Why Trademark Your Startup? Trademarking is very essential to new businesses, but first time entrepreneurs are not adept with the nuances of securing a trademark and often do not realize how vulnerable they are when operating a business without one. Why Trademark Your Startup? It helps protect your business identity It protects against others using the same or similar business name or logo It provides solid proof of your legally protected rights Federal trademark registration rights extend nationwide A trademark registration is an asset (it may be licensed or sold). Registering company names and domain names alone does not provide trademark protection. Must-Know IP Law (Patent, Trademark and Copyright) Beware of mimicking a famous brand; most popular iconic brands such as Coke, McDonald’s and Pepsi are protected by the Trademark Dilution Revision Act. Search Google to see if your intended trademark already exists. Reasons why your trademark may be rejected If it is likely to cause confusion, mistakes or deception with a mark already registered If it simply contains a generic name If it primarily describes or deceptive about the geographic origins of goods and services If it is primarily merely a surname If it is deemed immoral, deceptive or scandalous If it falsely suggests a connection with people, institutions, beliefs or national symbols If it uses the portrait, name or signature of any living person without the approval of the person concerned The Federal Trademark Registration Process 1. Select your trademark 2. Hire a Trademark Attorney Registering a trademark is a LEGAL process with many potential trap doors. Hence, it is advised to hire a trademark attorney to guide you through the trademark search and application process. 3. Availability Search Doing a search by yourself may prove to be disastrous. It is likely you are not familiar with what could create a conflict. A trademark search must be comprehensive and complete to rule out any potential legal conflicts. Doing an inadequate research is a major reason many trademark applications are rejected by the government. Do I Need a Lawyer to Register My Trademark? 4. Application Your attorney will draft and file your application with the USPTO (IN USA) OR THE TRADE MARKS REGISTRY (IN INDIA). If approved you will receive a trademark registration certificate and if refused, you will receive a refusal notice. 5. Monitor and Protect It is your responsibility to monitor and enforce your trademark rights. Failure to monitor can cause complete loss of trademark rights (regardless of having federal registration). COPYRIGHT ...

Let’s Learn the Nuances of Business Strategy How Do You Define Business Strategy? Business strategy is nothing but a series of decisions that are made by the management of a company in order to obtain or maintain a competitive advantage over a period of time. It shows the overall direction of a company. It is also future focused and contains long-term sustainable goals. For startups, creating business plans can be night marish and hectic, hence this short guide which throws some light on “How to use Powerpoint as an effective tool to showcase your bsuiness plan” to investors in a simple yet appealing manner. A great business strategy will encompass the following characteristics: A clear direction of where the company is going and concrete plans necessary to execute the decisions An unmistakable understanding of the company’s core competencies Will solve the marketplace demands and address real customer needs Will contribute to sustainable competitive advantage Will be properly documented but gives room for future change in accordance with the environment THE THREE BEST GENERIC BUSINESS STRATEGIES 1. COST LEADERSHIP This strategy is followed by market giants like Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, IKEA to name a few wherein, the companies focus on building a large market share by slashing the prices – mush lower than their competitors. Typically, such customers will be less loyal and more price-sensitive. The real challenge is to succeed at offering the lowest price, but still maintain profitability and a high return on investment. The company has to necessarily run a tight ship by controlling its operational costs to improve efficiency. 2. PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION This strategy requires the company to develop products that are “better than” or “more unique than” its competitors. The main focus is to differentiate itself from its rivals. The differentiation could be in the form of higher-end quality materials, excellent customer service, unique company image or branding, or other customer oriented values. Typically, companies going for this strategy can charge premium pricing since their customers tend to be more loyal and less price-sensitive. 3. MARKET SEGMENTATION This strategy simply focuses on a niche or sub-market to sell your products or services to. This is best suited when you are competing in an overly saturated market. For example the gift basket industry is highly competitive and over saturated. If you choose to enter the field, you might have to choose a product differentiation strategy combined with appropriate market segmentation strategy. Hence you might focus on selling high end products to the wedding market. A Wonderful Infographic from Americanexpress.com that clearly explains what needs to be done to experience an explosive business growth… WHAT TO DO WHEN BUSINESS IS SLOW Write a business plan If you have never written one now is the time to grab a chair and fabricate a really crafty business plan with your mission, vision, values and marketing strategy included. Rebrand Work on your logo, test new colors, change your site layout, breathe some fresh life into your branding strategy. SEND A THANK YOU NOTE TO YOUR CLIENTS FIND NEW VENDORS Read a book Discover guerilla marketing tactics and best keep business secrets by reading Cold Pitch Create a list of prospects using leading networks like LinkedIn and reach out via email Create a lead magnet A lead magnet is an opt-in gift that you offer visitors, whether online or offline to encourage them to be part of your tribe and purchase your product or services. Let’s understand what makes a company innovative? 48% – coming up with new ideas for products and services 33% –  listening to customers 33% – continuing to improve current product 33% – offering a unique product 28% –...

