Plan, plan and then plan some more.
It is easy in the beginning to be very motivated and excited about the prospect of starting your own business. This can lead to trouble down the road when problems arise that were not originally anticipated. These troubles can be related to financial issues, zoning or city planning and many other unexpected issues. By completely researching your business and the area where you plan to operate you can avoid many potential problems. You also need to consider capital and financing for your startup. Where will it come from and how much will be needed needs to be extensively considered. Many startup enterprises underestimate the costs that they will have and the amount of capital they will need.

Take advantage of every opportunity to promote your business.
Marketing is what will drive your business. In order to get customers you need to take advantage of the opportunity to promote your business and market your brand. One commonly overlooked item is the humble business card. You should never be without a stack of business cards in your possession. Anytime when you are in the company of other people there is a potential for networking. A business card is an easy way to leave a small reminder about your business or brand in the hands of a potential customer.

Credit and your startup…
Many startups in the eagerness of creating long-term relationships with clients will extend credit as a show of good faith. When your company is in the newborn phase, you will have to work quite hard to start turning a profit as you pay off all the costs that were associated with your launch. This means that there is a need for income and little room for credit as it prolongs the time before you will see money from a transaction. Some business make securing a charge account as easy as a click here and a click there; however, a credit check should be performed before choosing to extend charging privileges to a client. Once your business is established and you know how to deal with debtors, there will be plenty of time to create accounts and allow clients to charge items for later invoicing.

Do not be too emotional.
An age-old argument is whether emotion has any place in business decisions. When making a decision you need to separate emotion from fact. Emotion can cloud judgement and cause you to make choices that you may know are not in the best interest of your business and brand. Keep your head clear and focused to ensure that the choices you make are the right fit for your business.

Cover your assets.
Insurance is near the top on the list of what is important when starting a business. Improper coverage can lead to expenses that break your trail to success. Shop around, talk to insurers and do your research to be completely certain that the coverage you have is the right fit and comprehensive enough for your business.

By taking all of these factors into consideration, you are making a conscious effort to push the success of your SME startup. If you ignore them, you run the risk of having your business fail and incurring serious financial damage. You may be passionate and driven, but you also need to be informed and have a well-researched plan in order to recognize the success that your startup deserves.

This is a guest post by Dan McCarthy, a freelance writer and blogger who shares his business tips on various blogs.  He is currently blogging on behalf of Mayo Wynne Baxter. Click here to find out more about
their services

In today’s age of advanced technology, the Internet easily tops the list of useful innovations. It has made many things easier and faster. It has brought together many groups of people which made it easier for them to carry out their common goals. It has also allowed for communication to be facilitated in ways which were hardly heard off several years ago. You can find anything on the Internet. And many businesses thrive using the Internet to assist them reach their maximum potentials and generate more money.

It is easy to run a small business if you use the Internet. As a small business owner you will be able to manage your transactions no matter where you are. Even if you are at home, it will allow for you to efficiently run your business. All you need are the right equipment to help you. These include a computer, high speed Internet connection, as well as a business phone.

Make sure that you have these things and that they are the latest in the market. You would not want outdated ones that can hamper the efficient operation of your small business. There are many laptop computers, desktop computers, communication gadgets like mobile phones, smartphones, and office equipment like printers and fax machines. In can be difficult to choose which ones you need. But if you carefully assess your office practices then it will be easy to know which ones will be most beneficial for you and your small business. Before you make the decision, make sure that you have carefully considered every option. Be sure that you have checked every service provider in your area. And be sure that you compared the various business phone systems in the market.

An example of a high technology office phone system which you can check out is a business phone that works using the Internet. It is widely used because it saves users from setting up a separate phone line in the office. It is a virtual telephone that can have many other business features and functions such as Internet fax messaging, voicemail, call forwarding, video conferencing, call waiting, multiple extensions, and caller ID.

Assessing your office practices will also prove to be beneficial for you. Doing this can help you choose which office phone service will be best for you and your small business. You have to know the nature of the work in your company. For instance you have to see if you have to travel often for business meetings and the like. Sometimes your staff may need to go on sales visits outside the office. With this set-up you will need a laptop instead of a desktop computer. This can allow you to bring your work anywhere you go with ease and connect to a Wi-FI hotspot to check for important emails. To add to this you will have to use a mobile phone that can easily be integrated with your office phone system. Ask your service provider for this feature.

As you can see, the age of the Internet made many things easier for many of us. With all the technology available, it will be easy to run a business. For businesses, it has improved the many operations and transactions that are being carried out. As a small business owner, check out various Internet-based office phone systems and see how it can help you achieve your full potential.

