Hello!

This week we are talking about the various tools you need to have in place before starting your new business venture, as well as what it takes to be successful at networking your business.

In the feature article, “The Entrepreneur and Successful Business Networking“, I offer you some tips on how to be successful in business networking, a very critcal and necessary skill to attract your target market.

Have a great and prosperous week everyone!

I’m standing for all that’s possible for you in life and business.

Sincerely & Gratefully,

Steve

www.HowToBeginABusiness.com

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Hello!

This week we are talking about the characteristics of an entrepreneur and strategies to attract high paying clients. Do you know your clients? I mean, really KNOW your clients? This means, not only knowing who your clients are, but knowing their needs, wants and how to make their lives easier.

In this week’s article, “How to Get more high paying clients to come to you for business” by Crystal O’Connor from 

www.MoxieMompreneur.com discusses how you may be sabotaging your efforts to attract high paying clients, as well as some strategies you can put in place to get on the fast track to attracting the clients you desire. I hope you enjoy this week’s article.

Have a great and prosperous week everyone!

I’m standing for all that’s possible for you in life and business.

Sincerely & Gratefully,

Steve

www.HowToBeginABusiness.com

• Featured Article: How to Get more high paying clients to come to you for business
• Quick Biz Tip
• Testimonials

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Receive “How To Begin A Business” online magazine to your email and access the archives - register now!

Featured Expert Article

Find Your Purpose and Attract Money Now

By Kristen Howe | www.LawOfAttractionKey.com

If I told you that you could find your purpose in life and make money by following that purpose, would you believe me? Before you answer, I want to make sure you are honest about what you say.

Most people want to believe that it is possible to ‘Do what you love and have the money follow’ so they will say they believe it when they really don’t. The truth is that most people actually believe whole heartedly that ‘other people’ can find their purpose and live an abundant and happy life because of it, but for some reason they don’t think it’s possible for them.

So, what’s your honest answer? The good news is that even if you don’t believe that you can find your purpose and make money from it, it is still possible.

I want you to use your imagination and I need you to promise not to judge yourself or the answers you come up with in this exercise I need to say something about what most people judge as practical and possible…

What’s possible is only limited by what you believe is possible…

If Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson and Bill Gates all bought into what most people believe to be possible, do you think they would have achieved the things that they have? Of course not…

Keep that in mind and be brave enough to think big…

Trust me, we’ll absolutely throw out some of the ideas you come up with, but you have to let your brain and imagination run wild to discover your real purpose.

1. Pull out a pen and paper

1. Brainstorm as many things that you can think of that you could do that combine the top 2 or 3 things on your ‘Purpose List’.

Don’t think if it’s possible for you to make money doing any of the things you write down, don’t skip writing something it if it isn’t something that already exists and make sure you write it all down, every crazy; out there, “How the heck would I ever do that” thought that pops into your brain.

The first step to making money from your purpose is brainstorming, then we can go from there to hone in on your perfect Purpose Driven, do what you love and the money will follow, idea!

Want to harness the Law of Attraction to create the life you want, but can’t figure out what you’re doing wrong?

Click Here to Discover exactly how to use the Secret of Deliberate Creation to Attract Money and everything else you desire at http://www.lawofattractionkeyreport.com

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The ultimate recipe to achieve your dream job.

You hear about people who are living their dream and love what they do. You’ve heard the saying, “If you love what you are doing, you’ll never work a day in your life.” So what is stopping you from having the same thing? Do you look at these people and ask, “What is their secret? “What did they do different that made them so successful?” “How do I get my own dream job?”

You could probably rattle off a bunch of reasons but when it comes down to it there are…

A few common denominators that tie these people together who have created their dream job.

They are passionate about what they do

If you are thinking about starting a business based on your passion, think of what you do with your free time. The goal of this exercise is to find what you are truly passionate about.