Tips to increase your learning efficiency This article is well crafted by Anish Passi, Director at Neostencil, an Ed-Tech startup. Neostencil is an online and unique platform for UPSC Test Preparations where you can access live classrooms from the comfort of your home. NeoStencil offers you expert guidance for Civil Services exams, from doyens in this field, top teachers from popular IAS coaching institutes in Delhi, who have had years of experience in successfully mentoring the candidates to develop a holistic approach to their preparation for the exams. Learning is a continuous process, and one should always be keen to explore and learn more, anytime and anywhere. There is no better investment you can make towards improving yourself than acquiring more knowledge. When you are eager to learn, it will automatically improve your learning efficiency. Many times we have to improve our focus to learn something specific. For example, if an individual is preparing for UPSC examination, then you have to learn or prepare in a structured manner. Your UPSC exam training is time-bound for one. So, no matter what your general approach to learning is, at this particular time, you will need to put in a directed effort to improve your chance of qualifying as an IAS officer. Monitor your routine Now that you are preparing for an exam, your focus and energy must be diverted to achieve more in the given time frame. But, that should not be a cause for worry. You can keep stress at bay if you focus on learning fast and quicker than usual. By that we mean, you should attune your mind to find the value-add at every stage of your preparation. If you start looking for something new or in addition to what you know, you will look for resources, people and interaction with a purpose. You know what you are looking for and this way, you can achieve more than you hoped for. Open your mind You can only learn more if you have an open mind to invite suggestions and guidance. If you think you can do it all on own and don’t need assistance from people around you, then, you are at the risk of enclosing yourself in a closed box. Don’t make learning claustrophobic. It is good to read books, gain insight, but it is equally important to put that knowledge in a practical and constructive framework. It can only happen if you share knowledge and invite feedback, discussions, debates and even healthy arguments. It will make you more confident, and it will help you learn from a fresh perspective as well. Start using online chats, discussion forums, etc. Discover a new learning platform every day. Be self-dependent Since it is you and only you who knows what exactly you need to learn, it is therefore vital for you to be a self-dependent person. Take the initiative to be a part of learning forums like virtual ‘live’ classrooms and do it with the intention of contributing and participating in the discussion. It is essential to be visible in the discussion, reflecting exuberance and confidence. Also, always be inquisitive and interested to find out more, whatever be your source. You can learn by listening to others, and at times, you can learn better by debating on the same topic with others. It is as simple as that. Read and Read more Reading can help you gain a competitive edge. If you have an insight on the topic, then only can you discuss or share your knowledge with others. Reading enables you to understand every subject in detail and takes you in-depth, posing new questions, points and a unique perspective on...

Take Advantage of Social Media Social Media has become extremely popular: More People and Businesses are using Social Media…These statistics might amaze you: 81% of small and medium businesses use social media 94% of them use it solely for marketing purposes There are over 50 million business pages on Facebook alone Over 2.5 billion comments are made on these Facebook pages every month Now Folks… Here is a video by John Lincoln bringing you the best of social media strategies straight from the horse’s mouth – Yes, from the doyens of Social Media Marketing in the likes of  Michael Stelzner, Jay Baer, Sunny Lenarduzzi, Amy Landino and Brenda Ster. It is always good to listen to insights from people who have made it happen! Don’t miss it… Social Media Marketing Movie Businesses are investing in Social Media Advertising and Managers Businesses pay social media managers anywhere between $500 and $2500 to get an account set up and running. And between $10,000 and $30,000 to have a complete social media strategy designed to suit their business goals. Therefore there is a lot of potential to find work and make a good living as a social media manager. As a social media manager, you can help businesses market themselves on social media through various methods. On these lines, our collaborator tenfold.com has come out with a resourceful article on “Taking advantage of social media” by interviewing popular and successful social media managers. We present the summary here and to read the full article visit….  How to Take Advantage of Social Media (Part II) Insights from Industry Experts: Maria Johnsen (@iMariaJohnsen) – CEO and Founder of multilingual digital marketing company, Golden Way Media, and digital marketing influencer. Social media is the most important ingredient in digital marketing. Some companies don’t include social media in their campaigns which is a big mistake. We usually combine content marketing, [and] search engine optimization with social media marketing. I start with planning the timing, channels, languages, audience, gender, age and then create campaigns for my business and my clients’ campaigns. I never use my customers’ campaigns on my own channels. I always create customized channels for my clients. Get to Know the Client High quality and compelling content gets more clicks on social media, if it is done right. We use some strategies to land sales via social media. Running campaigns on social media is similar to running Google Adwords campaign with some differences. The audience on social media is not looking [to buy] anything. So you have to combine some strategies to trigger [an] emotional response. For example: when I want to get prospects’ attention for my client who runs a dental clinic, I use hashtags and compelling images that have something to do with dental treatment. Using hashtags helps with sales. When it comes to dealing with a business, I look for their channels on social media. If they don’t have a social presence, I don’t consider them serious in business. We also use paid advertising on social media for example: Facebook‘s search has a lot of profitable keywords which can be used to target the right audience for our clients. Placing ads on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn can be good to drive in customers for our clients. The truth is that Facebook advertising is never complete without touching on Facebook’s behemoth of advertising networks such as: custom pixels, lookalike audiences, and custom audiences, you’ve just run short of excuses for “not being there”. When I want to run my client’s ads on Facebook I create several ads and run A/B testing to find my winning campaigns. This way I am able to land sales for my customers. Ameyaw Debrah (@ameyaw112) – Award winning...

15 Ways to Efficient Time Management How to stop procrastination and get things done on time? Stop being a perfectionist Break your task down to lessen the sense of being overwhelmed Set specific deadline for your task Eliminate distractions around you Create a stress free work environment Ask for help to handle the challenges that stop you from getting started Remind yourself of the end goal Tell others about your goal Have positive thinking Here is an excellent Infographic on “15 Ways to Manage Your Time Wisely” created by  Donna A. Norton, Writer and Blogger that talks about good and wise time management.   These time management techniques can boost your efficiency and shorten your to-do-list 1. The POMODORO technique Create periods of intense focus and reduce procrastination Choose a task that deserves your complete attention Set a timer for 25 minutes Work on the task-uninterrupted-until the timer rings. Put a check mark on a piece of paper Take a five minute break Set the timer for another 25 minutes, again putting a check mark on a piece of paper. Record how many intervals it takes you to complete certain tasks When you complete four intervals, take a longer break of 20–30 minutes Repeat until you finish your task Very Practical and Workable Time Management Techniques 2. Eat that Frog 3. The Action Method...