Author Bio

Mark is a freelance writer who is deeply interested in business and technology. He likes to follow all the latest developments in these fields. In his spare time, he involves himself in getting the word out about the RingCentral phone service. You can add him on Google+.

The truth is, though, there are some simple, relatively cheap solutions you can integrate with a variety of office desks and chairs that will help you set up a healthy, ergonomic workspace. So, if you haven’t given a lot of thought to the ergonomic level of your work area, it’s probably time to consider a makeover. Here are the most important things you’ll want to go through and change:

Your chair. If you are not up for standing while you work, then your work chair of choice is the first area of the your workspace that will need some attention. While many ergonomically-friendly chairs may cost an arm and a leg, you may be able to get away with some cheaper versions, and then add a few DIY accessories, such as cushions, foot rests, and lumbar supports. The specific features to pay attention to include:

• A comfortable cushion
• Arm rests that can be adjusted so that your shoulders are relaxed and your elbows bend at an approximate 90 degree angle
• Adjustable seat height. You want to adjust chair height so that your feet are flat on the floor.
• Adjustable back rest with lumbar support
• The ability to swivel and/or roll around

Your desk. Sit-stand desks and work space setups are have become a popular option in a variety of sedentary workspaces. By limiting the amount of time you spend seated in a given day, you can help to prevent a variety of potential health risks.  If you can’t afford an adjustable desk, there are plenty of DIY hacks to choose from. Just do a Google search, and you’ll get a ton of examples.

With or without a standing option, you’ll want to make sure that your upper arms hang vertically while typing at your keyboard. You don’t want to be extending your arms far forwards or bending your elbows back to type. You can achieve this angle by either raising your chair or changing the height of your desk. Even if your desk is not adjustable, you could put blocks or other items under the legs. Also, make sure that you arrange the “popular” items on your desk, such as your phone, important files, and stationary, within easy sight and reach.

Your computer screen. Adjust monitor so that the center sits at eye level. The monitor should always be directly in front of your face (preferably no more than 35 degrees to either side) and at or slightly below eye level. If you happen to wear bifocals and are used to tilting your head back in order to look down through them at the monitor, then lower the monitor (or raise your chair) so that the monitor sits 15 to 20 degrees below eye level. Again, there are many cheap monitor stands on the market that can help you achieve an optimal height. Alternatively, you can build your own make shift version.

Keyboard and mouse positioning. Keep your keyboard at an acceptable height. To reach the keyboard, your forearms should bend no more than 20 degrees above horizontal (if sitting) or 45 below (if standing). You should also place your mouse close to your keyboard so that you can transition easily between typing and using the mouse with as little effect on your arm and wrist posture as possible. You want to keep your wrist posture as neutral as you can. Avoid bending your wrist sharply upwards or downwards to type. To help your wrists maintain a good posture over the keyboard, use a wrist rest.

Where are your feet? Your feet should lay flat on the floor. If you don’t have a footrest and can’t purchase a ready-made one, the are many DIY options, such as using an old phone book that you can adjust by tearing out or adding pages.

In short, if you spend a significant amount of time each day sitting at your desk, you don’t want to be compromising your health in the pursuit of earning an income. There are many relatively cheap and easy things you can do to ensure your comfort and well-being on the job.

Powder Room Power

Think about your guest bathroom at home – it probably has a nice soap dish, maybe some decorative hand towels, and perhaps a candle. It’s likely cleaner than your personal bathroom, since you anticipate that guests will venture in there. You want them to have a good impression, right?

Now think about the bathroom at your office. What does it look like? Is it nicely decorated and inviting, as the guest bathroom in your home, or is it dirty, cold and stuffed to the brim with supplies? If even the thought of your company bathroom makes you grimace, then it’s time to get to work! A more welcoming restroom can instill pride in the office environment and ensure that clients have a better experience. Here are some tips to whip this space into shape:

First, ask your colleagues or employees what they think. It might be that the other office bees have been too embarrassed to bring up the state of the bathroom or don’t think that anyone else cares about how it looks. Bring it up at an office meeting. No doubt people will have ideas about how to decorate the bathrooms and make them more inviting. A brainstorming session can help solidify how to makeover the bathroom.

Second, clear out as much clutter as possible. Is your office bathroom covered in papers, posters and old marketing materials? Are there ancient computer monitors and broken chairs shoved into each corner? If so, you and your team probably need to take a day (or longer, depending on the mess) and get the bathroom looking less like a storage closet and more like a bathroom. If you really must use part of this space for storage, then figure out how to physically separate the storage space from the restroom area. You can do this by purchasing cabinets or storage tubs and creative shelving.

