Did you know the current U.S. cosmetics market is worth over $95 billion? 

With the fast growth of the cosmetics industry, it’s become competitive and saturated — especially for startups.  This industry can be even more challenging to break through when you’re trying to sell a product that you’re audience might be less familiar with.

With this in mind, Glow Recipe, founded by Sarah Lee and Christine Chang, aims to bring U.S. awareness to Korean beauty (or K-beauty) trends, as well as its own lines of natural, fruit-based cosmetic products. 

But, before Glow Recipe sold thousands of cosmetic products and built an audience of more than 1 million social media followers, it actually started as a simple product curation site aiming to highlight other K-beauty brands. 

In a recent episode of The Shake Up, Alexis Gay and Brianne Kimmel sat down with Co-CEOs Sarah Lee and Chang to learn how they built a well-known beauty brand and positioned their products for the U.S. and other global markets.

Below are just a few great highlights from the episode, as well as an audio player so you can listen while you read.

Glow Recipe Highlights

How and Why Glow Recipe Began With Curation

[00:18:54] Gay: It seems to me like through the work of several companies, but particularly Glow Recipe, Americans are increasingly aware of K-beauty and the philosophy behind it. … I’m wondering if you could just tell us a little more. What are the actual key markers of K-beauty?

[00:19:17] Chang: The whole catalyst for us starting this was actually the realization that there was a burgeoning interest in Korean beauty at the time. This was all the way back into 2014. We were also seeing not only consumers but also global companies looking to Korean manufacturers and Korean labs for the latest innovations and skincare, ingredients, and technologies.

… We were also seeing that Korean beauty articles … were very focused on [K-beauty] as a 10 to 15-step regimen. … It would almost be a little — in terms of content — too clickbaity, versus really getting at the heart of the matter, which is that Korean beauty is about a philosophy. … It’s something that we ourselves learned at our mothers’ and grandmothers’ knees growing up.

We both have these amazing memories of … our grandmothers using watermelon rind and rubbing that on the skin to suit heat rash, or our mothers just marching over to the pantry. And I know Sarah’s mother — one of her favorite ingredients was cucumber slices. Or my mom would like to use greater potato and [00:20:30] just that holistic very easily, the accessible approach to natural ingredients, incorporating that into your self care routine. We would very often mask together with our moms while watching TV. And it wasn’t a chore. It wasn’t an arduous 15 step thing you had to get through.

[00:22:19] Kimmel: Can you tell us a little bit more about that evolution from becoming the trusted source in your friend group for K-beauty products to then curating this amazing new experience that turned into an amazing community in a very big market.

[00:22:45] Chang: We flew over in 2014 to Korea without so much as a website to get some brands on board. And we pounded the pavement to find these brands that many of which we’re still very close to today. … The commonality was that they were all helmed by really passionate brand founders that had unique products, really clear product formulation philosophies, and we felt like these were the brands … that needed to be introduced to the U.S. and other global markets — because of the sheer astounding innovation, beautiful textures, and ingredient stories we were seeing. … After a lot of convincing … We were able to get eight or nine brands on board.

… On that trip, we kicked off our site right away. … There were a lot of mishaps along the way. I cringe a little bit when I see the early iterations of our site, because at the time you were like, “Hey, it looks great.” … Now, looking back on it, there were some clear optimization opportunities, but it was so fun.

… Every day, we were making emails ourselves. We were cold calling journalists ourselves. We were figuring out the social media content. … It was a lot of scrappiness, but also we really enjoyed it because we knew each and every step we were taking was getting us closer to our goal of bringing K-beauty philosophy to the wider audience and the way that we thought was right.

… We knew that eventually, we would have to take that step ourselves because we ourselves had that formulation philosophy internally that we wanted to really materialize and manifest through, through our own brand and the right timing for that eventually came. So a couple of years after launching RSP as a curation site, we launched our own in-house food-for-skincare brand that you see today, and on the shelves at Sephora in mid-2017. … And that was … a very close partnership with the retailer to make sure that we were successful in launching the brand.

Why Glow Recipe Pivoted from Curation to Product Creation

[00:26:29] Lee: I think the first reason why we started as a curation business model was because we wanted to give the platform and the opportunity to these brilliant founders and brands to go global by providing the content and education and marketing.

… Once we were able to gain that credibility in the market, I think that’s when we needed to really think about what we wanted to do as founders.

… What we wanted to do was combine those [Korean beauty] tenants and create our own brand because we didn’t really think that all of the influx of Chinese and Korean beauty innovations were fully understood by the American consumer. We felt the urge to break down that barrier and create our own brands that are actually much simpler.

[00:28:12] Chang: With Glow Recipe Skincare, it just felt right. Our community could not get enough. People were DM-ing us, our brand, our, our personal Instagrams nonstop asking about … the next draw, product suggestions, ideas. There was just so much passion and buzz around this brand. And we knew that we had struck a chord with it because it was this balance of — yes — Korean beauty philosophy, but also results. …

Also, [one thing that drew audiences was] the fact that we were speaking about fun skincare. For the longest time, I think skincare had been really dominated by a lot of very clinical brands. … Of course, so many brands that are in that space are also really amazing. But I think that sense of sensory reality — that extra moment that touch that made your self-care routine that much more special — all of this was really, really appreciated and we felt like it was ours. [It was] lmost our dutie to the community to make sure that we were giving them what they wanted.

How Glow Recipe Maintained Brand Relationships

[00:29:45] Kimmel: How did you think about … the early community that you had built around curation. Were there specific ways that you were able to learn from those founders or continue to build a relationship with them once you made the transition from curation over to Glow Recipe?

[00:30:12] Lee: some of the founders from the curation brands are still our friends to this date. So there is a lot of synergy that comes from that because we can always pick up the phone, call them, and ask them for opinions about certain things.

… We’re both brand builders and creators, right? So we share so much in common. We terminated our curation business model, but the relationships and the friendships continued to this day. We still touch base with them once in a while, make sure that if they have any questions around navigating the U.S. market, we’re there for them because we want everyone to succeed at the same time.

… When we were transitioning to a creation business, we were not only giving them connections to the networks that we had with the retailers. But, we were asking our customers to not forget about these products or brands. We were giving them site links to those products to continue to shop them because we curated them for a reason.

Why Marketing Product Differentia is Key

[00:31:40] Gay: Did you ever have any doubts at that time that this was the right move, or were you 100% confident? 

[00:31:53] Chang: I don’t think we had doubts per se, but then it’s really hard to gauge the level of success a brand will have. There are so many brands in the industry. We’ve had many conversations with many people in the industry about how saturated the market is. So each and every brand that comes into existence needs to have a real point of difference and a real reason. I think with Glow Recipe Skincare, we were able to really distill some of those personal experiences, those personal passion points into the brand.

… How do we provide products that are different and really add value to [the customer’s] routine when they buy it and make it part of their skincare wardrobe? That perspective, I think, has continued to serve us. And it goes back to those early days where we ourselves were answering every single customer email and writing notes to every single person who purchased from our site.

Balancing Community and Product Management

[00:33:32] Gay: I’m wondering how you balance keeping that customer-first, community-first mentality with some of the less glamorous aspects of creating a product.

[00:33:46] Lee: We’re first-time entrepreneurs. One of the things that we’ve learned, are still learning, is how do we balance everything when we have to oversee everything as founders and co-CEOs. I think the great benefit that we have today is that we have such an incredible, talented team. … I can say with confidence, that they just understand the social space. A lot of our team members are actually relatively young and very plugged into TikTok. So they just have their ears and eyes on the … social media landscape in realtime. Because of that, we’re able to not only react quickly, but proactively share what we have going on transparently with our community.

… That communication aspect, but also the decision making internally for the business has been really instrumental. … We think of every team member as a content creator. When we hire people, we always ask about their storytelling aspect, or photography skills.

… And we often have brainstorm sessions with our team members, just tasking people to think about a challenge that we’re facing, whether it’s a marketing initiative or a new campaign idea where we’re stuck and we want everyone to contribute,

Chang and Lee’s Top Leadership Challenges

[00:37:49] Alexis Gay: What keeps you up at night? What’s hard right now. What challenges you as co-CEOs?

[00:38:06] Lee: It’s a really timely question because there are some key challenges that we’re facing today where, as a company, we’re very rapidly growing. We’re very grateful for that, but that comes with a challenge around how we can make sure that everyone stays motivated and our culture is maintained.

… I think any entrepreneur can relate with something like this. Cause at any point of your entrepreneurial journey, your team pretty much makes up most of what makes a success or not. … I think people s everything. And so we’re trying to figure out how to, you know, hire because we do need to have at least 10 people more on our team and the next few months.

[00:38:52] Chang: We do have a lot of brainstorm sessions because the team is full of ideas and we love having those creative conversations and just really giving everyone an opportunity to voice their thoughts and opinions.

… Going forward, it’s really up in the air, right? Because is that day in the life going to take place at an office, is it going to continue to be worked from home? These are questions I think every founder, every company owner’s, grappling with as we move toward getting out of the 100% work from home time that we all had to be in.

To hear the full podcast, as well as other episodes, check out The Shake Up on the HubSpot Podcast Network. 

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The human attention span is short. This means that your website’s content has to inspire, delight, and engage your target audience in mere seconds.

Maybe your content is performing well on social media. It’s resonating with audiences and earning engagement. But it’s possible that when you look at website metrics, there’s a different story being told.

If your session time is low and your bounce rate is high, then your above-the-fold content may be to blame. Not to worry: We’ll go over everything you need to know about above-the-fold content, including best practices and examples that will inspire you.

Your above-the-fold website content directly impacts your engagement metrics, because it can inspire users to explore the rest of the website and its offerings. If it’s not properly optimized, you’ll likely see a boost in bounce rate and a decrease in conversions.

A web page that is slow to load, congested with information, and hard to use will probably not draw the reader in the same way a page with the opposite design would. This can hurt your website’s lead generation potential.

Let’s say you’ve been losing traffic. It’s possible the content website visitors see when they first visit your page isn’t interesting enough to keep them there. Your page might be compelling by the time visitors start scrolling, but if the content isn’t dazzling and user-friendly right off the bat, visitors can easily click away.

