Why Every Entrepreneur Needs a Blog
In this fast paced world, things are becoming more technical. We have entered the digital economy and most people nowadays are dealing with the largest network in this universe, the internet. Almost everybody, during week days, spend time in their offices in front of a computer, surfing and working through internet. During week ends, they are at their homes, still slumped in front of their laptops, desktops or tablets, spending their days off with what Facebook can offer them.
Gain Online Presence
At one point of your existence in the cyber world, you have ‘googled’ yourself (no need to deny it, I’ve done it myself). Google is probably the most checked site by everyone. It is fascinating that this site could know almost everything about anything.
If you want to be found by your target market, make yourself visible by putting up your website and market the products or services you offer. Make it more interesting by having a blog site as well. It is more convincing if the approach you use is on a first person basis, like talking directly to your niche. People greatly consider anecdotes and testimonials to support their decisions in acquiring your services or products.
Inform The Market
A blog site is meant to inform people. For example, you have this on-the-spot-promotion like some airlines do nowadays. You can easily do that kind of promotion to your blog site. Such announcements can be very viral that it can reach your whole market.
You can also use your blog to describe your products or services extensively. If some of the viewers would have comments or questions, you can respond to them immediately since you are the administrator of your own blog site. The Blog-Site is meant to inform both your market and you yourself as an entrepreneur. It’s a two way communication.
Co-relate With Other Entrepreneurs
One cannot grow without the help of other people. Competition is not always the case. Sometimes, an entrepreneur also needs new ideas or suggestions from some experts in the same field. Blog sites, being in a more personal approach, help entrepreneur bloggers to co-relate with each other. You can learn from them and vice-versa.
Having your own blog can help you gain more contacts, in connection, to your business or market niche. I believe everyone has the potential to be the next world renowned business tycoon. This only means that there are things that you know but others do not, sharing them through your blog will give you authority and people will look up to you for the great content that you share with them. Letting your business relationship grow helps you as a person and your being an entrepreneur. Your experiences can be a great deal of help to other upcoming entrepreneurs, or vice versa! Business people can benefit from having their own blog site. Not only they can inform their market about their products or services, but it can also offer relevant information to other businessmen who may need it.
One should not be satisfied with their current market reach. There are a lot or other mediums to reach out to potential clients, especially in the World Wide Web where people are online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Make entrepreneurship a more fulfilling experience by sharing your own experiences and ideas in your own blog site. Be an inspiration to many!
About the Author: Jessica Francisco is a cheerful 25-year-old with an odd sense of fun. The least of her broad range of hobbies include swimming, hiking and listening to the music of Michael Jackson. Jessica is also one of the editors of Luke Roxas.
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To Startup or Not To Startup? Five Things to Consider Before Launching Your Own Company
Why start your own business? After all, it may be one of the most masochistic decisions any individual can make.
To begin, startups come with financial risk, and impact of failure on one’s finances can be severe. Moreover, starting a new business is a sure-fire way to distance oneself from friends and family. Startups can be all-consuming, leaving little time for much else—including personal relationships. Finally, starting a business can take a heavy physical and emotional toll. Late nights and meals at one’s desk are not a healthy lifestyle, and the highs and lows of the startup game can drive a person mad.
Here is why I love being an entrepreneur. In short, starting a business is one of the most exciting, challenging, and rewarding ways to spend my working years. Yes, it can be hard and cruel, but six years into it, I haven’t experienced a single day of boredom.
Startups are not for everyone. Here is some advice if you are considering whether to get into the game:
(1) Get some experience first
Some recent academic literature has concluded that the ideal age for entrepreneurship is 40. This is no doubt because can help to have working experience before you start a business. For one, it provides an opportunity to save up some potential capital to invest. Moreover, you will inevitably pick up some useful skills and knowledge along the way—some of which could prove handy, even if your new business is in a field outside of your expertise. In addition, as you work, your network of contacts will grow. This can prove useful in a variety of ways, including client development, recruiting, the pursuit of capital, to name a few.
(2) Analyze your opportunity costs
If you have nothing to lose, it is easier to take the leap into entrepreneurship. If you are the sole breadwinner for a family of 5 with a limited nest egg, it probably makes sense to save up some cash first, and think very carefully about the impact that a bombed startup would have on your life. One other word of caution here in a different vein: Be aware of the risk of your opportunity cost rising too high. Although an increasing employee paycheck is generally a good thing, the higher your salary rises, the more difficult it can become to quit your job and scratch that entrepreneurial itch.
(3) Build a detailed financial model for the business and test your assumptions thoroughly
Once you begin reducing the business to a spreadsheet, the realities of the numbers will begin to emerge. Taking into account all of your expenses and revenues, as well as when they should occur, will give you a sense of whether the business can make money. It will also give you a sense of how much capital you will need and by when. While there are always financial surprises in the startup experience, waiting to build your projections until after you commit to a business is a dangerous proposition.
