Category: Business Tips

10 Must-Have People Skills for Entrepreneurs: Unlocking the Path to Phenomenal Success!

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Being an entrepreneur is not just about having a great business idea or a knack for innovation. It’s also about effectively connecting with people – employees, clients, investors, and partners – to build meaningful relationships and propel your business forward. Developing strong people skills is essential for entrepreneurs looking to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Here are some crucial people skills that every entrepreneur should cultivate:

Communication

Effective communication is the foundation of successful business interactions. Entrepreneurs must be able to articulate their ideas clearly, listen actively to others, and adapt their communication styles to different audiences. Whether it’s presenting a pitch to investors or resolving conflicts within a team, strong communication skills foster trust, understanding, and collaboration.

Emotional Intelligence

The term “emotional intelligence” describes the capacity to comprehend and control one’s emotions and empathize with others. Entrepreneurs with high emotional intelligence can navigate interpersonal dynamics, handle stress, and make decisions that consider the feelings and perspectives of others. This skill is particularly valuable in team management, negotiation, and customer relations.

Networking

Building a robust network of contacts is crucial for entrepreneurs. The ability to network effectively can open doors to new opportunities, partnerships, and potential customers. Entrepreneurs should actively seek out industry events, conferences, and networking platforms to connect with like-minded individuals and build mutually beneficial relationships.

Leadership

As an entrepreneur, you are not only the driving force behind your business but also the leader of your team. Strong leadership skills inspire and motivate employees, foster a positive work culture, and encourage innovation. Effective leaders lead by example, delegate tasks efficiently, provide constructive feedback, and empower their team members to reach their full potential.

Collaboration and Teamwork

Entrepreneurs seldom achieve success alone. Collaboration and teamwork are vital for bringing diverse skills and perspectives together to tackle complex challenges. Entrepreneurs should cultivate the ability to build and lead high-performing teams, foster a collaborative environment, and encourage open communication and idea-sharing among team members.

Problem-Solving

Entrepreneurs face numerous challenges and obstacles along their journey. Critical thinking, situational analysis, and the development of original solutions are crucial skills. Strong problem-solving skills enable entrepreneurs to navigate uncertainty, adapt to changing circumstances, and find innovative ways to overcome obstacles.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict is inevitable in any business setting. Entrepreneurs must be skilled in managing and resolving conflicts constructively. This involves active listening, understanding different perspectives, and finding win-win solutions. Effective conflict resolution maintains positive relationships and promotes a harmonious work environment.

Customer Service

Putting the customer first is a fundamental principle of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs that excel in providing excellent customer service may recognise and address the demands of their target market. Being responsive, empathetic, and proactive in addressing customer concerns fosters loyalty, positive reviews, and word-of-mouth referrals.

Adaptability

The business landscape is constantly evolving, and entrepreneurs must be adaptable to stay ahead. Adaptable individuals embrace change, continuously learn and acquire new skills, and thrive in dynamic environments. They are open to feedback, willing to experiment, and quick to adjust their strategies as needed.

Negotiation

Negotiation skills are essential for entrepreneurs when dealing with suppliers, partners, investors, and even employees. Strong negotiators can find common ground, build mutually beneficial agreements, and secure favorable outcomes for their business. Effective negotiation requires active listening, strategic thinking, and the ability to find win-win solutions.

Developing these people skills takes time and practice. Entrepreneurs should seek opportunities for personal growth, such as attending workshops, seeking mentorship, or joining professional networks. By honing these essential people skills, entrepreneurs can build strong relationships, foster collaboration, and propel their business towards long-term success.

Mastering Cash Flow Management: Essential Tips for Your Business Success

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Cash flow management is definitely an essential aspect of running a successful business. Maintaining a healthy cash flow ensures you have enough liquidity to cover expenses, invest in growth opportunities, and weather unforeseen challenges. This article will explore actionable tips to help you effectively manage your business’s cash flow.

Monitor and Project Cash Flow

Regularly monitoring your cash flow is essential. Set up a system to track your income and expenses meticulously, allowing you to identify patterns and make informed decisions. Develop accurate cash flow projections based on historical data and future forecasts. This proactive approach will enable you to anticipate potential cash shortfalls and take necessary steps to address them promptly.

Establish a Cash Reserve

Creating a cash reserve acts as a safety net during uncertain times. Aim to accumulate a reserve that can cover at least three to six months’ worth of operating expenses. This buffer will protect your business from unexpected emergencies, market fluctuations, or slower revenue periods. Consider automating regular transfers to your cash reserve account to ensure consistency and discipline.