They faced their fears and the unknown when creating their dream job

Many people who have followed their passion have faced their fears head on and have kept walking towards their dream job anyway. They have a clear vision of what they want their business and dream job to look like and forge ahead to make it a reality and understand that their will be failure along the way.

Impeccable customer service

When you talk to people who run successful businesses and have a sense of fulfillment in their work, they will often tell you that they genuinely care about the people they serve. Treat your employees right and they will treat your customers like kings and queens.

Have a Good Support System

This can make all the difference in the world. Business owners, like anyone else need the support of their family to succeed.

My Business Coach is at the Top of My List

No matter where you are at in your business, working with a business coach from the PerfecftBizBuilder Program can help you work through the roadblocks and help take you to the next level in your business.

Today I would like to share a testimonial from a fellow entrepreneur and professional coach. That’s what happened for Kirk M.

Here is what he had to say about working with his business coach:

As an entrepreneur and professional coach myself and having worked with people as a headhunter, consultant and adult education seminar leader, I am, to say the least, extremely picky when it comes to coaches and coaching.

My coach is one of the very finest coaches I have ever had the pleasure to work with. She consistently demonstrates one of the key aspects of coaching which is missed by some of even the most successful and experienced coaches I know. That is that the client has what it takes to be the author of his own breakthroughs.

She is a master of providing just what is needed to have you spring to the next level, inspired by what you just dealt with and where you’re going. She has coached me through more business issues and self limiting thoughts and behaviors then I can recall.

When I need a coach my list is extremely short, and she is at the top of that list.

Click here to access the program that worked for Kirk

Featured Expert Article

5 Keys to Raising Money Today
By By Dave Lavinsky | www.growthink.com

Luke Fishback is a smart guy. After graduating college with an engineering degree, he got a job at Lockheed Martin. But within a few years, he had had enough.

Why?

Well, Luke realized he was an entrepreneur at heart, and needed to start his own company. In fact, Luke had been an entrepreneur earlier in his life. When he was just 14 years old, he started Luke’s Garbage Service, a waste disposal and recycling service for a rural community in Georgia.

So Luke started a company called PlotWatt. The company creates technology that helps people reduce their energy bills by providing customized money-saving recommendations.

But there was one thing Luke was missing: money. Luke needed money to build his team, develop his technology, and start marketing his company.

Fortunately Luke didn’t follow the failed path that most entrepreneurs take; which is to try to secure millions of dollars in venture capital right away.

Rather, Luke understood the Funding Pyramid — the fact that 1) some sources of funding are much easier to get than others, and 2) once you get the easier sources of money and progress your business, it’s MUCH easier to raise the harder (and bigger) sources.

So, Luke entered PlotWatt in GE’s Ecomagination Challenge competition in early 2011. And he won!

Now while the Ecomagination prize was only $100,000 (not chump change, but not as much as Luke needed), it was just the catalyst he needed.

The $100,000 allowed him to make progress in building his technology and team, and the press from the award elevated his company’s profile.

As a result of this, Luke and PlotWatt were quickly able to assemble a $1 million seed round of funding. And now they’re off to the races.

Importantly, Luke’s story illustrates 5 keys to raising money for your company today:

1. Know that funding is a progression. No matter how cool your company or idea, you’re generally not going to receive a $10 million check from the get go. Rather, you will typically raise several “rounds” of capital. You start with smaller amounts, and then as your business makes progress (and your valuation increases), you are eligible for larger rounds of funding.

1. Find the right sources of funding for now. As mentioned above, some forms of funding are much easier to raise than others. And based on your stage of development (e.g., startup vs. established business ready to scale), different forms of funding are more relevant. The key is to go after the right sources. No matter how good your venture is, if you go after the wrong funding sources, you’ll fail. Even Google failed when it initially targeted venture capitalists (Google then successfully raised funding from angel investors, and went back to venture capitalists thereafter).

