November 21st, 2018 by Admin
We care about our clients and are happy to hear from them, we were able to sit down with one of them and hear their story. Let’s get some Monday motivation and meet Kash Patel from Baryia Travel.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview, it is an honor. Since we know you are taking time away from your busy schedule let’s get started. Tell us about yourself and your business.
I founded Baryia Travel in 1991 and have been designing luxury travel packages for individuals to small groups! We specialize in South Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, Cook Island and Hawaii), Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and the Indian Ocean Islands), and Luxury Cruises (ocean and River). I am a Premium Aussie, Kiwi, Kenya and Fundi (South Africa) Specialist and certified by respective countries Tourism Commissions! I have also completed certification offered by Silver Seas, Uniworld River Cruises, among the major cruise lines. Our expertise include romance (honeymoons, destination weddings, etc.) adventure, and sports (golf, tennis, etc.) travel.
Thank you so much for sharing. Tell us, has the journey been smooth or have there been some bumps along the way?
The journey has been anything but smooth, but we are still going strong now for about 27 years! Couple years after starting the business, airlines stopped paying commissions to travel agencies, but we survived and since then have learned various lessons as we march forward! Although many bumps in the road, it has been a very pleasant and enjoyable journey!
Please tell us more about Baryia Travel.
Our motto is “Making your dream vacations a reality”. We accomplice this by making sure we understand what they want and design to meet their needs and desire and paying attention to every detail! By working with local tour operators in various countries we make sure they get the best experience!
Wow, that is very interesting, thanks for sharing. What made you decide to open up this business? What are you most passionate about it?
I have been passionate about travel and born and raised in Africa I wanted people to experience this very different continent! One of my first trip after starting my business was Australia and I fell in love with the island continent and since then I have visited South Pacific about 25 times to learn what they have to offer!
Thank you so much for answering all of our questions, before we let you go, is there any tips of advice you would give to other entrepreneurs like yourself?
Listening to customers’ needs and providing superior customer service with attention to details! Provide them off the beaten path experiences!
Share with us how customers can find you.
kash@baryiatravel.com
617-527-4799
We work by appointment only but have flexible hours and can also come to you for a meeting!
It was a wonderful opportunity to meet and talk with Kash Patel, be sure to contact them for your luxury travel needs!
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: business, business cards, business travel, entrepreneur, entrepreneur blog, feature, interview, luxury, online travel, travel agency, traveling
November 18th, 2018 by Admin
We got the chance to speak with Jan Aragon from Roadway Motors; they want to provide you with the best automotive experience possible and we wanted to learn how their company has grown to be the great one it is. Let’s learn more about them, shall we?
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview, it is an honor. We know you are taking time away from your busy schedule let’s get started. Tell us about yourself and your business.
We are a Car Dealership that sells Pre-Owned and New Cars
Picture available at Roadway Motors LLC’s Facebook.
Thank you so much for sharing. Tell us, has the journey been smooth or have there been some bumps along the way?
Everything was perfect from start to finish.
Please tell us more about Roadway Motors LLC: We are a Car Dealership that sells Pre-Owned & New Cars
Thank you so much for answering all of our questions, before we let you go, is there any tips of advice you would give to other entrepreneurs like yourself?
Start small and grow big and strong.
Thank you and finally, share with us how customers can find you.
www.roadwaymotorsllc.com
I was such a pleasure to get the opportunity to speak with Roadway Motors. If you are looking for your next set of wheels, they are happy to help from researching the vehicle you want to test drive the ones you like. Roadway Motors is there to help you with a selection of cars, trucks, and SUVs.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: blog, blogger, business owner, Car, dealership, entrepreneur, entrepreneur blog, entrepreneurship, feature, Florida, interview, SUVs, west park
November 11th, 2018 by Admin
In honor of Veteran’s day, we wanted to say more than thank you. We want to provide you with some value and hope this article is of help. Here are resources for veterans opening a business.
