Explore powerful strategies to build and grow your online business from scratch. Learn how to start affiliate marketing, create digital products, automate income streams, and scale with email marketing and SEO. Whether you're looking to earn your first dollar online or build a full-time business, we cover the best tools, tips, and trends for success. Discover what works in eCommerce, freelancing, passive income, and digital entrepreneurship today.
Before you know it, December will be here, and the year will be slipping away. So if you don’t take a moment to plan for growth in your business… it simply won’t happen.
For all businesses, things have changed in the last year, and you’ve had to adapt. The new normal we live in poses numerous challenges along with some exciting growth opportunities. A noticeable shift from offline to online has taken place. Additional people (including your team) are working remotely. The buyer’s journey has become more involved – with online research more prominent than ever.
Of course, I’m not suggesting you need to blow everything up and start again. Some simple tweaks and strategic planning will make all the difference to the growth of your business.
To help you out, Fiverr has put together a helpful eBook that outlines the four key growth drivers you need to focus on this financial year. You can get the whole eBook for free here, and check out key excerpts below.
#1. Create a Data-Driven Strategy
Data is critical to the success of your marketing plan. In fact, 74% of customers are frustrated when they see irrelevant marketing from brands. Accurate personalization comes from meaningful data and the way it is interpreted.
The problem? Over 80% of marketers consider data-driven marketing strategies extremely complicated.
To help you tackle this complex yet extremely important topic, you may like to hire data experts to mine numbers, determine buying patterns, optimize your database, and provide valuable insights. You can find experts on Fiverr for data analysis, scraping, mining, visualization, strategy, and more.
#2. Strengthen Your Brand
It takes people 0.05 seconds to form an opinion of your brand.
So, yes, first impressions matter a LOT in the digital world.
The strength of your brand directly correlates to the amount people trust you and whether or not they’ll buy what you sell.
The challenge is, branding is multi-layered. It’s not just a logo, some colors, and a website. It’s all of those things and more – how they appear in isolation, but more importantly, how they work in combination to create a perception of your business.
If you’re not sure which elements of your brand are most important or need some help building the elements because you’re strapped for time, hire a freelancer. Fiverr is home to a range of experts with experience in logo design, social media marketing, web design, and everything else you need to create a strong digital brand.
#3. Get Digital Marketing Sorted
Having a memorable brand is a great start, but how will people discover it unless you invest in marketing?
Digital is where it’s at.
Social media, email, website lead generation, SEO, and even app marketing are critical building blocks for businesses in 2021.
A combination of digital marketing tactics puts your well-crafted brand in front of more people and allows you to capture data for future improvements. Growth comes from doing, capturing data, and improving – not sitting on your hands and hoping.
Once again, Fiverr’s freelance marketplace is the perfect place to expand your digital marketing capacity without breaking the bank. You can get help doing all the things you need to run a successful digital strategy.
#4. Offer Quality Online Content
Beyond your core digital marketing tactics to capture leads and drive sales, you need to consider the long-term success of your brand. That’s where content marketing comes in.
Providing valuable content on your website and social media helps engage prospects without “pushing” the sale. Quality content also demonstrates expertise and builds trust with prospects. Not to mention the SEO benefits of having a blog – which are significant.
Whether it’s blog posts, YouTube videos, a podcast, or social media posts you need help with, Fiverr has a qualified freelancer. Just check out its Content Marketing category:
Wrapping up
We’ve all experienced unprecedented change in the last year, from remote working to lockdowns and restricted operations.
It’s been hard on all businesses but none more so than the small business sector.
In saying that, we see a steadying pattern. A new normal is coming to the surface that combines work-from-home with traditional offices – thanks to a worldwide vaccine rollout.
The next 12 months present a huge opportunity for business growth. If you’ve survived the pandemic, now it’s time to ride the wave of recovery and get your business going in the right direction.
Start with a growth strategy backed by data, fine-tune your branding, take your marketing digital, and build expertise with valuable content.
Want to learn more on how to grow your business this financial year? Get Fiverr’s eBook here.
If overestimated or not fully thought through, your business idea might not deliver as expected. This is something even the most successful brands like Facebook with their Facebook Home know well.
Built to offer users the convenience of responding to messages without opening the main Facebook app, the company thought Facebook Home was a mega-idea. Big enough to elicit a $99 subscription for two years. Less than a month after launching the price was down to a mere $0.99.
