeks the absorbing qualities in the media have been exhausted, and there are enough bacterial colonies elsewhere to offset its removal. If you are using two filters, clean one per visit.

Your package prices should include installation, aquascaping, filling the tank with water, fish and cleaning the aquarium for the 1st month. You should offer a 5 – 10% discount with a 6-month service contract as listed on the example “Sales Contract”.

o Service charges

Your service charges will be based on competition and target demographic. The charges below are suggested and should be adjusted to your area.

Service programs include:

o Scheduled bi-monthly visits (can be adjusted to meet clients needs)

o Water change (see Water Changes)

o Delivery of equipment, supplies and environment as requested by client

o Free consultation for

o Fish tank makeovers

o Fish stocking

o Equipment replacement/upgrades

o Water quality improvement

o Medical treatment of fish illness

16.Sales Procedure

Set aside specific hours or days a week for sales and stick to the schedule. During this time you will approach businesses and introduce yourself and product line.

If the client wishes to finance a package or service, contact your “Finance Company” (see Finance Company) and you will need to complete work before you receive your payment.

17. Customer’s concerns and frequently asked questions

Concern: I don’t have enough money right now to cover the package prices.

Reply: No problem, the entire amount can be financed and it’s also a tax write off for commercial clients.

Concern: I don’t want you to clean the aquarium in front of my customers.

Reply: No problem, We can come by after business hours for commercial clients.

Question: How do I access the tank for cleaning if it’s in the wall?

Answer: Access will be hidden under a picture-frame style border or an access panel where the top piece swings open.

Question: How will electricity be supplied to an in-wall aquarium?

Answer: An outlet will be mounted inside the wall facing the aquarium.

Question: How will the fish be fed when I’m on vacation?

Answer: An automatic fish feeder will feed the fish for up to two weeks for freshwater fish. We also offer a vacation feeding service.

Question: What if the tank leaks?

Answer: It is extremely rare however it is under manufacturers warranty for one year.

18. Tips

These are a few handy tips and suggestions that may make things a little easier.

1. If you have a computer, make use of it. Most of your customers will have a computer and it makes for a great way to communicate. E-mail is a wonderful way to contact your customers, send them invoices, and allow them to ask questions when you’re not in their area.

2. Teach your clients and their employees about feeding and the filter system. Show them what to do in an emergency and teach them to recognize problems before they get out of hand. Always train at least two employees on feeding methods.

3. Keep your customers up to date on the system and any changes you make. Never allow things to become a surprise. Clients tend to frown on sudden changes made without their consent.

4. Invest in maintenance tools that are easy to use and which do not create a mess. Water changes with a 5-gallon bucket are an accident waiting to happen. Find methods that are user friendly and clean.

5. Control algae. It is your clients’ number one concern. A dirty tank delivers the wrong message to your clients’ customers. Use fish species, lighting control, feeding programs and good removal tools. Just remember these tanks are acrylic and will scratch if rubbed with an abrasive material. Use 100% cotton towel instead of paper towels. Paper towels are a wood by-product and can scratch acrylic.

6. Great customer service means being patient. Not everyone will have the understanding of aquatics that you do. Things that are simple to you may be more difficult for others to understand. Try to become well versed in basic principles; you will be explaining them over and over. Treat everyone with respect; you may be talking to one of your client’s valued customers.

7. Fish deaths are a part of this business. Learn to be sympathetic but firm. Some fish deaths are unforeseeable, while others are preventable. Work out a fish replacement system and stick to it. Replacing a few fish for free is no big deal, replacing a whole tank is.

8. Try to keep up to date on new products and fish species. Don’t be afraid to try new things, it’s the only way you will advance your skills. Invest in some good books and magazines; they will become useful for reference.

A Proven Method to Cut Advertising and Marketing Costs and Increase Sales Revenue

When it comes to advertising your business, you have an unlimited number of choices: newspapers, yellow pages, online, in magazines, through direct mail, on television, on the radio, etc. As the marketing director for a national company, I receive countless advertising solicitations each week. Like you, I want the best return on my investment. I want to reach my target audience, for the lowest price possible, and be rewarded with a significant increase in my sales revenue. Here is, by far, the most cost effective way to accomplish this goal: an LED sign.