(4) Speak to potential clients
Treat your new venture as a sophisticated investor would treat a new potential investment and determine whether your idea can be monetized. Do some due diligence and explore whether there is interest in your product or service. Ask client prospects whether they like your value proposition. If you are entering a competitive industry, ask what it would take for clients to switch providers. Knowing what potential clients want and need is critically important to know if there is room in the marketplace for your business.
(5) Ask yourself whether you have the right DNA
Jumping head first into a startup is not for everyone. If you are the type who needs others to motivate you, or who has trouble staying focused when times get tough, starting a business is probably not be the right move. But if you have self discipline, a fair amount of confidence, passion, and a good deal of intestinal fortitude, you may well be the perfect fit for entrepreneurship.
Keep in mind that starting a business is not for everyone. But for those who have what it takes, becoming an entrepreneur may be the most fulfilling professional path.
About the Author: Paul Mandell is a Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Consero. In this role, Mr. Mandell provides strategic leadership for the company with a rigid focus on excellence at every level of the business. Prior to founding Consero, Mr. Mandell founded and was the President of a national legal support company that was acquired in 2007. The successor entity was recognized as one of the world’s top legal process outsourcing companies during his continued tenure as President the following year. Prior to entering the business world, Mr. Mandell practiced law at Arnold & Porter LLP and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in Washington, DC, and New York, New York, respectively, where he focused primarily on antitrust and pharmaceutical litigation. Prior to his law firm experience, Mr. Mandell clerked for the Honorable K. Michael Moore of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
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What an MBA Won’t Teach About Starting a Business
There is much discussion about how beneficial an MBA education is for entrepreneurs starting a business. The debate is about whether the skills required for success as an entrepreneur can be taught and whether the current MBA curriculum allows its graduates to succeed in today’s business landscape. Entrepreneurs must decide whether to invest in a top Online MBA as a prerequisite for starting a business, or rather instead to invest that money directly into a new business.
According to the article, “Seven Essential Qualities of a Successful Entrepreneur” published in the Wall Street Journal, having a vision and being passionate about pursuing that vision are believed to be key requirements for entrepreneurial success. Given that most entrepreneurs accept this driving force as a critical component for entrepreneurs, the question germane to the MBA debate is whether you can teach a student how to think in an innovative manner and to come up with a new idea that they are willing to pursue with an intense and ongoing commitment. Considering the enormous commitment and sacrifice that most new companies require, if an entrepreneur does not make a business dream a top priority in the beginning, it will be very difficult to stick with it when the big challenges arrive.
Education Cannot Teach Passion or Innovation
Considering the large number of highly successful entrepreneurs without formal MBA training, a persuasive argument can be made that entrepreneurs do not need an MBA to succeed when they have a good idea and are willing to pursue it against all odds. Some of the better-known entrepreneurs who are recognized as high-profile contributors to society without an MBA include Bill Gates, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft. Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple computer is another entrepreneur that must be recognized as one of the most celebrated entrepreneurs without an advanced education. These visionaries created technologies that have directly impacted the lives of most people in technology-savvy cultures. The problem with MBAs is that its curriculum teaches students what’s worked for businesses in the past; it doesn’t teach them what being innovative and determined are.
People Skills
While many innovative entrepreneurs in the technology industry have not suffered from a lack of people skills, in many other industries this lack could prove a block to success. We’ve all heard the saying that it is not what you know, but whom you know that makes you successful. If this is true for most entrepreneurs, then it is easy to understand why so many people who are well liked do so well in business.
Networking is promoted as a plausible way to find business partners and key employees. An entrepreneur must be able to depend on talent and commitment to make up for a lack of other resources to compete. This is where leadership and charisma play a key role in recruiting the talent necessary for success.
Conclusion
The debate will continue about whether an entrepreneur needs an MBA to succeed as an entrepreneur. Some questions that any new entrepreneur must consider is whether they can commit for the long-term, and whether they can withstand the pressure to compete under duress. Some of the considerations to think about are financial demands and a support system. Entrepreneurs’ challenges are often not limited to business competition, but also include family concerns. Having a spouse or partner who is also committed to an entrepreneur’s dream can make a substantial difference in whether an entrepreneur succeeds.
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How to Run Your Small Business (Instead of Having Your Small Business Run You)
Owning your own business is like going on a new adventure every day, without knowing where it will take you, what dangers you’ll face along the way, or even whether you’ll make it out alive. That last part depends mostly on the business you’re in, but hey, it can certainly feel like your small business is going to kill you, or at least get the better of you on any given day.
A very close friend of mine, who happens to own his own apparel company, came to me recently, shaken, unshaven, and obviously stressed. He began telling me how he was missing meetings, losing track of time, neglecting personal relationships, and generally forming more bad habits than he could keep up with, on account of his business was taking over his life.
I definitely related to his situation, and then started thinking about ways to help him (and other small business owner like him, myself included).
