After being in business a while are the calls starting to dwindle? Do your workers have too much time on their hands? It is time to pump some new blood into the work place. Use some imagination and make things start to happen again. Here are some tips to help make that happen. Try them and see if they will help.
Introducing a new product or service expands the possibility for sales. Making the new product/service a side product/service to your existing product/service can increase sales for both items. Be careful when introducing the product/service, that the old product/service doesn’t become obsolete. A side product/service to another product/service allows for contact with former customers to offer the new product/service. Checking out your competitors to see what additional items they offer can inspire new ideas for your products and services.
Advertising is an area in which changes will cause others to take notice of your business. You might want to consider using a mascot or new spokesperson for advertising. If you don’t want to go that far, just change the colors on the advertising. Millions of people tune in the Super Bowl each year just to watch the new advertisements. This is a good example of how change can draw business. Children and animals draw a lot of attention to advertising. Of course, there is always sex appeal to attract new customers.
Offering gifts and discounts can increase sales. Everyone loves a bargain. The gifts don’t have to be expensive. Many years ago, companies offered free glasses and towels as incentives to buy a product. It caused a lot of repeat customers trying to set a complete set of glasses or towels. Discounts and sales are always crowd pleasers. Bargains are hard to find, thus making them drawing cards for businesses. Mailing coupons to entire neighborhoods or cities, gets your business name and phone number in the hands of a number of people that you normally might not reach.
Expanding your horizons can expand your business. Try expanding slowly at first, such as citywide or statewide. If that doesn’t work go global. The internet can help make this happen. Start a website and put it on several search engines. Offer other websites advertising on your website for advertising on their sites. Online access helps over come the delays of time zones. It also makes your company accessible 24 hours a day. To streamline service, create a product specific website with regular updates, produce/service news, photos and scheduling information.
No one knows for sure if a business is going to succeed or not. By using available tools, such as advertising or the internet, gives the company an extra edge. Change keeps the company from becoming stale and outdated. If you aren’t sure what and how to change your company, there are numerous sources available. Articles, websites, software and work shops are just some of these sources. You have started the business, treat it like a baby, and put everything you have in it to make it succeed.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
4 Reasons Customer Loyalty Is Vital To Your Business
Have you ever wondered why some businesses may set up shop in areas that might not be very conducive to business and do quite well, while others are placed at major thoroughfares where walk by and drive by traffic are all but guaranteed, yet within six months they fold and the place goes up for lease or sale? The truth of the matter is that success is not always determined by your location – although it does play a vital role – but more often than not it is dictated by customer loyalty.
Here are four reasons customer loyalty is vital to your business:
1. First and foremost is the fact that a loyal customer is a repeat customer. This person will know about your business practices, about what to expect from your goods or service, the advantages and the disadvantages, and she or he will do business with you in such a way that it is a mutually satisfying transaction.
2. As you establish a relationship with your customer, you are also establishing a relationship with the customer’s family. Thus, it is not uncommon to have the wife bring in the dry cleaning for the family and turns her mother, mother in law, aunt, and best girlfriend on to your business. As the husband is sent one day to pick up the dry cleaning he becomes familiar with the business, and he will tell his brother, business associates, and others who are looking for a drycleaner. Thus, you are suddenly becoming a commodity which is being shared with others.
3. While family referrals are great, business referrals are even better. If you are a dry cleaner, you will want the dress maker down the street to recommend your services to its customers. Similarly, if there is bridal shop with which you may have some professional ties, then these business referrals are simply priceless! Customer loyalties – when you have other business owners or clerks shopping at your store or utilizing your service – are quite often the gateway to a great number of new walk in customers.
4. Yet the fourth and perhaps most important reasons why customer loyalty is vital to your business rests in the fact that many major purchases are not made during the initial contact. For example, if you are a furniture store, you might have someone come in looking for a computer desk. While these may be expensive – depending on the materials – by and large these items are small fish. Yet if the consumer is satisfied with the product, the delivery, the setup and also the price, the odds are good that she or he will be back when it is time to furnish the nursery, buy that new wall unit, or acquire that bedroom set that was saved up for!
Here are four reasons customer loyalty is vital to your business:
1. First and foremost is the fact that a loyal customer is a repeat customer. This person will know about your business practices, about what to expect from your goods or service, the advantages and the disadvantages, and she or he will do business with you in such a way that it is a mutually satisfying transaction.
2. As you establish a relationship with your customer, you are also establishing a relationship with the customer’s family. Thus, it is not uncommon to have the wife bring in the dry cleaning for the family and turns her mother, mother in law, aunt, and best girlfriend on to your business. As the husband is sent one day to pick up the dry cleaning he becomes familiar with the business, and he will tell his brother, business associates, and others who are looking for a drycleaner. Thus, you are suddenly becoming a commodity which is being shared with others.
3. While family referrals are great, business referrals are even better. If you are a dry cleaner, you will want the dress maker down the street to recommend your services to its customers. Similarly, if there is bridal shop with which you may have some professional ties, then these business referrals are simply priceless! Customer loyalties – when you have other business owners or clerks shopping at your store or utilizing your service – are quite often the gateway to a great number of new walk in customers.
4. Yet the fourth and perhaps most important reasons why customer loyalty is vital to your business rests in the fact that many major purchases are not made during the initial contact. For example, if you are a furniture store, you might have someone come in looking for a computer desk. While these may be expensive – depending on the materials – by and large these items are small fish. Yet if the consumer is satisfied with the product, the delivery, the setup and also the price, the odds are good that she or he will be back when it is time to furnish the nursery, buy that new wall unit, or acquire that bedroom set that was saved up for!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Should Relatives Go into Business Together?