This means that your content above the fold could probably be re-done to engage visitors.

If your website has compelling above-the-fold content, you’ll likely see higher conversion rates and lower bounce rates. If you’re unsure, try to self-test by looking at your website from a new perspective — if you were a new viewer, would you stay on your site at first glance?

Let’s talk about some ways you can ensure your above-the-fold content engages web users.

Above the Fold Website Design Best Practices

When you design your webpage, keep these practices in mind. They’ll keep visitors’ attention and encourage them to explore the rest of your website.

1. Keep your design simple.

Above-the-fold content shouldn’t be extremely busy — if it is, readers might not know where to look first and click away from the page. Alternatively, if they’re not able to find the answer to their challenge quickly, they’ll likely choose another website.

To keep your page looking professional, organized, and user-friendly, try adding one featured image or multimedia, such as a GIF or video, to the content above the fold. Then, add a short headline that introduces your webpage, and a sentence below it that describes your page in more detail.

2. Make the content engaging.

Simple web pages are one way to keep a user’s attention. But when they get there, take opportunities to delight them. For example, when you write your headlines and body text, they should echo your brand voice.

You don’t have to make huge changes to delight the visitor. For example, if there’s a CTA button on your page, you could try “Ready to get started?” instead of “Learn more.”

If the featured photo on your webpage is static, see if you can deliver the same message with a GIF instead. Additionally, if all of your copy is one color, try adding one or two more — a good rule of thumb is to incorporate your brand colors for professionalism and consistency with the rest of your website.

3. Design your content for usability.

Above all else, your content should be easy to interact with. For instance, if you’re working on the above-the-fold content for a product page, make sure your above-the-fold content is functioning as it should.

Let’s say your product page’s above-the-fold content is a video. Does it load correctly, include captions, and offer sound options?

Additionally, think about the experience of the user. If your above-the-fold content features a video that autoplays, will it interrupt the user’s interaction with the page? To combat this issue, make sure the video plays on silent and includes subtitles, if needed. Make sure to incorporate other web accessibility standards as well.

4. Solve challenges for the reader.

Your content above the fold should answer the challenge of the user. To illustrate, let’s say you work for an email marketing service provider, and a user searches “email marketing software” and lands on your homepage.

Your content, then, should include a few, if not all, of the keywords “automated email marketing software” in some form. For example, your headline could read “Email Automation for Marketers,” and expand on that in the supporting text.

Those are a few guidelines to keep in mind when designing your content. Next, we’re going to look at above-the-fold website examples that will inspire you.

Above the Fold Content Examples to Inspire Your Own

1. Wistia

Wistia lets its users create dynamic videos for marketing campaigns. The above-the-fold content introduces Wistia’s services using a mix of multimedia: GIFs, videos, and short copy, to show off the capabilities of the service.

Wistia’s homepage feels casual, welcoming, and professional at the same time. The homepage video stops visitors in their tracks. They’ll likely spend more time watching the talk-show-inspired clip that explains Wistia’s services. As a consumer, when I see real people on a webpage, it’s inviting and compels me to explore further. After the video, users will have an idea of the software’s offerings, straight from expert marketers.

2. Velocity Partners

Velocity Partners, a B2B marketing agency, doesn’t have a company overview video for their above-the-fold content. Instead, the homepage has a fascinating 3D animated video and a paragraph of content that explains why innovative marketers should leverage new content formats to tell more refreshing stories.

The phrase “Great marketing moves” describes what the business is all about, and is short, simple, and to the point, letting the summary do the heavy lifting when it comes to attracting visitors. Velocity Partners’ above-the-fold messaging sparks curiosity, and in turn, the incentive to keep scrolling.

It’s important to note, however, that if you want to use above-the-fold content similar to Velocity Partners’, make sure the first few seconds of your collateral, as well as your copy, are the most engaging. If they aren’t, the visitor probably won’t feel inclined to stay on the site past reading the headline.

3. VeryGoodCopy

VeryGoodCopy is a creative agency that crafts articles, landing pages, web pages, and emails for brands. Above the fold, the website lets the copy describe what the company can provide for users.

The headline conveys the opportunity for marketers to learn how to persuade by leveraging ample white space and social proof. It also includes an enticing headline, a brief description of their content topics, and a vivid call-to-action. This simple and engaging above-the-fold design ensnares their visitors’ attention and convinces them to check out their micro-articles.

4. Shopify

Shopify’s above-the-fold content leverages images to invite the reader to explore. Shopify allows entrepreneurs to begin their own ecommerce business. The above-the-fold content uses images of products sold on Shopify to show how the software is used.

The homepage includes artistic images to make a lasting impression on the user. And, even though copy is sparse, the tagline is packed with purpose and compels visitors to click that green CTA to start a trial.

5. Ann Handley

Ann Handley, a Wall Street Journal best-selling author and partner at MarketingProfs, uses the homepage on her website to impress users by highlighting her marketing prowess. Hyperlinking and linking are heroes here — linking to other pages on a website can earn more clicks on various pages on a site.

She also leverages white space, a welcoming picture of herself, a catchy tagline, compelling copy, and a vibrant call-to-action to persuade her visitors to consider working with her. From this homepage, the visitor knows what Handley looks like, what she has done, and how to contact her. As far as above-the-fold content goes, it’s a home run.

6. Mint

Above-the-fold content can maximize on simplicity, like it does for Mint, a budget tracking and planning software. The simple, yet professional, homepage effectively conveys the company and how they can help customers.

Notice the copy in the headline — it emotionally connects to the reader in two sentences, opening the door for them to explore the app of a company that knows them.

Mint also has a video of their app in action to catch their website visitors’ attention. This helps the visitor visualize how the app will look if they decide to sign up.

7. InVision

How do you show customer stories dynamically above the fold? Let’s take a look at InVision’s sleek example.

InVision is a digital product design company that helps users easily build sleek impressive websites, so the design team at the company knew the homepage had to impress visitors. It does, auto playing a silent version of the company’s overview video, complete with testimonials from decision-makers at companies such as Uber and Twitter.

The copy that’s layered above the video does a great job of concisely explaining what the company does for users, and the “Get Started Free” CTA even entices me, a marketer who isn’t looking to design a website, to learn more about the company’s offerings. It also doesn’t hide the titles of those decision-makers from the video — “Dantley Davis, Netflix Design Director” is large enough that it can catch users’ eyes when they aren’t looking.

8. Animalz

Similar to VeryGoodCopy, Animalz is a content marketing agency whose website doesn’t bombard visitors with messaging about their services in the above-the-fold design. Instead, visitors are greeted with the headline, “The world’s best content marketing happens here,” which entices a marketer like me to read further.

The CTA copy is different from run-of-the-mill CTA buttons. “Let’s talk,” rather than, “Click here to learn more!”, implies that when visitors click on the CTA, they will be taken to a real person who can offer them more information about the service.

The website also leverages white space, and uses simple, hand-drawn images to entice the reader to scroll down. The purple squiggle runs down the webpage to introduce Animalz’s top customers, and leads to a form to get in touch with the company.

9. Ahrefs

Maybe you work for a company that wants a no-nonsense homepage that conveys the benefits of the product without congesting the page with an overload of information. If that description fits you, take a look at Ahref’s above-the-fold approach.

The headline describes what the service does: It helps users improve their SEO without necessarily being an SEO expert. The CTA seals the deal by communicating pricing information.

Satisfied customers are listed at the bottom, right before the fold, to give a rounded-out overview of how Ahrefs can be a benefit to successful companies. If you want your homepage to use more copy, rather than visuals, try presenting it in a simple way that doesn’t use more than 30 words, like Ahrefs did.

10. Twitch

After typing in Twitch.tv into your browser, you’re immediately immersed into what the website offers: live streams for gamers. This is because as soon as your browser accesses the website, a featured live stream begins autoplaying.

While it can be a bit jarring to suddenly hear voices coming from your browser, Twitch’s above-the-fold design doesn’t use any copy to describe their services. Instead, users can jump right in and demo the content themselves, browsing streams without having to make an account or read anything. They can keep scrolling to see popular streams, click one, and explore the site’s capabilities from there.

Because of how the site works altogether, this above-the-fold approach works. Twitch offers visitors to trial their services without doing any reading. Visual platforms similar to Twitch can benefit from this method, pulling in visual learners and non-visual learners alike.

11. Skillshare

Skillshare uses video to explain the bulk of their services above the fold. Because the software offers online classes in a variety of subjects, the video displays an overview of what Skillshare can help you accomplish, learn, and feel.

The video highlights confident-looking adults diving into their passions, which is what Skillshare helps users with. The sign-up box inspires visitors to explore their creativity with the software — and get started for free.

12. Flock

The messaging app Flock doesn’t waste any time: It right away includes an email capture form above the fold. The key to including an email capture form is to design it so it doesn’t interrupt the experience of a first-time visitor to your website.

The supporting images illustrate how Flock works, and the CTA text displays a little personality (“Get Flocking”). Using a form to spice up your homepage can be simple and effective when you include a clickable button and an image to display an overview of your company to visitors.

13. King Arthur Flour

The above-the-fold content of this Boston-based baking ingredient supplier, King Arthur Flour, is top notch. It gives visitors the choice to watch a video tutorial on how to make sourdough bread, right away inviting them to engage.

I could get a feel for the company’s offerings: a Facebook Page (which houses the business’ baking show), recipes, a baking FAQ, products for purchase, and even a “Baker’s Hotline”, which works as a Contact Us page.

The slideshow features, equipped with a glossy photo and their own CTA, gave me a complete overview of everything the company can do for aspiring bakers. It goes outside of just the business’s products, and instead, offers helpful information for bakers in general, which is welcoming to someone who may be intimidated about bread baking.

14. Clarkisha Kent

Are you a freelancer wondering how to make your above-the-fold content stand out among your competition? If so, when you design your homepage, make sure it accomplishes two things: displaying personality and offering easy navigation options.

This is because, while your work has to precede you, so does your personality, especially as a freelancer. If you’re a writer, like Clarkisha Kent, your copy has to sell it, like her website does.

