CFI.co Blogger, Author at CFI.co Blog

Every good company seeks to expand their business by either improving their product line or, better yet, introducing a completely new product line to stay in this competitive world.

Steps To Launching A Business or Product.

It is quite easy to get carried away with your vision of all the sales, notoriety, and success your product or service will bring. But a product launch is not a piece of cake. Just like other initiatives, particularly regarding business, you must invest a lot of time and meticulous planning. Remember, rushing to the market without having proper guidelines would only lead you to catastrophe. Hence, consider the following steps to ensure that your product launch is done right.

Conduct a Market research:

First-ever step to product development is to conduct market research. Examine your client’s most common queries and complaints to see where your current services fall short. Next, examine the evaluations for past products to determine what people liked and didn’t like about them. Remember that your best sources of information are your current consumers.

The data you collect with research is quite beneficial whether you’re targeting new or your existing customers. For instance, you may use this data to create buyer personas, which would assist your marketing, sales, and customer care teams steer a product’s launching in the appropriate direction.

2. Verify your Product:

Once you have done your market research, see if you can verify the concept of your product. See if your product solves the problem that it is established for; also, why would anyone choose your product over a competitor’s. Make sure you have an answer to every relevant question raised to verify your product.

Remember, your existing consumers are likely to be comparable to prospective customers, studying what they need in a product to solve their problems. Doing so will offer you an overall idea about the market. Hence, it necessitates inquiring deeply regarding your business, your company’s objectives and, of course, your audience.

There is really little originality in the ecommerce business. Therefore, your product will probably not be the only one that addresses the same customer needs. However, a good product will not only benefit your consumers, but it will also stand out in the crowd.

Your goal must be to address a specific problem better than everyone else for a specific target. Look up to your competitors. It’s critical to inquire what and how they are doing things differently and effectively, yet addressing the same problem as you are to your customers. Adapting a competitor’s idea of marketing is standard practice. However, you can alter it according to your preference, improve it, and make something new and unique out of it, which demonstrates why yours is superior to everyone else’s.

3. Come up with a Go-To-Market Strategy:

Next, you would need a Go to Market strategy, to begin with manufacturing your product. It is said to be the selling plan of your product at launch. To execute the plan successfully, look into the following:

Ensure that both the strategy and the product are supported by everyone from high management to the business interns. Because launching a new product requires a lot of time and work from multiple teams.
Ensure everyone understands their responsibilities and your expected product’s ROI. Also, determine the success measures and values.
Managers should develop key performance indicators (KPIs) for their own teams.
Consider the resources you have available before launching a new product.
Create a detailed budget that includes everything from personnel requirements to paid marketing expenses, and outsource or hire tasks as required.
Create a personality and some phrases and buzzwords to convey your message effectively.
Begin with crafting ads, social media messaging, and sample blog entries to see what sounds good and what does not.

4. Establish a Pre-Launch Stage:

Planning your go-to-market strategy is how you create buzz. However, to scale a new product, you will need new clients as well. Hence, start posting the content you prepared amid the planning stage of the product launch. Producing videos, landing pages, blogs, and social media ads takes effort, but releasing and promoting them takes less. Hence, doing it beforehand would save a lot of your time while hitting the market hard, even before the product launch.

To establish a pre-launch stage, consider the following:

Invest money in well known publisher affiliate connections.
Explore and experiment with new channels; you might find a channel that performs better than you anticipated.
Make a daily/weekly/monthly posting schedule and present it to your marketing team. Utilize infographic Free PowerPoint Templates to ensure you produce an effective presentation to keep everyone on board.
Throughout your pre-launch campaigns, you can reward buyers with discounted pre-orders, free trials, prizes, and other advantages.
Invite the social media influencers to try your product and provide feedback.

For ecommerce firms, social proof is crucial, and obtaining it prior to launch can be extremely beneficial. Therefore, ensure you attempt to get as much attention as possible.

5. Create the Following Product:

It’s critical in ecommerce to build incremental value over time. New goods are an excellent approach to combat customer churn by re-capturing the lost consumers and engaging with the existing ones.

Once you have launched your product, continue to collect feedback, especially during the first few months after the market launch. Learn about what works and what doesn’t. Seek if the product addresses the issues it was created to address? Did it bring up any new possibilities?

Getting feedback from the customers will help you pivot or alter components of the current launch, as well as inform the creation of the following product.

