ZipZap Expands Bitcoin Buying Service to 34 European Countries

Transaction network ZipZap has announced that consumers across 34 countries will soon be able to use its cash-to-bitcoin services.

The company says consumers will be able to use its platform to purchase digital currency, pay bills for their relatives in other countries, alongside a host of other services. ZipZap offers free sign up, free wallet and free deposit services.

The expansion comes just months after the company announced plans to enter the Latin American market.

CEO Alan Safahi spoke to CoinDesk back in April to explain his vision for the future of innovative payment services in emerging markets and developed economies.

Simplifying payments worldwide

ZipZap says it has already developed strategic partnerships across Europe in order to facilitate the expansion. It now accepts cash and bank transfers from networks including: GiroPay, SEPA, SOFORT, iDeal and MisterCash.

The company has experienced issues with its payment processors in the past. Earlier this year it was forced to suspend services in the UK after its payment processor PayPoint said it needed more clarification on the regulations surrounding bitcoin.

However, it did not take long for the company to secure a new partner, PayZone, and resume operations in the country.

“ZipZap has a commitment to simplify and democratise payments worldwide,” said Simon Nahnybida, senior vice president of business development for ZipZap.

“We are now enabling more consumers with the power to easily, safely and securely buy digital currencies at affordable prices using multiple payment options.”

Over the counter

Alan Safahi: ZipZap is not the first platform to target over-the-counter transactions. London’s first bitcoin voucher shop, Azteco, opened earlier this year on the edge of the city’s financial district. Customers hand the shop’s attendant cash to receive a voucher code that can be redeemed at the Azteco website – minus a 3% commission.

Further afield, bitcoin users in Ukraine can now utilise a network of more than 4,900 payment terminals to convert their cash into digital currency all over the country. The machines, known as BNK-24 terminals, also allow customers to pay utility bills and purchase mobile phone credit.

BTCU, the company behind the service, charges 3.5% commission on each transaction – citing pent-up demand for a cheaper, more convenient payment system to settle overseas e-commerce transactions.

Originally Posted: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2014/07/23/zipzap-expands-bitcoin-buying-service-to-34-european-countries/

ZED Network Strives to Boost Developing Countries’ Economies

ZED Network is a blockchain-based platform for Money Transfer Operators (MTOs) to instantly, transparently, and inexpensively settle remittances by removing the correspondent banks that act as inefficient intermediaries. They are a current venture in the CDL Blockchain-AI Incubator Stream. We sat down with Co-Founder and CEO Alan Safahi to discuss his background, company, and CDL experience.

Like most crypto- and blockchain-enthusiasts, Alan Safahi first became familiar with Bitcoin after reading Satoshi Nakamoto’s now-infamous whitepaper. In the years following, he would incorporate Bitcoin purchasing into his former startup, ZipZap, and serve as an advisor to blockchain companies such as Ripple, the decentralized payment network that also created a virtual currency. In a natural next step, Safahi’s current company combines his expertise in both blockchain and financial services.

ZED Network uses blockchain technology to provide a compliant, instant settlement platform for money transfer operators (MTOs). The ZED blockchain uses tokens to record on a distributed ledger assets held, transferred, or received by client MTOs. Doing so removes the need for banks to serve as intermediaries, and MTOs can receive tokens that can be instantly converted to funds in their local bank account.

Safahi saw early on that blockchain and cryptocurrencies held the most promise for creating fast, cost-efficient, secure back-end systems. “Cryptocurrencies are not good for e-commerce. Buying a pizza or a beer with Bitcoin wouldn’t be that valuable,” Safahi said. “It’s most beneficial for international remittances to developing nations.”

Safahi brings considerable experience as a startup founder and blockchain and remittance expert to bear on ZED Network’s operations. The company reduces transaction costs by 75% and facilitates transparent transactions that occur within seconds (compared with the standard opaque process that takes up to 72 hours). All transactions are recorded on the ZED ledger, fully eliminating reconciliation costs. MTOs who use the ZED Network also have access to a full suite of remittance products dubbed Remittance-In-A-Box. To ensure security and compliance with anti-money laundering and Know Your Customer regulations, ZED Network operates a private blockchain with its own token so it can verify the authenticity of each user and transaction.

Working with MTOs that provide remittance services isn’t just a business proposition for Safahi and the ZED Network team. It’s also a calling. “The best way we can really make an impact worldwide is to eliminate fees for remittances,” Safahi said. “We did a bunch of studies that showed when you eliminate remittance fees, you’re putting money back in people’s pockets that need it the most. In developing countries, it increases GDP, which can lead to better healthcare, better food, better quality of water, better medicine.” To be exact, Safahi’s studies shows that the removal of remittance fees could unlock $15 billion for developing countries.

By providing a low-cost, secure blockchain platform to MTOs, the ZED Network creates an avenue through which those positive outcomes can grow. “The idea is to reduce the costs so much that they can afford to give away remittances to individuals but make money on the corporate clients,” Safahi said.

ZED Network is growing steadily, and Safahi attributes that largely to the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL). When an advisor introduced Safahi to the concept of CDL, he decided to scale ZED Network’s growth by joining the Blockchain-AI stream. CDL’s network of mentors, academics, investors, and fellow entrepreneurs seemed an ideal environment for refining the ZED Network solution and value proposition.

Safahi said he was especially drawn, however, to CDL’s unique relationship with leading universities, including the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and the Stern School of Business at New York University, among others. With a bachelor of science from California State University, Fullerton and an MBA from the University of Southern California, Safahi strongly values the connection between entrepreneurs and academics and researchers. “When you think of creating startups, you should think of universities as a resource for talent and ideas, among others,” he said.

The experience far exceeded his expectations and it scaled the company’s progress and changed Safahi’s thinking on the company’s leadership. Because he had always started companies on his own, he didn’t think he needed co-founders for ZED Network. But CDL mentors helped him see the value of expanding the founding team and that the company would be stronger if it was led by people who held different strengths but a similar dedication to the mission. He thus asked Andre Flores, one of his invaluable employees with whom he had also worked at a previous startup, to join him as a co-founder and said it was a significant step forward for the company.

Beyond the network of mentors and advisors, Safahi said CDL created many critical growth opportunities for the business. From an intern-turned-investor to world-class economists, the ZED Network concept was carefully vetted and refined throughout the program. They connected with a programming team they hired to go to market faster, and stayed hyper-focused on their progress based on intensive sprints and investor meetings. ZED also attracted the mentorship and investment of William Tunstall-Pedoe, one of the inventors of the Amazon Echo, Anthony Lacavera, CEO of Globalive who was the creator of WIND Mobile, and many others.

“Every aspect of ZED, either directly or indirectly, was influenced by CDL,” Safahi said. “Knowing what I know now, it would have been disastrous if I hadn’t joined.”

Looking ahead, ZED aims to build a global network of MTOs and replace traditional money transfer protocols, such as SWIFT. To fulfill this vision, Alan Safahi said he only hires people who are also passionate about reducing remittance costs and creating a secure, innovative network. Passion, he said, is essential to any startup’s success.

“If having your own company is really just about money, forget about it,” he said. “You’ve got to do it for passion. There are so many obstacles that come your way, that if you don’t love it, it’s really hard to sustain.”

Originally Posted: https://www.creativedestructionlab.com/blog/zed-network-strives-to-boost-developing-countries-economies-by-eliminating-remittance-fees/

Peek Into Future of Life Extension

Introduction: What is life extension and why should you care?

Living to 100 years old is a dream for many people. But what if by some chance we could live much longer? The question of how long human beings can live has been on the table for centuries, but now it seems that the answer may be as long as 500, 600 or even 1000 years.

Recently, scientists from Sydney University and Harvard Medical School jointly published a research report entitled “Longevity escape velocity: a new approach to aging”.

The report is based on the theory that life expectancy could increase at a rate of up to two years each year, meaning that if this trend continues, people will be able to live to age 1,000 within the next few decades.

It is predicted that future generations are likely to have lifespans of 1,000 years or more. With increased longevity comes increased health risks. These include mental decline which could lead to dementia and other neurological disorders.