The inclusion of a headshot and interesting headline quickly displays more of who Kent is as a writer, and the angle she is likely to take as a contributor to websites. Her navigation bar includes links to viral tweets she’s made and clippings from other publications, so her homepage doesn’t have to.

Instead, her homepage serves as an introduction, which can precede her before the rest of her website. When users are drawn in by a minimalistic web page with cliffhanger text, they’re likely going to be interested in exploring the website to fill in that gap. For instance, when I read, “Chaos bringer,” I instantly wanted to know how, which prompted me to look at her past work.

15. Good Witch Kitchen

This is another example of how to convey the personality of your brand if you’re a freelancer or small business owner. Good Witch Kitchen is the name of Kristen Ciccolini’s holistic nutrition business. The website’s above-the-fold content contains an introduction of who she is and why she does what she does.

Ciccolini’s logo and copy accurately provide a quick view of the services Good Witch Kitchen provides: A non-diet approach to nutrition management from an expert.

16. Aya Paper Co

This stationery brand makes good use of the area above the fold by including a slideshow that prompts visitors to shop for birthday cards, explore new products, and build a gift box for someone. This works exceedingly well because it gives users a chance to find what they need from the slideshow alone.

The website then includes a series of customer testimonials to sway visitors into becoming customers. From the above-the-fold content alone, you get a sense of the brand’s aesthetic, ethos, and commitment to environmental sustainability.

17. BREAD Beauty Supply

For those who’d like to keep their brand imagery strong above the fold, BREAD Beauty Supply’s example will be sure to offer some inspiration. The brand includes a video of customers showing off their curly hair — which is what their products are used for — with a large version of its logo placed over the video.

The brand then seals the deal by including a “Shop All” button at the bottom. You can still make a “splash” with your above-the-fold website content; you’ll only need to include a CTA.

18. Ceremonia

Ceremonia is another haircare brand that, like BREAD Beauty Supply, uses a video to catch visitors’ attention. It also includes a CTA button at the bottom that invites visitors to “Shop All.”

This above-the-fold website example is effective because it conveys the brand’s mission and aesthetic while still fully using the available real estate. The video inspires one to take care of one’s hair using the products. It shows people being carefree and enjoying the environment. The brand’s products are made from naturally derived ingredients, and the video hints at that without using text.

In the same way, you can hint at your products’ background using strong imagery in a video.

The Benefits of Above the Fold Optimization

Above-the-fold optimization is critical to ensure your website visitors don’t bounce off the page. That way, you can increase the chances of visitors becoming customers. By optimizing the content above the fold, you can:

• Increase user engagement by right away inviting users to shop or reach out to you.
• Greet users with on-brand messaging.
• Establish the value of using your product or service.
• Show the results your website visitors can see if they choose to purchase from you.

Now that you have some inspiration about how to keep your customers engaged on your landing pages, which strategy are you going to use for yours? I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in March 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Ask “What makes a great leader?” and you’ll get a different answer every time.

For me, a great leader is empathetic, adaptable, and inspiring. For others, a great leader should be decisive, intelligent, and relatable.

That meaning continues to evolve over time.

One concept that has long been debated is whether leadership is innate or learned.

Some see leadership as a black and white concept: Either you’ve got it or you don’t. But is that really true?

In this article, we’ll explore the trait theory of leadership and what critics say about it.

This idea, first introduced in the mid-1800s, looks at certain traits as inherited, such as:

• Intelligence
• Confidence
• Creativity
• Competency
• People/communication skills
• Trustworthiness
• Decisiveness

For a long time, this was the agreed-upon idea in society. You either had what it took to be a leader, or you didn’t.

The trait theory and approach have served as a benchmark for how we look at our leaders. It puts the emphasis on the person, rather than the followers or environment – which can be helpful in understanding why people gravitate toward particular leaders.

Then, about a century later in the 1940s, the narrative expanded.

Researcher Ralph Stogdill discovered that some people were leaders in some situations, and not in others. This contradicted the trait theory idea and introduced leadership as something that was influenced by the environment.

Think back to your group projects in college or high school.

Where did you fall in the roles? Were you the leader, the supportive but quiet contributor, the I’ll-do-everything-myself, the absent last-minute helper?

You might have been all four depending on the situation. Perhaps you only feel comfortable stepping up as a leader if no one else wants to.

With this in mind, there are several additional leadership theories:

• Situational leadership theories argue that leaders emerge based on need. If a situation requires it, one person will emerge as the leader. However, that same person may not rise to the occasion in another environment.
• Behavioral leadership theories suggest that leadership is a learned behavior that anyone can study.

Now that we know which theories are out there, let’s talk about what critics say about the trait theory.

Criticisms of the Trait Theory of Leadership

Many leaders today strongly disagree with the trait theory of leadership.

They believe that anyone can learn and build the skills needed to succeed as a leader. A small survey sample of U.S. consumers echoed this sentiment.

And there is some research to support this.

A 2008 study on heritability and human development found that 70% of leadership capacity is not inherited genetically, but rather learned through experience.

Additional research studies suggest that few traits differentiate leaders from followers. When comparing leaders with their followers, there are little differences in the traits they possess or have the potential to possess.

Another criticism of the trait theory is that it overlooks socio-economic inequities.

How do you determine who has the potential for leadership if your population doesn’t begin at the same starting line?

For instance, marginalized groups who grow up in underfunded and undersupported communities may not have the same opportunities to showcase their leadership abilities. Their abilities to develop this potential may also be limited.

With this in mind, some view the idea that leadership is inherited as flawed, as it does not factor in all variables.

Trait vs. Process Leadership

These two concepts fall on opposite sides.

The former argues leadership is innate, while the latter maintains that it builds over time as a result of the interactions between the leader and follower(s).

As a process leader, you are responsible for nurturing relationships with others and offering support. Through time, the theory states, you will gain the role of a leader and create an environment in which your followers can succeed.

When examining both theories, both theories can be true.

Leadership is nuanced, and as such, can operate within various models and environments.

For the trait side, everyone is born with personality traits, talents, and gifts, which make us more likely to succeed in particular environments and roles.

For instance, an extrovert can exhibit the qualities of a leader. They have little trouble in social settings and they communicate with confidence. With this in mind, they likely won’t have to work as hard as an introvert to engage with their peers, colleagues, and leaders.

However, an introvert can build those same skills through exposure and experience. On that same note, an introvert may rise to the occasion in more intimate settings.

What’s more, leadership is a constantly evolving concept. While the trait theory was initially the most popular way of viewing leadership, more theories have evolved that expand our understanding of it.

For instance, conversations surrounding psychological safety have only recently gained traction in the workplace. Leaders are now trained on creating an environment in which employees feel safe to share ideas, concerns, and mistakes.

As our understanding of what works best to motivate teams, leadership styles also evolve. As such, there will always be an educational component to being a leader.

There isn’t a right or wrong theory when it comes to leadership. All theories provide some insight into what it takes to be successful as a leader.

While the trait theory offers a rubric for the qualities of a leader, the process theory focuses on how to nurture relationships. The situational leadership model views leadership as a flexible concept that is heavily based on the environment.

If you’re working toward a leadership role, consider these models and use them as building blocks to find your own style.

Bachelorette Party Long Island

Hire a limo or a party bus from Limo King and experience a spectacular evening in style, safety, and luxury for your Bachelor/Bachelorette party! Limo King gives the greatest Long Island Bachelorette Party. We will safely transport your company throughout town.

Bachelorette parties provide an opportunity to socialise, dance with your closest friends, and unwind from wedding planning. Rather than simply enjoying a day of leisure and enjoyment, you should consider taking it a step further. A limousine is an excellent way to indulge yourself and your bachelorette party guests.

Select a limousine service that has a proven track record of reliability and excellence. There are numerous limousine rental firms in the sector, and you must ensure that your relationship with them is positive. These suggestions can assist you in achieving achievement.

• In person, visit the Limo Service office.
• Gather all pricing information in writing to avoid any last-minute complications.
• If you are booking multiple vehicles, inquire about discounts, running specials, bundles, and package deals.
• The majority of limousine rental firms demand an additional fee for additional time. If you go beyond the time limit, ensure that you are aware of all applicable costs.

Take additional care when arranging your bachelorette party. You should select a limousine business with whom you feel comfortable and confirm that the pricing is reasonable. Your friend will be extremely appreciative of your efforts to make the evening memorable.

Typically, the maid of honour looks after the bachelorette as the bride celebrates her final night of bachelorhood.

Your best friend has chosen to settle down and marry, which means that there will be less interaction between the groups of friends and more focus on her marriage life. You will want to avoid worrying about transportation if you are the maid of honour. Limo King can assist you in crossing this item off your checklist.

Limo King’s highly experienced chauffeurs will take care of all logistics, including parking, driving through traffic, and keeping on schedule. While you wait for the big day, enjoy your time with your companion. Make your friend’s night unique by participating in the activities and not wasting time behind the vehicle. Our friendly and competent limo drivers will attend to your every need. Our limo drivers can transport you and your friends to any Long Island or New York destination. Regardless of the size of your party of friends, we have the vehicle and package that will meet your demands.

Bachelorette parties are designed for females who desire a stress-free evening. It is critical to choose a reputable transportation firm. You can read our customers’ reviews to learn about their experiences with us. Our first goal is safety.

New York City is the most exciting city in the world for hosting parties and celebrations.

Limo King can take you to any venue, ensuring that your party is one to remember. The most fantastic city on the planet is well-known for its breathtaking scenery and chaotic traffic. Limo King’s chauffeurs, on the other hand, will be able to navigate through traffic and bring you to your destination on time.

On public holidays, weekends, and party nights, parking might be a difficult. Our chauffeurs are well-trained and will assist you with parking. Our chauffeurs will meet you at the given location at the agreed-upon time. They will accompany you to the hottest bars and nightclubs, ensuring that you have a fantastic time with your companions. The party limos are decked out in neon and flashing lights to guarantee that everyone has a good time.

We at Limo King can help you create the best Bachelorette Party Long Island has to offer.

