Competition Tickles the Creative Bone, Leads to Grand Innovation.

Industry leaders and experts in the US are still waiting for the policy review of trade with China that was announced eight months ago. Katherine Tai, one of the top trade officials of President Joe Biden, has stated that she will hold talks with the officials in China over their the trade deal done by the former president, and she also wants to make sure that talks are back on for granting exclusions to Chinese imports. Trade economist Mary Lovely has stated that Tai will be re-engaging with China, and that is certainly a good thing. She furthermore added that the whole plan seems like to just have a conversation with officials in China.

 What happens next regarding the deal will mostly depend on how the conversation goes. Speech delivered by Tai at the Center for Strategic and International Studies has received immense support from the unions, Democratic lawmakers, and also former president’s trade official. In recent times many industries had to pay three years’ worth of tariffs, and now they are keenly looking forward to seeing which products will receive relief from the tariff. Companies and councils are worried that certain industries might have permanent tariff charges if there is no proper roadmap to deal with the same.

 

 

Trifacta Announces Its Continued Expansion into Asia Pacific and Japan

Trifacta has announced plans of continued expansion in Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ). In addition to expanding its presence in the APJ, the company will also add valuable talent to its ranks.

The new plans of expansion are going to add regional presence in Singapore and Bengaluru. To lead this expansion, Trifacta has picked Quoc Tran as the company's first Vice President of the APJ region. VP of Engineering Dinesh Rathi will lead Trifacta's India office, stepping into the executive role this year.

"Under Quoc’s and Dinesh’s leadership, Trifacta's presence in APJ will enable more customers than ever before to take their cloud data engineering initiatives to the next level," said Adam Wilson, CEO, Trifacta. "I'm incredibly impressed with the depth of talent in the region and the entrepreneurial spirit of our India and APJ team. In just a short time, this group has substantially impacted Trifacta's success. Continued investment in this region will be key for our continued innovation, and we are excited to bring on new team members across all departments and locations."

To expand in the APJ region, Trifacta had sourced investments from Telstra Ventures, NTT Docomo Ventures, and Infosys. The company is launching an India R&D center as part of its expansion in the country. For Japan expansion, Trifacta has created partnerships with NEC and NRI, both leading system integrators in Japan. The company has also established distributor partnerships with Hankook Trifacta Pte. Ltd., in Korea, and other key Google Cloud resellers in the region like Devoteam and Brillar.io.

 

Buying a Franchise: Everything You Need to Know

Buying a franchise is the perfect way to start your own company without having to start from scratch. You are able to use a tried and tested business model while benefiting from the years of experience and support of the franchisor. So, what does it take to buy a franchise? We're here to help you understand everything you need to know on your journey to becoming your own boss. 

What Is A Franchise?

A franchise is the rights or licence granted by a company, commonly known as a franchisor, to an individual allowing them to market and trade products or services in a specific location which is often referred to as a territory. 

Once the franchise has been bought, the individual, typically known as the franchisee, must comply with strict guidelines and regulations regarding the business in order to maintain the brand consistency. 

Besides the initial fee, a franchisee will usually pay regular royalties to the franchisor in exchange for access to training, support or marketing assistance. The franchisee and franchisor will have a contract, known as the franchise agreement, where the partnership is tied for a predefined period of time, typically ranging from five to twenty years; these agreements can be renewed when the contract is nearing its end. 

When you are considering buying a franchise, it is crucial to understand the type you want to buy.

 

• Product: In this agreement, the franchisee has permission to sell products using the brand logo, trademark and name. 
• Manufacturing: Here, the franchisee is authorised to manufacture the company’s products and sell them using the brand name, logo, and trademark.
• Business: By far the most popular type of franchise, with this franchise model, the franchisee gains the licence from the franchisor to use their brand with regulations dictating how the business is managed.

Once you've decided which type will suit you, head over to a forum like Franchise Local. Browse through their range of businesses and opportunities, where you can find the perfect franchise for sale.

Advantages Of Owning A Franchise

There are many advantages of owning a franchise. One of the top reasons people choose franchising over starting an independent business is that the risk of failure is significantly reduced with taking on a franchise. The work of developing a brand, ironing out the wrinkles, and building a customer base has already been done, which gives the franchisee more time to invest in the business. 

Most franchises have been in operation long enough to have the testimonies of many other franchisees as proof their business model is successful. Consistent results across the franchise locations will be fully documented and available to anyone looking to buy their own slice of the action. 

Once a franchise has been bought, you are not left alone to your own devices to struggle and fail. There is always full initial and ongoing training provided to the franchisees in order to help them succeed; this allows the franchisee to access support during the initial set-up and future development of the business.

 Working with an already established brand provides a franchisee with instant customers who are familiar with the business from other locations. It is also easier to gain a business loan from the bank when you are buying a franchise as they are seen as low-risk ventures

 

xCloud will soon be available for users in Brazil, Australia, Mexico, and Japan

xCloud from Xbox Cloud Gaming was launched in various regions around the world and has received immense support from the gaming community. Recently, Microsoft had brought this service to browsers, including iOS support. The company is putting in tremendous effort, and several key features have received upgrades, and touch control support was also added to the same. Many big studios have also supported cloud streaming, and many new games for xCloud can be expected in the coming days.