“I now think there is a 50% chance that we will reach longevity escape velocity by 2036. After that point (the “Methuselarity”), those who regularly receive the latest rejuvenation therapies will never suffer from age-related ill-health at any age.” So said eminent biomedical gerontologist and co-founder of the SENS Research Foundation, Dr Aubrey de Grey recently on Twitter.

The idea of living longer is exciting to some, but for others it can create fear. How can we make sure to keep ourselves healthy?

We need to consider how our bodies will be affected when we live longer. A healthy lifestyle is not just about eating better, exercising, and reducing stress. A healthy lifestyle means that there are no signs of age-related health problems already present or that they are very mild.

Benefits and risks of living longer

There are many benefits to living longer. One example is people won’t be taking care of their parents for as long, which means they’ll be able to take care of themselves or their children.

You will also be able to accumulate more wisdom over your lifetime because we’re living longer and we’re accumulating more knowledge each year.

However, longevity can be a double-edged sword: while our lifespan might increase, so might the risks associated with it.

The risks associated with longevity are the same as risks associated with any other long term health condition; research still needs to be done on how this will change the world.

The risks of longevity are not just the increased risk of cancer and other diseases, but also things like financial stability and social support.

Environmental risks include increased production of greenhouse gases, global warming and depletion of natural resources.

Scientists, however, generally agree that the rewards for longevity far outweigh the risks.

What are the different ways we can use today to live longer?

Alan Safahi: There are several ways in which humans can live longer. Genetic modification is one of the most controversial methods of extending our life, while enhancement technologies like prosthetics, bionic organs and gene editing is relatively more acceptable.

Some people support genetic modifications because it has the potential to keep us healthy at all times by eliminating the risk of developing some diseases that are genetically related.

While others oppose this method because they believe that it will lead to a rise in inequality by giving only a few people access to this technology.

The other two methods, enhancement technologies and physical augmentation, don’t seem as controversial for various reasons.

Enhancement technologies can be seen as an extension of current medical procedures such as pacemakers or insulin pumps so it doesn’t raise similar ethical concerns- though

How does society prepare for a world of prolonged lifespans?

Life extension is an important consideration when talking about the future of society. One of the main fears for this is the population explosion, meaning that there are not enough resources to go around. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The world population has increased exponentially in the past two centuries, yet food resources have grown at the same rate. We are not running out of food!

Expected future trends include an increase in crop yield through improvements in irrigation and weather forecasting, a decrease in arable land due to mining and industrial development, and an increase in meat (or meat substitute) consumption

Additionally, with future technologies like ocean farming and vertical gardening, we can expect to see such abundance of food in the future that it becomes potentially free to anyone, humans or animals.

However, with life extension, there is a chance that most people will have a longer lifespan with fewer children born in between. There are also various other impacts on society that need to be accounted for when discussing longevity, most notably changing values and viewpoints over time.

Introduction: With the advent of life-extending technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology and artificial organs, extending lifespans has become more feasible in recent years. But what does this mean for society? If people live longer, this might lead to an overpopulation problem or changes in values or viewpoints overtime.

Conclusion

The future of life extension is in the hands of the scientists. They are trying to find the perfect combinations that might prolong our lives. These dreams are far off but it is necessary to think about them because if we want to live longer, it is our responsibility to take care of our health.

There are various possibilities that can come true in this endeavour including figuring out how to stop aging, how to cure cancer, and many others. There are many questions asked by scientists but one thing is certain — they will keep working on finding a way for us to live 1,000+ years!

# # #

Alan Safahi is an entrepreneur, investor, advisor, futurist and amateur freedom fighter.

Safahi is a Principal at Safahi Global Advisor, an Orinda, California advisory and consulting firm specializing in banking, financial services, Fintech, money transfer and cryptocurrencies.

Originally Posted: https://safahi.com/how-to-live-1-000-years-a-peek-into-future-of-life-extension-4945bb173a5d

Complete Guide to Farming Plants on Ocean

With the increased demand for food sources, there is a need for a new type of farming that can help feed our ever-growing population. In order to meet this demand, we must come up with ways to maximize production and minimize waste. The solution may be found in the world’s oceans.

Ocean farming may be hugely beneficial because it provides an opportunity to grow and harvest plant and animal protein without depleting our land and water resources. The biggest benefits of this new form of “aquaculture” are that it provides a sustainable source of protein that doesn’t require fresh water or arable land; it has the potential to reduce overfishing; and it could provide jobs for people living in coastal areas around the world who don’t have other job opportunities.

Alan Safahi: The ocean farming market has been expanding in recent years due to the growing demand for food. The growth of the industry is especially important because it’s helping to combat the global food shortage problem.

The farming of marine life is not a new concept. It has been around for centuries, but it became more prevalent after the Japanese tsunami in 2011. This disaster caused an increase in fish stocks and prices, which made people think about the alternatives to traditional fishing.

There are many positive aspects of ocean farming, but also some negative ones. For example, ocean farming is good for the environment because it prevents land mass pollution by sewage and runoff from agricultural production which can reduce carbon emissions if done properly. 

Scientists have been researching salt-water resistant trees for decades  to better understand how they prevent decay and use this knowledge to create a tree that can withstand climate change.  After All these trees are wonderful examples of plant life thriving in the harshest environments.

The idea behind salt water resistant plants is that they can grow with seawater as their only nutrient source, and they can be used as a food source by humans or feed for livestock.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this discovery is that it has been observed in many areas of the world, not just one or two. This means that there are more trees out there than previously anticipated.

Scientists must now find out what makes these trees saltwater resistant. It will be important for us to know this because if we can use this knowledge to make all types of plants saltwater resistant, then our food crisis might finally be solved!

In the past, saltwater resistant trees were a product of plant breeding. In the future, they will be bred from scratch by scientists. The team will look at the genes that have evolved in plants that have been able to survive in these salt-laden habitats and then compare them with those of plants that have not been able to survive in these conditions.

# # #

Alan Safahi is an entrepreneur, investor, advisor, futurist and amateur freedom fighter.  

Safahi is a Principal at Safahi Global Advisor, an Orinda, California advisory and consulting firm specializing in banking, financial services, Fintech, money transfer and cryptocurrencies.

Originally Posted: https://alansafahi.weebly.com/blog/complete-guide-to-farming-plants-on-ocean

Planting Trees on Ocean Floor to Fight Climate Change

The Earth is at a tipping point. Our planet’s temperature has risen 1 degree Celsius since the industrial age, and if we do not act soon, the world will face catastrophic consequences.

We cannot afford to wait any longer. The majority of climate change deniers are those who have been solely benefiting from the status quo — those with privilege, those who have been benefiting from dirty energy sources. It is time for us as a global community to come together and make a difference before it is too late.

Alan Safahi: The oceans are currently absorbing about one-quarter of the carbon dioxide that human activities are emitting into the atmosphere. But as oceans go deeper, they have a harder time being able to absorb any more CO2.

One solution to save ourselves from climate change is to plant trees deep underwater. This can help reduce atmospheric CO2 levels and prevent some of the worst impacts of climate change, while still leaving plenty of space for human life on land.

The idea is that planting trees deep underwater will help absorb CO2 emissions and help maintain our current energy system without requiring large alterations in everyday life like giving up driving or eating meat.

Trees are excellent carbon sinks and plant life, but they lack oxygen to grow at an optimal level when submerged underwater for too long. However, scientists have found a way to combat this by growing plants in flooded greenhouses using hydroponics and nutrient solutions. This innovative idea is sure to provide a sustainable solution to the devastating effects of global warming.

How Planting Trees in the Ocean Will Improve the Environment

A new way to improve the environment is through oceanic plantings. The trees will be planted in the ocean, and this would help improve the health of marine life. The plants will also be able to grow on salt water, meaning that they could also be used for other bodies of water where plants cannot grow well.

The plants will help improve the environment because they will provide food sources for animals in the oceans, as well as offer them shade. They are also expected to filter pollutants from the water, meaning that it would be less polluted than before these plants were introduced. This means that animals can now live healthier lives without worrying about pollution coming from humans or other sources.

