idaconcpts.com – Page 2 – Ideas and Concepts from Damian Davila

Plesk or cPanel: Which is the best Control Panel for my VPS Server?

Introduction

A control panel in web hosting, is an interface provided by the hosting company that allows users to manage their web server from a single place. Control Panels are available for servers running both Windows and Linux operating system. Web-based control panels usually have a graphical interface and tool suite designed to make the process of hosting a website more manageable and simpler.

Role of Control Panel in a Virtual Server Hosting

Virtual Server Hosting also known as VPS (Virtual Private Server) is known for its flexibility and bridges the gap between Shared Hosting and Dedicated Servers. VPS hosting is an excellent solution for websites where the owner must have full control over their web server and resources. For controlling a Virtual Server Hosting account, a control panel can come in handy and make the administration easier.

What’s Included in the Functionality of Control Panel?

Server logs – It is a log file which contains the list of activities performed by the server. It is automatically created and used by the system administrator to examine page requests, traffic patterns and helps in fine tuning site administration.
Resource reports – With the control panel, a system administrator can view the availability of resources including available space, bandwidth, and used space. It is essential for businesses who are scaling and following a hyper-growth approach.
Configuring and maintaining email accounts and user accounts – A control panel aids in the management of various email accounts associated with the website.
Database management, user access, data manipulation – With a control panel like cPanel or Plesk, a system administrator can manage a database that contains website pages, images, and user information. Any changes required to the database are also managed with a control panel.
Web log analysis software – A system administrator can parse a server log file from a web server and analyze it thoroughly with the control panel. It is also known as web log analyzer and can be used to extract and analyze user data viz. a number of visits, unique visitors, rush hours, authenticated users, OS used, browsers used, robots used, HTTP errors and more.
File Management – Hosting account files and website files is managed from the control panel.

Plesk and cPanel as Control Panel Solutions

For system administrators, webmasters and IT users; the choice of operating system is a matter of preference. The same goes for control panels. The two most popular control panels, viz. cPanel and Plesk have their dedicated user base. Furthermore, both have their own set of pros and cons as well.

WHM/cPanel

cPanel is a Linux based web hosting control panel with a simple graphical interface and automation tool designed to make web hosting and web servers easier to manage. Based on a three-tier structure, cPanel is tailored to function to suit the needs of system administrators, resellers, and end-user website managers. The site management and server administration is done through a web browser.

Plesk

Plesk, also known as Parallel Plesk Panel, offers web hosting service providers and virtual server hosting users the ability to configure and maintain both Windows and Linux servers. It is a flexible, effective and secure control panel for administrators to meet a broad range of requirements.

Panel Features

Command Line Access

Command Line Access is provided in both cPanel and Plesk. However, cPanel offers both command line access and API-based access which enables interaction with third-party software. Plesk, on the other hand, provides Panel Action Log Command Access Tool.

Administration

System administrators can automate administration processes with control panels. cPanel is designed to function either as a Virtual Private Server or a Dedicated Server.

Both cPanel and Plesk support installation on CloudLinux, CentOS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, however, only cPanel works flawlessly on Linux operating systems. Furthermore, only Plesk can be installed on Windows Server 2008 SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, and Windows Server 2002.

Plesk and cPanel support MySQL, PostgreSQL, PHPMyAdmin
Email services for cPanel include IMAP, POP3, and Exim, while Plesk supports Qmail

Removing Panel

Removing a control panel is possible however, it is not recommended. It requires formatting the server and reinstalling the operating system. There are certain uninstall scripts available, for both Plesk and cPanel, but it is not advisable because users will lose all their account data. Removing cPanel will remove all user sessions, suspended info, web logs, bandwidth files, DKIM keys and Crontab.

Ease of Use

At the user level interface, cPanel aggregates functions into groups that include mail, preferences, logs, files, domains, security, databases and software services. Alternatively, Plesk is divided into functions that include statistical and resource usage, mail, users, websites and domains, statistics and applications.

Handling Support Requests

With cPanel’s interface, you can access support services from their web host by email. However, this service must be supported by your web host.

Plesk has a detailed support request form where you must fill comprehensive information about the product version, work environment, OS version and the issue.