Once the bathroom is rid of clutter, clean it! This is not some spot cleaning job. You will want to start decorating with a clean, blank slate. Depending on how dirty the space is you have got to go over it from top to bottom or at least hire someone else to do it. This should be a thorough cleaning, including scrubbing the bathroom faucets and sinks, wiping down baseboards and mopping the floors.

Now, get to work redecorating. Once the bathroom has been cleared out, the next step is to begin decorating. The overall “feel” of the bathroom depends on your business type; colors, wall decor and other decoration matters should also reflect your business and its personality. Consider your company as a whole. A bathroom for a law firm might end up being decorated differently than a bathroom at a magazine office. Can you be creative and quirky with your decor or should it be more conservative in tone? Decide on a color scheme and theme and even on the scents that will pervade the space.

Business Bathroom Decorating Ideas

Painting the walls. For an office environment (particularly a conservative one) it’s a good idea to have fairly neutral wall color – think eggshell, gray or tan – and to add bits of color with the accent items. However, if you work at a creative firm, you may want to make the walls brighter or bolder. Don’t feel that you need to stick with a plain white or beige; most colors can be toned down to an acceptable hue for a business bathroom. For example, if green is your color of choice, an olive tone can work well in the space.

Putting in accents. Have fun with accents. Choose one or two accent or complimentary colors that go well with your main wall color. Use these colors in small amounts throughout the room to tie the scheme together. After walls and fixtures have been updated, you can create a little bit of personality with accents. You may want to try:

• Silk flowers;
• Colorful paintings or framed posters;
• Rugs
• Interesting hand towels that match the accent colors

Pay attention to your fixtures. If the office bathroom has outdated, rusty fixtures, consider an inexpensive upgrade. Metal faucets and towel racks can make a bathroom look modern and appealing without breaking the bank.

Adding little touches. You want your office bathroom to make your employees and clients feel comfortable, and a few little extras can go a long way. These include items such as:

• Nice hand soap
• Hand sanitizer
• Candles with fresh, neutral scents
• Matches
• Air freshener
• Facial tissue

Keep in mind that if you wrinkle your nose every time you venture into the company bathroom, or you feel that it needs a shot of personality, your employees and clients will likely have the same attitude. Upgrading the company bathroom may be a bit of a project, but it will make you and your visitors feel more comfortable, and that impression is an important one.

Author Bio:

Jay Harris is a Chicago-area sales associate at Home Depot and frequent contributor to  Home Depot’s blog.  His bathroom decor interests include providing tips on bathroom accessories to offering advice on the latest trends in bathroom lighting.

The saddest part to these stories is that often a lot of the damage could have been averted had certain precautions been taken by the owners.

Small Business Owners Don’t Have the Luxury to Make Big Mistakes

The other day, I happened upon this infographic on defective medical device lawsuits, and it got me thinking. How many times do we hear about massive recalls on a company’s defective or tainted products, or a big business’ chronic lack of communication, support, and apparent concern towards its clientele, and yet more often than not, the company lives to tell the tale. Why? Because the bigger the business, the more resources its got, and the more influence it has to maintain the most profitable status quo. Whether you realize it or not, the powers that be have built in to their business model the cost of poor quality and customer service. It’s a known expense that they are willing to eat. It’s easier than ratifying the system.

But with small businesses, such things would lead to immediate closure, as well as a possible string of debilitating lawsuits. The bottom line is that just because your business is small, you have to be extra vigilant, and you have to take the right precautions.

Last week, I wrote a post about some of the benefits to incorporating your business, even if you are not planning on purchasing stock. But there have been many other posts on The Frugal Entrepreneur that focus on some of the fundamental best practices that cash-strapped small business owners in particular tend to ignore and then regret it afterwards. Here is a list of the top eleven topics:

1. Setting Up an Emergency Fund in Your Small Business
2. A Guide to Small Business Disaster Planning
3. Are You Properly Insuring Your Home Business?
4. Business Insurance: What Is It and Why You Need It
5. 11 Tips for Buying Cheap, But Good Business Travel Insurance
6. The Best Online Health and Safety Resources for Small Business Owners
7. Why Your Small Business Needs a Substance Abuse Policy and How to Make One
8. An Essentional Health and Safety Checklist for Home Business Owners
9. Should You Consider Online Reputation Management Services for Your Business?
10. Simple Low-Cost Solutions for Data Backup in Your Business
11. Should You Get Loan Insurance Protection for Your Business?

