Cashback sites a winner for SMEs
Affiliate industry publisher Hello Partner recently reported, after analysing all their member data, that Cashback publishers were te biggest moneymakers for SMEs last year.
Update from our CEO
It is hard to believe that we are at the half-way mark of 2024. The first half of this year started off slow but steady and we have been fortunate to sign up several new advertisers and programs.
The most common e-commerce mistakes – and how to avoid them
There is estimated to be about 26.5 million e-commerce sites across the globe currently. 27% of the global population shop online. The growth rate of retail eCommerce sales is absolutely astounding and it’s not slowing down any time soon, with global eCommerce predicted to exceed $8.1 trillion by 2026.
Why do some online businesses fail while others succeed?
It is estimated that approximately 80%-90% of e-commerce start-ups fail, meaning the e-commerce success rate is less than 20%.
Never stop marketing
Never stop marketing There’s a LOT going on in the world right now. This is not a political piece, yet it is diffiult to ignore the world-shaping events happening around us when considering economic forecasts and the future business lanscape. While many companies are still reeling in the aftermath of the pandemic, Putin’s war on Ukraine (which has escelated in recent weeks), has left many economists, world leaders, and us wondering, ‘ what next?’. While the data suggest that we may be heading for a global recession, there are things business owners can do to ensure they are in as strong a posision as possible to weather the storm: Manage your cash flow – In easy or difficult economic times, cash is always king. Cash flow can make or break your company. To get a handle on your company’s cash flow, look at your current cash flow statement daily, and start forecasting (if you aren’t already) with trailing three-, six- and 12-month cash flow forecast charts. Manage your costs – With inflation at a 40-year high, costs are up, and an economic recession is only going to make increasing costs more difficult. Do everything you can now to evaluate your operations and trim the fat so you enter the next recession already lean and mean. Stay on top of receivables – During a recession, everyone struggles. This means your customers might too. Make an effort now to evaluate your clients and their paying habits. Be sure to schedule contract renegotiations whenever possible to close up your pay cycles and shorten your sales outstanding figures. Make data-driven decisions – When times are tough, accuracy is crucial. Even if your instincts as a business owner are good, you need to consult your numbers, look at your company’s financial trends and evaluate forecasts before you make any changes in your business. Last, but not least: Never stop Marketing! – You might guess one way to conserve expenses is to cut back on your marketing budget, however continuing your marketing efforts through difficult times projects your company as a true leader, teaches your current customers they are in good hands, and gives new companies confidence to do business with you. Onwards and upwards! Daniel Gross – CEO All CEO's Thoughts Interviews and Insights Industry News Interviews and Insights Why Black Friday 2022 will differ from before 26 Oct 2022 Why Black Friday 2022 will differ from before Despite current downturns in the economy, evidence shows that the e-commerce industry is picking up and going back to pre-pandemic… Read More Interviews and Insights Interview with Sandra Jardim, Blogger/Founder of MammaBearLove 26 Oct 2022 Interview with Sandra Jardim, Blogger/Founder of MammaBearLove Our October profile is Sandra Jardim, mom to twins Gisela and Alaia and blogger/owner of MammaBearLove. She uses her blog as… Read More Interviews and Insights Interview with Kristin Weixelbaumer, Black Betty Design 14 Sep 2022 Interview with Kristin Weixelbaumer, Black Betty Design Our September profile is Kirstin Weixelbaumer, designer and owner of BlackBettyDesign.com. Founded in 2012, Black Betty aims to create unique and… Read More Prev123Next
Interview with Jeffrey Galbraith from GarageGuys.co.za
Interview with Jeffrey Galbraith from GarageGuys.co.za This month we chat with Jeffrey Galbraith, serial entrepreneur, family man and Marketing Manager at Garage Guys, a proudly South African business specialising in DIY home and office shelving and storage solutions. With their bold branding, clear no-nonsense messaging, visually appealing ads and clever solutions, Garage Guys are taking their place in the DIY e-tailer space and making happy customers as they go. Describe yourself in 3 wordsDedicated, Passionate and Relentless Where did the idea to start ‘Garage Guys’ come from?The Garage Guys installed its shelving in my home a few years back. I loved the concept so much and immediately saw the enormous opportunity for growth. I just knew I had to be a part of it, so I joined the team and have loved it since. Was the plan always to just go online? i.e. did you ever consider opening a store?Before I joined, online meant