Limo King has a dedicated crew that can assist you with payment planning. Are you willing to pool your transportation expenses with your friends? We are receptive to any recommendations and willing to collaborate with clients at all levels. We have numerous recommendations and guidance that will significantly assist you in planning the big night. Our vehicles will assist you in saving time and removing the stress associated with party planning. With our customer-oriented staff, you can unwind and enjoy a stress-free evening.

Party Limo Long Island

Limo King Company rents the Best Party Limo in Long Island to ensure that your time with your friends and family is memorable and enjoyable! With decades of experience organising Bachelorette Party events, we will be able to add value to your trip beyond transportation. We are capable of exceeding your expectations and ensuring that your journey is memorable. We offer Long Island Wedding Limousines and Long Island Wedding Limo Rental Packages.

Limo King has over 50 years of expertise in the Long Island limo industry for Bachelorette Parties. We’ve compiled a list of activities that you and your pal will adore. Make certain to peruse our website’s customisable list. It can be customised to fit your specific needs and specifications.

Additionally, we offer the best sound system for any celebration. A bachelorette party would be incomplete without a sound system. After all, the bachelorette party is her final bachelor night. As a result, she deserves to go out on a high note! Limo King has a huge selection of vehicles equipped with surround sound systems, ensuring that your party is one to remember.

 Bachelorette Limo Packages NYC

Limo King offers limousines and SUVs for smaller groups. Larger groups can be transported on party buses. Our bachelorette party activities include a party limo and a party bus. Additionally, we provide bespoke solutions to meet your specific demands and budget.

Our bachelor party limousine fleet is one of the largest and most diverse in the industry. The opulent limos feature audio/video systems, LCD televisions, mood lighting, neon lights, strobe lights, and mood lighting, in addition to an elevator. We provide a range of complimentary beverages to help you feel better. With all of these amenities, we’re convinced you’ll find the perfect journey. Everybody will find something they enjoy.

Right now, party buses are fashionable. They are stylish because they provide pleasant accommodations and enough seating. The bus can be used for both long- and short-distance trips. This bus is appropriate for a variety of occasions, including weddings, bachelorette parties, group outings, winery excursions, and proms.

Renting a taxi or a car to attend bachelorette parties is more expensive than hiring a party limo from Limo King. Party limos accommodate all of your guests, eliminating the need to charter multiple automobiles. It is secure, cosy, and equipped with all the facilities necessary to make your stay even more enjoyable. It is suitable for use as a nightclub or a party with a large number of basses. Wherever you go, our vehicles provide comfort and the potential for everyone to make a great debut. What we all deserve to experience is a bunch of beautiful girls celebrating a bachelorette party in New York City while riding in a fancy automobile.

Limo King is a Long Island limousine company that is family-owned and operated. Since 1967, we have been in the luxury transportation market, offering a diverse assortment of automobiles and excellent customer service. By providing luxury transportation, we strive to make every occasion special. Through a one-on-one conversation with one of our expert chauffeurs, we will get to know you better and provide you with more tailored advise.

Limousines are the most fashionable and sophisticated mode of transport in the city on party evenings. A bachelorette party limo is the ideal transportation option for newlyweds and their closest friends looking to have a good time. It’s time to bid your cherished friend farewell and send her off to married life. Limo King is here to assist you during your evening of glory. We provide a luxurious limousine service in addition to red-carpet service. No matter how far you drive, our chauffeur dressed in a tuxedo will ensure that you arrive on time.

Our fleet of opulent and luxurious limos will ensure that your bachelorette party is one to remember. We offer a variety of limousines, including the Lincoln Towncar, the Lincoln Continental, the Lincoln Navigator, the Rolls Royce Phantom, the Chrysler 300, the BMW X5, the Porsche Cayenne, the Mercedes GL Class, the Mercedes G-Wagon, the Land Rover Range Rover, the Cadillac Escalade, the Hummer H2, the Hummer Transformer, and the Infiniti Q60.

With our clean, well-maintained vehicles, you’re sure to have a fantastic night!

We look forward to assisting you! Since Reliance NY Group’s inception, our team has aided numerous clients in creating unforgettable bachelorette parties. Our attentive and customer-focused staff can assist you in planning your bachelorette party.

Are you in need of a glitzy bachelorette party? Are you looking forward to spending quality time with your closest friends and the bride-to-be without having to worry about who will drive? We can assist. Our top-rated bachelorette party limo packages in New York City will give you with everything you need to ensure that your bachelorette party is a success.

Our Bachelorette Packages include:

• Professional Attired Chauffeur
• Red Carpet Treatment Exclusively for You
• 4 Hour Rental
• Water and Soda Complimentary
• Special Discounts for Wedding Customers
• Planning assistance for events

Our cars include luxury audio/video systems and 60-inch plasma panels. Everything you need, including a dance pole, is included in the limo!

Whether your bachelorette party takes you to the Hamptons on Long Island, Manhattan, or Brooklyn, our drivers are extremely experienced and will ensure that your journey is one to remember. Please do not hesitate to contact our specialised staff for further information about our bespoke packages. Inquire about our red-carpet concierge services.

For more information about our Bachelorette Party Limo Packages in New York City, contact us at 866-259-8123.

Brought To You By: Limokingnewyork

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Can a Georgetown SEO consultant help your company and impact the bottom line?

Yes. Increased online visibility enables potential clients to locate your business more readily in search engines. Additionally, if your other processes, such as customer service and providing high-quality services or products, operate well, this may result in increased traffic and, consequently, increased sales.

All search engines’ primary goal is to return the most relevant results to their users’ queries. When it comes to local businesses, customers usually request information such as phone numbers, photographs, and hours of operation. Additionally, they are interested in knowing more about a business and prefer to do so by interacting with and studying consumer reviews posted on social media platforms. With this in mind, search engines have evolved to make it easier for customers to find information. Search engines have also evolved tremendously to ensure that users can easily access the information they need regardless of whether they are using a laptop, smartphone, tablet, or other type of technological device.

Consider Georgetown SEO While Designing

When it comes to redesigning a website, the majority of us prioritise its responsiveness and usability. Simultaneously, it is vital to focus on these factors to guarantee your business runs well. However, the most critical aspect of website design should not be overlooked: search engine optimization (SEO) (Search Engine Optimization).

The following are the five most efficient strategies for avoiding common SEO blunders when redesigning your website: Let’s begin by discussing why SEO is critical for a website. While redesigning your website, the key attention should be on SEO in order to avoid major complications in the future. Everything about your website’s design, structure, meta description, and content is related to search engine optimization. Ignoring any of these variables may result in a negative impact on your Google search engine ranking. As a result, the time and money you invested in redesigning your website will be in nothing.

When it comes to SEO, content is undisputed king, and this trend is predicted to continue this year. Everything about Georgetown SEO is influenced by content, from the website’s structure to the type of links and strategy for developing internal links. To be effective at search engine optimization, you must first understand your target audience and their search habits, the intent behind their search queries, and the type of information they seek.

No Cookie-Cutter Solutions

SEO is a process that must be customised for each website. This is because each organisation and website has its own set of criteria and challenges. As a result, the “one size fits all” concept should be avoided in this instance. If you are already dealing with a company that offers pre-packaged SEO services, you should reconsider because you may not get exactly what you want. Rather than that, verify the organisation understands your sector and business and develops strategies and charges accordingly.

Before you begin, identify what services you require from the SEO agency – are you looking for a one-time assessment, PPC management, ongoing SEO, or something else? Then, decide and discuss everything with the prospective provider so that the return on investment (ROI) of their labour is simply quantifiable.

Meta Tags & Optimizing Metadata for Georgetown SEO

Incorporate your “one thing” into your website’s title, domain name, description, tagline, keywords, blog categories, page names, and content. Much of this can be changed in WordPress’s general settings or using a plugin such as All in One SEO Pack (which I use).

SEO is a sort of magic, and the most renowned SEO professionals are magicians. They are, however, data stewards, detectives, archaeologists, and researchers. Successful search engine optimization specialists study the unseen, comprehend the unsaid, and decipher the search engine ranking mechanism.

SEO tools come in a variety of flavours and make use of a variety of data collection methods and techniques, including keyword research, site crawling, backlink analysis, content analysis, ranking tracking, competition analysis, and market trend tracking. Some systems generate a comprehensive SEO report, while others focus exclusively on one or a few of these tactics. As a result, we are not always comparing apples to apples when evaluating SEO products.

Why You Need A Georgetown SEO Specialist

Search engines will not tell you whether your actions were correct or incorrect. When you enter a keyword into a search engine, your website may or may not appear; search engines do not provide an explanation. We favour tools that can sift through thousands of data points and highlight those that may contain answers, as they disclose critical data that might have gone unnoticed otherwise.

It’s natural to experience a drop in ranking immediately after improving your website. As search engines index your revisions, your rankings will fluctuate. If your ranking does not improve after a week or two, log into Analytics to check for any trends in website traffic that could account for the fall. For instance, a change in the way other websites connect to your website may have an effect on your visibility. Additionally, you could consider modifying your keywords to include additional search phrases.

Get The Perfect Georgetown SEO Strategy For Your Business!

You will not see significant returns unless you have a robust SEO strategy in place. If you opt to target random keywords or build links, you may have some success, but never a constant increase in traffic. They are unlikely to be able to say, “We are receiving connections from websites X, Y, and Z.” They may offer something along the lines of, “We begin with an on-site technical SEO audit to discover areas for speedy improvement.” After that, we find the most appropriate keywords to target.

Each project begins with a comprehensive audit. This evaluates your website and any other SEO components that may be missing. The technical component of the audit examines your website and any factors that may be affecting your rankings, conversion rate optimization (CRO), customer (user) experience (UX), and brand appeal.

The audit’s search engine optimization component creates an efficient project plan from the start, taking into account where we need to go, what we need to do to get there, and what is wrong with the current search engine optimization setup. A strong audit is vital to the success of any campaign, and the devil is in the details: many organisations envision endless tables of search volume and irrelevant data that have no impact on rankings but appear spectacular. Our aim is to focus exclusively on what is vital and to improve rankings proactively and rapidly. Once those duties are finished, we will concentrate on the little aspects.