There are many asking if relatives should go into business together and the answer is elusive for many reasons. Depending on how closely related they are and how close they are personally can have a direct effect on their ability to work together as equal partners in a business. Different people have different personalities and the person with the most dominant personality will end up being in charge, whether planned or not, which can cause friction when running a business together.
If the relatives have known each other a long time and are well acquainted, they should already know who the stronger of two is, but in a business managing by intimidation is never a good performance standard. Before entering the business climate, they have to talk through the good and bad of being in business together, knowing that if they end up unable to work things out it will now only wreck a friendship, but can cause discord within the entire families with people taking sides in any dispute. However, they will still be related when it is over.
Being in a business as a “family” may have worked for the so-called mob, but in that scenario there was a firmly entrenched order and violations of that order had very swift and severe consequences. Not the management flow chart that operate a successful business. If persons hoping to go into business together cannot agree on the basics of who will be in charge of what, then the answer is no, relatives should not go into business together.
Family members with similar personalities often find themselves unemployed and view going into business together as a viable means to support their families. Understanding the strengths and weakness of both, they can use that to establish a management chart to determine who will be in charge of what aspect of running the business. They may also find there are portions of running the business with which they have no experience and may need another person to help fulfill those needs.
By sitting down and outlining the needs of starting a business and what each person can bring to the business table, they will be better prepared to deal with any issues that arise with being related in operating the same business. There will be conflicts as there are in any business relationship, but the fact they are related should never enter any business-related discussion. Additionally, there must be the attitude of what happens at work stays at work. Complaining to the spouse or other family members can lead to inner-family arguments that probably are not worth fighting over in the first place.
One of the biggest problems faced when relatives are in business together may be in scheduling. When there is a family function, both people will most likely want to attend and as owners of the business should not be a problem, but there may be times when the needs of the business require one to be available, the need to work out who will go and who will work may rock the relationship boat.
Should Relatives Go into Business Together?
There are many asking if relatives should go into business together and the answer is elusive for many reasons. Depending on how closely related they are and how close they are personally can have a direct effect on their ability to work together as equal partners in a business. Different people have different personalities and the person with the most dominant personality will end up being in charge, whether planned or not, which can cause friction when running a business together.
If the relatives have known each other a long time and are well acquainted, they should already know who the stronger of two is, but in a business managing by intimidation is never a good performance standard. Before entering the business climate, they have to talk through the good and bad of being in business together, knowing that if they end up unable to work things out it will now only wreck a friendship, but can cause discord within the entire families with people taking sides in any dispute. However, they will still be related when it is over.
Being in a business as a “family” may have worked for the so-called mob, but in that scenario there was a firmly entrenched order and violations of that order had very swift and severe consequences. Not the management flow chart that operate a successful business. If persons hoping to go into business together cannot agree on the basics of who will be in charge of what, then the answer is no, relatives should not go into business together.
Family members with similar personalities often find themselves unemployed and view going into business together as a viable means to support their families. Understanding the strengths and weakness of both, they can use that to establish a management chart to determine who will be in charge of what aspect of running the business. They may also find there are portions of running the business with which they have no experience and may need another person to help fulfill those needs.
By sitting down and outlining the needs of starting a business and what each person can bring to the business table, they will be better prepared to deal with any issues that arise with being related in operating the same business. There will be conflicts as there are in any business relationship, but the fact they are related should never enter any business-related discussion. Additionally, there must be the attitude of what happens at work stays at work. Complaining to the spouse or other family members can lead to inner-family arguments that probably are not worth fighting over in the first place.
One of the biggest problems faced when relatives are in business together may be in scheduling. When there is a family function, both people will most likely want to attend and as owners of the business should not be a problem, but there may be times when the needs of the business require one to be available, the need to work out who will go and who will work may rock the relationship boat.
If the relatives have known each other a long time and are well acquainted, they should already know who the stronger of two is, but in a business managing by intimidation is never a good performance standard. Before entering the business climate, they have to talk through the good and bad of being in business together, knowing that if they end up unable to work things out it will now only wreck a friendship, but can cause discord within the entire families with people taking sides in any dispute. However, they will still be related when it is over.
Being in a business as a “family” may have worked for the so-called mob, but in that scenario there was a firmly entrenched order and violations of that order had very swift and severe consequences. Not the management flow chart that operate a successful business. If persons hoping to go into business together cannot agree on the basics of who will be in charge of what, then the answer is no, relatives should not go into business together.
Family members with similar personalities often find themselves unemployed and view going into business together as a viable means to support their families. Understanding the strengths and weakness of both, they can use that to establish a management chart to determine who will be in charge of what aspect of running the business. They may also find there are portions of running the business with which they have no experience and may need another person to help fulfill those needs.
By sitting down and outlining the needs of starting a business and what each person can bring to the business table, they will be better prepared to deal with any issues that arise with being related in operating the same business. There will be conflicts as there are in any business relationship, but the fact they are related should never enter any business-related discussion. Additionally, there must be the attitude of what happens at work stays at work. Complaining to the spouse or other family members can lead to inner-family arguments that probably are not worth fighting over in the first place.
One of the biggest problems faced when relatives are in business together may be in scheduling. When there is a family function, both people will most likely want to attend and as owners of the business should not be a problem, but there may be times when the needs of the business require one to be available, the need to work out who will go and who will work may rock the relationship boat.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Teen Business That Grow Into An Adult Business
Having a small business can be very challenging as well as enjoyable for kids. More than ten years ago, selling lemonades, cleaning lawns, delivering newspapers, selling cookies and other forms of enterprises keep teenage entrepreneurs busy. As the years pass by, young entrepreneurs evolved and some graduated from the traditional businesses of selling cookies and cleaning lawns to become full fledge business people. As these enterprising kids grow up, most of these enterprising kids continued their business and become successful at it.
