ENTREPRENEUR'S SOUL

WHY BUSINESS IS NT MAKING ANY MONEY

2010-04-02T20:32:00.002+03:00

Some people are in business to save the planet or share their unique gifts with the world. Some people are in business just to make money. Either way, whatever a business does, it succeeds by making money.

So let's forget about social value, put aside purpose and look at a simple question: How do I make money in my business?

For most business owners, the answer is simple: We only get what we want if we manage it consciously. Do you manage your company's money every day? every week and every month? Whether you're hard-driving with huge goals or you just want to see results improve a bit, a simple plan and a bit of attention will go a long way.

If we don't make a money plan and track it daily or weekly, then our subconscious attitudes and assumptions will manage our work, time and money. That will keep us locked in at the same level of profit--and net revenue--month after month.

When things are going well, you put on the brakes and go easy on yourself. You do that each week. You push when it's slow; you ease up when you are doing well. That's exactly the mentality that limits your business's potential.

And results never improve.

That's the problem. What's the solution? Make a plan, track work, income and expenses daily or weekly, define the work, and track progress monthly.

1. Make a plan.
Your money plan can be a simple Excel spreadsheet. The key is to link work activities to income. What does each employee do that makes money? What do you sell?

If you sell products, then you need to make individual sales projections. If you sell flat-rate services, then you need to track contracts closed and the dollar value of each contract.

If you sell hourly services, then you need to track contracts closed and billable hours. The basics are:

Set up goals and consequences. Let each team member know what they contribute to the team, and make sure they get incentives. Whatever is good for the business has to be good for the employee. Incentives include recognition, thanks, appreciation and, of course, more money.
Give each team member a choice. Set a range, with a low goal and a high goal, and provide tangible incentives for achieving the high goal. This gives the employee a sense of control. During a good month, they make the high goal. During a month when their kids get sick a lot, they still know what they need to do to satisfy you and be secure in their jobs. When people feel safe but also have an opportunity to contribute to get more, they are highly motivated.
Avoid de-motivators. Keep distractions away from your team. If team members are worried they aren't doing well enough, or that the company isn't doing well enough, they won't work well. If they feel threatened, they won't do well. If there are unclear expectations about some part of their job, it will cut into their work time. So give everyone a clear job description and let them go for it!

2. Track work and income daily or weekly.
Check in weekly. Each week, track employees' time and numbers with them. Ask how things are going and how they can do better. Don't pile on pressure. Do be clear, encouraging and specific. Look at the work in relation to the plan. This is key. Don't look at work in relation to interruptions or excuses, or anything else.

Begin with a clear commitment and, in a no-blame environment, take an honest look at the gap between the plan and actual achievement. If the team member isn't meeting the goals, find out why.

When you find the cause, determine if it's a one-time thing or if it will happen again. If a blizzard buried your town or the guy was off on his honeymoon, then let it go and get back to work. But what if the cause of the problem is ongoing?

This is when you need to decide whether the cause of the problem is in your control, under your influence or outside your influence entirely? Then begin working to fix things that are either in your control or under your influence. If it's out of your control, accept what you cannot change and figure out what you can do to reach your goals.

Sometimes the solution will be obvious and practical. Other times, you'll have to get creative. Do whatever it takes!

4. Define all the work.
Employees who aren't in sales may not be adding to revenue, but they're affecting the bottom line. Every team member contributes to delivering value to customers, reducing cost or reducing risk.

Find the critical success factor that each employee contributes to the company. For example:

A marketing assistant may send out notices, announcements and ads that increase business.
Your tax accountant reduces your taxes.
A security guard prevents break-ins, thefts and attacks on employees.

When critical activities are defined, it makes the employee's job worthwhile. This is not a job description to file with HR. This is a tool that the team member uses daily to stay focused and that you review with them to help them improve and add more value.

5. Track expenses daily or weekly.
Too many businesses let their financial information pile up in a shoebox until the end of the year and then hand it to an accountant. Money is the lifeblood of a business, and you should be taking your financial blood pressure on at least a weekly basis. How much money are you spending? How does that compare to your plan? Are you spending the way you planned to spend? If you know the answer to those questions weekly, you can correct course and speed, and reach your destination.

6. Track progress monthly.
The final step of this plan is checking progress--or income--monthly. Ask yourself what you can do to earn more and spend less, and how you can deliver results sooner and get paid faster. As you keep finding ways to improve in these areas, you'll build momentum and reach greater net revenue sooner.

Businesses succeed by linking each job to earning money, reducing cost, delivering better results sooner or reducing risk. Motivate your team members by letting them know that what they do matters. Then show them how to make more of a difference, week by week and month by month.

Do this and you won't just meet your goals--you'll exceed them.

Strategies For 2010

2010-01-05T19:53:00.002+03:00

Shiny Objects
Above all else, a small-business owner's top 2010 resolution should be to invest in continued education, and making a point of setting aside the needed time to research and better take advantage of available resources. At the pace the commercial world moves in 2010, and given the flurry of information startups are now hit with 24/7, it's easy to get overwhelmed in day-to-day dealings and not see the forest for the trees. But fail to periodically pause, take a step back and look at how to best take advantage of all the resources available to you and optimize processes around them, and you're ultimately costing yourself more in the end.

E-Business
Test more. If you do only one thing to improve your internet business in the coming year, that's it. How else would you find out, for instance, that by double-spacing the bullet points on a landing page you'd increase your response rate by 30 percent? That's a typically unexpected result from one of our clients. The internet is changing explosively, with new platforms, new hardware, and new ways of communicating. Free tools like Google Website Optimizer, for testing, and Google Analytics, for tracking, give you the insights you need to stay responsive to your restless market.

Seriously Social
Become more comfortable with social media and social networking. Commit to improving your use and knowledge of social media by 5 percent each month. Sign up for a free webinar, take a class, hire someone to coach you. If you do this each month, at the end of the year, you'll know 60 percent more than you did at the beginning of the year.

Buying a Franchise
Monitor and guard the cash position of your business like it was your first-born son. Question all expenditures by using the golden rule--are you absolutely certain that this expense will produce more gold--but when you're certain, pounce on opportunities neglected by your more timid competitors. Live your life in a spirit of gratitude for all the blessings that come to you as the owner of a business in America.

Sales Talk
Resolve to make 2010 a year of full self-expression, and take a series of actions that will increase your likeability factor. The one-way sales pitch is long gone. Corporate speak will only isolate you. People do business with people they like. And, when people like the source of a message, they tend to trust the message or, at least, try to find a way to believe it. Thus, your likeability and full self-expression has an enormous impact on your bottom line. Strive to be your best, most authentic and likeable self and you will be well on your way to becoming the obvious choice for your potential clients.

Build a Website
Entrepreneurs and start-ups designing a website for the first time, or those who are revamping an existing site, should resolve to build their site to nearly the lowest common denominator. Just because your office has a dedicated T1 line, which makes surfing the Web and loading your graphically intense website a snap, doesn’t mean your customers can do the same. Know your audience well enough to know if Flash and video get in the way of your pages loading in an acceptable amount of time, and be reasonable enough to know if anyone but you really cares about slick presentation. While you’re at it, resolve to never allow video on your website to play without someone first clicking the play button!

Public Relations
2010 is the year for small business owners and entrepreneurs to be even more out-front and vocal. The time for simply marketing a product to an audience has passed. The rise of social media and alternative forms of communication has empowered small-business owners with a plethora of opportunities to truly connect with one's customers and create interest and excitement that in the past would have required a huge budget and teams of specialists. 2010 is the time to be engaging, be responsive, and set the tone for who you and your company are.

The Heat-Seeking Sales Machine
Resolve to break every "rule" in the marketing playbook. They don't work in the real world. If your marketing initiatives don't produce ROI, drop them in favor of others that do. Start with a blank page, experiment and keep only the winners.

E-Mail Marketing
Combine your e-mail marketing with your social media marketing efforts. Tweet about your e-mail newsletter, linking to a webpage that has a sample issue and a sign-up box. Invite your Facebook fans, LinkedIn connections, and blog readers to sign up, too. In addition, use social media to spot customer trends, mine ideas for future newsletter articles, respond to customer concerns, and find new mailing list subscribers.

Human Resource Strategies
Small and medium-sized businesses should resolve to be educated and prepared for adjustments in laws taking effect in 2010 so there are no financial surprises when the bills are due. For example, state unemployment insurance will increase for a significant number of small businesses. Find out if you're projected to face anywhere between a 2.5 to 600 percent increase in payments. Entrepreneurs already face a variety of regulatory and legislative hurdles when it comes to doing business, and rising state unemployment insurance and the recently signed COBRA extension will both be significant HR issues that will affect businesses.

Passing A legent

2010-01-05T19:37:00.002+03:00

As some of you may know, business philosopher and

legendary author, speaker, and coach passed away
early december last year.

In honor of Mr. Rohn, I thought we would exit 2009
with a few of his thoughts on life.

Take it away, Jim...

'Character isn't something you were born with and
can't change, like your fingerprints. It is
something you weren't born with and must take
responsibility for forming.'

'Failure is not a single cataclysmic event. You
don't fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few
errors in judgment, repeated every day.'

'Whoever renders service to many puts himself in
line for greatness--great wealth, great return,
great satisfaction, great reputation and great
joy.'

'Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is
the beginning of health. Learning is the
beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning
is where the miracle process all begins.'

'If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you
will have to settle for the ordinary.'

'Don't wish it were easier, wish you were
better.'

Get to Know Your Competition

2009-11-23T11:26:00.002+03:00

Business is war and the competition is the enemy--right? Wrong. Though competition is a fundamental aspect of being in business, savvy entrepreneurs know that viewing competitors exclusively as adversaries is shortsighted and potentially damaging.
A better strategy is to build alliances with your competitors and let them help you become better and stronger. Here's how:

Know who your competitors are.
This sounds basic, but it's a mistake many business owners and salespeople make. If you have a retail store, your competitors are obviously other retailers who sell similar merchandise (both online and brick-and-mortar). But that's not all. You're also competing with the businesses that are meeting the needs of your customers with products and services you don't offer and haven't thought about offering, and the businesses that might make your products obsolete. You need to know who all your competitors are--not just the obvious ones, but the ones flying under the radar as well.

Find out everything you can about the competition.
Don't get blindsided; pay attention to anything your competitors do. Set up intelligence files for each competitor. Look for articles about them in trade journals, newspapers and magazines. Study their websites. Use programs like Google Alerts to track what's said about them online. If possible and practical, shop them secretly on a regular basis to observe their operations firsthand.

Develop relationships with your competitors.
Once you've researched your competitors, reach out to them. Join industry and business networking associations so and get to know the people who own and work for competing companies as individuals. You never know where those relationships might lead.

Be prepared to cooperate and collaborate when necessary.
If something is going to have a strongly positive or negative impact on your industry, reach out to your competitors so you can join forces and take appropriate action. For example, you may want to unite to oppose or endorse pending legislation that could affect your companies.
Depending on your particular business, you may also find that competitors can serve as backup resources. For example, you might get an order that's too big for you to fill alone. If you have excellent, reciprocal relationships in place, you might be able to outsource part of the work to a competitor. Or if a competitor suffers a disaster of some sort that prevents that company from serving its customers, you can step in and help out. Not only is that good business; it's also the right thing to do.

Let your competitors make you better.
When a competitor is beating you, do your best to figure out why--but don't use that as an excuse to accept defeat. Once you understand what your rival is doing that the market prefers, figure out what you could change to make you even more attractive than the competition. Don't simply copy everything your competitors do; take their best ideas, test them for effectiveness and improve on them.

Resist the urge to compete on price.
It's tempting to cut prices to gain market share, but it's a strategy that doesn't work in the long run. There will always be a cheaper product, trying to undercut every competitor is a race to the bottom. Instead, focus on providing greater value.
If you're not convinced holding firm on price is the way to go consider the arguments of "Get Past the 'Budget' Roadblock."

Be prepared for the competition to play dirty.
Fair competition is great; It forces everyone to give it his or her best. But all competitors don't play fair. There are always people who think that the best way to build their company up is by tearing others down or cheating in some way. When that happens, a fitting action in response is necessary. Don't delay legal action if it's appropriate.

The internet is a common place to find competitors pulling dirty tricks.
Monitor what's said about you online and have a proactive online reputation-management plan in place in case you become the target of an internet attack.
Keep your brand and reputation under control with, "Are you Losing Control of Your Brand Online?"

Competition is a natural part of being in business in a capitalist economy.
You must be vigilant if you are to maintain and grow your market share, so let that work to your advantage. Your best competitive tactic comes from Sun Tzu, a Chinese general and military strategist from around 400 B.C. Tzu said, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"--and if you happen to turn an enemy into a friend, all the better.

How to market and stay on top

2009-11-09T12:56:00.003+03:00

This interview was with Mark Stevens a marketing Guru and this is how he said one can take his business to the next level of profitability and keep hanging in there

What is marketing?