Conclusion:

The above discussion, if considered, may lead you to have a successful product launch. Keep in mind that people would engage and want more with new items that continue to discover inventive answers to their challenges. Therefore, if the product launch goes well, your loyal consumers may become passionate followers, and new customers may become repeat customers.

Lifestyle

Stiff Neck – Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

ByCFI.co Blogger

A stiff neck or neck pain is a common health issue, affecting about 1 in every 3 people once a year. While the symptoms of a stiff neck are not life-threatening, they can be extremely painful and adversely affect the quality of life. Hence, it’s important that you learn how to fix stiff neck and manage its painful symptoms.

stiff neck

If left untreated, a stiff neck can possibly lead to secondary conditions such as migraines, shoulder pain, and severe headaches.

Symptoms of Stiff Neck

The symptoms associated with a stiff neck can be easily self-diagnosed at home. While the symptoms can vary in intensity from person to person, they’re commonly identified as:

Sharp pain in the neck area
Tight muscles
Muscle spasms
Pain that aggravates when you hold your head in one position
Reduced neck motion/ inability to move your head around

Causes of Stiff Neck

Medically, a stiff neck occurs when the neck muscles are overstretched, overused, or strained. One of the most common causes of a stiff neck is a soft tissue sprain or a muscle strain.

Besides, day-to-day activities are also a major cause. As the sedentary lifestyle becomes more common throughout the world, health problems like a stiff neck become increasingly prevalent in today’s generation. Whether it’s simply for the lack of physical activities or hours of gazing into your smartphones or computers, a stiff neck or neck pain is often among the first issues to arise.

Here are some more everyday activities that may cause a stiff neck:

Excessive anxiety or stress may lead to tension in the neck
Poor sleeping posture
Holding the neck in an abnormal position for long hours
Poor standing/sitting posture
Turning the head side-to-side repeatedly
Injury

In rare cases, stiffness in the neck may be the result of an underlying condition such as an infection, meningitis, tumor, or cervical dystonia (neurological disorder).

Treatment for Stiff Neck

Luckily, people experiencing stiffness in the neck can easily manage its symptoms and treat it at home. Here’s how:

Apply ice or heat to the affected area

Pain associated with a stiff neck can be easily reduced with this temporary solution. Apply ice for the first 38-72 hours to the painful area. Then, apply heat in the form of a heating pad, warm bath, etc.

Stretching

Stiff neck treatment with stretching is one of the most common ways of fixing a stiff neck. Simple stretching activities like squeezing your shoulder blades together about ten times or flexing your neck muscles can go a long way in relieving a stiff neck. Certain yoga poses like warrior II, cat-cow pose, or cow face pose might also be helpful.

Over-the-counter pain killers

Many people find temporary relief from pain caused by a stiff neck by taking over-the-counter medicines. However, it is advisable to consult with a doctor first. Some of the commonly prescribed OTC pain killers are acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen.

Stiff Neck – When to See A Doctor?

Symptoms of a stiff neck usually go away on their own within a week or so. With proper treatment, it may heal faster. However, if your stiff neck shows no improvement after a week, it’s best if you get it checked by a doctor.

Technology

Best Cryptocurrency to Invest In 2022

ByCFI.co Blogger

Although cryptocurrency has become trendy in the past few years and the highest interest has been noticed among younger investors. There are different reasons why this currency has that much interest. After Bitcoin, which become the most popular cryptocurrency, there are Shiba Inu and Dogecoin that buyers have loved the most. For those who have started with investing in the first crypto coins, it was the payable investment.

crypto

What affects the cryptocurrency market?

Unfortunately, the crypto market is not as stable as we expect from fiat currency, equities, or real estate assets. Since it is a young type of investment, there are surprising drops in value. Some experts describe it as a new Wild West of the financial world.

According to experts, there are more than 17,700 different cryptocurrencies, and each of them has value and buyers that invest in them. It is questionable how much currencies are regulated by governments in different countries. On the other hand, in a bunch of misleading information, it is hard to define what is right news and information and what is just propaganda.

How to choose the best cryptocurrency to invest in 2022?

There are a few steps that you can make to choose the most valuable and safe cryptocurrency to invest in. Keep in mind that the crypto market is fragile and extremely volatile. In less than four months it has fallen 42%, meaning that investing in it led to losing half your money.

However, do not be that pessimistic. There are ways to avoid these terrifying mistakes. Invest money that you will not need for the next five years. Do never borrow money for investing in cryptocurrency, because it represents a high risk.