Multi-Level Clustering

Plesk does not support multi-level clustering natively and requires Plesk Automation Services add-on to perform such tasks
Loading Speed – Plesk may cause loading to occur at a slow speed than cPanel, and can become particularly slow on Linux servers
Database Access – With Plesk, the database is accessed via Web admin. You can manage MySQL or MS SQL databases through a web browser. For cPanel, you can access PHPMyAdmin and manage MySQL databases

Comparison Chart

Parameters	cPanel	Plesk
Statistical Features
Services	Webalizer, AWStats, Analog	Webalizer, AWStats, Plesk Traffic Manager
Other Features	Graphical Analysis, Custom Reports, Logs	Real Time Bandwidth, Graphical User Breakdown, Custom Reports
DNS Features
Services	BIND	BIND
Other Features	Clustering and Hands-off automatic configuration	SOA Settings, Remote DNS, Load Balancing Support, DNS Recursion, Master/Slave Management, Automated File Matching
FTP
Services	PureFTPd and ProFTPd	ProFTPd
Other Features	Graphical File Manager, Drive Letter Access, Anonymous FTP,	Anonymous FTP, FTP Throttling, File Manager, Upload Directory
Database Support
Services	Postgre SQL, MySQL	Postgre SQL, MySQL
Admin Panels	phpMyAdmin, phpPgAdmin	phpMyAdmin, phpPgAdmin, Multi-user/Multi-DB
Mail Features
Services	Courier-IMAP, Courier-POP, Exim	Qmail
Mail List	Mailman	Mailman Aliasing, Groups, Auto-responses
Webmail	Horde, SquirrelMail	Horde IMP
Anti-Virus	ClamAV	DrWeb, Kaspersky
Anti-Spam	SpamAssassin, Spam Box, BoxTrapper	SpamAssassin
Web Features
Web Servers	Apache	Apache
Scripting	Apache, CGI-PERL, PHP, JSP, SSI	PHP, Python, SSI, CGI, Ruby, FastCGI
Development Tools	FrontPage	ColdFusion
Access	IP Deny Manager, Anti-leech, Hotlink Protector	–
Security	SSL, SuPHP, mod_security, phpSuExec	SSL, SuExec
Errors	Custom Error Pages, Last 300 Errors	–
Account
Reseller Login	Yes	Yes
Domain Owner Login	Yes	Yes
Mail User Login	Yes	Yes

Conclusion

cPanel and Plesk are two of the most popular control panels, and both have their share of pros and cons. One must consider their operating system, server configuration, security needs and access control as well as usability preferences before opting for either of them. Both control panels have robust security options and are powerful administration tools. The final choice depends on the features that most closely adapt to your working environment.

Email Is and Always Will Be Insecure

Email has been around for more than 30 years. One of the first and most useful functions of the web, email has allowed people to communicate quickly and efficiently regardless of location, time of day, and (more recently) language. Further, through the years, email has become linked with online identity, as web users employ their addresses to create accounts on websites and in stores, sign up for newsletters, marketing materials, and more.

Yet, despite email’s endurance, flexibility, and continuing value, despite that there are more than 4 billion email addresses in use today, email remains one of the most insecure practices online – and that will likely always be the case. In initial stages, developers did not integrate any privacy or security into email, and though many efforts have been made to make email more sound, major obstacles prevent total protection of data. Users can and should make moves and develop habits to keep their emails (and the rest of their devices) safe, but by and large, email will never be truly secure.

The Trouble With Email

Email’s initial developers never intended the service to become the integral web tool it is today. In fact, email was meant to be nothing more than the simplest way to send messages back and forth between different people on different devices. The messages were transferred in the open, meaning anyone with network or account access could intercept and read the transmissions. Today, that largely remains true.

A user’s email messages can be compromised in four locations: the sender’s device, the network, the server, and the recipient’s device. The first and last should be comprehensible to anyone, regardless of tech savviness; email accounts are usually always logged in, so anyone sitting at a computer or holding a phone should be able to read any email message they choose. Email services rarely encrypt saved messages, so reading emails and attachments is as easy as opening the program or navigating to the webpage. Worse, most malware programs essentially do this – rifle through accessible emails for useful data – so this insecurity is more common than many users expect.