One of the best examples of a teenage business that grows into an adult business is that little girl who used to sell cookies around the neighborhood and grew up to be the proud owner of two successful bakeshops across town. From earning a few coins selling cookies each summer around the neighborhood, that little turned her business into something that brings about thousands of dollars in profit every year. The secret of her success is that at an early age, she was already exposed to the nitty-gritty of finding good suppliers of ingredients for her small business and had established a good relationship with these suppliers. Furthermore, when she was still a teenager and do not have any pressing needs to earn a living on her own, she had all the time to experiment in baking different types of cookies and pastries that she was able to come up with some really good recipes.
Advantages of Starting Young
There are many advantages of getting into business at a very young age. Teenage entrepreneurs learn their trade early and had more time to hone their business skills. After years of engaging in their teenage businesses, these young people develop a system of their own when it comes to handling their business affairs. These systems will then play a vital role when the teenager later on decide to pursue his or her teenage business and turn it into a full fledge adult business. According to studies, most young entrepreneurs used the skills that they learned early on to expand their business when they get older.
Another advantage of starting a business at an early age is that teenage entrepreneurs gain loyal customers over the years. It is not uncommon for people around the neighborhood to feel an affinity for the young entrepreneur thus they will not really think twice when it comes to supporting the younger entrepreneur. Since teenage entrepreneurs have already established rapport and good relationships with their clients, keeping these clients will not really be hard for them. In fact, some loyal clients will prove to be very useful when it comes to advertising the business expansion of the young entrepreneur. Note that a good word from a very satisfied customer will always bring in more business.
One of the best examples of a teenage business that grows into an adult business is that little girl who used to sell cookies around the neighborhood and grew up to be the proud owner of two successful bakeshops across town. From earning a few coins selling cookies each summer around the neighborhood, that little turned her business into something that brings about thousands of dollars in profit every year. The secret of her success is that at an early age, she was already exposed to the nitty-gritty of finding good suppliers of ingredients for her small business and had established a good relationship with these suppliers. Furthermore, when she was still a teenager and do not have any pressing needs to earn a living on her own, she had all the time to experiment in baking different types of cookies and pastries that she was able to come up with some really good recipes.
Advantages of Starting Young
There are many advantages of getting into business at a very young age. Teenage entrepreneurs learn their trade early and had more time to hone their business skills. After years of engaging in their teenage businesses, these young people develop a system of their own when it comes to handling their business affairs. These systems will then play a vital role when the teenager later on decide to pursue his or her teenage business and turn it into a full fledge adult business. According to studies, most young entrepreneurs used the skills that they learned early on to expand their business when they get older.
Another advantage of starting a business at an early age is that teenage entrepreneurs gain loyal customers over the years. It is not uncommon for people around the neighborhood to feel an affinity for the young entrepreneur thus they will not really think twice when it comes to supporting the younger entrepreneur. Since teenage entrepreneurs have already established rapport and good relationships with their clients, keeping these clients will not really be hard for them. In fact, some loyal clients will prove to be very useful when it comes to advertising the business expansion of the young entrepreneur. Note that a good word from a very satisfied customer will always bring in more business.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Small Business Organizations To Join
For the small business owner, keeping up with all of the available benefits can be difficult. In addition, how does one meet the requirements for a minimum number of employees in order to find good rates on insurance? Unlike the larger companies, it's not as simple as calling someone and knowing you qualify to participate. Many insurance plans require a minimum number of participants in order to offer group rates, so oftentimes the small business owner is left in the cold.
This is the point where a small busine4ss can take advantage of some of the various organizations that exist just for them. Various organizations offer different benefits for the small business organization, including those who come together as an association so that small business can take advantage of benefits previously only offered to large businesses. For examples, some credit unions offer insurance benefits to their members at group rates, while labor unions quite frequently have plans already in place for their members, no matter the size of the individual organization.
Each existing small business organization has its own function and plan for helping the small business owner. Some offer training in order for the business to grow in its knowledge of the product it produces, while others offer working capital to allow the business to develop and flourish. The government operates some of these organizations, while others are privately owned or non-profit organizations that are funded by major corporations. Whatever the needs may be for a small business, there is an organization there to meet those needs. The difficulty is not in an organization being in operation to assist with those needs, but for the small business owner to have the capability of locating these organizations when he needs the information.
Thanks to the Internet, this process has become easier, but for a start up business, access to online sources may not always be an option. Fortunately for those who do not have online access, or choose not to utilize it, various books and publications are available to assist a small business in locating organizations that are specifically geared toward helping small businesses succeed.
When you re just starting out, it is very difficult to know all of the places to search for information, so another good source of information is your local university. Quite often the business development centers of the universities offer many different services to small businesses in the private sector. This includes information about start up funding, different types of financing based upon the scope of the business and its ownership, and training in essential areas of business ownership. In some areas, these classes are even sponsored in cooperation with the Small Business Administration and other small business development organizations.
This is the point where a small busine4ss can take advantage of some of the various organizations that exist just for them. Various organizations offer different benefits for the small business organization, including those who come together as an association so that small business can take advantage of benefits previously only offered to large businesses. For examples, some credit unions offer insurance benefits to their members at group rates, while labor unions quite frequently have plans already in place for their members, no matter the size of the individual organization.
Each existing small business organization has its own function and plan for helping the small business owner. Some offer training in order for the business to grow in its knowledge of the product it produces, while others offer working capital to allow the business to develop and flourish. The government operates some of these organizations, while others are privately owned or non-profit organizations that are funded by major corporations. Whatever the needs may be for a small business, there is an organization there to meet those needs. The difficulty is not in an organization being in operation to assist with those needs, but for the small business owner to have the capability of locating these organizations when he needs the information.