1. Cultivate relationships early. Even though you won’t get the $10 million venture capital check today (if you haven’t raised money before), you CAN start forming relationships with venture capitalists who can write you a $10 million check tomorrow. According to Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures, “The perfect entrepreneur/VC relationship is one where each has established respect and trust with the other well before an investment transaction is broached.”

1. Create your business plan now and keep it up-to-date. Your business is always changing. And as it changes, different forms of funding become available, and you’ll come across different types of lenders and investors. Importantly, when you meet a lender or investor, you must be able to give them your business plan in a timely manner. So finish your plan now, and keep it up-to-date, so you can send it off at a moment’s notice.

1. Always be a marketer. In raising money, the best company doesn’t always win (in fact it often doesn’t win). Rather, the best marketers win. That is, the entrepreneurs that are best able to market their companies to lenders and investors are the ones who raise the money. In Luke and PlotWatt’s case, their marketing efforts were aided by the PR they received from winning GE’s Ecomagination Challenge. In many other cases, it’s the entrepreneur marketing themselves via networking, sending emails, making telephone calls, getting and leveraging Advisors, etc.

Six months ago, Luke Fishback was bootstrapping PlotWatt. The company was making progress, but funding was holding back its potential. Today, the company has a million dollars in the bank and is poised for phenomenal growth. Funding can do that for you; so go out and get it.

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Here are some tips on using social media effectively to grow your new business:

Stay Current and Active – If you are going to swim in the social media circle then you need to make sure you are regularly on your accounts and actively sending messages and replying to messages. This doesn’t mean to be constantly sending messages or posting about promotions as too many promotions can cause people to unfollow you. Posting information relevant to your business and keeps the attention of your audience is important.

When using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. you have the ability to set up posts in advance by using tools such as HootSuite and TweetDeck. The offer you the advantage of setting up “tweets” and posts in advance so you do not have to be online all day. You do need to check your account regularly and respond and interact with your followers for social media to make difference. Your audience wants to get to know you and if you strike a chord withthem, they will always come back for more.

Establish Goals – When starting your new business, you probably have thought about how many clients or how many products you need to sell in order to make a profit. It is the same idea when it comes to social media. Think about how many followers you would like to have, how many people you will follow each day, how many “likes” on FB per day, and a target of new clients you would like to pull from social media per week or month as new business. It is important to grow your business and ‘follow’, ‘friend’ and/or ‘connect’ with others to grow your new business.

Offer Value – When using social media, you need to keep people’s interest. When you think about the famous stars that ‘tweet’, they have thousands of followers because people want to know what they are up to and can’t wait to hear what they will say next. You need the same intrigue with your target audience to grow your new business. Be sure to provide insights and information that is relevant to your audience and always think about who you are speaking to and what they are going to find helpful. Also, don’t forget to listen to their feedback. This will help you refine your process and help you to tighten your focus on your target market.

Hire an Expert – Several companies do this and at some point it may be beneficial for you to hire someone, a social media expert or Virtual Assistant to take in this task. Until you are ready, taking on this task at the beginning may be beneficial as you know your business the best and having you engaged in the process is important. Whether you need a little or a lot of help, contacting someone for consulting services can be very helpful to get your started.

Starting your new business can be very overwhelming and thinking about adding social media to the mix may be hard to even think about. But the truth is, social media has far surpassed the fad stage and is here to stay. Whether you embrace social media or not, your new business will be impacted. You can take the leap and start driving more traffic to your new business or keep the status quo but there is a world of conversation and engagement that’s happening right now, with or without you.

Working with a coach is a huge reason I have the life I have today!

Working with a coach at PerfectBizBuilder is a great way to receive guidance and inspiration so you can take action and get going to create your own fortune. Read on to hear what Matt from Texas had to say about working with his coach from the PerfectBizBuilder Program.

Working with a coach is a huge reason I have the life I have today. My coach helped me hone the skills I had developed and the lessons I had learned and allowed me to see that I can create anything I want in my life. Her generous listening and unwavering stand for what I could do allowed me to find the job that supported my finances and the woman of my dreams. It is difficult for me to summarize her contribution, but the best way I can say it is she was always there for me, even if I wasn’t.

