Few start-up companies are recruiting business analysts in the position of business analytics role. Among the analytics lovers who are looking for a good career path in business analytics, this might create some confusion. To be proficient, here is the post that clearly distinguishes between a business analyst and business analytics roles.

Who is a Business Analyst?

The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) defines Business Analysis as the process of defining business needs and evaluating effective solutions to business issues. A business analyst has a vital role in enhancing an enterprise toward effectiveness, efficiency, and desirability.

What is Business Analytics?

Business analytics doesn’t have a lot to do with information and is focused on functions and procedures. He/she is more concerned with data values and reporting. A business analyst, in a precise manner, uses data to make useful, careful factual decisions for an organization. The development of business analytics is on-going yet is diverted in taking care of issues and improving effectiveness utilizing a set of information-driven understanding, administrative processes, and transparent correspondence. They apply key insights from data and work on salient features of the information pipeline.

Educational Background 

Business Analyst

Data Analysts should have knowledge on subjects like computer science, software engineering, programming, mathematics, and statistics. Having knowledge of these subjects, they can create and process algorithms and programs to deliver exact insight from the available raw data.

Business Analytics

Business analytics needs solid business sense on worldwide markets, activities, and the entire management. They have IT or software engineering foundations also, to empower them to utilize the data that information analysts allow. Without such a foundation, they probably won’t recognize what they were handling, so both are significant. In spite of the fact that some business analytics positions require just a four-year bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree would help them for senior positions.

Roles:

Business Analyst

A business analyst correlates the specialized team and the customer. The specialized team has the capacity to either develop and deliver a product or service. The business analyst should ensure the product delivered by the specialized team meets the present prerequisites of the customer.

A business analyst should be profoundly concerned about surveying circumstances, able to express meaningful conversations, and making the best suggestions dependent on the skills they have.

They have to concentrate vigorously on expanding the enterprise’s profits and improving their functional running costs to cut waste. It could mean recognizing redundant positions, items, affiliate marketing campaigns – or essentially whatever else.

Business Analytics

Business analytics will focus on the usage of big data tools to regulate business challenges and execute functional changes within an enterprise. Also, they need to find weaknesses in current processes and to project surface data to enhance efficiency and growth measurements of an organization.

Responsibilities

Business Analyst

The business analysts should properly communicate with all stakeholders and manage business processes effectively. Business analysts should handle data impacts on business operative decisions. They, even more, need to examine where they can make the system flow to be efficient.

Business Analytics

Business analytics works with organized data reports and applies SQL to recover information from databases. If the management needs an enterprise’s higher metrics, the individual will compose SQL queries to derive and examine the information from the database of transactions. He/she uses predictive analytics and statistics and applies logical skills to resolve business issues.

They can use advanced tools like Tableau, R, and D3.js library to communicate their program or discoveries to the end partners.

Skills

Business Analyst

• Fundamental Skills: Issue-Solving, Communication, Management, and Research abilities
• Technical Skills: Knowledge on IT, Software development and Domain
• Business Skills: Document Analysis and creative skills

Business Analytics

• Analytical Skills: Logical thinking, Data predictions
• Capability Skills: Understandable, Visualization, Clear Communication skills
• Programming Skills: SQL, Python, Julia, Hadoop and so on

Certification Courses:

Business Analyst

There are plenty of certifications to become business analysts and numerous organizations providing courses and exams to certify your business analytics skills. For a list of business analyst certification, check out these seven noteworthy certifications.

• Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA) – It is for executives who are new to the data field.

• Certification of Capability in Business Analysis (CCBA) – It is for business analysis professionals having experience of 2-3 years

• Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) – Suitable for BA candidates having work experience of 5+ years

• Certified Business Analysis Thought Leader (CBATL) – It is for candidates who have BA degree and over 10+ years of experience

Business Analytics

Some Universities offer an online certificate program, which is a relatively shorter way to gain specialization in a data field. Here are some famous certification course programs to look into:

• The Harvard Business Analytics Program – Harvard provides a 9-month certificate program for executives and trains with the data and analytics skill set to drive the industry.

• American University Master of Science in Analytics – This 1-year program is designed for professionals who plan to earn expertise in data analysis and get knowledge on new insights in their sector.

Career Options:

Business Analyst

If you wish to go for alternative careers with the current experience, below are five various career paths mentioned based on education and skills.

