Business Development Veteran, Qualified Cross Border Financial Planner & Wealth Manager. Personal Mentor and Coach.
I have over a decade of financial planning under my belt and, as a Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments professional, can give you completely impartial advice on mastering your own money, getting out of debt and saving for life goals. I can also act as an advisor when you are considering investment options - helping to clarify the jardon and sales techniques Financial Planners, Relationship Managers and Private Bankers often use to reach their targets at your expense.
One on One coaching and mentoring - no holds barred self improvement and relationships advice in particular to help you become the best version of yourself.
Broad advice on consultative sales, developing your business or start up and keeping a track of your sales processes...and most of all, monetising and maximising your network.
The absolute best thing you can do is get feedback from the people who are constantly bailing at the last minute. Without knowing why they are bailing you'll be basing any solutions to this problem on guesses - which is not likely to solve the problem.
There are so many reasons why this is happening, from poor prospecting to not listening/engaging in consultative selling.
Price is usually one of the last reasons people won't buy - especially if they already know the costs ahead of spending time speaking with you.
Find a way to get feedback. Ask directly, provide a feedback form, get mutual contacts to speak to them...just make sure you get their feedback.
Once you have a better idea of why you'll be able to adjust accordingly.
If you have no experience few people are going to even consider paying you money to assist their business - that is a simple reality you will need to overcome.
Look for internships with marketing firms that have ecommerce departments. Read every book you can find on the subject too. If you know any consultants in the field ask them if they they need help with anything or would be willing to mentor you.
If you have any relevant skills (you mentioned copywriting) you could offer lower than market prices to smaller firms to start building a reputation while learning the business from the inside.
Starting out is always hard but you sound enthusiastic which is good. Learn all you can and accept you'll make mistakes and not get a lot of recognition to begin with and you'll be on the right path.
Absolutely!
Assuming you have a solid professional and personal network you can ask people if they would be happy to pay a fee for successful introductions. Some companies already have re-seller or affiliate programmes in place which you might be able to get involved with.
For example if you refer someone to a Mortgage Broker to save them money on their mortgage the broker may share a small portion of their fee with you if that deal goes through. You've added value to the person you referred, who saves money on their mortgage, and given the broker a new client so it's a win-win situation.
This can work over many industries - all you need to do is understand more about their business and what kind of clients your network is looking for - and then provide professional, qualified introductions.
I have no issues paying people who bring me solid business - I wouldn't have had it without them and paying them encourages them to bring me more!
If you are looking for funding you will need to first know how your website intends to generate revenue (I am assuming this will not be a charity). It's a lot easier to find investors for your start-up when you can tell them how you'll be making money and of course, what share they can expect as a return for their investment. It doesn't have to be too detailed in the early phases, you just need something to pitch that is credible. Depending on the sums involved I may be able to put you in touch with someone who specialises in reviewing business ideas and finding investors for them.
Any smart business owner who can find a reputable and reliable outsourcing service that saves them both time and money would hire such services.
Naturally there has to be caveats to this. Homework needs to be done on the company. Positive relationships need to be built and they have to be able to perfectly understand not just your needs but your company culture and aims.
If you're able to free up time to provide better customer service/find new clients and save money in the process the question would be why wouldn't you do it?
The wonderful thing about the modern age is we have access to so much information online, and often for free. Obviously if you want to start a business in a highly technical field you may need to partner with a qualified and/or experienced professional. But regardless you can start by looking at YouTube channels in that field, and by picking up books on the subject. Most professionals continue to read more about their field years after leaving formal education or apprenticeships.
The best advice about networking is to show up. And not just once. Keep going.
Sounds really obvious but if you are a comfortable "old shoe" around groups you need to mingle with for business you'll have little trouble talking business at appropriate moments.
This is why more business is done at golf clubs and other hobby locations than in many boardrooms. If you're always around in a good way, and share a common goal or interest in that situation you will become more credible, more trustworthy and thus more likely to do business with.
The real trick though is you have to be genuine. Faking a like of golf and taking three lessons will not work in the case of golf or any other hobby or interest, whatever it may be.
Good networking is about farming not hunting. Try to find people who are also above your own level - more successful, more stable and more helpful. That will have the effect of raising you over time without you even realising it.
There are many secure solutions for currency exchange available - both with banks and reputable currency exchange companies. I can recommend a London based currency exchange company that is listed on stock exchanges and gives better rates than banks, one that specialises in business exchange - feel free to get in touch if you would like me to put you in contact with them.
I wrote a brief piece on LinkedIn about this a few years ago during my wealth management day which you might find useful: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/six-steps-wise-real-estate-investment-norman-lowe/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_post_details%3BWweVAzncSLGmdunt0Xuy7g%3D%3D
If you're looking to do this yourself Studio Press has some good options - you'll probably find what you are looking for there...at least to start with.
Depending on your budget and timeframe you might want to consider getting a company to help with some or all of the aspects of the site though.
LinkedIn is probably the best place to look - you can also subscribe to their Premium service and see who is actively looking for a job as well.
Outside of this the best place is your own network. Connecting and building relationships with a broad range of people and actively helping them solve their own issues will make them receptive to helping you solve yours.
Lastly you can check in with Recruitement Agents who specialise in the fields you are looking for. Most have a bank of candidates who are actively looking for roles.