ArticlesTop 8 Gifts For Entrepreneurs This Holiday Season Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 Racking your brain for the perfect gift for the favorite entrepreneur in your life? Regardless of how successful they are yet or not and how difficult you think they are to pick something for you will find something in the following list that fits just right. If you are an entrepreneur then leave this article open on your screen for your other half to find … Keeping Your Business Rolling During The Holidays Tuesday, November 29th, 2011 While the approaching holiday season has great potential for increased revenues for businesses in all industries sometimes the biggest challenge isn’t capturing a share of the shopping frenzy but keeping your operations running so that you can take advantage of it. Entreprenuers and small business owners should absolutely allow themselves sometime to enjoy the freedom that running their own enterprises should offer but sadly many simply … Small Business Has The Upper Hand In The Era Of The Consumer Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 Whether marketers and business leaders realize it or not we have quietly slipped into the ‘era of the consumer’. The days of creating and forcing products and services on the public and hoping to forge successful corporations are fading away. Consumers are now in control. They are dictating what they want to see developed, how they want it to look and how and when they … Tips For Crafting Your 2012 Marketing Plan Monday, November 21st, 2011 With the new year fast approaching, time for crafting a winning marketing plan is running out. Even forward thinking organizations that have planned 5, 10 or even 100 years into the future need to reevaluate their strategies and put specific action plans into motion in order to see the best results throughout 2012. Crafting a winning marketing plan for the New Year is about far more … 5 Tips For Attracting & Working With Strategic Marketing Partners Tuesday, November 15th, 2011 Strategic marketing partnerships, joint ventures and affiliate marketing arrangements providing cross promotion opportunities offer some of the best returns and widest reach for small business owners today. However, there is only one shot at making the right first impression and it pays to hone your targeting for the maximum ROI. So check out the following 5 tips for getting the most out of your efforts … Why Steve Jobs And Mark Zuckerberg Have Really Been So Successful Monday, November 14th, 2011 There are few entrepreneurs and business owners who wouldn’t want to bottle and down the magic secrets of success that Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg seemed to have tapped into, if they could. There is one thing that they both have in common that has really helped them develop dominating companies. No, it isn’t a super gene or just a ridiculously high IQ, a great education, … Quality VS Profit Margins For New Entrepreneurs Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 There is so much focus on starting up new businesses for the least amount of money, outsourcing offshore for the fewest pennies possible and restricting customer service in order to save money and automate, quality seems to be almost forgotten. Innovation and creativity are great, streamlined business models which allow you to work minimal hours are fantastic and seeking out the most cost effective marketing methods … Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 Despite dramatic changes in the world of business, in regulations and in consumer’s shopping habits and behaviors far too many business owners are failing to embrace the most effective and profitable marketing methods. Both new entrepreneurs and those who have owned or managed businesses in the past continue to assume that they need to launch large scale, outbound marketing campaigns in order to hunt down customers … Tips For Building A Profitable Affiliate Network Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011 There is no question that building an affiliate network is a great way to promote and grow your business. If done right you will be hard pressed to find a more cost effective and rapid way to market and scale your operation. Unfortunately most entrepreneurs greatly underestimate what it takes to really build a profitable affiliate network. First off, you need to recognize that just spawning … How Will The 2011 Holiday Season Affect Your Business? Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 For those who have recently started their own businesses it is extremely important to plan for the fall and winter holiday season. Each industry is not only effected by macroeconomic issues but annual business cycles as well. So are you ready for the 2011 holidays? Recognize that here are both positives and negatives that come with the extended holiday season we are entering now and you … The 2 Real Reasons American Businesses Don’t Last Wednesday, October 26th, 2011 The opportunity and ability to easily launch your own venture is one of the best things about this country and one of the reasons it continues to be the number one choice of people worldwide who are looking to relocate. However, the high rate of small business failures in the US is no secret. Why is this and how can you avoid becoming one of … How Much Money Do I Need To Start A Business, Really? Tuesday, October 25th, 2011 Starting a business is increasingly becoming an incredibly attractive proposition if not the only choice for many Americans today. There are endless types of businesses you can start but if there is one thing we should have learnt from the recent economic crash it is that it pays to be well capitalized. So how much money do you really need to start your own business? According … Earning Customer Loyalty: It’s A Lot Like Marriage Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 Winning a customer should just be the beginning of an extremely profitable relationship. It is much more cost effective to keep that customer and retain their repeat business over a lifetime than constantly relying on getting new ones. You could say earning and maintaining customer loyalty is a lot like maintaining a great marriage. If you break it down to dollars and cents it is going … Reputation Management: When Things Go