The Plant Trees on the Ocean Floor Idea and What Challenges It Faces

The idea of planting trees on the ocean floor as a way to combat climate change has been around for decades. However, there are still plenty of questions that need to be answered before this idea becomes a reality.

For example, what impact would the roots have on marine life? How could we protect these underwater forests from poaching?

The world’s oceans are increasingly becoming more polluted, warmer, and more acidic. These changes in the water could be disastrous to the marine ecosystem.

Plants that grow underwater can help combat these changes by absorbing carbon dioxide and helping to keep the pH levels balanced.

Positive impacts of oceanic plantings

Oceanic plantings are an important part of improving the quality of our oceans because they provide habitat for marine life. They also provide oxygen production through photosynthesis. Lastly, they are an important part to improving water quality in the oceans by capturing pollutants in their roots and leaves.

The physical oceanic planting of plants is the practice of bringing terrestrial plants into the ocean by using boats, kayaks, or other vessels. It may also refer to the planting of saltwater tolerant plants on coastal land.

The practice is thought to date back thousands of years to when Polynesian settlers moved from island to island across the Pacific Ocean. The first documented evidence was found in 1931 on Palmyra Atoll which was once inhabited by Polynesian settlers. The H.M.S. Beagle made contact with inhabitants on the uninhabited atoll who introduced Captain Fitzroy to a variety of palms that they had planted there centuries before that were still thriving in 1839 when they stopped by again on their way home from South America.

Conclusion

The Earth as we know it is at the precipice of a major change. The human population has become so large and its demands on the environment so unsustainable that we are now in danger of crossing a threshold and triggering irreversible consequences for life on this planet: climate change, ocean acidification, and mass extinction.

There are many countries in the world which are at risk to climate change. If we do not take any action in the near future, then these countries will have huge problems in the future. We should start planting trees on the ocean floor.

Planting trees on the ocean floor would help to save land from disasters, while still leaving plenty of room for human life to grow.

# # #

Alan Safahi is an entrepreneur, investor, advisor, futurist and amateur freedom fighter.

​Safahi is a Principal at Safahi Global Advisor, an Orinda, California advisory and consulting firm specializing in banking, financial services, Fintech, money transfer and cryptocurrencies.

Originally Posted: https://safahi.com/planting-trees-on-ocean-floor-to-fight-climate-change-6d893db6448d

Comprehensive Guide to Investing in Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrency is a digital currency that uses cryptography to regulate its creation and usage. Cryptocurrencies are not issued by a central authority, but instead they are mined by computers solving mathematical problems. This solves the issue of double spending – a problem where a cryptocurrency is spent more than once.

Cryptocurrencies can be divided into two categories: fiat-backed cryptocurrencies and decentralized cryptocurrencies. Fiat-backed cryptocurrencies are backed by governments, while centralized cryptocurrencies are backed by computer software algorithms.

Digital Currencies are quickly becoming a popular form of currency. While this may seem like a difficult topic to research, the benefits of investing in them are worth it. This article will cover some of the benefits and give you some pointers on how to invest in digital currencies.

The benefits of digital currencies

The first benefit is that they are anonymous and decentralized, meaning everyone can use them and no one has control over them.

Next, digital currencies do not need any kind of bank or central office and transactions take place instantly and globally.

Lastly, another one of the benefits is that they don’t need to be stored in any kind of physical location because they exist only in the digital world with nothing tangible backing it up at all.

Pros and Cons of buying crypto

You should know that bitcoin is not for everyone. The price of bitcoin has been inconsistent which makes it hard to predict whether it will go up or down in the future.

Your other option is to buy an e-currency like ethereum, litecoin or ripple. These are cryptocurrencies that are more stable than bitcoin and have the potential to grow in value.

Cryptocurrency is a form of currency that is digital, decentralized, and completely secure. There are many different types of cryptocurrency such as bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum, and more. If you want to invest in cryptocurrency then you’ll need to know how to buy bitcoin first.

Alan Safahi: There are a few ways you can buy bitcoins with traditional currency (like USD). You can buy bitcoins through your local exchange, with a credit card, or with another cryptocurrency like Ethereum, Litecoin or Ripple by using an exchange site that converts into BTC.

How to Buy, Store, and Sell Crypto Assets?

First, there is the option of buying cryptocurrencies on an exchange. If you have only one cryptocurrency, then you can store it on exchanges like Coinbase or Kraken.

This type of investment will require you to purchase them with fiat currency such as USD or GBP, which can be done through an online trading platform such as Coinbase.

But if you have more than one cryptocurrency then there are various options for storing them such as hardware wallets like Ledger Nano S and software wallets like Exodus Wallet or Jaxx Wallet.

You can also use paper wallets if you want to store them offline. And lastly, you could buy a vault that stores your coins for you in case things go wrong with other storage methods mentioned earlier.

Trading platforms allow for the exchange of one type of cryptocurrency for another and also offer access to trading pairs between digital assets and fiat currencies.

Another way to invest in cryptocurrency is by using mining software and hardware. Mining is the process of verifying transactions through solving complex mathematical puzzles.

The Pros and Cons of Investing in Cryptocurrency

Investing in cryptocurrencies is a great way to make money. However, before you start investing, it’s best to understand that there are a few things that you should know. There are a number of ways that people can invest their money in crypto and some of them might be better than others for your purposes.

Investing in cryptocurrency is a tricky thing. It can have a lot of benefits, but it also has a lot of risks. Cryptocurrency is a volatile investment and you need to be willing to accept that.

The pros of investing in cryptocurrency are that it is a quick way to make money, you can invest with small amounts, and there are no transaction fees when you buy your coins.

The cons of investing in cryptocurrency are that it is unregulated, volatile, and there’s not much information about the founders or company behind the coins.

What are the Risks of Crypto Investing?

The biggest risks of crypto investing include financial losses, tax implications and legal liabilities.

The risk of loss is high because you don’t get the same protections afforded to investing in stocks or securities. This means that if your cryptocurrency gets stolen or hacked, there is nothing you can do about it.

It’s possible for investors to be taxed on their cryptocurrency gains without even realizing they owe money because records might not be kept properly.

Legal liabilities also come into play when people use cryptocurrencies for transactions or investments that may break laws in their respective jurisdiction.

Conclusion

Investing in digital currencies could be the smartest financial decision you make this decade. Digital currencies are unlike any other investment opportunity in history. They are more secure, faster, and provide an unprecedented degree of privacy.

The benefits of investing in cryptocurrencies include financial gains: you can make money if the price goes up.

The risks include potential losses when buying or selling via an exchange due to volatility and user errors.

Other risks include legal and tax implications since crypto is mainly unregulated so do your research and contact your legal counsel or tax advisor if you are unsure.

# # #

Alan Safahi is an entrepreneur, investor, advisor, futurist and amateur freedom fighter.

Safahi is a Principal at Safahi Global Advisor, an Orinda, California advisory and consulting firm specializing in banking, financial services, Fintech, money transfer and cryptocurrencies.

Originally Posted: https://vocal.media/theChain/a-comprehensive-guide-to-investing-in-cryptocurrencies

Know About Turnkey Processing Solutions

The online payment processing landscape can seem overwhelming for many businesses with a vast array of moving parts and a wide range of integrations and regulations to keep track of. That is why everyone from small startups to large multi-national corporations works with payment processing partners to ensure the perfect payment orchestration layer. One of those payment processing services is known as Turnkey processing solutions.

The Zed Network specializes in working with financial institutions, FOREX firms, and FINTECH companies and provides them with a comprehensive payment orchestration platform to create an efficient global operation. That means we know all there is to know about payment processing and what it entitles, and we thought we should let you know about one of the significant parts of payment processing, and that’s Turnkey processing solutions.

According to Zed Founder and entrepreneur Alan Safahi, a Turnkey is a type of project that is constructed so that it can be sold to any buyer as a completed product. So what is it, and why does it matter? Well, that’s what we will talk about in the following passages. Hopefully, you will need to know all there is to know about Turnkey processing solutions by the end. So let’s check out what it entails!