If you are you thinking of starting or are currently running a small business, you owe it to yourself, your customers, and your community to do things responsibly. Should anything go wrong, you’ll be very glad that you were prepared.

The Stats: Franchise Growth Brings Opportunities… and Challenges

In the midst of all the not-always-so-cheery economic reports that the media has been feeding us, the franchise industry seems to be a beacon of positive activity. Franchises make up more than 10 percent of U.S. businesses with paid employees across 295 industries, and while the number of franchise establishments has yet to reach its pre-recession levels, the 2012 employment within existing franchise establishments has surpassed the 2008 level of eight million jobs. According to the Internation Franchise Association (IFA), more than 10,000 new franchise establishments were opened in 2012, and overall the franchise industry saw 1.5 percent growth.In total, franchise sales have grown by 13.9 percent over the past five years.

With thousands of franchise organizations operating in dozens of industries, there is no shortage of options for anyone interested in buying a franchise. But at the same time, the numerous choices can make that decision a challenge for even the most determined would-be franchisee, and it’s made further complicated by the fact that the field is ripe with bad business models and outright scams that can easily trip up the uninitiated. The supposed security and reduced risk of running a franchise versus an independent business has also come under attack. According to a recent report by the SBA, the failure rates between the two forms of business are actually equal.

The Franchises Worth Buying are Those With a Proven Reputation of Profitability and Support

Given all this, if you are considering starting a small business franchsise make sure you exercise your full due diligence before entering into a contract with any franchise operation and learn how to pick the good franchise opportunities from the bad ones. Here is a quick checklist of what to consider before entering a contract with a franchisor:

Is the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) clear, thorough, and accurate? The FDD is one of the most important documents a prospective franchisee will have. By law, all franchise and business opportunity sellers must provide to prospective purchasers with a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). The franchisor must provide specific information about its operations to help the would-be franchisee decide whether or not to work with the company. This information should include, the obligations of the franchisor, actual, average, projected or forecasted franchise sales, profits or earnings, and recent financial statements. Since first time franchisees may not know what to look for in such a document, it is advisable to hire a qualified franchise attorney.

Does the prospective franchisor have a good background and reputation? Has the franchise operated successfully within several different locations for at least 3-5 years? Is there a solid business model that is both doable and potentially profitable?

Look for franchise opportunities that offer strong franchisee support. While this “support” can take on many forms- from educational workshops to access to analytical tools to the existence and support of numerous channels of communication and transparency- it all boils down to a commitment to help their franchisees succeed.

What does the management look like? Does the management team behind the franchise have the experience and know how to run a successful franchise operation?

What is the industry like? Is there growth potential within the industry being considered? What are the current economic trends, and, where applicable, what is the profile of the local market?

Are you interested and/or experienced with the particular industry? Do you have the necessary skills and background to be successful in this kind of business?

What are the start-up and operational costs associated with this franchise? What kind of area, if any, will need to be leased to operate the business? What about equipment, employees, and supplies?Do you have the financial means to buy into the franchise, expand, or renovate?

What is the expected investment of time per week, and what is the projected level of income? This is an extremely important factor to consider when looking into a franchise. Even a franchise operation that offers a well-known brand name and a comprehensive support system, will still require a lot of effort on the owner’s part to open and operate, and a considerable amount of time may pass before the owner breaks even on the investment. This holds even more true for a lesser known brand, with weaker support.

In short, the bottom line for any prospective franchisee is to exercise full due diligence so that precious time, energy, and money are invested in something that will provide an adequate return.

Buying a Franchise is a Big Investment of Time and Money

That said, opening a franchise can be a great opportunity for those looking to start their own business, but it can also come with a hefty price tag. What does it take to open your own franchise concept? Here’s a brief rundown of the major costs involved in becoming a new franchisee.

The franchise fee. All franchise companies will charge an upfront franchise fee. This sum is supposed to cover things like training, support, and the ability to use the franchise name/brand. The amount of this fee varies considerably depending on the size, nature, and scope of the franchise business. These fees will typically start at less than $10,000, an amount common among mobile and home-based business franchises, and can exceed $100,000. The average franchise fee is about $30,000, and each franchisor has its own set of financial requirements that the franchisee will need to fulfill.

Professional fees. Opening a new franchise business may require the assistance and expertise of several professionals, such a qualified lawyer and accountant.

Real estate, renovations, furnishings. Depending on the nature of the franchise business, there may be several costs associated with the location such as rent, equipment, furniture, fixtures, design, signage, and landscaping.