During the making of this post, we found that one of the best places to start was the US Department of Veteran Affairs. They provide quite a well thought-out a page of resources for veterans. But we wanted to dig in more and post the ones we saw that could serve our readers best.
If you are still in the idea phase and are not sure if entrepreneurship would be the best thing for you and your idea, we invite you to check out the US Small Business Administration website. Here you will be able to see and learn how to prepare a business plan and even how to figure out how much money you need to get your dream started. The SBA is a useful (and free) tool to get started and to keep handy as your business grows.
VBOC: The Veterans Business Outreach Center is a program dedicated to helping transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses looking to start, purchase, or grow a business. The program is located nationwide, and you can find your nearest VBOC center here.
OSDBU’s Vets First Verification Program: Once your business is set up, you can apply for the Vet’s First Verification Program. This program will verify your business and will give you priority in competing for federal government contracts
Once your business is up and running and you get your business verification, you can attend events like the NVSBE to bring approved businesses in touch with federal government contracts.
VA SBA Loans: For many businesses, the only way to start or grow is to get a business loan. Luckily, the SBA offers loan options that can help Veterans. The SBA also offers competitive rates and a plethora of resources to ensure your business succeeds, so we recommend you taking the time to check it out.
There are many resources out there for veterans and business owners alike, but we think this can be a great start to help you look into options as a Veteran and business owner.
We want to take this time to thank you for your service.
Posted in Small Business Improvement Tagged with: business, business loans, business owner, business tips, Department of Veterans Affairs, entrepreneur, loans, small business, small business owner, US, Veteran's Day
November 8th, 2018 by Admin
Starting a Non-Profit can be the best decision for what you want regarding business and giving back, but what does it require? Before you start thinking of how you will handle donations, here are some steps you will need to run a great non-profit organization from the start.
Non-profits require planning just like any other business. You need to know your purpose, direction and whether or not it is the right fit for what you are trying to accomplish. Before you start, you need to ask yourself these questions:
1. What is the primary objective?
2. What audience am I trying to reach?
3. Is opening my organization truly necessary?
4. What is the plan or timeline?
As you begin to think about these question, you will be able to start a draft of your business plan. Having one will help you when it is time to fill out your form 1023 for Tax exemption, to map out a marketing plan and even fundraisers in the near future. Knowing how you are staring and where you are headed will help you make the process a lot smoother.
Another thing to consider is what you require to start. Not only do you need to count the time and effort, but the actual cash you need to start this venture.
The initial costs you must consider are:
1. State filing costs
2. Incorporate Your Nonprofit & Establish Governance
Aside from the costs to start you need to consider and understand the complete paperwork and marketing costs that will require your organization to bring in donors and advocates of your cause. Considering answering these questions:
1. Who are you (organization)?
2. What do you do?
3. What are the benefits of supporting your cause?
4. Why should they (audience) choose you?
5. Why should they believe in you?
Based on these you will be able to build an idea of crucial investors, advocates, and donors that will make your organization prosper.
There are plenty of more things to consider, but these are the necessary steps to get you started on the road of non-for-profit success.
Posted in NTCGives, Small Business Improvement Tagged with: business, business men, donations, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, filing, fundraiser, incorporate, non-profit, organization, taxes
November 4th, 2018 by Admin
The season is upon us. Many take the opportunity to grow or start a business, so here are 51 quotes that can inspire entrepreneurs now.
1. “Stop telling yourself you don’t know what to do. Yes, you do. Listen to your intuition and trust yourself.”
2. “Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.” ~Seth Godin
3. “Stay Positive. Work Hard. Make it Happen”
4. “Discipline is doing what needs to be done even when you don’t want to do it.”
5. “Focus on making yourself better, not on thinking that you are better.”
6. “Entrepreneurs must be willing to be misunderstood for long periods of time.”
7. “Success is when opportunity meets preparation”
8. “Sell the problem you solve, not the product.”
9. “If size mattered, the elephant would be king of the jungle.”
10. “You attract what you are, if you want great, the be great.”