What Are Turnkey Processing Solutions?

Turnkey Processing is a merchant service company from Meriden, Connecticut. It is one of the most popular options for businesses setting up a process to accept credit cards. According to Safahi, service evolution is constantly going through service evolution to find better, easier, and more innovative ways to support entrepreneurs and business owners. They provide POS technology along with business support services to fit your particular needs. So is it right for you, and what does this service entail? Well, let’s check it out!

Turnkey Processing Fees:

Turnkey Processing solutions fees aren’t disclosed on their website, and the reason is that they provide custom solutions. However, you can contact them and get a quick quote whenever you want. You can go to the website and click the “request quote” option and get a quote. It’s free and private, so you don’t have to worry about sales calls.

Contract and Termination Fees:

We could not find any information on Turnkey Processing contract length or termination fees on the website or anywhere else. However, we did find that the company offers clients legal support if they want to get out of an existing contract with another processor.

Turnkey Processing’s Solutions & Services:

Turkey provides you with a wide range of options when it comes to taking payments. The company will use a point of sale system, countertop credit card machine, or mobile device to aid in sales, whether it’s in-person, online, or by mail or phone order. Here are some of the Turnkey Processing solutions for online businesses:

Turnkey In-Person Credit Card Processing:

It’s the perfect solution for retailers, restaurants, and fixed-location businesses. It lets you take major credit and debit cards when the customer is ready to pay for an item at your company. They offer businesses plenty of choices like complete point-of-sale systems or more compact countertop credit card machines.

Online Credit Card Processing:

Turnkey has a wide range of support for online businesses. The company offers in-house consultants to assist with web design and shopping cart integration when you like to accept payments online. According to Safahi, Turnkey Processing recommends a design/e-commerce partner as well named Deluxa Design. The best thing about Turnkey Processing is its compatibility with the most meaningful solutions like Prestashop, Magento, FreshBooks, Shopify, 3DCart, and Authorize.Net.

Mail & Phone Order Processing:

If you are a business taking payments through mail and phone orders, you will need to have different types of equipment than traditional in-store purchases. That’s why Turnkey Processing company offers its clients a “virtual terminal” that they can access from any computer with an internet connection. It lets companies collect payment info, set up recurring billing, and securely process payments even when the customer is not present.

Business Funding:

Turnkey Processing is all about helping online businesses. Along with credit card processing services, Turnkey Processing offers businesses funding for expenses as well. It starts from 10000 dollars to 100000 dollars with a choice of financing options. There’s a repayment pant that varies depending on the amount of credit card sales, and there is another option that involves fixed repayment.

Gift Cards:

Turnkey Processing lets you create customized gift cards, and if you are already selling gift cards through a third-party program, then you can integrate it with the service. You can even connect multiple branches or franchises into one program for easy tracking and redemption to ensure customer convenience.

Equipment:

Turkey Processing offers businesses equipment that’s compatible with First Data. You can even integrate popular techs like the Clover station point of sale system, Clover Mobile, and Clover Mini. Suppose you already have a point of sale system for your business. In that case, you can integrate it with your Turnkey Processing solutions as it’s usually compatible with systems like Micros and Aloha.

Even if you don’t need a POS system and need something more compact, then Turnkey Processing also offers countertop credit card machines. You can choose a wide range of devices, and you will be able to find machines that include NFC (contactless) capability so you can accept digital wallets like Apple Pay, while other terminals can take EMV chip cards or EBT cards. You can even find mobile and wireless options that will let you accept payments in various locations.

Turnkey Processing Solutions For Perfect Payment Processing

If you look up Turnkey Processing solutions, you will see many reviews about the company, which is a surprise because there isn’t much about credit card processing. However, if you look up the company, you will find plenty of people giving rave reviews about Turnkey’s honesty, excellent customer service, prompt responses, knowledge, and reasonable pricing. Turnkey Processing is a widely accredited company with the BBB as well. When we last check, it had an A+ rating and 0 complaints lodged with the BBB. If you need Turnkey solutions, but under a more comprehensive payment orchestration layer, please contact us

At Zed, we specialize in creating customized payment orchestration layers for any company that needs them at an affordable rate. So get in touch. If you have any more questions regarding payment processing or Turnkey Processing, then drop them in the comments below or hit us up on our socials, and we will get back to you. And with that being said, that’s about all we have for you today. We will come back with something new for you soon. Until then, see ya!

Originally Posted: https://www.zed.network/what-you-need-to-know-about-turnkey-processing-solutions

7 Benefits of Gig Economy for Employers

Many forex traders ask Alan Safahi of Orinda, Contra Costa: How to overcome the odds stacked against me in the forex trading business? Alan Safahi is an experienced entrepreneur and the founder of a startup company in Francisco.

Safahi has a firm grip on the forex market and usually highlights that mind, money, and method are the three things that define success in forex trading. Today’s article will give you a list of seven strategies to tackle the odds of trading forex. Read on!

1. Market Sentiment: Market sentiment is an essential factor or strategy that drives forex trading. It influences your decision and triggers specific thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Alan Safahi recommends determining different elements that define the current market sentiment. Next, find out how you can incorporate sentiment analysis into your forex trading.

2. Trend Riding: Instead of closing your eyes and purchasing at any point during the uptrend or short-selling during a downtrend, you should focus on riding trends. Remember, there is much more to riding trends than simply focusing on uptrends and downtrends.

It is crucial to find ways that allow you to jump on a trend when it is the most robust. Avoid focusing on when the trend is about to end. That way, you can ride a trend with increased chances of success.

3. Breakout Fading: The forex price charts can experience many false breakouts. The occurrence of these fake-outs provides you with an opportunity to leverage the power of fading breakouts. For instance, you can trade against those breakouts. Therefore, it is crucial to find out why most breakouts fail and identify fading opportunities with higher probabilities.

4. Breakout Trading: A large, sustained move in the breakout can occur due to currency prices break out at certain price levels. As a result, it leads to a situation that enables you to capture significant profits in the least amount of time.

However, the primary issue with the trading breakout strategy is that many of such breakout attempts fail. Therefore, it is wise to identify potential breakouts and related opportunities for this strategy.

5. Decreased Volatility Breakout: Decreased volatility breakout is somehow similar to the breakout trading strategy. It is because you will hope for a successful price breakout in both situations. However, this strategy requires that the foreign exchange market register a period of low volatility before you make an attempt to implement the strategy.

6. Carry Trade: Carry trade is a fundamental trade strategy highly favored by Safahi. It is particularly beneficial for institutional investors. Before implementing this strategy or method, learn how a carry trade works in the forex market.

Carry trade allows you to profit from the interest rate spread and the currency’s price movement. It is crucial to focus on high-yield currency for a steady return. Likewise, this strategy leads to risk-free profit-making when you use the difference in currency rates.

7. News Straddling: The foreign exchange market is sensitive to geopolitical and economic news worldwide, especially news related to developed countries like the U.S, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, and France.

News is very important to forex trading because each new piece of data or information can change the perceptions of the trader’s current and future situation. It can also influence the outlook of specific currency pairs.

Originally Posted: https://alansafahi.weebly.com/blog/7-benefits-of-gig-economy-for-employers

What will be B2B payment trends in 2022?

Individuals and businesses throughout history have relied on various payment systems to purchase products and services. Today, payments have advanced from the bartering system through a myriad of technological innovations, leading to convenience.

Companies have never had a wide range of options for paying and receiving funds. The payment industry experiences consistent transformation and growth. According to Alan Safahi of Orinda, Contra Costa, a startup founder and experienced entrepreneur in San Francisco, technological and operational innovation have propelled this tremendous growth. 

Today’s article will inform the continued growth of B2B payments in 2022 and highlight how B2B companies can better capitalize on the following trends. Read on! 

Customer Loyalty and Relationship Building

The current nature of the payments landscape is competitive for B2B companies. Consumers dictate demand, meaning automating existing processes is not enough in 2022. Increased iteration will result in increased competition. 

According to Alan Safahi of Orinda Contra Costa, Fintech companies create advanced, faster, and accessible means to financing. As a result, the nature of demands from customers is also shifting rapidly. 