Optimize Receivables

Efficient management of accounts receivable is crucial for maintaining a steady cash flow. Establish clear payment terms, send timely invoices, and follow up on overdue payments. Think about developing a system for periodic billing or providing incentives for early payment. If necessary, employ a professional collection agency to recover outstanding debts. Regularly analyze and address any bottlenecks in your collections process to minimize delays.

Negotiate Supplier Terms

Negotiating favorable terms with your suppliers can significantly impact your cash flow. Seek extended payment periods, discounts for early payments, or bulk purchase agreements. Building solid relationships with suppliers can open doors to mutually beneficial arrangements that provide flexibility and improved cash flow management.

Control Inventory

Excess inventory ties up valuable capital and increases storage costs. Implement a robust inventory management system that accurately forecasts demand and monitors stock levels. Regularly review your product offerings and identify slow-moving or obsolete items. Consider implementing just-in-time inventory strategies or dropshipping arrangements to minimize inventory holding costs and improve cash flow.

Manage Expenses

Conduct a thorough review of your expenses to identify areas for cost optimization. Analyze recurring expenses, negotiate better rates with vendors, and explore alternative suppliers or service providers. Implement cost-cutting measures without compromising the quality of your products or services. Regularly track and review your expenses to ensure they align with your business goals and eliminate unnecessary spending.

Secure Adequate Financing

Access to appropriate financing options can alleviate cash flow challenges during growth or unexpected expenses. Explore various financing options such as lines of credit, small business loans, or business credit cards. However, exercise caution and consider each option’s costs, terms, and repayment obligations to avoid overburdening your business with debt.

Effectively managing your business’s cash flow is critical to long-term success. By monitoring and projecting cash flow, establishing reserves, optimizing receivables, controlling inventory, managing expenses, and securing adequate financing, you can ensure a healthy and sustainable financial foundation for your business.

Unlocking Financial Freedom: 7 Ways to Create Multiple Income Streams

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In today’s rapidly changing world, creating multiple income streams has become essential for financial stability and freedom. Relying on just a single source of income can be risky, as unforeseen circumstances or economic downturns can disrupt our financial well-being. By diversifying our income sources, we increase our earning potential and create a safety net that provides stability and opens doors to new opportunities. In the article below, let’s explore seven effective ways to create multiple income streams.

Start a Side Hustle

One of the traditional ways to create an additional income stream is by starting a side business. Identify your skills, passions, or hobbies, and leverage them to create something that fulfills a market need. Whether it’s freelance work, consulting, e-commerce, or a creative endeavor, starting a side business allows you to generate income while pursuing your interests.

Invest in Real Estate

Real estate investment is a tried-and-true approach to generating passive income. Consider purchasing rental properties, commercial spaces, or vacation homes that generate consistent rental income. Additionally, you can explore real estate investment trusts (REITs) or crowdfunding platforms that allow you to invest in properties without the need for significant capital.

Develop and Monetize Your Skills

Identify your unique skills or expertise and find ways to monetize them. Offer consulting services, teach online courses, or become a freelancer in your field. Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or Udemy provide opportunities to showcase your skills and connect with clients or students worldwide. By leveraging your expertise, you can create a sustainable income stream.

Explore the Sharing Economy

The expansion of the sharing economy has created new opportunities for generating income. Platforms like Airbnb, Uber, or TaskRabbit enable you to rent your spare room, provide transportation services, or complete various tasks for a fee. Utilizing these platforms allows you to leverage your existing assets or skills to generate additional income on a flexible schedule.

Invest in Stocks and Dividend-Paying Assets

Investing in stocks, bonds, or dividend-paying assets can provide a passive income stream. Research and educate yourself about different investment options, and consider diversifying your portfolio. Over time, dividend stocks, index funds, or mutual funds can generate regular income through dividends or capital appreciation.

Create and Sell Digital Products

With the rise of the internet, making and selling digital goods has become a common strategy for making passive income. Write an e-book, develop an online course, or design digital artwork that can be sold repeatedly without significant overhead costs. Platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Teachable, or Etsy provide easy access to a global marketplace for your digital products.

Peer-to-Peer Lending and Investing

Platforms for peer-to-peer lending let you make loans directly to individuals or businesses in exchange for interest payments. By cutting out traditional financial institutions, you can earn higher investment returns. Platforms like LendingClub or Prosper facilitate these peer-to-peer lending opportunities, allowing you to diversify your investment portfolio and create an additional income stream.

