Business Support Blog

Creating from the Heart: ♥ My Annual End of the Year/ Christmas Giveaway!!! ♥

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:04:00 +0000

Creating from the Heart: ♥ My Annual End of the Year/ Christmas Giveaway!!! ♥

On my own

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:31:00 +0000

Guest post by Gerard Mcdaniel

When I decided to go out on my own my dad was the first person I called – he knows so much about how to get things done. He’s the smartest man in the world if you ask me and I know that no matter what happens he’s going to be there to support me.

I’ve done some pretty dumb things in my life but I knew this line of organic dog food was not one of them. This was a few years ago and business has slowly been picking up steam since I got off the ground – I’m a real small business owner now! I had to do a lot of stuff upfront like get small business xo and talk to a tax attorney and get permits for pet food making and all that but dad walked me through the whole process and I was never worried that I was missing something.

If only I had known then what I know now (that nothing is harder than raising kids) I don’t think I would have been so stressed.

Do You Write for Business?

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:32:00 +0000

If so, I'd like to invite you to my other blog... Just Write for Business where I share information on how to improve your writing skills, how to market with articles, how to make more money writing and more.

I just posted an article today that will help you Use article marketing to increase website traffic. I invite you to check it out and see if this is something you could use.

Hope to see you there!

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Cash Tasks: New and easy way to earn extra money

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:01:00 +0000

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to make extra money, Cash Tasks from InboxDollars can help. This is a new program that lets you earn cash rewards instead of just reward points or gifts.

You just visit the InboxDollars website and look over their list of tasks you can complete for cash. This might be identifying the content in a photograph, translating specific phrases, completing descriptions for products or services and more. Each task includes the number of opportunities you have to complete and the amount you can earn after completion.

You earn the cash the same day you complete the task, so there's no waiting. And there's no qualifying. If you're a member of InboxDollars, you're eligible for every task they offer.

Some tasks do require have multiple activities, and all of them must be completed to earn the cash but there's no limit on the number of tasks or activities you can complete.

So check it out if you're in need of some easy cash, and leave your comments here so others know how it works for you!

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How is your business being affected by the economy?

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 17:10:00 +0000

So many businesses of every size have been hit by the recession that even though some industries are bouncing back, others continue to struggle. For instance, the housing market is one that is affected differently, depending on location. (Realtors always stress 'location, location, location.')

Housing in Scripps Ranch, California, for one, is said to be getting stronger while other housing markets around the country continue to suffer. Maybe it is location.

At any rate, this is just one industry. But it makes me wonder how other industries are faring during these tough economic times.

As a writer, my work is flourishing. I find more people are looking for help with their business writing, though rates seem to be an issue. Perhaps it's because they know they need help, and want to use their writing to build their businesses (which is what I specialize in), but they can't, or don't want to, pay for my services.

How is the economy affecting your business? Do you see a growth in some areas like the real estate industry is seeing? Or do you find that your entire industry seems to be struggling to make a dollar? I'd love to hear your comments, and I'm sure others would, too!

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Make money as a Mom Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:38:00 +0000

There are thousands of mom bloggers already online. Many of them are making money, and most of them are trying to make money. Do you have what it takes to be a profitable mom blogger? I believe that any mom blogger can start to generate a profit from her blog with the right approach and learned skills. That means you too.

It does take some study and some work. You will not become a millionaire overnight. Now that we have that cleared up let me reiterate that you can make money blogging. It might not be the same type of blogging that you are thinking of right now. How serious are you about making money blogging? You might have to adjust your thinking, your habits, and your schedule, but you can make a profit.

Here’s some ways to start a blog that won’t work very well. the willy-nilly-slap-something-up approach, the kiss-up-to companies approach, the controversial approach to get attention, the fake-it-till-you-make-it approach, and the guilt-my-family-and-friends-into-reading approach.

Go ahead if you want to try them. You might see a flare-up of popularity before everything goes down the drain. If you do try them you will learn some good lessons, but you will also waste some valuable time.

While you are working on building traffic to your blog you can add affiliate links and become an affiliate marketer. You don’t have to have your own product to sell; you can sell an already finished product for a commission. You can also use your sidebar as a place for an ad network. They find the advertisers; you wait for the profit.

Just because anyone can start a blog for free does not mean that there isn’t a necessary skill set. The good news is that the necessary skills can be learned and developed by anyone with the will to learn. There are profitable bloggers of all age levels from middle school to senior citizens; and of all skill sets from drop-outs to college grads. Blogging is a good thing to know. Most websites have them and the skill of blogging is a marketable asset in and of itself.