Inventory and supplies. To get the business up and running, there will need to be an initial stock of inventory and supplies.

Miscellaneous operational costs. These include a whole bunch of additional expenses needed to get the business up and running, such as enough working capital to cover expenses till revenue comes in, advertising expenses, employee training and payroll.

What is the expected investment of time per week, and what is the projected level of income? This is an extremely important factor to consider when looking into a franchise. Even a franchise operation that offers a well-known brand name and a comprehensive support system, will still require a lot of effort on the owner’s part to open and operate, and a considerable amount of time may pass before the owner breaks even on the investment. This holds even more true for a lesser known brand, with weaker support.

Resources to Help Find a Franchise

The IFA provides a free online directory of more than 1,200 opportunities searchable by category, franchise name, amount of start-up capital required, availability of financing and other important criteria.

World Franchising Network also has an online directory of franchises published by Source Book Publications of Oakland, Calif., that can be searched by company name, industry, average total investment, average royalty fee and other criteria. The company’s books include directories of new franchises, international franchises and franchises friendly to minority businesspeople.

The reality, however, is that incorporating your small business definitely has some big ramifications- not all of them so pleasant- but in many cases, it is a necessary part of running a business even if you never plan on selling stock.

So, the million dollar question is: when should a small or home-based business consider incorporation?

The Headaches of Incorporating Your Small Business

Before I go into some of the good reasons to take on a corporate form, lets take look at the real headaches first. It’s almost always easier to deal with a difficult thing when the hard parts are clearly spelled out.

That said, here they are:

The issue of payroll processing. As a sole proprietorship or within a standard partnership with one or more people and no employees, you don’t have to deal with employee payroll. When you incorporate you are obligated to do payroll processing even if you or you and your partner(s) are the only employees. Payroll processing costs time and money. You need to regularly prepare payroll checks and deposits. You also need to create quarterly payroll reports for Social Security, Medicare, state unemployment and workers compensation insurance, and you need to prepare annual payroll reports like W-2s for employees as well as the annual federal unemployment tax return. In some cases, you may also increase your payroll tax obligations.

The issue of complicated accounting and taxes. Incorporation means that the business requires more complicated tax accounting. A sole proprietorship reports its income and deductions within the owner’s individual tax return- a very simple one or two page Schedule C tax form. A corporation, on the other hand, requires a separate tax return for federal income tax and state income tax purposes. These returns can easily be ten to twenty pages long and will generally require the help of an accountant to complete and that typically does not come cheap.

The issue of state registrations and red-tape. Corporations equal paperwork- a lot of it. Consider that the states in which the corporation operates require annual re-registration. In addition, corporations usually require their shareholders, directors and officers to conduct regular meetings and to maintain detailed records of the items discussed at these meetings. All of this documentation- whether in physical form or electronic- requires time to complete as well as a system for storage and retrieval.

Why Would a Small Business Incorporate?

When small business owners go through the process of deciding how to register a company, it’s easy to focus on the wrong things. There is a tendency to put too much emphasis on short-term goals and on the tangible issues that come up in a business’ day-to-day operations. Business owners who incorporate are generally focused on the long-term health and sustainability of their company.

But, why should you incorporate in the first place- especially if you are not planning on selling stock in the company? The benefits typically fall into the following categories:

Protecting your personal assets. When your business is incorporated (as either a Corporation, S-Corporation or an LLC), it exists as a separate legal entity, which means the corporation (and not you) is held responsible for all of its debts and liabilities. What does this really mean? It means if you accidentally wipe out a client’s hard drive while providing some basic service, and that client wants to sue you, he or she can’t touch your house or your car, etc for reparation. Without incorporation, a dissatisfied customer or client would be able to sue you personally.

Corporate tax benefits. When it comes to the issue of corporate taxes, there are many potential benefits that can make it an attractive structure to operate under. Federal income tax rates are generally lower for corporations than for individuals, and corporations are typically entitled to additional deductions that are not available for sole proprietorships and partnerships. Moreover, if you incorporate your small business, you can determine when you personally receive income. So, instead of getting your income when it’s received, being incorporated allows you to take it at a time when you will pay less in taxes. Finally, incorporating your business gives you tax deferral potential. Because you can defer paying some tax until a later time, you may be able to realize tax savings if you are then in a lower tax bracket or if the tax rates have fallen.

Just an important side note here: You may have heard that the traditional C Corporation often results in higher overall tax payments through something known as double taxation. For this reason the LLC (limited liability company) and S Corporation are popular structures for small businesses since they avoid this issue of double taxation. With these business structures, the company is taxed like a sole proprietor or partnership, meaning the company itself doesn’t file its own taxes; all company profits are passed through and reported on the personal income tax return of the shareholders or, in the case of an LLC, the members.