Creating multiple income streams requires effort, dedication, and a long-term perspective. Setting realistic expectations and investing time and resources into building and managing these income streams effectively is essential. Moreover, continuous learning and adaptability are crucial to staying ahead in the evolving landscape of income generation.

Mastering the Art of Public Speaking: 10 Essential Hacks for Success

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Public speaking can be a terrifying task for most people, but with the proper techniques and mindset, anyone can become a confident and effective communicator. Whether you’re delivering a presentation at work, speaking at a conference, or addressing a large audience, these ten essential hacks will help you enhance your public speaking skills and leave a lasting impact.

Prepare Thoroughly

The key to successful public speaking lies in thorough preparation. Research your topic, organize your thoughts, and create a clear structure for your speech or presentation. Practice extensively to familiarize yourself with the content and anticipate potential questions or challenges.

Know Your Audience

Understanding your audience is vital. Research their demographics, interests, and expectations. Tailor your message to resonate with them, utilising terminology and illustrations they can understand. Engage the audience by addressing their specific needs and interests, ensuring a more impactful and memorable speech.

Start with a Strong Opening

You need to lock in your audience straight away. Begin with a captivating anecdote, an intriguing fact, or a thought-provoking question. A powerful opening sets the tone for the rest of your speech and captures the audience’s interest, ensuring they are engaged and attentive throughout your presentation.

Use Visual Aids Wisely

Visual assistance like presentations or objects can enhance your presentation, but use them sparingly and purposefully. Keep visuals simple, uncluttered, and easy to comprehend. They should complement and reinforce your message, not distract or overwhelm the audience. Practice with visual aids to ensure a seamless delivery.

Speak with Passion and Energy

Your enthusiasm for the topic will captivate the audience. Speak with conviction, infuse your voice with energy, and project confidence. Use appropriate intonation and vary your speaking pace to keep the audience engaged. A passionate delivery helps convey your message effectively and leaves a lasting impression.

Connect with Stories and Personal Anecdotes

Stories and personal anecdotes are powerful tools for connecting with the audience. They add a human touch, making your speech relatable and memorable. Incorporate relevant stories that illustrate your points, evoke emotions, and provide real-life examples. Authentic storytelling helps create a strong connection with your listeners.

Maintain Eye Contact

Establishing eye contact builds trust and engagement. Make an effort to connect with different individuals in the audience, maintaining eye contact as you speak. This fosters a sense of connection and involves the audience. Avoid fixating on one spot or constantly looking at notes or slides.

Utilize Body Language and Gestures

Effective body language enhances your presence and helps convey your message. Stand tall, maintain good posture, and use purposeful gestures to emphasize key points. Facial expressions should reflect the emotions you want to convey. Utilize confident and open body language to establish a solid and engaging presence.

Practice Active Listening

Public speaking is not just about speaking; it’s also about listening. Pay attention to the audience’s reactions, non-verbal cues, and feedback. Adjust your pace, tone, or content based on their responses. Active listening allows you to adapt and connect with the audience more effectively, fostering a two-way communication experience.

Embrace Mistakes and Learn from Them

Even the most seasoned speakers make mistakes. Accept them as chances for development and education. If you stumble or forget a point, take a deep breath, and continue with poise. Be authentic and genuine; the audience appreciates speakers who show vulnerability and resilience.

You can definitely improve your public speaking abilities with practice and the right strategies. By following these ten essential hacks, you can elevate your public speaking abilities and leave a lasting impact on your audience. Embrace the challenge, and you’ll become a confident and influential communicator with time.

Harnessing Intuition: 6 Compelling Reasons to Trust Your Gut for Entrepreneurial Success

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The decisions an entrepreneur must make are numerous daily. The choices can be overwhelming, From deciding which idea to pursue to hiring new employees and even setting your company’s vision and mission. While there is no one recipe for achieving success in entrepreneurship, trusting your gut can be of great help. Trusting your gut means following your instincts, relying on your intuition, and making decisions based on your inner voice. Here are some reasons why trusting your gut can be vital in achieving your success as an entrepreneur.

Intuition is a powerful tool

Your intuition is a potent tool that you should not underestimate. It is your subconscious mind trying to communicate with you, telling you what you should or should not do. When presented with a challenging choice, give your gut a chance to guide you. You might be shocked by how effective it is in guiding you.

Your gut has a wealth of experience

Your gut feeling is not just a random feeling. It is based on your experience, knowledge, and expertise. As an entrepreneur, you have experienced a lot, and you have learned a lot. All that knowledge and experience are stored in your subconscious mind, and your gut brings it to the surface when you need it.

