Tuesday, March 1, 2016

11 Instagram tools & Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen on doing business in China...



11 Instagram tools
A very useful article detailing 11 tools to make better use of Instagram including “Videohance” which produces 15 second videos - although introduced in 2013, videos are still not widely used on Instagram – photos tend to dominate, so video is a great way to stand out.  Another one I like the sound of is “Word Swag” where you can overlay text on your photos.  “iWatermark” helps prevent others using your photos without crediting you. “Flipagram” helps make a collage of your photos while “Diptic” produces a scrapbook effect.  And if you’re always blaming the quality of photos on your phone - like me - try “Camera+” to help improve them!

Llewelyn-Bowen & doing business in China
The flamboyant designer, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen advises people who want to do business in China not to listen to advice about how difficult it is to do so.  While he refers in the article to British brands, the advice would apply to us here in Ireland also. The key he says is understanding what your brand stands for and how it resonates with the Chinese market.  He stands for every day, affordable design which is appealing to the growing middles class in China.  He had been told that he would have to stay up all night drinking with the boss to get a deal and that the Chinese are only into minimalist zen design – wrong on both counts according to his experiences to date.  Worth a read….

What to look at before you leap
For anyone thinking of making the leap into entrepreneurship, there’s some good, practical tips here.  These include; Don’t get too wedded to your idea; Do the research; Ensure you have a mix of Creativity + Discipline + Stamina; Ask yourself will it make money; Work out your costs - and then double them and likewise with the timeframe that you expect to be up and running. Do a risk analysis and it’s recommended that you take advice from people who have run their own businesses, who’ve walked the walk.  And, interestingly, build a team - as Enterprise Ireland say they will “almost never” invest in a one man band.


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