Just doing what you can and hoping for the best will only get you so far. If you want your blog to make a profit then you need to study and learn the best way to do just that.

If you want to learn more about blogging, gaining more exposure in the blogosphere, building great relationships and incorporating new profit points into your content be sure to sign up for the Smart Blogging Skills 10 week course.

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Business goals for the new year

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 13:13:00 +0000

As we finish out the last day of 2010, it's natural to consider our plans, goals, dreams and desires for 2011. That applies to every aspect of life and business is no different.

So, what are your business plans, goals, dreams and desires for 2011?

Consider some of these...

• to sell more
• to enjoy my business more
• to procrastinate about marketing and business tasks less
• to write articles to promote my business
• to create products to sell and use as promotional giveaways
• to become better at running my business
• to encourage another home-based business owner
• to help other home-based business owners do all of the things above

I'm sure there are many other goals you can come up with. Leave a comment here and share them with others!

And I pray that 2011 is your BEST year yet... that you are blessed by God's goodness and grace, and that all of your business dreams are fulfilled!

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Looking for an online business? Have you considered SFI?

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:40:00 +0000

Maybe you were like me... you've seen SFI advertised online for ages but didn't really know what it was and just never bothered to sign up as an affiliate. As I've discovered, this program is really more than most of the affiliate programs you'll see online. Especially those that are free to join.

I've been working online since 1998, and I've seen SFI advertised, literally, for years. But I never joined the program until recently, and then only because one of my ghostwriting clients is a member and he wanted me to write an article about the program. What I discovered was surprising, to say the least.

Like other affiliate programs, SFI does have a sponsorship program where you get credit for referring other members who join the affiliate program. But they have so much than that! Things I wasn't aware of at all.

For instance, one of the things that appeals to me, personally, is TripleClicks. When you sign up as an SFI affiliate, you get your own TripleClicks website. What this is really is an online store stocked with hundreds, maybe thousands, of products ranging from stick-on name tags for a few dollars each to horizontal mailboxes for an office that go for over a thousand—and everything in between.

There are new items, used items, downloadable products, penny auctions (which are addictive!) and more. If you're looking for a no-cost business online, I can't recommend TripleClicks strongly enough. Truly! This aspect of SFI alone is amazing.

And there are so many ways to promote SFI. You can promote the SFI affiliate opportunity, or the TripleClicks opportunity. You can even promote individual products on the site, daily specials or more.

SFI also has another program called EyeEarn which is a global advertising program that is so simple anyone can use it. And by taking part, you are guaranteed to earn a referral every month you're a member.

There are many other aspects of SFI that I'm just beginning to discover. But what I want to stress is that if you're looking for just one program to join, and one online business to promote... you will not go wrong by choosing this one. The earning potential is tremendous and the program itself is like nothing else you've ever seen.

Give SFI a try. It's totally free to join and you have absolutely nothing to lose with the possibility of everything you've dreamed of to gain.

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Where should I submit articles for the best marketing results?

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Are you looking for a way to get more traffic to your website? Today’s post is part of the WAHM-Articles Blog Tour about… article marketing!

Article marketing is exciting and it can do wonders for building your business online! But not knowing where to submit your articles for publication can dampen anyone's excitement. No worries! Here are some great places to begin marketing with articles and you're sure to find more as you gain experience and popularity.

Amazines is another article directory that has been around for years. They, too, offer thousands of free articles so it's a good place to get noticed. In addition, Amazines' article feed allows webmasters to automatically add regularly updated content to a website in minutes, which means your article could potentially reach numerous readers without any added effort.

Article Alley focuses their marketing on the offer of free content, which is why article marketing works. Their slogan is "free content for your website or blog." As such, they provide dozens of article categories for you to choose from in almost any topic area you can think of.

Articles Base has the a high Alexa ranking and boasts millions of articles. They include Editor’s Picks front page articles as well as a "Latest Free Articles" section that gives additional exposure. You can also find writing tips on their site, or be chosen for the Author Spotlight if your articles are good enough.

Article Dashboard offers free software that can be added to your own website to create a free article directory, so you can find this one all over the web. The original site is one of the largest article directories online with thousands of free articles.

Article Rich has been around since 2005 and claims hundreds of thousands of free articles in dozens of categories. Your article can be featured on the front page or you can be chosen as a featured author for more exposure on their site.