For your business to have a better chance of success, you should test it out and have the right tools to help. Dive in below for advice from successful business owners that will give you insights on how to validate a business idea.
#1. The Client Calls the Shots
Reviewing all of your input and determining what works best for your clients is vital when validating a business concept. Interviews allow you to get to the core of what resonates with your customers. Every business owner fears getting ignored. As you make decisions based on your findings, remember it is about the client and not what you think is best for your company.
A clear, concrete vision of a profitable business can be highly elusive for an entrepreneur. You may have a lot of trial and error before getting a business model that works, though, along the way, some things you envision may not materialize. The only authentic way to validate a business idea is to test it under actual market conditions and tweak the model along the way.
Interview at least 50 individuals to see what they think of your idea. Find out whether they believe your idea solves a problem and how much they can part with to get your products or services. Ask them open-ended questions to see what solutions they can come up with. Heavily invest in your customer service when dealing with your first few clients.
Create a landing page or ads. Does your idea attract customers? How many can you convert from these advertising efforts, and what are their reviews on the products or services? Once you have a good idea of what customers are expecting, you can then develop an MVP.
Often, entrepreneurs only do light research blindly, hoping that their competition is small and not that hard to outsmart. You are about to commit yourself to a seven to ten-year journey. So, you should go into it knowing as much as you can about your marketplace and still be enthusiastic about your idea.
Often, your first concept functions as a springboard for a more advanced version since you’ll likely need to alter it. There are multiple ways of experimentation as you go through the validation process, including landing page and MVP creation, email interview, A/B comparison, and a crowdfunding website. As you analyze your findings, pay attention to your target market, pricing, and demand.
A mistake investors make is trying to begin from perfection. You wouldn’t want your many hours and funds to go to waste because you started your idea from the finishing point when only a handful liked it. Launch the product with only the basic requirements. You can slowly upgrade to suit the needs of your target customer base.
#8. Launch the Idea in the Shortest Period Possible
You can do vigorous research on your idea. But until you start earning from it, you don’t know whether your idea is the next big thing or not. Launch your MVP the soonest you can and upgrade it as time goes on. For non-product-based ideas, get first-hand experience from the industry to determine whether it works.
#9. Use a Niche Product to Solve a Relatable Problem
Excellent idea creation begins by looking at your challenges or those of loved ones. If you are able to prove that your product works effectively within your network, you can start attracting paying customers. Many entrepreneurs tend to think they have to solve major issues for their business to attract a large clientele. However, creating a niche product delivers what most of your competition is not, and is an excellent way to establish your position in a flooded market. Finding ways to infuse new ideas into already existing products is a superb way to validate your business idea.
Consider the validation process as experimentation before getting absorbed too much into your idea. It is pretty easy to develop a brand new category than trying to be successful in an already packed category with the established competition. When you concentrate on simplifying your idea and making it easily distinguishable from related ones, it is less challenging for you to gain traction.
Guest author: Ivan Petrovic is CEO at Workpuls, a workforce productivity and analytics platform that helps organizations drive productivity, benchmark performance and improve efficiency.
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is taking the technology industry by storm. As new startups emerge, the need for better software and newer technologies also rises. Companies today are no longer relying on software that needs to be maintained and installed separately. This is the reason why SaaS products are thriving.
SaaS eliminates the need for locally installed and managed software. Thus, creating a cloud environment where the software is hosted and can be used with a subscription.
SaaS has revolutionized the work of development companies as it has dramatically decreased costs. Plus, there is less time spent on maintenance and other such activities while using SaaS solutions.
As people adapt to working remotely, there is an increase in the demand for SaaS products. Moreover, setting up and installing software on remote systems can be tiring work for the IT team of any company.
Experts predict that this is just the start of SaaS products, and a lot more will happen in the industry as SaaS expands its horizons. While working in an industry that changes rapidly, it is important to be informed about the latest trends in the SaaS world. Here are 10 of them.
#1. Micro-SaaS
Since its beginning, the SaaS world has been dominated by a few advanced tech companies. As they continue to expand rapidly, a new trend has been spotted. This trend is called Micro-SaaS.
Micro-SaaS is a term coined for small SaaS offerings that focus on just one service. These are SaaS companies with just one offering, whether it be software, an extension, or anything. These Micro-SaaS products will see the most growth as businesses shift to working in complicated scenarios.
ChimpCharge is one example of a micro-SaaS that can be used to create payment invoices easily.