Mark Stevens: Marketing is the most misunderstood work in business; ask 100 people what marketing is, and you'll get 100 different answers. You get back: advertising, websites, good service, etc. It's all of those things, but the essence of marketing is that it's the movement of the business from one level of profitable revenue to the next. Marketing has to be a driver of business growth, so if you're doing a million in revenue one year, the next year you need to be doing a million and a half, and then you take it to 2 million and so on. You can't stay where you are. You need a catalyst for growth. Accounting can't drive growth, HR can't drive growth, organizational structure can't drive growth--these are all important structures, but marketing is the engine for growth. The only valid definition of marketing is the ability to take a company from one level of profitable revenue and continue to do that.

What's the most common perception people have about marketing?

What happens often is that people over the years have confused marketing with creativity. We'll have people come in typically right out of school and apply for a job and we'll say, "Why do you want to go into marketing?" And they'll say, "Because I'm a creative person." They say, "I like art" or "I like this and that." Well, you really have to like business; what's happened over the years is that marketing has begun to focus on creativity, on aesthetics, on making beautiful commercials and ads or websites. These things have a place, but much more important is the development of a strategy that can effectively make the business two things--scalable and sustainable.

What are your tips for creating a successful business plan?

Most small-business owners really start off with the desire that they will grow something of substance; they just don't know how. It is the self-reliant kind of person who starts a business, so sometimes she takes that self reliance to extremes and doesn't delegate anything to anyone. Then she is held hostage by her own limited situation.

Very few, maybe 1 percent, really truly want to stay a small business: "I don't want any employees, I don't want any hassles, I don't want anybody to manage." That's not a small-business owner though, that's a self-employed person. If you want a business, then you do have to learn how to manage and know how to manage five, 10 or more employees. And then you should want to grow it. Because if you believe in the value of growing, and you believe that your products are really superb and are better than anybody else's, you should want to grow your business and have people enjoy them far away. It's not really difficult to manage people--you have to understand leadership. It's not a popularity contest, and you're going to sometimes make decisions that people will be unhappy with. If you are open to ideas from employees and listen to them and then make a decision, that's all you have to do.

A useful equation that I built when I started MSCO that applies to every business is "C" plus "A" plus "M" equals PG.

C=Capture Attrition happens, so you must continuously capture clients or customers.

Solution: Capture through your website, internet marketing, events, etc.

A=Amplify Once you have a relationship with a customer or client, you need to grow it. You need to cross-sell them, up-sell them, enhance the relationship and get referrals. Oftentimes businesses, once they turn a prospect into a customer or client, lose the sort of lust they had when they pursued that person as a client.

Solution: Give them the same level of wonderful support you did in the beginning. Ensure that your customers know the full range of products or services offered.

M=Maintain You maintain customers not by giving them loyalty points but by providing exceptional products and level of service.

Solution: Do things they don't expect. For example, I was at home recuperating when a salesperson at my favorite store drove out and brought me a royal blue sweater (my favorite color) from a designer I liked. You can't leave a business that does those kinds of things for you.

PG=Perpetual Growth If you do all three things, you will have perpetual growth. The problem is businesses tend to stop doing one, two or even three of those things. How many businesses actually do these types of things? Not very many, which is good news for your business.

What is the best way to grow a business using marketing?

You need to contact your existing client base. It's almost free--you just send e-mails making them aware of the fact that "By the way, we have these 10 products you may not know about, and because you're a good customer, if you purchase one of your regular items, we'll give you a sample of one of the other products for free." Instead of doing those things, many businesses simply advertise. There's nothing wrong with advertising--we recommend it to our clients and we do it ourselves--but you can't simply just advertise; you have to have a strategy that's wrapped around those three elements.

You need to measure your ROI. If you spend $1,000 on marketing, you need to get back at the very minimum $1,001. A lot of people come to me and say "I tried direct mail, I tried Yellow pages, I tried this and that and it didn't work." Well, they didn't really measure and they don't really know--they don't test things. The ability to measure ROI is critical to the effectiveness of any marketing campaign. The reason I wrote Your Marketing Sucks was because I felt like the way marketing has been done takes money from small-business owners and puts it in the garbage--there's no strategy and they're not testing it to get a strategy that does work.

How do you do research to determine what kind of campaign is going to work? Let's say you do an advertising campaign. The best thing to do is make sure there's a prominent way for people who see or hear your ad to get in touch with the company. You need a phone number and a url. Sometimes you may want to create a special url so you can make sure you know where people are responding. For example, go to YourMarketingSucks.com. There's a page where you can set up an appointment by phone. We set that up for a particular campaign we're having as a way to know where people are coming from. They do it, we measure it and see how many people made appointments. But that's not good enough, either--you need to determine how many appointments were converted into clients. That particular campaign cost about $10,000. So the only way it is successful is if we get back at least $10,001 in revenue.

So what if you don't; Do you scrap that campaign?

You might want to change the message to another message, and if it doesn't work, then you can also try another medium. But in that campaign, for example, in the first week it was a radio ad, which cost $10,800. We generated more than $200,000 in business. That was pretty good ROI. Two weeks after that we did an $8,000 TV campaign for two weeks and only got two people responding, so radio worked better. But the client who responded to the TV campaign has already paid $75,000. So we did learn that radio is more effective for the number of respondents, but maybe the responders for TV will be bigger fee payers--we're not sure yet. Perhaps a better commercial will give an even higher ROI, or maybe I'll be sorry. Regardless, you have to use one as the model and then keep testing against it.

How much time should a new business owner spend on marketing?

He or she should never stop thinking about marketing. The person who owns the business should always think of himself or herself as the marketer-in-chief. It should be the most important thing he or she does because it's the growth of the business; the business owner shouldn't just hand it off to other people or another firm. Someone else can do it, but the person who owns the business should always be involved.

Many new business owners are experts in their services or products but aren't well versed in marketing strategies. What would you suggest they do?

They have to recognize that while they're the expert in the operations of the business--how the factory works or the retail store works--those aspects don't grow the business. You have to become a marketer. The reason small businesses fail is because they stop thinking about marketing. It's also why big businesses fail. It's why General Motors is failing now, because the senior management of General Motors stopped thinking about hybrids and creating cutting-edge cars. They just stopped doing it, whereas Toyota never stopped thinking about marketing and making products more and more appealing. A lot of small-business owners start businesses in areas of their expertise--they're IT specialists, computer fixers or chefs, for example. It's important to maintain skills as a chef, but you have got to think, how am I going to market my restaurant? Otherwise you'll be cooking for yourself.

Can you talk about why right now is a good time to increase marketing efforts?

Right now your competitors are sleeping; they're hiding in the bunker, they're waiting for the dust to clear. And they're leaving you a golden opportunity to grow your market share. So develop a strategy, think it through--remembering it can't be perfect from the start. Get the courage to make an investment and then test, test, test until you break the code.

Make your marketing stand out be wacky

2009-10-20T15:34:00.000+03:00

Marketing is one of the most difficult tasks for any small or medium sized business. Many businesses simply take out an ad in the local paper or think that marketing starts and ends with an annual letter to everyone on their mailing list. These traditional forms of marketing may well work for some industries but for most these will be lazy and unproductive forms of marketing.

In order to carry out effective marketing businesses must come up with new, innovative and targeted methods of contacting potential customers. Business is all about building personal contacts with actual and potential business partners. These are some points to consider when conceiving a marketing plan, ideally these considerations should run through all aspects of your marketing efforts.

The first, and most important, step is to identify those that you want to target. This is important because this group of people are people that you will stay in contact with over the course of all your marketing. It is no good targeting a massive amount of people with a scatter-gun approach, ensuring that you are targeting a core of people interested in your message with repeated communications that they are happy to recieve. Rather than having short exposure to a large group of people who may or may not be interested in your product is not as beneficial as being foremost in the minds of a smaller group of people who probably are interested in your product.

The second step is measuring the results of your marketing campaign. The most famous saying about marketing is that only half of it ever makes an impact, the only problem being that nobody knows which half. While the saying may be tongue in cheek you must ensure that you know exactly how effective your marketing efforts. Quantifying exactly how successful your marketing is and which parts are most successful is vital. Not knowing which half of your marketing is successful is not good enough! Seriously though, nobody ever got anywhere by throwing money down a hole, this is effectively what you are doing if you don't measure the success of your marketing efforts.

Third, make sure your marketing is not just the same generic marketing all your competitors choose to do. If possible research what you're competitors do. Then make sure that you do something completely different. Consider stepping outside of the standard formalised business communication. Making an impression by ensuring that your communications stand out from your competitors' will help your company to make more of an impact with potential cutomers. Do anything, just do it differently! Remember, the most effective form of marketing your business is to get out there and network. If people at networking events remember you for an ad campaign that was slightly wierd and wacky then all well and good, it gives you something to talk about!

Fourthly, do make sure that you follow up your marketing efforts. Try to get along to networking events that the targets of your marketing will be attending. If people contact you as a result of a marketing campaign then make sure you know who they are and keep in touch with them. As I said at the start, business is all about building personal contacts. If somebody buys something from you as the result of your marketing then write them a letter in response thanking them and offering them other services. Remember that marketing to people who have already been your customers is much easier than selling to people who have never bought anything from you before.

Finally, if you aren't actively building business contacts as a result of your marketing then try a different tack. If you don't get results then don't be afraid to ditch what you are doing and start from scratch.

LEARN FROM MISTAKES

2009-09-24T16:04:00.002+03:00

In the last two years, I did a lot of mistakes which have changed my entire life and now i have found new direction other than where i was headed.
Did you know that something you are doing today can change your life Forever?This is hat exactly happened to me.Being this youth who had this strong support from my parents, i did things not knowing that it was my own life not theirs that i was messing around with.
This caused them to loose trust in me and they left meto hang there.

Life in the next couple of months after that was rugh, thank God i picked my self together to build my self again.I have learnt from my mistakes.

Get In Gear For The New Year: 5 Tips For Making Resolutions

2008-12-19T14:19:00.002+03:00

The New Year is infamous when it comes to resolutions — not because most people manage to turn over a new leaf but because we declare big goals, work towards them for a few months and then forget about them. This situation didn't come about because we don't want to achieve those goals, but because the system is more than a bit arbitrary. If you want to complete your New Year's resolutions this year, going about it a little differently may make things easier. The tips below can help you reach a goal with a little less struggle.

Decide what you can do by Feb. Most resolutions don't lend themselves to being completed in a month. But if you can set a goal to reach by the end of January, you'll have some absolutely concrete and obtainable that you can work towards, you've got a better chances of completing 1/12 of your resolution in that first month. Maybe your resolution is to build up an emergency fund containing several months worth of expenses. If you try to save every penny you can during January, you're likely to burn out about the time the end of the month rolls around. But if you set a goal of getting just a certain amount into your savings account, you'll be able to see the end — and you'll get a buzz when you actually complete that first step.

Consider the underlying causes of your resolution. Many resolutions aren't as simple as deciding that you just aren't going to do a particular something anymore. If, for instance, you want to stop going out to eat in 2009 and work on eating at home more, think about why you go out to eat. Maybe the way your schedule is currently set up leaves no time for grocery shopping or cooking — and without a few changes to your schedule, you'll be back at the restaurant in a few weeks.

Talk to your loved ones, and make sure they understand your resolution. For most people, having someone who simply knows about your goal is enough to motivate you — after all, no one wants to fail to achieve a goal and then have to tell someone about it. Furthermore, you can often get a little help. Resolutions like working out more often are easier when you have someone else to do the work with. In fact some close friends and relatives will keep on reminding you of the things you said you would archieve by a certain period.

Write down your resolution. If you've written down your resolution, it's just that much harder to forget about. Adding milestones or incentives and placing your resolution somewhere you'll see it regularly can help you keep your goals in mind. You might consider keeping a note about your resolution in your wallet,on the wall in you bedroom, you office wall,or on your computer — somewhere you'll be inspired to take actions that will move you towards your ambition.

Think about your resolution now. Sure, you've still got time before the month ends, but I've heard a few New Year's resolutions decided at literally the last moment. Those are the ones that typically don't make it to the next morning — let alone the next month. But spending a little time thinking about your resolutions can help you commit yourself to carrying though, and give you a chance to think about why you want to work towards a particular goal. Incentives can be a great thing, whether you're working towards a little piece of mind or towards a big vacation. always keep your resolutions in mind to keep you ontrack.

How to answer most of the common interview questions

2008-11-24T12:01:00.005+03:00

Let’s face it; no one likes the interview process. Well, certainly not the people being interviewed anyway. You have to be on your best behavior, you only get one chance to get it right, and it’s like taking your driving test all over again. Over the years I’ve been to many interviews. To get the first job out of college you can even attended some 15-20 interviews a week. Whether it is in Britain or over there in the States, the questions never really seem to change from job to job. Not only that, but the answers to them are usually the same, with your own personal interpretation of course. Here I present some questions you’re likely to be asked, and how I have learned to answer them.Remember, being interviewed is a skill, and if you do the preparation you should ace it every time.