Article Snatch has a large selection of categories for your articles with some of them being less common, which is nice. If you write for a niche other than business, this would be a good place for you to start, though they offer business topics as well.

Ezine Articles is definitely the biggest, most popular article directory online. That's probably because it's one of the oldest directories attracting millions of site visitors every month. This is the first site most publishers will search when looking for free content.

Go Articles is another long-time directory claiming over two million articles since it was established in 1993. This site belongs to the Jayde Online Network, and bills itself as “The Web’s Largest Free Content Article Directory.” It's certainly a site where you want to use in your article marketing.

IdeaMarketers cares more about quality than other article directories, offering a professional layout that other sites don't offer. They also feature a Bid-For-Promotion system where writers can pay for better article placement. This can be a huge benefit to having your articles picked up for publication.

Search Warp is the last of the top ten article directories, but shouldn't be left out. This site differs in the fact that they don't allow what they consider “high-SPAM topics” that include gambling, casinos, pharmaceuticals, prescriptions drugs, and others. But they're an excellent location for marketing general articles and those on solid business topics.

If you search for "article directories" online you'll find there are literally thousands, but using just these few is a great place to start and can bring in a generous amount of added traffic to your site, not to mention branding you as an expert in your chosen field of writing.

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Dee, thanks again for allowing WAHM-Articles to stop and visit your blog. We hope this post will help your readers get started with article marketing. We just came from Tammy’s blog, so make sure you click here to read how we helped her readers. Also, make sure you click here to visit the WAHM-Articles blog on Thursday for the conclusion to the blog tour.

The Butterfly Project

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 15:52:00 +0000

When I was a child, I was afraid of butterflies. Maybe because of their fluttering and the fact that I didn't know which way they were going to go next. But even then, I've thought they were some of God's most beautiful creations.

That's why The Butterfly Project intrigued me when I first came across it at Dawn Michelle's The Way I See Things blog. That and the fact that the Holocaust itself intrigues me. I've always wondered how men could have be so evil as to murder millions of people. But that's for another day...

Today, I want to share what I discovered about the Butterfly Project in the hope that maybe you'll want to take part as I plan to.

In an effort to remember them, Holocaust Museum Houston is collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies.

The butterflies will eventually comprise a breath-taking exhibition, currently scheduled for Spring 2013, for all to remember. The Museum has already collected an estimated 600,000 butterflies.

Please facilitate the "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" activity and create as many handmade arts-and-crafts butterflies as possible. This project may be completed by all ages as individuals or groups.

• Butterflies should be no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches.
• Butterflies may be of any medium the artist chooses, but two-dimensional submissions are preferred.
• Glitter and all glitter-related products should not be used.
• Food products (cereal, macaroni, candy, marshmallows or other perishables) also should not be used.
• If possible, e-mail a photograph of your butterflies, to butterflyproject@hmh.org.

Please send or bring your butterflies to the Museum
by June 30, 2012, with the following information included:

• Your name,
• Your organization or school,
• Your address,
• Your e-mail address, and
• The total number of butterflies sent.

Mail or bring your butterflies to:
    Holocaust Museum Houston
    Butterfly Project
    Education Department
    5401 Caroline St.
    Houston, TX 77004
    USA

For questions or additional information, please e-mail butterflyproject@hmh.org.

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The Stylish Blogger Award

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:31:00 +0000

One of my Followers, who I wish to thank, Beauty and the Green, awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award today. (Wasn't that sweet?!)

Here are the rules for accepting the award:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pay it forward to 15 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their Blog Award!

Seven things I am...
1. a lover of Jesus—with all my heart, soul, mind and strength!
2. trying to love my neighbor as myself
3. an avid reader and collector of books
4. a diabetic who doesn't follow her diet like she should
5. becoming addicted to craft shows on TV
6. thankful for what God has blessed me with
7. generous to a fault

Now it's my turn to pay it forward to 15 great blogs. Here are the ones I've chosen:

• thecinnamonhollow.com/
• www.justjoanna.com
• www.clothinglabels4u.blogspot.com/
• lilliputcottage.blogspot.com/
• www.candlesandfavors.com/wp02
• www.highlandsranchmom.com/
• jennsraq.blogspot.com
• east9thst.blogspot.com
• wahmblog.info/
• wahmshelly.blogspot.com/
• dearcrissy.com
• frugalnovice.com/
• www.thehomeschoolingblog.com/
• catherinesmeanderings.com
• thatgirlcancook.blogspot.com

Dressing up the BSG blog for Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:41:00 +0000

Since I've been decorating my house, putting up my Christmas tree and generally getting ready for Christmas, it seemed a good time to dress up the BSG blog as well by adding a new Christmas template. The new design is compliments of Leelou Free Blog Layouts. What do you think?