Here’s what I came up with:
Know How (and When) to Say No
Small business owners should have four legs, we scramble so much. And while the world appreciates our hustle, we often agree very hastily to much more than we can actually take on, in the hopes that we can cut a better deal here, or get more funding there.
Much of this hustle is necessary, but much of it is not. Yes, it is important to make contacts, to pitch your product, and to get funding, but missing meetings because you have too much on your plate is much more damaging to your reputation than saying no ahead of time. If you are feeling like your business is running you instead of the other way around, than examine your current commitments to see which are essential, acknowledge to yourself that it is OK to say no, and then, in the future, say no to the things that aren’t.
Plan Every Second of Your Life
No, I’m not exaggerating. What kills many small business owners is ambiguity in their schedules. Don’t allow this to happen. Get a planner, a journal, a piece of notebook paper, or a napkin — whatever it takes — and write down exactly what you have to do that week, and when you will be doing it. Zero in as microscopically as possible, to the point that you include such details as “eating ham sandwich alone at 12:05,” or “meeting with (x) investor at Starbucks on 1234 Main at 1:39pm.” Specificity in activity and time count. Don’t leave any “wiggle room”; free time is time that is unaccounted for, unless, that is, you schedule it in. See how that works? You can’t feel guilty about free time if you knew you were taking it.
This should go without saying, but often we small business owners need to hear what goes without saying, so: DO NOT VARY FROM THE SCHEDULE. Once it is written, DO IT.
Take Free Time
This is extremely important. There’s a reason the normal work week is only Monday to Friday: Neither the human body nor the human mind were designed to work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With that in mind, plan some free time, and even some vacation time, into your week. You will be able to focus better, and will feel more in control of your life if you do things outside of running your business, and, best of all, you will be able to run your business better when you are refreshed and thinking clearly.
By the way, after I presented my friend with these strategies, he adopted them, and while I can’t vouch for his business, I can vouch for his health and happiness, and I can say that after following my advice for a few weeks, he looked like a million dollars, and felt like it, too. And you can’t run a business if you feel like anything less.
About the Author: This is a guest post by Eliza Morgan who is a full time blogger. She specializes in writing about business credit cards. You can reach her at: elizamorgan856 at gmail dot com.
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Is There Ever a Bad Time To Start a Business?
Do you dream about starting a business, but don’t know if it is the right time? Are you concerned that the economic recovery still has a long way to go, so now might not be the right moment? Are you letting fear stop you from following your dream of owning a business?
Starting a business is something that can be done, no matter the economic climate. You may have to adjust your plan, but if you are savvy enough, you can find the customers your new business needs.
You cannot wait for the perfect time, or you will always be making an excuse as to why now is not the right time. The fear will always be there, so embrace it instead of running from it. Harness your fear and direct it in a positive way to ensure you are making smart decisions and thinking before acting.
The Right Frame Of Mind
The one thing that you need to have before starting a new business is the right frame of mind – the right attitude. If you are not mentally in the game, then don’t even bother. Conceptualizing, forming, growing, and running, a business takes a lot of time and energy, and creates a lot of stress and uncertainty. If your head is not in the game, then your business is doomed to fail from the start.
A great mental attitude can trump your lack of business knowledge. You can always gain knowledge, or hire someone smarter than you, but without passion, you lack the drive to be able to have a successful business. Having the right mindset is something you need before becoming an entrepreneur. You have to believe in yourself, and you have to be willing to sacrifice a lot while you build your company.
The Right Idea
However, the right frame of mind will only get you so far. You also need to have a great concept for a business. This doesn’t mean that your idea for the perfect business has to be something that nobody has heard of before – it just needs to be unique.
While there are probably plenty of unique businesses that have yet to be thought of, you don’t have to be a pioneer in order to be a successful business owner. What you do need is to bring something original to the table. If you are going to compete with existing companies in the marketplace, you have to have your own unique selling point. What makes you different from the other guys? Why would consumers (or businesses) choose you over your competition?
Take The Bull By The Horns
You can analyze yourself to death and never take the first step to realizing your dream of being an entrepreneur. While it would be foolish to throw caution to the wind, quit your day job and devote all of your energy to starting a business, there is nothing to say that you can’t commit to moving forward as quickly as you can, under your current circumstances.
Figure out what type of business you want to start, and assuming it isn’t a totally unique concept that the world has never seen, figure out how your business is going to be able to set itself apart from the competition. Commit to yourself that you are going to actually become a business owner sometime in the foreseeable future.
Don’t procrastinate any longer thinking now isn’t the right time to move forward. You have the power to convince yourself the time is never right. You also have the power to take control and move past your fears. Working for yourself is like nothing else. Why would you want to delay this opportunity any longer?