In this market there are different rules than in any other place. You, as an investor, must have a trustworthy portfolio that will open doors that common buyers and newbies cannot pass through. A well-diversified portfolio is an asset that you can own as an investment, too.

The most important thing is to do your research, on the internet, or similar networks. Always check on different sites what experts say about the currency. There are predictions and expectations worth mentioning, too. Do not hesitate to look for help in investing.

Where to buy the best cryptocurrency to invest in 2022?

There are a lot of places where you can invest your money. Some of them have a long tradition in this field, existing from the beginning of the crypto money on the market. Other ones are worthy of mentioning, but still not that good for new currencies and investors without experience. It is not a shame to look for help finding the best crypto exchange on the internet, though.

Which are the best cryptocurrencies to invest in 2022?

Choosing the most affordable, safe, and payable currency is much harder than you may think. Even the most clever and experienced traders make mistakes when buying crypto money. Nobody can predict what will happen with the currency in months to come, even harder to predict years to come. So, always be prepared to withdraw your money and invest small amounts of money at the beginning. We listed the most popular and favorable cryptocurrencies worth investing in 2022.

Bitcoin

It is hard to find a person in the world who does not know what Bitcoin is. As the matter of fact, most of us have entered the world of crypto coins thanks to this currency. Created in 2009. by a mysterious investor hidden under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, this currency has grown to the most popular and the highest money transaction in the network. The way of mining is still questionable, but its value is constantly growing.

Ethereum

It is not only a cryptocurrency but also a blockchain platform, which facilitates trading and holding of the currency in virtual wallets. As the opposite of most technologies and platforms, Ethereum blockchain is also programmable because it is more than a system of record. You can use it as a potential application like so-called smart contracts used when conditions are met and non-fungible tokens like NFT. It means that you can use it to run self-executing computer programs called smart contracts, which are the heart of decentralized applications (dApps) and decentralized finance (DeFi) services. The growth from the starting price in 2016 until now is more than 27,000%. Good enough to consider it as a stable currency to invest in.

Tether

There is a very important difference between Tether and other currencies. It is a special form of stablecoin, which stands for a currency that is backed by fiat currencies like US dollars or euros. It should be enough for keeping the stability and value of the currency and supporting the currency at the place of the most consistent currencies on the market. This should help buyers who are afraid of the extreme volatility of other coins. Buyers confirmed that it is good enough for investing in years to come so the market cap of the currency is $79 billion.

Binance Coin

This should be a currency that you can use to trade on a special platform called Binance, one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world. Maybe it is a reason why the currency is that popular among buyers and investors, and valuable and stable even after five years of existence. Not only that you can use it for purchasing crypto coins, but there are also other usages of the currency. You can use it for payment processing, trading and even booking travel arrangements. Thanks to the fact that you can trade it for other forms of currencies, like Bitcoin and Ethereum, Binance Coin represents an interesting currency for investing. The growth of the currency from releasing is 410,000%.

Which are the best cryptocurrency to invest in 2022?

In the end, it is still not concluded which currency is the best cryptocurrency to invest in 2022. Depending on your interest, the amount that you want to invest, and the information you have, you should make your own decision. Crypto exchanges are similar to brokerage platforms, so they will provide the tools you need when buying and selling currencies. Before buying always check for support assets, security, fees, and payment methods.

Investment Management

Matthew Teifke On How Austin, Texas Became The Hottest Real Estate Market In The Country

ByCFI.co Blogger

Austin, Texas is in the middle of a real estate boom. Having been voted the highest growth market by Yahoo Finance in 2021, the city continues to draw tech professionals, artists, and everyone else that is looking for a better quality of life. Matthew Teifke from Teikfe Real Estate has been a market leader in the different Texan cities of Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi.

Matthew Teifke - Austin Texas

Born and brought up in Texas, Matthew Teifke realized his passion for dealing in everything real estate from a very young age. The Round Rock native started early, gaining his real estate license at the tender age of 18. He was active in dealing with his family properties and was clear that this was all that he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

The principal reason for starting Teifke Real Estate was to bring financial freedom for everyone from buyers, and sellers to even agents and consultants. The company was formed in 2015-2016 by Matthew with the aim of catering to the Texan cities of Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Corpus Christi.

With the belief that Texas was going to be the hottest real estate destination in the country in the coming years, Matthew brought in his friend, Alex Coffman. Alex was equally passionate about real estate and jumped on board to join Teifke Real Estate as Co-Founder. Together, they ventured into offering diverse real estate services for the Texan housing market.