Now, you might be thinking that a sign is a big investment. Aren’t we in a recession? Why should you make a big investment during a recession? The answer is simple. The US Small Business Administration has done the research for you. They report:

“Businesses who added an outdoor LED sign enjoyed typical sales increases of 15% – 150%. Not only does an LED Display produce a great return on investment, it costs very little compared to other types of advertising. With an LED sign, the average cost to achieve 1000 impressions (CPT) on consumers as they pass your business is less than 10% of the cost to reach them using any other marketing medium, including TV, radio or newspaper.” That’s right. They are saying that if you begin using an LED sign to advertise your business, you can reduce your advertising costs to less than 10% of what you are paying for traditional mediums, and increase your sales by 15% to 150%! Does this sound too good to be true?

Sonic Restaurants across the United States have been installing LED signs. A Sonic Managing Partner reports, “Since my LED sign was installed, my night time business has increased about 20%.”

It isn’t just big businesses that are reaping the rewards. Pastor Fred Garmon of Harvest Temple Church of God purchased an LED sign for his church. He was “paying between $250-400 per month in newspaper ads. With our sign, we do not even use the newspaper anymore…which saves us money…” Churches see an increase in visitors when using LED signs, just as businesses see an increase in customers.

If a proven method of slashing you marketing costs and increasing your sales revenue has not caused you to leave this article to search out an LED supplier and get your own LED sign ordered, there are other benefits.

With an LED sign, you own the media and you control the content. With traditional advertising, you have to pay each time you run an ad. If you have a change or a new product to promote, you have to wait for the next issue to come out. With an LED Display, you are in control. You can change the message as often as you like. You don’t have to wait to advertise your special offers and there is no cost involved.
The US Small Business Administration reports that approximately 85% of a company’s customers live or work within 5 miles of the business location. These are the people who are passing by each day. An LED sign allows you to reach 100% of these potential customers. Moving messages capture people’s attention. In fact, LED signs often become community landmarks. The owner of Dairy Queen in Nocona, Texas says that “I cannot go anywhere in town that someone does not stop me and make a positive comment about my sign.” The bottom line: Everyone who drives by will notice your messages advertising and promoting your business.
LED signs provide immediate results. LED sign owners report that the signs have an immediate and significant impact on their sales. Warren Croft, Owner of Croft Lumber Company in Sayre, PA, purchased an LED sign for his business. The sign was featured in the local Sayre Times newspaper and when interviewed, Mr. Croft told this story: “Five minutes after the sign went up, a customer came in looking for an items we had advertised on the sign. He didn’t know we sold it. He drove by on his way home, saw it on the sign, turned around and came in and bought it.”

There may be a recession going on out there. It may also be a good time to invest in your business. Many LED suppliers offer easy lease options. Buyers experience the immediate benefits of LED sign ownership and the essentially pays for itself.

The House Cleaning Business Startup Manual – Part III

Advertising

Spread the word. Let friends and family know that you have started your own home cleaning business. Ask them to spread the word at work and wherever they go. Personal referrals can help at this level to get the first customers. Serve the first customers as good as you can. These customers can be the make or break foundation. If you treat them like king they might refer you to their friends. Word of mouth is the most successful form of advertising for small businesses of that kind. “Word of mouth” can carry your business further and also help to cut down on marketing expenses.

Business Referral Program: I already mentioned the “word of mouth” advertising. Taking this a step further can really help your business to take off. Implement a referral program. Pay customers if they refer new customers to you. This can be in form of cash or free house cleaning services

Start advertising in local newspapers: Concentrate on the smaller local community newspapers and less on the large metro area newspapers. Pricing will be much more affordable. A local news paper in the area where I live gets distributed to about 75,000 residential customers (not households). A business card sized ad in a reasonable location costs around $95.00 per week. You can also just work with classified ads. These ads run anywhere from $10.00 per week to around $45.00 per week. If you can – don’t choose the weekly run, but go for a monthly or quarterly deal. Don’t try to put too much information into a classified ad. Keep it short, but easy to understand. Example: “Affordable house cleaning services. No job too small. Free estimates. (123)-555-1234”

Magnetic Signs or decals for your Vehicle: If you drive a decent looking vehicle use it for advertising. If you drive an old, rusty looking piece of the 80’s – skip to the next section. Car advertising can be very effective if you follow some basic rules. It has to look professional. The message has to be short and easy to understand. Do not drive like a maniac when having advertising for your business on your car. Magnetic signs can be purchased for around $75.00. Decals are available starting at around $25.00. Look at other cars that carry an advertising message to get ideas of what to do.

Flyers: You could print nice looking flyers on your home computer, but I recommend to rather spending a little money on professional printing. Design a flyer first. Then talk to local print shops for pricing. You can also check out Internet printers like http://www.gotprint.com. 1,000 (color print) flyers at Gotprint.com will set you back around $125.00 + shipping. Try to beat that with your home computer. Paper, ink, time, and wear and tear will cost you 2 or 3 times as much. How to distribute the flyers? Start with hanging flyers on bulletin boards in supermarkets and coin laundries. Ask store owners in your area if they are willing to show the flyer in their store somewhere (if appropriate).

