Mandis in Maharashtra and Gujarat are grappling to continue business for daily need essentials such as fruits, vegetables and food grains amidst curfew over coronavirus outbreak, while smaller commodities like spices have decided to remain close till March 31. In north India, vegetable mandis are also complaining in line with western India of lower offtake down the line following curfew. Maharashtra government has also reassured that all vegetable shops and kiranas will remain exempted. The issue of workers and traders safety and health are being addressed with sanitisation. Vashi mandis in Navi…

Too many startup leaders deny the difference quality marketing makes and what they can afford. March 22, 2020 5 min readOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Whip-smart brand positioning drives revenues for enterprises from Apple to Zappos. But for growing organizations, cutting-edge marketing can feel like a luxury. The Small Business Association suggests companies budget 7 to 8 percent of revenues for promotion, yet the average small business allocates just 1 percent.  That’s a shame, given that marketing brings in more money than it costs. A Nielsen study revealed an average return on investment of $1.09 for…

A PwC survey of CFOs conducted during the week of March 9, 2020, in the U.S. and Mexico reveals 80 percent are concerned the coronavirus global health emergency will lead to a global economic recession. More than half believe the outbreak could have a significant impact on their business operations (54 percent) and will decrease their revenue or profit (58 percent). This outlook is amplifying the pessimism identified by CEOs in PwC’s 23rd Annual Global CEO Survey. In late 2019, before the first coronavirus cases had been reported, more than half of the CEOs surveyed believed the rate of global…

Investor wealth took a massive beating of Rs 14.22 lakh crore on Monday as markets went into a tailspin, dropping a whopping 3,934.72 points as lockdown in several states sent jitters to investors. Sentiment turned extremely negative after several Indian states announced lockdown following rise in the number of coronavirus cases. As the benchmark indices posted their worst ever one-day crash, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies too plunged Rs 14,22,207.01 crore to Rs 1,01,86,936.28 crore. In the first hour of trade on Monday,the benchmark indices cracked over 10…

From marketing to mission statements, the tools and techniques you need to change your narrative.Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. In our modern marketing landscape, brands cannot afford to exist as just another faceless entity. They need to have a powerful story that sells who they are and allows them to appeal to their target audience. While most brands understand this basic need to tell a story, many fail to succeed on the execution. Thankfully, brands that are failing at their current storytelling efforts tend to share a few common issues (see below), ones that can be…

Non-life insurance firms reported a 14 per cent increase in the premium collection to Rs 1.73 trillion during April-February this financial year, according to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) data. As many as 34 non-life insurance companies had collected a total premium of over Rs 1.52 lakh crore in the same period of 2018-19. Public sector insurance firms witnessed a rise of 11 per cent in their premium income at Rs 76,369.72 crore during the first 11 months of 2019-20, the data showed. The two…

The Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX) has permitted its members to shift trading terminals to any place other than disclosed to the exchange earlier effectively meaning they also can do all trading from home. This facility has been given till 30 April or any other date that the exchange notifies. The decision has been taken as a preventive measure in view of government stopping modes of transport even within the city. The exchange has prescribed guidelines for opting this facility which members have to comply. Under this the exchange has asked the Members to…

Hummus has taken America by storm, and it isn’t stopping anytime soon. March 21, 2020 4 min readOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. It’s funny how the simplest, most traditional products can seem to spontaneously spike in popularity. One prime example: hummus. That traditional Middle Eastern dish made of just chickpeas, lemon, tahini, olive oil and garlic has been eaten in Egypt and the Levant since at least the 13th century, where the earliest known recipe for a pureed, spiced chickpea dish was found in Cairo. But over the last 10 years, it’s become a downright craze,…