lead generation via a Facebook form, just accepting the norm, while e-commerce wasn’t a focus and contributed under 10% of turnover. Today over 60 % of our income is from e-commerce and it is rapidly growing :). What are the biggest challenges in starting an online business at these times?You cannot do it alone. There are so many platforms, publishers and applications that it is near impossible to master them all. Join support groups, partner with experts, cough, wink, nudge like AdMarula which allows you to work ON and not IN your business. How did the past two years (and the pandemic) affect the home improvement industry?Our custom work decreased as people are still awkward about strangers in their homes, but we are very blessed and have seen over 300% growth in our e-commerce division, so we can’t complain. How does Garage Guys differentiate/position itself from already established, brick-and-mortar builder stores?We make DIY Fun, Easy & Affordable. What are the key ingredients for a successful digital marketing strategy?KISS… Keep it Simple Stupid. We found that less is more. Ensure you are marketing what your audience wants and not what you think they need. The most important skills digital marketing managers need nowadays.Patience and forgiveness, as often we first need to learn what NOT to do in order to know what to DO. Mistakes are not the opposite of success, but part of it. How would you describe your management style?In truth, aggressive. I am results driven. I expect the best as I give the best and I will pull my team until we reach our goal. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt in your career so far?Partner with the right people. Just because you’re thirsty doesn’t mean you should drink poison. Follow Garage Guys! On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garageguys.co.za On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garageguys.co.za/ All CEO's Thoughts Interviews and Insights Industry News Interviews and Insights Why Black Friday 2022 will differ from before 26 Oct 2022 Why Black Friday 2022 will differ from before Despite current downturns in the economy, evidence shows that the e-commerce industry is picking up and going back to pre-pandemic… Read More CEO's Thoughts Never stop marketing 26 Oct 2022 Never stop marketing There’s a LOT going on in the world right now. This is not a political piece, yet it is diffiult to ignore the world-shaping events… Read More Interviews and Insights Interview with Sandra Jardim, Blogger/Founder of MammaBearLove 26 Oct 2022 Interview with Sandra Jardim, Blogger/Founder of MammaBearLove Our October profile is Sandra Jardim, mom to twins Gisela and Alaia and blogger/owner of MammaBearLove. She uses her blog as… Read More Prev123Next
Raising the bar
Raising the bar There are those who say perfection doesn’t exist. Some even argue that it can be the greatest stopper. Achieving perfection can seam so unattainable at times that we become afraid and then chose to do nothing instead. High expectations on oneself and one’s team however can be a positive driver. The higher we aim the closer we will come to achieving excellence, and that should after all be the end goal in all our endeavours. Whether as an advertiser, merchant or publisher, running and building a business has its challenges. It isn’t always exciting or rewarding or even fun, but it can be if we know when to recognise small achievements along the way since these happen far more often than greater ones. By setting high standards and expectations for ourselves and our stakeholders, we avoid settling in the comfort zone where there is little opportunity for growth or change. It doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes, but we learn from them and we move on. As the saying goes, making mistakes is far better than faking perfections. Equally there is no such thing as a perfect marketing strategy. It is mostly a case of combining well-researched facts and stats with educated guesses, intuition, experience and creativity. Then testing and tweaking it as you go, constantly aiming for improvement, for perfection. And if one is consistent enough in that process it will eventually lead to excellence. It is neither quickly nor easily done and it does require a lot of hard work and organisation. Of course some mistakes can easily be avoided, which is why we dedicated the next article to highlighting some of the most common mistakes digital marketers make. I trust you will find it useful and in the very least thought provoking. As always I appreciate feedback that can help us improve our offering and have a positive impact on our industry. I wish you a productive week further. Onwards and upwards! Daniel Gross – CEO All Interviews and Insights Industry News CEO's Thoughts Interviews and Insights Why Black Friday 2022 will differ from before 26 Oct 2022 Why Black Friday 2022 will differ from before Despite current downturns in the economy, evidence shows that the e-commerce industry is picking up and going back to pre-pandemic… Read More CEO's Thoughts Never stop marketing 26 Oct 2022 Never stop marketing There’s a LOT going on in the world right now. This is not a political piece, yet it is diffiult to ignore the world-shaping events… Read More Interviews and Insights Interview with Sandra Jardim, Blogger/Founder of MammaBearLove 26 Oct 2022 Interview with Sandra Jardim, Blogger/Founder of MammaBearLove Our October profile is Sandra Jardim, mom to twins Gisela and Alaia and blogger/owner of MammaBearLove. She uses her blog as… Read More Prev123Next