Appealing trade show displays

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:25:00 +0000

One thing involved in creating eye-catching trade show displays is to make your booth approachable. Some exhibition booths are so formal as to be uninviting, or they're so cluttered as to "crowd out" visitors. An attractive booth should be neither.

While you certainly want your booth to look professional, you also want to give it a warm, inviting appeal. For instance, when you create the design for your vinyl banners, keep in mind that fonts speak almost as loudly as words in print.

Choose simple fonts like Arial or Times New Roman rather than those with curly letters that speak Old English formality. Doing so for your trade show display will make visitors feel much more welcome at your booth.

Also consider how many things are laid out on your table. While you want to offer brochures, and maybe have some samples, or a fish bowl for business cards (with a prize drawing, of course), don't fill the table with so many items that there's no way a visitor could see them all easily. Instead, use vertical brochure stands or small shelves to create a "taller" booth and let some of the table show through. This gives visitors the assurance they can see what you have to offer and not feel overwhelmed by too much "stuff."

Any business can use trade shows and conventions to attract new customers and to brand their name in the public. Learning to do it well can make all the difference between a successful trade show and one that wasn't worth the time to attend.

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Online Marketing, Personal Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:55:00 +0000

Enjoy this guest post from Jared Heath!

Believe it or not, there is a way to market yourself online without paying hundreds a month for SEO. Thanks to the Internet, you don't necessarily have to have money to make money. Markets are now trending more than ever to customer bases that have a relationship with you.

Don't worry, I'm not about to tell you to exploit your friends, you just need to get out there and make relationships online. That's right, it's time to network.

The first places to start are right where your teenagers are: Facebook and Twitter. You'll want to check out these statistics on how many people are using Facebook. The long and short of it means that there are way more people on Facebook than just high school kids. Businesses are using Facebook constantly, which means that the more businesses get on Facebook, the more customers go looking for them there.

Twitter is a great place to get promos out in the open. Start picking up followers by following other people in your business community. Stay on top of the latest in the industry, and build relationships with the people there (yes, you can play nicely in the sandbox together). As you gain more followers, offer specials (in 140 characters are less) like the following: ,"50% off coupon for every follower who retweets this message!" or "FREE couch/bed cleaning for new followers today!" Get creative then watch your momentum build.

While you get people from the community to jump aboard, you don't want to leave the search engines out. SEO would be smart, but until you can afford that kind of work, get a blog. When you put a blog on your site, you invite visitors to come back time and again to check the latest on backpacking in Colorado, cooking, provo carpet cleaning, electronics, anything related to carpentry in Atlanta, etc. Everyone has something to say about their business. Post at least a couple of times per week.

Speaking of blogs, don't be afraid to guest post. Guest posts help out the blog you're posting on, they give you links back to your website (those help a lot in search engines, too), and it keeps you active in your community.

The Internet is your friend and your new business model. It takes time to build your business online, but what you put into it is what you get out.

Happy marketing!

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What to think about when designing a website for your business

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Enjoy this guest post from Mona Pennypacker and visit her website to let her know you saw her on Frugal Fancy's Blog!

It can be a tense time when you are going about designing a website for your business. In some cases, the entire profitability of your company will rely on how it presents itself online. Should you be scared? Quite the contrary: you should consider it an opportunity to take your vision to the world with the best site possible. You'll need a pro to get it done, but it's not as hard as you think. Whether you are handling the job on your own or having someone design your business website, think about the answer to these questions.

1. How much of the business concept relies on web traffic? You might believe that everything relies on web traffic these days, and in some cases you are right. However, there are still a number of concepts that are so unique that a website is almost a hindrance. In these instances, the subtler and more subdued the concept, the more you will get out of it. Dazzling visuals might actually interfere with the exchange of information.

2. What are you selling? What exactly is the goal of the website? Are you trying to intrigue people more than deliver something concrete? If so, the vaguer and more ethereal you can go, the more effective it will be. If you are selling products that are quite real, you'll want your concept to hit them from the first glace and carry them all the way to the checkout. Looking at a website like eBay's, you'll see how difficult this task can be. Even that giant marketplace website is not even close to a good concept.