The Growth of Austin, Texas as one of America’s Premier Real Estate Market

According to Matthew Teikfe, this was a long time coming. He states, “Texas has always been a great place to live, raise a family, explore employment opportunities and maintain an affordable standard of living.” He attributes that the interest of real estate investors in cities like Austin, San Antonio, and Houston is not something new.

“The potential was always there. People kept migrating to cities like Austin from different parts of the country. Look at the migration numbers that Austin sees every single day. People know that this can be a place that can help them live well on an income that would be difficult for them in places like San Francisco or New York City.”

Matthew is right. According to a report published by U-Haul, 145 individuals are moving to Texas every single day. The numbers match up and show that Texas has been attracting individuals from the West, Midwest, and other parts of the country. Fewer taxes (Texas does not have state personal income tax), sunshine, and larger living spaces are major factors.

There is no denying the fact that big tech companies are lining up to shift operations and offices to Texas. Look at Tesla’s Elon Musk who recently announced that they are investing more than $1.1 Billion in building a new headquarters in Austin. Oracle, Facebook, PayPal, AMD, and Texan native, Dell already are generating thousands of new jobs in the state.

As Matthew opines, “You have these young tech professionals that are moving in with their young families, children and pets and exploring great school districts in Austin. They work as software developers or game designers. They earn well, have always dreamt of having a house and want a far more relaxed living condition as compared to NYC or Silicon Valley.”

Teifke Real Estate: The Beginning of the Promise of Financial Freedom

There are tons of real estate companies in Texas. Matthew knows that. He still feels that what they are trying to do at Teikfe Real Estate is vastly different from what some of his peers are up to. More than just securing a commission here and there, Teifke Real Estate is geared toward achieving financial freedom for everyone that is involved in this ecosystem.

As Matthew puts it best, “Our goal is to help different real estate agents attain financial freedom. We want our sellers to get the best and most realistic prices for their properties. Likewise, we are also committed to helping all our buyers and investors get the best deals and prices on the market.” He truly believes that there can be a situation where everyone can be a winner!

This shows how Teifke Real Estate has been able to shape its various offerings. Let us shed some light on what they offer, as has been on the Teifke Real Estate website:

Coaching present and prospective real estate agents
Buying assistance with regard to residential, commercial, and investment properties
Selling assistance for residential, commercial, and investment properties
Assisting with construction, renovations, and remodeling work
Sourcing deals and arranging finances for prospective buying or selling
All-cash house purchases to help sellers that are looking for immediate help

Both Matthew and Alef run an excellent podcast on the real estate markets. Together they help enlighten and educate audiences on the ins and outs of buying, selling, and investing in the Texas real estate markets.

Matthew Teifke’s personal take on Austin’s Real Estate Situation

Every possible marker, news journal, or real estate magazine points to the growth in the Austin real estate markets. Matthew believes that this is the best time to get in on the action. You do not want to end up in a FOMO situation later on.

While the growth is there, it is still possible to get your hands on your dream house in Austin, Texas. “Look at the median house prices in Austin. It is still somewhere around $470,000 if I am not wrong. You give this another year or so and you are looking at a figure of $700,000. Just wait for Tesla to open and you will see 10,000 highly paid tech professionals in an all-out bidding war.”

Matthew is right. Prices are rising, but when you compare the house prices in Austin with somewhere like San Francisco, NYC, or even Washington, you see that the affordability factor is still there. Not for long though. Waiting is going to do no good since inventory is always in short supply as compared to the demand, which will always keep increasing.

Matthew suggests that if you have been an individual or family that was waiting for a high-growth real estate market, one where you will be able to double your investments in three to four years, Austin is the place to be right now.

We couldn’t agree more.

Technology

Clever Campaigns: 4 Marketing Tactics Your SaaS Brand Hasn’t Tried

ByCFI.co Blogger

The SaaS industry is experiencing a boom, and forward-thinking companies can develop an exceptional profit margin with the right product.

SaaS

For your SaaS business to stand out from the crowd and generate a huge ROI, it must develop an engaging marketing strategy.

As the sector is rife with competition, you’ll need to focus on promoting your software, increasing confidence in your brand, and setting your business apart from its rivals.

If you’re ready to create a clever campaign, check out these four marketing tactics your SaaS brand might not have tried.

Rev-Up Your Revenue with Referral Marketing

It is foolish to overlook referral marketing, as it is the online equivalent to word-of-mouth advertising.

Your company must encourage as many customers as possible to recommend your product to their friends, family members, or professional network in-person or via digital platforms, such as LinkedIn or email.