Networks and servers can provide differing amounts of security, based on senders’ and recipients’ email providers and internet connections. An email message might travel through dozens of routers and switches on its way to a recipient, and each transfer is an opportunity for cybercrime. There is no guarantee that each connection is equally secure; in fact, institutions like the NSA almost guarantee they are full of holes. Email servers are rarely encrypted – because of the overhead costs of encryption as well as the value of saving messages in plaintext (e.g., advertising) – so hackers with admin passwords or access through security flaws can search vast swaths of emails for personal data. From sending to receiving, saving to deleting, email is unbelievably insecure.

Making Email More Secure

Relying on email requires a large amount of trust: Users must trust their email clients, their networks, their servers, and their recipients to have sufficient security to keep their messages safe. Some of that trust can be ensured when users adopt third-party email security solutions. Because it is unlikely that email providers will spare the expense to protect email as thoroughly as they should, users must take personal action to bring email security into the 21st century.

Aside from malware scanning programs, email users’ devices should be well-equipped with encryption tools. Encryption is by far the easiest and most effective way to prevent outsiders from reading messages they should not have access to. Users can employ public key cryptography, which encrypts messages and network connections, to allow private users to unlock sensitive data with secret passcodes. Within businesses, this system takes relatively little time to execute, but convincing everyone to adopt a public key encryption – everyone including clients, customers, family members, and friends – is somewhat unlikely. Thus, not all email messages can be secure at all times, even with an effective encryption system.

The Bottom Line

Email isn’t likely to disappear in the coming years, even as other digital communications appear. Unfortunately, it is equally unlikely that email will become inherently more secure. Users must take it upon themselves to protect the emails they send – or else accept the likelihood of prying eyes on their private messages.

4 Features of a Good Web Hosting Package

Signing up for a web hosting packages is one of the most important steps associated with launching a website. The host company is the one that actually hosts your site and makes it available to those searching for it. A good package from the right company can include some other features too that let you accept and send emails from an account attached to your site and space for all the things you want to add to your site. Before signing up for ecommerce web hosting services, look for these 4 top features.

1. Storage Space

One of the first things to look for when choosing a web hosting company is the amount of storage space that you get. Having more storage space gives you room for sharing videos and photos with your readers or customers. The more space you have, the less the chance is that your site will run out of room as you add new products too. You should also look at the amount of space you get in relation to your email accounts. If you do not have enough space for your email account, you may miss out on important messages from customers.

2. Malware Protection

Security breaches are one of the more serious problems hitting website owners today. Even major companies like Amazon and Target suffered problems in the past that led to customers having their identities and credit card information stolen. A good web hosting company will provide you with all the protection that you need from viruses and other dangers that can cause security breaches. Some even come with built-in support on the email side to keep you from opening potentially dangerous messages that might have a virus attached.

3. Email Access

Having an email account linked to your site makes your business look more professional. If you need to use a generic email to respond to questions from prospective customers, they might see that email address and decide to order from someone else or use a more reputable website. Web hosting companies can create an email address based off the domain name you chose that lets you respond to customers and contact other companies. You may have the option of creating multiple accounts too that you can use for your customer service department and any other departments that you have.

4. Quick Load Time

An important feature to look for in a web hosting company that many forget about or ignore is the average load time. This applies to both the load time you experience as well as the load time that your customers experience. This refers to the total length of time it takes for the page to load. If you have a slower load time, working on your site becomes frustrating. When customers experience a slower load time, they might leave before the page even loads and order from another site. Paying extra for a faster load time makes your site more appealing.

The Bottom Line

While there are hundreds of web hosting companies in the world today, you need to know how to find the right one. This often requires looking at how quickly your page will load and whether you get any protection against malware and viruses. Top companies offer lots of storage space and email access too.

Image Credit: Thomas Morris

How to Harness the Power of the Internet for Branding

Branding is essential to keep a sustainable business operation but very few business owners have the time to work on branding efforts. With clients to meet, calls to follow-up with, and deliverables to actually work on, business owners are spread too thin to promote themselves following their own branding guidelines. Harnessing the power of the Internet, you can improve your branding and allow your potential customers to find you more easily.

Take a look at the top ten from list of top 500 sites from Alexa and you will find that search engines, including Google (#1), Baidu (#4), Yahoo (#6), and Google India (#7), and social media sites, including YouTube (#2), Facebook (#3), Reddit (#8), and Twitter (#12), dominate this list most of the time around the world. By spending time in branding efforts that make your business more visible on the web, your business becomes available to a broader audience.

