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4 Free or Inexpensive Resources to Help You Start Your Online Business

The post 4 Free or Inexpensive Resources to Help You Start Your Online Business appeared first on HostGator Blog . There’s a lot to learn before (and after) you start your own business, and if you don’t have a business degree or previous experience running an online business, your exciting plans can feel a bit overwhelming. So can sorting through all the advice and information out there for new and would-be business owners. To help you get off to a strong start on a small budget, here are some reliable free and low-cost resources to help you plan, launch, and grow your new business. 1. Mentoring from Experienced Professionals Want answers to specific business questions or insights from someone who’s been there and done that? SCORE is a nonprofit supported by the US Small Business Administration that provides free, confidential mentoring for entrepreneurs in person, online, and by phone. With more than 10,000 volunteers providing advice nationwide, the odds are good that you can connect with someone in your niche. You can enter your location on SCORE’s Find a Mentor page to see all the SCORE volunteer mentors near you, search for mentors by industry or keyword, and find the closest SCORE office. The SCORE website also has a resource library full of blog posts, webinars, podcasts, videos, and templates on thousands of topics. Some of the webinars charge a small fee but most of the resources are free.    2. Courses to Build Your Business Skills Khan Academy has a group of videos in its Careers section that feature different small business owners and freelancers talking about what they do, how much they earn, how they work, and how they got started. The range of careers covered is relatively small, but even if your niche isn’t included, there’s good advice on running a business in several of the presentations, and you can get an idea of all the tasks that go into being your own boss. If you’re ready to tackle business topics at the college level, check out OpenCourseWare from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The site provides free access to the materials for most of MIT’s undergraduate and graduate-level courses. You can search by academic department for classes on accounting, marketing, and other business topics. Or you can explore OpenCourseWare’s Entrepreneurship portal , which includes dozens of classes covering planning, pricing, finance and accounting, marketing, patents, sales, operations, and much more. The only catch? It’s up to you to download and work through the course materials on your own. Coursera also offers college-level instruction, and it provides graded assignments and feedback in courses from universities around the world. Unlike traditional distance-learning classes, Coursera courses don’t come with a traditional tuition price tag. Some courses can be audited for free, and if you want to earn a certificate or access all the course features, a subscription plan runs about $50 per month. One Coursera option for budding business owners is Michigan State University’s 6-course specialization program called How to Start Your Own Business , which is designed to walk students through the process of starting their own businesses as they launch it. The classes you may need will depend on the type of business you want to run. Planning an e-commerce business? OpenCourseWare’s undergrad-level Economics and E-Commerce course materials cover pricing, sales taxes, different types of e-commerce, advertising, and search. One recommendation from me: If you’re planning a service business like freelance design or writing, event planning, or repairs, it’s a good idea to learn as much as you can about negotiation before you begin, both to earn what you’re worth and to build good relationships with good clients. Becoming a good negotiator can help you in many areas of your business, from setting rates and writing bids to working with vendors and hammering out the fine print in contracts. Coursera offers more than 50 negotiation courses, and MIT OpenCourseWare offers materials for several negotiation classes from the Sloan School of Management’s curriculum. Whatever you decide to study now, remember that successful business owners are always learning. Free and low-cost courses are a low-stress way to keep up with trends and innovations in your niche. 3. Guidance for Building a User-Friendly eCommerce Website In late 2018, Google published its UX Playbook for Retail : Collection of best practices to delight your users. Google reviewed hundreds of retail sites to come up with its recommendations, and the result is probably the best free resource you’re going to find for learning what to include on your site and why to include it. The free-to-download playbook uses Sephora, Warby Parker, Boots, ThredUp and other best-in-class e-commerce sites to show you exactly what works for six key areas: the homepage or landing page, menus and navigation, search, products and categories, conversion, and forms. For each area, there are details on what to include and what to avoid, to help you create a site that looks professional and is frustration-free for shoppers. There are also charts showing the ease of implementation, impact, and key metrics to track for each suggestion in the playbook. Don’t let the playbook’s 108-page length discourage you from diving in. The guide’s design—lots of screenshots, checklists, and charts—makes it a fast, informative read you can consult as you plan each section of your site. 4. Easy Tools to Create Your Website DIY website design used to be reserved for hardy amateurs who enjoy coding and don’t mind spending time tinkering and consulting support forums. For the rest of us, website builders have opened up high-quality site design to anyone who can drag and drop. Site builders like Gator Website Builder make setting up a small business website or even an online store fast and easy by packaging everything you need to get started and making the design process a snap. For example, every Gator plan includes site hosting, domain name registration, an SSL certificate to protect your data and your customers, analytics to help you measure and improve your site’s performance, and support. You also get unlimited pages, storage, and bandwidth so there’s no limit to how much your site can grow as you add products, services, and testimonials from your best customers. You can also upgrade to Gator Premium for priority support or to Gator eCommerce for priority support plus online store functionality. Ready to get started? Choose your Gator Website Builder plan now . Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading

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DigitalOcean to Add 60 New Jobs in Cambridge Next Year

Brought to you by Talkin’ Cloud New York-based cloud provider DigitalOcean will bring 60 jobs to the Cambridge, Mass. area next year with plans to open a second office in the U.S. in Q1 2017. According to DigitalOcean, its new 7,100 square foot office will be located at 485 Massachusetts… Continue reading

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Starting an Online Business? Here’s What’s Popular In Your State, According To Google

The post Starting an Online Business? Here’s What’s Popular In Your State, According To Google appeared first on HostGator Blog . So, you’ve decided you want to go into business for yourself. Good for you! Started is half-done, as they say. But perhaps you’re struggling with what to sell. Whether you’re planning to run a brick-and-mortar store, operate an e-commerce site, or monetize your blog, HostGator’s latest investigation may help you decide on a path to business […] Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading

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2015 Holiday Dash

The post 2015 Holiday Dash appeared first on HostGator Blog . HostGator Holiday Dash Giveaway Official Rules NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Eligibility The HostGator Holiday Dash Giveaway (the “Giveaway”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (including District of Columbia) who are eighteen (18) years or older at the time of entry. Void where prohibited by law. Employees of The Endurance International Group, Inc. or any of its respective affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, or any other company or individual involved with the design, production, execution or distribution of the Giveaway and their immediate family (spouse, parents and step-parents, siblings and step-siblings, and children and step-children) and household members (people who share the same residence at least three (3) months out of the year) of each such employee are not eligible. The Giveaway is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Giveaway. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. Sponsor The Endurance International Group, Inc., 10 Corporate Dr., Suite 300, Burlington, MA 01803. Timing The Giveaway begins on September 21, 2015 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on October 16, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Giveaway Period”). Sponsor’s computer is the official time keeping device for this Giveaway. How to Enter During the Giveaway Period, you will automatically receive one entry into the Giveaway for doing one of the following: Tweeting your favorite tip from HostGator’s Holiday Dash email series using the hashtag #dashwithsnappy; or Alternatively, you may enter by hand printing your name, age, complete address (including zip code), daytime phone number and e-mail address on a 3″x 5″ card and mail it, postage prepaid, to: The Endurance International Group, Attn: HostGator Holiday Dash Giveaway, 10 Corporate Dr., Suite 300, Burlington, MA 01803. Mail-in entries must be postmarked by October 16, 2015 and received by October 21, 2015. Mail-in entries will NOT be accepted via messenger/courier delivery service or any means other than United States Postal Service mail. Sponsor is not responsible for lost or misdirected mail in entries. Limit one (1) entry per person during the Giveaway Period regardless of method of entry. Any attempt by any participant to use multiple Twitter accounts to enter will be ineligible. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible or misdirected entries, which will be disqualified. In the event of a dispute as to any entry, the authorized account holder of the twitter account used to submit the entry will be deemed to be the entrant. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person listed as the owner of the twitter account. Potential winners may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder. All entries become the sole and exclusive property of Sponsor and will not be returned Winner Selection On or about October 22, 2015 the Sponsor will select one (1) entry as the Prize winner in a random drawing of all valid entries received during the Giveaway Period. The entrant will be contacted using the Twitter handle or email address provided with the entry and may be awarded the Prize (subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the terms of these rules.) Sponsor’s decisions as to the administration and operation of the Giveaway and the selection of a potential winner is final and binding in all matters related to the Giveaway. The winner will be notified one day after the drawing. POTENTIAL GIVEAWAY WINNERS ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY SPONSOR WHOSE DECISIONS ARE FINAL AND BINDING IN ALL MATTERS RELATED TO THE GIVEAWAY. Verification of Potential Winner The potential winner must continue to comply with these Official Rules and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. The potential winner will be required to sign and return to Sponsor within five (5) days of the date notice is sent, an affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release (except where prohibited) in order to claim his/her prize. If a potential winner of the prize cannot be contacted, fails to sign and return the affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release within the required time period (if applicable), or if the Prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, the potential winner forfeits the Prize. In the event that a potential winner of a Prize is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor may award the applicable Prize to an alternate winner by random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries. Prize Winners One (1) prize winner will receive a goMobi bundle, which includes a professionally set up mobile site and one (1) year of goMobi service (the “Prize”) for a total value of Two Hundred and Fifty-Nine Dollars ($259). The Prize is non-transferable and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute the listed Prize for one of equal or greater value for any reason. The winner is responsible for all taxes and fees associated with Prize receipt and/or use. Odds of winning a Prize depends on the number of eligible entries received during the Giveaway Period. Entry Conditions and Release By entering the Giveaway, each entrant agrees to: (a) comply with and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor which are binding and final in all matters relating to this Giveaway; (b) release and hold harmless the Sponsor and its parents, subsidiaries, and affiliated companies, the Prize suppliers and any other organizations responsible for sponsoring, fulfilling, administering, advertising or promoting the Giveaway and all of their respective past, present and future officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to negligence and damages of any kind to persons and property, including but not limited to invasion of privacy (under appropriation, intrusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light in the public eye or other legal theory), defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, infringement of trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights, property damage, or death or personal injury arising out of or relating to a participant’s entry, creation of an entry or submission of an entry, participation in the Giveaway, acceptance or use or misuse of a Prize (including any travel or activity related thereto) and/or the broadcast, exploitation or use of an entry; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Sponsor from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to an entrant’s participation in the Giveaway and/or entrant’s acceptance, use or misuse of a Prize. Publicity Except where prohibited, participation in the Giveaway constitutes winner’s consent to Sponsor’s and its agents’ use of winner’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions and/or hometown and state for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration. General Conditions Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Giveaway, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Giveaway, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Giveaway or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Giveaway may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. Limitations of Liability The Released Parties are not responsible for: (a) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Giveaway; (b) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (c) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Giveaway; (d) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Giveaway or the processing of entries; or (e) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Giveaway or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. If for any reason an entrant’s entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant’s sole remedy is another entry in the Giveaway. No more than the stated number of Prizes will be awarded. In event that production, technical, seeding, programming or any other reasons cause more than the stated number of Prizes as set forth in these Official Rules to be available and/or claimed, Sponsor reserves the right to award only the stated number of Prizes by a random drawing among all legitimate, unawarded, eligible Prize claims. Disputes Entrant agrees that: (a) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Giveaway, or any Prizes awarded, other than those concerning the administration of the Giveaway or the determination of winners, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (b) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Giveaway, or any Prizes awarded, shall be resolved exclusively by the appropriate court located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; (c) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual and reasonable out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Giveaway, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (d) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Giveaway, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Entrant’s Personal Information Information collected from entrants is subject to the Sponsor’s Privacy Policy. Giveaway Results For Giveaway results send a hand-printed, self-addressed, stamped envelope to Winners List – HostGator Holiday Dash Giveaway c/o The Endurance International Group, Inc., 10 Corporate Dr., Suite 300, Burlington, MA 01803. Requests for the winner list must be received by December 15, 2015. Twitter is a trademark of Twitter, Inc. Twitter is in no way affiliated with or a sponsor of the Giveaway.   web hosting Continue reading

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Boston University Receives $3 Million from Massachusetts for Open Public Cloud Marketplace

Boston University has received $3 million dollars in funding from the state of Massachusetts to develop the Massachusetts Open Cloud (MOC), a new model for public clouds. The state is matching a grant from Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.  The MOC model is based on the concept of the Open Cloud Exchange… Read More Continue reading

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