In 2021, on-page SEO will be more essential than ever.

On-page SEO entails keyword optimization and a user experience audit, both of which are sometimes overlooked when addressing on-page SEO. On-page SEO experts ensure that your website:

Utilizes the appropriate keywords in both the text and the images.
Has title tags and meta descriptions that are optimised.
Contains photos and other multimedia content that are optimised for page load speed.

Utilize elements such as CTAs to increase page engagement and session duration (Call To Actions). Utilize high-quality external and internal links to enhance click-through rates.

Backlinks may make or break your search engine optimization efforts.

Request links: Backlinks have been a critical component of search engine algorithms for a long period of time and will continue to be so in the future. All SEOs “build” links to your website in order to improve ranks. As you are probably aware, not all backlinks are equal. A single high-quality backlink is often more valuable than hundreds of low-quality ones. Backlinks of low quality are easily automated and are widely used in spammy link building. Consider typical Fiverr deals, which allow you to purchase hundreds or thousands of high-quality connections for between $5 and $10. At the very least, a single quality link will set you back at least $20. The cost of a link from an agency is frequently greater than $100 per connection. If someone offers you a large number of links for less than $1 per link, you should proceed with caution.

Does social media help SEO?

The debate over whether social media has an effect on search engine optimization has raged for a long period of time. Google and Bing stated in 2010 that they rank pages in their search results based on social signals. This viewpoint, however, shifted following Twitter’s temporary restriction of Google’s access to its social network. Matt Cutts, former head of webspam at Google, published a video in 2014 explaining why Google cannot rely on signals that may not exist tomorrow. This concluded the conversation.

Since 2014, Google has explicitly denied that social media has a direct impact on search results. However, the year is now 2021, and much has changed in the intervening years. One apparent shift is that social networks now appear significantly more frequently in search engines.

Once you’ve discovered the most pertinent terms, it’s time to put your newly acquired knowledge to work. This begins with your website’s design. The architecture or structure of an e-commerce website refers to the organisation of the navigation bar, category pages, and product pages. In essence, it provides users with the most critical and relevant information while minimising the amount of clicks required to access it. There are two “golden standards” to follow when creating an effective website structure: keep it simple and scalable.

Conduct keyword research to create highly relevant page URLs and subdirectories. Make a decision before you begin, as changing your mind later is inconvenient.

In contrast to other organisations, a reputable Georgetown search engine optimization specialist will not use the same method for each client. Each website has a unique focus and is slightly different from the others. We understand this distinction and customise our approach to each website individually. We develop a plan from the ground up for each new project.

You can learn more about Georgetown SEO at Gibson Girls Marketing, 6013 E. Hwy 29
Georgetown, TX 78626 and can be reached by calling 512-710-8807 or visiting https://gibsongirlsmarketing.com

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We’re all familiar with traditional brainstorming as a way to produce new ideas. You sit in a room with a whiteboard and work with whatever comes to mind. Maybe you play a few rounds of word association to strengthen your ideas, or pull up Google and use research to flesh them out.

But there are many alternative exercises for tackling problems and developing new ideas, both individually and in a group setting.

Ranging from structured to silly, here are the best creative brainstorming exercises and techniques to help you get your problem-solving juices flowing. This list is a modified excerpt from my guide Creative Ideation for Digital Marketers: Theory to Practice.

1. Storyboarding

If you’re trying to design a process, storyboarding can help you see where your collective understanding of a problem supports or conflicts with a proposed solution, and where more thought/research is needed. By developing a visual story to explore the problem as a narrative, your team will be able to see how ideas interact and connect to form a solution.

Sticky notes are your friend. Take a few minutes to write out your ideas as individual notes. These don’t have to be complete thoughts — physically pinning up quotes, pictures, user info, and the like can help you see new relationships between different components.

Once you have a group of sticky notes to work from, start arranging them on the board as a progression: first this, then that. Organizing your ideas as a continuous series will help you see new connections and eliminate extraneous material that doesn’t support your end goal.

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• Storyboarding allows you to see your ideas in a sequential pattern.
• You’ll be able to see an overarching overview of a new or current process — without digging too deeply into the details.
• You can start from anywhere — the beginning, middle, or end — then fill in the blanks.

How to Use It in Marketing

Storyboarding is particularly useful for marketers. With it, you can:

• Outline the sequential process of a marketing campaign from beginning to completion.
• Improve an internal process such as backlink-building by drafting specific steps.
• Storyboard a marketing video from beginning to end.

2. Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a fairly common term nowadays — in fact, many types of software provide automated mind-mapping templates so you can better organize your data. Well, it also happens to be a great way to organize your ideas.

• To create a mind map for creativity purposes, write down the task or problem you’re trying to solve at the center of your idea sheet (feel free to do this on your computer, but whiteboards are ideal).
• Then, expand on this problem by surrounding it with terms that better describe what you need. If your problem is low website traffic, for example, some terms to write around this phrase might be “organic traffic,” “trusted content,” “SEO,” and “video strategy.”
• Once your mind map has this first layer, add a second layer to each of your needs describing how you might be able to solve for these individual challenges. Around “SEO,” you might write “topic clusters,” “dedicated SEO strategist,” and “video marketing course.”

Keep adding to your mind map using the steps above until you’ve sufficiently broken down your problem into manageable parts. It’s a fantastic problem-solving technique that fosters creative answers to subjects that might otherwise seem uninspiring.

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• Mind mapping allows you to start from any point and create clusters of potential processes.
• You don’t need to have an order in mind; you can prioritize later.
• You can add a myriad of topically relevant ideas as you go; with mind mapping, you never feel boxed-in.

How to Use It in Marketing

In marketing, you can use mind mapping to solve problems, like in the example above. You can also use it to:

• Draft content maps for your entire blog or website. You can begin with an overarching topic, then begin creating branches for each subtopic.
• Come up with marketing campaign ideas divided by major topics and subtopics.
• Create Yes/No scenarios for placing different lead segments into specific drip campaigns.

3. Word Banking

If you assume “work banking” is a fancy term for “word association,” well, you’re right. But in a word banking session, what you do with the words you come up with is much more sophisticated.

While word associations often focus on pairs of words, word banking asks you to form big groups of terms that all describe just a few themes or topics. Creating word banks in a business setting can help you dismantle a project into manageable parts — kind of like a mind map.

Then, when your work bank is complete, you can retroactively form connections between the terms you came up with, and use those connections to craft ideas that are guaranteed to include all of your most important characteristics.

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• Word association is a relatively natural, low-effort task — simply begin with a big idea, then begin jotting down anything that comes up for you.
• It doesn’t require you to know the when, why, or how of an idea.
• Word banking will surface gasps in your knowledge. If you find yourself stuck, it’s time to complete additional research.

How to Use It in Marketing

Word banking is ideal for content projects and can be a precursor for more in-depth keyword research. Use word banking to:

• Surface everything you know about a topic you’re thinking of tackling in your blog or website.
• “Word vomit” blog post ideas without feeling boxed into a formal keyword research process.
• Uncover where you and your teammates may need additional training. For instance, if you choose to start a word bank for “conversion rate optimization” and the term “A/B testing” never comes up, it may be time to sign everyone up for a CRO course.

4. S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

S.C.A.M.P.E.R. is essentially a process for expanding and improving upon ideas by testing and questioning them from different angles. For each letter of the mnemonic, ask yourself a related question about your project or the problem at hand:

• Substitute: What would happen to the project if we swapped X for Y?
• Combine: What would happen to the project if we combined X and Y?
• Adapt: What changes would need to be made to adapt this project to a different context?
• Modify: What could we modify to create more value on this project?
• Put to another use: What other uses or applications might this project have?
• Eliminate: What could we remove from the project to simplify it?
• Reverse: How could we reorganize this project to make it more effective?

This method forces you to approach your project or problem in unexpected ways. Each question asks you to dig a little deeper into the issue and consider new possibilities.

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• S.C.A.M.P.E.R. will get you to think beyond predefined assumptions about your product or project.
• The series of “would” and “could” questions let your mind run free with minimal commitment to any actual change or alteration.
• It allows you to improve a process even if you believe the process has reached its optimal form.

How to Use It in Marketing

While S.C.A.M.P.E.R. might seem like a brainstorming activity for product development teams, it can serve marketing teams just as well. Use it to:

• Improve a current process — such as keyword research or market research — by substituting, combining, and adapting tasks.
• Optimize the copy of a blog post or campaign by crafting hypothetical changes that could improve the piece. These changes could make it easier to “template” the piece.
• Build a drip campaign that effectively gets leads to convert by modifying and substituting certain email messages.

5. S.W.O.T. Analysis

Entrepreneurs and business leaders know exactly what a SWOT analysis is. Well, it also happens to be a helpful brainstorming exercise.

S.W.O.T. stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. When launching a company, it’s your textbook starting point (literally — there isn’t a single business school textbook in the world that doesn’t have a version of it).

But while a company’s founder might use a SWOT analysis to create his or her business model, brainstormers can use the same diagram to better organize their ideas.

Your SWOT analysis doesn’t have to be all that complicated when brainstorming. In fact, it can simply be four columns on a whiteboard during your average “shout it out” ideas meeting. When thinking of a new logo design, for instance, ask yourself what you like most about your current logo (strengths). What do you dislike about it (weaknesses)? What should it have more of (opportunities)? What other company logos should you be mindful of (threats)?

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• A S.W.O.T analysis will effectively put you in problem-solving mode before problems ever arise.
• It takes into account competitive advantages and disadvantages — a consideration that often comes long after brainstorming.
• You’ll get a much more detailed and comprehensive overview of what can be improved.

How to Use It in Marketing

S.W.O.T analyses are typically used in business and entrepreneurship, but marketers can use it to:

• Improve a social or search engine campaign before launch and find out where you may have opportunities or be facing threats.
• Create a much better project plan for clients by analyzing the project’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Audit an existing process within the team, such as handoffs to sales or content creation.