Self-promotion on the Internet is 90% preparation and 10% execution.

Business owners are like teenage boys: they are desperate to talk to girls (customers), but when they finally get a chance, they don’t know what to say. The first step in self-promotion can be found in the book Branding Yourself by Erik Deckers and Kyle Lacy. You need to be ready to deliver your message according to the format of the situation. Therefore, you need to establish your personal brand bio in 3 stages: 1) the one sentence (100 word or less pitch), 2) the short paragraph (250 word pitch), and 3) the two-paragraph story (two paragraphs that provide your full story). Once you have developed a consistent story, you are ready to take your message online. Regardless whether it has to be in under 140 characters or in 500-word blog post, you’ll be ready to know how to keep your brand consistent.

Establish a central online presence that will become your main online portal.

This can be either a blog or a website, depending on your tech skills, available budget, and available time to work on it. Here you can present the full two-paragraph story and make sure that people looking for financial advisors in your area can find you. If you choose for a blog format, make sure to write at least once a week and to keep posts between the 350 – 450 word range. As your main portal, you need to start including the URL of your site into your business cards, your email signature, and any presentation material that potential clients will be exposed to.

According to Promo University, it’s important to select promotional products that are consistent with your online branding efforts. Promo products are great for making new connections at tradeshows, showing appreciation to your established customers, and generally building awareness of your company’s brand.

Focus on the social media channels that make sense for you and represent your self-brand consistently.

Even though every day an estimated 166 million individuals use Snapchat, 1,284 million use Facebook, and 100 million use Twitter, it doesn’t mean that you need to be present in every single social media outlet. Depending on your industry you may opt for a more formal social media channel, such as LinkedIn or Instagram, or a more informal one, such as Snapchat or Twitter.

Still, you should spend some time prospecting on LinkedIn. Out of all social media outlets Linkedin stands as the most professional one and appropriate one for spending your time connecting with people online. The key to LinkedIn is to spend time providing answers to questions from other users in your field of expertise. This way you can build your online stock as a reputable advisor and drive people to your main portal. Other two great social media sites for providing answers to queries from potential customers are Quora and Reddit. Through your online dialogue with potential clients, and when appropriate, you can start using your one sentence or one paragraph brand statement.

Through smart use of the Internet you can validate your brand, and create more potential client leads.

Image Credit: EdgeThreeSixty

After the Breach: How Cyber Insurance Can Help

Infographic created by: Cyber Policy

Is Hacktivism Ever Justified?

When many people think about protesting, they automatically conjure up images of the 1960s; and for good reason. It was a time a social upheaval that included the civil right movement, women’s movement, anti-Vietnam War movement, LGBT movement, student movement and environmental movement.

Almost six decades later, we are seeing many of the same issues being debated. But with that change in time comes new ways of protesting. Social media, for example, has given a soap box to anyone who wants it, and cyber activism (sometimes referred to as ‘slacktivism’) has made it easier to share the messaging, sign petitions and garner global attention.

While these techniques are readily employed by law-abiding members of society, there is another form of protest that seems to walk the line between the ethical and the criminal, known as ‘hacktivism.’

What is Hacktivism?

Hacktivism is a portmanteau of hacking and activism and utilizes many of the same online attacks as low-level cybercriminals. Still, it would be foolish to take the threat of hacktivism lightly as it has had real effects on the private and public sector. Here are just a few examples:

In 1996, hackers vandalized the United States Department of Justice’s homepage in protest of the Communications Decency Act. This resulted in a title change to “Department of Injustice” and adult images posted across the site.

In 2009, the hacker collective Anonymous aided Iranian protestors in the circumvention of news and internet censorship after the disputed victory of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

In 2010, members of Anonymous crashed several websites and services for refusing to process donations for controversial leaker Julian Assange. PayPal claimed the hackers cost the business £3.5 million in damages.

In 2011, Google worked with SayNow and Twitter to provide an alternate way to post tweets during the government sanctioned internet blackout in Egypt. After this intervention, Arab Spring protestors could post social media messages via voicemail thanks to Speak to Tweet.