Micro-SaaS is expected to multiply as it can be any small software offering that enhances the functioning of a more significant task. Here are some benefits of Micro-SaaS that support the trend.
Micro-SaaS is a smaller software, hence easier to manage.
Low costs in building and maintaining drives up margins.
Increased demand for smaller plugins that do the work instead of large software.
#2. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most exciting technologies for the 21st century. Experts suggest that it is perhaps one of the best inventions made in the computer science domain so far. AI holds the power to help businesses succeed.
As more businesses turn towards informed and researched decision-making, the demand for AI-enriched SaaS products increases. It is estimated that the growth rate for AI software will be around 33% and on an average businesses will use 35 AI tools at any given time.
SaaS companies themselves will incorporate AI features in their products to increase success rates. There are some great benefits of using AI, and these benefits will drive the growth of AI-based SaaS apps. Let’s have a look at some of them.
AI can be used to personalize user experience, even on large-scale applications.
AI can help automate daily tasks.
AI will help companies cut costs, which will lead to widespread adoption of AI-based SaaS applications.
AI can help businesses create an incredible customer experience and also serve their customers better. As businesses want to be available to their customers round the clock, the usage of SaaS-based AI chatbots has seen tremendous growth in recent years. For example, Drift is one AI-chatbot SaaS offering that helps automate customer relation processes.
Vertical SaaS refers to the creation of services and SaaS products targeted to a specific industry. The time has gone where a generalized SaaS product could accommodate the needs of multiple industries and domains.
Today in the ever-evolving world, industries and businesses change rapidly, making it essential to have a unique solution for every industry. The horizons of every domain are expanding rapidly, and everyone is solving newer challenges.
This demands industry-specific software that is made to solve every problem in a specific domain. Here are some benefits of using vertical SaaS that will surely boost the trend.
Help in solving specific problems of the industry vertical.
Better support and functions for industry processes.
Vertical SaaS products will solve problems on a scale never imagined before. Hence, SaaS startups are working towards developing vertical SaaS products for specific industries.
#4. Mobile-first Development
On an estimate, there will be around 7516 million smartphone subscriptions by the end of 2026. This increasing usage of smartphones has made SaaS companies shift their focus towards mobile phones.
Earlier, SaaS products and applications were only accessible through laptops or desktops. This hindered critical business processes when employees were away.
This made SaaS vendors think about creating mobile-first products. More and more vendors are creating applications that are easily accessible through mobile phones – making it easier to work even when away from laptops.
Modern smartphones are equally powerful as computers. Hence, leveraging them for functional business processes is a no-brainer. SaaS vendors are providing smartphone applications that help users continue working on their mobile phones hassle-free.
#5. White-label SaaS
Today, large organizations are moving towards SaaS products to eliminate upfront costs. White labeling SaaS products means adding personal branding to SaaS products or services. This will mark an increase in demand for personalized SaaS products.
Personalization is a part of white labeling SaaS products. Also, it is observed that 77% of users and companies like to proceed with providers that help them to customize their SaaS products. This clearly shows why white-labeling SaaS products might be the next trend.
Now, let’s look at some more benefits that show why white-label SaaS might continue to trend.
Risk-free, as the customer doesn’t have to build and maintain software on their own.
Cost-effective, as most SaaS products are subscription based.
Better software can be acquired instead of spending time on building one.
White-label SaaS products also include personalizing products according to the customer’s needs.
SaaS software that provides APIs for easier working and integration with existing software will rise. Businesses do not want to disturb their systems to add one new tool. Hence they are looking for SaaS software that is easier to integrate with an existing system.
APIs are essential when connecting with previously running software. It is better to add one software with API connectivity rather than changing the whole system. Changing the whole system environment is costly, and it can also lead to increased errors and problems if the new software is tricky.
#7. Data Security and Management
Keeping your data secure is quite important because 36 billion data records were stolen and compromised in 2021 alone. Shifting from traditional software to SaaS models introduces a new hurdle.
Data security and management is one of the biggest hurdles for any organization. If data is not secured correctly, there are chances that vital business information may leak, and companies may suffer losses.
Users of online SaaS tools are more aware of data privacy and security rules. Hence SaaS providers need to look into this closely. There will be a high demand for SaaS tools that have better data security and management guidelines. Also, SaaS providers will need to comply with GDPR policies and enforce stricter policies on their own to shine in this space.