• Financial Analyst
• Computer Systems Analyst
• Market Research Analyst
• Postsecondary Business Teacher
• Actuary

Business Analytics

If you wish to specialize in your streams, here are some roles for an individual to choose from:

• Business Analyst Roles – Data Architect, Data Scientist, and Data Analyst
• Operations Research Analyst Roles – Business Operations Analyst, Operations Analyst, Operations Business Analyst
• Market Research Analyst
• Quantitative Analyst Roles – Quantitative Modeler, Financial Analyst

Bottom Line:

Analysts make the organization run better, and to do as such, they need data. It is clear with the above information that both business analyst and business analytics roles are key roles for effective business operations. Finally, they both work closely to deliver the final project successfully. To conclude, hopefully, you feel comfortable to plan a wise decision about which job suits and works best for you.

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

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This is blog post number 553

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Business loans are the lifeblood of smaller companies, and if you need to get a cash injection for your tech company, there are a number of considerations you should weigh up before taking action.

The first is whether you need to get a business loan at all, or whether you might be able to raise the cash you need by changing business practices and releasing cash that is currently being wasted. Often companies can find cost savings within their existing processes and creating additional efficiencies can sometimes solve a cash-flow problem.

The second consideration is whether your team works at full capacity. Can headcount be reduced?  Redundancies are not nice but they may unlock additional funds from payroll savings.

The third consideration, is what is your data telling you? Fully detailed performance reporting of the past 1 to 5 years should inform your decisions. In addition, you will need a solid business plan that demonstrates to yourself and your management team what can be achieved and when you are likely to improve your cash-flow.

Following the process described above, you may decide that you want to borrow funds. It could be for a concrete purpose like buying a machine or recruiting a certain person or it could be just to finance  your ongoing operations. Whatever the reason is, deciding you want external funding is just the beginning of the process.

Bank Versus Lender

There are a lot of lenders out there in the Australian market and picking the right company or bank to provide you with the funding is essential for a healthy and useful process. The ins and outs of each lender and bank are too difficult to explain, but showing the differences between the two is very possible.

As per this comparison between banks and online lenders made by Small Business Loans Australia, non-bank lenders are generally more expensive, less difficult to deal with and are much quicker to respond than banks.

How Much do You Need to Borrow?

Your first consideration should be how much money you need to borrow from the bank. It can be tempting to keep the amounts to a minimum, so you are not paying out more than you need to. But borrowing too little can be as problematic for a business as borrowing too much, because it could mean being forced to return to borrow more sooner than you might otherwise be comfortable with.

A good rule of thumb will dictate that you will need to borrow funds to keep your business alive for at least 6 more months at current revenue pace, or will help facilitate such a line of cash-flow earlier. That rule of thumb will also say that you should never borrow money for periods shorter than this, because this means you will need to borrow additional capital within the next months.

So, be realistic not only about the amount you need to borrow, but the amount you are likely to be able to borrow and choose an amount that allows you to achieve your aims without creating additional cash-flow stress for you or your business.

What Will Your Bank Need to Know?

Once you know how much you need to borrow, prepare your documentation to take to your bank to convince them that your business is a good ‘risk’ for it to loan to. Your bank will need to know what you want the business loan for – and if you are a start-up or a relatively new business, you may find it difficult to give these details exactly.

Remember to take your business plan and financial statements, with these it should be easier to demonstrate what the money you are borrowing will be used for. Your financial statements will give  your bank a clear indication of your profit and loss, cash-flow, assets and liabilities.

Creating your bank-oriented business plan

Spending time researching your business and the market you are targeting is essential to create a viable business plan. It can take more time researching a good plan than it does writing one, so be prepared to put in the leg work.

That loose business plan you’ve devised before even applying for a loan? It’s mostly irrelevant because banks can be overzealous when it comes to business plans.

You also need to provide a strategy for marketing, your product development, and your financial forecasts to show any potential investors, including a bank or other institution lending you money, where your business is likely to be in three to five years.

Your credit score

One of the key measures which determines whether your bank will lend you money will be your credit history, whether that is just for your business or your own personal credit history too. If your business has not been established for long, your personal credit score will be taken into consideration. So ensure you have spent time cleaning up your own credit score if you are trying to borrow at an early stage.

Most companies do not know what their credit score is, or how to improve it. Almost three out of five small business owners have never checked their credit score according to research from Experian and that is not good business practice.

Make your credit score more healthy

Any lender will check your company’s credit score, and you should be checking this yourself on a regular basis. As the Experian website states: “A healthy credit score is made up of three key elements: robust information, sound financial management and regular monitoring.” If you have applied for a number of loans in quick succession, these credit searches for each institution will be listed on your credit score and could be detrimental. Lenders will be concerned about that kind of action, as it suggests a desperate pattern of behaviour that flags your business as having a higher level of risk.