Research shows that consumers will expect products or services that address the increasing needs and issues of the digitized world. In response, B2B companies make efforts to empower customers and serve themselves when and how they desire. 

It means B2B companies should focus on business relationships to stay relevant and make efforts to respond to rapid changes in the payment landscape with new strategies, engagement capabilities, loyalty programs, and operated models dictated or informed by the consumers. 

Real-Time Payments (RTP)

B2B companies will experience payment modernization efforts, leading to real-time and faster payments in 2022. According to Safahi, small and large payment providers in the U.S are likely to amplify the need to balance speed, convenience, and security. 

Therefore, B2B companies must restructure their offerings, cultivate partnerships with Fintech companies for security and build their own services to integrate payment models into their business system. 

Advancements in cloud technologies will enable B2B companies to innovate, stay agile, and experiment with payment offerings. B2B companies are more likely to integrate financing into their payment systems. 

However, it is crucial to work with companies that offer cloud-based financial integration technologies. B2B sellers and buyers will experience an increase in eCommerce rates in 2022. For example, e-marketplaces, such as Amazon Business and Alibaba, appeal to manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors due to new markets and growth potential. 

Data Value Assessment and Prioritizing Integrations 

Evaluating the value of data is an important trend for B2B companies in 2022. Modernization and digitization will give B2B companies a competitive edge, allowing them to streamline their payment operations. 

It will result in faster payments, streamlined scheduling, accurate invoicing, and financing with immediate results and visibility. That way, B2B companies will attain control and manage their business relationships, operations, and payments. Moreover, integration is an essential aspect of B2B payments in the digital age. It is one of the best ways for companies to survive in challenging times. Because consumers need mobility, ease, fast processing, and time-saving, the integration trend will continue to increase with technological advancements and consumer adoption.

Safahi says integrative technologies in B2B payments systems will allow companies to make informed decisions.

An Essential Guide to Freelance Payment Methods

Alan Safahi, a leading San Francisco-based entrepreneur and startup founder, has made substantial research on freelance payment methods. According to Alan Safahi Orinda, freelancers represent over 35% of the workforce worldwide, and there are over 1.1 billion freelancers of the total 3.5 billion people in the global workforce.

Safahi’s research and analysis show that freelancers contribute more than $1 trillion to the U.S economy and about 5-7% of the total gross-domestic-product (GDP). About 48% of freelancers charge a fixed rate when selling their products or services, while 29% follow an hourly approach, and 23% experience use both methods.

There are numerous ways to receive money, and each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Freelancers don’t always choose because most companies hire people with their preferred funds’ transfer methods implemented. However, many companies ask freelancers about their preferred payment methods. Therefore, it is crucial to choose wisely to maintain your cash flow. Read on!

Checks

Although many freelancers have forgotten the old-fashioned paper checks in this digital age, some companies hire freelancers to pay by check routinely. According to Alan Safahi, some freelancers prefer checks to other payment methods.

The biggest advantage of checks is that it doesn’t cost you money to receive them. However, the downside of checks is that you will have to wait a few days for your check to arrive if you have a local client.

Direct Deposit

Some freelancers prefer receiving payments by direct deposit method. A direct transfer occurs between the client and the freelancer’s bank. Alan Safahi says if a client offers this option, you should take it because it is brainless on your end.

For instance, you offer your products or service, get the job done, and the money appears in your bank account. However, the only downside with direct deposit is that your client has to initiate the process through his own bank.

PayPal

PayPal is the gold standard for many entrepreneurs to accept payments. It is one of the most popular payment processing platforms, allowing freelancers to accept different debit and credit cards online. Likewise, your clients can pay you from their bank accounts directly.

According to Alan Safahi Orinda, PayPal is an easy and effective method for freelancers and their clients. Because the platform is widely recognized and used, clients usually don’t balk at using it. Similarly, it enables you to receive payment instantly.

The downside of PayPal is that it charges a 2.9% transaction fee and $.30 per sale. Although this is a small free, it adds up to substantial amounts over time. For example, if you earn $3,000 per month and receive payments through PayPal, you will pay around $900 over a year.  

Merchant Accounts

A merchant account is a unique bank account that enables a freelancer to accept money from their clients’ debit or credit cards directly. Most clients find it convenient to pay funds from credit cards because merchant accounts have lower transaction fees than payment platforms like PayPal and Payoneer.

Merchant accounts likewise enable freelancers to set up recurring payments and offer business support. The downside of a merchant account is that it will charge a portion of each transaction.

Final Words

There are numerous ways to pocket your profits from selling your services and skills through freelance platforms. However, there is no single perfect product or solution for you, meaning you need to choose the one that best fits your needs.

How Does Foreign Exchange Trading Work?

According to Alan Safahi, a leading San Francisco startup founder, advisor, and entrepreneur, foreign exchange trading, also known as forex trading, is a global marketplace that focuses on exchanging currencies against one another and involves the relative value of one specific currency over another.

Research conducted by Alan Safahi of Orinda, CA highlights that forex markets are the largest and most liquid asset markets worldwide due to streamlined trading, commerce, and finance. The foreign exchange market has a colossal amount of liquidity, enabling people to actively trade trillions of dollars every trading day. In today’s article, we will discuss how foreign exchange or forex trading works? Read on!

Currency Value Measurement

A currency value is analyzed and measured through the amount of another currency it can purchase. The process is known as the price quote, which contains two prices: a bid and ask. People use the “ask price” when buying a currency. Likewise, traders use the bid price when selling currencies.

Bear in mind that a financial instrument’s ask price is usually higher than the bid price, meaning a bank purchases your currency at slightly lower prices. In contrast, the bank will sell it at a higher rate. Safahi advises traders to learn the basic and advanced concepts of a bid and ask price to measure currency value.

Liquidity Analysis

According to Safahi, liquidity refers to the activity levels of the market. Traders determine liquidity by analyzing the number of traders who are actively trading and measuring their total volume.

Because forex trading occurs 24/7, it is the most liquid market in the world. More liquidity means tighter spread, which favors everyone. Because trading is ongoing, traders can conduct it smoothly with plentiful liquidity. However, Safahi advises traders to keep an eye on price gaps to evaluate significant price shifts over the shortest periods.

Placing a Buy Order

Traders must focus on forex mechanics. You can trade at the click of a mouse on any trading platform. For instance, you will place a buy order on the USD/EUR currency pair and use a portion of funds from your account to buy the pair’s base currency. For example, you will buy the USD and sell the pair’s quoted currency, the EUR.

You will place the order with the broker, market maker or communicate with the Forex Interbank Market directly. Remember, the interbank market has big players. Safahi states that you can place orders to sell currencies that you don’t own.

Close the Order

Depending on your trading strategies, you will wait until your purchased currency has increased value relative to the sold one. When you are satisfied with the accumulated profit, you will close the order.

Likewise, the broker will perform the opposite transactions – selling dollars and purchasing euros. Bear in mind that you can also place a sell order to reverse the process. Understanding these concepts is essential for beginners to streamline their trading.

Final Words

It is often confusing for beginners to understand the concepts of buying and selling in foreign exchange markets because, in every trade, traders exchange one currency for another. It means there is always a “buy” and “sell” in every trading process.

Should You Own Your Own Investment Bot?

Investment bots are automated trading systems with designs based on machine learning algorithms. An investment bot allows you to establish rules and regulations for trade entries and exits. After programming or owning an investment bot, the computer will execute entries and exits automatically. 

According to Alan Safahi, a San Francisco-based entrepreneur and founder of 6X Startup, over 80% of shares traded on stock exchanges come from investment or trading bots. The question is: should you own an investment bot? We will answer this question in today’s post. Read on!

Advantages of Owning an Investment Bot 

Safahi has conducted substantial research on investment bots and trading systems. Alan Safahi says investors and traders can use investment bots or systems to turn precise entry, exit, and financial management rules, allowing computer systems to execute, monitor, and analyze the trades. Here are a few advantages of owning an investment bot. 