#8. No Code Tools
Usage of SaaS tools is not limited to just the technology industry, but it is rapidly expanding. As more non-tech people work with SaaS tools, it is essential to develop tools that everyone can use.
Companies have reported that 40% of their users are not from a technological background, hence developing software that everyone can work with is the need of the hour for SaaS providers.
That’s why no-code tools have started to roll out. These tools help customers complete tasks even without knowing how to code. Such SaaS tools have great UI/UX that help complete tasks with just a few clicks.
No-code tools are often faster to work with and less prone to errors. No code tools also help SaaS companies reach out to broader audiences, which increases sales and revenue for the business.
#9. PaaS
By the end of 2022, PaaS spendings will skyrocket up to 71 billion USD. This proves to be a big opportunity. In recent years, SaaS businesses have evolved into more giant corporations. This has provided them with abundant customers and wealth to tap into new markets. PaaS is another such market that is on the rise.
As SaaS businesses have a good customer base, they will likely try penetrating the Platform as a Service (PaaS) business model. In this model, the service provider provides businesses with the required computing platform as a service. Charging for only the resources used.
#10. Machine Learning
Machine learning is thought to be one of the most advanced technologies that businesses can use to succeed. Machine learning is a part of AI, which works towards predicting and classifying outcomes from specific data.
It can help businesses succeed by predicting the outcome of every decision beforehand. This will help businesses make more informed decisions in light of growth. Also, knowing outcomes beforehand can help businesses tweak their decisions to meet their goals.
SaaS applications infused with machine learning capabilities will continue to rise. The demand for such applications is already pretty high due to increased competition in business.
Businesses will spend freely to infuse machine learning into their processes, and this will take the machine learning market value to $117 billion. No company wants to lose out on opportunities that can help them grow.
Wrapping up
As businesses change rapidly, their demands change too. The only viable solution is to adapt to SaaS software.
The above SaaS trends will continue to disrupt the industry. Trends last for two to five years and then change completely. Because SaaS software is pretty flexible and is capable of changing as per needs, it can withstand this challenging terrain.
Guest author: Harsh is an entrepreneur & Director at AgencyMat @IoT App Development Company. He has 12+ years of experience in the Information and technology industry. He helping business owners to grow their businesses with our digital solution.
The last few years have seen a huge increase in internet penetration and web technologies worldwide. Consequently, the marketing landscape has evolved to give us bigger and better marketing channels to reach the right audience at the right time.
However, not all marketing channels are well-suited for a small business. For example, if you’re a local eatery, you wouldn’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a nationwide TV commercial.
As such, you must be aware of the small business marketing channels most likely to make a positive impact on your specific product or service.
Best marketing channels for small business
Here’s my list of the best channels to consider when promoting your small business. I’ll walk you through a brief explanation of each channel, why it matters, and how to get started.
#1. Email Marketing
Despite being an old channel in terms of internet years, email still has the potential to reach 3.9 billion people as of 2020, and this number is expected to touch 4.3 billion users in 2023.
Email marketing can not just reach a wide audience, but also delivers the best returns. As per an industry census, 73% of people ranked email as an excellent marketing channel.
Plus, DMA states that every $1 spent on email marketing leads to a $42 average return on investment.
Writing a series of emails and sending it to potential customers based on a carefully planned timeline can help you establish a relationship, build trust and make them interested in your product or service.
It will allow you to capture email addresses through your website, social media accounts, marketing events, and other avenues. In addition, you’ll be able to create a series of emails, along with an automation workflow, to send these emails to your contact list.
Whether it’s for research, entertainment, or shopping, a search engine is the first place most people start with. And then they’ll click one of the top results that show up on the first page of organic search engine results.
This is what makes organic search another effective marketing channel for a small business.
When a customer searches for a query related to your product or service, the goal is to get the pages from your website to rank higher than those of competitors. Doing this will ensure a consistent stream of traffic and leads into your sales funnel.
The process of getting listed and strengthening your website’s presence in organic search engine result pages (SERPs) is known as SEO. It will involve researching the best keywords you want to rank for, and then optimizing the pages on your website for your selected keywords.
#3. Mobile Devices
Mobile usage has been on the rise for many years now, and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down. 50.88% of online traffic in 2020 came from mobile devices.
Customers prefer businesses that can provide the information and communication they need through SMS, WhatsApp, and other mobile apps.