11. “A setback is a setup for a comeback”
12. “When you support a small business, you’re supporting a dream.”
13. “Big things often have small beginnings.”
14. “Look back at where you came from and let yourself feel proud about your progress.”
15. “It always seems impossible until is done.” ~Nelson Mandela
16. “Collaborate with people you can learn from” ~Pharrell
17. “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” ~Warren Buffett
18. “The road to success is always under construction” ~Lily Tomlin
19. “See the possibility, not the problem.
20. “Don’t be busy, be productive”
21. “The key to success is to start before you’re ready”
22. “Always keep your focus on success”
23. “Create a vision that makes you wanna jump out of bed in the morning.”
24. “If the plan doesn’t work change the plan, not the goal.”
25. “Fail often so you can succeed sooner.” ~Tom Kelley
26. “Be the game changer.”
27. “Quality is the best business plan”
28. “Coca-Cola sold 25 bottles in their first year- so whatever you’re going through, it’ll be ok.”
29. “If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working for it.”
30. “Don’t deliver a product, deliver an experience.”
31. “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”
32. “Set goals. Reach. Repeat.”
33. “Your success can inspire us all. Risk it.”
34. “What you imagine, you create”
35. “New day. New goals. More accomplishments.
36. “Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination.”
37. “If you can learn self-control, you can master anything.”
38. “Excuses will turn your dreams into dust.”
39. “Giving up is the only sure way to fail.”
40. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
41. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
42. “The Distance between your dream and reality is called action.”
43. “Make it happen, shock everyone.”
44. “When you know clearly what you want, you’ll wake up every morning excited about life.”
45. “It all starts with a dream.”
46. “Today they call you crazy; tomorrow they will be calling you boss.”
47. “Life to your legend. Death to your fears.”
48. “Business is more exciting than any game.”
49. “Successful people rarely had an easy past.”
50. “Expect nothing but be prepared for everything.”
51. “Don’t be afraid of making big moves.”
Posted in Daily Inspiration Tagged with: b2b business, boss, bossbabe, business, business owner, e-commerce, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, holidays, inspiration, inspire, quote of the day, quotes
October 24th, 2018 by Admin
Having a product or service based business can be easily manageable when you are pricing your business correctly. But can it be done? Before processing, consider pricing.
What does that mean? Before you pick your payment processing service, consider pricing them correctly. Pricing can be tricky sometimes. If you charge too much, you might have a harder time selling your product but if you charge too little people might not honestly see the value of what you have to offer.
There are a certain number of things you need to consider that can make your life easier when it comes to pricing. Knowing your market can, by far, be the most important thing of all. Without knowing your market, you cannot correctly know whether your product or prices will be good.
Knowing your market can greatly positively impact your business. It can help you figure out anything from pricing to branding and including what you can do to grow the business. Start by building up your perfect customer or “avatar” write what your ideal client would enjoy, dislike, what age, gender (if applicable), and even area where they would live.
Once you have this, it will give you a better idea on how to price your services. Consider this:
You sell handmade bags. Although it does not take you too long now to make the bags, the materials are costly, and you need to maximize its use. Your ideal client would not hesitate in buying them, is into fashion, and although anyone can buy them, you have seen many girls ages 18-25 falling in love with them as you walk around with your bag.
Knowing the age group, you know how and where to market and can figure out how much are they willing to pay for your bags. You can also research how much are you competitors charging and see if you price matches, is under-priced or over-priced based on this research.
The next thing you need after figuring out the age and market is your materials. How much do you spend per product? You would need to consider if the price covers the cost of making it and gives you profit.
Having all of these factors will help you price your items correctly so that you are on your way to business success. Once all of these are set up and taken care of, then it is time to set up your account with National Transaction to have a personable and secure payment processing service to start earning on your business.
Posted in Small Business Improvement Tagged with: accept payment, b2b business, business, business cards, card payment system, credit card, entrepreneur, fort lauderdale, NAtional transanction, payment processing, retail, services
October 18th, 2018 by Admin
As your business grows, your time seems to shrink. Here are some tips that can help you manage your time better.