3. Who is going to be looking? Are your clients going to be looking themselves or will it be handled by proxy? It might sound like a strange question, but there are a few concepts that will clear it up. If you are selling medical alert devices, you will generally be dealing with the children of elderly parents. If you are marketing a car service, you will generally be dealing with personal assistants and/or secretaries. It isn't always the target audience to whom you are directly sending your message.

4. How much do you want to spend? The amount of money you want to spend is no small factor. If you decide you have a small budget and cannot really afford a top designer, your job is to find the best of the hungry set. It isn't impossible, but it will take you some extra time. All the experts say that it is better to wait and go live at full strength than to rush and compromise because you couldn't get the money together.

5. How deep into content do you want to go? Do you like reading on the computer? How does your clientele feel about it? Thinking about the amount of content you should put on a website will bring up a lot of issues. You don't want to bore and/or confuse people who arrive on your site. If you do have a lot of content, make sure it is always well written and well edited.

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This article was written by Mona Pennypacker of Acorn Creative Studio who specializes in web site design in Colorado.

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What can engineering knowledge bring to a home-based business?

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Enjoy this guest post from James Moulding and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Frugal Fancy's Blog!

In our current economical context—which, in case you’ve been asleep for the last 3 years, is definitely all that good—many people are beginning to seek out new ways to make ends meet (not all that many people are talking about actually saving at the moment) such as working for themselves. It is a risky bet in the best of cases, yet all the same it is worth it in the minds of millions of Americans to try to achieve that professional and financial independence by becoming their very own boss. The home-based business has risen as a symbol of resilience and entrepreneurship, and it goes without saying that any person undertaking this career path (no matter what it is the business actually does) will need to bring quite a lot of knowledge and experience to the fore in order to make it work. Though not all home-based business owners are aware of it, a firm understanding of engineering can prove to be enormously beneficial in running such a business, and below we’d like to explore a few ways in which that idea holds true:

To begin with, it is worth pointing out that it is entirely possible to set up an engineering home-based business. While many engineers work in a direct-hire position for large companies, many others also work as independent contractors based out of their home office. Hence, engineers whose job security is in jeopardy or who have actually been severed from their employer shouldn’t hesitate to turn their knowledge and expertise into a home business.

But engineering knowledge can be very valuable even if your home-based business isn’t involved explicitly in engineering work (or a related field). Home business owners need to have skills in many different areas, and engineering knowledge and the problem-solving adeptness that such knowledge facilitates will be very valuable resources. One good example relates to the use of digital/electronic media, something that pretty much all home-based businesses require: a little knowledge of systems engineering could make a world of difference in this regard. From knowing how to set up your home business’s server structure to understanding how different business processes will need to be developed and managed, a little engineering knowledge will really go a long ways, making your life simpler in the process.

In general, the kinds of skills that are honed through the study of engineering (or the practice thereof) have to do with solving problems, and that is of course going to serve any home business owner. Clients will inevitably be more impressed and have more faith in the ability of such a business owner, whether they actually hold an engineering degree or simply have experience working on engineering projects. As the term itself basically implies the use of scientific principles to facilitate solutions to society’s needs, there can be no doubting that the more you build your engineering knowledge, the more capacity you will have to solve your business’s and other people’s problems.

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James Moulding works for family engineering business, M&B Precision, who are precision engineers based in Leicestershire, UK.

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How effective is cold-calling?

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Enjoy this guest post from Roger Collings and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Frugal Fancy's Blog!

Most studies done on types of direct marketing, such as cold-calling, have found them quite ineffective. However, studies aren't able to take into account a great deal of factors. Whether “selling” someone on a political issue or selling actual merchandise, a great deal of success depends on the product itself.

Obviously, the goal of a cold-call is to establish a connection with a potential consumer, and eventually make the sale. Some cold-call professionals insist that they do not actually try to make a sale on the first call. This is due to the negative impression that the majority of people have against telesales or cold-calling. Perhaps this is best exemplified by the UK Anti-Cold Calling Register.

Since the 1970s, the public has become increasingly frustrated with receiving unexpected calls from unknown callers. Not to mention that the amount of telemarketing scams uncovered over the years has not helped warm the public up, either. So, those professionals spend the first call simply trying to get their foot in the door, to later go in for the kill. Sales that are attempted on the first call are likely to be less than ineffective, due to all the aforementioned image obstacles to overcome

As mentioned previously, the effectiveness of cold-calling also depends heavily upon the product itself. Sure, the pitch and call strategy are vital, but if the consumer has absolutely no interest in the product, the cold-caller doesn't stand a chance. For this reason, political cold-calls tend to actually be fairly effective. The reason is that political cold-callers often create their call lists from member databases of related organizations or actual party registers. After informing the person of how his or her number was found, that person is much more likely to be receptive, provided that the cause is truly related.