6. Zero Draft

The Zero Draft is an ideation technique often used by writers and is essentially a form of focused free-writing. For marketers and agency professionals, it can help focus the first stages of a new project by establishing what you currently know and getting your initial ideas out of your brain and onto paper.

Taking your central theme or topic:

• Write down everything you currently know about the subject.
• Write down what you need or want to know about the subject, but don’t currently know.
• Reflect on why the subject is important.
• Add anything else that takes your fancy — this is a chance to get whatever’s floating around in your head out into the world.

The Zero Draft method is all about getting everything you can think of relating to your topic down on paper, so don’t be concerned if it looks messy and unfocused. The goal is just to get past the initial block that often plagues creative professionals in the early stages of a new project.

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• The Zero Draft method has minimal constraints while allowing you to make sense of your ideas in coherent sentences.
• It’s especially a good fit for those who like to write their ideas down.
• As opposed to a whiteboard session, Zero Drafting allows you to document your thoughts in a more permanent format.

How to Use It in Marketing

Zero Drafting has ample uses in marketing. Use it to:

• Draft a blog post, article, or page from start to finish without stopping.
• Create a preliminary outline for a marketing video or video advertisement.
• Map the sequence of a new client project or internal project.

7. Reverse Brainstorming

In certain corporations and government entities, data security is the highest priority. So high, in fact, that these organizations have been known to hire hackers — many of whom have committed internet crimes — to hack their systems and find out where the weaknesses are.

This “reverse” approach to security, wherein you hack your own company, is considered one of the best ways to secure a server from intrusion. And for us, it’s the inspiration behind this fourth brainstorming technique.

When you reverse brainstorm, you essentially work to create problems rather than solutions. “Why on Earth would you want to do that?” you might ask. Creating problems teaches you what not to do so you’re more intuitive to the needs of your project. Think of it like hacking your company to find out where the weaknesses are.

Say, for example, you want to drive awareness to a new product. As a marketer, you have many promotional channels at your disposal, but you don’t know how to use them or where to start. In a reverse brainstorming session, you might come up with the following:

• Avoid hyperlinks to the product’s purchase page
• Don’t tweet about the product
• Criticize the features of your product

Obviously, these are all horrible ideas if your goal is to promote the product. But, take the reverse of these ideas, and you’ve effectively created three excellent starting points for a supportive campaign: Link to the product in a series of blog posts, develop a Twitter campaign around the product, and identify specific features of the product that prospects would be most interested in reading or hearing about.

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• Reverse brainstorming tells you what to avoid from the get-go.
• It’s easier to start with what to not to do rather than what to do — the latter of which can make us feel stuck.
• It helps you avoid decision fatigue early on in the ideation process.

How to Use It in Marketing

As referenced above, you can use reverse brainstorming to come up with actions for promoting a new product. You can also use it to:

• Come up with the top worst clients you could attract to your company, which would tell you the types of leads you should pursue.
• Create the worst verbiage you could use in your ads, which would tell you the type of tone and wording you should use in your campaigns.
• Outline what failure looks like for your team, which you could then use to come up with new goals and objectives.

Are you brainstorming with your group or team? While all of the activities above could be used in a group setting, there are a few exercises that are made specifically for groups. Let’s take a look at the ones you could use below.

Group Brainstorming Techniques

1. Group Sketching

You don’t have to be an artist or a designer to benefit from sketching. Visual thinking can help to trigger and develop ideas that discussion and writing might otherwise leave unturned. Similar to brain-writing, group sketching involves participants building on each other’s ideas.

Each member of your team will sketch an image related in a central way to a concept, idea, or topic you want to explore further. Each sketch is then passed to someone else, who sketches another related image on the same piece of paper. This is repeated multiple times around the group. The final images are then reviewed and discussed with the aim of discovering connections that individuals hadn’t spotted on their own.

2. Brain Netting

Creative exercises and ideas meetings always go better the more people you have in the room. Unfortunately, that means remote employees might not be solicited for their input as much as they should be. Brain netting is the act of connecting with folks electronically to make sure everyone can offer their input and feedback on a project.

Brain netting doesn’t just have to be a group phone call, though. Company messaging platforms like Slack are the perfect way to get everyone into a chatroom to spill their ideas. As ideas are submitted, each chatroom member can vote for their favorites and combine the best qualities of multiple concepts.

3. Questioning Assumptions

We all carry assumptions with us — assumptions about what’s possible, what isn’t possible, what people want, what will work, and what won’t. This exercise forces us to challenge these assumptions and put everything on the table.

Draw up a list of all the assumptions you can think of about your current project — true or not — and discuss the list as a group, questioning each one. Doing this at various stages in your campaign development can spark fresh ideas, as well as identify knowledge gaps.

4. Wishing

This technique encourages your team to let imaginations run wild. Ask participants to dream up the most unattainable, extreme, and impractical solutions they can think of to a given problem. Create a list of a few dozen wishes pertaining to the task at hand.

Focusing on a selection of wishes, consider and discuss the ideas in detail, with the aim of triggering new but more realistic concepts to pursue. What makes them so impossible? How can that idea be scaled down? Which features of that wish could we integrate into this other approach? You might be surprised to discover applicable, real-world solutions among your team’s wildest wishes.

5. Alter-Egos / Heroes

This is a fun exercise where small groups imagine how they would go about solving a given problem if their team were led by a famous character, fictional or real. How would Cat Woman go about positioning your brand as a thought leader in virtual reality? What would Steve Jobs do to improve your latest communications package? How would Don Draper get your core messages across to millennials?

You can either choose someone you think embodies the right qualities for the job to help develop your vision, or someone at the opposite end of that scale, to explore less conventional ideas.

6. Six Thinking Hats

There’s a whole host of problem-solving exercises and tools that help participants to put themselves into the shoes of another. This particular tool was invented by Edward de Bono, a psychologist, author, and consultant who pioneered the technique in his 1985 book Six Thinking Hats. The method involves breaking down ideas into six areas of thought:

• Logic: The facts.
• Optimism: The value and the benefits.
• Devil’s Advocate: The difficulties and the dangers.
• Emotion: Feelings and intuitions.
• Creativity: Possibilities and new ideas.
• Management: Making sure that the rules of the hat are observed.

When approaching a new problem or project, have each member of your team put on one of these different “hats” for the discussion. Each “hat” represents a unique set of priorities and perspectives that will help focus your discussion and consider the project from a wide variety of angles.

For example, if you’re wearing the “Devil’s Advocate” hat, it’s your job to consider the project’s limitations and challenges. It may feel uncomfortable at first to temporarily adopt a very narrow form of thinking, but the extremes can help teams fully explore a project.

7. Forced Connections

This exercise involves bringing together ideas that serve very different needs or interests to form a new concept. You see this sort of thinking all the time in products like the Apple Watch, the Swiss Army knife, smartphones, or even sofa beds.

To put this method into practice, bring a bag of random items to your next meeting, or draw up two lists of unrelated items on the board. Ask team members to pick two or more items and explore different ways they can be connected. This technique can produce some silly results, but it’s ultimately a helpful way of getting your team out of a creative rut.

8. Brain-Writing

In this exercise, participants simply write down a few rough ideas for solving a particular problem on a piece of paper. Each piece of paper is then passed on to someone else, who reads it silently and adds their own ideas to the page. This process is repeated until everyone has had a chance to add to each original piece of paper. The notes can then be gathered, ready for discussion.

The big advantage of brain-writing is that it makes sure everybody is given the opportunity to have their thoughts and ideas thoroughly considered by the group. This avoids the loudest or most extroverted people unintentionally dominating the sessions.

For some teams, brainstorming might come easily — they might even have a process in place. For other teams, it’s not as easy, even if they have a handful of activities they know they’d like to use. Below, I’ll cover how you can get the most out of your brainstorming session.

1. Focus on quantity over quality.

Brainstorming is all about “vomiting” any and all ideas you have — no matter how silly they may seem. (And trust me, there are no silly ideas in a brainstorming session.) For that reason, don’t worry about coming up with quality ideas and instead focus on quantity.

Write down anything that you or your team have come up with. What may seem implausible now may be what your team chooses to pursue later.

2. Selectively apply constraints to keep the session focused.

While you should come up with as many ideas as possible, you shouldn’t run all over the place, crossing topics that are irrelevant or that are unattainable for various reasons. Consider creating budgetary constraints, establishing a timeline, and putting up guardrails that will keep your brainstorming session in line with your goals.

For instance, if your budget for a new marketing campaign is $2,000, but you know you don’t want to spend it on pay-per-click ads, you can spend your brainstorming power on other avenues.

3. Don’t prune ideas as you brainstorm.

Resist the urge to prune ideas as you come up with them. Even if you think you’ve got a much better idea at hand, let that old idea sit there — you might use it later on another project, or even in the second phase of your current project. Ideas that seem obsolete can also act as guardrails later on.

4. Never finalize or commit during the brainstorming session.

When you get an excellent idea during your brainstorming session, you might feel tempted to commit to it and set it aside, then continue brainstorming other ideas. The problem with that approach is that it limits you considerably, because now you’re brainstorming around that one idea rather than brainstorming freely. Without knowing it, you’ll anchor your brainstorming on that idea to make it come to fruition.

The goal of brainstorming, of course, is to finalize one final concept. But until you’ve tackled the concept from all possible angles, don’t commit to a certain idea until you’ve laid out all of the routes you could take.

5. Look to other sources for inspiration.

When you get stuck, it’s imperative to look at the competition to get inspiration — especially in marketing. What are they doing that you could imitate? Which ideas could you bounce off of? Even the most productive brainstorming sessions will come to a halt at one point, and inspiration will go a long way in jumpstarting your session again.

You might even print out certain images, articles, and campaigns to keep your team inspired as you work.

6. Use a whiteboard (and take pictures of each whiteboarding session).

Using a whiteboard might seem like the stereotypical brainstorming route, but it has its merits: It allows your team to get any and all ideas out in a seemingly impermanent way. No idea is too silly to write on a whiteboard because you can easily erase it.