1. So, tell me a little about yourself.
I’d be very surprised if you haven’t been asked this one at every interview. It’s probably the most asked question because it sets the stage for the interview and it gets you talking. Be careful not to give the interviewer your life story here. You don’t need to explain everything from birth to present day. Relevant facts about education, your career and your current life situation are fine.

2. Why are you looking (or why did you leave you last job)?
This should be a straightforward question to answer, but it can trip you up. Presumably you are looking for a new job (or any job) because you want to advance your career and get a position that allows you to grow as a person and an employee. It’s not a good idea to mention money here, it can make you sound mercenary. And if you are in the unfortunate situation of having been downsized, stay positive and be as brief as possible about it. If you were fired, you’ll need a good explanation. But once again, stay positive.

3. Tell me what you know about this company.
Do your homework before you go to any interview. Whether it’s being the VP of marketing or the mailroom clerk, you should know about the company or business you’re going to work for. Has this company been in the news lately? Who are the people in the company you should know about? Do the background work, it will make you stand out as someone who comes prepared, and is genuinely interested in the company and the job.

4. Why do you want to work at X Company?
This should be directly related to the last question. Any research you’ve done on the company should have led you to the conclusion that you’d want to work there. After all, you’re at the interview, right? Put some thought into this answer before you have your interview, mention your career goals and highlight forward-thinking goals and career plans.

5. What relevant experience do you have?
Hopefully if you’re applying for this position you have bags of related experience, and if that’s the case you should mention it all. But if you’re switching careers or trying something a little different, your experience may initially not look like it’s matching up. That’s when you need a little honest creativity to match the experiences required with the ones you have. People skills are people skills after all, you just need to show how customer service skills can apply to internal management positions, and so on.

6. If your previous co-workers were here, what would they say about you?
Ok, this is not the time for full disclosure. If some people from your past are going to say you’re a boring A-hole, you don’t need to bring that up. Stay positive, always, and maybe have a few specific quotes in mind. “They’d say I was a hard worker” or even better “John Doe has always said I was the most reliable, creative problem-solver he’d ever met.”

7. Have you done anything to further your experience?
This could include anything from night classes to hobbies and sports. If it’s related, it’s worth mentioning. Obviously anything to do with further education is great, but maybe you’re spending time on a home improvement project to work on skills such as self-sufficiency, time management and motivation.

8. Where else have you applied?
This is a good way to hint that you’re in demand, without sounding like you’re whoring yourself all over town. So, be honest and mention a few other companies but don’t go into detail. The fact that you’re seriously looking and keeping your options open is what the interviewer is driving at.

9. How are you when you’re working under pressure?
Once again, there are a few ways to answer this but they should all be positive. You may work well under pressure, you may thrive under pressure, and you may actually PREFER working under pressure. If you say you crumble like aged blue cheese, this is not going to help you get your foot in the door.

10. What motivates you to do a good job?
The answer to this one is not money, even if it is. You should be motivated by life’s noble pursuits. You want recognition for a job well done. You want to become better at your job. You want to help others or be a leader in your field.

11. What’s your greatest strength?
This is your chance to shine. You’re being asked to explain why you are a great employee, so don’t hold back and stay do stay positive. You could be someone who thrives under pressure, a great motivator, an amazing problem solver or someone with extraordinary attention to detail. If your greatest strength, however, is to drink anyone under the table or get a top score on Mario Kart, keep it to yourself. The interviewer is looking for work-related strengths.

12. What’s your biggest weakness?
If you’re completely honest, you may be kicking yourself in the butt. If you say you don’t have one, you’re obviously lying. This is a horrible question and one that politicians have become masters at answering. They say things like “I’m perhaps too committed to my work and don’t spend enough time with my family.” Oh, there’s a fireable offense. I’ve even heard “I think I’m too good at my job, it can often make people jealous.” Please, let’s keep our feet on the ground. If you’re asked this question, give a small, work-related flaw that you’re working hard to improve. Example: “I’ve been told I occasionally focus on details and miss the bigger picture, so I’ve been spending time laying out the complete project every day to see my overall progress.”

13. Let’s talk about salary. What are you looking for?
Run for cover! This is one tricky game to play in an interview. Even if you know the salary range for the job, if you answer first you’re already showing all your cards. You want as much as possible, the employer wants you for as little as you’re willing to take. Before you apply, take a look at salary.com for a good idea of what someone with your specific experience should be paid. You may want to say, “well, that’s something I’ve thought long and hard about and I think someone with my experience should get between X & Y.” Or, you could be sly and say, “right now, I’m more interested in talking more about what the position can offer my career.” That could at least buy you a little time to scope out the situation. But if you do have a specific figure in mind and you are confident that you can get it, I’d say go for it. I have on many occasions, and every time I got very close to that figure (both below and sometimes above).

14. Are you good at working in a team?
Unless you have the I.Q. of a houseplant, you’ll always answer YES to this one. It’s the only answer. How can anyone function inside an organization if they are a loner? You may want to mention what part you like to play in a team though; it’s a great chance to explain that you’re a natural leader.

15. Tell me a suggestion you have made that was implemented.
It’s important here to focus on the word “implemented.” There’s nothing wrong with having a thousand great ideas, but if the only place they live is on your notepad what’s the point? Better still, you need a good ending. If your previous company took your advice and ended up going bankrupt, that’s not such a great example either. Be prepared with a story about an idea of yours that was taken from idea to implementation, and considered successful.

16. Has anything ever irritated you about people you've worked with?
Of course, you have a list as long as your arm. But you can’t say that, it shows you as being negative and difficult to work with. The best way to answer this one is to think for a while and then say something like “I’ve always got on just fine with my co-workers actually.”

17. Is there anyone you just could not work with?
No. Well, unless you’re talking about murderers, racists, rapists, thieves or other dastardly characters, you can work with anyone. Otherwise you could be flagged as someone who’s picky and difficult if you say, “I can’t work with anyone who’s a Bronco’s fan. Sorry.”

18. Tell me about any issues you’ve had with a previous boss.
Arrgh! If you fall for this one you shouldn’t be hired anyway. The interviewer is testing you to see if you’ll speak badly about your previous supervisor. Simply answer this question with exteme tact, diplomacy and if necessary, a big fat loss of memory. In short, you've never had any issues.

19. Would you rather work for money or job satisfaction?
It’s not a very fair question is it? We’d all love to get paid a Trump-like salary doing a job we love but that’s rare indeed. It’s fine to say money is important, but remember that NOTHING is more important to you than the job. Otherwise, you’re just someone looking for a bigger paycheck.

20. Would you rather be liked or feared?
I have been asked this a lot, in various incarnations. The first time I just drew a blank and said, “I don’t know.” That went over badly, but it was right at the start of my career when I had little to no experience. Since then I’ve realized that my genuine answer is “Neither, I’d rather be respected.” You don’t want to be feared because fear is no way to motivate a team. You may got the job done but at what cost? Similarly, if you’re everyone’s best friend you’ll find it difficult to make tough decisions or hit deadlines. But when you’re respected, you don’t have to be a complete bastard or a lame duck to get the job done.

21. Are you willing to put the interests of X Company ahead of your own?
Again, another nasty question. If you say yes, you’re a corporate whore who doesn’t care about family. If you say no, you’re disloyal to the company. I’m afraid that you’ll probably have to say yes to this one though, because you’re trying to be the perfect employee at this point, and perfect employees don’t cut out early for Jimmy’s baseball game.

22. So, explain why I should hire you.
As I’m sure you know, “because I’m great” or “I really need a job” are not good answers here. This is a time to give the employer a laundry list of your greatest talents that just so happen to match the job description. It’s also good to avoid taking potshots at other potential candidates here. Focus on yourself and your talents, not other people’s flaws.

23. Finally, do you have any questions to ask me?
I’ll finish the way I started, with one of the most common questions asked in interviews. This directly relates to the research you’ve done on the company and also gives you a chance to show how eager and prepared you are. You’ll probably want to ask about benefits if they haven’t been covered already. A good generic one is “how soon could I start, if I were offered the job of course.” You may also ask what you’d be working on. Specifically, in the role you’re applying for and how that affects the rest of the company. Always have questions ready, greeting this one with a blank stare is a rotten way to finish your interview. Good luck and happy job hunting.

The Real Deal: What to Expect When Starting Your Own Business

2008-11-12T19:35:00.002+03:00

It's easy to list "Start a Business" as a goal for the new year, but do you know what that actually means? About a year ago, I asked myself that question. Over these last months, I've done a ton of research on what it would realistically take to start a small business. I've had various ideas and have researched them all, and the list below contains items that seem to be true across the board. There are business for which these are not true, but those are the exceptions rather than the rule.

You can expect that...

1. You will lose money.

Hopefully, this will not be long-term. However, you could be facing a year or two of losses even if your idea is eventually successful. It just takes that long to make contacts, acquire customers who return time and time again, and drum up enough recognition for your product and your brand that people know it and trust you. This is why it's so important to plan ahead and make sure you have the money, either from savings or other streams of income, to cover your costs while you're getting things going.That is even when you are making losses in the start.

2. Things will not go as planned.

Something will go wrong. Sometimes those wrong turns become the very thing that makes the business so successful. Most of the time, though, wrong turns slow down business growth. You can't plan for these, but you can expect them and take them in stride when they appear. They're particularly common when a business is new, because you don't have working relationships with suppliers, shippers, vendors, etc. You'll do your best to make it all run smoothly, but you don't know them and they don't know you and that can cause problems.

3. Some customers will be unhappy.

No matter how good your product or service is, there are always people who don't like it. They will probably complain vociferously and harangue steadily, and there's not much you can do about it. You can't make everyone happy, and you don't have to try. While it's probably best to try to pacify an unhappy customer, you can't let their opinion get to you. Just because the vocal few don't like what you're doing doesn't mean it doesn't have value or won't ultimately be successful.

4. You will have to dig deep.

Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of social, emotional, and physical energy, and it requires you to sustain high levels of those energies over long periods of time. You will be tired, cranky, and emotional and there's not much you can do about it, no matter how good your self-care is. It's just not possible for a human being to sustain high levels of energy in all these areas for a long time. If you're not willing to suffer these effects, entrepreneurship is probably not for you.

5. You will have to adjust your prices.

Almost every case study I've read about an entrepreneur mentions a major price change somewhere in the formative stages of the business. You can do all the research in the world, but you still can't know for sure what someone is willing to pay for what you have to offer. Go in knowing that things could come out differently. Often, this is for the best as businesses with correctly priced items or services tend to do the best. The actual change, though, can be difficult for some business owners.

6. There will be slow seasons.

Your product takes off, and you can't believe the ride you're on. Six months later, business is in the doldrums and you're not quite sure what happened. Every business has this happen at least once. Sometimes, it's a season thing, and business will pick up in a couple of months. Other times, it's an economy thing and you just have to ride out the low points until consumers are buying again. Whatever the reason, you need to expect that you won't have the same income all the time and plan accordingly.

7. Someone else will have a similar product.

No great idea is created in a vacuum, so it's invariable that someone else will come up with something similar to what you're selling at some point. This can require anything from some minor tweaks to a major overhaul of your product or business model. Since great minds think alike, take this as confirmation that you're doing something special and important and that you'll find your way around the obstacle eventually.

8. Your family and close friends will face stress.

If you think you're the only one who will pay a price to get your business started, you couldn't be more wrong. As an entrepreneur, you will miss important events. You will not get enough rest, and be tired and cranky. This will influence your personal relationships. This doesn't have to be something negative and can be a chance for your friends and family to rally around you with their support, to help you out when you hit a deadline, or to do something special to help relieve the stress.I was involved in a business a few months ago but it almost cut me off my family as i was facing challenges time after time.

9. You will pay more taxes.

What with a self-employment tax on top of your normal tax contributions, you will give the government a larger percentage of your money than you have before. When you have employees, you'll pay even more. This fact has drastically altered some business plans and can make the difference between turning a profit and declaring bankruptcy. If you expect it ahead of time, you can plan better and remember to incorporate these expectations into your thoughts from the very beginning.

10. You will burn the candle at both ends.

Starting a business takes time, particularly at the beginning where you're the one doing everything--contacting vendors, advertising, making the product or performing the service, working on packaging, building an identity for your business, working with suppliers who may well be located in other countries, invoicing, etc. There are a lot of tasks that go into forming a successful business that you may not think about ahead of time, and you'll get to do them all. While running your own business may sound like an easy way out of the 9-5, rest assured that you'll work more hours doing your own thing.

11. Your work will be more rewarding.

When you're working on something you care about, it doesn't matter how hard it is. The long hours, the stress, and the highs and lows will have meaning for you if you're doing something that fits in with your personality and personal values. Make sure your product or service falls into these categories, and you'll find the energy to pull your business off.