It may be that you need to spend some time working on improving your credit score to make your business more appealing. You can do a number of things to achieve this, such as paying any invoices due promptly, collaborating with your suppliers so they provide feedback on your payment records, and providing as much additional data to credit reference agencies as you can. It has become harder for businesses to get a loan, so the more you can do to improve your business’s chances, the more chance you have of getting the money your business needs to grow.

What will an Online Lender Need to Know?

Generally speaking, online lenders are more technology oriented so a lot of the legwork should be done automatically. Upon signing up you will need to provide either certain documents from your bank, and/or connect the lender to your credit card processor or PayPal account to verify the levels of revenue. The decision whether your web design or web development business be approved will be done automatically with little to no human involvement and the reply will be sent to you in between 1 and 72 hours.

Final words – How to Treat Business Loans

A business loan is not an easy decision to make and is not an easy process to initiate in. Unless you need funds urgently, you will need to develop patience and endurance. Financing your business is a marathon and not a 100 metres sprint.

B2B Content Marketing Agency London

Marketing Fundamentals Ltd is a B2B Content Marketing Agency in London that creates Content and manages Social Media for Professional Services firms. We hope you find this information useful.

If you would like our help creating and executing a Content Marketing Plan for your business or organisation email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com

On our YouTube channel you will find marketing advice, business advice & inspiration. Subscribe if you work in Marketing for Professional Services or are a business owner or solo-preneur trying to grow your business. New uploads on Wednesdays.

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

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The post The Troubles and Struggles of Applying for a Bank Business Loan appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

” It’s absolutely worth it.” – #onsettingupabusiness

” Start small. Think big – but do get started.”

” There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” Quoting #FranklynDelanoRoosevelt

On seeking funding…

” We applied to 20 banks and got turned down 20 times.” #onseekingfunding

Email subject line – ‘Does anyone know anyone rich?’ #onseekingfunding

“Maurice Pinto…he put in £250K and got out £30 million.” #talkingabouttheinvestorwhosaidyes

On a direct approach to distribution…

“We went to independent retailers over a bank holiday weekend and gave them 3 cases for free…45 out of 50 reordered.”

” We just got started…We were hungover and we needed something to make us feel better. ” – #innocentbeginnings

On working with a team…

” The three of us (founders) take credit when it’s the team of 300 that should take the credit. ” #teameffort

On role models…

“Richard Branson …I think in Britain he made entrepreneurs sexy…” #rolemodels

On being focused…

” Write down the dream. When you write it down – the dream becomes a goal.” #startingabusiness

On amusing Plump nuns copy on the ingredients label…

“You must either take off the reference to plump nuns or put them in your fruit juice.” #Letterfromadjudicationjudge

On business owners & entrepreneurs looking for investment…

“If you are looking for investment check out – http://jamjarinvestments.com/”

I hope this has given you a taste of the evening. You can follow @richardreedinno on Twitter. The next event will be announced fairly soon. Please also follow @es_bc for the latest updates.

If you’d like to discuss any aspect of your marketing requirements feel free to give us a call on +44 (0) 845 226247 or drop us an email via mail@marketingfundamentals.com – We look forward to hearing from you.

We hope you have found this information inspirational.

Best regards,

Mike Pitt – Founder & CEO of Marketing Fundamentals Ltd

The post What did entrepreneurs learn from Richard Reed at ESBC? appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

Local Sponsorship Opportunities

1. The Arts

There are few demographics that don’t agree that the arts are an integral component of a thriving community. And patrons of the arts tend to have the sort of free capital that buys them purchasing power. These patrons also tend to be interested in philanthropy and are more likely to spend their money at companies that champion humanitarian causes. Investing in the arts represents an opportunity to demonstrate your company’s investment in the betterment of the community.

• Make a significant donation to the arts organization of your choice. This will get your name on the donor list, and oftentimes includes complimentary ad placement in programs, brochures, or newsletters.

• Event sponsorship—hosting an annual concert series, for example—can put your business in the good graces of the community.

• Commission a work of art to be displayed in a prominent public space.

2. Benefit Races

There is no shortage of races that raise money for great causes by asking participants to secure sponsors who provide financial backing. As a rule, these events are well-publicized, well-received, and well-attended. Participating in one way or another associates your company with issues that matter.

• Sponsor a group of participants or build a team to run the race (assuming you’ve got personnel who are willing to sweat for the greater good).

• Sponsor the race itself. Charities will partner with your company to organize and promote the race.

• Set up booths on the day of the event where you can offer promotional items like t-shirts, water bottles, balloons, and custom pens to participants and spectators.