Cold-call sales, on the other hand, is a different beast altogether. The problem here is that, unlike with political causes, there are no databases available of people who are interested in a magazine subscription or a vacuum cleaner. Cold-callers offering products and services may find it difficult to keep the caller on the line, given that there is no pre-established bond with the consumer. The only ways to sell an encyclopedia set by cold-calling is to randomly call someone who was just saying “I sure would love a new set of encyclopedias,” or to find the most gullible person on Earth.

Nowadays, with all the shopping options available, someone would be crazy to buy something over the phone. It's possible to find nearly anything you can think of on the Internet. Then, there are home shopping TV networks as well, which have the visual advantage over cold-callers. Before the Internet, cold-callers stood more of a chance to catch people in need of their product. Now, people can just hop online to find whatever it is that they need. If the item is needed immediately, people prefer to go out to a large department store. To sum up: The effectiveness of cold-calls for sales is limited, while political issues or causes cold-calling is still viable.

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Roger Collings is the Managing Director of RDC Communications who provide business telephone systems solutions to enterprises wishing to save money on calls.

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Creative Ways to Market Online

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 06:13:00 +0000

Enjoy this guest post from Liz Cutten and visit her website to let her know you saw her on the Business Support Blog!

No matter what kind of business you run or own, if you’re not using the Internet, you’re missing out on so many opportunities out there. The Internet is a very powerful tool and the cool thing about it is that you’re reaching the world. This means that you can have billions of potential customers. Yes, that’s billions with a B.
Now, I don’t care if you’re a novice, or an expert, I wanted to give you some cool, creative ways to market your business online. Test some of them out and see how they work out for you.

#1 Create a Facebook Fan Page – Yeah, you’re probably thinking that this isn’t that creative, but the key here is to offer an incentive when people get to your fan page. Have them hit a sub page of the fan page. Offer them a coupon, a free guide, etc. Get them to join, as having a fan page is a great way to reach your audience.

#2 Write for other blogs – Find blogs in your niche and offer the owner of the blog some unique, compelling content. Make sure that you link back to your business, but in a non-spammy way. Not only does this increase your exposure, it will help you with getting links back to your website.

#3 Create an infographic – I’m not sure if you’ve seen these before, but they are basically a big graphic showcasing some stats in a cool way. People eat these up and social bookmarking sites such as Digg and Reddit love them. Make sure you throw a link somewhere in the graphic, so that people keep coming back to your site.

#4 Send samples to the media – This works great if you have an actual item you can send to the media. Whether you have a book, a product, or something else, find local writers, as well as bloggers and offer them a free product in exchange for a review, or write up. You wouldn’t believe how great this works!

#5 Join HARO – Not too many people know about this and it works wonders. HARO (helpareporter.com) connects you with media people across the globe and these people work for huge companies such as the New York Times and more. They will request certain information and if you have the information for them, you can contact them. In exchange, they usually give you a link, etc.

These 5 steps should be enough to get you off your feet and gain you some decent exposure. Remember that you’re going to have to take action. If you don’t, your product will sit there, without anyone coming to it. If you have the motivation, these types of techniques can take you a long way!

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This guest post was written by Liz Cutten. She helps run FindBizCards, a business credit / blog helping entrepreneurs with tips, tricks, and more.

Never Forget!

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 22:51:00 +0000

Free Patriot Day Graphics from WishAFriend.com

Why 99% May Not Be Good Enough, But 1% Is Amazing!

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:16:00 +0000

Enjoy this guest post from Steven J. Beaman and visit his website to let him know you saw him on the Business Support Blog!

Many improvement books, seminars and articles have focused on why 99% is not good enough. The reason relates to statistics of what would occur if 99% is acceptable. Here are some commonly used statistics that stand out.

• 12 babies will be given to the wrong parents each DAY!
• 103,260 income tax returns will be processed incorrectly this year
• 880,000 credit cards will have incorrect information on the magnetic stripe.
• 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions will be written in the next year.

We all get the point about 99%, but it can be a little overwhelming to think about getting to 99%, let alone hitting perfection. Chances are we all have quite a bit of room between where we are now and perfection. When the gap is that daunting, it can easily lead to a feeling of “why bother?” Why don’t we take a moment to examine the other side of the improvement coin?