Wrong Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 As a business owner it doesn’t matter how great you are at what you do, sooner or later something won’t go quite as well as you planned or someone will be unhappy with your product of service. It is what you do in these situations that makes all the difference. You can head off many issues by setting the right expectations. Sometimes they may not be … How To Build An Effective Outsourced Team Monday, October 17th, 2011 With outsourcing now clearly essential for all businesses, especially new start ups entrepreneurs are rushing to build teams of remote workers. However, rushing in and hiring a small army of freelancers for the array of tasks you need done can lead to chaos in your organization. You must hire carefully and remember that while outsourcing means big savings quality is still more important than quantity. There … 7 Tips For Drafting Your First Marketing Budget Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 Throwing together a marketing budget is easy but if you really want to ensure the success of a new enterprise you will take the time to do your homework and create a marketing budget that doesn’t just look good on paper but will really maximize your resources and revenues. Let’s take a look at a few tips for creating a great marketing budget. 1. Using The … 5 Mobile Marketing Strategies You Can Launch This Month Monday, October 10th, 2011 Mobile marketing isn’t just a hip new fad. If you aren’t developing a mobile marketing plan for your business you could soon find you are left far behind. If you aren’t there on the spot when your customers need your type of product of service someone else will be right in the palm of their hands. 1. Optimize Your Website Optimizing your website for the mobile web … Crippled By Procrastination? How To Overcome It Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 While many entrepreneurs are prone to rushing ahead boldly and without thorough planning others suffer from procrastination. The action types often simply can’t fathom how others allow themselves to be held back by procrastination. However, some find that they are quite literally crippled by procrastination. Others may see it as pure laziness, though often it is due to a lack of inspiration and motivation. You know … 7 Business Lessons From The World Of Dating Monday, October 3rd, 2011 In business we often surrounded by metaphors from battle. After all, which entrepreneur doesn’t have at least one book on the Art of War by Sun Tzu. However, we can also learn just as much about sales and prospecting from dating and relationships. In fact with the way business and marketing is changing you could be much better served ‘dating’ your prospects, than trying to … Entrepreneurship: How Much Risk To Take Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 As an aspiring entrepreneur you often find yourself bombarded by advice telling you to risk it all, put everything on the line and go for the gold. Is this wise? It is true that there are many incredible success stories of entrepreneurs who have gambled everything and have won. They bet the house, the car and every penny they had and it paid off. We are … The Real Deal: Obama’s Jobs Plan VS Your Hiring Needs Wednesday, September 21st, 2011 Obama’s new jobs plan has been hogging most of the headlines lately, so what does it really mean for small businesses? Should you be starting a flurry of hiring, or perhaps not just yet? Last month unemployment rates rose in most parts of the country. While the nationwide unemployment rate remains at 9.1% it is certainly much worse than that in many areas. Nevada’s sits at … Is It Really Worth Hiring A Business Coach? Tuesday, September 20th, 2011 It is common knowledge that the most successful entrepreneurs and business owners all take advantage of regular coaching and mentoring. Though no one can blame you for being skeptical of forking over precious start up capital for coaching just when you are launching a new venture and every penny counts. The difference is that these winners know that coaching is absolutely critical to coming out … Poor Management Leading Cause Of Economic Downfall? Thursday, September 15th, 2011 There is still a lot of blame being thrown around about who or what was responsible for the demise of the economy and why small businesses are continuing to fail. However, when you look around town today, the truth is that many shuttered companies got that way simply due to poor management. You can argue about what the best management style is all day long, whether … The Lemonade Stand Is Dead: Teaching Your Kids Entrepreneurship Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 Apparently the good old lemonade stand has been made illegal! In fact worse than just getting shut down kids and their families are actually receiving fines if they are caught. Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be any more silly regulations to be enforced right? So how do you teach your kids about entrepreneurship if they can’t put up a lemonade stand? It is clear … Surviving & Capitalizing On A 2nd Economic Dip Wednesday, September 7th, 2011 The new job numbers that were just released showing zero growth are believed by many to spell the beginning of a new second dip in the economy. Don’t panic! This could be a great opportunity for you to grow your business and come out on top. Surviving Another Economic Downturn The good news is that you can see it coming and you can prepare. Keep a healthy … Hurricane Preparedness For Your Business Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 This year’s hurricane season is far from over. There may be little you can do to stop a hurricane from barreling down on your home town but there is a lot you can do to not only protect your business but to capitalize on the situation as well. You will find many resources on preparing your home and protecting your brick and mortar office from damage … 4 Ways To Kill The Productivity Of Your Outsourced Business Thursday, September 1st, 2011 Outsourcing has obviously emerged not only as a better way to do business but quite clearly the only way to run a highly profitable, streamlined operation for most entrepreneurs. However, you must watch out for productivity killers that can quickly sap your organization from the inside if