Thanks to the Internet, this process has become easier, but for a start up business, access to online sources may not always be an option. Fortunately for those who do not have online access, or choose not to utilize it, various books and publications are available to assist a small business in locating organizations that are specifically geared toward helping small businesses succeed.
When you re just starting out, it is very difficult to know all of the places to search for information, so another good source of information is your local university. Quite often the business development centers of the universities offer many different services to small businesses in the private sector. This includes information about start up funding, different types of financing based upon the scope of the business and its ownership, and training in essential areas of business ownership. In some areas, these classes are even sponsored in cooperation with the Small Business Administration and other small business development organizations.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
How To Write Up A Yearly Business Plan
It's important to have a business plan for your business each year so that you can see what your needs are for the coming year and to show yourself and the bank how far you have progressed since your original business plan was written. A new business writes a business plan in order to show their intentions to operate and to provide information to financial institutions in support of start up capital and funding for other operations. In most cases, the banks want to see three to five year projections showing your intention for the funding. Depending on the scope of the business, they may only finance the first year, and will want additional proof that the business is progressing along the terms of the original business plan before they will advance any more funds.
Since you are not able to really show much in the way of financial records, having a business plan also shows potential creditors what you anticipate for the future of your business. They can then compare this to your original plan to verify if you are moving along as planned. They do not want to be stuck with an uncollectible loan by advancing funds to a business that has no potential of becoming successful. Even if you are a little behind your original projections, they are able to see if the potential is there for improvement, and may even make suggestions for helping you reach your original goals. On the other hand, if your progress is way behind original projections, that can be a sign that your business is failing, so it's likely that you will not receive any more funding until you can prove the business is on its way to profitability.
It's normal for any business to take three to five years to turn a profit, but if you aren't showing improvement, that is an area for concern. As you enter into your second year, you should be showing less of a loss and more of a profit even if you don't yet show a net gain in income. Even if you aren't looking for additional funding, you should look at this as a warning sign and start making some changes so that you can your business what you originally intended. It may mean your prices are too low, or your expenses are excessive for the amount of business you have and need to be cut. For instance, if you are selling products from a website, investigate what others are charging for the same type of items to see if you are in line with the industry standard in pricing. If you sell services, find out what others are charging for the same service—maybe your prices are too high, and thus people are going elsewhere for the same service. In reality, these should have been checked first, but some people in their haste to begin a business forget the most important step of price comparison.
Since you are not able to really show much in the way of financial records, having a business plan also shows potential creditors what you anticipate for the future of your business. They can then compare this to your original plan to verify if you are moving along as planned. They do not want to be stuck with an uncollectible loan by advancing funds to a business that has no potential of becoming successful. Even if you are a little behind your original projections, they are able to see if the potential is there for improvement, and may even make suggestions for helping you reach your original goals. On the other hand, if your progress is way behind original projections, that can be a sign that your business is failing, so it's likely that you will not receive any more funding until you can prove the business is on its way to profitability.
It's normal for any business to take three to five years to turn a profit, but if you aren't showing improvement, that is an area for concern. As you enter into your second year, you should be showing less of a loss and more of a profit even if you don't yet show a net gain in income. Even if you aren't looking for additional funding, you should look at this as a warning sign and start making some changes so that you can your business what you originally intended. It may mean your prices are too low, or your expenses are excessive for the amount of business you have and need to be cut. For instance, if you are selling products from a website, investigate what others are charging for the same type of items to see if you are in line with the industry standard in pricing. If you sell services, find out what others are charging for the same service—maybe your prices are too high, and thus people are going elsewhere for the same service. In reality, these should have been checked first, but some people in their haste to begin a business forget the most important step of price comparison.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Why Buying A Building For Your Business Can Be Profitable
When you have a business, one of the first decisions that you are going to have to make is where you want the business to be based out of. Lots of people start with the business in their homes, and then move somewhere else as their business grows and expands. This is often a good idea because as the business grows and expands, there are new things that can be done with more space. This means that as your business gets bigger, you might want to move to a bigger space, so that your business can flourish and continue to do so.
One of the questions you are going to have to ask is whether you would like to buy a building or rent. There are many suggestions that say that both of these are good ideas, but there are a few reasons that you might want to consider buying a place over renting a place.
The first reason that buying a place is a good idea is that you are going to be able to simply make payments on the building in the same way that you would be paying rent, yet the payments are actually going to be going towards owning the building. This is often the route that people go. When they look into a building for their business, they take out a loan to buy the building. Usually, they can find a way to pay about what they would be paying in rent, but have this money go towards paying back the loan. This is a great way to gain property and also to gain assets.
The other reason you might want to buy a building for your business is that when you buy a building, that means that it is yours, and you can do whatever you want to it. When you rent, you have to talk to the landlord about changing the carpet or fixtures or even painting the walls. This means that you are going to have to be under someone else’s control when it comes to these things, and it might be that you wan to control them for yourself. If you buy the building, you can feel free to do whatever you want with it. Because many businesses thrive on people coming to the store and being at their establishment, you can feel free to change the building in any way so that your customers will feel more comfortable and will be more happy when they are there, and therefore they’ll be more likely to buy things. Also, if you purchase a building for your business, it means that no matter what happens, you have that building. If you decide not to have your business anymore, you can sell the building and hopefully you will be able to make a profit on it.
One of the questions you are going to have to ask is whether you would like to buy a building or rent. There are many suggestions that say that both of these are good ideas, but there are a few reasons that you might want to consider buying a place over renting a place.