12. You will change in the process.

You can't step out on your own, try something new, put yourself and your family on the line and not be changed. Entrepreneurs report being stronger, more resilient, more process oriented (instead of results oriented), and more at peace with themselves than they were before they started their businesses. If you're not open to change, or are one of the few people who are perfect already, this can be the most difficult part of the entrepreneurial experience.

13. You will always have something to talk about.

Your job will be different from what most of your friends know, and this will mean that there are conversations to be had. While they might get tired of hearing about the business eventually, being an entrepreneur makes you interesting to most people. You need never fear small talk at a cocktail party again.

Some of the items on this list can seem so discouraging! It's easy to wonder what the point is of starting your own business if you're going to be tired, poor, emotional, and stressed all the time. If this looks like the doldrums to you, take some time before jumping into a new business to ask yourself if it's really something you want. If you went through all of these things for your business and it ultimately failed, would you still have wanted to experience the process or would you wish you'd never had that brilliant idea in the first place? If you can answer "yes!" to this question, go ahead and jump in (with, of course, the proper planning). If you answer "no!" take some time to figure out what makes you answer negatively and if there's a way to turn that around. Being able to say "yes!" to this question means your business has a better chance of success because you believe it's important enough to try for, regardless of the outcome. That creates a special kind of energy that nothing else will.

Be well, and best wishes for your entrepreneurial endeavors, next year or whenever!!

2008-11-01T21:49:00.000+03:00

Marketing For your Business

2008-11-01T20:41:00.002+03:00

What is Marketing?

If you attended business school, then you probably learned "The 4 P's of Marketing": product, price, place and promotion. Of course, in the real world, marketing your business requires practical action steps.

Many small businesses fail or struggle because they simply don't make efforts to market their businesses. Have you ever been in a retail store or restaurant that had no customers? Do you think these owners are doing everything they can to promote their businesses? Probably not.

Every business needs a marketing plan. Your plan can be fifty pages long, or it can simply be a list of monthly or weekly reminders on your calendar. Regardless of what your plan is, it can't sit on a shelf. You must take ACTION to market your business regularly.

Here is a list of real world actions that you can do to market your business:

Branding
Create a professional logo that is used consistently in all of your business activities. Among other benefits, a good logo will enhance trust and loyalty among your customers. A recognizable logo will make your business significantly more valuable when you decide to sell. (More on this in GOODWILL.)

Location
Unless you are doing business exclusively online or working from home, your location can be an important part of your marketing. Even if you are in the manufacturing or wholesale business, you will benefit from being in a professional building that is close to your customers. In the retail industry, location is absolutely critical. Choose your location carefully, so you will attract both customers and a talented staff.

Signage
Professionally branded signage not only shows customers WHERE you are, it also tells them WHO you are. Signage is a marketing opportunity to portray your business in a positive light. Bad signage can actually deter customers. Stand back and look at your signage. Ask yourself honestly whether you would patronize your own business if you weren't the owner. Consider the cost of your signage as a prepaid marketing expense that pays dividends for the life of your signs. Spend a little extra to make your signage perfect.

Web Sites
Every business MUST have a Web site. The name of your site should be simple, memorable and end with DOT COM. If possible, the name of your site should match the name of your business. Before designing a site, take a look at your competitors' Web sites. Your site should match or exceed the quality of your competitors. To be effective, your site must quickly convey your company's purpose. What is your product or service? What are the benefits? If a visitor is interested, do you want him or her to make a purchase, sign up or contact you? Decide what you want your visitors to do and invite them to take that action. Web sites have several amazing qualities: they are not bound by size or geography, they can perform and organize many functions automatically, they work 24 hours per day, they allow small businesses to compete on equal footing with major corporations and they can provide customers with strategically designed materials to drive sales. Use your Web site to promote your brand, sell products or collect email addresses from new prospects.

Online Advertising
Online advertising has evolved to become the most measurable and immediate form of advertising. Search engine advertisements will attract users searching for specific words and word combinations. Generally, you will only pay for an ad each time a user clicks on it. Tools make it easy to track the number of visitors your Web site receives and the exact number who take action on your site. You can calculate the precise cost of each new customer and each sale, then adjust your campaign. Another option is to create graphic banner ads to be placed on various Web sites. Banner ads can often be arranged directly with individual Web sites or through services that place ads on many sites simultaneously. Typically, banner ads do not target audiences as precisely as search engine ads; however, banner ads provide brand exposure, even if viewers don't click on them.

Traditional Media Advertising
There are many different forms of traditional advertising, some of which can be quite expensive. Your business should evaluate and consider all possibilities in Print, Radio and Television advertising. Even with a limited budget, you may discover that trade publications, local newspapers, late night radio or cable TV can help you reach your target audience affordably. Be sure to track the effectiveness of your ads, so you can spend your advertising dollars wisely.

Outdoor & Indoor Advertising
Many businesses rely heavily on outdoor and indoor advertising. These methods include surface and poster ads on billboards, park benches, bus stops, subways, rest rooms, nightclubs and restaurant table tops. Ads can even be placed in the sky on blimps and airplane banners. Assess these options carefully, because their effectiveness can often be difficult to track.

Catalogs & Mailings
The growth of the Internet has substantially reduced the need for catalogs and mailings. Web sites and Internet advertising is generally more cost effective than physical materials sent by mail. Some industries, such as dry cleaning and pizza delivery, still use mailings regularly. Catalogs that cater to older audiences or loyal readers can also be very successful today.

Phone Books
For many industries, the Internet has become the primary tool for finding phone numbers. This has caused telephone book advertising to become cost prohibitive. However, some industries have less sophisticated customers who still use phone books. Study your target audience's behavior before committing to an expensive phone book advertisement.

Direct Response Campaigns
Direct response ads, or infomercials, are TV or radio ads that elicit viewers to place an immediate order by phone or through a Web site. Products that fulfill a common need and require demonstration may be appropriate for this marketing tactic. Experts should be consulted to assist with your call center, fulfillment, commercial production and media buys.

Home Shopping Channels
Products that are appropriate for direct response campaigns are often suitable for home shopping channels. HSN, QVC and other networks specialize in selling products on TV. To get your product on these networks, you must navigate a screening process and be willing to accept very demanding terms.

Sales
Although every business requires a certain level of salesmanship, many service, manufacturing and wholesale businesses require exceptional sales skills. To be good at selling, you must strive to help each customer rationalize a decision that's good for them. The selling process can generally be broken down into eight common steps:

* Prospecting – find and reach out to your potential customers
* Rapport – find common ground and get the customers to like you and trust you
* Needs Analysis – ask quality questions
* Presentation – offer solutions and let your customers know what's in it for them
* Overcoming Objections – anticipate objections and prepare answers in advance
* Closing – get a commitment for your product or service
* Following Up – make sure your customer is a happy customer
* Referrals – get introductions and testimonials

If you have a product or service that genuinely fulfills a need at a fair price, these basic steps will lead you to more sales. Be confident in your product or service, be persistent and remember A-B-C – Always Be Closing.

Telemarketing
National do not call lists, caller ID and call blocking technology have combined to reduce the effectiveness of telemarketing. It is no longer accepted as an appropriate marketing tactic among the general public.

Retail Distribution
Many businesses that develop a great product, or a cheap product, rely solely on distribution and informative packaging. Although retail distribution is the primary revenue channel for many products, it should not be your only way of marketing your product. Getting a product on store shelves without any promotion (and just hoping it sells) is often called PUSH marketing. Employing other marketing tactics to build your brand and stimulate demand is considered PULL marketing. Retailers will sell more product and place more orders if you are able to enhance your retail distribution by building brand awareness.

POP Displays and In Store
Point-of-purchase (POP) displays and in store marketing can often be good investments. These marketing tools can lead to more impulse buys; however, the incremental sales must offset the cost of the program to be worthwhile.

Couponing
Offering coupons or discounts can be both effective and expensive. You must consider both the cost of printing or distributing coupons as well as the reduced price of your product or service. Often times, customers that would have paid full price end up paying a lower rate. Take all of these factors into account before deciding on a campaign.

Sampling
Getting customers to try your product or service is often one of the most difficult challenges. Grocery stores and food court restaurants use sampling to encourage customers to buy new food items. Sampling tactics can also be applied to many other fields and can be particularly beneficial for high priced items or concepts that are new to an industry.

Grass Roots Marketing
There are many methods of grass roots marketing, including online campaigns and distribution of flyers, posters, prizes and swag (promotional items). Music, movies, beer, liquor and cigarettes are promoted aggressively with grass roots techniques. Companies frequently employ "street teams" to pass out marketing materials by hand and to personally interact with customers.

Viral Marketing
Viral marketing is a means by which the public spreads the word about your business for you. Often times, loyal fans of your product or service are your best advocates; however, some creative marketing people have used entertaining stories, images and videos to encourage people to pass a message along. Fan clubs, loyalty programs, shared Internet links, bookmarking sites, invitation systems and social networks are all aspects of viral marketing.

Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs reward people for referring others to your Web site or business using prizes or cash. Many Web sites use affiliate programs as a method of advertising. Affiliate members simply sign up and post banners or links on various Web sites. Affiliate members earn commissions in exchange for the promotional help.

Multi Level Marketing
Multi level marketing (MLM) is a tiered reward compensation system, where people share sales commissions along a hierarchy. Although MLM can be done properly and ethically, many scams or Ponzi schemes have abused this marketing concept. Today, it is frowned upon and no longer considered a practical marketing tactic.

Promotions/Contests
There are many ways to arrange promotions and contests. You can organize and manage these activities internally, or you can hire outside firms to handle everything. Promotions or contests that are done well can generate positive publicity and enhance customer loyalty. Like many other marketing tactics, always weigh the costs and benefits of any promotion or contest.

Sponsorships
Sponsoring events, competitions or contests can be an economical way of gaining exposure. Often, sponsorships offer a high value to cost ratio. This means that you will expose your brand to a much larger audience than the same budget would normally allow. Of course, the sponsor is not the focal point of the associated ad campaign, and the media spotlight is shared with the event itself. In addition to the media benefits, sponsorships will place your logo side by side with other respected companies, thus enhancing your goodwill. It is always wise to take an active role in enhancing your sponsorship, because sponsored events often have ancillary benefits that can be overlooked.

Product Placement
Producers of films, television programs and video games have created many opportunities for businesses to promote their wares. Whenever possible, try to involve your product or service into the storyline in a positive way. A passive product or logo in the background of a scene will not be nearly as memorable. Reese's Pieces, used as bait in the film E.T., is often considered one of the greatest product placements in movie history.

Trade Shows/Conventions
Booths or exhibits at industry trade shows and conventions can be effective for making business contacts and sales. Many products find distributors and retailers at these events. To become a leader in your industry, you must have a presence at major conventions.

Events
Whether you own a restaurant, a retail store, a consulting firm or a manufacturing plant, organizing your own events can stimulate business and increase customer loyalty. These events may include parties, exhibitions, seminars, golf outings, concerts or simple meet-and-greets. Promote your events with personal invitations, free tickets, e-mail announcements and advertising.

Newsletters
Keep your customers updated on your business activities by maintaining a weekly or monthly newsletter. For a newsletter to be effective, the content must be of interest to your customers. Don't fill the newsletter with promotional content. Give your customers helpful information about your industry. This will increase the likelihood that it gets read, and your customers will remember you for your genuine helpfulness. Collect e-mail addresses through your Web site and trade shows. Give users an easy way to opt out of the newsletter.

Publicity/Public Relations
Many books have been written on how to generate publicity. A professional press release is widely considered to be the primary tool of a PR campaign.I believe that a publicity strategy is equally important, if not more important, than your press release. Far too often, a business sends a press release to wire services and media lists, but the effort results in no media coverage. A well planned strategy can result in substantial media attention. For maximum effectiveness, your press release MESSAGE must be memorable, simple and compelling. Without a compelling hook or story, writers and reporters will have no interest in it. Prepare your press release with a reporter's mindset. What is the story that they will tell? Will the public see the story and talk about it? Does the story sell newspapers and boost TV ratings?

Influencers
Celebrities, business leaders, politicians, athletes and other high profile people often influence consumers. Many business owners have learned to harness this influence by giving free products to carefully selected people or arranging formal endorsement deals. Use of your product or service by influential people can often increase publicity, credibility and prestige for your brand.

Stunts/Controversy
Richard Branson, Vince McMahon and the legendary P.T. Barnum are masters of generating publicity from stunts. There are also many business executives who gain attention through bold statements or controversies, such as Donald Trump and Mark Cuban. All of these people have learned how to manipulate the media to promote their respective brands. Breaking world records and making controversial statements to the media will certainly get you some exposure, but it is imperative that you consider how these actions will impact the goodwill of your brand.

Philanthropy
Performing good deeds for the public can also serve to enhance the reputation of your company. Charity is not a marketing tactic, and should not be considered as such. However, this secondary benefit should encourage you to contribute time, money and effort to an appropriate cause.