Do not put flyers on car windows at local groceries stores and businesses. You might violate local laws or property owner’s permissions. Rather spend a morning in large residential areas and walk from door to door and place the flyers at the front door (bring plenty of scotch tape). You can even go a step further and ring door bells and drop of flyers in person and mention that you are expanding your services to that area to see if people are interested. DO NOT put flyers into mailboxes – that is against federal law.

Have you ever seen those advertisement door hangers? Pre-printed door hangers are pretty much an extension of hanging flyers at front doors. They are already shaped with an opening for the doorknob so that they can easily be put on a doorknob when walking by. Scan the Internet for best pricing or talk to local print shops. We do not endorse a specific shop, but we have seen prices for about 5,000 door hangers for $189.00.

Business Cards: Business cards can be a very effective marketing tool. Check out different websites on the Internet. Often these websites (like Vistaprint.com or Gotprint.com) have online tools to design your business cards on their website. Always carry business cards with you and use them frequently to market your business. Keep in mind – it is a little more cumbersome reaching a large group of people with business cards compared to using flyers.

Internet: Get a good domain name and have a website build for you. More and more people search for service providers online. It starts when being in need of handymen and does not end with finding a reliable house cleaning service. A website and an email address also leave a good impression on your business cards. Statistics show that a lot of working women shop for services around their house online while at work. Purchase an online listing in your local yellow pages. The Yellow Pages are still a great way of advertising your business. The online version on the Internet is gaining more popularity compared to the print version and a listing online will help you to get more customers.

The Three Types Of Autoresponders

Autoresponders – it is true that an autoresponse system can automatically reply to your clients and potential clients when you cannot physically do so. But they are also much more than that. The majority of businesses have become addicted to using this type of business system because of the many benefits they provide when they are set up correctly. They can be very easy to implement and the returns they can give to you can be totally unimaginable.

What is an autoresponder and why do most successful entrepreneurs use them?They are actually systems that will allow you to send predetermined messages or replies to any or all of your subscribers. The wonderful thing about this feature is that you are in control. All you have to do is to familiarize yourself with their settings.

One online entrepreneur said that his customers and subscribers became more active and got more interested with his business products because of this system. What he did was to greet his customers on every special occasion even on their birthdays. He said he made more of an effort to set up his autoresponder settings to revolve around relationship building with his clients. Upon doing this, noticed that he started to get much better results with his sales

There are three types of autoresponders that you can use. Now that you have already got an understanding about this type of system, it will also be an advantage if you get to know three different types of autoresponder system uses.

· The Instant response Autoresponder. This is the simplest type of response you can have with your subscribers. This is best for “thank you or welcome messages” or “out of offices notice.” There are no follow-throughs. This is usually used when you want to reply immediately to a subscriber but you are out of the office. This is also used when you want to say thank you to a customer after a purchase or a welcome message after a subscription.

· The Delayed Response Autoresponder. This is the second type of response that is usually set to send messages to subscribers on a predetermined date and time. For the most part, this is sent when a subscriber is due to make a payment or to act as a reminder for an expiry for some sort of subscription.This is very useful for banks and brokers or any company who offers installment type payments or services. It is advisable that you send the message a week before due date, three days before due date and on the due date.

· The Multiple Autoresponder. Some clients may have questions regarding their purchase. It is good to send them messages that would contain details and information about the product they just purchased. You can set the system to send them a series of information emails week after week. If you are going to send a training module then do not send it all at once. Your customers may not want to read long details. Send first, the most important information and then send more product information over the next few weeks. Remember to always keep your messages short and precise.

Most customers are happy to be sent instructions and details of the extra features that their product may have. They will also notice the extra effort you have gone to on their behalf and will really appreciate you much more for your efforts hence your credibility increases.

The three types of autoresponders are each useful in their distinct ways. The majority of businesses use these types of systems every day. If you are an entrepreneur, don’t get left out – try an autoresponder system now. You’ll see what magic it can do for your business. You will be very pleased that you started to automate more of your business tasks by the use of an auto responder.

Things to Consider While Choosing A Mobile App Development Company

Everyone remembers how the heart skips when you can’t find the phone in your pocket. You no longer worry about the price, these are all personal data, linked bank cards, transactions, and contacts stored in apps that you are terrified of losing or sharing with strangers. This is the concern of the average user, but what about companies launching mobile applications for their own development and profit? Applications that glitch frequently or are vulnerable to hacking significantly undermine consumer confidence.