3. Environmental Restoration

Many people automatically equate corporations with ecological damage, even if the evidence to support that association is lacking. One way to dispel this type of misconception is to host an environmental restoration project. Like benefit races, they provide a way to forge relationships with community members while working together towards a common goal.

• Organize stream clean-ups or tree plantings.

• Sponsor a local conservation organization’s research or special projects.

We are a leading marketing agency in London.Want to incorporate local sponsorship into your marketing strategy? Give us a call on +44 845 2264 247 or email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com to start the conversation.

We hope you have found this information useful. This guest post was written by Alice Jenkins. Alice Jenkins is a graphic designer and hopeless perfectionist. She writes for PensXpress

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

The post How do you use local sponsorship to enhance your reputation & drive leads? appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

Local Sponsorship Opportunities

1. The Arts

There are few demographics that don’t agree that the arts are an integral component of a thriving community. And patrons of the arts tend to have the sort of free capital that buys them purchasing power. These patrons also tend to be interested in philanthropy and are more likely to spend their money at companies that champion humanitarian causes. Investing in the arts represents an opportunity to demonstrate your company’s investment in the betterment of the community.

• Make a significant donation to the arts organization of your choice. This will get your name on the donor list, and oftentimes includes complimentary ad placement in programs, brochures, or newsletters.

• Event sponsorship—hosting an annual concert series, for example—can put your business in the good graces of the community.

• Commission a work of art to be displayed in a prominent public space.

2. Benefit Races

There is no shortage of races that raise money for great causes by asking participants to secure sponsors who provide financial backing. As a rule, these events are well-publicized, well-received, and well-attended. Participating in one way or another associates your company with issues that matter.

• Sponsor a group of participants or build a team to run the race (assuming you’ve got personnel who are willing to sweat for the greater good).

• Sponsor the race itself. Charities will partner with your company to organize and promote the race.

• Set up booths on the day of the event where you can offer promotional items like t-shirts, water bottles, balloons, and custom pens to participants and spectators.

3. Environmental Restoration

Many people automatically equate corporations with ecological damage, even if the evidence to support that association is lacking. One way to dispel this type of misconception is to host an environmental restoration project. Like benefit races, they provide a way to forge relationships with community members while working together towards a common goal.

• Organize stream clean-ups or tree plantings.

• Sponsor a local conservation organization’s research or special projects.

We are a leading marketing agency in London.Want to incorporate local sponsorship into your marketing strategy? Give us a call on +44 845 2264 247 or email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com to start the conversation.

We hope you have found this information useful. This guest post was written by Alice Jenkins. Alice Jenkins is a graphic designer and hopeless perfectionist. She writes for PensXpress

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

The post How do you use local sponsorship to enhance your reputation & drive leads? appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

How can Marketing Fundamentals Ltd Help you?

1. Content Marketing consultancy – We create blog & Social Media Content and implement it for you leaving you to focus on your core business. There are a number of different packages available and we can create a bespoke package too.

2. Video Content – We create video Content to promote your business and for use on YouTube / Vimeo etc.

3. Social Media Consultancy – We devise a Social Media Strategy and implement it for you. Watch a testimonial here

4. Blog Post Writing – We create a number of posts for you and supply to you for you to upload to your site. Thirty posts is a popular number because when you have created thirty blog post traffic to your site increases by up to 30% Source: Social Media Examiner.

5. Blog Mentoring – Regular face to face sessions instructing business owners and entrepreneurs how to blog to promote their business and organisations. Booked as 12 weekly sessions and can be delivered via Skype if distance prevents face to face meetings. Note – There is homework in between each session.

6. Email Copywriting – You’ve built a mailing list but don’t really know what to say to maintain momentum? We can do this for you.

7. Company Workshops – Content Marketing & Social Media 1 day Workshops delivered at your company’s premises. Watch a testimonial here.

8. Online Blogging Course – Learn on Demand by registering for our our Udemy course How to TurboCharge Your Business with a Blog’

9. Book – Buy our ‘How to TurboCharge Your Business with a Blog’ paperback book from Amazon. There is also a Kindle version available.

10. App – Buy our SME Marketing App on App Store and Android platforms

11. Blog – Read our Marketing Fundamentals Ltd blog.

12. YouTube – Watch Marketing Fundamentals Ltd videos on our You Tube Channel.

13. Twitter   Twitter: TurboCharge Your Twitter Presence Course

We hope you have found this information useful and we look forward to hearing from you. Give us a call on +44 845 2264 247 or email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com to start the conversation.

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

The post How can Marketing Fundamentals Ltd help you? – 13 ways appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

I was interviewed by the lovely Melinda Yeaman for the Outlier Podcast series. Click here to listen to the interview.

Click here to listen.