Your gut is unbiased

Your gut feeling is not influenced by others, their opinions, or agendas. It is all determined by what you feel is right or wrong. As an entrepreneur, you need to make tough decisions that may not sit well with others. Trusting your gut instincts can actually help you make the right decision without being swayed by external factors.

It can save you time and money

Trusting your gut instincts can potentially save you a lot of time and money. When you listen to what your intuition is trying to do, you are more inclined to take actions consistent with your objectives and vision. This implies that you won’t squander time or money on efforts or projects not aligned with your business objectives.

It can boost your confidence

Trusting your gut can boost your confidence as an entrepreneur. When you rely solely on your gut while making a decision, and it ends up being successful, it reinforces your trust in your own abilities. This may instill confidence in you to make more bold and daring decisions in the future.

It can make you stand out

As an entrepreneur, you need to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Trusting your gut can help you make decisions that are unique and innovative. Following your intuition makes you more likely to generate creative ideas that can set you apart from your competition.

In conclusion, trusting your gut can be a powerful tool for success in entrepreneurship. It is based on intuition, experience, and knowledge and can help you make unbiased decisions supporting your objectives and vision. You could save time and money, increase your self-assurance and make you stand out. So when you finally have a tough decision, take some time to listen to your gut feeling. You may be shocked to find out how well it can guide you.

10 Harsh Reality Checks To Consider Before Starting A New Business

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Starting a business can be a fulfilling experience, but it’s important to understand the realities and challenges involved before taking the leap. Here are some realities to consider before starting your business:

Starting a business is hard work

Starting a business is not a quick or easy process. It requires a lot of hard work, time, and effort, particularly in the early stages when you’re setting up the business and getting it off the ground. Be prepared to put in long hours and make sacrifices, particularly if you’re juggling a day job or other commitments.

It takes time to build a profitable business

Building a profitable business takes time, and it’s unlikely that you’ll start making money right away. It can potentially take months or even years to build a customer base, establish your brand, and generate enough revenue to cover your expenses and turn a profit. Be prepared to invest time and money in your business for the long haul.

Cash flow is critical

The lifeblood of any firm is cash flow, and it’s critical to manage your finances carefully. You’ll need enough money to cover your expenses, pay yourself, and invest in your business, particularly in the early stages when you’re not yet generating significant revenue. Be sure to keep careful track of your finances and have a plan in place for managing cash flow.

You need a solid business plan

A solid business plan is vital if you want to succeed. It should outline your goals, target market, competitive landscape, marketing strategy, financial projections, and other key details. Your business’s strategy will be laid out in your business plan and help you to stay on track and make informed decisions.

You need to be comfortable with the risk

Starting a business involves taking risks, and success is not guaranteed. You’ll need to be comfortable with uncertainty and be prepared to take calculated risks in order to achieve your goals. This could involve investing your own money, quitting your day job, or taking on debt or investors.

You’ll need to wear many hats

As a business owner, you’ll need to be a jack-of-all-trades, at least in the early stages. You’ll be responsible for everything from sales and marketing to accounting and customer service. Be prepared to learn new skills and take on various responsibilities.

Marketing is essential

Marketing is essential for any business, but it’s particularly important for new companies trying to establish themselves in the market. You’ll need to develop a marketing strategy that reaches your target audience and helps you to stand out from the competition. This could involve social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, or other tactics.

You’ll need to be adaptable

Businesses need to be adaptable to succeed. You’ll need to be willing to pivot your strategy, change direction, or try new things if your initial approach isn’t working. This could involve changing your product or service, targeting a different market, or adjusting your marketing strategy.

You’ll need support

Launching a business and isolating experience might be lonesome, mainly if you’re working from home or don’t have a team. It’s essential to have a support system in place, whether it’s friends, family, or fellow entrepreneurs. You’ll also need to build relationships with suppliers, partners, and customers.

You’ll need to be passionate and committed

Finally, starting a business requires passion and commitment. You’ll need to be passionate about your business and committed to making it successful, even when things get tough. Be prepared to weather setbacks and challenges, and keep your eyes on the prize.

In conclusion, starting a business can be a fulfilling experience, but it’s essential to understand the realities and challenges involved before taking the big leap.