So it only makes sense to promote your small business to users of mobile and tablet devices.
There are a number of ways to capitalize on the mobile trend, the most prominent of which is having a mobile-responsive website. It’s no longer acceptable to have an outdated website that doesn’t adapt to different screen sizes.
#4. Word-of-Mouth Marketing
It’s no surprise that people trust other customers over you and your marketing team.
Marketers usually have an agenda, but a customer will spread the word about a brand, whether online or offline, only if the brand has truly delighted them. That’s why 9 out of 10 customers read reviews when considering a purchase.
There’s no shortcut to using this marketing channel for your benefit. You will really need to put in the work to ensure a great customer experience throughout the buyer’s journey.
Then set up email automation to reach out to customers to ask for feedback on their experience, and if they’re happy with your product or service, request a testimonial.
#5. Video Marketing
If you haven’t yet jumped on the video bandwagon, there’s no better time to do so.
When asked how they prefer to learn more about a product or service, 69% of people in a survey mentioned watching a video.
If you run a small business, you don’t need a big production team to start video marketing. It’s possible to create videos affordably. For instance, you use a camcorder to record videos that answer customer questions, introduce your team, or showcase customer testimonials.
These videos may not be as polished, but they can still win over your audience with their authentic look and feel.
#6. Business Blog
A blog is a must-have marketing channel for your small business. With a business blog, you get a dedicated platform to educate current and potential customers on the topics related to your niche.
Six out of ten buyers say that blog posts are valuable at the start of their purchase journey.
A business blog is like a central content hub that attracts prospects, helps you turn visitors into leads, and strengthens your online presence on other marketing channels.
With several intuitive blogging platforms available online, starting a business blog these days is relatively easy. All you need is a domain name, hosting, and content management system, the most popular being WordPress.
#7. Social Media
Next up on our list is Social Media. 72% of US adults say that they use at least one social media website.
Social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more allow your small business to build rapport with your audience.
When you interact with your customers at the same place where their friends are, your business becomes a part of their personal network.
Plus, social media posts are easy to share, leading to word-of-mouth opportunities.
To get started with social media marketing, pick the social media platforms where your target customers are the most active and work on building an active presence.
#8. Paid Search (Pay-Per-Click Ads)
Paid Search refers to advertising your website near the top of search engine result pages, instead of getting found organically.
You are required to pay only when a user clicks on your ad, which is why another name for paid search is PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising.
This is a drastically different model from traditional outdoor advertising, in which you pay for your ads to be displayed, regardless of whether they trigger any action from the viewer.
Paid search ads may cost more than some of the other marketing channels on our list. However, they offer a unique benefit that no other channel can – the potential to generate results fast. In fact, 66% of CMOs expect to increase spend on paid search in 2021.
Display ads allow you to use image banners and videos to show an offer to your target audience on the websites they are likely to visit. Here’s an example:
Google’s Display Network, for instance, allows you to create display ads with the potential to reach 90% of internet users worldwide.
These ads can also be shown on email platforms, social media, and other digital channels that provide ad placements.
You can use them in isolation, but the real game-changer with these types of ads is targeting people who have already visited your website or opted into your email newsletter. This is referred to as remarketing.
Final thoughts
Each marketing channel is unique, with its own quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. And so is each business.
However, the most common mistake small business owners make is trying to focus on every channel available.
While you go through this list, pick only two or three channels at a time that seem the best fit for our business and customers.
Define goals and key metrics to measure the performance for each channel. This way, you can increase investment in high-performing channels and boost ROI.
Keep adjusting your strategy to make room for new channels and drop the non-profitable channels to cut costs as required. The more adaptable your small business is to the changes in the marketing space, the more stable your growth and prosperity will be.
Guest author: Hitesh Sahni is a content strategy consultant, editor, and founder of Smemark, an upscale content marketing studio helping brands and agencies in multiple niches accelerate growth with superior, scalable content writing for 10+ years.
Believe it or not, the End of Financial Year (EOFY) is upon us.
For small business owners, like you and me, there are a lot of moving parts you need to be aware of.
Not only are you due to create yearly financial statements, but you’re obliged to pay taxes, claim deductions, and submit relevant documentation to the government.
It’s also a great time to take stock (literally) of your business operations and assets so you can adjust and reset for the new financial year.
I recently read a useful eBook from Fiverr that helps you and I “Get Set Up For Success” when it comes to the EOFY. Here’s the 7-point checklist I created for myself after reading it – feel free to use it too!