The first reason that buying a place is a good idea is that you are going to be able to simply make payments on the building in the same way that you would be paying rent, yet the payments are actually going to be going towards owning the building. This is often the route that people go. When they look into a building for their business, they take out a loan to buy the building. Usually, they can find a way to pay about what they would be paying in rent, but have this money go towards paying back the loan. This is a great way to gain property and also to gain assets.
The other reason you might want to buy a building for your business is that when you buy a building, that means that it is yours, and you can do whatever you want to it. When you rent, you have to talk to the landlord about changing the carpet or fixtures or even painting the walls. This means that you are going to have to be under someone else’s control when it comes to these things, and it might be that you wan to control them for yourself. If you buy the building, you can feel free to do whatever you want with it. Because many businesses thrive on people coming to the store and being at their establishment, you can feel free to change the building in any way so that your customers will feel more comfortable and will be more happy when they are there, and therefore they’ll be more likely to buy things. Also, if you purchase a building for your business, it means that no matter what happens, you have that building. If you decide not to have your business anymore, you can sell the building and hopefully you will be able to make a profit on it.
Monday, July 9, 2007
When To Know Your Business Needs Revamping
Is your business steadily growing or is it slowly falling apart? Are profits less than last year or the year before that? Is the market for your services still out there? Are you not getting the business like you did before? Maybe it is time for a change or just some revamping what you already have.
Check out the basics and see if they can be improved. Is your web site and/or brochure colorful and interesting? Do they focus on your business and it's services? That's okay, but does it really provide an understanding of a client's concerns or issues? Try reading them as a future client, instead of a business owner. Would you use this business based on the brochure or website?
Another area to examine is your marketing team. Do they explain your services in depth?
Are you matching your competitors? Are they "cold" calling new prospects each month? Do they continue to follow up with them on a regular basis? Are they explaining the uniqueness of your company?
Making sure you are focusing on solving the client's issues and situations is more important, than making your company look good.
Advertising is another area to check for "staleness". Is it flashy and very loud? Is it bland and boring? Shake it up a little bit. Client testimonies with a ring of honest, make for good advertising. Pictures of finished projects speak volumes about your work.
Another avenue to use is having someone from your marketing or sales team present papers at various business related events. The paper doesn't have to be specifically about your company, but will get your company name out there to the public. When giving a paper, just make sure it is not loaded with facts and figures, but establish a mutual understanding of the issue.
If your business has been revamped and you are not bringing in the clientele that you were prior to the need to revamp, then maybe it's time to consider a change in the products or services that you offer. It may be beneficial to you to add a small service to your original company. This small increase maybe the key to returning the customers to your front door. It is possible that you may offer services that are time consuming, that are not necessary, and do not bring in the revenue that you want. These are services that you might consider dropping from your business.
Revamping your personal business maybe just what you need to return bring in return
customers. It may also bring the business out of the financial slump you are in. This may be your chance to feel rejuvenated and get excited about owning your own business again.
Check out the basics and see if they can be improved. Is your web site and/or brochure colorful and interesting? Do they focus on your business and it's services? That's okay, but does it really provide an understanding of a client's concerns or issues? Try reading them as a future client, instead of a business owner. Would you use this business based on the brochure or website?
Another area to examine is your marketing team. Do they explain your services in depth?
Are you matching your competitors? Are they "cold" calling new prospects each month? Do they continue to follow up with them on a regular basis? Are they explaining the uniqueness of your company?
Making sure you are focusing on solving the client's issues and situations is more important, than making your company look good.
Advertising is another area to check for "staleness". Is it flashy and very loud? Is it bland and boring? Shake it up a little bit. Client testimonies with a ring of honest, make for good advertising. Pictures of finished projects speak volumes about your work.
Another avenue to use is having someone from your marketing or sales team present papers at various business related events. The paper doesn't have to be specifically about your company, but will get your company name out there to the public. When giving a paper, just make sure it is not loaded with facts and figures, but establish a mutual understanding of the issue.
If your business has been revamped and you are not bringing in the clientele that you were prior to the need to revamp, then maybe it's time to consider a change in the products or services that you offer. It may be beneficial to you to add a small service to your original company. This small increase maybe the key to returning the customers to your front door. It is possible that you may offer services that are time consuming, that are not necessary, and do not bring in the revenue that you want. These are services that you might consider dropping from your business.
Revamping your personal business maybe just what you need to return bring in return
customers. It may also bring the business out of the financial slump you are in. This may be your chance to feel rejuvenated and get excited about owning your own business again.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Why take self improvement courses?| Wanting the life of your dreams vs. having the life of your dreams.
Copyright © Chris Omeltschenko
http://www.SimpleNetProfits.com
If someone were to ask you “Are your living the life of your dreams?” If you’re like most people you would respond with a “NO!” Or a version of no that goes something like - well if I didn’t have THESE kids or THIS husband or THAT past - or if I was only a little smarter or better looking - or any number of other circumstances that they believe are the reasons for them not having the life of their dreams. The saddest version of no is when the person has become so resigned and cynical that they can’t even imagine things any other way. They say things like “no one lives the life of their dreams” or “no-one is happy” or “it’s just not possible” or “I gave up on that dream years ago.” The point is most people blame something outside of themselves for them not having the life of their dreams. It’s something they want but they don’t see how they can have it because they believe their CIRCUMSTANCES are actually real.
Looking at most people’s lives there are patterns of behavior. Week to week, month to month, hour to hour people do the same things. These behaviors get repeated over and over and if you were to ask them why they are doing those things they’ll tell you “Because that’s how I’ve always done them.” Or “That’s just the way there supposed to be done.” Patterns like: get up go to work send the kids to school, get home watch TV, etc.
