I’m asked, “What is the most effective way to market my business?” so much, I’ve started referring to it as the “magic bullet” question. If you want to know how to get the biggest bang for your marketing dollar, ignore that ad man who keeps calling and forget about those humorous postcards you’ve been considering sending. Instead, focus on these three ways: Read more…
I talked previously about How To Write A Business Plan. This article will be a bit longer and more detailed.
A business plan is your road map to success. Think about it. We plan all our major life events: vacations, weddings, buying a house, retirement - even what will happen to our assets when we die. We plan so we and others working with us understand what we want to accomplish and have an idea of how we’ll go about accomplishing it. Why should your business be any different?
Your business plan is your model for how you do business. It’s a document that anyone can pick up and understand where your business currently is, where you hope to be in the future, and what steps you’ll take to get there. That may sound like common sense, but many entrepreneurs get bogged down in the details of writing a 50-page plan with their business plan software, crank out a massive document, and file it away, never to look at it again. Read more…
Thinking long term when you spend most of your days putting out fires can be challenging. It’s easy to push tasks without firm deadlines aside when your customers and clients demand service now, your family hasn’t seen you in days, and your friends think you’re nuts for quitting your high-paying job to struggle on your own.
The truth is that to be an entrepreneur, you need thick skin and control over your own inner critic. You’ll have to throw away your big book of excuses and take 100 percent responsibility for your business’ success. And you’ll need a strong sense of autonomy (the ability to govern yourself). Read more…
How to set up and structure a business isn’t the only myth circulating about business. Here are a few more misconceptions based on common sense yet not true: Read more…
The biggest myth about business is that all it takes to run a successful company is common sense. “How hard can it be?” you might ask. The truth is that many of the characteristics of successful businesses run contrary to what common sense might dictate.
While many people dream of being their own boss, setting their own hours, and raking in money, the truth is that most people don’t create a business - they create a glorified job for themselves. The problem is - if you are your business, you don’t have a business but the worst job in the world. Let me explain … Read more…
If you’ve been thinking about quitting your job and starting your own business, you’re not alone. Survey after survey reveals that anywhere from 50-75 percent of Americans dream of doing just that. Entrepreneurship offers the flexibility to set your own hours, to quit by 3 p.m. to pick up your kids, to be in charge of your earning potential, to choose projects you love and want to work on, and to promote products and services you strongly believe in.
And many people do take that step forward. The Small Business Association estimates there are at least 20 million solo business ventures that generate annual receipts of $1 trillion. Two million people become self-employed each year - and many start their businesses with less than $5000 in start-up capital. Read more…