Positioning
As a business owner, you can position yourself as an expert in a field by publishing articles, writing books, appearing on TV programs, participating in panel discussions and simply becoming known for a specific area of expertise. By continually appearing publicly and speaking intelligently about a certain topic, the media will eventually request statements from you when the topic arises. Your positioning as an expert and a leader in your industry will cause growth in respect, customers and revenues.

Before applying these marketing tactics, take careful consideration in deciding where to spend your time and money. Who are your customers? What are the characteristics that define your target audience?

It is usually best to focus on a specialized niche and become known as a leader in your specific field. You can advertise more efficiently toward targeted audiences than to general audiences.

Set a marketing budget and customer acquisition goals. Track your costs and the effectiveness of each marketing technique. If possible, calculate the cost of acquiring each new customer. Discontinue any activities that are not generating results. Some marketing methods complement one another, so keep this in mind when evaluating each activity. Reevaluate your marketing plan on a regular basis.

Have fun while coming up with marketing ideas. This can be one of the most exciting and creative aspects of your business.

Should you take a second job?

2008-10-31T15:43:00.003+03:00

Right now is actually the perfect time to take a second job. The holiday season is gearing up in most retail stores, and chains everywhere are hiring seasonal workers. Whether it's stocking shelves, mopping floors, filling displays, or selling goods, the shopping season is ramping up and now is the time to locate and nab that those holiday gigs.

If you, like most People, are deep in debt, you might be wondering how exactly you are going to pay it off. Or maybe you're not in debt, but need to make some extra cash to put a down payment on a domestic appliance or a car,even start your own business. Maybe you just want to buy your sweetheart (a pet) something really special this holiday season.

Basically, you need more money, and you need it soon.

I've manage to get myself into and out of debt a couple of times (I'm talented like that), and the way I always clamor out of crushing debit totals is by taking an extra job on the evenings and weekends. It takes a little extra planning to make everything go smoothly, but the rewards of quickly making additional income are not to be underestimated.

Some things to consider when taking on a side job:
Don't overdo it

There's no point in working yourself to death. I don't mean that there is anything wrong with being tired for a couple of months, but don't overextend yourself to the point that it effects your health or your current job performance. Also, no one needs your exhaustion-induced erratic highway driving during the holidays.
Can you organize your life around the busy schedule?

It's important, when faced with a tough and busy schedule, to downgrade other areas of your life. You might have to skip holiday parties if you are working nights. Lunch may become Cup O'Noodles until crunch time is over. While there's no need to deprive yourself entirely while working 60+ hours a week, you need to be careful to let yourself work.
Is it worth your time?

I'm unmarried and have no dependents, so childcare isn't an issue for me. If spending time away from your family is an impossibility, then this might not be an option for you. It does help to calculate how much money you expect to make during the time that you plan to hold a second job, but the earnings should always offset the costs.

I've often heard job experts warn that you should never take a lower salary for a side job than you earn at your day job. I disagree, for several reasons. First, many white collar jobs involve collaborating with other team members, and they can't expected to stay up until midnight working on a grant proposal with you because that's when YOU want to work. Given the wacky hours that an additional part-time job might entail, it can be unreasonable to demand the same hourly wage that you make during the day. I'm a tech writer - it would be tough for me to say to a potential hiring manager "Yes, I expect to make as much as I do during the day, but I won't be available for daytime meetings or phone calls." I'll either have to charge less because I'm inconveniencing the employer with my weird hours, or I'll have to find a different type of job.

Moonlighting can also be a risk because of your current employer's rules about who you can and cannot work for on the side.
Will it affect your taxes?

If you already exist on the edge of a tax bracket, earning additional income might bump you into a higher economic stratus, which could result in the government taking a LOT more of your income through taxes than previously, thus eating up the additional money that you made by working a second job. This is definitely something to consider beforehand.
Will you keep at it?

The whole point of starting an extra part-time job is to make money, but it doesn't hurt to make positive network connections, if possible. There's no point in taking on a second job if you are just going to quit a week later. Not only will you not make the money you need/want, but you might alienate new coworkers or bosses who will have to scramble to hire someone to replace you.
Is it interesting, comfortable, or easy enough?

I you work at a desk all day. As a result, when you look for a second job, never seek employment that will have physically in the same position for an additional 25 hours a week. Instead, You may look into waitressing (hard work, but great exercise), dishwashing, housecleaning, yard work, babysitting, or something - ANYTHING other than your current job. The change of pace is nice for you. I don't think I could waitress full time, as I have a decided lack of patience for humanity, but on a short-term basis, it's a great change-up from my normal isolated environment.

I also don't look for anything that is particularly intellectually challenging. If I'm going to be working late into the night, my brain cannot be trusted to maintain logical or rhetorical abilities. There's no way I could make any extra money tutoring people for the GRE, but there are some people who thrive on constant intellectual stimulation.

If you don't have the luxury of being free to leave your home (say you're a stay-at-home mom), you might consider offering holiday childcare services, either during the day or in the evenings. People with enough disposable income might welcome a break from the kids for a holiday party or for holiday shopping.
Are there any side benefits?

If you can find a temp job in an industry that you are fascinated by, you're lucky. But even if you don't LOVE washing dishes, there can be benefits to working in a restaurant. I worked in one all through college vacation and got free meals every night. Some retailers might give employees (even temp employees) discounts on products or services or even give you free product samples. While this shouldn't be a primary consideration when looking for a side job, it certainly can help sweeten the pot and make the extra effort well worth it.

I'd be interested to hear from my readers who have held temp jobs over the holidays - what kind of work did you do? How did you make it work? Did you have to balance work and family? Where did you find the job? (I always find mine as a walk-in or on Craigslist).

டைம் AND MONEY

2008-10-15T21:16:00.002+03:00

Have you ever thought, "If only I could do X, it wouldn't matter how much money I made?" Or maybe you've wondered, "Why do I feel like I do so much for so little compensation?" If you've had these or similar thoughts, you're not alone, and you're probably suffering from some disjointed thoughts about time and money.

Believe it or not, it's easy to get stuck living a life you're unhappy with because your time and your money aren't connected in the way you'd like them to be. If you don't think about it, you'll live a life that says you value what the people around you value, or what your parents taught you to value, but that may be a far cry from what you actually value. Here are some competing theories about the relationship between time and money, and some thoughts on figuring out what they mean to you.

Time is money
In this theory, your time is only as important as the amount of money you can make. You focus on a particular task for a particular amount of time and get paid a particular amount of money for your trouble. That money, and nothing else, shows you the value of your time.
Many people hold this as true, though some hold it to a greater extent than others. For many, this is only true during the work day, but personal time is different. But for others, this is a ruling principle of life. If you've ever felt like your personal value depended at all on your salary, that's evidence of this sort of thinking.

It's key to note that this is the principle that most jobs are built around. An employer determines how much it's worth to him to have a person performing a certain task for a certain amount of time, and pays that wage. There are definitely complicating factors, but that's the basis on which salaries are determined. So this is a driving principle in Western culture (and increasingly in Eastern ones).

Time over money
If this is what you believe, then the amount of money you make doesn't mean much to you. You'd much rather have your time to yourself, or at least under your control, than let someone else control it for whatever amount of money they value it at.
Do you work a lower-paying job because you get more days off or control your personal time? Then you might subscribe to this theory. Do you freelance because you want to be able to meet those friends for lunch whenever they're free? Then you definitely value controlling your time more than you value making a particular amount of money.

Money over time
Would you rather work through weekends to have more cash, particularly if you get overtime? Is the stress of major responsibility worth it to you because you make more money when you take it on? If it came down to a decision between a date-night with your spouse and a few more hours that would net you some serious income, would you choose to work?
If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, then there are times when you value money over time. You want cash, whether it's for financial security or so you can buy that new toy, and you're willng to give up total control of your time (and other people's) to get it.
Practically
In our daily lives, most of us subscribe to these different theories at different times. Maybe the success of our weekdays is determined by how much money we make, but that of our weekends determined by how much time we get to spend chillin' in front of the television.
We also subscribe to these ideas to varying degrees. Sometimes, money is important, but only so long as a person can take two weeks of vacation every summer. Or maybe someone wants to stay home with their kids, but they also need to make a certain amount of money to live.
It doesn't matter how you fit these ideas together; what matters is that you know how they fit together for you!

Figuring it out
Ask yourself the questions below. Spend 5-15 minutes answering each one, either in discussion with someone else or in a journal. When you've finished answering, you'll have a pretty good idea as to what you value, how much you value it, and when you value something else entirely.

1. If you had the option to work over the weekend making double-time, would you do it? What if your kid had a big game on Saturday or you had planned a date to the Met? How would you justify your choice?

2. Looking over the last year, how often have you taken vacation? Sick days? Did you ever go to work instead of taking time off because being absent negatively effected your paycheck?

3. How do you look at your wages? Are they never enough, just right, or plenty for your needs? Do you feel like you trade your time for money? If so, is it a fair trade? If not, would you prefer more money or more free time?
If you feel the desire, share some of your responses with உ me. I'd love to know மி readers stand!

Acres Of Diamonds In Your Back Yard

2008-10-10T21:10:00.004+03:00

A message to everyone looking for opportunities. I’ve been in business for my self for the past months of my life specializing in helping others improve their fianacial quality of life. Opportunities are within us. We are the opportunity and most of us don’t have the belief in our selves that we are. Sometimes we need to borrow the belief of others, until we begin to see it for our selves, and that is the main reason why I became involved in our industry. The leader that I started to work with early on was somebody that truly believed in me. He gave me the push to believe in my self that I could do it, until one day, I started to believe in my self and started to compete among other team mates in our office organization. When I broke the barrier that stop me from winning, my life unfold before my eyes. I began to recognize opportunities in adversity. I began to see acres of diamonds before my eyes. When I use to see people, I use to duck so I wouldn’t have to talk to them, but when I saw opportunity in people, I approached them, because I knew I had something that they could need in their lives and that was, Hope and Opportunity for them to change their lives. So when I read this story and heard of this story it stunt me forever and I hope it does the same for you.

Many Centuries ago in Persia, a farmer listened enthralled while a storyteller wove him a yarn. The tale concerned something called a “diamond.” According to the storyteller a diamond was a “congealed drop of sunlight,” a gem so precious that any man who discovered a mine of them would be richer than any king. The farmer had never heard of diamonds before. But now that he had, he burned with desire to lay his hands on such treasure. It happened that this farmer owned many fields and orchards. He was a wealthy man. Yet from the moment he heard about diamonds, he felt like a pauper. The one thing in life that he coveted, he could not have. The thought of all those diamonds lying undiscovered, somewhere in the world, tortured him in his sleep. So one day he sold his lands and set out on a quest. The farmer wandered through Africa, Palestine, and Europe in search of Diamonds. At last he arrived in Spain, a bitter old man, dressed in rags. Overwhelmed with despair, he threw him self in to the sea and drowned. Never once, in all his travels, had he so much as glimpsed a single diamond. Meanwhile, back in Persia, the man who had bought his fields made a startling discovery. He found a diamond embedded in a black stone. Further investigation revealed that there were literally acres of diamonds concealed beneath his property. In time, that humble farm came to be known as the diamond mine of Golconda, the richest ever found. If only the greedy farmer had been content to stay at home in his town! The wealth would have been his for the taking. See folks We all know now we are going through a tough economy in our country. If you only see our opportunities our country has in store you’ll be able to see how many opportunities unfold before your eyes. Africa is hurting and there are many ways to help someone improve their lives. Remain positive and see what you can do to help someone. I have also learnt this Quote From JFK And is ” ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY, DON’T ASK WHAT THE COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU.” Blessings to all. GO, GO, GO,

Why I think PayDotCom is the Best Affiliate Marketplace on the Net!

2008-10-09T17:16:00.000+03:00

Hi

Nasiiro Robert here...

If you are familiar with Clickbank.com (R), or even if you are not but you want to make profits online, then you will want to check this out ASAP ...

While I like Clickbank, and they are a great marketplace... they are limited to many restrictions to sell products or earn affiliate commissions...

Well, there is a GREAT NEW SERVICE now...

It is a new FREE marketplace where you can sell any product you want.

Yours OWN product...

- OR - (the best part)
You can become an INSTANT Affiliate for ANY item in their HUGE marketplace.

It is called PayDotCom.com!

Did I mention it is 100% FREE to Join!

This site is going to KILL all other marketplaces and I by now, almost EVERY SINGLE SERIOUS online marketer has an account with PayDotCom.com

So get yours now and see how much they offer...

OH! - Also, they have their own affiliate program now that pays you COLD HARD cash just for sharing the site with people like I am doing with you...

They give you cool tools like BLOG WIDGETS, and they even have an advertising program to help you get traffic to your site.

If you want an ARMY of affiliates to sell your products for you, they also allow you to have Free placement in their marketplace!

Even better... If your product becomes one of the Top 25 products in its category in the marketplace (not that hard to do)...

...then you will get Free advertising on the Blog Widget which is syndicated on THOUSANDS of sites World Wide and get Millions of impressions per month.

So, what are you waiting for...

PayDotCom.com ROCKS!