At the same time, mobile applications are a serious source of revenue. Only 5 years ago mobile app store revenue was a little over $ 29 billion, and in 2019 the number grew to $ 71.3 billion worldwide. This year, statistics predict revenues of $ 581.9 billion and continuous growth up to $ 935 billion in 2023.

It is already an indisputable fact that mobile application development is an important aspect of working with clients, and the user experience will affect the company’s reputation as well. It doesn’t matter if you already have an application or just want to create it, here are tips to pay attention to when choosing a mobile app developer.

1. Work experience and portfolio

Take notice of working experience not only while hiring new employees but also when looking for a mobile application development company. Firms that have previously worked with different businesses know what works and what doesn’t. They can take into account your wishes, come up with the most effective solutions and contribute creatively to the functionality of your application.

A portfolio is important as well. Before you agree to work with a certain company, ask about their previous work, review the apps, and assess them. Especially check how easy you navigate the app and which features stand out the most.

2. Previous clients’ feedback

Companies that don’t mind sharing their previous clients’ contacts or publishing their feedback on the website are the ones you can consider working with. There must be at least 3-4 customers you can reach out to and discuss their experience. If the company’s methods of operation, their approach to application development, and the results described by previous clients reflect what you are looking for, it will be easier for you to make a decision.

3. Design matters

You have probably heard of UI/UX design, but what does it mean? UX refers to user experience, and UI stands for the user interface. While UI designers choose colors and button shapes, UX designers decide how the user interface operates. Thus, the terms work tightly together but imply different things.

Why should you know those two terms, and how will this knowledge affect your choice? By checking previous applications, you become a regular user and can determine how great or lousy your user experience is. If everything works well, you can conclude that the company has creative and skilled UI/UX designers, and they will make your new app easy-to-use and attractive to customers.

4. The whole package

The firm which can handle both start developing applications from scratch till the maintenance and jump in at any stage of mobile app development would be the best choice. Furthermore, the company must have a complete package of good coding, functional attractive design, and an intuitive user interface.

5. No to low cost

The application should become another tool for attracting customers and developing business, and not just for show. Therefore, instead of creating a cheap app, focus on quality and results as a good app will help you make a profit later. By implementing a low-budget solution, you may end up wasting money and not getting the results you expect.

Depending on your business specifications, you can choose one of the ways to generate income from the application. Some of them include in-app purchases, ads, a paid subscription plan, or charging for downloads.

According to eMarketer, adults in the US spend more than 4 hours with mobile internet, 88% of the time checking apps. The app usage continues to increase by leaps and bounds, and your app will have the potential to attract attention as well. By following these steps, your chances of finding a reliable mobile app development company in New York are now much higher.

Amazon Prime – The Benefits of Online Video Streaming

How good is Amazon Instant video Subscription? By most accounts, the $99 per year cost is more than worthwhile. First of all, they offer you an a la carte style of movie selection, where you can pick from a variety of genres in the onscreen interface. There’s a “Recently Watched” section, as well as Recommended Action & Adventure, Recommended Kids & Family, Your TV Shows and more sections tailored to popular user requests.

Amazon Instant vs. Amazon Prime Instant Video Streaming

Top movies that are just barely out of the movie theater can be viewed with an Amazon online video subscription for under a single dollar. You could also pay up to $15 to own it; but in most cases, this doesn’t seem reasonable unless you plan on watching said movie 15 times! Alternatively, you could also opt for the Amazon Prime Instant video option, which allows free streaming of videos without adding it to your Amazon account.

The unlimited streaming available with Prime also comes with access to the Kindle Unlimited library, where you can read a book for free every month, as well as free 2-day shipping on a host of items from Amazon’s incomparably large inventory. Amazon’s inventory of movies and TV shows is easily greater than 100,000 as of 2017 – and constantly growing due to its competition with HULU and Netflix.

Watch Movies Online with Amazon

The Amazon Prime interface varies depending on the device you use. On a Roku, for example, the layout isn’t all that easy to navigate; but on a PlayStation, it’s better. The Cloud Player is useful for video streamers who want to download a title for later viewing, and the search function is off to the left hand side and provides plenty of options that are close to your original search. The interface has improved quite a bit since 2014 – so if you’re getting your Amazon online streaming video subscription, be advised that it is now competitive with HULU and Netflix.