Create a Plan
Creating a plan will always lead to a successful day. Organization will allow you to have a much more balanced day and better quality of life while running your business. Be sure to write down all the tasks you need to get done. Having them written down will give you a better idea of how much you have to do and what needs to get done.
Have a Calendar
Along with a list of all of your tasks, a calendar will help you figure out what else is happening throughout the day. Do you have meetings to go to, people to talk? A calendar will be your best friend for better time management. It will also help you block out time to get your to-do list done.
Prioritize
Now that you have your list and your list, it is time you prioritize and figure out what needs to get done first. A common mistake is to go down your to-do list as you wrote it and that is not efficient. Figure out your “Must’s”; “Should’s” and “can wait’s” so you can get the best out of your day. You will realize that many tasks are not as important for your productivity as you might think.
Delegate
Now that you see what you must do first, do you need to do it yourself? Perhaps some tasks do not require all of your attention. That is when delegating will be your greatest ally for time management. That run to the store for supplies can be done by your employee or family (if you run your business from home).
Learn to say no
Along with running and managing a business, there will be things that, while you would love to do, are not necessary for you to do. Learn to say no in a polite way and you will find yourself more organized and meeting deadlines faster. Sure, you might have a few disappointed people at first, but they will realize that you are working on being efficient for them and you and it will add value to your service.
Track your time spent
Do you feel you are spending way too much time on a task or job? Perhaps it is time you start tracking your time. This is an excellent tool for freelancers who find themselves working day and night. Tools like TopTracker can keep you accountable and give you perspective on how much time you are truly working. It will help you learn and adjust if necessary.
Eliminate Time Wasters
There are plenty of time wasters at the office! That e-mail didn’t need to be checked so many times, and that note could have waited for later. No, you do not need to check Facebook before work. Setting boundaries will allow you to become much more productive and have more time to do tasks like this after you have completed your list.
Always plan to be early
When it comes to meetings, calls or events, always plan to arrive early, this will help you prepare for unseen events like traffic jams or car problems. Practicing this habit will help you be on time and have less stress.
Take Small Breaks
To get all of your tasks done, you must take breaks. Taking breaks will allow your mind to rest for a few minutes and can help you become a lot more productive. Be sure to use your calendar so you can schedule some break time every day.
Focus
Lastly, focus. Know that the tasks needed need to get done in a timely matter. Be sure you focus and avoid any distractions while getting it all done. Focusing will help you be done with all tasks sooner than you think.
We hope these steps can help you get more out of your day and you can be in control of your time better.
Posted in Small Business Improvement Tagged with: business, business goals, calendar, data, delegate, efficiency, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, freelancer, leaderhip, manage, plan, planner, planning, professionalism, smartphone, technique, time management, tools, track time
October 10th, 2018 by Admin
Life has its ups and downs, and we all know of those times where you feel like giving up. These quotes will you motivated and ready for round two!
When you reminisce the past because it was “easier.”
1. Be loyal to your future, not to your past.
When people say you are not ready to start a business:
2. You are never too old to start an empire, or too old to chase a dream.
When you feel you are not moving in the right direction:
3. The difference between who you are and who want to be is what you do.
When the nay-sayers say you are spending too much time on your “little dream”:
4. I would much rather work 16hrs a day for myself, than 8 hours a day working for someone else.
When you need to get started:
5. If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission.
When you are not sure how to stay motivated:
6. Create a vision that makes you wanna jump out of bed in the morning.
When you are too scared of trying:
7. You have no idea what you are capable of until you try.
When you need to remember why you are doing it:
8. The goal isn’t more money. The goal is living life on your own terms.
When you are not sure if you are ready:
9. If you wait until you’re ready, you’ll be waiting for the rest of your life.
When you are ready to make a change:
10. You’re only one decision away from a totally different life.
Posted in Daily Inspiration Tagged with: boss, bossbabe, business, customer, e-commerce, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, ideas, inspiration, inspire, motivation, quote, quote of the day, quotes, transaction
October 7th, 2018 by Admin
National Transaction is celebrating 21 years in the business today. Founded in 1997 National Transaction (NTC) purpose is to serve businesses of all sizes with their cash flow with the highest levels of professionalism and care.