The more recommendations your current customers make, the more leads you could generate each month and the bigger your business’s annual profit margin.

As a referral will come from a person they know, a prospective customer is more likely to trust your brand and place an order.

Encourage customers to refer your brand by introducing a customer referral program or providing access to a premium feature for a successful referral.

Dropbox is a great example, as the company promises to provide its users with extra storage after successfully inviting friends.

The innovative tactic helped the brand grow from 100,000 users to 4 million in 15 months.

Promote Your Insurance Policy

Modern consumers expect SaaS companies to provide fast, stable, and effective software.

The last thing they will want is for a product to let them down when they need it, which is why they will want to buy from a dependable company.

Promoting your business insurance coverage will give customers peace of mind that you can recover their lost income or pay for a lawsuit following a service outage.

The right insurance policy could help your business financially recover from a serious business error, defense fees, or a business interruption.

Simplify the Sign-Up Process

A long sign-up process for a SaaS product will cause prospective customers to feel frustrated and bored.

Make sure you don’t lose an order by simplifying the sign-up process on your website. For instance, reduce the initial steps to maintain a customer’s interest and help them place an order quickly.

Remember, some customers might not feel committed to buying your product, and a lengthy sign-up might give them more time to think twice about placing an order.

Minimize Software Options

More products equal more customers, right? Wrong. While you might believe a vast array of products will increase sales, too many options may confuse your customers or provide too much to consider.

Rather than missing out on many orders, minimize your software options to simplify your customers’ choices. This will ensure they find the exact product for their requirements and budget, and they won’t need to study different packages to avoid making a mistake.

Banking

Here’s What to Do to Keep Your Retail Bank’s Customers Happy

ByCFI.co Blogger

Many of today’s average retail banking customers are considered “digital natives,” or people who have grown up and gotten acclimatized to the ubiquitous presence of technology. It is now like second nature for many customers to use their bank’s core technologies to pay their household bills, settle their loan payments, or transfer for personal and business purposes—all in just minutes, using only a computer or a mobile phone.

retail banking

Banks have taken notice, and many have gone the extra mile and shifted into more digitally driven retail banking models. This likely holds true for your own bank and its retail banking program. However, the fight to hold on to your market share won’t be an easy one. There’s no guarantee that you’ll keep all your retail banking customers loyal to your brand, or that you’ll attract as many new customers as you hope to, just because you’ve undergone a digital transformation. Like-minded financial institutions have attempted to do the same, which makes it a pretty tight race to the top of the retail banking industry.

Knowing just how stiff the competition is, what can you do to satisfy your current retail banking customers—and better yet, how can you get them to recommend your bank to others? To answer that question, here are five useful tips to strengthen your retail banking efforts.

Open Up Different Touchpoints for Retail Banking

Some of your retail customers may still choose to go the traditional route and settle their banking transactions over the counter. However, a large chunk of them will want multiple touchpoints with your banking ecosystem, for example through their smartphones, tablets, laptops, and even wearables. One way that you can keep them satisfied is to invest in technology that makes instant, round-the-clock omnichannel banking easy for you to handle. Consider onboarding a digital banking platform that will allow you full dexterity when managing your retail customers’ banking journeys across multiple channels.

Make It a Breeze to Open New Retail Banking Accounts

How do you win over a new crop of retail banking customers who are deciding between your brand and another brand? The answer lies in making sure that their first experience with your bank—i.e., opening an account—is a simple and pleasant one. Revisit your current customer enrollment processes to streamline them and remove redundancies, without compromising on your know your customer (KYC) and customer due diligence (CDD) standards.

Deliver Innovative New Products That Fit Your Customers’ Life Stages

Next, look for ways to bolster your bank’s product development for its retail banking offerings. Sticking with the same lineup of generic-looking account offerings, and failing to communicate what kind of customer they’re actually for, will result in the stagnation of your retail banking program. Try innovating your roster of products to include distinct perks, for example rewards points for thrifty customers. You can also enter into a bancassurance agreement with an insurance carrier to give young, health-conscious, or especially pragmatic customers additional insurance benefits with their account. If your products can truly resonate with your retail customers’ needs and values at specific stages in their life, you’ll have an edge over your competitors.