Get Amazon Prime for Free

The beauty of Amazon Instant Video and its entire online video streaming suite is that you can try it out for free for a month – in some cases, more. During this period, you can see how well the free 2-day shipping works for you, as well as how you like the watch movies online selection. Just head to the Amazon website and sign up for the Prime trial.

If, before the trial period comes to an end, you happen to buy many things, gauge how long it takes for your items to arrive to understand the type of service you can expect. If you don’t think what’s available justifies the price, then cancel your subscription trial at the end of the month so that you aren’t charged. The $99 cost (as of 2017) of Prime breaks down to about $8.25 per month – factor this into how often you watch movies, TV shows, and order items from the super-store to determine whether or not the subscription is worthwhile.

The Pantry Option with a Video Streaming Subscription

Lastly, along with your new spate of videos, movies, television programs and free 2-day shipping, you are invited to try Amazon Pantry. This helps keep your kitchen stocked with goodies that aren’t available to casual shoppers, all at competitive prices and with free shipping. Usually, you have to purchase $50 worth of goods in order to activate free shipping; furthermore, it might take a business week for your stuff to arrive.

With Prime Pantry, you’ll get your order within two days – guaranteed or your money back. There are chips available, assortments of cakes, candies, chocolate, detergent, coffee pads – anything you have now and desire in your kitchen, Amazon Prime Pantry almost certainly has it. So, check it out and subscribe for your free trial of Online Video Streaming with Amazon today.

Spotting eBook Trends

The books and publishing sector passed through a lot of transformations over the past years with eBooks gaining prominence. Ever since, digitization evoked in every sphere of life with mobile apps in the lead role, books and publications businesses too made a breakthrough with the same. Known as “Digital versions of the printed books”, eBooks circulate on the internet as PDF files. They can be read on a range of smart devices, eReaders like Amazon’s Kindle that promise a hassle-free comfortable reading experience. On the other hand, apps are there as basic tools to help reading eBooks in smartphones, tablets for those who do not own an eReader.

No doubt, the eBook industry is in its infancy stage and far away from influencing its massive number of publishers. However, till date, it has only proved to widen the market scopes for the publishing houses exceptionally. Read on the following section about some notable trends that are presently observed in the eBooks industry.

#1 More publications than readers

Here publications do not mean print copies but digital copies. Many times, books go out of stock in the bricks-and-mortar stores, for new or popular releases, disheartening the bookworms. That’s an impossible case for eBooks which at no time can go out of print. Further, it is cheaper and convenient to enter the eBooks arena, unlike print media. Thus, eBooks revolution resulted in an exponential rise in publications while readership rose gradually.

#2 Subscriptions models churning more profits

Readers or especially the bookworms always have the will to pay for good reads, because that’s what they are passionate about. That’s why the comeback of subscriptions models in the digital genre favoured the publishers a lot. The success of subscription-based reads like Kinfolk showed that digital prints are gaining momentum in the revenue models and readers are going for it.

#3 Minimalistic approach to design

Neutral colours, spacious content layout, higher contrast, and authentic photography are the few main design elements that help an eBook app stand out in the publishing industry. These are essential as they provide an alike experience of a printed book to the readers, but at free or low costs.

#4 Self-publishing will become more prominent

In the earlier context, getting a story or information published meant associating with a hardcore publishing agency. However, the occurrence of eBooks empowered storytellers and journalists for self-publishing. Most eReading apps offer a direct publish option to get their work to the world in 1-2 days.

#5 Books reviews and discussions

The authors not only need a consistent reader base but also should make efforts to get more readers. Thus, apps are having the corresponding segment for letting reader post informative reviews, engage in thought-provoking discussions on a particular read, share their reviews on social media. All these help authors to spark up their presence in the mobile and web world.

No doubt, apps and smart devices are transforming the business models of publishing houses to a completely digital environment. However, competition is on the rise in this sector too. Publishers and self-publishers should not only restrict the mobile engagement to reading but also engage readers in other activities like reviews, social sharing, discussions, etc.

My Lead System Pro – What It Is and What It Isn’t

Let me start out this My Lead System Pro review by going over the basics of the system. So your probably asking yourself what is My Lead System Pro and I know this because that’s why your reading this article. Well to keep it simple, My Lead System Pro is a system that will take you by the hand and show you step-by-step how to create an effective marketing funnel. A marketing funnel is basically a process but on the front end of your funnel is usually a lead capture page or could be an web form on your site. My Lead System Pro is much more than a lead generation system it’s a business in a box.