~ Matt, Texas

Click here to access the program that worked for Matt

My coach is first class! Her coaching made a valuable, real difference in my life!

Here is a great story of how joining the PerfectBizBuilder and having a coach can be there to encourage you and give you a push in the right direction when you need it.

Read on has Jan Mitchell-Johnson from Houston, TX talks about her experience of working with a business coach to fulfill her dreams.

“My coach is first class! She listened intently, questioned purposefully, and said exactly the thing I needed to hear the most, but with compassion.

She wasn’t afraid to lead me into the “tough stuff” so that I could take an honest look at what was there, tell the truth about it, and come to a place of decision and action.

Specifically, she coached me through some rough spots in my relationship. We were able to resolve our difficulties, create a new future for ourselves, and now we are in the marriage of our dreams. I recommend her to anyone ready and willing to take action AND anyone who is stopped in doing that.

Her coaching made a valuable, real difference in my life!”

Featured Expert Article

What’s Stopping You from Starting a Business?
By Steve Little | www.howtobeginabusiness.com

Whether you consider yourself business savvy today or not, the knowledge, skills, interests, talents, and past experiences you command have prepared you for starting a business of your own.

You have an individual uniqueness that creates the opportunity for you to provide discrete and differentiated value to the market, not some magic first movers idea advantage.

Don’t get caught up in the idea that there is only so much opportunity to go around. That is scarcity thinking.

Even though your idea to start a business may be similar to another business out there, you possess a uniqueness that differentiates you and your motivation for the pursuit of a given business idea. This uniqueness makes your business not only perfect for you but also unique in the market.

The scope of your opportunity is not regulated by the existence of other solutions.

Don’t let what someone else is doing, stop you from following your passion and starting a business you have always dreamed of. Remember, your contribution and the value you have to offer, is completely unique and your product, your message and your promise is perfect for someone and cannot be substituted by another.

As you explore starting a business, don’t allow this common illusion to take you off track. Continue to move forward through the process and bring your vision to fruition.

So, what do you think is stopping you from starting a business?

What will it take to get underway?

I am sincerely interested in hearing what is stopping you from starting a business and any other comments you would like to offer by replying to this email.

Your next step is to trust yourself and your vision, develop the skills necessary to make the right decisions and take the right actions, overcome your fear and uncertainty about starting the business you have always dreamed of and suddenly you will be doing (what today seems like) the impossible. Start now by visiting “The Perfect Biz Builder program”

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Here are some guidelines to get you started toward your ultimate job:

1. Register your website
First, you will need to register your website (domain name) and find a hosting company. There are several websites that offer this service such as, www.godaddy.com, www.bluehost.com and www.networksolutions.com just to name a few. These companies also provide hosting services.

2. Register for required business documentation
If you will be receiving payments made out to your business name, it is at this point you will want to register your business name. Check with your city and state on the guidelines, as the laws are different for each.

3. Build a professional website
Having a website is one thing, but it is very important to have a website that looks professional. If you do not know how to build a website, you can hire someone to design your website. You may know someone local in your community or you can enlist the help of a designer from companies such as www.elance.com and www.craigslistcom or hire a virtual assistant with these skills.

4. Start a Newsletter
On your site it is very important to have a place where people can sign up for a newsletter so you can start to develop your mailing list. Examples of companies that offer email collection services include www.aweber.com and www.1shoppingcart.com.

5. Choose a Vendor for Payments
If you are selling services and no physical product, you can use companies such as www.paypal.com, www.Googlecheckout.com, and www.authorized.net. If you’re looking for a company that offers a kind of all-in-one service to promote events, collect email addresses to grow your list and sell professional services and physical product, take a look at www.1shoppingcart.com. Having these in place is vital to your business. These companies are all very helpful and have excellent customer service and online tutorials when you have questions

6. Start a blog
Many online professionals use blogs to spread the word about their business and talk about their passion. You can link your blog to your website essentially promoting or marketing your website.