Get your FREE account now...

http://paydotcom.net/?affiliate=466583

Thanks,

Nasiiro Robert

P.S. - Make sure to get your Account NOW while it is Free to join.

THIS MONTH'S JUMPSTART

2008-09-12T20:38:00.002+03:00

I've always viewed money as transportation or a library card. It should be employed rather than hoarded.
A great deal of money is not necessarily a blessing; the lack of it is not necessarily a curse. Certainly, it is easier to have a wholesome abundance than not.
It is better for humankind to have enough for daily needs, plus a little for comfort, culture, hospitality and for charity.
Extreme poverty and extreme wealth often have equally negative effects on human nature and society.
The destitute have no money for their needs, much less creature comforts.
They can't give to others. The very rich are sometimes no better off. Some purposefully neglect the comforts of home and family.
Think of the recluse multi-millionaire, Howard Hughes – he denied himself even food and proper medical care. There are wealthy individuals who never give a dime to charity and who are disdainful of others less fortunate than themselves. They hide behind a shallow veil of conceit.

Wealth is truly a source of happiness when it is used to improve society and the planet. What you are doing with what you have is much more important than having the Midas touch. To quote the indomitable Dolly Levi, the wise matchmaker in the musical Hello, Dolly: "Money is like manure. It doesn't do anybody any good until you spread it around!"

Some marketing ideas for you

2008-05-26T12:27:00.002+03:00

I always ask what needs to happen in your business or life?.You and thousands others respond and I have been going through your excellent results.So for the next few weeks I am going to answersome of the issues you and others have.By far the biggest issue was around marketing.Generally how to get more customers. Marketing isn't that hard, although most people believe it'sall about advertising.That's really the end result. Knowing about yourcustomer, their needs, their frustrations etc need to be found out first before you even send a message to anyone.

Wisdom to begin your business quest....

2008-05-26T12:16:00.001+03:00

Recently I've been discussing the importance of hard work, passion and how we all need to

beware the "anyone can do it" promises of some marketing gurus out there. Yeah, I know, I'm

supposed to tell you how easy and effortless it's going to be. Well there's plenty of others who

happily tell you that. For those of you who are still with me, I have this advice:Have you heard

of the saying "in the land of the blind, the oneeyed man is king ?" - it's a great saying because

most people have a skill or knowledge that 99% of others will gladly pay money to learn

about.And best of all, you do not need to develop much to go forther and conquer your target

market.If we made a list of every niche market that exists, 80% of them would not require you

to possess very much "Art Factor" at all. A good criteria for choosing a market, then, is little or

no Art Factor required. Be a Marketing Maniac. If you're going to crawl inside this thing... if

you're going to have a feeling for it, then you need to be marketing obsessed. Look for vital clues

about human psychology everywhere. Find stuff in today's newspaper, in fundraising

campaigns, in today's mail... go to the doctor and while he's checking the lymph nodes under your

groin, ask yourself, "How did he manage to sell me on this idea of feeling me out down there in

the first place?" You know you're a Marketing Maniac when: People start giving you their junk

mail because they "thought you might be interested." And you find, oddly, that you are

interested. It's a great feeling.Welcome, you have made it to the Marketing Maniac Hall of

Fame.Know yourself and act accordingly. Make a list of everthingyou've belonged to or

"touched" in your life. - Every club you've been a member of...write it down. - Every political

organization...write it down- Every job and career you've been in...write it down- Every subject

you liked in school, - Every sport you played, - Every magazine you've ever subscribed to,-

Every cause or religious organization, - Every hobby......it all goes on the list. You now have a

very large number of markets you can investigate. Do They Spend Money? How Much? Go

through the list ... Do people spend money in political organizations? Oh, yes, they most

definitely do. Could be a place where you could be paid to generate results. Could also be a place

where you test your marketing ability as a volunteer. How about all those jobs you've had, do

people spend money in those professions? On advertising? Which ones spend the most? Go and

find out.To your continued success,

Regards,

Up & Running

2008-05-06T14:27:00.002+03:00

You can do a lot in 30 days--like start a business. Follow these steps to get going in less than a month.

Can you really start your business in 30 days flat?

While it depends on the type of business you want to launch, our experts say you should be able to get at least one aspect of your business up and running within a month, whether it's an e-commerce website or a signed contract with your first customer. Depending on your experience level with the type of business you want to start, some steps may be ongoing responsibilities, take longer to complete or need to be done in a different order than we've listed here. Other steps may be a snap and be possible to complete in a day. Even if the type of business you want to start takes longer to launch than 30 days, our step-by-step guide should have you well on your way to launching your business before your calendar turns over another page.
First, set aside time to work on your new business idea, says business consultant Paul Snare, a counselor with SCORE. Snare advises you to chart how you currently spend your time, plotted in 30-minute increments.
Then pinpoint hours that can be freed up for working on your business idea. (If you can take a leave from your current job, hire a sitter or let the housekeeping chores slide for a while, so much the better.)We've broken the process down into 30 simple, essential steps to take the first month if you want to get your business open fast. Now you're ready to start working toward opening your doors . . . even if they're just the doors to your home office or virtual storefront.
Paperwork1.
To legally be in business, you'll need to complete some basic paperwork. Which government office handles what form varies from state to state, but for the most part, the process is quick, inexpensive and can be done online, says business attorney Mark Kimball. Most business registration steps can be completed overnight, either via messenger or the internet, by requesting expedited service and paying a small fee.

2. If you're forming a partnership,
corporation or LLC, begin by registering your corporate entity, usually with the secretary of state's office. Sole proprietors can skip this step, along with the next one, obtaining a federal tax identification number from the IRS. Get a tax ID almost instantly through irs.gov.

3. Apply for a business license,
typically through your state's department of licensing. If you're not a sole proprietor using your own name as your business name, be sure to register your business name with the state, searching state databases first to verify that your name isn't already being used.

4. Apply for any desired patents or trademarks as soon as possible.
They can take six months or more to be approved, says Kimball. But you can begin operating before receiving these federally approved rights.

5. If your business requires a specialty license that you must pass a test to receive,
such as a contractor's license, sign up for necessary classes or training ASAP, advises Peri Pakroo, author of The Small Business Start-Up Kit. If you try to operate before your license is official, your business could be shut down.

6. Once you have your business registration in hand,
open a business bank account right away, suggests Pakroo. "There's something about doing that for a lot of business owners that makes it feel more real."

Network7.
Don't start a business before discussing your concept with other entrepreneurs, says Raman Chadha, executive director of the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University. While your family can provide you with moral support, you'll need other business-people to function as impartial sounding boards. Network through business organizations, find a mentor or coach, or form an advisory board to connect with entrepreneurs. "Only other entrepreneurs will say, 'What the hell are you doing? Find a cheaper way to do that,'" Chadha says.Networking can provide you with shortcuts to needed supplies, vendors or funders. Actress Annemarie Lawless, 39, found this out when she and husband Michael Sanders, 41, launched their upscale women's clothing company, A Lawless, in New York City in 2005.In her search for a factory to make her high-quality T-shirts and dresses, Lawless beat the streets of Manhattan's garment district, asking other designers for help. Inside an elevator in a clothing factory, Lawless met a designer who gave her an introduction to "the best knit factory in the fashion district," where her clothes are now made.Just a few months after startup, Lawless had more than $80,000 in sales orders, and a mentor gave her a connection to a $20,000 loan to cover production costs. A Lawless was off and running, and expects sales to top $500,000 this year. Market ResearchBefore you quit your day job, find out if there really is a demand for what you offer, says Paul Nicholas, president of business consulting firm Straticom.

8. Start by combing through public sources for information,
Nicholas says. Search for market surveys published in trade magazines about your niche, or quiz industry suppliers to learn about what's selling and the type of customer that is buying.

9. To find a location that appeals to that customer,
ask a local real estate agent for demographic information. "Realtors have already pulled together fact sheets for any community they're working in," he says. "If it's for a retail site, they'll also have information on foot traffic."

10. To get a quick summary of a community, including population and household incomes, Nicholas uses epodunk.com. He sizes up the competition by using Google Maps, which will plot all the locations for a business type over a chosen geographic area.

11. Don't overlook business owners in your industry in your hunt for data.
They can be surprisingly helpful. Business consultant Snare had one client who staked out a business similar to the one she wanted to open, but in another city where she wouldn't be viewed as a competitor. She then recorded the number of customers who left with packages in a day, giving her a rough idea of sales. When she approached the business's owners, they were flattered to be asked for advice and talked to her for four hours, providing details on pricing, hours, wages and more.

Business Plan12.
Once you have confirmed that your idea meets a need in the marketplace, you're ready to write a business plan. Even if you're not seeking outside funding, don't skip this step, says Tim Berry, author of business plan software program Business Plan Pro and a regular blogger about business planning. Many first-time entrepreneurs are intimidated by the need to create a business plan, says Berry, and their efforts to launch a business grind to a halt. If that's the case, think of business planning as an ongoing task, not a project you have to finish."It's not a ponderous, big, ugly document," he says. "It's not a barrier that stands between you and what you're doing. Plan as you go--don't stop what you're doing because you're doing a plan."Berry encourages entrepreneurs to jump in at any point in the plan and get started. If you have a marketing background, perhaps you will write the marketing portion first. But all business plans should have three key elements: They describe your market, your business's identity and your business's focus. If, for instance, you're planning a Thai restaurant, what kind is it: a family-oriented neighborhood eatery? A fine-dining restaurant that's more of a regional draw? Your focus will affect many other steps as you execute, so think it through before you move forward.With this core in place, the rest of the business plan should outline the necessary tasks, the deadlines by which they need to be done and the person responsible for each item. "It's like dribbling a basketball," Berry says. "You're looking up to where you're going and down into the details."One of the key details many newbies like to fudge is price--but don't. Research your market and get a good idea of what you could charge. You'll need price information to do a cash-flow projection, which is the final, critical element of your business plan. This estimates how long it will take for your business to start making money.Figuring costs isn't hard, says Pakroo. Scan rental ads for lease costs, want ads for salaries, and read trade publications or talk to vendors to learn about the costs of goods. This will give you a good sense of what you would need to charge to make a profit, a figure that may or may not compare well to the price the market will bear."If doing the business plan makes you decide not to start your business, it's really done its job," Pakroo says. "Better to find out that it didn't have a good chance of making money before you spend $50,000 or more."

13. Getting your website up and running is relatively easy, and should be one of the early steps in launching your business.
You don't have to know how to create or operate a website to have one, says Bob Parsons, founder and CEO of top website domain registrar and hosting company GoDaddy.com. You also don't need to spend big bucks upfront to have someone else create and maintain your site for you.
GoDaddy and other major providers offer website design and hosting on a monthly-fee basis. A complete e-commerce site can be had for as little as $800 a year, payable in monthly installments.
When you're just starting a business, keep your website simple, Parsons says. You'll save money and customer confusion, as your business will likely evolve after launch and removing elements can confuse customers. You can always add elements later on.

14. Before you hit the internet, think carefully about your business name and how it will look as a URL, says Parsons. Pick a new name if you can't get "yourname.com" as your domain. And remember--customers won't visit if they can't easily recall your URL. If your desired name is available, buy up all possible permutations of it to keep competition out.
Real Estate
First-time retailers have a tendency to run all over town looking at every empty storefront, says Marty Kotis, president and CEO of Kotis Properties. This wastes a lot of time and could result in you occupying a location where your budding business will die out.

15. Study your market to determine the size and type of space you need. Is it a free-standing store, a mall slot, a corner in an office building? Once you've decided, compare rent per square foot against projected sales in each location to determine the best place.

16. To find the right location fast, contract with a realtor and pay him or her to work for you. Without such a contract, a realtor may push the sites that offer the biggest commission check, whether these sites are right for your business or not.
Realize that if you want a high-visibility, high-traffic location, you will likely pay higher rent, Kotis says. But it may be worth it for the additional customers such a site can bring.
"New restaurant owners often take an out-of-the-way site and think, 'People will find me, because I have such a great product,'" he says. "That's not going to happen."

17. When you find the right location, make sure you understand the lease terms, hiring counsel if necessary. Fight for the provisions you need most, such as the landlord's build-out commitment or the right to put up a large sign. But pick your battles, and don't let lease negotiations drag on.
Pakroo warns against assuming you can operate the same type of business as the one that's currently occupying the space--they may have received a one-time waiver. Be sure to check with local authorities before you sign.
Purchasing

18. If you're opening a store, you'll need fixtures--like lighting, display racks and computerized cash registers. These items can be expensive, but the U.S. retail sector is in a consolidation phase, and secondhand fixtures are affordable and easy to find, says Lee Diercks, partner and managing director of the retail business consultancy Clear Thinking Group.
Many national chains are closing or moving stores, leaving their fixtures behind. Details on what's being sold off can be found on the websites of major liquidators such as Gordon Brothers and Hilco. Not just for retailers, liquidators are good sources of general office equipment as well. Whether you need apparel hangers, gondola racks, postage meters, desks, chairs or even packing tape, a liquidator likely has it for pennies on the dollar.