Flexibility. As mentioned above, there are actually several different corporate business structures to choose from that run the gamut from the extremely formal C Corporation to the more flexible LLC. Choosing the right business structure is a multifaceted decision and will ultimately depend on all the details of your particular business needs, vision and circumstances- including funding sources, allocation of revenues, physical location, and the desired set up. But ultimately, if you are in need of personal asset protection and corporate tax breaks or you are in need of any other features of a corporation, then know that you have may a few options, and you don’t necessarily have to compromise on the current overall feel or set up of your business.

Just remember that you should really consult with a qualified accountant, tax adviser, or business lawyer to help you determine which business structure offers the biggest advantage for your situation. In the end, the right decision can really make the difference between the success or failure of your business, and that’s not something you want to recoil from.

One of the most pivotal transitions in this sea of change has been a shift in the locus of control for marketing activity. Whereas businesses once relied on marketing agencies and advertising professionals to produce their marketing material, now business owners are empowered to take a more hands on or DIY approach to marketing. Having personally worked in the design and advertising industry for many years, I’ve witnessed first-hand a growing movement of DIY marketing among small business owners in particular. This is largely due to the fact that current technology helps even novice marketers create professional looking marketing material at an affordable price.

While this may be a boon to cash-strapped small businesses, today’s marketing brings with it new challenges. How do you stand out among all the noise competing for our time and attention? How do you get your message in front of the right people? How do you balance the various elements of graphic design, layout, and formatting if you’ve never received training in this area?

If you are taking a DIY approach to marketing in your small or home-based business, you don’t want to compromise on the quality and effectiveness of your marketing material in the name of saving a few dollars. You want to make an impact in the right way. From my experience, here are seven tips to keep in mind so your marketing efforts will be successful:

1. Don’t think small. The first thing to have in mind is that you should not think of yourself as a ‘small’ business; I mean small as in insignificant. Successful marketing is all about projecting the image that you want people to have of your business, and cultivating that vision by infusing it into your marketing material. Just because you have few or even no employees, it doesn’t mean your business can’t have a big impact in your market. Ultimately, if you define yourself as insignificant, then you will represent yourself as insignificant, and finally be perceived as insignificant. It’s not a good path to go down, and it will only harm your business.

Also, realize that small is just a question of perspective. For example, the 2.7 million small businesses that currently operate in Australia, my home country, employ 60% of the nation’s work force and make up 30% of Australia’s GDP (gross domestic product). In other words, small businesses are BIG business!

2. Don’t be afraid to try different mediums. Today’s hyper-connected world offers many opportunities to get your message out there. Though you may have some idea which mediums will likely be effective with your target audience, don’t be afraid to test untapped channels and even to tweak your content and layout to see which things get the best response. Ultimately, the best marketing campaigns typically use different mediums together as part of an overall strategy. Your goal is to find the right mixture. Will your customers respond to video? What about a slide presentation? A mobile marketing campaign? What about various forms of printed material? Try everything you can, test it, analyze the response, and then disregard the things that aren’t working.

There really is no such thing as a ‘bad medium.’ Some mediums will just be more appropriate to you than others in reaching out to your target audience.

3. Learn some design and layout basics. The trouble with taking a DIY approach to creating marketing material is that we are not all graphic designers. Each medium, however, has its own set of rules and conventions. The key to creating professional looking marketing material versus things that just scream amateur or cheesy, is taking some time to familiarize yourself with a few design and layout basics.

There are many sites that come to the rescue, offering some great advice for non-designers. For example, take a look at these three posts:

• How to Design an Awesome Flyer (Even if Your Are Not a Designer)
• Business Card Design: 7 Essentials to Consider
• The Three Biggest Mistakes Small Business Owners Make with Their Signage

4. Use emotive imagery that tells a story. We’ve all heard that a ‘picture is worth a thousand words.’ Not only is this true, but consider that today your marketing message needs to be clearly conveyed as quickly as possible, and images really help to achieve this. The images you choose encourage brand recognition and whether you realize it or not, help to establish your credibility and professionalism in the eyes of your target audience. So choose your pictures wisely. The more empowered your customers feel about your product or service, the more they will relate to it and trust you. Use images to tell a story or to demonstrate how your product or service can help people without having to put it into words. Connect their personal interests to your brand and you’ll convert them from new visitors into dedicated buyers.