As you can tell, hacktivism can cause some real problems for the private and public sector. To mitigate these threats, many organizations invest in a cybersecurity policy to insulate themselves against the costly damages of an attack.

Is Hacktivism Ever Justified?

But that’s not what hacktivists do. Virtual vigilantes have also spied on criminals, leaked corporate secrets, vandalized social media pages, redirected URLs and taken their protests into the real world.

Each of these tasks are surprisingly easy. For example, a group of hackers may want to stymie traffic to a website by flooding it with fake web requests until the service crashes for a period. Hacktivists sometime refer to this as a ‘virtual sit-in’ while most IT professionals call it a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.

Downloadable tools, tutorials and ‘hackers for hire’ are regularly traded on dark web for activists and crooks alike. And this is where things get interesting. Is a DDoS attack really any different than a union protest outside a supermarket?

Proponents argue that a DDoS attack does nothing to harm a network infrastructure and can be a useful form of protest if limited to a specific time. Opponents say that a DDoS attack is nothing like a sit-in because the traffic sent to a site is not an assembled of angry citizens, but rather a phony army of malware infected computers; also known as a botnet.

The same cloud of uncertainty hangs over social spoofing, pirated media distribution and website tampering. Even if it’s used for a righteous cause, something about it isn’t quite kosher.

On the other hand, it seems unfair to include quasi-criminal hacking under the same umbrella term as those who use their digital expertise to protect free speech, human rights and freedom of information using legitimate technologies. For example, a virtual private network can overcome location-based censorship.

In the end, this subject will likely be debated for years to come, especially as new technologies enter the market. Protesting won’t disappear, but it is sure to evolve in unexpected ways.

5 Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs

Whenever you ask successful entrepreneurs about the secrets to their success, you’re likely to hear them use words like “passion,” “perseverance,” and “commitment.” There’s no doubt that these are all important traits for running a successful business, but as anyone who has struggled to get their enterprise off the ground, it’s not always enough to be passionate about your work and to keep trying and going after opportunities.

The fact is, a great deal of entrepreneurial success comes down to individual personality traits and habits. You can have all the enthusiasm in the world, but if you don’t have the knowledge required to compete in today’s marketplace, you’re going to flounder. If you are a jerk, no one will want to do business with you, and so on and so forth. With that in mind, as you prepare to launch into the world of entrepreneurship, it’s useful to practice these five important habits.

1. Keep Learning

The world of business is changing all the time. New technologies, new trends, and an ever-shifting economic landscape require entrepreneurs to remain on their toes. A willingness to learn, ask questions, and remain open to new ideas and possibilities will help you accomplish that goal, as well as keep your business fresh and running efficiently. Investing in continuing education for yourself as well as your employees can help maintain everyone’s motivation and productivity, as well as help ensure a steady stream of creative ideas. Remember that some of the most successful people in the world have achieved their goals in large part because of their willingness to learn – and their acceptance of the fact that they don’t know everything.

2. Be Nice

“It’s not personal, it’s business.” How many times have you heard that expression as an excuse for someone’s rude behavior? Or been advised to give someone a pass on their nastiness simply because they are exceptionally good at what they do?

Everyone has bad days, but overall, you should cultivate a reputation for being considerate, kind, and empathetic. This doesn’t mean that you need to be a pushover, but you can be direct, firm, and confident without being mean or rude. Being “the best” at something isn’t a free pass to treat people poorly, either. In other words, you want people to work with you and your company because of you, not in spite of you, so just be nice. The world could use a bit more of that these days.

3. Focus on Service

A recent survey of consumer behavior revealed that nearly half of all consumers will pay more for something if they receive good service. They want to feel heard, get the answers they need quickly, and feel like the company really cares about them and their business. Therefore, if you want to differentiate yourself and your company from the competition, focus on delivering the best customer service possible. When hiring staff, look for those individuals who have a customer service mindset and will be as committed to your customers and clients as you are. There may be times when you question whether all the work is worth it, but as your loyal customer base grows, you’ll see the payoff of your hard work.

4. Have a Plan

Nearly every successful entrepreneur lists planning as one of the most important habits for business growth. You need to plan in terms of the big picture – what is your vision for your business, your major goals, and how do you plan to get there? – and on a smaller scale, i.e., what am I going to do today? Having a plan helps eliminate distractions and more efficiently evaluate opportunities along the way; by evaluating ideas, tasks, and opportunities in terms of your overall goals, you can better manage your time and maintain focus on those things that are most important to your business’s growth.