19. You can use the same tactics to buy a wide array of inventory in apparel, sporting goods, pet supplies, hardware and many other categories. Big retailers sometimes cancel large orders, leaving regional wholesalers who are storing the goods stuck with merchandise they're anxious to unload. "You name it, it's pretty readily available," Diercks says.

Another good source of cheap wholesale goods is eBay. Diercks says unwanted wholesale merchandise lots are turning up with increasing frequency on the online auction giant's site, and that even midsize regional chains are filling their shelves using eBay.
Hiring

20. Initially, try to keep costs down by hiring independent contractors or contracting out as much of your labor as possible, says Mel Kleiman, president of HR consulting firm Humetrics. This will allow you to pay only for the work you need and to forgo paying costly fringe benefits such as health care or sick leave. National agencies including Kelly Services, Labor Ready and Manpower provide temporary and part-time skilled and unskilled workers to a wide variety of industries. You can also look for locally focused and special-skill temp agencies in your market.

21. If you need to hire workers, start looking as early as possible. Search your phone list, and let friends know you're hiring. Everywhere you visit or shop, talk about your job openings.
"All the good people are already working," Kleiman notes. "Go where the people you want to hire are. Computer stores and computer clubs are good places to find computer workers."

22. Determine what you have to offer workers and emphasize these strengths--perhaps it's a ground-floor opportunity, or employees can be their own boss, or they will be helping to build a great new concept. But don't gloss over the downside, either. Startups can often involve long hours, and employees should be prepared for that.

23. Do online research on interviewing techniques to make sure you learn a lot when you talk to candidates. Even if you don't have money for expensive testing, you can give candidates free tests--like asking that an application be completely filled out, and seeing how many comply.

24. One of the best ways to find more applicants is through your interview subjects, Kleiman says. "Ask every applicant if you can talk to three people they've worked with. The most important decision you make as an entrepreneur is deciding who you allow in your door to service your customers."

25. If you need to find specially trained workers, get creative. When Tim Vogel, 36, started his in-home pet grooming and pet-sitting business, Bright-Eyed Pets, with wife Jessica, 35, the couple found there was a shortage of qualified groomers in their Jupiter, Florida, area. So they created their own 600-hour training program. Half their grooming employees are now pet lovers the Vogels trained themselves.
Marketing
Even before you're officially open for business, you should begin marketing to raise awareness and line up customers.

26. Start by promoting your business to complementary, or even competing, businesses. When Tim Vogel started Bright-Eyed Pets in 2005, he began by promoting the business to local grooming salons, veterinarians, doggy day cares and supply stores. Vogel offered to trade referrals and told those he was promoting to that he focused on in-home services. While a quarter of the competitors passed on the offer, the others began referring difficult pets they couldn't handle to him. These early referrals got the business off the ground fast--within a couple of months, the first Bright-Eyed van was rolling to customers' homes. Last year, sales were nearly $400,000.

27. Spread word-of-mouth. Vogel got the community talking about Bright-Eyed Pets by putting pictures of customers' dogs on his vans. "I did all the basic guerrilla marketing," he says. "I put postcards in every local business that would take them. I had lawn signs, posters in office mailrooms. The best idea I had was putting [promotional] magnets on the door of my van with a big 'Take One' sign."

28. A little planning ahead of your launch can give your new company great visibility, says Pakroo. "Look six months down the road," she suggests. "If you [have] a guitar shop and there's a big jazz festival coming up, that's an opportunity."

29.Of course, some of the cheapest marketing takes place online. Nicholas of Straticom advises learning how to embed key terms in your site that will bring customers to you through search results. If you can't do it, pay an expert in web analytics.

30. Beyond keywords, find organizations or associations in which your web link can take customers to your site. These groups may also give you access to lists of e-mails you can use to promote your new business.

5 Ways to Boost Profits

2008-05-03T10:55:00.002+03:00

No matter how many sales you make, your business will struggle if you don't watch your margins.

One of the biggest mistakes made by startups is to confuse making sales with making money. New business owners seem to think that business is about busy-ness--that is, how many times the cash register rings. They fail to take even simple steps to ensure they earn enough to cover their costs as well as take home a healthy paycheck. Without that, you may as well be working for someone else.

Everyone who goes into business knows the need to make a profit, but somehow it gets lost in translation. People neglect to do the math to determine whether there will be money left over after they pay their bills. They promote deep discounts that cut profits to the bone. They even give services away when they shouldn't.

Case in point: a company that offered computer-based training to businesses. Part of its model was to provide free training to one person from each client's corporate staff. When one client brought four additional people to the session, the company comp'ed the four extras as well. At 1,000UGX a pop, that was 4,000UGX of pure profit lost.

The first step in maximizing your margins is to take profitability into account on every policy you set and every sale you make. Second, hire an accountant who can help you see the forest (net revenues after expenses) for the trees (cash on hand). Third, keep operating costs as low as possible by justifying expenditures and outsourcing services like bookkeeping and telemarketing. A dollar saved is a dollar earned in profit.

Next, follow a few simple rules to generate peak profits from each transaction. For example:

1. Take the high road on pricing. Many startups think they need to undercut their competitors to bring people in the door. That's a recipe for failure. If your only appeal is a low price, there will be no reason for customers to come back to you if they find a source that's even cheaper. And you won't make the profits you need to stay in business.
To develop your pricing, look at your costs and break-even point. Then look at your competitors' pricing levels, particularly the business that's been around the longest. Don't be afraid to be the highest in the market or to increase your prices if they're too low, but offer better a product and/or value to justify your rates.

2. Push high-margin products and services. Different brands, SKUs or service offerings have different profit-making potential. Knowing the margin difference between Product A and Product B is critical for shaping your profit plan. One tire retailer I know significantly boosted his bottom line by pushing a lesser-known tire brand that had a bigger margin than the one with a household name. The dollar value of those sales was smaller, but he put more money in his pocket.

3. Dump the discounts. I once coached a men's clothing store that regularly ran a 20 percent off promotion on men's suits. If someone bought a 500,000UGX suit, the store lost 100,000UGX in profit. I counseled instead to give away a 100,000 shirt that cost 50,000UGX. Customers perceived it as the same shilling value, but the store retained more money (and margin).
The same concept can be used in any industry. For a computer store, the giveaway might be an hour or two of a technician's time. For a beauty salon, it might be an eyebrow waxing. Offers like these help draw customers or close sales without taking such a big bite of the profits.

4. Cross-sell/upsell high-profit items. In last month's column, I talked about a hardware store that created a checklist of add-on items like brushes and drop cloths for customers who bought paint. Those items helped increase the profitability of paint sales because they had higher margins. In another case, I worked with a TV store that drove profits to a new level by improving the way it sold service warranties. This skyrocketed from one in 10 customers to one in four, becoming a key profit center.

5. Put your product mix on a diet. Imagine you're a jewelry store with 25 percent of your inventory tied up in stock that sells once or twice a year. By getting rid of those slow-moving items, you can put the money into merchandise with the highest turnover. The same principle applies to service businesses. If you're a day spa with body wraps that attract only a handful of clients per week, put more resources into facials or other services that will keep your appointment book filled.
There are other tactics you can use, but the key is always to keep your eye on the profit prize. Remember, it's not how much you sell, but how much you earn. Otherwise, when you're out of working capital, you're out of business. If the dot-com companies of the late '90s had kept that lesson in mind, the internet bubble might never have burst.

How to maximise your savings

2007-10-05T15:06:00.000+03:00

Building up some savings is a key part of any financial planning. But with more than 4,000 savings accounts on offer, picking the right place for your cash isn’t always straightforward.

The first thing to consider is the interest rate, especially as this can vary from a paltry 0.1% on a handful of accounts to as much as 5.5% on a tax-free individual savings account. Additionally, if you’re happy with the odd restriction as to when you can, and can’t, get your hands on your money, you can collect as much as 10% on some of the regular savings accounts.

Over a year, 10,000 UGX invested in an account paying 0.1% gross would generate just 10 UGX of interest in a year, and that’s before tax is deducted. After tax, this would fall to 8UGX for a basic-rate taxpayer or £6 for a higher-rate taxpayer. At the other end of the scale, an ISA paying 5% would give you a clear 500 UGX gain, with no tax liability.

Use your ISA allowance

“Whether you’re a basic or higher-rate tax payer, it makes sense to use your cash ISA allowance first as this will maximise the interest you receive,” says David Black, head of banking at financial research company Defaqto.

To illustrate this, take the highest-paying cash ISA of 5%. To match this on a taxed account, a basic-rate taxpayer would need an account paying 6.25% gross and a higher-rate taxpayer an account paying 8.33%. You can salt away up to 3,000UGX a year into a cash ISA, with all interest completely tax-free.

Other considerations

The other thing to look at when comparing interest rates is whether any introductory bonuses are included. These are becoming increasingly common, especially as an extra 0.5% or more on an account’s interest rate can push it to the top of the best buy tables.

Regardless of the size and length of the bonus, all are followed by a reduction in the amount of interest you’d receive. “There’s no reason why you shouldn’t view your savings account in the same way as your credit card,” says Peter Gerrard, senior researcher at Moneysupermarket.com, who suggests account holders make a note of when the bonus period ends so they can transfer to another deal.

But not everyone is happy to chop and change so regularly. “We list the introductory bonus accounts separately now as so many people just want a hassle-free account that pays a decent level of interest,” says Rachel Thrussell, head of savings at Moneyfacts.

And introductory bonuses aren’t the only potential hassle you’ll come across as a saver. Some accounts come with restrictions on the number of withdrawals you can make. “Do check the terms and conditions, as remembering how many withdrawals you’ve made can become a hassle,” says Sue Hannums, savings manager at independent financial advisers AWD Chase de Vere. Also, be aware of other catches. First Direct and HSBC, for example, both offer accounts in which no interest is paid for any month in which a withdrawal is made.

Access

As well as finding an account paying a tasty amount of interest, how you get access to your account and your money is another important consideration. Accounts can be accessed online, by phone, by post or by branch, or any combination of these four methods.

Your choice is likely to be determined more by convenience than rate though. “You might get a little bit more interest from the internet providers as they have fewer overheads, but the difference has reduced since these accounts were launched,” says Hannums. For instance, according to Moneysupermarket.com, the best easy access account is ICICI Bank internet account, paying 5.15% gross. The best rate you’d receive from a branch-based account is 4.25% from Abbey’s First Home Saver.

New providers

Hannums also recommends exercising caution with your choice of provider.

“With new providers we always wait a few months before recommending them,” she says. “It’s fine when it’s an offshoot of one of the big banks, but if it’s a completely new name, for instance ICICI Bank, we’ll wait and see if their administration can cope with customer demand.”

It’s also worth checking you have your full consumer rights. Every legitimate savings institution will be regulated by the Financial Services Authority. This gives you access to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, under which you can claim up to £31,700 in compensation if something goes wrong.

Whichever account you go for it’s essential you keep an eye on the rate. Other than publishing the information in the press and sending you a statement at the end of the year, the savings institutions have absolutely no obligation to tell you your interest rate has slipped.

Get the savings habit

Regularly putting away some spare cash isn’t a habit that comes easily to everyone – especially when there are so many ways to spend, spend, spend. But, as Hannums explains, a new breed of savings accounts may help you get that elusive savings habit. “The regular savings accounts offered by the likes of Halifax and Abbey are a great introduction to saving. They require a regular contribution and although there are restrictions on access, the amount you can pay in and the length of the high interest period, they do reward you with a decent amount of interest. Additionally, as most of them will allow you to vary the amount you save each month you can reduce this if you need to.”

Top of the regular savers are Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley, paying 10% gross. The Alliance & Leicester account, which is only available if you open one of its current accounts, allows you to pay in between £10 and £250 a month to earn 10%.

Alternatively, the Bradford & Bingley account allows you to save between £10 and £150 each month until December, with the balance available in time for Christmas.

But although these accounts can help you develop a savings habit, caution is recommended. “The rates do tend to drop off after the initial high interest period so be prepared to move it to another account,” warns Rachel Thrussell, Moneyfacts’ head of savings. “Also be aware of those that require you to move your current account to qualify for the high-interest account, for example Alliance & Leicester.

I suspect these providers are after the current account market rather than the savings market.”

How to develop the saving habit

2007-10-05T14:48:00.000+03:00

Do you save regularly?
Developing a saving habit is one of the best things you can do for your financial health. Yet studies show that the savings rate today is lower than it's been for generations.It is also not as easy because sacrifice is its backbone.

You can decide on which of the ways below you will be saving your penny since every one finds one or another more condusive for him/her:

Save all small denomination that you have got at the end of the some where after some period of time when summed it can be some good amount to help you but some thing for your self.
Chose a certain percentage which you will be keeping from every incom r that you get.Assume if you save 10%for evert income you get that will a good figure after a few months.

