1. More Time

There is no entrepreneur, no matter how efficient who doesn’t crave more time. While you may not be able to pull more time out of thin air or get a sweet deal on it at midnight on Black Friday you may be able to find a way to give them some more free time which they can use to focus on their businesses.

2. iPad2

No self-respecting entrepreneur should be seen without a great tablet in the New Year. They are perfect for getting more done and closing more deals which will of course give them more money to treat you during the holidays.

3. Coaching

Sense that the entrepreneur in your life is facing some hurdles with getting their business idea off the ground or could just do so much more to realize their full potential with a little extra help? When not give them the gift of business coaching for the New Year?

4. Smartphones

Winning in business today is all about being connected and becoming a social media champion. So whether your entrepreneur hasn’t invested in one for themselves yet or they need an upgrade you can’t go wrong with buying them the latest smartphone.

5. A Massage

Being so driven to achieve and accomplish entrepreneurs rarely give themselves time to kick back or be pampered nearly enough. Treat them to a massage or day at the spa and they will thank you endlessly for the rejuvenating effects it has on both them and their businesses.

6. Vanity Numbers

Vanity numbers pack many powerful benefits for small business owners but they also make great presents. Plus this way you know that you will always be able to reach them whether they are forging new deals in China or lounging on the beach in the Bahamas.

7. Gym Membership

Great entrepreneurs know that a healthy body and regular workouts equal a healthy mind and higher productivity. Unfortunately they still often suffer from feeling guilty about taking time out for the gym or struggle to make time for it.

8. A WordPress Makeover

Many entrepreneurs are frustrated with their current WordPress themes and know that if only they could improve them a little their businesses would really take off, so why not give the gift of endless returns and give them the cash they need to invest in a WordPress remodel.

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 aren’t set up to keep operations rolling unless they are constantly in the loop. If you can relate to this and as much as you would like to head of for some skiing or just take a couple days of quality time with the family you just can’t bear to tear yourself away due to the fear things will fall apart perhaps a restructure is in order. Maybe one of your top priorities between now and the New Year should be to get with a great coach and assess how you can reorganize so that this time next year you can be confident in your business running smoothly while you jet off for a month of well deserved rest and relaxation.

In the meantime look at some of the tools which you can implement immediately in order to realize more freedom and enhance your operations. This includes things like toll free numbers which can not only help your organization stand out from the competition during this critical time but which can be used for ensuring seamless communications no matter what the season throws at you. Using the latest call forwarding and routing options you can stay connected wherever you travel without missing a beat and be prepared to switch incoming calls to new phone agents at a moment’s notice so there is never a risk of downtime.

If you haven’t begun outsourcing yet then this is the perfect opportunity. Experiment with a virtual assistant to help you get more down and to cover for you while you are taking a few hours off. Then keep a few remote workers on call to pick up the slack if you are over whelmed with orders or another staff member falls sick. Note this is also a great way to keep operations rolling when team members request time off for the holidays without having to be the orge and deny them or let things grind to a halt.

Finally, don’t forget to make your team feel appreciated and valued during the holidays it will go a long way to keeping up productivity this year and keeping them around until next year despite attempts by your competitors to lure them away.

While super sized organizations with huge ad budgets and political connections may be able to continue to shape the way people think and perceive to some extent small businesses will undoubtedly have the upper hand in the next few years for a number of reasons.

For a start small businesses are far better positioned to pivot in order to take advantage of new opportunities and jump on emerging trends. We may have already seen some dramatic changes in the business world over the last few years but with the speed at which new technology is developing we are likely to see many more in the next 5 years.

Perhaps the biggest advantage that small businesses command in the era of the consumer is that they are closer to the consumer and better understand what they want. Too many top level CEOs at giant conglomerations are so sheltered from reality and what is going on in the trenches that they are simply not equipped to make truly educated decisions.

While big business may still be able to command control of Superbowl ads, telemarketing and TV commercials these marketing methods are fast becoming obsolete. The equalizer comes in the form of social media which allows entrepreneurs and small businesses to reach every Internet user on the planet for virtually the same amount as big companies. However, smaller companies are not weighed down or held back by huge legal departments and policies which hinder larger competitors from being effective in social forums and prevent them from making that personal connection that social media is all about.

Last but not least, as the economy improves and hiring picks up smart entrepreneurs will be able to get the jump on larger competitors weighed down with slow HR departments and will be able to lock down the best talent and provide them with working environments and perks that will make them stay.

However, on a personal level the real question here is not who will make the most money but whether individuals want to gamble on a corporate job with an organization that is no more solid that a house of cards or take control of their own destiny and financial future by starting their own enterprises?

Crafting a winning marketing plan for the New Year is about far more than just creating a budget for general advertising channels and forecasting returns and cash flow needs. An effective marketing plan that will trump the competition and realize the maximum ROI means taking into account the varying cycles and trends that will determine advertising effectiveness as well as the creation of a well-defined step by step action plan.