1. Does your website need a refresh?
Website design trends come and go in a similar way to fashion. If you take your finger off the pulse for too long, your website will be outdated and potential customers will be turned off.
I’m not just talking about the aesthetics of your website either, such as the colors you use and the configuration of your menu. You should assess the entire user experience on a regular cadence to ensure it’s optimal – the EOFY is a reasonable spot in the calendar to make this happen.
Think about the placement of calls-to-action, loading speed of pages, technical SEO optimization, and image design. Perhaps even your logo could do with a refresh.
Speak with a website design expert to keep up to date with the latest trends and optimize your website this EOFY:
2. Is your database in good health?
Your marketing database is a crucial asset for running effective campaigns in B2C businesses, and tackling prospecting in B2B. However, the success of your list comes down to data quality.
If you have thousands of non-responsive and irrelevant marketing leads, the database offers no value to the business. You’re better off having a fraction of the contacts with a high engagement rate.
Keeping your database in good health is all about conducting regular audits and cleaning out old or inactive contacts. The EOFY year is a great time to schedule this.
If you want some help updating or auditing your database, Fiverr has hundreds of email marketing experts with the experience you’ll need.
3. Are you up to date with your taxes?
The rate at which you pay taxes to the government will depend on your location, type of business, turnover, expenses, assets, and numerous other factors. However, the EOFY is the most common time for businesses to settle their tax account for the year that has passed – even if you’ve been up to date with your taxes quarterly. In some instances, you may even be due a tax refund from the government, so you don’t want to miss out on that!
For small businesses, it’s unlikely you’ll have an in-house accountant. So finding a bookkeeper you can trust to help crunch the numbers, claim relevant deductions, unlock government grants you qualify for, and manage your employee’s EOFY tax statements is critical.
The great thing about Fiverr is you can determine which contractor is the best fit based on their customer reviews, portfolio of work, and Fiverr seller rating.
4. Are your finances in order for the year ahead?
As well as your taxes, you’ll have several in-house financial statements to prepare. Examples include your Profit & Loss Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cashflow Statement. All of these provide important data to analyze the financial position of your business.
For example, do you have enough cash in the business to pay wages and other expenses? Are there any outstanding invoices that need to be followed up? Are you declaring any bad debt that will affect business decisions moving forward?
Of course, if finance and accounting aren’t your things, these statements may look like a foreign language. But it’s critical for you, as the business owner, to be across such vital information. I’d recommend leaning on your accountant to dissect these documents and provide insight.
I use Xero Accounting Software to stay on top of this kind of stuff year-round – it’s easy to use and allows my accountant to get the info they need without me digging up spreadsheets, bank statements, and paper receipts.
5. Have you done a stocktake?
If you sell physical products, the EOFY is a great time to schedule a stocktake. With returned items, multiple distribution centers, numerous selling platforms, faulty goods, and several different people managing the process, it’s inevitable that your digital records of stock are out of sync with the physical inventory.
Stocktakes are essential to ensure you have adequate inventory on hand to fulfill orders, especially if you’re negotiating wholesale deals and committing to large contracts. Depending on the goods you sell, the production time could take weeks or even months, time you don’t have when customers want their purchase tomorrow.
6. Have you backed up important files?
As I mentioned above, the EOFY isn’t all about your finances, it’s also a good chance to reflect and take stock of other parts of your business. Backing up files, such as contracts, training documentation, work products, and more is essential for managing risk in any business.
Most smart business owners will already have a digital file-storing system in place such as Dropbox or Google Drive. These cloud-based platforms ensure your important documents are stored safely, securely, and automatically backed up to provide peace of mind.
In saying that, there is no harm in keeping a local copy of your files on a hard drive or computer for safekeeping that you update quarterly.
If you don’t feel like your file management system is up to scratch, you may like to hire a virtual assistant to help get things in order. Fiverr is the place to go.
7. Have you reviewed your growth plan?
The final checkpoint on my list is about the future. What does your business growth plan look like?
We often get caught in the day-to-day operations of our businesses and lose track of the direction we’re going. The EOFY is a good time to take a moment, reflect on where you are at, and get the train going in the right direction.
Fiverr’s eBook, which I mentioned earlier, goes into detail about four key growth drivers you should use to assess your current state and propel your business in the right direction:
If you’re anything like me, the EOFY has crept up on you.
