But … there is something you CAN control in business.  That something is your everyday activity.  Often, success in any business is simply a numbers game.  Simply call more people.  Show your cards to more people.  Talk to more people.  Follow-up with more people, and eventually you will reach the financial goals you seek. 

If you make ten phone calls per day to prospective clients, or even current clients to follow-up you will make 50 contacts a week.  That’s an average of 200 contacts per month, and 2400 over the course of the year. 

Calling current clients is just good business and customer service.  Simply call to say thank you and perhaps ask for a testimonial or referral. 

Calling potential customers puts you one step closer to getting their business. 

If you plan to utilize this simple marketing tool, the key is to make it a habit!  Every day … religiously contact 10 people.  You get to determine the “mix” or ratio of new to existing clients.  For example, maybe one week you end up calling five existing customers and five potential customers.  The next week, call 10 prospects by using the Yellow Pages or the internet. 

Every call that you make is either starting a path for new business or reinforcing existing business, and that’s a great move for your bottom line!

Setting up a small business involves a number of formalities and steps to be followed. Prior to setting a business, you need to have a business idea followed by a marketing plan to execute that idea. These both aspects lay the foundation of a small business. A business idea should be selected on the basis of the specialization area of the owner as well as on the degree of investment into the business.

Essentials for Setting up a Small Business

There are certain resources that are essential while setting up a small business. These include-

Planning:

The base of any small business is a well-crafted plan. A good plan helps you in well executing the other functions such as management, organizing, and controlling. The promotion and advertisement of the products should be well planned and then implemented.

Arranging Funds:

Small businesses require low investment than big scale business. A big share for the funds for a small-scale business is usually gathered from personal savings. Many banks and financial institutions also give loans on a certain amount of interest and collateral security as a back up.

Naming the Business:

Naming your small business is very important. The name gives recognition to the business and makes it stand unique in the market that is full of other such businesses. Moreover, the name also represents the type of services offered by the franchise.

Registration:

Registration to a small business gives a formal entity to a business. It requires some paper work and procedures. The Secretary of State formally recognizes your business as corporation or a limited liability company. You also need to have an employer identification number while setting up a business.

Accounting and Book Keeping:

It is always recommended to have a separate banking account for the business. This will help you in keeping the track of the income and expenses. You can also use accounting system or software that also helps in maintaining the record books.

Licensing:

To acquire a license for your small business, you need to consult the local authority where the business will be set up. Licensing procedure requires certain fees and rules to be followed.

Tax Implications:

The tax implications depend on the entity of the small business. A sole proprietorship business needs to pay quarterly payment at the end of a quarter year. In case the small business is S-Corp, C-Corp, or LLC, you need to contact the attorney for your tax implications.

Client Contract for Service:

While setting up the business, a client contract for the services should be made. This helps in making a mutual agreement and understanding a plan to work together.

Setting up a small business requires certain essential aspects as mentioned above. These aspects help you in well setting up the business in the market. Aftermath, its your responsibility to its take it further. A good businessman always looks out for more options and resources to expand his business. Always seek advice and suggestions from your experienced and senior businessmen to attain success with your small business.

James Copper is a writer for http://www.bigstrategies.co.uk

1.  Be interested in other people.  You might think a networking event is an opportunity to talk all about yourself.  It is important to be able to succinctly explain your greeting card business, however, it’s even more important to simply meet other people and let them talk about themselves.  Then, you can follow up AFTER the networking event, by sending them one of your cards! 

2.  Set an easy goal.  A bad goal for a networking event is to go with the idea of slapping your business card into as many hands as possible.  It won’t get you any results.  A good plan is to go to a networking event with a goal of meeting a certain number of new people.  Perhaps a goal of meeting only five new people that you can follow up with about your business after the event. 

3.  Once you’ve met your goal, leave.  Unless you have loads of free time, you don’t need to stay for an entire event.  Say hello to people you already know, and follow through on your goal to build the stub of a relationship with a certain number of people.  Once you’ve met your “quota”, you can leave.  If it means you only stay 45 minutes, that’s fine!  Who ever said you have to stay for the whole event?  You’re going to have plenty of work to follow up with those five people in the next couple of weeks anyways! 

By following those three simple guidelines, you can make a networking event a productive activity that can help you build your greeting card business!