So let’s analyze for a second. When someone tells you they are doing something because that is they way they’ve always done it, so what is controlling that action? If you look closely, you can see that it is the past.
The past is dictating their current action. Can you see that if you live your life from “that is the way I’ve always done it” that you are trapped in a cycle, doomed to keep repeating what you’ve always done over and over? In that cycle there is no room for anything different. And if you aren’t living the life of your dreams now you won’t ever. Pretty depressing, huh?
That is where self improvement courses come into the picture. What these courses do is disrupt those patterns of behavior. Most courses do this by pointing out the patterns as patterns. And once you see them for what they are you have a choice to behave as you have always behaved or change course and do something new. Sometimes it can be scary to do something new. And sometimes that something new doesn’t get you what you want. But the next time the same situation comes up, you then have another choice and can try something new and this time it might work.
Being free from the past gives all kinds of new openings. These new openings allow you to begin to ask the question “Since I am now free, what could my life look like?” or to begin asking the question “How good do I want it?” Or “What would the life of my dreams look like anyway?” Once you start to have openings like these you can then start writing down different action to take that will get you closer to the life of your dreams.
I say write it down because you have to disrupt the patterns. They are very strong. When you begin to live your life having your actions given from the life your dreams versus the past, you are now living life on your terms. You are the boss, not the patterns. But the patterns want to control you and they will put up all kinds of resistance. They will lie and tell you to be afraid, tell you it won’t work, make fun of you etc. All to keep you comfortable, safe and under their control.
By writing your actions down and scheduling yourself you are saying “This is the life I want and these are the actions to take that are consistent with that.” Any other actions that you take that are not what you say are past based and not consistent with that future life of your dreams. Of course you schedule fun time and relaxation time. I doubt the life of your dreams would be all work!
When you schedule inside this new paradigm you will want to schedule for accomplishments. We all resist to do’s, and you don’t want to be resisting the life of your dreams. So to avoid this, schedule your calendar full of accomplishments. Don’t schedule “go to the grocery”, schedule “I have had a wonderful time picking up the nourishment for my family creating the building blocks of the body I want.” Which one of those two is more inspiring? Scheduling from accomplishment is a skill you can learn in a self improvement course. The components are put in the past tense as if it has already been done and write it as something that you have accomplished already. Another example would be “I have had a wonderful afternoon driving with my children home from school” versus “pick up kids form school.” See www.missioncontrol.com for more details on scheduling for the life of your dreams and scheduling from accomplishment.
Taking these types of courses will have you see that you can have the life of your dreams and will have you see that it is the context that you hold everything in your life that determines the quality of your life. I will be discussing context versus content in another blog. But for now I think you can now see the value of self improvement courses, and how they can help you begin the process of living the life of your dreams.
About the Author: Chris Omeltschenko is a dentist in the Cincinnati area who is a big advocate of self improvement courses and people living the lives of their dreams. Owning a business is a big part of that and he offers help for people looking to work from home. Check our his blog at www.ChrisOmeltschenko.blogspot.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.SimpleNetProfits.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.SimpleNetProfits.com
If someone were to ask you “Are your living the life of your dreams?” If you’re like most people you would respond with a “NO!” Or a version of no that goes something like - well if I didn’t have THESE kids or THIS husband or THAT past - or if I was only a little smarter or better looking - or any number of other circumstances that they believe are the reasons for them not having the life of their dreams. The saddest version of no is when the person has become so resigned and cynical that they can’t even imagine things any other way. They say things like “no one lives the life of their dreams” or “no-one is happy” or “it’s just not possible” or “I gave up on that dream years ago.” The point is most people blame something outside of themselves for them not having the life of their dreams. It’s something they want but they don’t see how they can have it because they believe their CIRCUMSTANCES are actually real.
Looking at most people’s lives there are patterns of behavior. Week to week, month to month, hour to hour people do the same things. These behaviors get repeated over and over and if you were to ask them why they are doing those things they’ll tell you “Because that’s how I’ve always done them.” Or “That’s just the way there supposed to be done.” Patterns like: get up go to work send the kids to school, get home watch TV, etc.
So let’s analyze for a second. When someone tells you they are doing something because that is they way they’ve always done it, so what is controlling that action? If you look closely, you can see that it is the past.
The past is dictating their current action. Can you see that if you live your life from “that is the way I’ve always done it” that you are trapped in a cycle, doomed to keep repeating what you’ve always done over and over? In that cycle there is no room for anything different. And if you aren’t living the life of your dreams now you won’t ever. Pretty depressing, huh?
That is where self improvement courses come into the picture. What these courses do is disrupt those patterns of behavior. Most courses do this by pointing out the patterns as patterns. And once you see them for what they are you have a choice to behave as you have always behaved or change course and do something new. Sometimes it can be scary to do something new. And sometimes that something new doesn’t get you what you want. But the next time the same situation comes up, you then have another choice and can try something new and this time it might work.
Being free from the past gives all kinds of new openings. These new openings allow you to begin to ask the question “Since I am now free, what could my life look like?” or to begin asking the question “How good do I want it?” Or “What would the life of my dreams look like anyway?” Once you start to have openings like these you can then start writing down different action to take that will get you closer to the life of your dreams.
I say write it down because you have to disrupt the patterns. They are very strong. When you begin to live your life having your actions given from the life your dreams versus the past, you are now living life on your terms. You are the boss, not the patterns. But the patterns want to control you and they will put up all kinds of resistance. They will lie and tell you to be afraid, tell you it won’t work, make fun of you etc. All to keep you comfortable, safe and under their control.