About the Author: Marshall Davis runs Business Service Reviews, a website where small business owners and budding entrepreneurs can learn about products and services to help them become more successful. Read his blog and learn more about becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Photo Credit: milos milosevic
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5 Reasons Being Your Own Boss Makes You A Better Person
We are a culture that celebrates leadership. We glamorize generals who lead men into battle, and admire the entrepreneurs that built Silicon Valley. There is no question that being the one in command has its appeal as well as its perks.
On the other hand, people in leadership positions also have to make tough decisions, and at times are not looked upon fondly by the masses. In the corporate world the boss is a pejorative term, the very word associated with a draconian taskmaster who will flog an employee for every second they are late returning from break.
So the question is, does being the boss make you a better or worse person? Does the anchor of responsibility make you more mature or more of a jerk? The following are 5 reasons why being your own boss ultimately makes you a better person.
1. Leadership
As your own boss you are responsible for the direction and hierarchy your business assumes, including everything from the marketing strategy to the delegation of duties. You will have to make tough decisions and have the conviction to exercise them.
2. Expanding Your Creativity
As a company drone you are nothing more than a tool, following the orders given to you. The brain goes on auto-pilot the second you clock in. As your own boss, you must think creatively to expand your business and stay ahead of the competition. You must fight ways to be more efficient and
3. Dealing With Pressure
Owning your own business means dealing with the pressure of success and failure. A salaried employee whose income is not tied to the bottom line has little incentive to care. At times it may not feel as if it makes a difference if he or she shows up at all. As the proprietor, however, your livelihood depends on the growth of your business. Exposing yourself to the crucible of business makes you more equipped to handle the pressures of everyday life.
4. Learning to Motivate
In addition to learning how to handle pressure, making your business thrive also represents a challenge. Regardless of whether it’s sports, education, or business, setting a lofty goal and attaining it provides a valuable experience and helps you grow as a human being. Furthermore, as your own boss, not only do you learn how to succeed, you learn how to stay on top. Finding ways to stay ambitious and motivated are key components in keeping your business growing. Finding the energy to keep customers and employees motivated will help you grow to become a more pleasant and affable person.
5. Empathy
Being your own boss means you are responsible for the satisfaction and safety of both your customers and your employees. You must handle disputes amicably and foster strong relationships with your client base. As an employee, the courtesies you extend to customers are perfunctory, a rote phrase spoken to appease a manager with no authentic enthusiasm. For a boss, however, these customers are the arteries of their business, and learning what they think is critical to improving the product or service they provide. Being a boss makes you a better listener, a more gregarious person, and teaches you the empathy required to be an effective manager of people.
In the end, the qualities that make a good boss are the same traits we admire in all human beings. As your own boss, you will find that as your business grows, so does your character.
About the Author: This article was written by Joan Evans of PublicLiabilityInsurance.org, Joans writes on a wide range of business topics including employers liability insurance.
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Start Up Don’t Shut Down
As people have lost their jobs and struggled to find employment, many of the more spirited professionals have struck out on their own to create the jobs that they cannot seem to find. Read more
5 Qualities of a Good Entrepreneur
Do you have what it takes to be a good entrepreneur? Is it something that you could learn or rather something that is innate?
Personally I think it is both. Read more
How to Take Your Startup Global
Exports as a means of company growth has gotten a lot of attention in the news recently with Obama’s National Export Initiative, one in which the President plans to double exports over the next five years to support two million jobs in America.
In the following Q&A, Damon Schechter, founder and CEO of Shipwire e-commerce product fulfillment service, addresses the “why” and “how” small businesses can begin selling their products around the world.
Q: I understand that your company has seen a surge in exports by small businesses. Can you please tell us a little more about that including ways in which smaller business can grow their businesses by “going global”?
According to our research, sales to foreign buyers – as a percentage of overall sales – by small to medium sized e-commerce merchants has grown from virtually 0 in 2007, to 9% in 2008, to 20% in 2009. And, we’re seeing even greater number of small businesses export in 2010. Though shipments have been spread to destinations around the world, the primary ones are to major markets in Canada and the U.K. We’re also beginning to see a lot of demand for American exports in Asia Pac, and Australia, specifically.
Q: We always hear about globalization; but, isn’t that just impacting big companies?
Not anymore! For years, big companies have seen large markets overseas and had the supply chain and sales experience to enter these growth markets. However, small businesses now are seeing global opportunities that they were either a) unaware of or b) were simply unprepared to take advantage of. Today, if a company has a fast selling product that they think they can sell in another country the only thing that stops them from entering that market is the degree of their desire. These newly global businesses can tap into known marketplaces or a trusted distributor, get their local advertising on demand from Google and store and ship product in the local market with a third party logistics company.
Q: What does “globalization” really mean when it comes to e-commerce?
When it comes to selling over the internet there is a “push and a pull” effect. The pull effect is customer demand. So, if you have a globally attractive product, overseas buyers may pull you into an overseas market with demand. This is especially true with the viral “border-less” nature of some marketing campaigns. The push effect is when a business looks at an overseas market and sees future profits. Today there is nothing to stop them from entering into that market and competing. Because of the “borderless” nature of online selling, smaller e-commerce companies are going to be the vanguard for SMB globalization.