You’ve been too busy running your business to get lost in the detail of financial documents, marketing plans, and insurance alternatives.
However, you can’t underestimate the importance of this time of year. For starters, you’re legally obliged to file taxes and create financial documents. But it’s also just good business practice to assess your situation and plan for a better future.
If you’re struggling to keep your head above water, hire some help on Fiverr – it’s fairly cheap to get experienced experts in accounting, marketing, web design, administration, and more.
Off the top of your head, you can probably name some of the most famous European, Medieval, and ancient artists. Names like Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, and Protogenes conjure up images of religion, grand coronation, and historical feats. They marked their craft with sophisticated and mastered but clear and obvious messages.
But when the 19th century ushered in, the fame of medieval taste trickled down. In a deliberate timescale, gone are the days of masterful paintings where portrait and historical figures cramped the four sides of the canvas. Contemporary artists – today’s Da Vinci and Gogh – produce forms of art where subjects hide in the shadows of the material and the message lurks between the spaces. Some, with technological advancements, make their work stunning and otherworldly.
Although their works are taste-exclusive, meaning not all find them likable, their craft is meant to push the boundaries of art and challenge the restrictions of the status quo.
In this article, we name some of today’s most important visual contemporary artists. Their work is reinventing the medium of art while touching universal themes that are difficult to explain but easy enough to understand.
The good news is that we can experience their work through their social media accounts. So if you’re interested in the behind-the-scenes of their creations or don’t have enough time and money to visit some of their paid exhibitions, then give their socials some love.
“During Sleep” is an exhibit in Lucerne, 2002, where several women volunteers slept on the bed entangled in black yarn. It speaks of illness and death, as well as birth in the hospital.
Chiharu Shiota is a Japanese artist. Her webbed-like installation art has earned her the nickname “human spider.” Her main material: yarns and threads in red, black, and white color.
From Japan, Chiharu moved to Berlin during the historic fall of Berlin. At that time, many people moved from East Berlin to West Berlin, leaving their houses and belongings behind. Chiharu took this opportunity to work on his first installation, “Room of Memory” and “Father Memory,” which both explore the topic of displacement.
Since then, she has produced more installations, paintings, sculptures, and performances.
Her signature image is full of yarn: yarns surrounding boats, yarns connecting shoes, yarns interwoven around beds, and many more.
According to Chiharu, her art revolves around universal themes like death, birth, and sickness. Her most famous pieces – “Dialogue from DNA,” “Accumulation – Searching for the Destination,” “In Silence,” and “Uncertain Journey” – involve multiple sentimental objects like suitcases, keys, windows, and shoes. They represent life, lost and forgotten, and suspended in a weave of yarn.
The universality of her craft is what makes it appealing to a large audience. That’s why her shows and exhibitions are blockbusters for art aficionados and ordinary people. Her visitors often spend several hours taking pictures and getting engrossed in the art. She says that although her art is mind-boggling to see online, it’s meant to be experienced.
Chiharu Shiota’s “Keys at Hand” exhibited in Venice Biennale, where thousands of repurposed keys dangle from red yarns. The boat in the middle represents the hands that hold the keys.
One of the worlds that Melodysheep built using CGI.
Fond of sci-fi films? Love the exquisite beauty of the expansive universe? So do I. That’s why it’s a blessing to stumble upon the work of Melodysheep on Youtube and Instagram.
John D. Boswell is behind this hugely successful channel. His short CGI films explore the vastness of the celestial world. And with the help of eargasmic musical scores and expert voiceovers, his videos have accumulated millions of views.
Boswell’s contemporary take on the universe – how it came to being and how its future will be relative to our existence – is a wonderful inspirational resource. Every time you finish watching his videos, you’ll see yourself asking the meaning of life.
Melodysheep is a well-known CGI artist focusing on the beauty and wonder of the universe.
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese installation artist and painter. Even at the age of 92, she still pushes the boundaries of contemporary art. She has received several awards in her decades-long career: Premium Imperiale, Asahi Prize, and Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Many art critics consider her as the most important figure in the world of avant-garde.
Yayoi Kusama was born in a conservative family in Nagano, Japan. In her early years, she was a prolific painter. However, her parents had disapproved of her painting and wanted her to wed a wealthy businessman instead. But because Yayoi had always wanted to become an artist, she left Japan to follow her dreams in the center of art at that time – New York.