I prefer to think about our current performance and strive for an extra 1%. Everyone can wrap their mind around getting 1% better, right? 1% more leads, 1% better customer service, 1% more accuracy,… Now that sounds manageable. If we can improve ourselves, our business or some measurable metric just 1% a week, these are the corresponding results.
• 4.1% increase in a month
• 13.8% increase in a quarter
• 29.5% increase semi-annually
• 67.7% increase in a year
• 181.4% increase in 2 years

How would you like an increase in sales and profits of 67.7% over the next year? How about watching your commissions increase by 29.5% over the next 6 months? Would your children notice if you were more than twice the parent you were 2 years ago? Our spouses and significant others might be willing to consider a 13.8% increase in appreciation over the next quarter.

What can you do this week to improve just 1%? Pick the action and resolve to put a plan together to take it from inspiration to effective execution! Make 1% a habit every week and you’ll see amazing results!

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Steven J. Beaman is the founder & principal owner of BCSG, LLC, a small business coaching organization. Steven helps businesses determine the constraints that are causing them to become stagnant or unproductive and guides organizations through the start-up process, rapid business growth, or a turnaround situation.

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Delinquent revenue, profits and cash flow

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:16:00 +0000

Enjoy this guest post from Jonathan McCrillis and visit his website to let him know you saw him on the Business Support Blog!

A business’ cash flow is one of the most important aspects of its operations. There is a difference between profitability and having enough cash flow to finance everyday expenses. The difference between these two calculations is based on how you have your accounting set up. Generally there are two different methods of accounting.

The first is called cash accounting. Transactions in cash accounting are entered into the ledger when they are conducted; in other words when cash is received or spent. This type of accounting makes the cash flow calculation easier, as you only account for revenues that you have physically received. On the other hand accrual accounting recognizes revenues when it is earned. This makes a difference in calculating cash flow, as revenue earned is not always cash physically received. This is the difference between profitability, which only looks at revenues, and adequate cash flow.

One of the largest cash flow problems small business owners and entrepreneurs’ come across are delinquent accounts. Collecting accounts can become difficult, especially if and when they become delinquent. Only a few industries, such as food service, can maintain operations with out having some delinquent accounts. This is due to their cash or credit card payment transaction structure. However for the rest of us, delinquent accounts can turn into a nightmare, as we cannot seem to collect all of the money that we have earned.

It can be argued that if you are having trouble collecting on a delinquent account, your customer is having trouble paying their other bills as well. Sometimes they just do not have enough money to pay all of their due bills on time. The longer they put off paying a bill, the lower the chances of the creditor receiving some if not all of the payment. These customers will prioritize whom they pay immediately and who can wait. This is due to the lack of urgency and consequences of not paying their bills.

Some businesses just write their delinquent accounts off their taxes, letting these debtors off the hook and losing thousands of dollars of profits. Additionally some choose to sell their accounts to debt collection agencies. Like writing these accounts off, collection agencies only provide a small portion of the value of the accounts. Neither of these options motivates your customer to pay their debt.

Your business’ cash flow and operations is completely dependent on your ability to collect your account receivables. Depending on the industry that you are in, you will eventually run into a delinquent account problem. If you do not collect the money that you are owed you will struggle to replace inventory, pay your employees and invest in new projects. You do not have to deal with a collection agency to rid you of these cash flow problems. At yourbizcashflow.com we have a solution that will increase your cash flow and collect your delinquent accounts.

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Jonathan McCrillis is the founder of yourbizcashflow.com. This site is dedicated to helping small business owners improve their operations through unconventional financial management techniques.

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Is Your Craigslist Account Secure?

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:10:00 +0000

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know too much about Internet security. But I sure know what it's like to be insecure, or should I say, unsecure! My Craigslist account was just hacked.

As soon as I turned on email this morning, I discovered 32 messages saying "Your ad, titled '[cell phone name]' has been posted..." I don't own a cell phone to sell! I deleted all the ads, or at least began deleting them. This is a slow process with my satellite modem (but that's a post for another day). I'm still working on deleting them as I write.

Each ad had a graphic of a cell phone linking to Beat-Price.com and a graphic email of beatprice2@hotmail.com or beatprice2@yahoo.com. I checked WhoIs for the domain information and found the domain registrar to be HICHINA ZHICHENG TECHNOLOGY LTD. and the servers SUPERDNS.ORG (which is in Chinese like the website, which you can translate to English).