Improve the User-Friendliness of Your Retail Banking Platforms’ Interfaces

Given how often retail banking customers turn to their banking apps and websites, it helps for a bank to invest in enhanced user experience (UX) for these channels. When you do this for your own retail banking channels, aim for simple, streamlined, and intuitive UX that makes it a pleasure to transact through your bank’s system. Your customers may consider leaving your bank if your interfaces are confusing, tiresome, and difficult to navigate. The opposite also applies: you’ll cultivate a loyal following among your retail customers if they can associate your brand with great UX.

Offer Multiple Options for Customer Care and Engagement

Gone are the days of relying only on telephone hotlines to address customer service concerns. You should expect your customers to want to reach out to you through multiple mediums, for example through email, chat, and even social media. You’ll be able to decongest the high volume of retail banking requests and increase the efficiency of your customer care by employing technologies like automation and artificial intelligence. Automate and use chatbots for relatively simple process flows while letting your customer care team resolve more complex problems. If you can already anticipate that your customers want speed, accuracy, and thoroughness in the resolution of their concerns, be proactive when it comes to strengthening your customer care.

Final Words: Customer Satisfaction Plays a Big Role in the Success of Your Retail Banking Program

Your retail customers account for a huge part of your bank’s existing clientele. The happiest of them will serve as effective brand ambassadors for your bank, especially to new customers who are still deciding on a provider. Make it a priority to improve upon your retail customers’ satisfaction, and you’ll be able to take your retail banking program to new heights.

Conferences

The UAE sits among the top 20 economies for FDI in the world: Annual Investment Meeting (AIM 2022) kicks off today (29 March 2022)

ByCFI.co Blogger

International participations of more than 174 countries demonstrate global economic recovery post Covid-19

Expo 2020 Dubai, UAE, 29 March 2022: Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM 2022) was inaugurated today (Tuesday, March 29th, 2022) by HE Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo 2020 Dubai where it was attended by representatives of official delegations and participants from more than 174 countries.

The strong response on the first day of AIM was a barometer of the global economic recovery post Covid-19 as well as the UAE’s global position as a hotspot for investments across the investor spectrum.

Day one of AIM focused on the latest trends in foreign direct investment (FDI) and its growth prospects in emerging markets and the importance of attracting foreign investment driven by a progressive mix of legislation and flexibility in emerging markets.

AIM 2022 presented a platform for decisions makers, officials, investors, entrepreneurs, experts, analysts and academics who gathered under one roof to discuss FDI challenges, potential and growth.

Participants in AIM 2022 had the opportunity on day one to hold meetings, make contacts and share expertise with peers from all over the world. A variety of sessions were held on the first day.

The first day of the three-day event brought together investors, venture capitalists and financial institutions under one roof to participate in discussions, debates and much more.

Day one started with a debate focusing on ‘Investments in Sustainable Innovation for a Thriving Future’, as dignitaries, delegates and the keen-minded alike converged at the Dubai Exhibition Centre.

“Investments in future come at a time when the global investment landscape is changing rapidly thanks to an array of factors such as post pandemic trends, economic priorities and digital revolution; but one fact remains unchanged, FDI plays a significant role in the continuing efforts to achieve economic growth and prosperity,” said HE Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy.

The Vice President of Colombia, HE Dr Martha Lucia Ramirez kicked off the debate as she highlighted the need for “sustainable innovation” and an improvement in the global supply chain, focusing on a more “integrated” solution.

Shifting focus across the region, HE Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) expressed her concern on the lack of development and aid provided to developing countries. “In the developed world recovery went up to 30 per cent but in developing countries only 20 per cent. Developing countries are lagging behind in terms of investment in very important sectors.”

HE Vera Songwe, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations and Executive Secretary, Economic Commission of Africa started off by congratulating Dubai on a “fantastic EXPO” and further added on the “peculiarities” that the African continent faces post pandemic.

“All the ecosystems that support the investment is available in Abu Dhabi that boasts a strong and flexible platform not to mention the easiness of starting businesses. Just plug the business into one of the ecosystems in Abu Dhabi,” said HE Rashed Abdulkarim Al Blooshi, Undersecretary, Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development.

The debate concluded with the President of the Republic of Tartastan, His Excellency Rustam Minnikhanov, as he highlighted how AIM was progressively gaining traction every year.

“The Annual Investment Meeting is a great platform for us to present investment opportunities for our region, exchange best practices with foreign partners, and make new contacts. Today we heard some informative and engaging discussions and expert opinions addressing a highly important topic of “Investment in Sustainable Innovation for a Thriving Future,” he said.

News of the event has quickly spread with technology and sustainability-driven companies and firms endeavouring to network at AIM 2022. With an hour dedicated to networking over lunch after the debate, high network individuals and company representatives can bolster their corporate framework and build relationships that could help boost business.