By writing your actions down and scheduling yourself you are saying “This is the life I want and these are the actions to take that are consistent with that.” Any other actions that you take that are not what you say are past based and not consistent with that future life of your dreams. Of course you schedule fun time and relaxation time. I doubt the life of your dreams would be all work!
When you schedule inside this new paradigm you will want to schedule for accomplishments. We all resist to do’s, and you don’t want to be resisting the life of your dreams. So to avoid this, schedule your calendar full of accomplishments. Don’t schedule “go to the grocery”, schedule “I have had a wonderful time picking up the nourishment for my family creating the building blocks of the body I want.” Which one of those two is more inspiring? Scheduling from accomplishment is a skill you can learn in a self improvement course. The components are put in the past tense as if it has already been done and write it as something that you have accomplished already. Another example would be “I have had a wonderful afternoon driving with my children home from school” versus “pick up kids form school.” See www.missioncontrol.com for more details on scheduling for the life of your dreams and scheduling from accomplishment.
Taking these types of courses will have you see that you can have the life of your dreams and will have you see that it is the context that you hold everything in your life that determines the quality of your life. I will be discussing context versus content in another blog. But for now I think you can now see the value of self improvement courses, and how they can help you begin the process of living the life of your dreams.
About the Author: Chris Omeltschenko is a dentist in the Cincinnati area who is a big advocate of self improvement courses and people living the lives of their dreams. Owning a business is a big part of that and he offers help for people looking to work from home. Check our his blog at www.ChrisOmeltschenko.blogspot.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.SimpleNetProfits.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, July 5, 2007
What Your College Professor Didn’t Tell You About Running A Business
There are many things that you probably aren’t aware of that you are going to have to know as you embark on the process of running your own business. First of all, remember that your college professors probably gave you lots of good advice when it comes to running your business, and there is probably a lot that they told you about how to do things and when to do things. However, you know that there are many things that you weren’t told, and some of these things are very important.
It’s Hard!
You probably weren’t told this, but running your own business is hard. Not just slightly hard, but really hard. When you start out, you are going to have to have a period of time in which you have no money – in fact, in which you are losing money. Businesses need start up costs, and in order to make money you are going to have to spend money. This is hard because you are going to have to eat into your savings and probably take out some loans to cover it.
No Sleep!
The other thing you might not have been told is that as you are running a business, you might not be sleeping very much. When you first start out, you probably don’t have enough money to hire anyone, which means that you have to be in charge of everything. You have to set up a website, coordinate emails and orders, fill the orders, make or ship the product, collect the money, keep track of all of the taxes, and be sure that you do this all in a manner that speaks highly of you and makes others want to continue to use your business. Count on not getting very much sleep for awhile, because as you start to run your business you are probably going to be sleep deprived, and this is probably going to last for quite some time.
Remember though, that it is going to be worth it. No matter how hard it seems now, and no matter how much you have to do at the start, when you have your home business up and running and it begins to be a profit to you, you are going to find that it is completely worth it. You can set your own hours, take care of your business the way that you want to, and you can be completely in charge of your financial future. This is a fantastic place to be, and you can be there – if only you have the strength to get yourself through the hard parts at the beginning.
It’s Hard!
You probably weren’t told this, but running your own business is hard. Not just slightly hard, but really hard. When you start out, you are going to have to have a period of time in which you have no money – in fact, in which you are losing money. Businesses need start up costs, and in order to make money you are going to have to spend money. This is hard because you are going to have to eat into your savings and probably take out some loans to cover it.
No Sleep!
The other thing you might not have been told is that as you are running a business, you might not be sleeping very much. When you first start out, you probably don’t have enough money to hire anyone, which means that you have to be in charge of everything. You have to set up a website, coordinate emails and orders, fill the orders, make or ship the product, collect the money, keep track of all of the taxes, and be sure that you do this all in a manner that speaks highly of you and makes others want to continue to use your business. Count on not getting very much sleep for awhile, because as you start to run your business you are probably going to be sleep deprived, and this is probably going to last for quite some time.
Remember though, that it is going to be worth it. No matter how hard it seems now, and no matter how much you have to do at the start, when you have your home business up and running and it begins to be a profit to you, you are going to find that it is completely worth it. You can set your own hours, take care of your business the way that you want to, and you can be completely in charge of your financial future. This is a fantastic place to be, and you can be there – if only you have the strength to get yourself through the hard parts at the beginning.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Taking Risks, While Making Money With Your Business
At sometime in everyone's life, they dream of being their own boss, owning their own company. The trick to being your own boss is to enjoy what you are doing and making money at the same time. Starting your own business as a risk, but learning to minimize the risks is using your head.
Evaluate your talents. Select a career that uses your creativity and talent helps insure your chance of success. Doing what you enjoy will prolong your interest in your work. It also guarantees that what you are doing is not exactly like anyone else. Stepping out on your own means no more company benefits. One of the biggest benefits is insurance. Select several insurance policies to protect you for different areas of your business, Make sure you get enough life insurance to cover your family's obligations, if something should happen to you. Disability insurance is good in case of illnesses or accidents. Some insurance companies give discounts for multiple policies. Taking a partner will help minimize the risk of starting your own business. Find someone who shares your passions and skills. A friend or acquaintance who enjoys doing what you enjoy makes a great business partner.
Do your research. Explore different possibilities. Is one side of town better than another? Do you want to use your home ass your home base or rent a place? Which fabric works better, ca everyone use this product, etc. Using other peoples experiences will reduce your chances of failure. Get rid of all your negative thoughts. Relax. Be optimistic. Focus your thoughts towards setting and obtaining your goals. Learn to prioritize your time, money and abilities. While spending a great deal of your time working towards your goal, take some time for yourself. By doing this, you won't become burnt out.