overlooked. So keep these five items in mind in order to maintain a highly efficient, motivated and effective … Choosing The Optimal Workspace For Your Venture Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 So you are planning on launching your own start up or are just getting a new venture off the ground, what is the optimal workspace? For many opening a brick and mortar office or retail store can be an exciting proposition. Going shopping for space and equipment and decorating it can be fun. However, this does not mean that you will be more profitable. In fact, … Entrepreneurs: Why Delegating Isn’t Working For You Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 As small business owners we are constantly told that we need to be delegating and outsourcing in order t o maximize our time, results, income and business growth. So why does it often seem so hard to successfully delegate tasks in your business and to find competent help that can really get things done to your standard? It is this struggle that has small business owners … Why Most New Businesses Really Fail Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 Believe it or not it isn’t a lack of funding, knowledge, bad luck or market conditions that kill most small businesses. What really, ultimately causes that demise of most start ups is the fatigue and loss of passion for the venture that sets in from long hours week after week and doing tasks that are really un-enjoyable. Once you lose that drive and passion for your … Why Your Product or Service Is Destined To Be A Flop! Tuesday, August 16th, 2011 Starting a business, creating a product or launching a service and only then beginning to consider your marketing or trying to figure out who will buy it is a sure way to make it a flop. Unfortunately it is still being done by aspiring ‘entrepreneurs’ everyday. People are writing books, registering companies and starting on building websites and spending years programming only to run into a … 10 Ways To Boost Your Creativity & Innovate Thinking Monday, August 15th, 2011 Whether you are trying to figure out how you can launch your business idea on a tight budget, out manoeuvre your competitors, attract more customers or just enjoy more free time without sacrificing revenues an enhanced ability to innovate and think creatively is invaluable. Check out these 10 ways to boost your ability to innovate and come up with creative solutions for your business by challenging … Monday, August 8th, 2011 Many of you who are desperate to break free from your corporate chains and be your own boss may be wondering whether buying a franchise is a good way to go instead of launching your own business. So what’s best? If you aren’t really sure what you want to do, you just know that you want to be the boss then perhaps franchising is for you. … Creating A Social Media Marketing Plan Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 There is no question that social media is an essential part of any business today. Even if you ignore the obvious advantages social media offers for marketing you can’t ignore the need to use it for managing your reputation, maintaining credibility and attracting the best talent. Whatever you use it for and however you use it you need to have a real plan or you … How Much Money Do I Really Need For My Start Up? Monday, August 1st, 2011 So you want to launch your own business? Tired of being chained to your corporate job but not sure how much you are really going to need to ensure you can get your idea off the ground and make it a success? Certainly the last thing you want is to run short on funds right before you strike success, though you may also discover that you … Are You Really Building A Business, Or Just Another Job? Tuesday, July 26th, 2011 So you are planning to break free of your corporate job and go it alone or you already have, but it seems like you are still working too many hours. The question you need to be asking is ‘Are you really building a business, or just another job?’. It could be a great job that you are creating for yourself and a much better one than … 5 Reasons You Really Should Be Outsourcing Monday, July 25th, 2011 We have all heard about how outsourcing can help SMEs reduce payroll costs and help new entrepreneurs striking out on their own launch their ventures faster by hiring cheap, remote team members. While this may be what spikes the most interest in outsourcing it is really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits and advantages. Let’s take a look at … How To Really Use Social Media For Real Results Tuesday, July 19th, 2011 Yes, social media presents some of the most powerful and cost effective means of marketing today, especially for small businesses. However it is still incredibly amazing to see so many entrepreneurs and business owners approaching it in completely the wrong way. If you look at 100 Facebook fan pages today you will probably be lucky to find one or two really doing it right. Still you … Small Business Success: Creativity VS Metrics Monday, July 18th, 2011 What is the key to launching a successful small business? The type that not only has the potential to provide you a comfortable lifestyle but one that can explode into a major, dynamic, game changing enterprise and deliver real wealth and financial freedom? Balancing creativity and solid business sense. If you are like many other budding entrepreneurs out there you probably see business ideas and opportunities at … Career & Startup Advice From Richard Branson Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 If you are looking for business or career tips then it is certainly worth taking note of Richard Branson’s advice. Not only has he amassed billions in wealth and is responsible for starting some of the most recognizable brands today but he obviously knows how to enjoy it too. In fact if there is one thing to really learn from Richard Branson is that being successful … Balancing Multiple Brands VS Keeping It Under One Umbrella Tuesday, July 12th, 2011 You probably have a number of ideas for multiple products, services and business ideas, so should you be launching them separately under a network of different brands or keeping it all consolidated to one? The lure of having multiple brands and companies can be strong and especially play to the entrepreneurs