As e-commerce continues to expand its market share, having a website is the bare minimum for small businesses – but it's not enough to convert site visitors into customers. Good site design, says Squarespace founder and CEO Anthony Casalena, can be a competitive advantage. And as the New York City-based company announces 100 product innovations and features through its annual Squarespace Refresh release, Casalena says that Squarespace is increasingly focused on helping small businesses and people who facilitate transactions through their websites, like independent creators, to improve conversion. Fluid Engine, a drag-and-drop editor that allows Squarespace users to fully customize…

My favorite thing about teaching is question and answer sessions. I recently participated in a Q&A session with two entrepreneurs who had read my book, Hungry Start-Up Strategy. This brought to mind a basic question: What are the vital questions from investors, customers, employees, suppliers and others that business leaders must answer to keep their companies growing. While not comprehensive, I came up with four vital questions for company success and how business leaders can find compelling answers. 1. How large is your addressable market and how fast is it growing? This question is vital because if there is no…

We all know the best way to deal with truly toxic people is to cut them out of your life. That sounds simple but in business, sometimes it's just not possible. If the party on the other side of a make-or-break transaction is a drama queen, your new contact at a big client has a flair for manipulation or a key supplier tends towards histrionics, simply walking away can be impossible. What do you do then? Mental health startup BetterUp has a therapist-recommended suggestion with a memorable, descriptive name: try "gray rocking." Visualize yourself as a gray rock The name…

In order to attract more investors, especially at a period of inflationary pressures in the country, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) increased interest rate on the Treasury Bills (T-Bills) to 6.49 per cent in October 2022, reaching its highest figures in 32 months. When MPR was at 14 per cent in 2019, the interest rate on T-Bill was hovering above 10 per cent, according to the CBN money market indicators. CBN in 2022 increased MPR from 11.5 per cent to 13 per cent in May 2022 and eventually moved it to 15.5 per cent in a bid to tackle raising…