Do you need luck to succeed? Maybe a little, but don't depend on it. Get some training in areas that you don't necessarily know, such as accounting or management. Make a yearly plan and reexamine it periodically. Luck is a matter of odds. Do what you can to improve yours. Learn to act accordingly, in times of uncertainty. It doesn't hurt to play it a little safe at the beginning. Start out with small risks, then move to larger ones. Items that seem impossible at first, may seem smaller with time and more experience. Get some feedback from others. You never know when a good idea will surface from a comment made in passing.
Take that jump, step out to a new future. Just remember to plan, organize and work hard. Most of all stop dreaming and make that dream a reality.
Evaluate your talents. Select a career that uses your creativity and talent helps insure your chance of success. Doing what you enjoy will prolong your interest in your work. It also guarantees that what you are doing is not exactly like anyone else. Stepping out on your own means no more company benefits. One of the biggest benefits is insurance. Select several insurance policies to protect you for different areas of your business, Make sure you get enough life insurance to cover your family's obligations, if something should happen to you. Disability insurance is good in case of illnesses or accidents. Some insurance companies give discounts for multiple policies. Taking a partner will help minimize the risk of starting your own business. Find someone who shares your passions and skills. A friend or acquaintance who enjoys doing what you enjoy makes a great business partner.
Do your research. Explore different possibilities. Is one side of town better than another? Do you want to use your home ass your home base or rent a place? Which fabric works better, ca everyone use this product, etc. Using other peoples experiences will reduce your chances of failure. Get rid of all your negative thoughts. Relax. Be optimistic. Focus your thoughts towards setting and obtaining your goals. Learn to prioritize your time, money and abilities. While spending a great deal of your time working towards your goal, take some time for yourself. By doing this, you won't become burnt out.
Do you need luck to succeed? Maybe a little, but don't depend on it. Get some training in areas that you don't necessarily know, such as accounting or management. Make a yearly plan and reexamine it periodically. Luck is a matter of odds. Do what you can to improve yours. Learn to act accordingly, in times of uncertainty. It doesn't hurt to play it a little safe at the beginning. Start out with small risks, then move to larger ones. Items that seem impossible at first, may seem smaller with time and more experience. Get some feedback from others. You never know when a good idea will surface from a comment made in passing.
Take that jump, step out to a new future. Just remember to plan, organize and work hard. Most of all stop dreaming and make that dream a reality.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Should You Attend Home Business Seminars When Starting A Business?
When a person is getting ready to start a business, whether a home-based business or one in the traditional brick and mortar building, they should consider attending business seminars. Regardless of the amount of experience they have, there are always things to be learned from others. The type of business being started there are numerous common issues that all businesses will face and professionals offering advice may be able to present new points of view for old problems.
For those beginning a business for the first time, the best seminar they can attend would be on time management, learning how effectively to share time between the business and the family. Developing an efficient work-life balance will not only benefit the business but may also save a marriage and other family relationships. Everyone knows that when a new business is started there is a lot of work to be done, and the owner will spend more time working for themselves than when working for someone else, but learning how to manage the time can help save a lot of stress.
Making decisions will be vital part of every business and while some may seem insignificant, such as where to buy copy paper, others may have an impact on more than only the person making the decision. The attitude of being the business owner and only their opinion matters will not last long in the business environment. Attending home business seminars when starting a business can show how some decisions may affect suppliers and customers as well as employees. By attending decision-making seminars the best ways to communicate the changes can be learned.
Many times when running your home business there will be some issues that may seem pretty complex and difficult to solve. Business seminars on problem solving can outline ways to see problems from different angles and approach them from different perspectives in order to each a conclusion that will benefit all the people affected by the decision. Additionally, with business seminars you can also learn how effectively to brainstorm with others to reach a conclusion and develop a plan to fix the problem.
One of the most important parts of operating a home business is communications since most of it may be by telephone or email and effectively communicating your point on any issue will help insure others understand the point being made. Communications seminars can also be related to family members, especially when the line because I said so does not work anymore.
Creativity and changes in the workplace are also typically offered for business owners to help them through the progress of business growth. Whether through self-development courses or group business seminars, every business owner should take advantage of every opportunity to learn more about the basics as well as the fine points of running a home business.
For those beginning a business for the first time, the best seminar they can attend would be on time management, learning how effectively to share time between the business and the family. Developing an efficient work-life balance will not only benefit the business but may also save a marriage and other family relationships. Everyone knows that when a new business is started there is a lot of work to be done, and the owner will spend more time working for themselves than when working for someone else, but learning how to manage the time can help save a lot of stress.
Making decisions will be vital part of every business and while some may seem insignificant, such as where to buy copy paper, others may have an impact on more than only the person making the decision. The attitude of being the business owner and only their opinion matters will not last long in the business environment. Attending home business seminars when starting a business can show how some decisions may affect suppliers and customers as well as employees. By attending decision-making seminars the best ways to communicate the changes can be learned.
Many times when running your home business there will be some issues that may seem pretty complex and difficult to solve. Business seminars on problem solving can outline ways to see problems from different angles and approach them from different perspectives in order to each a conclusion that will benefit all the people affected by the decision. Additionally, with business seminars you can also learn how effectively to brainstorm with others to reach a conclusion and develop a plan to fix the problem.
One of the most important parts of operating a home business is communications since most of it may be by telephone or email and effectively communicating your point on any issue will help insure others understand the point being made. Communications seminars can also be related to family members, especially when the line because I said so does not work anymore.
Creativity and changes in the workplace are also typically offered for business owners to help them through the progress of business growth. Whether through self-development courses or group business seminars, every business owner should take advantage of every opportunity to learn more about the basics as well as the fine points of running a home business.
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