Q: Why is Globalization now starting to accelerate for smaller businesses?
It seems that the tools are now in place to allow businesses of all sizes to have a global supply chain. It’s no longer true that you need a multi-million dollar product line or budget to benefit from overseas sourcing and selling. There are a suite of on-demand tools for managing everything from advertising to shipping.
Q: What is the biggest obstacle facing the overseas seller?
Successful overseas sellers are the ones who can find buyers at the least cost and get the product into those buyers’ hands in the shortest amount of time and with the least hassles. There are only a few ways to get the product into the buyers’ hands. International shipping by some method has always been the default; however, the distance makes it expensive and it can take days or weeks to get the product to the buyer which isn’t good for repeat business. If the buyer needs to return the product for whatever reason, international shipping back is a poor option for buyer and seller. Small businesses need to take a page from the playbook of the largest sellers and store product in the local market in a local warehouse. Shipping from a local warehouse means that there is no international shipping cost, the product gets to the buyer in a reasonable amount of time and the product can be returned to a local warehouse. Ideally, a small seller will have instant access to a global warehouse network service so it can cut its shipping costs and delivery time-lines. Such services are modeled on the success based, pay only for what you use offerings pioneered to SMBs by Google and PayPal.
Q: What are the things small businesses need to consider before moving products overseas for sale?
Assuming there is some market demand for the product and/or the business has a marketing plan, typically it’s best to focus on one’s top selling products. For most businesses, 20% of the product catalog will generate 80% of the sales. Focusing on just the best sellers will help limit the problem set. Businesses should also think about the customs and duties implications of bulk shipping into a local market. Borders are a reality in the physical world even when online software and the Internet has made borders less of a concern for closing business online. Sellers that do their homework can be assured that their products won’t get held up in customs.
Damon Schechter is the founder and CEO or Shipwire, a provider of outsourced e-commerce product fulfillment with warehouses in the United States, Canada and Europe. Outsourcing storage and shipping hassles allows businesses to focus on global expansion and keeps costs down. Reach shipwire at www.shipwire.com
Photo Credit: fdecomite
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5 Survival Tips for Today’s Savvy Entrepreneur
My joy was short lived. After waiting about a month for a client to pay me on a (5 day net) creative project, the check came in the mail. I did the “happy dance” ‘til I was dizzy!
Getting paid would allow me to catch up on some of my obligations as a small business owner myself, already struggling in a struggling economy.
I began to figure out my bills and hope for a few left over dollars to do a
mini-splurge at the local thrift store.
Before the ink could dry on the check, the client contacted me. She asked me not to cash it, as the funds would not “officially” be available for another week due to an unanticipated emergency. Needless to say, I was shocked and devastated.
The check was already late, and based upon my income projections, I promised to pay several of my vendors. Her not honoring her word prevented me from honoring mine. And unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time.
Not long before that, a publisher with whom I had enjoyed a long-term business relationship, came down with a bad bout of the flu, and extended his apologies for not being able to issue checks because he was bed-ridden for two weeks.
Life happens. That goes without saying. But just because you’re a “small” business owner doesn’t mean you should be “small time” in the way you conduct your business or handle crisis management. In fact, you should be more prepared for mishaps due to fewer resources. The buck stops with you!
Not providing for “the worst case scenario” can cause irreparable damage and affect your ability to compete with larger businesses; ultimately costing you in terms of customer loyalty, client confidence, and bottom line objectives.
After all, folks figure if you can’t handle your business challenges, why should they trust you with theirs?
Whether you manage a staff of one or 91, here are a few business practices you should employ to cover your assets and protect your bottom line.
EXPECT THE BEST BUT PREPARE FOR THE WORST
Do you have a back up if your files are destroyed on your hard drive? Do you have systems and people in place if you become ill or need to take a vacation? Are your records well kept if someone needs to temporarily assume your duties, or establish a paper trail of your activities? Could your business recover if you lost a key client? These are all points to consider in your strategic planning. Always have a plan B.
HAVE AN EMERGENCY FUND
“Save for a rainy day” has become more than a cliché; in today’s economic climate it’s as crucial as a commandment! Experts differ in the exact amount an “emergency fund” constitutes—some say the equivalent of three months salary, others advise six months. Apply it to your individual lifestyle and circumstances, then act accordingly. Today.
EMPOWER YOUR STAFF
Hire competent people and give them the training and resources to act independently in resolving small customer issues. Assigning them responsibility and accountability helps them to develop personally and professionally, and improves the efficiency of your organization. Understaffed? Hire an intern.