If you are still not convinced about the power of well-chosen and well-placed images, consider the following statistics:

• Articles with images get 94% more total views
• Including a Photo and a video in a press release increases views by over 45%
• 60% of consumers are more likely to consider or contact a business when an image shows up in local search results
• With an ecommerce site, 67% of consumers say the quality of a product image is “very important” in selecting and purchasing a product

5. Be smart with your marketing budget. If you are spending your entire budget on a bunch of glossy brochures and fliers then you will be limiting your potential audience to the people who come in contact with them. In order to give your business the maximum exposure without straining your budget, you need to find providers of promotional material that will offer your business maximum quantities with a minimum unit cost.

You also need to think about reach. How many eye balls are going to see your ad, and of these people, how many of them are likely to become your customers? This is important because it may be worth it to pay more money for an ad placement that has fewer overall views, but that will include a high percentage of potential customers.

6. Consistency, consistency, consistency. The most damaging thing you can do to your business’ image is to be inconsistent with it. This is so detrimental to your credibility. Often it happens when business owners plan out their materials in a piecemeal way. “I’ll get business cards done first and then some fliers later when I have some more money to invest.” When the “later” actually comes, then the fliers are either sourced from elsewhere or created differently and just end up making the business look small and unprofessional.

Start your marketing efforts with a consistent, professional image throughout your entire marketing inventory from day one. Also, remember that properly marketing your business is not a luxury. It’s an essential part of doing business. Being in business without marketing is like being in the water without paddling. When asked what he would spend his last dollar on, Bill Gates famously replied “I’d spend it on marketing.”

7. Lastly, just do it! Taking action is the crucial ingredient to success. Planning, thought, consideration are all valuable activities but without action nothing will ever happen. If you are waiting for the “right time” to start marketing your business then it’s today. If you are feeling a bit intimidated by the thought of creating your own marketing materials, just keep all the points mentioned above in mind and you may be pleasantly surprised at the results you can achieve.

Author Bio:

Aarron Dann is the Director and Co-founder of www.homebusinessprint.com.  A website that empowers small business owners to take control of their marketing with professionally designed templates, which can be easily edited, downloaded and printed in just a few minutes.

Drop-Shipping Versus Order Fulfillment Services: Which is Right for Your Online Store?

If you are just starting out with your online store, then typically the most cost-effective way to get the products you’re trying to sell is to buy them directly from a wholeseller in the industry you’re targeting. Once you have decided to go this route, you then have two options: you can try your hand at drop-shipping, or you can purchase the items and store them yourself with a well-placed order fulfillment and distribution provider and then ship them to customers as orders are received. Both methods have their pros and cons.

With the drop-shipping model, you forward your customer’s order and shipping information to your wholesaler. The wholesaler then locates the item, boxes it up, and ships it to your customer (with your business’s name on the box). Your business is then charged you for the item. You, in turn, charge your customer and pass along the tracking information.

There are many obvious benefits to relying on a drop shipping model:

• You don’t have to tie up large sums of capital in unused inventory.
• You only buy inventory when you need it.
• You don’t have to pay for or manage a warehouse and/or shipping and fulfillment.
• Your overall risk is relatively low.
• You can run your business from anywhere.

There are several down-sides to drop-shipping, however. The two biggest cons are lower profit margins due to drop-shipping processing fees and less control over order fulfillment and distribution quality.

In some cases, it just may make financial sense to stock and fulfill your own products via an order fulfillment and distribution provider. In this case, because you own the inventory, you may be able to take advantage of bulk purchasing discounts. It is also a cost effective way of offsetting expenses such as maintaining your own warehouse and staff, and paying for packaging supplies, as well as an assortment of warehousing technology and equipment. It is a benefit to companies that do not want the hassle of managing the entire receiving, packaging, and shipping process. Moreover, order fulfillment and distribution providers typically are able to pass through a substantial shipping discount, because of the volume of packages that they ship on a daily basis. Lastly, in this setup you’ll have a bit more control over the order fulfillment processing and distribution quality. But, you will still need to do your homework to make sure that your order fulfillment service provider is a good fit for your business.

Tips for Locating the Best Drop-Shippers and Order Fulfillment Providers

There are several common features great drop-shippers and order fulfillment providers share. If you actively look for these qualities, then you’ll have an easier time identifying the best service providers:

What technology do they use? The best suppliers will invest significantly in the systems they rely on and the technology behind it all. Automation, efficiency and scalability are really important, especially as you grow your business. Having a supplier with solid systems in place will reduce the number of processing errors, make ordering easier and allow you to stay on top of inventory shortages.