Mitigated Emotions 

The biggest advantage of investment bots is emotion minimization during the process of trading. You can easily stick to the plan when you keep your emotions in check. Because the system automatically executes trade orders after it meets specific trading criteria, you can save time, effort, and avoid questioning the trade. 

Backtesting Efficiency 

Backtesting is a crucial concept that focuses on applying trading rules to previous market data. As a result, it helps you figure out the viability and feasibility of your investment. Because an investment bot can’t make guesses, you need to program it and set specific rules. 

Next, you have to test the system based on historical market data before investing your money in live trading. Backtesting via an investment bot enables you to assess and fine-tune your trading idea, analyze risks, and determine profitability. 

Enhanced Order Entry Speed

Safahi states that an investment bot responds quickly and efficiently to stock market changes. Owning such a trading system means automatically generating orders immediately after the bot confirms meeting the trade criteria. An investment bot gets in or out of the trade efficiently and on time, making a massive difference in outcomes. 

Diversified Investment and Trading 

An investment bot allows you to trade multiple accounts simultaneously, which creates a strong hedge against losing positions. Because you can’t execute or trade multiple accounts manually, a programmed bot can perform the execution within milliseconds. The bot can scan for investment opportunities in diverse markets, generate orders, and analyze trades to keep you updated. 

Disadvantages of Owning an Investment Bot 

Although there are various advantages of owning an investment bot, Alan Safahi’s thorough research shows several downsides of such investment systems. Continue reading! 

Network Failure 

A trade order usually resides on a computer system and not a server. However, this depends on the trading platform. If your investment bot loses connection to the internet, it won’t send the order to the market, causing discrepancies between theoretical trades and real trades. That’s why Alan Safahi suggests investors must expect a learning curve when operating investment bots. 

Over Optimized Programming 

Over-optimization can lead to unsophisticated operations in live trading. Because the bot is programmed or trained and tested based on the historical market data, it may not predict the future trading parameters. In such a situation, you can readjust your bot and focus on other parameters to create a viable plan. However, Alan Safahi says an investment bot is sometimes prone to failure when applied to a live market.  

Final Words 

Investment bots are automated systems that offer various benefits to investors and traders. Alan Safahi argues that investors must not consider bots as substitutes for careful trade executions. Although server-based bots can reduce mechanical or networking failure risk, one must not completely rely on them. 

Best Online Reputation Management Services of 2021

Online reputation management is the collection of services and strategies employed to repair or maintain a good reputation online and prevent a bad one. Small businesses and individuals spend ranging from a few dollars to a hundred, this post by Alan Safahi will analyze some of the best online reputation services management services of 2021.

Some of these online reputation management services work for small businesses based on contracts and almost the same pricing system for all businesses except for a larger work scale because most businesses have the same online reputation management services. Some of the services these companies provide are: 

Content creation. 

Social media management 

Review acquisition and management.

Crisis management 

Online monitoring and reporting. 

To choose your online reputation management services, you have to consider your budget, the type of services you want, the uniqueness of your brand, and a lot of other factors.

Some of these online reputation services provided are listed below:

GRADE.US: This online reputation management company provides best services for professionals, agencies, partners and enterprises. They offer a single command center for all your customer review, so they can all be managed in one place conveniently without any fuss. You can manage all your reviews and amplify the good ones to social media. This is their webpage https://www.grade.us/home/

1SEO.com: This Company offers a good reputation management services, they carry out an analysis of your online reputation needs before they work for you, and after the job is done, another analysis is also carried out. Apart from the online reputation management services offered by this company they also carry out copywriting services, online marketing and web design. This is their webpage: https://1seo.com/

Dadook: The special value about Dadook is that it’s not so expensive and it offers a comprehensive and effective online reputation management services, they also offer a month to month commitment, with the fact that this company is relatively cheap, they offer brand building, brand protection and social media monitoring. Because of the low cost and the high range of services, Alan Safahi believes that Dadook is the best online reputation management service provider. https://gadook.com/ their webpage is available. 

IGNIYTE: IGNIYTE is an online reputation management service provider that works for the big guys that is big businesses and individuals, they help with companies and individuals to deal with defamation, libel online issues, social media customer service and customer review management. This company is very effective and solid, they have a very strong legal team and a very experienced digital marketing team. If you would like to contact them https://www.igniyte.co.uk/ 

PODIUM: This Company deal with online reviews mainly, their main aim is review generation and management, and they help to collate your reviews from different sites and platforms like google, Facebook and the rest into one place. This company has the best team and strategy for review management, Alan Safahi recommends them highly for Review management this is their webpage https://www.podium.com/

There are many other online reputation services provider that are not stated in this post, these are some of the best companies you can trust with your online management needs. 

Are you A business owner or an Entrepreneur?

The world today is, generally, more ripe with opportunities than in the past.. The advent of technology has led to the formation of more industries, companies, and the like than ever before.. As a result, many individuals who never thought they could do business have found themselves in the world of business, perhaps making a great deal of income as well. In addition, the increasing rate of unemployment due to COVID-19 has motivated many people into starting their own businesses.

Many people have happened to stumble upon opportunities and made great businesses out of them, but only a small percentage have the proper orientation and mindset that result in a successful business.

Business

What then differentiates a business owner from an entrepreneur?

1. Motivation:

What serves as the motivation for starting a business goes a long way in deciding whether the owner is just that- a business owner or not. It is not uncommon to find that people start Businesses because a single opportunity opened up and they were available while there are others who first notice a need no one else sees and therefore seize the opportunity to create goods and/or services that meet such needs. The one with the visionary mind that notices what other people don’t, or even when they do, goes a step further to create a solution.

Entrepreneurs tend to listen more to their customers, which is the way things should be, according to an expert, Alan Safahi, a fintech CEO.

2. Passion:

Both the business owner and the entrepreneur have passion. This passion is just placed differently. The major concern of a business owner is usually to make profit for the company, and eventually its shareholders. This mindset goes a long way in determining the way they handle the business, relate with customers, handle feedback and so on. On the other hand, an entrepreneur is first interested in the industry. They go into business because they love that sector of the economy. For instance, an individual discovers they love fashion and enjoy anything that goes along that path. For that reason, they start a business in that line to explore their love for fashion, and share it with others.

It is important to follow your passion while starting a company, Alan Safahi opines. Of course, entrepreneurs would want to make a profit in their business but it wouldn’t be the only reason they start the business.

Business expert Alan Safahi also says that while you may make a lot of money from business, it should not be the goals.

3. Mode of business building:

Many business owners would rather build the business around themselves, concentrating on working in the business and becoming an indispensable part of the business. The entrepreneur is entirely different. They work on the business as much as they work in it and build it in a way that it can run without them. An entrepreneur creates an exit option in the business, so that if they want to leave to pursue other ideas or ventures, they can leave and the business will still be standing.

Why Entrepreneurs Should Plan For Failure and Not Success

A lesson every entrepreneur learns: “Hope for the best but prepare for the worst”, failure is nearly inevitable for many entrepreneurs. It’s just a channel to the route to success. Every successful business has, at one point in time, failed. So tell me why you are scared of failure when you need to focus on using it as a platform to get better, and learn from your mistakes. Alan Safahi, a fintech CEO says, “Don’t view failure as the ending, rather view it as the beginning of your business.”

Always plan for the worst scenario when it comes to doing business. This makes you plan for the potential obstacles that lie ahead, such as intellectually, emotionally, and financially. Planning to fail and thinking to fail, however, are different concepts entirely. Planning to fail is being practical and makes you aware about every possibility that may occur. This will even gear the entrepreneur up to work. Thinking of failure is like conceding without even trying. This might lead to a decrease in growth, discouragement, and give room for doubt, according to Alan Safahi.

Do you wish to understand why it’s necessary to plan for the worst-case? The following tips below explain why an Entrepreneur plans for failure and not success.

It Ensures Progress: Having planned for failure makes it easier to move on with the business. It does not make you take things personally, which might occur if you have not planned, and were faced with sudden news that could be difficult to handle. Entrepreneurs should face situations as they’ve expected because they will be prepared ahead of time, but if he/she has not, it will come as a shock and affect team morale, efficiency, and psychology. I know you don’t want this to happen. That’s why you plan for failure, to ensure the progress of your business. Know that failure is part of the game you opted in, and, who knows, It might serve as a platform for something far more significant and better.