Beyond the macroeconomic business cycles which have made themselves so evident today, every industry has its own cycles that need to be accounted for as well as seasonal trends and special events like the November Presidential Election which can also mean anomalies which can help or hurt. Planning for these factors is even more essential for new business owners who may not have experienced them first hand yet. Entrepreneurs with new enterprises need to know when the busiest times of year will be for them in terms of sales and weight their budgets accordingly in order to see the maximum returns on their budgets.

2012 more than any other year so far will bring more advances in technology and how consumers will interact with brands resulting in a widening divide between those who are on top of them and those still chained to out of date marketing methods. Moving forward mobile marketing and content marketing will become more important as will utilizing the most advanced cloud computing solutions and communication tools.

Knowing what marketing campaigns and channels you will be using in February, November and December next year now will enable organizations to begin hiring the right people, laying out design, brainstorming slogans and even testing so that when the time comes no mistakes will be made due to rushing and maximum advertising effectiveness can be achieved.

Business owners should be taking the time now to formulate a step by step action plan, working backwards in order to accurately assess what needs to be done when in order to stay on track. Those who are really serious about staying ahead of the competition will be strategizing ways to throw off the competition, distract them and make catching up more expensive so that their true target market segments are open and easily dominated.

1. Who Else Is Marketing To Your Ideal Prospects?

When seeking out strategic partners to collaborate with the first question you should be asking yourself is who else is already marketing to or has a following made up of your ideal prospects. This immediately limits the huge amount of time it can take to add to your own list, while simultaneously shaving marketing costs.

2. Non Competing Products

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that banging on the doors of your competitors and trying to get them to promote your product or service is just going to waste time and budget. Still, many small businesses are failing to target correctly and are doing just this. There can be synergy with companies who are in unrelated businesses but who are marketing to the same people you want to reach. However the easiest closes are often those within the same industry who get to double up on revenue by selling your product along with theirs whether it is bundled or an upsell.

3. What’s In It For Them

Your opening ought to be what you can do for them, not what they can do for you. Whether you are telemarketing, emailing or networking in person take a second to thin about what is most important to any potential partners and how you can help them solve it.

4. Breaking The Ice

It should be relatively easily to turn current business contacts and vendors into marketing partners, however they do not all necessarily have the lists or followings you want. At the same time reaching out to complete strangers can be profitable but also time consuming, with lots of nos for every yes. Consider breaking the ice or attracting other businesses to you using social media instead.

5. Be Prepared

Don’t just try and wing it. You only have once chance to come across as someone who they would want to partner with. So have a plan or program and stats on what you can do for them, or at least a good pitch. Make it easy and have materials ready for them to send out or affiliate links and software ready to roll or you will lose them if you appear unorganized or miss deadlines.

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, perseverance, a gift for getting technology or access to start up capital.

What has made Apple and Facebook different and has played a large role in their successes was the vision to create products and a business that would change the world and leave a lasting footprint, not just a focus on making the next dollar.

It is this macro, global vision that enabled them to develop these organizations into the behaviour shaping giants they are today. For new business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, this doesn’t necessary mean that you have to want to take over the world in order to be successful and of course many cannot afford to simply pump endless dollars into their organizations for years before turning a profit. However, the one lesson that all can take away from this, regardless of how high their goals reach is to follow what they are truly passionate about above chasing the next month’s paycheck without consideration of future revenues.

There are many articles and books on finding your passion and turning it into a viable and profitable business, though perhaps Steve Jobs simplified the process the best in one of his quotes. It is said that he looked in the mirror every day and asked himself, if this was his last day alive would we want to be doing what he was doing. So what is it that you would want to be doing or working towards if you new you had limited time left on this planet and how would you fuel your ability to do that?

With this said, you can bet that both Mark and Steve employed a ton of testing, tweaking and paid a lot of attention to the details in order to see their visions become reality. So find your driving passion and fountain of ongoing motivation but recognize that it is also going to take planning and dedication to constant improvement and great marketing to get you where you want to go. So check the mirror and decide what you are going to dominate today.

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 is smart. However, even in a virtual world of e-products quality may be the real key to success.

People don’t mind paying more for quality. In fact you will find that they would much rather pay a little extra in order to get the best or at least the most reliable option and to be treated right. This means it really doesn’t cost you more or really mean lower profits in order to deliver higher quality, it pays for itself. This is especially true for entrepreneurs wanting to work less hours. Obviously the more dollars in per unit shipped means the less transactions you need to do.

Need more proof that quality is more essential to your success than operating on the lowest expenses? Look at most of the biggest and most famous names and brands of this century. Would you rather have a Kia or a BMW? Look at how fashion designers and alcoholic beverage producers have shunned rappers who have taken up their brands. What about Donald Trump? He enjoys his fame and a shot at the White House from always doing it bigger, better and more expensive. Even Michael Jackson, love him or hate him, didn’t just stay ahead because of his voice but because he demanded the best of every element that went into his productions from the technical equipment to the teams manning the cameras and lights.

More and more discount companies are moving away from competing on price, even those who launched based on being the cheap option. A great example of this is Zip Realty who emerged as the discount real estate broker, advertising and building a brand on big rebates. Now they have decided that discounts are not a deciding factor in who consumers are choosing to do business with and are focusing on building up quality.