This 21 year anniversary would not be possible without our leader, Mark Fravel and we want to take you back to his why and the reason we are still here today.
The beginnings:
Mark, a single parent of 3 beautiful daughters, wanted to provide for their kids without being on the road all the time. And so, with this passion in mind, a desire to serve and commitment to his family, National Transaction was born.
NTC began like many business and passions, with no customers and only one employee but quickly grew and Mark knew that leading with confidence and excellence will drive this business somewhere.
The Present:
Now, NTC often ranks in the top 10 of many data and technology awards. This Excellence has also earned us an A+ rating in the Better Business Bureau.
This 21 years would not be possible without our desire to help a business grow and give them the right tools for their transactions. We love being on the phone with our customers, we love getting to know them and how we can provide our best service.
The Future
Mark started this with a desire to be a family man, and so, this family feeling has stayed with our company. We treat our team like family, and we are excited about what our future holds the next 21 years.
Thank you for celebrating 21 years of customer service, passion, connection and above all, quality. We will continue to provide you with the best service we know how to give, and we will uphold our promise and mission to make digital transactions reliable and simple to the merchant and familiar to the consumer, reducing the complexity and expense to both.
Thank you for being part of the National Transaction Corporation‘s family.
Posted in nationaltransaction.com Tagged with: Anniversary, ASTA, Better Business Bureau, business, card, consumers, credit card, credit cards, credit-card, customer, customers, data, e-commerce, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, MasterCard, merchant, merchant account, merchants, Mobile Payments, National Transaction, payments, point of sale, Security, transaction, visa
September 26th, 2018 by Admin
Start-ups, online business and just about any business starts somewhere right? Not every business starts with a hefty amount of money and not all can afford it all. Let’s be honest, even if you did, it wouldn’t hurt getting a few things for free at the beginning.
Here are some incredibly easy (and cheap) tools to get you started:
1. SCORE: The plethora of training and resources on this website is just what any entrepreneur needs. You can also get paired up with an experienced business owner to be your mentor. Best of all it is a free service.
2. Grammarly: Writing the perfect e-mail or proposal can be a lot of pressure. Grammarly makes it simple to ensure you sound like you and your grammar is simply perfect!
3. Pixabay: If you need good quality pictures and graphics and your budget are not existent, Pixabay is the way to go. The pictures are completely free to use at any time. But if you want to help the cause, you can donate or as they say: “buy a cup of coffee” for them.
4. NTCePay.com: Take the hassle out of invoicing and getting paid. Simply sign up for NTC ePay and voila! The fees are low in comparison to other payment processing companies and the services are always personable.
5. Google Drive: If you are an Android user, Google can definitely be your friend. Not only to store documents and pictures but to write up all those important conversations. Goodbye Microsoft, hello Google.
6. TopTracker: Do you work with freelancers or are you one yourself? TopTracker can help you track the time spent on projects and can be an easy tool to help invoice your hours. Best of all, it’s free!
7. Asana: Another great tool to have whether you are a solopreneur or have a team. Asana can help you coordinate all of the work your team does and manage it well. Plus you can keep communication specifically with each project, making it easy for everyone on the team.
8. Canva: An user-friendly tool to help you create graphics and content for your social media and print work. There is no need to learn new software and this can be accessed on your computer and phone. The free version has plenty of tools to get you started.
As you grow your business, some of these tools do have paid versions which will allow you to grow with them without worrying about moving to a new tool.
Posted in Small Business Improvement Tagged with: asana, b2b business, business, business owner, Canva, entrepreneur, free, freelancer, Graphics, National Transaction, ntc, Score pixabay, social media, TopTracker