6 Efficient Automation Tips for Business Processes in 2023

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Automation has become an integral part of businesses in recent years. It not only helps reduce manual labor but also provides a high level of accuracy, improves efficiency, and reduces errors. The success of automation depends on how effectively it is implemented in the business processes. Here are some ways to enhance business automation:

Identify the right processes for automation

The first step in enhancing business automation is identifying the right automation processes. Not all processes are suitable for automation. Identify the processes that are repetitive, time-consuming, and have a high chance of errors. These processes are ideal candidates for automation. Once you have identified the processes, prioritize them based on their impact on business operations.

Evaluate the available automation technologies

Once you have identified the processes to be automated, evaluate the available automation technologies. There are different types of automation technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA), and machine learning (ML). Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses. Choose the technology that is best suited for your business processes.

Integrate automation with existing systems

Integrating it with the existing systems is essential to enhance business automation. Communication with other systems should be possible between the automation technologies such as ERP, CRM, and HRIS. This integration will ensure that data is shared seamlessly across systems and the automation technology can access the required data to perform its functions.

Ensure data quality

Automation is highly dependent on data. If the data is inaccurate, incomplete, or inconsistent, it can lead to errors in the automation process. Therefore, it is essential to ensure data quality before implementing automation. This can be done by identifying the data sources, cleansing the data, and creating data governance policies.

Test and optimize the automation process

Once the automation process is implemented, it is essential to test and optimize it. This involves monitoring the automation process, identifying issues, and resolving them. It also involves analyzing the automation process’s performance and identifying improvement opportunities. Continuous optimization of the automation process can lead to increased efficiency and accuracy.

Train employees

Automation may require employees to learn new skills or adapt to new working methods. Therefore, it is essential to train employees on new processes and technologies. This will help reduce resistance to change and ensure employees can work effectively with the latest automation processes.

In conclusion, enhancing business automation requires identifying the right processes for automation, evaluating the available automation technologies, integrating automation with existing systems, ensuring data quality, testing and optimizing the automation process, and training employees. Automation can significantly benefit businesses, but its success depends on how effectively it is implemented and managed. By following these steps, businesses can enhance their automation processes and improve efficiency and accuracy.

9 Practical Tips to Dramatically Improve Your Work-Life Balance

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Maintaining a healthy work-life balance can be challenging in today’s fast-paced society. Many people work long hours, neglect their personal lives, and feel stressed and burnt out. However, achieving a better work-life balance is crucial to increase happiness and productivity in all areas of your life. Below are some practical tips to help you achieve a better work-life balance.

Set clear boundaries

One of the most vital things you can do to achieve a better work-life balance is to set clear boundaries between work and personal life. This means establishing specific times for work and sticking to them, and disconnecting from work-related technology during non-work hours.

Prioritize self-care

Looking after yourself is essential for achieving a better work-life balance. This entails obtaining enough rest, maintaining a balanced diet, and engaging in regular exercise. It also means taking time for hobbies and other activities that bring you joy and help you relax.

Learn to say no

Many people struggle with saying no to work-related tasks and commitments but learning to set limits and say no when necessary is essential for achieving a better work-life balance. It’s acceptable to put your needs first and decline offers that don’t support your personal or professional objectives.

Focus on productivity, not just hours worked

Instead of measuring your success based on the number of hours you work, focus on your productivity and the quality of your work. This can help you be more efficient and effective and ultimately allow you to achieve more in less time.

Make time for friends and family

Maintaining solid relationships with friends and family is integral to achieving a better work-life balance. Make time to connect with loved ones regularly, whether that means scheduling regular date nights, family dinners, or simply making time for a phone call or video chat.

Take regular breaks

Regular breaks are essential for avoiding burnout and maintaining productivity. Take frequent breaks throughout the day, whether that means taking a short walk, practicing meditation, or simply getting up from your desk and moving about.

Manage your time effectively

Effective time management is critical to achieving a better work-life balance. This means prioritizing tasks, setting realistic goals, and using specific tools such as calendars and to-do lists to help you stay organized and on track.

Be flexible

Achieving a better work-life balance is not always a straightforward process, and it’s essential to be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances. This may mean adjusting your schedule or priorities or finding creative solutions to balance work and personal life.

Seek support

Finally, don’t be afraid to seek support from colleagues, friends, or family members if you’re struggling to achieve a better work-life balance. Talking to others can help you gain perspective and identify new strategies for managing your time and priorities.

In conclusion, achieving a better work-life balance is essential for maintaining physical and mental health, as well as happiness and productivity in all areas of life. By setting clear boundaries, prioritizing self-care, learning to say no, focusing on productivity, making time for friends and family, taking breaks, managing time effectively, being flexible, and seeking support when needed, you can create a healthy balance between work and personal life that works for you.