ESTABLISH SUPPORTIVE ALLIANCES
Don’t perceive all your peers as a competitive threat. Seek out owners with whom you have a compatible work ethic and similar visions and values, and find ways to enhance each other. This can be accomplished through online groups or networking associations dedicated to your particular field or trade.
HONOR YOUR WORD
Many small business owners go to great lengths to overcome perception issues and convey a professional image. They invest in elaborate web sites, purchase fancy business cards, and go the whole nine yards to recruit clients and impress associates. But all these measures can be in vain if they establish a reputation of repeatedly not honoring their word– whether it’s to a client, a vendor, a business partner, or employee. Never over promise and under deliver. Don’t say one thing and do another. Always strive to keep your end of the bargain because ultimately your livelihood affects others.
Follow these five tips and you’ll successfully navigate the many “obstacle courses” that come with owning a small business, and you’ll breathe easier too.
About the Author: Jennifer Brown Banks is a veteran freelance writer who teaches at Coffeehouseforwriters.com and blogs at Bloggingpro.com
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Photo Credit: eflon
Win a HP iPAQ Glisten From Smallbizbee ($390 Value!)
If you’ve been looking for a smart phone, perfect for an on-the-go entrepreneur you’re gonna’ love what we have for you this time.
How would you like a brand new, HP iPaq Glisten valued at $390 for FREE just for being a loyal reader of this blog?
Sound like a good deal? Well it did to us too. Not familiar with the Glisten? Read on…
HP iPAQ Glisten
The HP iPAQ Glisten is a stylish, 3G smartphone designed for on-the-go professionals who need to stay connected to the people and information they care about.
This quad-band world phone, featuring Windows Mobile 6.5, easily moves between work and play with advanced mobile email capabilities, multiple connectivity options, built-in Wi-Fi and GPS functionality and rich multimedia features and applications.
AT&T’s 3G network is available in more than 350 major metropolitan areas. AT&T also offers 3G data roaming in more than 100 countries, as well as voice calling in more than 215 countries.
The iPAQ Glisten features a full QWERTY keyboard for fast, easy and accurate messaging, including SMS/ MMS, instant messaging and e-mail.
A touch-enabled AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) screen delivers a crisp, clear display that easily allows you to navigate through menus, windows, and links at the touch of a finger.
Through HP’s partnership with AT&T and Microsoft, the iPAQ Glisten customers will have access to a wide variety of applications, music, ringtones, games, etc through the AT&T AppCenter and Windows Marketplace.
For more information visit: HP iPAQ Glisten
How to Enter
There are two easy steps you need follow in order to enter:
1. Leave a comment below so that we know you found out about the giveaway through this article. Tell us how this phone will help improve your busy life, and/or make your more efficient. Make sure you use the email address you want us to contact you at if you win.
Please leave your Twitter Screen name in your comment
2. Follow @HP_PC on Twitter, and send the following tweet to your followers:
I just entered to win a new HP iPaq Glisten from @HP_PC and @Smallbizbee, here’s how you can enter to win too http://tiny.cc/Q3wTf
Extra Credit
Doing the above gets you 1 (one) entry into the contest. For an additional 3 (three) entries simply write 1 (One) blog post about this contest, what you like most about the Glisten, and link back to smallbizbee.com. Send me an email when you publish your post so that I can make sure you get credit for all of your entries into the contest. You have to do #1 and #2 above before you can get extra credit.
Contest Details
- Contest ends Sunday Feb 21, 2010 at 11:59pm PST.
- Winner will be drawn at random using Random.org
- We will announce the winner on this site Mon Feb 22
- You must be following @HP_PC when we pick a winner on Monday in order to qualify.
- We will contact the winner via email to arrange shipment of your brand new HP iPaq Glisten – absolutely free – within 48 hours of announcing the winner.
Good Luck
Good luck to everyone who enters. If you have any questions please contact us!
5 Tips to Grow Your Business Like Michael Jackson
Below is the sixth article in our $150 competition sponsored by BizSugar.com. It’s submitted by Wayne who blogs on small business and entreprenurship at WayneLiew.com. Good luck to everyone who contributed an article!
Michael Jackson passed away on June 25th, 2009. Whether you are a Michael Jackson fan or not, you cannot doubt his ability to get the attention and impress his millions of fans worldwide.
Michael Jackson’s ability to wow his audience is definitely something that you would want your business to have. In this article, I am going to give you 5 Tips to Grow Your Business Like Michael Jackson.
Be All About Your Audience
No one cares about you. If Michael goes up on stage and start singing songs that are only meaningful to himself, no one will pay attention. For example, “Heal the World” was written by Michael to be lyrically deep but melodically simple so that fans all around the world, especially those in non-English speaking countries could chant along when the song is played.
Spend time listening to the desires and wants of your prospects and customers before selling them your products or services. Not only that the selling process will be easier, your prospects will not be turned off by any hard selling tactics too.