Interview with Zanta du Plessis, CEO of Isabella Garcia International
Our October profile is Zanta du Plessis, CEO and founder of the beauty and cosmetic house, Isabella Garcia Int. She tells us about her entrepreneurial journey, her relentless passion for creating state-of-the-art products and making them available to people from all walks of life in a convenient and unique way. She shares her and the Isabella Garcia team’s commitment to making a difference in the world. Today, she continues to build on her dream, to offer women and men products to bring out the best and most beautiful versions of themselves. Isabella Garcia is a dream turning into a reality; history in the making. Describe yourself in 3 words Driven Passionate Perfectionistic What made you decide to start a business? An internal desire to grow and learn. An urge to make a difference in our country and the world. A natural inclination to lead. A belief that one must also serve. A longing to create. A desire to build. Describe the typical Isabella Garcia customer Our beautiful Ambassadors are people like me… Mothers, sisters, daughters, friends and family members, ladies and men that take 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening to ensure they can share their love, passion and uniqueness with the world and the people around them. Our Ambassadors want to feel confident in who they are; they want to radiate style, elegance, and grace, and they want to leave a lasting memory with their signature scent and beautiful smiles. What makes Isabella Garcia’s products stand out from other beauty products? The 4th point on our mission statement is to never to do something that we are not proud of. I believe that our difference lies in our guardianship of this… of us working together as a team to give life to exceptional products that create an immediate effect, but also lasting benefits. I am personally involved in all product-related steps with regard to the end-to-end process. Sometimes we test 40+ formula variations before we sign off on a final product and, even then, we ask our staff and Ambassadors for their input to perfect it. From a formulation perspective, our cosmetic chemists formulate all our products according to EU regulations, to ensure that we combine nothing but the BEST that nature and science have to offer, to create masterpieces, every time! How do you attract new visitors to your site? Through joint marketing ventures with various partners. The most important tool in your Digital Marketing strategy? This is what AdMarula is helping us figure out! 😊 What have been your highest highs and lowest lows on the journey of building your own business? Our highest highs revolve around anything that involves moving forward and making progress, whether it relates to new products, our clients, or our staff. It is important to note that it is my responsibility to ensure that our lowest lows turn into our highest highs. I say that because the lowest lows, although never nice to face or go through, often bring about beautiful new beginnings and improvements that one would have never tried or thought of if one were not faced with a crossroad. In 2017, we realised that our main campaign was not financially viable and, therefore we had to undergo a restructuring process. This was probably the hardest thing we ever had to do. That being said, I always tell people that, even during that process, I knew that who we were spoke louder than words. We were hands-on, we made sure we helped our people and made as many plans as we possibly could. We reengineered our process and changed direction. As I say, it is about wiping off the tears, standing up the next day, making a plan and putting that plan into action, as soon as possible! The best advice anyone has ever given you? There is SO much to share on this topic! I have been blessed with real life and book mentors… “Power is the ability to take action.” – Tony Robbins “Wisdom is knowing when to have compassion versus courage and vice versa.” – Shachar, CEO Platinum Life “Something can be as common as dirt in one industry but extremely powerful in another.” – Jay Abraham “Speak the truth in love.” – My mom “Things are never as bad as you fear nor as good as you hope.” – My dad “Never let fear block your destiny.” – Maria I often pray that I will have enough wisdom to know when it is within my circle of influence to change something and when to make peace with it if I can’t… – derived from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits book Find out more at https://www.isabellagarcia.co.za or follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabellagarcia_int/