7. Use Social Media
Social media is a mainstay in today’s online businesses. Using www.twitter.com, www.facebook.com, www.linkedIn.com and other sites to promote your services, products and events will certainly help drive traffic to your website.

My Coach Took Me Outside My Comfort Zone

Having a business coach can help you achieve goals not only professionally but personally. Below is a great story from Kate Buck, Jr. on how working with a coach from The PerfectBizBuilder Program helped her achieve the career of her dreams and had a profound impact on her personal life as well.

“My coach has been coaching me personally for almost 10 years and professionally for over 3 years. The value she has contributed to my life is both immeasurable and priceless. My coach has positively impacted my relationships with my husband, step-children, parents and extended family. I can also attribute much professional advancement to having been coached. A year ago, I was laid off from my job, and through her coaching, I stepped outside my comfort zone and took the risk and started a business that has grown and evolved into a successful business. I have even had the opportunity of speaking publicly as an expert in my field. Without my coach’s encouragement and assistance in getting past my fears and concerns, I would not be where I am today!”

Click here to access the program that worked for Barbara.

I now have a great coach, a new business and the support of the Perfect Biz team. This is what one PerfectBizFinder participant had to say about the program. Liz Hughes, from Dungannon Tyrone, Northern Ireland had tons of ideas but no direction. From working with her business coach, she had this to say:

“For years I have wanted to run my own business, but had no idea which one. I had a head full of ideas but little discipline, focus or integrity with keeping my word to myself. Of course, I didn’t know this! I was scattered and ungrounded.

While working with my coach, I was able to identify the missing pieces that would help me create a successful business and identify what was holding me back from obtaining the level of success I wanted.

My coach was able to help me see my blind spots and, when I was sometimes lost and my enthusiasm waned, he kept his! He was compassionate and challenging and a perfect match for me to get my business started.

My business ideas now have structure and substance and are actually manifesting in the real world. I honor my word and am more grounded as I begin the work I need to grow my company.
I now have a great coach, a new business and the support of the Perfect Biz team.”

Featured Expert Article

How to help your potential clients buy from you with confidence.

By Crystal O’Connor | www.MoxieMompreneur.com

Do you know what your clients really want? Do you know how to help your potential clients to buy from you?

Do you know how to really listen to your potential clients in order to close the deal?

I know so many of us dislike the idea of ‘selling’ to people…but that is what having a business is. It is providing a service or product and providing it to them in order to grow our business and make their life better.

So why is it so hard for some?

Because they don’t know the reasons why people buy and don’t buy.

Let’s face it…you need their business or you’ll have to close yours! It’s that simple…but not so easy.

Did you know there are three factors/reasons why people don’t buy our products?

There are …and I’m not going to address the issue of NOT having money to buy the product.

I’m referring to those that inquire and don’t buy your product or service only after consulting or inquiring for it.

These are the top 3 reasons why people don’t buy from you:

1. They don’t KNOW, LIKE or trust you yet.
2. They don’t BELIEVE your product or service can help them.
3. They don’t BELIEVE in themselves. (this is one they usually will NEVER admit to…but true.)

Let me tell you a little story that may help you close the deal with potential clients out there.

Twelve years ago I was pregnant with my son. I had decided after much reading about natural child birth and how much better it was for the baby that I would call a local ‘Midwife’ and ask her a few questions about her service and consider the experience of natural child birth. Her specialty was to help new Mom’s deliver babies from their home.

Let me tell you first for those of you that shudder at the thought…I truly had the lowest pain threshold of anyone.

So I liked the idea and wanted to do this…but was NOT confident and had a lot of questions.