There she was heavily involved in contemporary art. She painted repetitive semicircles covering the whole canvas. To make money, she later would sell those paintings for 200 dollars. Those art pieces will later be known as the “Infinity Nets,” one of her most expensive works of art, racking up millions of dollars.
Upon the success of these paintings, she branched out to performing that tackled sex and liberation. Such is the time when her most famous theme – polka dots – emerged. She has created so many kinds of art pieces from then on, including her most notable creations – pumpkins, phallic chairs, and mirror rooms.
Now, despite being old and voluntarily living in a psychiatric hospital, Yayoi Kusama is still more prolific and busier than ever. She almost always paints 24/7, from morning till dusk. In addition, her army of international staff still holds exhibits under her name around the globe.
Kusama is the highest-selling living female artist of today. Her retrospective tour “Yayoi Kusama: Infinite Obsession” attracted the biggest global audience than any art in 2015. There’s no doubt that she will forever be remembered as someone who followed her dreams despite many roadblocks and ultimately became a leading figure in contemporary art.
This art emanates two subject obsession of Yayoi Kusama: pumpkin and polka dots
Kusama is famous for her infinity rooms, which always draw the largest crowds among today’s female artists.
These piles of rusty steels were taken from the earthquake site in China as a testament to how the country’s poor building construction killed hundreds of people.
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese-born contemporary artist and activist who expresses his ideologies through film, painting, installation, and sculpture. He is the son of the most well-known poet and activist in China. In college, he enrolled in a film academy. Then he later moved to New York to escape his country’s restrictions.
In New York, he was a prolific photographer. But after a while, he went back to China to care for his dying father. From then, his most well-known pieces of art took form. He has mobilized groups of people around the globe to establish his activism-laden exhibits.
His notable projects include “So Sorry” (mosaic of the backpacks of dead children in Sichuan Earthquake), “Straight” (bundle of straightened steels from the ruined buildings in Sichuan), “Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn” (famous photos of dropping an ancient urn symbolizing China’s disregard to antique culture), thousands of sunflower-seed designed ceramics, and many many other works of art.
Throughout the years, even during his detention in China, Ai Weiwei has been a voice for the voiceless. For him, art is only the channel to address a powerful message.
Ai Weiwei’s “Divina Proportione” highlights the craftsmanship of the ancient Chinese tradition using traditional materials.
Anselm Kiefer’s “Walhalla” exploring the tragedies of wars.
Anselm Kiefer is a well-known German painter and sculptor. His work depicts the dark and despondent themes of war and death. Materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac embellish his large canvasses and larger-than-human installation pieces.
Anselm grew up in Germany after the death of World War 2. His projects speak of the depressing facets of war. It’s evident in his exhibits in White Cube’s “Walhalla” and many other parts of the globe. His recent work in the United States, commissioned by the Rockefeller Institute, has received worldwide recognition. Anselm has received numerous accolades – Premium Imperiale, Wolf Prize, and the Carnegie Prize.
Anselm’s neo-expressionist abstract paintings are laden with thick paints, old clothes, threads, hays, papers, books, etc. His subjects explore the reverie and the mythical, depicted with dark constructions and black illusions. Although abstract, his pieces are quite vivid and evocative, and most people can relate to their universal themes.
Aurora, 2015–17, oil, emulsion, acrylic, shellac, and sediment of electrolysis on canvas
A monumental artwork by Anselm Kiefer (Osiris and Isis)
It’s silly to think that some people dislike modern contemporary art. Sure, some modern art pieces suck. But it also goes for the same underrepresented and, often, mocked art of the medieval period. Look at them now, celebrated, prized, and historical.
The good thing about contemporary art is that they speak the very thing that people nowadays experience. It can be death, life, sickness, diseases, awe, and wonder. If an art revolves around these universal themes, who cannot admire them?
So if you want to follow in these artists’ footsteps, it’s vital to start exploring now: dive into your dreams, past experiences, mentorship, etc. Then build up your brand, craft your logo, your font designs, color palettes, niche, fictional tales, and more.
Over to you, what pieces of contemporary art have you admired recently? Share in the comments.
Guest author: Marvin Espino is a writer from the Philippines. A marketing specialist from DesignCrowd and BrandCrowd, he has written several pieces on branding, marketing, and design. When not working, Marvin hoards well-written short pieces of writing. He’s also an avid fan of baking and singing.