5. Stay Positive

Finally, stay positive. Maintaining a positive attitude will help you overcome setbacks, without becoming discouraged. Envision yourself successful, and refuse to acknowledge failure as an option. Staying positive requires maintaining faith in yourself and your ability to reach your goals. If you can do that, then there’s no stopping you.

So many factors come together to create a thriving business, that’s it’s virtually impossible to narrow it down to a single winning recipe for everyone. However, if you maintain these five habits, your chances increase

Computer Rental: The Ideal Short-Term Solution for Classroom Training

Schools that offer classroom instruction need access to the latest technology and one of the ways to help ensure that all students have updated computers is to make use of computer rentals. With this option, students will have access to the best technology, at less cost to the school. Both students and the staff benefit from having such options available.

Custom Configurations Matter

Many schools and training institutes have custom software needs that might be difficult to meet under their existing budgets. Rental options put access to updated desktop computer systems within easier reach, so that everyone can get the features they need. Students pursuing certain vocational studies, such as drafting, web design or programming and app development, will need to access certain types of software suites to complete their studies. When the schools have the software they need on their computers, this eases the burden on the students who can take their training at one convenient location.

Access to Electronic Textbooks

Textbooks in ebook format make things far easier for educators to keep their books up to date. Purchasing textbooks has always been a major expense for schools of all types, especially considering that new editions of books and changes to state or local standards can require the purchase of new books. Some schools may have to offset the cost of buying new books and training materials by raising tuition costs. When schools have computers that can access these updated textbooks, the schools can teach their students more efficiently.

Better Options for Testing

Computerized testing helps make exams much easier for students, but it is essential for the computers used in testing to be as up-to-date as possible especially fo industry certifications. During peak times, it’s ideal for schools to have enough computers that are up-to-date to serve their students’ needs. Having enough computers in a supervised setting also makes it easier for faculty to ensure academic integrity.

Special Projects

Sometimes students will need to complete a special project of some type that requires additional computers. These might be large-scale group assignments or other projects that may require more machines than the computer lab has in use at any given time. When a project of this nature is in progress, students need to be able to use computers that offer every participant the same tools. Renting computers with fully customized software suites helps make the process easier for everyone involved in the project.

Important Things for Training Staff to Consider

One of the most important decisions will be whether the computers use a Mac or Windows environment, with both operating systems widely in use in the vocational or educational field. The desktop computers that are available for rental purposes span a variety of manufacturers and styles, giving students a major advantage regardless of their course of study. A major advantage that comes with popular rental options is delivery and setup, both of which save everyone a lot of extra time.

Image Credit: Aspire-edu
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aspire-edu/5670115739/sizes/l

5 Career-Ruining Mistakes Made by Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship is an enticing gig: You get autonomy, power, prestige, excitement, and, if you are lucky, excessive wealth. However, being an entrepreneur isn’t just planting the seeds of business and watching them sprout into a money tree. The world is filled with wannabe entrepreneurs just like you, which means you must do everything right to find success.

Unfortunately, you probably won’t do everything right. Still, you will probably survive a few blunders – unless they are any of the following devastating mistakes that will end your entrepreneurial career before it truly begins.

1. Wasting Time

Any entrepreneur will tell you that you need real-world experience before you can successfully run a business. However, that shouldn’t give you a reason to procrastinate on your dreams. While you might take a couple years between undergrad and graduate school to gain familiarity with your industry of choice, you should be careful to avoid putting off your entrepreneurial plans for too long.

The business world moves fast, and sooner or later someone else with the same idea and more speed will beat you to success. Before time runs out, you should acquire an online MBA, no GMAT required, so you can gain the skills you need for your business as soon as possible.

2. Assuming All Responsibilities

You desperately want everything in your business to be perfect, and that means you must know how to delegate. Too many entrepreneurs are unwilling to relinquish any control; some will refuse to hire new employees to take over, while others will try to meddle in projects they’ve already given to their teams. The conclusion is always the same: Work doesn’t get done – or it gets done sloppily – and the business crashes.