Well, I had been researching it and reading more about the topic and quite frankly I realized that it really was going to be the best choice for the baby….now, it was going to be up to the Midwife to convince me that she was the Midwife for me and that I could do this thing called….’Natural Child birth at Home.’

It wasn’t just her amazingly cozy/comfy office but it was her confidence that pulled me into her world of complete assurance. I was convinced when I left her office that day after that consultation…that I could have a child at home without the use of drugs or even having to go to a hospital.

It was her absolute, unwavering ability to be confident ….that her experience and ‘know-how’ was going to fill the gap between me wanting to do it…and me actually doing it.

That is what you have to do in your consultations…you have to fill the gap between where your client wants to be and where they are now.

You do that with assurance and by communicating your knowledge…but most importantly by

listening to your potential clients fears, frustrations, pain and convincing them you know their pain.And you should because if you don’t…you really have no business being in business.

You NEED to know your clients very well and what their issues are in order to solve their problems. It’s not about ‘selling’ to them something they don’t want or tricking them into buying something they don’t need. It’s about filling the gap between pain and comfort.

Remember that when you decide to have a consultation with a potential client. It will mean the difference between enrolling that client you could really help…or NOT.

I talk more about this very subject in my 30Days2Moxie Challenge where I challenge all of you to really get focused and show you ways to increase your income and online business in 30 days!

Go here to sign up : www.moxiemompreneur.com/30days2moxie/

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Testimonials

Are you thinking about starting an online business?

You may be going through the same thing and are researching ideas for starting an online business or home-based business on the side, without quitting your current job. Starting an online business on the side, in addition to your current job can be a very smart move when you are looking for Plan B.

Here are some suggestions for starting an online business:

Turn your hobby into an online business. Who needs your expertise—and would be willing to pay for it? Do what you love and follow your passion. When starting an online business where you are trying to find a niche, take a look at previous articles I have written that give you tips and suggestions on brainstorming, knowing what you want and steps to starting a successful business.

Affiliate Marketing – this can be a profitable online business where you receive a percentage of the sale for selling another person’s product on the Internet. While there are several sites that offer affiliate programs, some places to start are commissionjunction.com and amazon.com

Virtual Assistant – If you are very organized, you can be a great asset to business owners who need someone to do record keeping, blog posts, newsletters, reports, transcription and email marketing. If you are technology savvy you can even develop and maintain websites for business owners. If you can learn or know how to create blogs, websites and sales pages for businesses, there is a business out there for you. Starting an online business by becoming a virtual assistant is a great way to work from the comfort of your own home.

Ghostwriter – Many businesses who have an online presence are starting to hire ghostwriters. Starting an online business as a ghostwriter, you can write blog articles or help other business owners write a book.

Sporadic efforts selling my invention in the last 10+ years,

culminated in a remarkable shift of dreams coming true.

In 2010 I had decided to get a business coach to help increase sporadic sales of my invention, The Pythagorean Lamboma Keyboard. This keyboard is a culmination of my life’s work, and, is currently used mostly by music therapists, composers and researchers.

It was an agonizing decision to invest in The Perfect Biz Builder Coaching – would it pay off?

It was a lot of money for me! I was scared.

I told my coach that I’d consider the work we’d do together a success if I was able to sell 3-4 Keyboards. It is a very specialized market and the investment is between three and ten thousand dollars each. At the time, I thought reaching this goal would be satisfactory to my needs and my investment in coaching.

Little did I know I was about to embark on an Odyssey like no other I have experienced in my many years!

Let me share a few of the successes that occurred over next few months of my life:

First, with my coach, I cleared out limiting beliefs such as “I don’t want much/need much” and other related mind-set blocks. This opened the floodgates, so to speak.

I have lived my passion – and now, the impact that this will make in the world is a lifelong dream come true.

As you can imagine, I am growing as a business person and at a pace I could not have imagined just a few short months ago. I am enjoying every minute of it.

Thank you Steve Little.

Barbara Hero

Click here to access the program that worked for Barbara.