It Helps To Get Rid Of Fear: Most of the time, the fear of failure holds us back from exploring different opportunities and leads us to stick to our comfort zone. Once an Entrepreneur makes a plan for failure, it gives him/her the confidence to make potentially risky decisions.

Sense of Direction: Planning for failure gives you the room to double-check a decision you intend to carry out, thus giving you a path for redirection. Planning for failure provides clarity on issues that might go wrong, or have gone wrong in the past.

Planning For Failure Gives You Strength: Failure can indeed knock you down, but it can also be used as a tool to help get you back on your feet. It makes you feel stronger and builds you instead of tearing you down. This is why Alan Safahi believes that you should plan ahead, and plan for failure as an entrepreneur instead of success.

Conclusion

The journey from success to failure and failure to success is not an easy one at all. At the same time, dealing with failure in the wrong way will also keep you away from success. We need to resiliently accept failure sometimes, to learn from the situation and make ourselves stronger on the road to success.

Planning for failure as an entrepreneur, and not for success, is a plan for strength, a sense of direction, and the removal of one’s fear. Lastly, it’s a plan for progress.

How CRM Analytics Work

Preamble

• CRM analytics tells you whether or not your customers are reached by the sales and customer service team and provides you a better understanding of your customers

• They enable you to understand the behaviors of your customers and the success rate of your campaign(s)

• They provide an indication of the success rate of the business. 

This articles was created for any business owner or potential business owner that wants to know how CRM analytics work:  

Meaning of CRM analytics

CRM provides the data that explains the performance of your company and the effectiveness of the customer service. It also gives excellent data on the behavior of your customer so as to facilitate decision making. 

In practice, CRM software is used to get the CRM analytics and make all the processes of data collection easy and effective. 

Importance of CRM analysis

According to renowned entrepreneur and business advisor Alan Safahi, the main benefits of CRM analytics are to make appropriate decisions in regards to your customers and make changes in the area of customer service appropriately. This can be achieved through:

• Evaluation of customer service: CRM analytics will tell you more about the performance of your customer service. The figures will guide you on how to do that and the right direction to channel it.

• Precise data on the customer: Irrespective of what you will be using your customer data for, CRM analytics will provide you with accurate data. 

• Proficient lead generation: CRM analytics will better outline the efforts leading to sales. It enables you to choose the areas to improve on that are leading to sales and to avoid efforts on the areas that are leading to double sales. 

Types of CRM analytics to track

Alan Safahi believes that, although there are many variables that CRM analytics measure, these are the most important ones:

Before sale CRM analytics

Of course, your customers buy from you only after they have learnt about your product. This means that most of the interactions occur even before sales.

• New leads: The marketing department may likely spend lots of energy sending proposals or calling the prospective customers, therefore tracking such activities will be worthwhile to see which of them leads to a purchase. 

• Prospects: Check the activities of your sales team with the prospects. 

• Website engagement: Most of the CRM programs will tell you who visited the website and the activities they performed. These are great data to use to make an informed decision. 

After-sale CRM analytics

• If you have impressed them and they are buying from you, there is no assurance they will continue to buy. It becomes necessary to get some after-sale information. 

• Problem tracking: Have proper documentation of what your customers said about your product. If they raised any problem, solve them and this will keep them coming back. 

• Additional purchases: if you sell them products and they buy some others from you, then it’s an indication that of product correlation that may come in handy for future marketing efforts 

Other Data to Analyze are: 

• Purchasing patterns
• Segmentation
• Spending
• General project management

Verdicts:

CRM analytics is an efficient strategy to ensure the prosperity of business. It gives reliable data on the success of several efforts and the possible changes and directions to channel them. 

Dos and Don’ts of SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a strategy used to help websites rank high on search engine results pages. 

SEO is a means used by a lot of digital marketers and has proven quite efficient in helping websites to be found easily when contents related to the keywords are searched. 

SEO is also a major part of internet marketing which makes it an essential part of most websites. 

This post by Alan safahi will be highlighting a few Dos and Don’ts of SEOs which helps online digital marketers achieve better SEO results.

Don’t Panic

SEO strategies take time to prove effective and show results.  It is important to be patient and not panic if your ranking is not getting higher results in the beginning.

I know you want results quickly and you might panic and want to unnecessarily stuff your contents with keywords which actually works against you due to the algorithms used by Search Engines.

Do Add Meta Tags

Meta descriptions and tags help to summarize the content of the web page to get the attention of readers when they are conducting a search, so make sure your keywords are present in the Meta descriptions.

Do Use keywords

Make sure you use keywords that are relevant to the contents on the page, and use them in places where they will fit in naturally so as not to destroy the flow of the contents of the page.  Using keywords where they are not necessary will make the page lose its originality and purpose, thus rank lower in the Search Engine Result Pages (SERP). 

Don’t Abuse Keywords

Digital marketer and SEO expert, Alan Safahi, recommends that you only use specific keywords for pages where they fit in and are necessary in order to prevent your pages from competing against each other for ranks.

Do Use Social Media

Having a social media presence is also very important when it comes to SEO. It allows you the luxury of knowing the trends going round, and it influences the contents you provide on your page in a way. 

Don’t Ignore Reviews

Alan Safahi recommends that you respond to all reviews, good or bad, promptly so as to show that you are active and ready to provide the best services. 

Do Consult with an SEO Expert

When you wish to make significant changes to your website, make sure you consult a SEO expert to help you strategize and put necessary measures in place to drive your webpage ranking up. Making these changes without the help of a professional will do more harm than good, according to Alan Safahi. 

Lifestyle Startup Founder

Starting anything at all is not an easy task, it gets even more difficult when you’re starting a business which is an endeavour that takes a lot from the startup founder. 

A few things are expected to change such as routines, schedules amongst others. Many startup founders do not realize early in their journey how much their new business is going to affect their lives and they are often not prepared for such changes. There are therefore a few things startup founders could learn to improve their lifestyle.

One of the most important things an entrepreneur should learn very fast is time management. More than anything, you would have to spend more time working than you probably have been accustomed to. If that is going to be the case for the next few years, you should be getting prepared for some lifestyle changes.

The first thing you should learn as an entrepreneur is that you could be working round the clock. Many entrepreneurs find out that they are working almost throughout the day. A new idea could pop up in your mind at 2am and it could be 6am before you turn off the lights again. You have to get prepared for more work. You should study the experiences of other entrepreneurs such as Alan Safahi, a six time startup founder to understand what you are up against. 

For a startup founder, learning how to say no could be a life-saving skill. You have to realize that you cannot attend every function, you cannot be at every brunch, you cannot attend every meeting. These meetings are indeed sometimes, very crucial for networking and of course, business growth. That is why you should be able to determine which ones require your physical appearance more than the others. If not, you would find yourself socializing more than you are actually working, which of course, is bad for business.

 On the other hand, you could learn to delegate if you can. If you already have team members or a partner, it would be such a great idea to learn how to transfer some of the work or outings that do not necessarily require your personal touch to them. 

You should also know that stress is likely to set in and you definitely should avoid that as much as you can. Stress is bad for business. Sooner or later, it would start to take its toll on your effectiveness at work. 

A startup founder should learn to be part of a community. There is no need to isolate yourself or your business from other people who are also entrepreneurs. There is so much to be learnt from a community of startup founders who have gone through what you are going through now or even have the same experiences as you at the moment. Apart from experiences, startup founders can access funds when they are part of a community. 

If only for encouragement, apart from the network, being part of a community is good for an entrepreneur. You can join communities where you can learn from business experts like Alan Safahi. 

Also, as startup founders, trying to nurture a new business, there is often the huge temptation of neglecting some other areas of life. Learn to fight that temptation as hard as you can. Connect with the people in your life and do not cease to enjoy life itself. 