Of course, I wouldn’t suggest erasing your sessions; take photos of your finished whiteboards to keep all of your ideas on record. Remember to pair whiteboarding with a creative brainstorming exercise. Instead of writing “[Topic] Brainstorming Session” up top and letting anyone chime in, create a chart for a S.W.O.T analysis, or list different alter-egos to detail how they’d promote your product.

7. Take breaks.

If you want to stay productive during your brainstorming session, it’s imperative to take breaks. Let your team take a walk, scroll through social media, or go out for a bite. Do brainstorming in short bursts, or do it in long blocks. Whatever you do, schedule breaks for your team to ensure everyone’s minds are as clear as possible during the process.

Use Creative Brainstorming Techniques to Ideate Better

Traditional brainstorming is dead. Your team no longer has to sit in a circle in silence while you try to write ideas on an empty whiteboard. Use the above exercises to come up with powerful marketing projects, advertisements, and campaigns that empower your team and your company to grow better.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in November 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Top 20 Biggest Vitamin Companies in the USA 2021

A quick Google search will reveal the staggering number of vitamin, mineral, and supplement firms available. Individual, private firms and brands, both unknown and well-known on all scales: local, national, and international, are endless. With so many firms and brands to choose from when shopping for vitamin supplements online, one question must arise: what exactly makes some of these specific brands trustworthy? What is it that distinguishes them? In this essay, I’ll go into all of the possibilities for answering this question.

1. Top-rated biggest vitamin companies in 2021

First, we’ll get to know the top-rated biggest vitamin businesses and learn about their traits, products, and services..

20 top-rated biggest vitamin companies in 2021:

1. TakeCareOf
2. Ritual
3. Persona
4. Amazon Elements Biotin
5. NatureMade
6. Klean Athlete
7. Kirkland Signature
8. Life Extension
9. SmartyPants
10. Nordic Naturals
11. Swanson
12. Thorne Research
13. Metagenics
14. Standard Process
15. Garden of Life
16. Pure Encapsulations
17. Now Foods
18. Gundry MD
19. Jarrow Formulas
20. Baze

2. Criteria to become the biggest vitamin company:

2.1. Certifications:

Not all vitamins and minerals are manufactured in the same way or to the same requirements. Certain manufacturers have been revealed for pumping their vitamins and minerals with fillers, chemicals, and even unhealthy compounds that can have a significant negative influence on your health and make you sick. As a result, choose a reliable brand that only manufactures supplements that have been subjected to third-party testing and that sources high-quality organic ingredients.

As a result, it becomes critical to read the labels on your vitamin and mineral pills. Even yet, not everyone has access to enough knowledge to understand the properties of all the substances listed on the labels. Nonetheless, particularly recognised certifications from neutral third-party organisations dedicated to mass welfare and health might help put one’s mind at ease.

Unfortunately, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate the vitamin and supplement sector, making it extremely difficult to identify which company is the best using data and survey responses. In this essay, I’ll attempt to present some tips that any reasonably wise individual can utilise to conduct research on the greatest vitamin supplement company.

Due to the absence of official regulation, one must rely on the testing or rating services of third-party organisations or exclusively on the companies’ claims.

The first and most important thing we can do is examine the vitamin’s quality. You can do so by checking for third-party certifications that verify the safety and viability of a company’s products.

The following are a few of these certifications:

1. NSF International
2. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
3. Dietary Supplement Verification Program
4. Underwriters Laboratories (UL)
5. Informed Sports
6. National Nutritional Foods Association
7. Quality Assurance International (QAI)
8. Food and Drug Association (FDA) Registered Facility
9. US Department of Agriculture (USDA), etcetera.

2.2. Ingredients:

Certified dietitians like Maya Feller recommend avoiding supplements with unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients like;

1. Heavy metals, such as

(a)  Titanium Dioxide; has no actual nutrient value and serves only as a filler to whitening products.

(b) Magnesium Silicate; is an additive that most white-coated minerals, supplements, and vitamins.

(c)  Magnesium Stearate; is a lubricant to prevent the nutrient particles from sticking to the equipment when the powders turn into solid tablet form.

(d) Sodium Benzoate; is a synthetic additive that acts as a preservative.

2. Trans fat, such as

(a)  Cottonseed oil; as a trans-fat, cottonseed oil has links to an increased risk of developing heart disease and has the highest pesticides levels out of all other commercial oils.

(b) Canola oil; presents a high risk of genetic modification, with estimates as high as 90% of all canola oil undergoing genetic engineering, also related to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and plasma lipid levels, and a reduction in antioxidant status.

(c)  Palm oil; with a fatty acid profile that includes 50% saturated fats, palm oil causes an increase in LDL bad cholesterol. The production of palm oil is also related to global deforestation and the loss of global biodiversity.

3. Hydrogenated oil: contains trans-fat, solid fat, magnesium stearate, and formaldehyde-causing agent, which have no health benefits related to vitamin supplements. It can end up causing cardiovascular problems, diabetes, nervous system problems, and non-absorption of essential fatty acids.
4. Artificial colors: Colors like red, blue, and yellow are harmful. Diabetes, hypertension, and weight gain among kids’ vitamins have links to artificial dyes.
5. Lead, Mercury, and PCBs, the waste pollutants from industries, often end up in fish-oil supplements and may lead to health problems, ranging from minor, hard-to-detect health issues to congenital disabilities and even cancer.

2.3. Proper Dosage:

Vitamin supplements should be taken in an optimal dose that is clinically beneficial. Vitamin supplements are intended to fill nutritional gaps in a balanced diet. Taking medications is never the answer; you need also examine the nutritional value of the food you eat. Overdosing on vitamin supplements can result in a variety of adverse effects, including heart difficulties, malabsorption, and nerve discomfort. The label on the rear of the vitamin supplements package includes the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance), AI (Adequate Intake), and UL (Tolerable Upper Intake Level), all of which are customised to men, women, and children’s nutritional requirements. Find out more about health advice.

2.4. Pricing:

If the price is too low, the product is almost certainly a gimmick; therefore, the price cannot be too high. Unlike high-end fashion firms that can charge absurd rates for their products, vitamin supplements rank higher on the list of requirements than high-end clothing. Thus, vitamin supplement cost must be reasonable and affordable for all socioeconomic strata to meet their daily nutritional requirements.

Given the foregoing, it is reasonable to assume that we must rely on brands that practise transparent labelling.

3. Why are the top-rated biggest vitamin companies rated as such?

Now that we know what to look for, we can conduct a more thorough examination of the evaluations of these largest vitamin companies in order to gain a better understanding of their quality, goods, and services.

3.1. Care/Of:

Care/of is a supplement provider that delivers customised vitamin supplements depending on a client’s health, goals, and needs. They adapt your accessories as your health improves, and they adhere to rigorous criteria for product quality, transparency, and efficacy. Vitamins and speciality vitamins, minerals, botanicals, probiotics, collagen, and protein are all available.

Certifications: Their goods are not approved by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or any other third-party body for quality assurance. Nonetheless, their website states that all of its goods are made and tested in numerous Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and NSF-certified facilities around the United States.

Ingredients: C/O gets its ingredients from all over the world, including, but not limited to, Austrian Elderberry. Their mission is to acquire ingredients that adhere to the highest standards of quality, ethical harvesting, and sustainability.

Pricing: The prices range from medium to a higher range and vary according to each client’s personalized plan.

3.2. Ritual

A woman’s subscription service created for women offers various multivitamins tailored to each customer’s specific needs. Their range of multivitamins is suitable for: kids and teens, for men, for women, also for pregnant women during various stages like; prenatal and postnatal.

Certifications: United States Pharmacopeia (USP) certified.

Ingredients: The products are high quality and use ingredients which meet their Made from Traceable standards. Their website lists the range of components they use, the geographical locations from where the elements are curated, and the specific supplier to create a chain of transparency.

Pricing: The price range depends on the type of subscription you choose but is between medium to a higher degree.

3.3. Persona

A personalized subscription service that delivers vitamins and supplements monthly. The company uses a five-minute nutrition assessment designed by a team of doctors and nutritionists to help create a customized daily supplement regimen just for you. The products range from weight loss support supplements, sleep supplements, women’s multivitamins, men’s multivitamins, and CBD supplements. Their website lists the products and the price tag depending on one capsule per day. They also ship and service customers worldwide.

Certifications: The products are not United States Pharmacopeia (USP) certified, but each product comes with a safety certificate. The products are tested multiple times and approved by doctors and professional nutritionists.

Ingredients: They work with trusted suppliers to source the best quality ingredients.

Pricing: The price varies between medium to higher range.

3.4. Amazon Elements Biotin

A sub-brand of Amazon is available to buy through an Amazon Prime account. It is a line of premium supplements focused on providing consumers with a new level of transparency. The products range for men and women, including multivitamins, such as biotin and iron supplements. Amazon.com ranked top in the Online Multi-Category Retailer by Sales Channel in the Top-rated Supplement Merchants on Overall Consumer Satisfaction, 2021.

Certifications: The products are not United States Pharmacopeia (USP) certified, but they make the products in a facility in the US that follows Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines. The product comes with a certificate of analysis that is accessible via QR labels provided on the packaging.

Ingredients: All ingredients are tested for purity, potency, and integrity; the protein products are 100% non-GMO from grass-fed cows.

Pricing: The price varies from product to product, between low to medium range.

3.5. Nature Made

The product range includes multivitamins, prenatal vitamins, and individual vitamins, such as A, B, C, D, and minerals. Supplements are available in the form of a gummy, tablet, and soft liquid gel. Nature Made ranked top in the Food/Drug/Mass – Broad Product Line category by Sales Channel in the Top-rated Supplement Brands on Overall Consumer Satisfaction, 2021.

Certifications: The products are United States Pharmacopeia (USP) certified and have the #1 Pharmacist Recommended seal.

Ingredients: All their components have been tested for purity and potency by the US Pharmacopeia.

Pricing: The price varies from product to product, between low to medium range.

3.6. Klean Athlete

It is a high-quality supplement brand founded by athletes for athletes. The products range between probiotics, vitamins, and recovery supplements designed to help support a better digestive system.

Certifications: They have a Sports certificate from NSF International. This certification indicates that the products are free from contaminants and adhere to the regulations of various sports organizations.