It’s a proven lead generation system and great one at that, but it’s also a sales funnel, a community of 6 and 7 figure earners who are there to coach you and guide you, and to top it off,it’s the largest MLM training platform in the industry, with 3 years worth of training archived ready for you to dig into if you happen to become a member, and of course the weekly webinars going over some of the best cutting-edge strategies that are working NOW in the online marketing world.

What My Lead System Pro Is Not

Just so you know My Lead System Pro isn’t some magic bullet that will all of a sudden solve all of the problems you face in your business. The designers of the system haven’t automated every aspect. You’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and get to work and take action on a consistent basis. If your think this is some sort of “push button” system that will take you a couple minutes to setup and your going to be raking in the dough without any effort, your sadly mistaken.

If you’re brand new to the industry you’ll realize all of the distractions that are out there. If you want to achieve results you need to stay focused, have faith in the system, and follow the step-by-step blueprint they have laid out for you. One of the biggest problems I had when I got started out was I was attracted to every shiny object out there, lost focus, and didn’t know where to start. Once I got inside the system and followed the simple steps they had for me, it was like this ten pound weight was lifted off of my shoulders because then I knew what to do.If you follow the formula you’ll start generating leads right away and as you dig into more of the marketing training you’ll know what to do next.

A lot of people talk about generating leads but wont go over what to do when you get them. I’m not here to sell you on My Lead System Pro, but this isn’t something you can just set up and walk away from and think you’ll make money with.

My Lead System Pro – The Pros and Cons

The Pros:

There are thousands of hours of video in the their training library. You have everything you need when it comes to the concept of attraction marketing, internet marketing, etc. There’s a good chance that if you tried to get something like this somewhere else it could set you back thousands of dollars, but that won’t be that case with My Lead System Pro. If you’re serious about your network marketing business I would encourage you to invest a measly $9.95 and take us for a test drive, kick our tires if you will. Spend some time, dig into all of the million dollar marketing education you get with being a member.

Everything from lead capture pages to followup emails created by professional online marketers, no need to try to reinvent the wheel and write your own sales copy, that’s done for you.

Once you start generating leads the system will create relationships with them and position you as a leader. During this process they will being to learn from you, like you and eventually buy from you. This is where you start to create upfront income to put back into more marketing.

The Cons:

There’s no guarantee like anything else. The system will only work if you work it, there will be a learning curve but from my experience the more you learn and grow the easier it gets.

A lot of people that get started out are hesitant to pay the 49.97. I understand, I was in same situation you were in. If you’re not sure what you want to do get started with the trial and pay the 9.97. Look around, check out the scenery, then make a decision on whether this is going to be a good fit for you. If not, you have to right to cancel your subscription any time. But one thing I know, My Lead System Pro wants to get a check in your pocket right away and if you go over what they teach you in the first couple of steps in becoming a member you could your investment back rather quickly.

If you plan on seeing the fruits of your labor you’re going to have put in the time and be consistent. There are people who’ve made some significant income with the system, reason being they were consistent until they achieved their desired results. I don’t claim to know everything about My Lead System Pro or internet marketing. The fact is you or I don’t need to know everything about internet marketing, the key is to get around the people who do and emulate them. Success leaves clues.

After having little success in this industry, I made a commitment to myself to do things the leaders in this industry were doing, and a good majority of them are using systems to save themselves, time, energy, and money, systems like My Lead System Pro.

Attraction marketing is one of the most effective ways to generate massive amounts of leads online, My Lead System Pro is an awesome tool that has provided me with not only the resources, but the training and support to go with it, everything you need to be successful.

Give My Lead System Pro a shot and put us to the test. Check out the 14 day trial and see if it’s a fit for you. To tell you the truth you owe it to yourself and the success of your business.

A Good Letter Can Make You a Fortune in Direct Mail

Now we go back to Maxwell Sackheim. Sackheim is also well known for originating the “Book-of-the Month” club. So what can you learn from Sackheim’s Book-of-the-Month club? More than you think. People are lazy. Getting people to take any sort of action is not easy. That’s why much of advertising uses deadlines and limited time offers. Sackheim used this human characteristic to his own advantage. Every month, members of his book club would be notified of that month’s book selection and unless they replied that they didn’t want the book – it was assumed that they did and it would be subsequently mailed out to them. Clever!

Sackheim originated the idea and now every “of-the-month” club operates like this. Have you experienced this?

Perhaps you’re thinking: “this wouldn’t work for me” or “my business really is different” then you’re missing the point and just not being creative enough.

You can use Sackheim’s “Negative Option Plan” to your business. If, for example, you have a web based business, you can have a member or subscription site which brings in regular, monthly income.

Your customers’ credit cards can be charged each month for their renewal of membership. People being lazy will rarely cancel their subscriptions bringing you a nice recurring revenue stream.