Find Your Signature Move
What are the signature moves of Michael Jackson? Ask this question to anyone on the street and they will definitely give you answers like the Moon Walk, 45 Degrees Lean or they might even perform his dance moves, especially the spinning move for you. These are the moves that make Michael stand out from the rest of the singers. Not only that his fans were astounded by these moves when Michael first performed it, they LOVE it!
How can your business stand out from the crowd? It can be something as simple as changing the way you engage new customers or launching a marketing campaign that is so interesting and catchy that your target market just cannot get the message out of their head.
Become the Best for What You Do
As compared to modern celebrities, Michael do not have a lot of appearances on commercials, movies or his own fashion line. He knows that he is a good singer, dancer, performer and he keeps improving on these aspects until he gained the sparkling title, “The King of Pop”.
Often times, businesses deviate from what they are really good at and as a result, every single thing that they offer becomes mediocre in quality. For example, if you are running a pizza place that is rated 5 stars on Yelp, don’t start serving Chinese food just because there’s a new Chinese restaurant being set up right beside you.
Learn How to Grab Attention
Every time Michael Jackson makes an entrance, all the fans in the room or at a venue will immediately pause whatever that they are doing, turn to him and go wild. Yes, part of it is because he is the King of Pop. But there are other things that help him to get the much needed attention. For example, his fancy clothing.
In business, grabbing someone else’s attention is an important skill. Whether you are crafting a pitch to the press or writing a business plan to secure funding from investors, you need to make them focus on what you have to offer.
Go All Out Against All Odds
Michael Jackson’s success didn’t come to him easily. Michael had troubled relationships with his father, endured childhood abuse, fought a couple of sexual abuse allegations and more. However, none of these are able to stop him, or even slow him down. In fact, they made him a stronger person.
Running and maintaining a small business isn’t easy. Stay persistent, hardworking and continue to learn and acquire new skills. Stay calm when faced with challenges and slowly untangle the complexities. Success is only for those who works and strives for it.
Inspired by Michael Jackson’s Story on Wikipedia
Image Credits: Michael Jackson – WikiPic
A Quick-Hitting 3-Step Content Marketing Campaign to get Customers this Month
Below is the second article in our $150 competition sponsored by BizSugar.com, submitted by Fernando who does content marketing in Latin America. Good luck to everyone who contributed an article!
As a fellow small business owner, you, like me, are totally on board with the concept that great content via blogging and social media is the new “killer app” of the Internet marketing world. You may have already started a blog, and you may already have 20-50 RSS subscribers. You’re slowly making your way up to your 1,000th Twitter follower, and you’ve gotten decent re-tweets whenever you share your latest post on your blog.
Great job, that’s better than most.
But where are all the customers?
Well you may have missed the part that this kind of marketing is a long-term proposition.
What to do if you want to eat this month?
Vaynerchuck clearly says that his strategy is to build a personal brand, and Chris Brogan says you’ve got to build your online presence so you can become a “Trust Agent.”
But you’ve got the pay the mortgage this month, make sure your fridge isn’t empty, and keep the lights on.
Well here are 3 quick-hitting tactics I’m putting into practice because I just quit my job and I need to bring in some customers really really soon, or else, as the clichéd country song goes, “I’ll lose the house, my wife and the dog.”
These tactics were inspired by my friend, mentor and coach Jim Logan.
1. Write an eBook like Brian Clark’s Authority Rules
I’m taking a slightly different approach here. Sure I’m writing an eBook that I’ll make available without a gate on my website for people to download.
In my case I’m a.) adding a very direct call-to-action at the end of the report to “call me to schedule your free 30-minute 5-point marketing readiness assessment” on the phone, and
b.) I’m going to be sending direct mail pieces offering my eBook to specific decision-makers at targeted companies who fit the profile of my ideal suspect, and I’ll be emailing a warm list of folks I know who are not yet subscribers to my RSS feed. My strategy here is to combine direct marketing with content marketing. The trick is not to sell directly, but to sell the “free content.”
My initial direct mail target will be about 30-50.
The philosophy behind this phase is you’re offering something of value in return for nothing. Even though there’s a strong call-to-action at the end of the eBook to call me (and I may very well get a few calls), here I’m just offering free content.
2. Follow-up with another direct mail piece
Two weeks later I’m going to follow-up with another direct mail piece to the original 30-50, as well as follow-up emails to my warm list. The message in this follow-up piece will be a business message.
I do not want to come across as a sales guy, but as a business person. I’m a business owner reaching out to another business owner, and I add value because of what I know.
I’m following-up on my eBook offer. I’ve helped businesses like yours with x & y (insert your key benefit here, do NOT mention a product or service). It may or may not be relevant to your situation, but I would love to chat with you for 30 minutes about your situation and how I’ve been able to help similar people.
The philosophy behind this stage is to sell the meeting, not sell your product or service. You should map out what the stages are in your sales cycle, and only sell the next step. In my case, and if you’re selling a B2B product or service, sell the meeting. And sell it as a business person, not a sales person.