Even if you want to, you simply can’t handle all the responsibilities of a new business on your own. You aren’t experienced enough in many complex processes, like financial management or marketing, to maintain complete control in perpetuity. You must give your less important tasks to employees who are more proficient at them. Then, you can devote your attentions to more influential undertakings, like growth and change.

3. Forgetting About Passion

Human resources, corporate wellness, economic consulting – according to Forbes, these industries are ripe for startups, but if they don’t ignite in you an entrepreneurial passion, you should probably stay away. If the product or concept behind your business is less than exhilarating, you will never be able to commit enough of yourself to it to find success. Entrepreneurship is unbelievably hard, but it is fulfilling and worthwhile when you care about the outcome. Therefore, instead of chasing the money, you should chase the high of doing something interesting.

4. Being Inflexible

Like any good entrepreneur, you developed a business plan before embarking on your entrepreneurial dreams. While a business plan is an indispensable tool for beginning your business journey – necessary for challenges like acquiring funding and hiring talent ― that plan should never be written in stone. You will incur obstacles that you didn’t expect, such as technological innovation, changes to consumer taste, and unforeseen competition in the market. The road to success is never bump-free.

You must be willing and able to adapt your plan and vision. In fact, you should try to anticipate market changes that will impact your business. Continuing to test your products, pursue new options, and chase new audiences will help you stay ahead of the curve.

5. Expecting Success

It is okay to imagine being a titan of industry, but if your fantasies ever solidify into expectations, you are in trouble. A generous proportion of startups fail; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about half make it five years, and a third survive to 10. It is good to be confident in your skills, knowledge, and plans, but you should consistently remind yourself that you are one bad decision away from being on the losing side of those stats.

Being realistic will help you budget effectively, expand carefully, and respond appropriately to opportunities and obstacles alike. Realism will keep you upbeat when you are in the red for your first two years, and it will keep you grounded when cash starts rolling in.

All entrepreneurs fail. However, some of those entrepreneurs learn from their failures and go on to become famous successes. The mistakes listed above are sure to discourage any budding entrepreneur beyond hope. Thus, as you begin you career in entrepreneurship, you must learn from others’ failures first.

Building a Successful Online Business

There are many details that go into the success of an online business. You need more than just a great product and flashy logo. By using multiple resources at your disposal, online businesses can grow almost exponentially overnight. Consider these aspects to your business as the Internet offers opportunities across the world.

Simplify Your Website

Building a successful online business starts with simplifying your website. Regardless of the industry, the site shouldn’t be confusing or frustrating to work with as you click around each page. Simplify the appearance by only using two to three colors, a mixture of text and images and intuitive page organization. When visitors hop onto the site, they want to complete their transaction as quickly as possible. Make their journey a rapid yet productive trip to the checkout page. They’ll be interested to see your other products when they can quickly pick and choose their necessary items.

Utilize a Third-Party Call Center

Call center services are perfect entities to partner with because they’re merely used as a background filter. Look like a huge company when you only have a handful of people at your office. These service centers field calls, online inquiries and perform transactions as your website thrives in the marketplace. You won’t miss any questions or comments on the site because the live operators perform this service for the company. Sign up for various services, such as transaction inquiries, so that you can concentrate on building other aspects of the business.

Strategize With Social-Media Accounts

Social media is the perfect place for building an online business. Post useful information about your industry, and link back to the website. Add links to your website pages so that customers can explore the posts too. Social media gives you a chance to connect with more people on a daily basis. Sharing, adding followers and other account perks can spread your business’s name across the industry. If a customer responds to your social-media posts, answer as quickly as possible. Your response time and tone directly impact the business as it grows through these personalized connections.

Ship With the Customers’ Needs in Mind

Keep shipping as simple as possible by using flat rates on your products. Guessing on shipment prices will only frustrate customers. Consider free shipping if the customers purchase a certain amount of products in bulk. You’ll make a profit while pleasing the customer with a free-shipping perk. Pay attention to the shipping quality of the packing materials too. You want the items to show up at the customers’ doors without any damages. Strong boxes and eco-friendly packing materials are smart ways to please customers as they enjoy their chosen products.

Always use a professional manner when you’re working with vendors and customers. By being courteous and strong, you gain respect within a given industry. Losing your temper or lashing out will only cost you business ties in the future. A solid, online business still relies on personal courtesies and favors that last for many years.