Finally, you must be prepared to not get paid for a long time. “To a startup, cash is like oxygen” says Alan Safahi.  “You have to be very diligent with your expenditures including but not limited to what you pay yourself and your co-founders and early employees”.  

Most startups run out of cash and fail while trying to achieve product / market fit.  It usually takes 3x as much time and costs 3x as much as expected so it is very important for startup founders to conserve cash as much as possible.  

This bootstrapping period could last anywhere from 2-3 years so preparing ahead of time and lowering your personal overhead and financial commitments can make this period a lot less stressful. 

SEO for Scaling Companies – Basics of SEO for an Enterprise Company’s Website

It is very common to find entrepreneurs who find it difficult to locate their target audience, or reach out to potential customers. It goes without saying that for entrepreneurs, locating their target audience is  important to the overall success of the business. It is good news then to discover that search engine optimization can contribute majorly to businesses. 

According to expert, Alan Safahi, ‘The new generation of consumers prefer discovery through online digital media using their smartphones or the web’. This said, how do you, a business owner engage search engine optimization in scaling your company. Here are the basics:

1. Featured Snippets:

There is something about other platforms engaging your contents that gives it credibility. Getting your contents used as featured snippets will draw your audience closer to you. Your audience here are most likely to become your customers. To earn featured snippets, you may have to work harder on your contents. This is necessary because this space is competitive. Your contents have to attract the needed attention. You can achieve this by using short paragraphs, diagrams and tables. 

2. Keywords Maximization:

When Search engine optimization is involved, keywords are as important as the contents. It doesn’t matter the quality of the content, if the keywords are poorly used, your page might not show up in search results. Words that are relevant to your enterprise should be generously and strategically infused into the contents of your website. Alan Safahi Entrepreneur believes that entrepreneurs should make use of keywords that generate quality content with low search volume. Entrepreneurs are thus advised to create their contents around the keywords. 

3. Use a Progressive Web App:

While this might seem like an aggressive step, it may turn out to be all the difference your business needs. A Progressive Web App works more like a mobile app. It is user friendly and very easy to access. Users, who are definitely potential customers, can easily click on this app on their desktop’s home page or on their smartphones. They don’t even have to know the address of your website, a single click on their phones and computers could send them straight to your website and of course, your enterprise. 

What’s more amazing about this strategy is that it has the potential of keeping your customers loyal, since they do not have to search all the time to access your site.

4. Avoid Broken links and Other Technical Difficulties:

The least you can do is to make your website easy to navigate. You should make sure that users do not experience difficulties while they are trying to access your site. Such potential difficulties as broken links that lead them nowhere are capable of creating huge question marks on your enterprise’s credibility. 

Also, texts that host your inbound links should be relevant to the link, says SEO expert, Alan Safahi.

5. Make Use of Voice Search Engine Optimization:

This is a cutting edge strategy for good reason. More users are embracing this search mechanism and few websites have adopted it. Adopting this strategy sets you above a good number of competition.

Online Reputation Management and Impact on Your Job Search, Business, Love Life and Well Being

You’ve been having a hard time keeping up with the social media because of that post that recently trashed your services? Or, you’re unsure how to keep customers coming to your space for what you offer after a negative review by a previous client? 

Don’t fret! Digital marketing entrepreneur Alan Safahi is here to help. Find out all you need to know about Online Reputation Management (ORM) in this post!

Online reputation management is fast becoming a principal niche in the world of internet marketing. A fragment of social media marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO), ORM is a niche that is critically important for keeping your brand away from a reputational crunch.

Building positive awareness about brands does not come easily. It often requires a lot of time, effort and expenses. You determine how far your business goes by how much you do to generate positive reviews. If customers aren’t satisfied and they flood the internet with  negatives concerning your brand, your case might end up being a sorry tale.

As a business owner, Alan Safahi says you should take your online reputation seriously because, in reality, it is your top marketing priority. It primarily entails building positive feedbacks and providing responses to negative thoughts about your brand in online chats. It also involves minimizing the effect of dissenting publicity by snuffing out detrimental web pages that appear in Google search results.

To start with, negative publicities against your brand are as powerful as your company size. So, you may want to take extra caution if you’re running a large business. 

Although every company has the tendency to be affected by negative publicities on the internet, irrespective of Size. 

Negative publicity goes beyond bad press displaying in Google search results. Social sites too are a battleground for campaigns relating to online brand protection, especially now that online discussions are on the increase. 

If, for instance, a disappointed customer goes up on Twitter and drops a damaging tweet concerning your brand, the chances of losing more customers will definitely skyrocket.

Online Reputation Management helps you get honest reviews from customers and locate every platform your brand is being spoken about on. This way, you can increase the volume of positive reviews and tune down the negative ones. As Alan Safahi puts it, Online Reputation Management is the brand owner’s way to achieve greater success.

What’s more, you stand the chance to appear on the first page of Google search results when your brand review is filled with positive content and a good reputation. This will help you drive more traffic to your site and, of course, this means more customers.

Get Rid Negative links and live Happier Life

Most people would agree that the best way to live is to shut out all forms of negativity from your life, but, in today’s online world. where bad news is instantly shared with the whole world, it is difficult to experience sustained bliss, until all negative links on the web are removed completely (or at least pushed way, way down the pages of Search Engine Result Pages.

In this post, Alan Safahi, San Francisco businessman and SEO expert, will share a few ways to get rid of negative links, controlling what is being said about you and controlling your online reputation.

Everyone wants a happy life and no one wants a life surrounded of negativity, so why put up or ignore various negative links online that may damage your reputation?

Here are a few ways that Alan Safahi suggests you can get rid of negative links and live a happier life;

• Set up your goals and  make getting rid of negative links a priority.  It’s very easy to say you want to get rid of negative links, but it takes effort to really achieve this, so make this a priority, this way you will be able to put in enough energy and effort into achieving this goal. 

• Do your research and tabulate a list of all negative links in a spreadsheet , along with their position on the SERP.

• Contact the webmaster of the site t with the negative links or the author of the negative post and ask them to remove the link. It is sometimes as easy as that and there is no harm in asking, according to Alan Safahi .

• If the link is not removed within a couple of weeks, contact Google and submit a request to disavow the link if the post violates their policies.

• Consider taking legal actions against the site if they are breaking any laws such as privacy laws.

• Promote positive links about yourself with various SEO strategies to push down the relevance of the negative links.  Below are a couple of sources of information that can help you with this:
  • How SEO Helps in Building A Brand
  • Strategies to help founders and entrepreneurs reduce financial stress
  • Social Media vs. Online Reputation Management

In addition to the above steps, there are also a few things you can do in general to live happy and positive life, according to happiness guru Alan Safahi:

• Start thinking positively 

Thinking positively is the first step  to getting rid of negative links because it takes the negative emotions out of the way and puts you on the logical and rational path of getting rid of the negative links. Someone who thinks positively is always happy even when there is nothing to be happy about.

• Be mindful of the company you keep 

Bad company, they say, corrupts good morals so you have to surround yourself with people of like mind. If you keep people that always preach negativity around you, there won’t be a way for you to avoid negative thoughts, but if you surround yourself with people that think positively, you will be influenced into thinking positively instead of doing otherwise.

• Set boundaries 

This might be a bit difficult to carry out, but it’s a little price to pay for salvation. When someone is always bringing negative vibes around, You have to avoid such a person and set a boundary for them,  even if it might cost you your relationship with that person, your happiness is the most important thing. 

• Speak positively

When you constantly proclaim a certain idea, it becomes reality and an important part of you, so speak positivity into existence.  It Is counterproductive to think positively but speak negatively.  You have to express your positive thoughts verbally with the confidence that it would happen, says Alan Safahi.

• Practice positivity

“Spreading positive joy in everyday life and acknowledging the goodness in others, creates a positive source of energy or Karma that boomerangs back to help you feel even more energized and fulfilled” according to Alan Safahi.

 Whether online or offline, it should always be one’s goal to live a happy life free of negativity and any forms of bad energy.  Zoroastrians believe, good thoughts, good words and good deeds are necessary to ensure happiness in life.  Alan Safahi believes that they also make life a lot more interesting and rewarding.