This doesn’t even take into account the amazing referral benefits that a quality on focus brings. This provides the absolute cheapest cost per lead and is the easiest business to close.

Ask yourself what you want your legacy to be, what you want to be known for building and what your real goals are. Purely focusing on cash in the door now may be necessary to some extent but poor customer service and product quality is going to mean always having to be busy trying to win new business instead of being sought out and in demand because of your reputation.

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 and win business. This includes marketing strategies like telemarketing, door-to-door sales, TV commercials, bulk SMS and direct mail. While there is certainly still a place for these types of marketing and they can work they are certainly, perhaps no longer the most cost effective and efficient channels out there.

Consumers are tired of being bombarded by marketers and hard sales pitches. Even if they want and need what you have, too often the pitch is just a turn off. In contrast, inbound marketing focuses on getting in front of highly targeted prospects at the right place in the right time.  Not only is this a much more pleasant experience for both sides but it also means much higher returns on your marketing budget and in turn a lot more marketing for your money.

Inbound marketing includes social media, blogging, article marketing, press releases and video marketing. All of these clearly rely on one thing, content. It can be articles, blog posts, videos, white papers or podcasts but it is all content. Those business owners who master content marketing will not only be positioning themselves to win more business now, for less but also catapulting their organizations ahead of the competition.

So what should you know about content marketing and how can you become better at it? Know that great content marketing relies on quality, delivering value and targeting. Recognize that as the cornerstone of the majority of your future marketing efforts you shouldn’t underestimate the need for great writers. Hire the best and you will have the best marketing. Targeting means paying attention to keywords, titles, your style and tone and where you post your content.

However, do not overlook the need to organize your content into a focused funnel which propels readers and prospects closer to acquiring your goods and services. If you are new to this type of marketing strategy then don’t spread yourself too thin and take on too many channels and mediums at once. Instead focus on developing and master a couple and then expand as your revenues increase.

First off, you need to recognize that just spawning thousands of newbie, work from home affiliates isn’t always that profitable or wise. Having masses of affiliates who don’t send in business and just take up your time can be a big drain on you and your operation. What you want are affiliate partners who are going to produce. Once you have set up a well planned out and thorough program and have established your business online you can begin to attract professional super affiliates who can generate a huge amount of sales and revenues for you. So what do you need to get there?

Of course the first step is to define a product or action to promote, something that is easily measured, tracked and attractive for others to push for you. Then decide on an affiliate platform or software both for credibility and ease of management.

Affiliates can be found through affiliate platforms as well as through your own networking and marketing. Just keep in mind that the better you screen candidates and the more particular you are about who you accept the less resources you will expend per dollar earned. Good things to look for in quality partners is a good looking and relevant web presence with plenty of Internet marketing already being done. Checking for plenty of existing traffic and a sizable social media following is smart too.

In order to empower you affiliates to generate a high volume of sales you will also want to provide marketing materials and training. The easier you make it to promote your product or service the more likely it will happen and the better protected your brand will be. For marketing materials consider creating emails, web copy, blog posts, social media posts, banner and image ads and even white papers or widgets. When it comes to training and follow up, the more momentum you can build the better. Consider autoresponders, hiring a dedicated affiliate manager to continue to build relationships and even putting on webinars to provide additional information and build excitement.

Most importantly, make sure you get the word out out about your affiliate program and take a proactive approach to building your network if you want to add quality affiliates quickly.

Recognize that here are both positives and negatives that come with the extended holiday season we are entering now and you must adjust your strategies in order to capitalize of every opportunity.

You cannot afford to ignore these challenges and opportunities or you will find your organization suffering and giving way to the competition. Recognize that for those selling gift items then things can really heat up closer to Christmas. For others it is important to predict how others will be distracted by the various holiday starting with Halloween, then Thanksgiving and followed by Christmas and New Year’s Eve. If your product or service isn’t likely to be picked up as a gift or you are in the B2B market you may need to make one extra big push with your marketing now to get as many deals into the pipeline as possible before your prospects become too preoccupied.

On the other hand those in this boat will often be offering big discounts on their products and services as demand slows during late December through early January.This means great opportunities for you to get bargains on all types of services and products for your own business if you planned wisely enough to have extra cash on hand.

Entrepreneurs will also often find that the last week or two of the year can prove incredible frustrating to get anything done. Other vendors and service provider’s staff are going on vacation or customers keep on pushing off on making decisions until after the new year has kicked in. So after working incredibly hard in the run up to the holidays this is the perfect slot to book some well earned time off to get away or spend more quality time with your family. Don’t worry, unless you are in the hospitality industry you probably won’t be missing out on much revenue.

Regardless of your personal religious beliefs or normal observations of the above holidays recognize that the next couple of months offer an amazing number of networking opportunities. Join in others parties and festivities or host your own gatherings and entertainment. It is the perfect time to get to sit down with future partners or clients and connect on a personal level to forge strong strategic relationships for the coming new year.