In the TGS 2021 Showcase held by Microsoft, the company made an announcement that it will be bringing its cloud gaming to Brazil and Mexico in a few days and to Japan and Australia in a week. This is being considered as one of the biggest steps by Microsoft to reach global audiences, and we must also note that Microsoft is yet to make an announcement regarding its cloud gaming launch in countries like India. If you are one of those following the launch of xCloud, you must be wondering why it wasn’t launched on iOS sooner or at least with Android. The answer for this is, several restrictions were in the way by Apple, which caused the delay.

 

Starting Your Own Business? Here Are Some Essential Tips For A Post-Pandemic Landscape

If you are on the verge of launching your own small business, then we can only imagine how stressful the last year or so has been for you. We all know that anyone starting their own company is at the mercy of the marketplace to some extent, but the waters have never been as turbulent as they have been since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone hopes for the smoothest possible launch but that has hardly been on the cards since March 2020. However, this summer has finally shown us some reasons to be cheerful. More and more people are getting vaccinated, businesses are reopening, and it feels like we are starting to see something that looks like a return to normality.

However, anyone who has been following the news in the last eighteen months or so knows that the pandemic is not the only thing that can throw obstacles in the way of a fledgling business. There are a number of issues on the horizon that are causes for concern, in addition Coronavirus’ continued potential to wreak more havoc on the business landscape. You need to make sure that you have your bases covered and that you are ready for whatever challenges the end of 2021, and the start of 2022 will throw at you. Here are a few tips to help you make sure that you are making the most of all your assets and that you have the flexibility you need.

Anticipate Issues Before They Arise

There has been no shortage of issues that we have witnessed in the last few months alone that feel like they should have been foreseeable. There have been plenty that were foreseeable, and which happened anyway. You don’t need a pandemic to derail a business and there have been a series of issues that have caused already vulnerable companies, still reeling from the impact of COVID-19, to raise the alarm that hard times are still here. The numerous supply issues that have occurred because of the twin forces of the pandemic and Brexit are the best example. We have seen a massive shortage of HGV drivers, and in turn we have seen empty shelves, supermarkets warning about rising prices and unavailable items, and fast-food chains announcing that they can’t offer chicken or milkshakes.

You may not feel like these specific issues affect your business, but the fact of the matter is that there will be ways in which these major upheavals hit home one way or another. How can you stay ahead of them? Building in flexibility is ideal, but it is not always an option. Keep following the news, keep talking to your experts such as your accountant and your lawyer to go through worst case scenarios, and remember that you need to focus on what lies ahead as much as the issues at hand.

Look For Smart Ways To Save

We are all doing our best to look on the bright side right now but only a very foolhardy entrepreneur would think that this is a smart time to splash the cash where you don’t need to. When you are first launching, there is always the temptation to go big on your investments. This is your baby, after all, and it makes sense that you would want to pay to get the best. But we all need to be keeping one eye on our budgets and looking for those little, or big, ways to save will absolutely help you if things get more difficult a month or two down the line. The office is obviously a big expense, but what about all those other business-related costs?

Don’t be afraid to go hunting for the best possible deals on everything from your energy bills to your shipping costs. Talk to your accountant about what kind of tax breaks you can be applying for, and what kind of costs you can avoid at this early stage. Take phone plans, for example. The work phone is one of those things that you cannot do without, but there is no reason why you should be paying for more than you need. A SIM only plan will give you all the essentials without tying you into costs for bundles that you are never going to use. Lebara offers a wide range of different SIM only plan options that can be tailored to suit your business’ specific requirements. With no credit checks and 30-day rolling plans, there are no strings attached.

Do You Really Need An Office?

For a very long time, the office has been something for small businesses to aspire to. It is a status symbol as much as anything else, a statement that you are here and that you mean business, literally. It is somewhere to welcome potential clients and somewhere to put on your email signature. Of course, there are plenty of practical benefits to having everyone under the same roof too. But when the world locked down back in March 2020, everyone was forced to consider the idea that maybe the office was not as essential as we had assumed it was. We all had to figure out how to keep moving forward while working remotely because there was no other choice.

Even now, as many businesses consider the return to the old workplace, or have already started the procedure to get everyone back in, a lot of people are still asking the question: is this really going to help us? If you are just starting your business now, flexibility is going to be absolutely crucial. An office is a big expense to commit to, and if there is another major rise in cases or another lockdown, you may have to give it up soon after you’ve paid for it. You should also consider that not committing to a physical location may actually help you find people who are better suited to their roles from all over the country.

Focus On Your Online Presence

One of the best ways that you can give your new business the best possible foothold is to start working on your online presence right now. So many businesses were forced to pivot to online out of necessity during the lockdowns, but if you incorporate your online strategy into your business plan straight out of the gate, you will give yourself a big advantage.

Start by making sure that your website is easy to use and easy on the eye. Avoid templates that look like having a home page was an afterthought. Work on your SEO strategy now by creating content that demonstrates your expertise and what sets you apart from the competition. Remember that Google factors user experience into how they determine search rankings, so don’t just fill blog posts with key words and leave it at that.

Start building your social media presence as soon as possible. Keep in mind that this is one of the best ways to get your brand name out there and to interact with your core audience. Engage with your customers and start working on your brand persona. Research which channels your target audience uses and prioritise those. Everyone can spot an insincere brand social media channel so make sure yours has a real personality.