“We are looking forward to meeting global startups and entrepreneurs at AIM 2022 and providing them with the market knowledge to propel their startups and take them to the next level and give them not only scalability but the right amount of scaling. Additionally, this is a good opportunity to partner with governments and VCs too create co-investment opportunities to support the UAE startup ecosystem,” said Varis Sayed, Chief Executive Officer at Fincasa Ventures.

Currently, the UAE sits among the top 20 economies for FDI in the world, increasing by 4% year on year. The UAE has set an example by combating every challenge and turning it into an opportunity. Furthermore, the nation has developed its economic sectors to achieve qualitative shifts to a newer and more sustainable economic model, cementing itself as one of the top global economies in the world.

Conferences

Annual Investment Meeting 2022

ByCFI.co Blogger

Investments in Sustainable Innovation for a Thriving Future

Dubai Exhibition Center, EXPO 2020 Dubai 29 – 31 March 2022

AIM 2022

Initiated by the UAE’s Ministry of Economy and under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Annual Investment Meeting is the world’s leading investment platform, which creates a regional and global economic transformation by providing investment opportunities, upholding solidarity, and developing strong economic relations among countries, investors, startups, SMEs, and all other stakeholders in the global investment arena. The 6 pillars of AIM strive to support all economic sectors by opening numerous opportunities to the world as a dynamic roadmap to economic recovery. The 6 pillars are FDI, SMEs, Startups, Future Cities, FPI, and 50 Projects Initiative.

Register Now

Accounting

Why Should You Automate Invoice Processing?

ByCFI.co Blogger

Businesses and organizations process more than a billion invoices annually, and studies show that this number could increase four times by 2035. Fortunately, the growing adoption of procurement technology can help chief procurement officers, suppliers, and accounts payable teams handle this number. Currently, 89% of U.S businesses have adopted digital-first strategies, which include automated invoice processing.

Electronic invoicing is part of AP automation that has proved to be a viable solution to the many challenges associated with invoicing. Outlined below are a few reasons why businesses should take advantage of artificial intelligence in their invoicing processes.

1. Time-saving

Before the inception of accounts payable automation, the typical invoicing procedure was as follows:

The supplier starts by generating the invoice
The supplier then sends the invoice to the buyer
The buyer prints the invoice
Buyer enters and reviews invoice data
The buyer approves the supplier’s invoice and writes a check
The buyer mails the check to the supplier

Along this process, expect some back and forth between the supplier and buyer if the invoice has discrepancies. That said, the entire accounts payable process may take between 30 and 90 days, including room for errors in the cycle.

Contrastingly, with automated invoicing solutions, approval takes minutes without human intervention. Automated invoices eliminate the lengthy process, reduce errors, and thus eliminate the possibility of late payments. A study by Atradius shows that 87.6% of Western European businesses and 90% of U.S businesses report regular late payments due to past-due invoices.

2. Saves on cost

The Institute of Finance and Management estimates that businesses spend between $1 and $21 for invoice processing. These estimations were done by dividing the cost of maintaining accounts payable staff by the number of invoices processed within a given period.

Similarly, an Ardent Partner study estimated the average cost of automated invoice processing to be $11.57. This includes overheads, labor costs, and technology. Switching to automated processes reduces printing costs, labor expenditures, mailing overhead, and possibly late fees.

3. Improve efficiency

Human error in business processes cannot be avoided. Interestingly, more than 16% and 15% of late payments in the U.S and Western Europe respectively stem from inaccurate invoices. Fortunately, automating invoice processing can improve invoice accuracy, consistency, reporting, transparency, and general accountability.

Improving efficiencies of your finance department frees your accounts payable teams to focus on other important tasks. The business also grows safely, with surety that the digitized system can handle the increasing amount of invoices accurately.

4. Improved compliance

Invoice is among the key documents used as evidence of tax compliance. It also helps validate tax audits, which may be conducted years after a business transaction. Initially, businesses relied on paper documentation, which is most likely to be misplaced. Businesses also had to hire storage facilities and warehouse boxes to store their paid invoices.

On the other hand, copies of invoices are submitted online with automated AP. Original documents can also be submitted to tax authorities with ease. Purchase orders are quickly converted into an invoice, eliminating the risks of manual discrepancies.

