Lee or as you may know him on Fiverr, Mr.Explainer, has spent over 20 years in the design and marketing industry. When one of his client’s needed something called an “explainer” video done, he took on the task and years … Read More

The post Explaining Fiverr’s Impact, from Mr. Explainer Himself appeared first on Official Fiverr Blog.

(BPT) – Let’s face it – college is expensive. Whether you’re still in school trying to pay for textbooks and housing, a professional facing your student loans or a parent saving for your child’s future tuition, the cost of an education can result in de…

(BPT) – Let’s face it – college is expensive. Whether you’re still in school trying to pay for textbooks and housing, a professional facing your student loans or a parent saving for your child’s future tuition, the cost of an education can result in de…

Gal and Marianne, WordAndRecord on Fiverr, are professional animators, delivering explainer animation videos, whiteboard animations, custom animated music videos and more. Hailing from Toronto, they currently work fulltime on Fiverr, and they recently had enough money left over after paying … Read More

The post The Impact of Fiverr: A Chance to Explore the World appeared first on Official Fiverr Blog.

(BPT) – Thousands of people stayed in rooms and houses last night that belong to strangers. More hopped into cars with people they’d never met and accepted a ride to a restaurant or to their home. A young woman rented a designer dress she saw listed on…

(BPT) – Thousands of people stayed in rooms and houses last night that belong to strangers. More hopped into cars with people they’d never met and accepted a ride to a restaurant or to their home. A young woman rented a designer dress she saw listed online.

These are a few examples of the sharing economy — a system in which people rent homes, arrange rides and borrow personal items typically through online services that facilitate the transactions. Rather than doing business with hotel chains, taxis or department stores, consumers are engaging with strangers in a way that is atypical of traditional business interactions.

The sharing economy generated about $15 billion in revenue in 2013 and is expected to hit $335 billion by 2025, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Like many big changes, the emergence of the sharing economy has required consumers and companies to re-educate themselves and rethink their approach. While there are many safeguards in place, owners and renters tend to overlook the role insurance plays in this new economy.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Resources such as Insure U from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) can help you avoid unexpected surprises in the world of shared rides and rooms. A few things to keep in mind:

Welcome home

The vast majority of accommodations booked on HomeAway, VRBO or Airbnb go off without a hitch. Still, there are stories involving families coming home to torn-up couches, smashed-in walls and homes littered with trash.

If you regularly rent out a room in your home, it’s important to know many homeowners policies won’t cover guests’ injuries or property damages. Talk to your insurance agent and determine if you need additional liability or landlord coverage.

Likewise, if your next vacation involves renting a room or villa, make sure your homeowners or personal liability insurance covers any damages that could happen during your stay.

Don’t be taken for a ride

If you have a car and don’t mind driving, contracting as an Uber or Lyft driver may be a way to make extra money in your spare time and meet some colorful characters.

Before you start, make sure everything is safe for you and your passengers. With this in mind, insurance is one of the most important factors to understand.

The most popular ride-share companies offer contingent collision and comprehensive coverage when a driver accepts a ride request or has a passenger in the vehicle. However, drivers need to understand that while you can insure your vehicle for personal use or for commercial use, in some cases you cannot insure it for both.

More insurance companies are creating policies that cover drivers who use their vehicle for both commercial and personal use. Contact your insurance representative to find out if there are any gaps in your coverage to reduce your liability and ensure a safe experience.

Goods and services for hire

The sharing economy doesn’t stop there. It’s also now possible to make a little extra money by renting out your power tools, golf clubs, camera equipment and much more — including your time and labor.

Before you rent, get a security deposit and take plenty of photos to document the item’s condition. Talk with your insurance agent to figure out what kind of information you need for your homeowners insurance policy to cover whatever it is you’re renting out.  

Just like the sharing economy is all about convenience, Insure U (www.insureuonline.org) offers free tips and tools to help you get smart about insurance coverage in all situations.

Alyssa, Alyssaerin on Fiverr, lives in Silicon Valley, having moved there from Michigan. She’s loved drawing since she was a little kid creating storybooks using colored pencil illustrations. Today, she draws all day for her work on Fiverr, then sketches … Read More

The post Turning a Cartoon Drawing Hobby into a Profession #SuperSeller appeared first on Official Fiverr Blog.

Caroline Beaton is an award-winning writer, millennial expert and brand consultant tackling the psychology of millennials at work.

Millennials have no shortage of passions. We have is shortage of cash. We’re making less than our parents did at the same … Read More

The post How to Get Paid for Your Passion in Your Twenties appeared first on Official Fiverr Blog.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about ways you can build a business using the internet. Technology has made it easier than ever to turn a passion or small business dream into a very real way of making money. … Read More

The post Building Your Business Online: Online and Offline Promotions appeared first on Official Fiverr Blog.

(BPT) – It’s no secret that there are countless challenges facing today’s family-owned businesses. In fact, less than one-third of family businesses successfully migrate from first to second generation ownership. Another 50 percent never survive the transition from second to third generation, according to Forbes. 

While every organization has its own priorities and category-specific issues to manage, family businesses that fail to innovate run the risk of losing market share to competitors, losing key staff or simply operating inefficiently so that they cannot survive. Innovation is a key differentiator between market leaders and their rivals, and can ultimately ensure longevity.

IDEAL Industries, Inc., a manufacturing company based 60 miles west of Chicago, is consistently growing and expanding under four generations of family ownership, and is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year.

How has this electrical product supplier and hand tool company managed to stay relevant and produce results for 100 years? Their success story can be chalked up to their ongoing devotion to innovation and looking beyond traditional business pressures of hitting quarterly results.

Their philosophy is simple: focus on the markets that exist today, while ensuring that they are poised to serve those of tomorrow.

“The beauty of being family-owned is that we have the freedom to make executive decisions with the long-term in mind,” said IDEAL Chairman and CEO Jim James. “We think ten years ahead — how will our family, board and business be different? What are the risks that lie ahead and how can we mitigate them now? How do we put our core business out of business? Because if we don’t, someone else will.”

While IDEAL may best be known for their wire connectors, their innovations also touch the sky, as nearly every commercial jet flying today has been constructed using IDEAL wire strippers. They’ve even reached the moon, as part of the critical equipment on NASA missions. Their Audacy advanced wireless lighting system is installed at major league ballparks, college campuses and airports.

Best of all, they touch the daily lives of skilled tradesmen around the globe, who reach for IDEAL, Western Forge and SK brand hand tools to get the job done right.

However, innovation is not only about designing a new product or service to sell, but also focusing on the development of new business processes and best practices in order to improve efficiency, find new customers, cut down on waste, increase profits and keep employee retention rates up.

“At the end of the day, it’s very important for organizations to take a step back and ask themselves what is truly blocking the innovation process,” said Vicki Slomka, senior vice president of global human services at IDEAL. “Companies that constantly challenge themselves and are relentlessly focused on innovation will survive in this ever-changing globally competitive environment.”

Thus, in order to prevent becoming another failing statistic, companies have no choice but to prioritize innovation. Family stewardship must ensure their professional management team has the strategic alignment, patience and resources available to foster an innovative workplace environment — one that produces products and services that continuously cater to today’s competitive marketplace and consumer. Family-owned businesses must commit to a high reinvestment rate in order to support a robust innovative pipeline that will allow them to survive and thrive into the next generation.