How good is their customer service? Does the company provide dedicated, knowledgeable service representatives or do you just get passed around from one department to the other like a hot potato? Having access to sales representatives who know the industry inside and out is a huge plus. This is especially important early on when you are new to a niche, and you’re going to have many more questions.

Where are they located? Where is your customer-base located? If your drop-shipper or order fulfillment supplier and distributor is too far away from them, then it will cost you more in shipping and extend the delivery time.

Pick-up times. Most online stores provide immediate fulfillment and on-line shopping is increasingly expected to come as close as possible to this, by offering short delivery lead times.  This could perhaps be next day, or in some cases, even same day. Warehouses with late pick-up times are great because it allows your customers to place an order in the early afternoon that can still ship the same day. If shipments only go out at 11am or 12pm, then it will mean longer shipping times for your customers.

Bottom line: whichever route you decide to go, it definitely pays to invest some time and effort getting the best service providers. The success of your online store depends on it!

The Case of Google Reader: Now You See it; Now You Don’t

The launch of a new product or service by Google is usually met with enthusiasm by the tech community. But when Google launched Keep, a note-taking service that competes with Evernote, it received strong criticism. This feedback was not about Keep itself, but Google’s attitude towards its products — more specifically, their decision to arbitrarily shut down Reader, its RSS aggregator.

Unlike Buzz or Wave, which never really clicked with users, Reader was a popular service. While it was true that usage had been falling over the years, it still sent more traffic to websites than Google+, and for some, it rivaled social media platforms, such as Twitter for referral traffic.

After the launch of Keep, Om Malik wrote that Keep could well be a better app than Evernote, but, “It is hard to trust Google to keep an app alive. What if I spend months using the app, and then Google decides it doesn’t meet some arbitrary objective? Evernote has my data and frankly, I’m glad to pay them to keep it because they are who they are.”

In The Washington Post, Ezra Klein took the argument to the extreme, writing that he now feared using even Gmail. Klein is frustrated with Google’s restriction of not allowing him to buy more than 30GB space for his email account. “It was a reminder that Google’s core business isn’t running an e-mail system or selling data storage. The thing I wanted to pay them to do wasn’t something they make much money off.”

The Cost of Free

Google isn’t the only company to leave its users in the lurch. Another well-known example is the recent shutting down of Posterous after the company was acquired by Twitter. Though Posterous did technically provide its users a way to export their feeds and preserve their links, the time and effort spent creating an identity – which is, after all, what a blog is for — was all but wasted.

The larger lesson that we can learn from the Reader, Posterous and many such closures is that free doesn’t mean forever. If you choose to go with a free product or service to support some of your business functions, then you’d do well to ask yourself why this company is offering its service for free. More specifically, what is its business model?

Take Evernote: it offers its basic services for free, but charges for a more premium service. There’s a business model here, which ensures that the developer is committed to his/her customers.

Then there are services like WordPress. The service is free, but also open source. Which means that even if Automattic (the company that offers free WordPress.com hosting) stops its support, the service will survive. Not only that, Automattic offers a premium version of WordPress for a price, as well as a bunch of add-on services for which it charges money. Now that’s what I call a double guarantee — open source + sustainable business model.

Apart from such business models, there are two reasons why a particular app or service is free:

1) You are part of the product: Meaning that the developer will showcase the number of users and make money via advertising. Facebook, Twitter, free versions of popular games like Angry Birds which are ad-supported are prime examples of this model.

2) They’re looking for a buyout: Nothing shows a developer’s talent better than a service that works. In this case, the developers are looking for a way to be acquired by giants like Google or Facebook for the ultimate one-time payment. Posterous, Picnik, and Snapseed are services that shut down soon after being acquired.

In both cases, the developers don’t share a direct relationship with their consumers the way they would if it were a paid app or service. In an article on The Verge, David Chartier of AgileBits, which sells its app 1Password for $17.99 on App Store, says, “When the transaction is between you and the people who made the thing you want, there is a great relationship — a responsibility — that you don’t get any other way.”

That said, for many small businesses, it may not be feasible to pay for every app and service out there. The simple way to decide whether or not to go with a free option is to get a feel for the platform’s raison d’être and to then assess what would happen if the developers decided to suddenly pull the plug. If you are a serious blogger, for instance, you may want to spend money and host your own blog on a server. The casual blogger, on the other hand, may not be as affected as dramatically by the closure of a blogging platform.

Where do you stand on the free vs paid debate?

Author Bio:

Hari Rao is a writer for blogVault, a Premium WordPress Backup Service