Endnote

Invoice management is an important part of financial planning. Members of the AP team can attest that invoice management can take a toll on people, time, and financial resources. Most businesses don’t achieve invoice efficiency for these reasons, affecting business cash flow and bottom line. Shifting to automated invoice processing, saves on cost, and boosts data visibility.

Business

What You Should Know About Executive Recruitment and Working with Recruiters

ByCFI.co Blogger

The executive recruitment process can be complicated and time-consuming, with everything from searching for the right position and interviewing to making the right choice for which executive position will best meet your needs. This process isn’t usually something that’s complete overnight, so it’s important to be prepared for what the process will bring, with tenacity, and focus on what you need.

What You Should Know About Executive Recruitment and Working with Recruiters

If you’re already discouraged, take heart knowing that executive recruiters have been doing this process for years, and they’re ideally suited to offer insight and support that should get you through the recruitment process quickly and painlessly. These tips will help you optimize your executive job search process and get you the right executive position as soon as possible.

What Sets Your Brand Apart?

Before you search for candidates, first look at the market to understand the range of opportunities currently available. Then, focus on your brand. What sets you apart? What might a company love or hate about your resume, your social media presence, and your reputation? Also, look at how you’re already positioned among your fellow candidates.

There could be a wide range of reasons you have negative vibes following your personal profile and online platforms. Whether you’re using a recruitment service or handling the process yourself, be prepared to address any issues. Also, be transparent about why you’re the best candidate for the executive-level position.

The reasoning may not be as logical and obvious as you think. Communicate why you are the quality solution to bring the level of performance, versatility, and high-powered relevance they need. Show you’re excited about the opportunity and what you will do to make a difference.

Is a Recruiter the Best Solution?

The recruitment industry is a billion-dollar industry and rising, with 3-15% of all jobs being filled by recruiters. So recruitment works most of the time. It’s just a matter of whether a recruiter will get you the right solution for your needs and how long that process will ultimately end up taking. To get the best possible options for your needs, you should be upfront about what you’re looking for but also what you’re not looking for.

Beyond setting the groundwork for a successful relationship with your recruiter, keep the lines of communication open and build a relationship with them. It might take a while for the right situation to appear, but if you’re patient, you may find what you’re looking for. There’s really no guarantee that your search will be successful, even if there are positive signs. That’s where the positive attitude, tenacity, and continued professionalism all come into play.

Be Upfront About Employment Flexibility

Flexibility is a key focus for executive candidates. Now, as many as 55% of global businesses offer some capacity for remote work and 18% of workers are remote full-time. There’s still a great deal of uncertainty in the marketplace about remote, hybrid, and in-office work. Your ability to be flexible may be an important consideration, or it may really not matter to you at all.

Regardless of how flexible you will be, you should be upfront with prospective recruiters and employers. As you search for the right executive-level job to meet your needs, address the remote situation, and be clear about your expectations. Think about what you will need the position to be and become both now and in the future. Then focus on that as you work through the recruitment process.

If it’s a give and take, how are you uniquely qualified to fill the position, and how does your need for flexibility fit into that requirement? You’re offering value, but how can you make that aspect resonate with recruiters and employers? They can’t rely on empty promises, so what have you done in the past that proves that you will deliver the level of expertise and true value they need?

Do You Need Focused Help?

A recruitment agency may offer generalized executive recruitment services, or they may specialize. Depending on what you’re looking for, you may be better served by a recruiter who is already experienced in your specialized area. If you’ve tried a more general recruitment service in the past without luck, you might try a more specialized recruitment option, and vice versus.

Simplify Your Recruitment Process

Simplified job applications and a streamlined recruitment process make life easier for everyone involved in the employment situation. Whether you’re proceeding with internal recruitment, you’re using agency software, or you’re using a recruitment service, you need a simple solution that will speed up the process.

The recruitment process doesn’t have to be painful or time-consuming. Most of the information you should need to make your decision should be easily accessible. So, you should be able to figure out the best solution in a streamlined and straightforward manner. Don’t let the process drag out and don’t make it more cumbersome than it needs to be.

Use Technology to Your Advantage

HR recruitment software and other tools make it fast and easy to search for and process executive candidates. Avoid the headaches, the indecision, and the back-and-forth. The best recruitment software not only streamlines the hiring process but also offers training and onboarding solutions to get everyone up to speed.

If you’re not sure where to start, rely on the sage advice of recruitment professionals. They can usually guide you through the initial steps of the process and assist you in navigating through all the complications that technology, lack of knowledge, and other roadblocks may put in your way. The common goal is to help you get up and running as quickly as possible.