3. Follow-up with a cold “warm call.”
Finally, I’m calling these folks. I’m calling, again, as a CEO of my small business.
Business people don’t take calls from sales people anymore, unless they called the sales person before and are expecting a call back. However, business people do take calls from fellow business people.
How do you think CEOs of major companies form strategic alliances with other major companies? They cold-call them!
You’re the CEO, you call the CEO of your target company. And you don’t sell your product or service, you have a business call about what you’re extremely knowledgeable about and what your prospect’s business situation is.
Business people want to learn from other business people.
I guarantee if you follow this method, in less than a month you’ll have some meetings and some closed business. It’s worked for Jim Logan and his clients, and I’m putting it into practice for myself.
I’m an Entrepreneur. And Yes, I Kiss on the First Date
Below is the first article in our $150 competition sponsored by BizSugar.com, submitted by Dwayne of www.thecharlotteagency.com Good luck to everyone who contributed an article!
Like going out on your first date with your crush, starting a small business can be pretty unnerving. As an entrepreneur, you are putting yourself out there. Will the business community accept the courtship? Will it call you back? Well before you take the business world out to dinner and a movie, one must be able to confidently answer the questions below.
What Do I Wear? (Image and Branding)
Once you step out of the car and onto their doorstep- they will be watching your every move. Likewise, once you start announcing that you are creating a small business, your entire presence will be scrutinized. How will you present yourself? Are you going to be the conservative, suit-and-tie type, or the modern khaki and polo dude? Or both? Neither option is a bad one, but based on your research of the industry, you got to make an informed decision. Does your website and business cards match? If you are going on a date, your outfit is not going to be mismatching, so neither should your business presence.
When Do I Arrive? (Timing)
Now is the best time. The U.S. business community just got out of a bad relationship with the finance and housing industry, and it is looking for a new, fresh suitor. It needs someone that will treat them right. Its boundaries are down and as a few of us know, those who are on the rebound to easier to attract.
What Should I Say? (Marketing)
You arrive on time and looking good. Really good. But now you have to open your mouth- are you ready? Grab the spotlight. You don’t have any friends to put a good word in for you, so you got to do it yourself. Don’t be bashful. Tell the U.S. business community why you and her are perfect for each other. Highlight your strengths. Remember, the worst thing that can happen is that she says no. Show her a portfolio of things you have done, and things that you want to do. What’s your philosophy? How are you going to treat the business community better than her past? And sometimes its good to be funny, the U.S. business community likes humor.
Will She Like My Friends? (Networking)
Third party recommendations are crucial when it comes to dating this particular person. Not only will they check you out, but all the people that they think know you. Therefore, that’s why you got to get out there before she does it and build a good reputation. It is good when she knows you’re a good person, but if other people tell her you’re a great guy, that’s when the comfort level starts to build.
How Far Do I Go? (Risk-taking)
Your first date with the business community is almost to a close. You both had a great time and you walk her to the door. Moment of truth- what do you do? You’re an entrepreneur; risk-taking is right up your alley! High risk reaps high reward. And if it doesn’t, well hey, at least you tried. Go in with no hesitation for the kiss.
And who knows? Maybe she’ll invite you in.
New Comments Policy at Smallbizbee.com
As our blog has grown, and rankings increased, I am seeing more and more questionable comments being submitted as the incentive to drop a comment here for a link has increased.
Why The Change to a Policy?
I love the comments we get on this blog, the conversations they start, and the interaction I can get with our readers through the comments. Interacting in the comments section with our readers is one of the most satisfying things I do around here.
I want to maintain that aspect of Smallbizbee, and ensure the comments section is still a great place to hang out while your looking over our articles and content.
By putting some parameters around what kinds of comments will be accepted I feel we will continue to foster the type of environment where people feel comfortable leaving their thoughts or comments on a post.
Commenting Policy
1. Only comments relevant to the post being discussed will be accepted. “Nice post”, “Great job”, “This site rocks” type of comments will be deleted.
2. Use your name when adding a comment to the site. No more comments from “widgets are us”, or “Russian nesting dolls online” will be accepted. Making a comment for the sole purpose of getting some link juice back to your “pink flamingo shop” is just spammy.
3. Relevant links in your comments are encouraged.
4. Irrelevant links in your comments will cause your comment to be deleted.
5. I will never delete a legitimate comment just because I don’t agree with the point of view of the commenter. I will delete comments that push the envelope of common human decency (luckily we’ve had none of that so far).
I don’t want to seem like I’m coming down on commenters, quite the opposite. I hope the new comment policy will make Smallbizbee a great place to drop your comments and converse on topics related to small business and entrepreneurship.
We currently have over 2900 comments on this blog, and very few would have been filtered out due to the new policy - I’m just making sure it stays that way.
Your Turn
Thank you for being part of this community, if you have something to say about the new policy drop a line in the comments section below.