B2B Content Marketing Agency London

Marketing Fundamentals Ltd is a B2B Content Marketing Agency in London that creates Content and manages Social Media for Professional Services firms.

If you would like our help creating and executing a Content Marketing Plan for your business or organisation give us a call on +44 (0) 845 2264 247. You can also email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com

On our YouTube channel you will find marketing advice, business advice & inspiration. Subscribe if you work in Marketing for Professional Services or are a business owner or solo-preneur trying to grow your business. New uploads on Wednesdays.

I hope you find this information useful.

Best wishes,

Mike Pitt

Founder & CEO

Marketing Fundamentals Ltd

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Buy our book!

Follow Mike on Twitter

The post Mike Pitt – ‘Unleashing the Power of Content’ Podcast for Outlier Magazine appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

Negotiation Tactics – Top 5 from Self-made Millionaires

1. Knock out the competition
Steve Jobs was a genius, and his negotiation strategy is probably the most unbelievable of them all. His tactic was to come up with offers that no other competitor could render. That’s exactly what happened when he wanted Lala (the future iTunes). Nokia offered $11 million for the startup, so Jobs took a piece of paper, gave it to the CEO, and the deal was closed. The amount was $80 million.

2. Play mind games
When Donald Trump chooses to take someone’s business, he arms himself with a couple of really good tricks prior to entering a negotiation. He knows all about playing mind games, so he spends hours chatting in the friendliest way possible. His counterparts will assume he’s just being a nice guy, but his goal is to find a weak spot and have the upper hand.

3. Leaving investors and lawyers at the door
Facebook CEO and multi-millionaire Mark Zuckerberg likes to acquire a start-up without consulting with his advisors. In 2012, Facebook agreed to a deal with Instagram worth $1 billion. He didn’t want to consult with his lawyers, and he closed the deal while eating ice cream with Kevin Systrom, CEO of Instagram. The deal was signed in a day and nobody knew anything about it.

4. If there’s no cooperation, end the whole thing
The moment Dick Costolo became Twitter’s CEO he had to deal with a dysfunctional board of directors, among numerous other things. Rather than accept unprofessional people on his team, he leveraged his power and fired everyone. He managed to demonstrate that Twitter was his company, and that the people who can’t play by his rules should go home.

5. Don’t forget that you have something they don’t
Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO and founder of Yelp, managed to stay very calm when Yahoo and Google mentioned they want to buy his review business. He told Fast Company that the negotiation didn’t live up to his expectations, and that both Yahoo and Google only wanted to know the worth of his company. So he turned them down.

Negotiations are challenging even for the richest people on the planet. However, they’re done differently as money is not the only incentive a seller wants from a buyer. Their negotiation tactics are all about maintaining their names on the floating line.

Need help with your negotiation strategy? Give us a call on +44 845 2264 247 or email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com to start the conversation. We are a leading Marketing Agency in London.

We hope you have found this information inspirational.This guest post was written by Jason Philips of The Gap Partnership .

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

The post How do you negotiate like a self-made millionaire? 5 examples – Guest post appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

Improving Productivity – 4 ways through sports participation

1. Maximise Your Potential
It’s no surprise that many of the most successful entrepreneurs invest in having a healthy body and mind. They know that being fit and active puts us in optimal shape to make the best possible decisions. It is through sport that we challenge ourselves to grow and develop, training ourselves to maximise our potential.

2. Explore Comfort Zones
When hiring, entrepreneurs look for employees who have taken part, and particularly excelled, in any given sport. Why? It is when we push ourselves outside of our comfort zones to overcome obstacles in the pursuit of our goals that we achieve greatness. In sport, there are regular obstacles to overcome; you might get knocked down, lose the game, experience fatigue or be caught in adverse weather conditions. Sport provides a perfect arena to practice the skills we need for business.

3. Drive, Focus, Commitment
Any sport whether undertaken as part of a team or solo requires commitment. To improve in sports, we need to apply focus and motivation to train hard. When it comes to training, consistency is key and consistency requires commitment. Who wouldn’t want a driven focused and committed person on their team? When these qualities are applied to business – the results will speak for themselves.

4. Boosts Activity
A sporty person is an active person. Someone who enjoys being active will find ways to indulge this desire by finding more to do at work. They won’t be happy with sitting still, in either the physical or the metaphorical sense. If you hire a graduate who was captain of the football team at University, he’ll be knocking on your door asking for more work.

Need help for improving productivity? Give us a call on +44 845 2264 247 or email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com to start the conversation.

We hope you have found this information useful. This guest post was written by Sophie Radcliffe of Challengesophie.com . We are a leading Marketing Agency in London.

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

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