ego. However, as with everything else that determines your business success you should look to … Business Building: Does In Person Networking Still Make Sense? Monday, July 11th, 2011 In a high tech world where it is virtually possible to survive and run a business over the web without ever leaving your bedroom, does in person, face to face networking still make sense? Of course some will argue that in person networking is now obsolete and is completely unnecessary. Certainly with social networking and how comfortable people are now with doing business via their mobile … Tips For Online Reputation Management Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 The Internet has become both a great blessing and a curse to entrepreneurs at the same time. While the Internet has made marketing and branding a breeze it has also meant that negative information about you is much more likely to exist and be found. So what can you do about it? The first step in managing and protecting your online reputation is to find out … Your Marketing Isn’t Working: Time To Give Up? Tuesday, June 28th, 2011 Not getting the results and return you expected from your marketing campaigns? Could it just be time to give up and admit defeat? Marketing is one of the most important elements of every new business and it can also be one of the most challenging. New business owners set out to test their marketing strategy and often launch themselves into new advertising channels that they are … Missing Out On The Most Affordable & Effective Marketing Channels? Monday, June 27th, 2011 Many businesses are finding marketing tougher today and those who are launching new ventures often find is difficult to make sense of just what works and what channels they should be pursuing. So could you be missing out on the most cost effective and productive marketing methods available right now? There are many types of marketing that do work and to a great extent which ones … The Pitfalls Of Outsourcing & How To Conquer Them Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 Outsourcing is no longer just a great way to get ahead of the competition, lower your overhead, get access to better talent and boost your profit margins. Today outsourcing is critical for any small business who wants to survive and flourish. However, there are a few pitfalls to watch out for and a few quirks you will have to get used to in order to … Bartering Your Way To A Better Brand Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 Winning in business today requires being incredibly resourceful. For those launching new ventures or who are stuck and need a little kick start to get to the next level building a more recognizable brand and getting more visibility for your brand is … Is Personal Branding Really Wise for The New Start Up? Tuesday, June 14th, 2011 One of the biggest decisions that entrepreneurs face with new start ups is whether to go for the big corporate look and appear bigger than they actually are or whether to invest in personal branding. So which is better? No matter where you turn on the web today it seems all advice points to going with the personal branding route. However, it has perhaps always been … Mobile Marketing Stats & What They Mean To You Monday, June 13th, 2011 Thinking of launching a mobile marketing campaign for your business or have been sitting on the sidelines wondering whether it is really worth getting involved in? Check out the following mobile statistics and decide for yourself… ● There are now over 5.3 billion phones in use ● Over 25% of these are smartphones ● Over 3 billion mobile phones are SMS enabled ● By 2013 mobile … 5 Ideas For Engaging Your Prospects On The Web Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 Everyone is talking about ‘engaging’ your prospects on the Internet these days in order to really get the most out of your social media and generate new leads and customers, but how do you do it? Check out the following 5 ideas for engaging your prospects online for better online marketing success… Foursquare Check-Ins The 7 Keys To Getting More Of What You Want From Your Business Friday, June 3rd, 2011 Do you want more from your business? Perhaps you want more customers, more revenues, more profits, more fame or just more free time? Whatever it is that you want more of you can have when you apply the following seven keys to getting more to your business. What are they? 1. Grand Vision All too often entrepreneurs and business owners get caught up in what is going … The Key To A Bigger Bottom Line For Your Business Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 There are really only two ways to improve your business’ bottom line. This is either increasing income or lowering your expenses in relation to your income. So how can you really add some more zeros to your bottom line and take home more money from your business each month? Decreasing your outgoing expenses can make a big difference to your bottom line. However many businesses confuse … Why A Dream Isn’t Enough To Succeed In Business Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 If you have been researching starting your own business or are a fan of motivational speakers you have probably been told again and again that all you have to do is have a dream and believe and you can make it happen. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is going to take a little more than that. Yes, having a dream, believing in it and … Executive Business Coach Chuck Boyce: Marketing Success On Facebook Is All About Being More Likeable Thursday, May 19th, 2011 Attracting new fans, gaining real customers and realizing true success through marketing on Facebook isn’t about having the slickest sales messages. Leading brands, both personal and corporate have found their best success by simply becoming more ‘likeable’. Executive Business Coach Chuck Boyce: Lessons In Business Success From Muhammad Ali Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 Whether you like boxing or not there is no question that Muhammad Ali still remains a respected figure when it comes to becoming a champion and achieving great success. So what can you learn from him and apply in your own business in order to realize your own great success? Let’s look at two quotes from Muhammad Ali:
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