Sackheim’s Negative Option Plan forces people to take action to cancel their renewals. Many just can’t be bothered. you can take advantage of this little bit of human psychology. Of course, you will have to provide a good product or service that gives value for money.

In 1917, Sackheim met a young man called Victor Schwab who he hired as his private secretary. Schwab, working alongside Sackheim soon developed himself into a good copywriter.

Maxwell Sackheim also wrote a great book on marketing called: “My First 60 Years in Advertising”. This book is now out of print (as are most of these classics) but if you’re interested in the works of Maxwell Sackheim there is a book available by Jerry Buchanan called: “Billion Dollar Marketing.” You should be able to get this from your high street bookstore or on Amazon.

On similar lines to the “character” formula is what is called the “open letter” technique.

In 1921 Publisher A.W.Shaw collected 5,063 letters that had made big sales for their originators. The publishers whittled this list down and published 72 of these letters. These 72 were analysed and dissected. The result was their publication: “72 Letters and What Made them Pay.”

This book contains sections on letters that open doors; letters that increase sales; letters that turn prospects into your friends; in fact, letters for many occasions. 72 of them.

There are examples of letters that pulled 18% to 20% returns. Letters that gave 61% returns. What would you give for returns like that?

Take for example this opening sentence: “There is a man in Boston who has a unique way of making a living.”

Now who wouldn’t be interested in that? Most people, and that’s why they keep on reading the rest of the letter.

Even if you have to give something away to entice your prospect to reply, the letter still has to be effective.

Within the above opening sentence was a sufficiently good “hook” to get the prospect to read further. But the letter sooner or later had to reveal the “Big Idea”. Suffice it to say that this particular letter did get the results (a 61% return) and the pulling power of such a letter makes it well worthy of study.

“72 Letters and What Made Them Pay” will help you put together a persuasive letter for any situation, no matter what line of business you are in.

In 1923 John Orr Young and Raymond Rubicam form Young and Rubicam in Phildelphia.

In 1928 BDO merge with Garry Batten Co. to form BBDO with billings of $32m.

By 1928 Victor Schwab and his partner took over Sackheim’s agency after Sackheim decided to ‘call it a day’. He was responsible for creating ads for Dale Carnegie; Charles Atlas; and Sherwin Cody’s courses (as was Sackheim).

His famous works included the best selling 1930s classic: “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.

He wrote a series of articles called: “How to Write a Good Advertisement” and introduced a 5 step formula.

His series of articles were later turned into a book, also called: “How to Write a Good Advertisement.”

In 1930 James Webb Young worked as a professor and used his lecture notes to publish his first book: “How to Become an Advertising Man.”

In 1930 Advertising Age is launched in Chicago

In 1934 Another master writer was Robert Collier. He went to work in New York for his uncle s publishing company. His first successes were that he sold many thousands of the Harvard Classics. These were books put together by Dr.Eliot of Harvard and sold by Collier as what became known as the “Famous Five-Foot Shelf of Books.”

Collier had an idea of writing a set of books on psychology. He worked day and night to get them finished. The books were titled: “The Secrets of The Ages.” He sold over 300,000 sets of that title and went on to write more self-help titles and books.

He was a prolific writer but his best abilities were in writing killer sales letters.

In 1934 he wrote, the now famous: “The Robert Collier Letter Book.”

Here are just a few of his secrets to writing sales letters.

Collier became famous for one letter in particular. His: “Will you do me a favor?” letter. He conceived this idea when he read about a manager who asked one of his competitors for a favor – he wanted to know how to handle customers that took advantage of their terms. And this technique helped to bring the two companies together.

Collier thought that this technique may well work in print. He wasn’t wrong!

One of his letters was responsible for selling 20,000 raincoats and over a dozen other products.

The letter contains some strong psychological principles.

Also, people like to help. Just as Collier knew all those years ago, people like to give opinions.

If you operate your business off-line, ask in your direct mail or your letters for people’s opinions.

If you operate on-line, a good technique to use is polls. If people aren’t yet ready to buy, they do love to give their opinions.

It becomes even stronger if you give them something for free in return. Something of value, like a report with some useful information. But what ever you give them, it has to be useful.

Now you may be thinking, OK, his letter were written over 70 years ago. surely, this technique is out-dated. Think so?

Just before his death in 1950, Robert Collier was asked to pick his 15 most powerful and hypnotic letters. These were compiled and sold as: “Robert Collier’s Million Dollar Sales Letters.”