There are three good reasons to save:

In the short term, your savings will give you a cushion to deal with emergencies, such as a job loss, unexpected home repairs, medical bills, etc.

Saving for special purchases such as a car or vacation can reduce or eliminate your need to take out loans or other financing.

Most important, building up savings while you work can mean the difference between a comfortable retirement and scraping by on social security benefits.

If you're not a regular saver, how do you start? Here are some tips:

First, remember the old adage that "what gets measured gets managed." Set specific goals, whether it's to save so many dollars per month or a set percentage of your earnings. Then track your progress towards your goal at frequent intervals.

Save automatically wherever possible. For example, sign up for payroll deductions into your company 401(k) plan, or arrange for a portion of every paycheck to go straight into a savings account at your bank. Saving is much easier if you never get your hands on the money.

Track what you spend. Keep records for a month or two so you know where your money is going. Then figure out where you can cut back to generate some savings.

Start by setting small, manageable goals. For example, give up one espresso coffee per day, or make your own lunch two days each week instead of eating out.

Or think up one creative, low-cost way to have fun with family or friends each week. Put aside the money you save so you can see the results. Then gradually expand your goals as you see your successes.

Remember, saving leads to other financial benefits. The more you save, the less you borrow. The less you borrow, the less interest you pay and the more money you can add to your savings. So start your savings program now!

Small Business, Big Clients

2007-10-05T14:37:00.000+03:00

Don't fear taking on giant corporations as clients and business partners. Everyone benefits when Goliath hires David.

Does size matter? It's a cheeky question, but also a valid one. As a small company, can you take on a large corporate client and serve them just as well as--if not better than--a big vendor can?

Michael Fallone can offer a resounding "yes" to that question. After all, he and his co-founder, Doug Bartow, 39, and just four employees developed the design and creative foundation and executed many of the elements for the Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows U.S. marketing campaign.

A self-promotional mini-poster got Fallone's creative agency, id29, in the proverbial door at Harry Potter publisher Scholastic. Serendipitously, Scholastic's creative director plucked the poster from the mailroom where it was wallowing, as it was addressed to someone who no longer worked there.

Fallone and Bartow were invited to submit a proposal for the Harry Potter project. "We were up against some stiff competition, and Scholastic ended up choosing us based on our ideas and the creative we designed for them," says Fallone, 40, who expects $1 million in 2007 sales for his Troy, New York, firm.

A Safe Bet
Gloria Irwin already had some big-business connections from her career in the hospitality industry when she started her two businesses in 2002. Her one-person promotional marketing firm, GIA Marketing, counts Harrah's Entertainment, Boyd Gaming and Isle of Capri Casinos as clients. In 2005, Irwin's research and tenacity paid off when she attracted her first memorabilia-products client in the gaming industry: The World Series of Poker.

Irwin had previously dealt with more straightforward promotional items for her clients, such as items to promote Mother's Day. But after meeting football great Gale Sayers through her casino promotional work and helping him create memorabilia items for signings and events, she was inspired to bring that same style of products to the gaming world.

"There was really nothing there [for memorabilia products] except for this little thing called The World Series of Poker," says Irwin, 36, who also does software consulting for the gaming industry from her home in Schererville, Indiana. "Over the course of two weeks, I did not sleep, my mind [was] racing about what products we could put together."

Irwin put up money for samples and secured a meeting, and the company loved the items--coins, scarves, commemorative plaques and more. "It was definitely a matter of good products, right timing and being able to get myself in the door," says Irwin, who expects more than $500,000 in sales between both of her companies in 2007.

Staying Afloat
Irwin juggles a mind-boggling amount of tasks between her two successful businesses. Her software business is actually her first love, so she uses subcontractors for GIA Marketing. "I worry about just putting anyone out there," says Irwin. "Oftentimes, before I'll just hire someone, I try to take it on myself until it impacts my obligation to the software companies I work with. I definitely have to trust the folks [I hire.]"

Jennifer Hardaway is just beginning to feel the pressure of working with a big client. A buyer from Borders Books & Music happened upon her site, KLEAN Bath & Body, after reading about it on a blog, and requested product samples. Hardaway received her first purchase order in mid-September, and has hired a fulfillment company that--here's that serendipity again--just happened to e-mail her right after the buyer from Borders did.

"I'm delivering the products to [the fulfillment company,] and they're blending, filling, labeling and shipping," says Hardaway, 39, who creates spa-style products in her North Hollywood, California, home and mainly sells through her website. "[I did hire a] friend to help me with the Sugar Body Polish. We got together one Sunday and made 21 five-gallon pails of scrub. Then I drove it down to the packaging company in a rented U-Haul."

Hardaway doesn't yet know whether she'll have to keep up this pace. "I will see where this goes as far as Borders," says Hardaway, who expects $100,000 in sales this year. "But I am always growing my business and maybe eventually, I will approach more large companies, now that I have this experience under my belt."

As business has increased, Michelle Kalbearer, 36, and her brother Jeff Cresswell, 33, also have had to make sure they're keeping up with demand. Their company, Klean Kanteen, sells reusable, eco-friendly water bottles to REI and L.L. Bean. The bottles are manufactured in two Chinese facilities, which someone from the company visits three to four times each year.

"[Selling to large companies] has actually been good for us, as it keeps us on top of our inventory and improves our image," says Kalbearer, who expects the Chico, California-based company to bring in $2.5 million in sales this year, up from $750,000 in 2006. "This year has been difficult. As sales have grown exponentially, it's been hard to predict what monthly sales will be and order accordingly," she adds. "Some of our larger accounts have given us forecasts that have helped in our ordering process."

Living Large
The entrepreneurs we spoke with tend to agree that working with large corporate clients is peachy--for the most part. But they do sometimes face "too many cooks in the kitchen" syndrome. "It [can] make life difficult when there are too many decision makers and they can't agree on certain concepts," says Irwin. "Oftentimes, we find that we're mediating between departments."

But the lack of that bureaucracy at your own company can be a selling point. "[The client] can interface with the principals of the agency, as opposed to an account executive who's been here for six months," says Fallone. "That can be pretty compelling for some clients and be a reason to choose a smaller agency."

When seeking out large clients, you need to display confidence in your small business' strengths, he adds. "If you're a good businessperson, there's no reason to not believe you can compete extremely well against larger competition. Have the confidence to not apologize for your size, but to make sure that any potential client or business partner understands what you can bring to the table."

And make sure you can meet those expectations, even if it means seeking assistance. "Get help wherever you can," advises Hardaway. "Don't be greedy. Pay people to do things and don't do it all yourself."

Finally, don't neglect the little guys like yourself. Beyond the "don't keep all your eggs in one basket" credo, serving smaller clients offers a variety that'll keep you inspired. id29 serves local and regional clients, as well as national accounts like Scholastic, MapInfo and The Case Foundation. Klean Kanteens are sold in mom-and-pop, green-friendly shops in Chico and other California cities, as well as REI. As for Irwin, one of her latest orders speaks for itself: "One of my reps is working on a 250-piece pom-pom order for our local middle school."

25 Part-Time Business Ideas

2007-08-16T14:40:00.000+03:00

Looking to earn some extra cash in your spare time? I've got 25 great ways to get YOU started!

Ever dream of running a part-time business while keeping your day job? Want to operate a sideline business along with your current business? Or are you simply curious about entrepreneurship, and want to test the waters before you commit to the world of commerce? Whatever your reason, here are 25 sure-fire ways to get started today with your own part-time business.

Antiques
Make new money from old treasures and have fun doing it! Scout garage sales, estate auctions and flea markets for great buys on antique furniture, toys, clothing and other treasures from the past. Rent space at antique cooperatives, or set up booths at weekend fairs to sell your antiques.

Computer Tutor
Whether you're an expert at Windows or Linux, desktop publishing or Web research, HTML or word processing, you can help anyone enhance their computer skills. Start promoting your computer-training services by teaching classes through organizations in your community which offer adult education courses.

Custom Jewelry and Accessories
Put your creative talents to work designing custom jewelry and accessories. Whether you work with sterling silver or recycled metals, clay or papier-mâché, there's a market for your custom earrings, pins, bracelets, necklaces and belt buckles at art shows, crafts fairs and holiday boutiques.

Espresso Cart
Brew up profits day after day! Specialty coffee drinks generate gross profits of 55.1 to 61.5 percent per cup, says the Specialty Coffee Association of America. So brush up on your coffee drinks, buy or rent an espresso cart, and head for sporting events, concerts and farmers' markets in your community.

Garage and Attic Cleaning/Hauling Service
Nobody likes to spend a weekend cleaning out the garage, attic or garden shed--it's dirty and time-consuming, and when it's done, there's still the task of hauling off all that discarded junk. But if you don't mind putting in the physical labor, a cleaning and hauling service can be a lot of fun. You can usually find a few treasures among the trash which most people are delighted to give away, and you can add to your income by recycling bottles, newspapers and metal castoffs. You'll need a pick-up truck or other vehicle capable of carrying everything from cast-iron sinks to old timbers.

Handyman
If it's broke, you can fix it. Your phone will ring off the hook with calls from homeowners, senior citizens and others who don't want to fix it themselves. Advertise in shopper publications and on bulletin boards, and drop off fliers at real estate offices. Then start repairing everything from leaky faucets to broken windows.

Home Inspection
Buyers need not beware when they hire a home inspector to conduct a complete physical checkup on their dream home. You'll inspect the house for structural problems and refer your clients to the contractors or handymen who can make the repairs. Knowledge of construction and your local building codes will get your business off the ground.

Medical Transcription
Work as an important member of a medical team without leaving your homebased office. There's big demand by hospitals, doctors, dentists, chiropractors and veterinarians who need outside help transcribing patient medical records. Training in medical terminology and linguistic skills will keep your business healthy.

Mobile Home-Entertainment Service
When it's dirty, disconnected or in need of repair, you'll save the day for homeowners who want their stereo, compact-disc player or videocassette recorder in working order. Brush up on your electrical and wiring know-how. Door-to-door fliers and calls to retail-store managers about your services will get your business off to a great start.

Mobile Window Tint
With some training and basic equipment, you'll be seeing plenty of green with your mobile window-tinting business. For best results, have a pager and van ready to help car, van and truck owners prevent heat damage to their vehicles' interiors. Other hot markets: homes, high-rise condominiums and office buildings.

Office and Home Organizer
Attention all neatniks: Help packrats, overworked executives, and other organizationally challenged individuals clean out messy closets, straighten files, and throw out the excess clutter. Putting your knack for neatness to part-time business use is bound to arrange some tidy profits for you.

Personal Chef
What's for dinner, honey? Great home-cooked meals for working parents and busy professionals who hire you as a personal chef. There's plenty of demand for this specialized service. So plan your menu, make out your shopping list, and go to work to satisfy your hungry clientele.

Personal Trainer
Pumping iron; pumping profits. Americans of all ages, sizes and shapes want to keep fit, trim and healthy, and they're willing to hire their own personal coach to exercise correctly. Spread the word about your physical-fitness expertise at health spas, running, swimming and biking clubs, and other athletic outlets.

Picture Framer
Get in the frame with a picture framing service. You can work with gallery owners, artists, portrait photographers and individuals who've purchased a print, painting or fine photo. If you aren't already a framing expert, read up, take classes at a local college or community center, then assemble your tools--including clamps, saws, miter boxes, glue, and a pneumatic or hand stapler. Establish relationships with local artists' groups, galleries, photographers and print shops that can give you their business or refer their customers to you.

Plant Leasing And Maintenance
Got a green thumb and a delivery van? You're all set to service corporations, home builders, health clubs and other businesses who want fresh greenery. Develop a steady clientele with a regular watering, pruning and fertilizing program and a full replacement guarantee.

Records Search
Using specialized databases, you'll search public records on your computer to help your clients find lost loves, check out questionable suitors, track down debtors, verify a contractor's track record, or dig up facts on a business opportunity. Clients include attorneys, businessowners and individuals.

Restaurant Delivery
Whether it's macaroni and cheese or a five-course gourmet meal, at-home meal replacement is fast becoming the newest way to dine. When customers want their restaurant orders "to go," you'll be "on the go" with your restaurant delivery service. A great way to make your late afternoons and weekends extra-profitable!

T-Shirt Design
If you're an artist in search of a medium, why not make T-shirts your canvas? Paint, draw, bead or appliqué your designs on plain T-shirts, and spend your weekends showcasing your art-to-wear at farmers' markets and crafts fairs.

Wallpaper Hanging
Help residential and commercial clients turn drab walls into works of art with your wallpaper-hanging skills. Build a growing business with great referrals and repeat customers. Drop off fliers at paint and wallpaper stores; also, advertise in shopper publications, in homeowner-association newsletters, and on bulletin boards at local supermarkets and malls.

Yoga and Tai Chi Instructor
In today's hectic, fast-paced world, parents, business owners and students alike can benefit from the deep-breathing, relaxation and centering techniques you can teach them. Get started by offering classes at health clubs, through your city's recreation and parks department, or on your own.