Ingredients: In-house laboratories are ISO 17025 accredited and certified and perform chemical, physical, and microbial testing. Accredited laboratories perform third-party testing on the raw materials for identity. The raw material suppliers also go through rigorous qualification procedures.

Pricing: The price varies from medium to higher range.

3.7. Kirkland Signature

It is a sub-brand of Costco Wholesale. The products range between individual vitamins, such as A, B, C, and D, multivitamins, minerals and, fish oil. Kirkland Signature topped the Discount/Warehouse Brand category by Sales Channel, the Calcium, Joint Health, and Vitamin D category by Type of Supplement in the Top-rated Supplement Brands on Overall Consumer Satisfaction, 2021.

Certifications: The products are United States Pharmacopeia (USP) certified.

Ingredients: Their priority is sustainability, the same motto followed in sourcing ingredients tested for potency by United States Pharmacopeia (USP).

Pricing: The price varies between the low to medium range.

3.8. Life Extension

The products range between multivitamins, fish oils, and omega-3s. Life Extension topped the Multivitamin category by Type of Supplement in the Top-rated Supplement Brands on Overall Consumer Satisfaction, 2021 and Catalog/Internet category by Sales Channel in the Top-rated Supplement Merchants on Overall Consumer Satisfaction, 2021.

Certifications: The brand has Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) registration. The products are manufactured in facilities certified by NSF International and provide a certificate of analysis upon request, including detailed information to ensure transparency and quality.

Ingredients: They use pure ingredients, potent formulas and create quality products.

Pricing: The price varies between the medium to higher range.

3.9. SmartyPants

They specialize in prenatal vitamins. The products contain various nutrients ranging between omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and vitamins B12, D, and K. They sell a range of vitamins and supplements suitable for: women, men, kids, and pets.

Certifications: The company provides batch-specific certificates of compliance for its products.

Ingredients: They use non-GMO ingredients that are entirely free of artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives and are certified by the Clean Label Project.

Pricing: The price varies between the medium to higher range.

3.10. Nordic Naturals

Best known for their high-quality omega-3 supplements tailored to various nutritional needs, Nordic Naturals offer multiple vitamins and minerals. They offer accessories specifically for athletes, children, teens, pregnant women, and even pets—a range of vitamins and supplements, including omega-3s, probiotics, and multivitamins. Nordic Naturals topped the Omega-3s category by Type of Supplement in the Top-rated Supplement Brands on Overall Consumer Satisfaction, 2021.

Certifications: They provide their certificate on analysis upon request. They have a Friend of the Sea (FOS) certificate for fish oils.

Ingredients: The sourcing is in line with strict standards for fishing method, by-catch reduction, and social accountability. The rest of the ingredients are in line with the best sustainability practices.

Pricing: The price varies between the medium to higher range.

3.11. Swanson

Swanson is a pioneer in affordable vitamins, and they have got thousands to choose from, including popular products like CoQ10, krill oil, and probiotics. The products range between omega-3 essential fatty acids, chia seeds, or chlorella.

Certifications: They have Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Quality Assurance certification, and FDA and FTC standards.

Ingredients: They value industry-leading quality standards and sources from trusted outside vendors.

Pricing: The price varies between low to higher ranges.

3.12. Thorne Research

They sell a range of vitamins and supplements, including amino acids, omega-3s, and bone and joint health supplements. Thorne Research topped the Practitioner Line Merchant category by Sales Channel in the Top-rated Supplement Merchants on Overall Consumer Satisfaction, 2021.

Certifications: Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), NSF International certification, and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), an Australian regulation body.

Ingredients: High-quality ingredients free of contaminants, fillers, and heavy metals. They never include BPA, BHT, and BHA in any formulations, along with a longer list of unacceptable ingredients.

Pricing: The price varies between the medium to higher range.

3.13. Metagenics

Metagenics is a high-quality supplement company that manufactures a range of vitamins and minerals, including multivitamins. The product ranges from a variety of multivitamins available in tablets, capsules, and chews. Tablets are also formulated with or without iron, depending on personalized needs.

Certifications: They have Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), NSF International, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) certification, and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), an Australian regulation body.

Ingredients: High-quality ingredients and transparency; additionally, they allow access to a detailed report of quality testing information for your specific supplement based on the product’s lot number.

Pricing: The pricing starts from the higher range.

3.14. Standard Process

A family-owned company based in Wisconsin, US, focussed on producing nutrient-dense supplements.

Certifications: No third-party organization certification, but they claim to performs various testing and quality control checks throughout multiple stages of production, which bear a resemblance to the testing standards of United States Pharmacopeia (USP).

Ingredients: Sourced directly from their organic farm to ensure the highest possible quality.

Pricing: The pricing starts from the higher range.

3.15. Garden of Life

They sell a variety of supplements, from multivitamins to probiotics. More suitable, especially for people looking for accessories free from gluten, soy, dairy, and other animal products.

Certifications: US Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic, Non-GMO Verified, Certified Vegan, Certified Gluten-Free, NSF Gluten-Free, and NSF Certified for Sport Certified, OU Kosher Certified, Star-K Kosher and Pareve (or Parve) Kosher certifications, LEED Gold Certified and Green-e® Energy Certified.

Ingredients: They offer traceability which is knowing where every component in the products is coming from and getting to know every source: where it is grown, the farming practices, how they pay and treat the farmworkers, etcetera.

Pricing: The price varies between low to higher ranges.

3.16. Pure Encapsulations

Pure Encapsulations topped the Magnesium category as a premium supplement line by Type of Supplement in the Top-rated Supplement Brands on Overall Consumer Satisfaction, 2021.

Certifications: They have Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certificate. Raw materials are tested for microbial contaminants, heavy metals (including mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and lead), around thirty-two solvent residues, and allergens, too. GMO-free and Certified Gluten-Free.

Ingredients: They use hypoallergenic ingredients and refrain from using eggs, gluten, peanuts, artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners, trans fats, and hydrogenated oils. They also have an open plant policy that the customers can visit to watch the behind-the-scenes processes.

Pricing: The price varies between the medium to higher range.

3.17. Now Foods

Now Foods is a supplement company with a long and trusted history in the natural-products space since 1968.

Certifications: US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Non-GMO project verified, Certified Gluten-Free, UL Dietary Supplement Certification and Enhanced Certification for Cosmetics, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Underwriters Laboratories, and Informed-Sport, Cruelty-Free, Kosher (Triangle K), Halal, GOED, National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), Friend of the Sea (FoS), Kosher (CRC), Kosher (K Parve).

Ingredients: Does not contain parabens, nanoparticle ingredients, harmful levels of pesticides, artificial colors, and flavors, or microbial pathogens, and others from an extensive list of unacceptable ingredients.

Pricing: The price varies between the low to medium range.

3.18. Gundry MD

Dr Steven Gundry founded Gundry MD. He is a cardiac surgeon, medical innovator, and author. Dr Gundry’s supplements follow the concept of Holobiotics; it guides Dr Gundry’s Diet Evolution System based on the idea of good bacteria and tiny microbes.

Certifications: All products are compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) accredited facility and then third-party tested.

Ingredients: Aronia Berries, Grape Seed Extract, Tributyrin, Acerola Fruit, Mulberry Extract, Bitter Melon Extract, Organic Flax Seeds, Ginger Root, Green Tea Extract, Probiotics, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Lactis, lactobacillus-reuteri, Bacillus Coagulans, Prebiotics, Sunfiber, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Magnesium Stearate, Silica, Noni Fruit Extract, Grapefruit Extract, Cellulose, Citrus Bioflavonoids, Magnesium Beta-hydroxybutyrate, Rutin, Glycyrrhiza Glabra, L-Glutamine, Wormwood Powder, Cinnamomum burmannii, Polysaccharide, Syzygium Aromaticum, Piper Nigrum, Citrus Paradisi, Althea Officinalis, Pepzin GI, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, Phellodendron Amurense Rupr, Galacto-Oligosaccharides, Organic Acacia Gum, Organic Agave Inulin, Organic Guar Gum, Bladderwrack, D-Mannose, Larch Arabinogalactans, Methylsulfonylmethane, Mucin, Bifidobacterium Bifidum, Bifidobacterium Longum, Bifidobacterium Infantis, Enterococcus Faecium, Bifidobacterium Breve, Okra, Sodium Alginate, Vegetable Peptase, Stearic Acid and Lactobacillus Brevis.

Pricing: The pricing starts from the higher range.

3.19. Jarrow Formulas

Jarrow Formulas is a Los Angeles–based supplement brand that has been around since 1977. Their products are available worldwide in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The company also supports and funds scientific research and symposiums on many of their products such as bone formulas (Bone-Up®), Co-Q10 Ubiquinol, lignans, silicon (JarroSil®), pomegranate, probiotics, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and sulforaphane (broccoli seed extract). Jarrow Formulas topped the Probiotic category by Type of Supplement in the Top-rated Supplement Brands on Overall Consumer Satisfaction, 2021.

Certifications: NSF-GMP certified and USDA Organic certified.

Ingredients: A staff of specialists utilizes state-of-the-art laboratories to analyze raw materials (both active ingredients and excipients) for identity, chemical, microbiological, heavy metals, organoleptic, and other physical properties to meet their standards.

Pricing: The price varies between the low to medium range.

3.20. Baze

The company ships at-home blood tests to customers, based on which a certified dietician creates a supplement plan based on the nutrition gaps. The company asks the customers to measure their nutrient levels and complete a survey to reassess the nutrition plan and dosage every three months. The blood test costs around $199, but you can get a refund if the test shows optimal nutrition levels. Baze was the Winner of Nutra Ingredients USA Awards, 2020.

Certifications: The products are compliant with the FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). GMO-free, Gluten-free, Lactose-free, No artificial colors, Vegan.

Ingredients: The nutrients range between Choline, Chromium, Selenium, Copper, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Zinc, Omega-3, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, and Magnesium. Ashwagandha, Elderberry, L-Theanine, Rhodiola, and Turmeric.

Pricing: The pricing starts from the higher range.

Brought To You By: Vitamixlabs

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