Floatation of a Company and Prospectus

Once a company has been registered, it has to take off. This is described as floatation of a company. It is true that a company comes into existence once registered and can immediately upon do business. But a newly formed company often needs to get sufficient capital to take off. The promoters there have to take necessary steps to take off. The promoters there have to take necessary steps to obtain working capital for the successful take off of the company.

Where there is an existing business in the form may be of a sole business or a partnership, which is taken over by the new company, the capital of the former business becomes part of the capital to float the new company. Similarly there is transfer of capital where one company takes over another.

There exist various ways of floating or raising capital for a company. The method is usually affected by the type of company: whether private or public.

Private companies usually rely on equity contributions from their shareholders, though new shares may be issued for cash.

Also, capital may be raised by debentures, loans and overdraft. It could also be floated by private placement. On the other hand, public companies may be financed to take off by equity contributions, debentures, loans and overdraft and private placement. But additionally, it could invite the public to buy shares and purchase its debentures by being quoted in the stock or capital market.

PROSPECTUS

A public company invites the public to subscribe for its shares and debentures through the issuing of a prospectus. Section 48 of the Investments and Securities Act (I.S.A.) provides that it shall not be lawful to issue any form of application for securities in a public company unless the form is issued with a prospectus of the company.

A prospectus is any notice, circular, advertisement, or other invitation offering to the public for subscription or purchase any shares or debentures of a company.

The ISA by section 57(1) provides that no prospectus shall be issued by or on behalf of a company or in relation to an intended company unless, on or before the date of its publication, a copy has been delivered to the Securities and Exchange Commission for registration.

CONTENT OF A PROSPECTUS

By section 50(1) of the Investment and Securities Act every prospectus issued by or on behalf of a company must state:

– The number of founders or management or deferred shares (if any).

– Directors’ qualification shares (if any) and remuneration of the directors as provided in the articles.

– Names, addresses and descriptions of the directors or proposed directors;

– The minimum subscription, which is the amount, which in the opinion of the directors, must be raised through the issue in order to provide sums for the following matters.

a) The price of any property purchased which is to be paid for out of the proceeds of the issue;

b) Any preliminary expenses and underwriting commission payable by the company.

c) Repayment of any money borrowed by the company in view of a and b above

d) The amount to be provided in respect of the matters stated in (iv) otherwise than out of the proceeds of the issues and the sources of such amounts.

– The time of the opening of the subscription lists.

– The amount payable on application and allotment on each share.

– Particulars of shares and debentures issued otherwise than for cash

– Particulars of options on shares or debentures

– Particulars of vendors of properties sold to the company.

– Amount paid for property, stating amount paid for goodwill.

– Date, parties, and general nature of every material contract.

– Names and addresses of the company’s auditors.

– Directors interest in the property proposed to be acquired by the company.

– Preliminary expenses, commission and brokerage.

Promoters remuneration.

EXPERT STATEMENT IN A PROSPECTUS

Where a prospectus includes a statement made by an expert before it is issued, two conditions must be satisfied:

1. He must have given his consent and must not, before delivery of a copy of the prospectus for registration, have withdrawn his written consent to the issue with his statement included;

2. A statement that he has given his consent must be contained in the prospectus.

LIABILITY IN RESPECT OF PROSPECTUS.

Since potential investors in the company know little or nothing about the company, the contents of a prospectus must include material facts as would enable the investing public to make a correct assessment of the true purpose and position of the company. Consequently, the prospectus must not contain false or misleading statements or information. The company and those responsible for the issue of a prospectus that contains misstatements at the action of the subscriber maybe civil or criminal.

CIVIL REMEDIES.

This is both under the common law and the CAMA 2004; and they are:

1. Action by the aggrieved subscriber in damages for fraud under section 562, he may sue for compensation.

2. Action for recession of the contract of allotment (section 571).

To succeed in a claim for damages and /or recession under the common law, such subscribers must prove:

a) That the misstatements is a material statement of facts;

b) That he was induced by the misrepresentation to subscribe for the shares;

c) That the misrepresentation was fraudulent and that it was made by a person acting on behalf of the company;

d) That he suffered loss or damage thereby. Under the CAMA, to succeed, the aggrieved subscriber must prove that the prospectus contained a misstatement which he relied upon and thereby suffered loss.

CRIMINAL PROCEDURES

By section 563, any officer of the company who authorizes the issue of a prospectus, or a statement in lieu of prospectus, which contains untrue statements shall be guilty of an offense and be liable on conviction upon an indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or fine not exceeding N5, 000 or both; or summary conviction to a term of 3 months or a fine of N500 or both.