3 Surefire Tips On Empowerment and How To Engage Your Employees

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With the different industries slowly opening up after being upended by the pandemic, business owners are now re-calibrating for immediate strategies to achieve their long-term organizational goals.

SKYBIZ, the business solutions arm of SKY Cable Corporation, rolls out some important tips and solutions that will help employers grow both their business and their employee’s morale in this post-lockdown era.

Encourage a favorable set-up

The remote set-up became the new standard in most businesses, employees are able to go on with their daily tasks while working in the comfort of their homes, connecting with their peers purely online. Now that a lot of industries have gone back to their pre-Covid set-up and with the hybrid work arrangement gaining popularity, business owners should allow for more flexibility for employees to get their work done either at home or in the office.

A comfortable working environment is crucial for employees’ productivity, performance, and job satisfaction. Whether you are working from home or back to the office, the physical space where work is done should be conducive for every employee to excel daily.

Engage professional and personal growth

A well-balanced life is something that both employers and employees should strive for. Businesses will continue to grow if their people also grow, hence, it’s important to make the workplace a safe place where employees can unleash their maximum potential professionally and personally.

Most companies have incorporated different activities and practices that can boost the morale of their employees. A shared activity outside the workplace like a Monday morning reflection over coffee or a Friday night sports fest will strengthen the working relationship within the company allowing employees to feel more at ease and closer with their peers.

Invest in tools that empower

With most of the work transactions and meet-ups done digitally, businesses should invest in a reliable service provider and solutions tools that will empower them to grow their business in this digital age.

SKYBIZ is extending its BizTastic BunDeals with its Biz Broadband Connect and BizFiber Connect plans that include reliable business-grade internet connection for SMEs suited for their day-to-day activities, bundled with a three-month Microsoft 365 and a voucher from ABS-CBN Dash or Grab.

5 Tips for a Safer Online Shopping Experience In 2023

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For many shoppers, the online marketplace has been one of the best features of the technological age – you get what you want without travelling to the shops and negotiating the long queues and the arduous effort of getting there. For business owners, it’s a cost-cutting strategy to get their products out without costly overheads.

However, how sure are you that you are not paying more than you think you’ve bargained for? Horror stories of buying fakes and low-standard materials have been seen on posts and other online platforms. So how do we protect ourselves from these possible threats?

It would be very hard to figure out if what you’re buying is the real thing or a triple-A imitation. So we sought out brand maven Barbs Aguirre-Miravalles, the Division General Manager for Fragrances of LUXASIA – the leading omnichannel partner for luxury beauty and lifestyle brands to reach Asia Pacific consumers for some tips to help consumers figure out what they are buying.

Find a reliable source

Most e-commerce platforms have a marketplace where in it is open to all resellers. It is difficult to spot authentic resellers from counterfeit resellers as most would put 100% authentic on their product pages. When in doubt, I recommend shopping at the retailer.com sites or brand.com sites so you can be guaranteed that the products come from the original sources.

Compare and review

It would help to read reviews, but it would still help to compare prices and product details/ specifications from the original brand websites to know what you are buying. Check the source of the products.

Beware of cheap items

Counterfeit items are sold at cheaper prices precisely because the ingredients/materials used to create this is not comparable to the authentic item. We suggest watching Netflix’s ‘Broken’ to understand the danger of counterfeit items. This is dangerous to one’s health, especially for cosmetics and ingestible. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. You get what you pay for, so the lower money you spend equates to the quality you will receive in return.

To further help our readers, we dug deeper into precautions necessary for doing online purchases courtesy of the Australian Filipina:

Always make your purchases from a secure connection.

After clicking the link to the site, check out the prompt in the address field. It would usually read https://www, but if you read “Not Secure,” then it’s not worth your while.

Create a unique password.

If you keep on forgetting your password, get a secured password keeper like dashlane which keeps all your unique passwords that can be generated by the system or from a story of your life that no one knows about.

Be mindful of the information that you provide the sites

Identity theft is one of the most rampant crimes going around, and giving more information than you have to may just be the biggest mistake you can ever make. Standard information would be information on the payment method, shipping address, telephone number and/or email address. If the merchant asks for more, walk away.

Check the shipping details.

Some merchants charge exorbitant shipping fees that can turn a shopping bargain into an expensive mistake. Look to see if they provide tracking and insurance. Understand what carriers they use, and be particularly cautious if the item won’t be shipped within ten days.

Always remember, before you CLICK & SHOP, STOP & THINK.

Source: The Australian Filipina