I then filed a complaint with the FTC, as well as a Yahoo and Hotmail SPAM complaint, and let Craigslist know what happened. After changing my password to a more secure one with mixed case letters and numbers, I've posted here and will be letting some of the groups I belong to know what happened. Hopefully, I can deter at least a few people from doing business with this site. As far as I'm aware, that's all I can do.

My biggest question about all of this is why would someone hack into my account and not tell interested buyers to use the email on the graphic for contact... I've already received about 10 replies to the Craigslist email. Boy, hackers can be really STUPID.

At any rate, if you know of anything else I can do, let me know. I HATE this kind of garbage that goes with being online. And I've wasted about two hours of valuable time repairing the damage caused.

Need Custom Labels?

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:29:00 +0000

Custom labels make your company look professional and that's important no matter how long you've been around or how large you company is. Labels are used for a lot of different things and the more professional they are, the better your company will look in the eyes of your customers.

Companies use custom labels for nameplates, warning labels, barcodes, and safety stickers just to name a few. Both large and small companies have a need for labels and you may not be able to make them yourself. That's where Data Graphics comes in; they'll be able to help you with all of your needs.

When you talk about corporations, they have things they are required by law to have and safety labels are one of many. These labels may be for areas that are dangerous to be in without the proper clothing while others may be needed for equipment that is driven around town.

Large companies like John Deere and Ametek are just a few that use labels for their needs, but that doesn't mean small companies won't have a need. Warning labels must be perfect or you'll encounter trouble. The same goes for barcode labels. If they don't work, you could bring up the wrong item and that also can reek havoc on your day.

No matter what type of business you run, you may find you need labels. No matter if your needs are unique to your business or generic and something other companies can use, Data Graphics will be able to help you with your custom label needs.

Using Trade Show Resources to Make a Better Showing

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:35:00 +0000

Direct sales consultants, in particular, but others as well, often use trade show displays in their businesses to build their mailing lists, attract new prospects and make additional sales. Finding affordable trade show exhibit booths and other resources is one of the keys to successful results at a show.

Decorative truss exhibits, commonly used at large shows, in particular, can be customized to meet your individual business needs and give you a place to hang a banner. This is almost mandatory if you're concerned about, not only being seen, but letting customers know your name and company right up front.

Logo floor mats with your company's message or logo printed on them can be used as entry mats for your booth. These give your booth an upscale ambiance for a reasonable price. They add so much when creating a quality trade show exhibit.

If you plan to exhibit at conferences trade shows, take the time to craft a top-notch presentation. Let it speak to booth visitors, offering information about your company, products and services. This is another key to a good show. Using the tools and equipment available will almost guarantee your next show is more successful than the last.

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Free List of Home Business Deductions for Schedule C

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene 'Dee' Bishop) — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:46:00 +0000

One of the many advantages to having your own home based business is the deductions you can claim for Schedule C. You will want to keep extremely accurate records of all money coming in and going out for your home business.

1. Advertising (includes: billboards, newspaper, online, business cards)
2. Bank Fees on Business Accounts
3. Vehicle Expense
4. Cost of Goods Sold
5. Depreciation on Office Equipment
6. Commissions and Fees
7. Dues for Trade Associations
8. Dues for Trade Publications
9. Employee Benefits – for those with employees
10. Contractor Payments – for those that hire contractors
11. Insurance
12. Office Expenses
13. Office Supplies
14. Interest
15. Any Legal and Professional Services
16. Meals and Entertainment
17. Rent or Lease Expense
18. Materials
19. Repairs and Maintenance
20. Pension or Profit-Sharing Plans – for self or employees
21. Travel Expense – related to business
22. Utilities (for home office portion)
23. Cell Phone (only business portion)
24. Internet (only business use portion)
25. Some Education Tuition

As you can see the list is quite extensive. Keeping track of your expenses will make things easier for you or your accountant at tax time. One of the best things you can do for yourself and your business is to set up and file system. You will need one file for things such as vehicle, utilities, bank statements, advertisement, etc. Once your bill or invoice comes in, you can place it in the appropriate folder. Any purchases you make keep the receipt and place it in the appropriate file as well. Even with the best accounting or bookkeeping software it is best to have a hard copy for documentation.

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Chrystal Mahan is a BSG Team Member who has been writing since the age of nine, professionally since 2005. Her writing appears on various Websites, blogs, and she writes for private clients as well.

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