Category: Small Business

Do You Want to Be an Entrepreneur?

Posted on by Bella E. Hussain


Nobody said that being an entrepreneur easy. Anybody who has started a business of his own will tell you that it’s can be an all consuming activity which will demand a lot out of you but will also reward with more than just financial success.

Success in a Business venture is result of many factors such as knowledge, perseverance, passion, good plan. It has been estimated that every year more than 60% of businesses fail. So, if you are thinking about been an entrepreneur then you may be vey well advised to think it over many times before taking the plunge.

The road to success is long and has many phases which need to be understood by every budding entrepreneur. If neglected at the start of any endeavor then any venture is doomed to fail very early. These phases of a business may vary form industry to industry but one of the most important phases is the market research. While this may seem to be a very logical step it is very often overlooked. Market research helps in determining your market and understand it fully.

Many times, while starting, entrepreneurs are too consumed by passion and emotion to be able to do an unbiased study of the viability of their product or services. If undertaken at the start, many would-be-entrepreneurs can save themselves from the ignominy of failure. Most business plans cannot stand up to the scrutiny of the market research and fail even while been on the drawing board.

To be successful in any market you need to understand the history of the market, demography, economic conditions and current trends. You also need study the competitors already established in the market. Studying them will help you unearth your target audience and your niche.

Many a times, people overestimate the value or novelty of their products/services. This gives them false sense of confidence promoting them to make irrational decisions and undertake big risks.
It may be possible that there are other businesses offering similar products/services with much more value additions and at much better price. Are you offering something really that good?

Once, you have completed your market research and are confident then you need to secure Funds for the Business. The fact is “Businesses need money”. It’s like oxygen. You cannot avoid it. Most small businesses fail because of paucity of funds.
After sorting out funding question comes management. Business needs to be managed on a daily basis. You may have to employ and manage people of varying skill sets and attitudes.

Another important phase is how much money to allocate to marketing your business. Marketing enables people to be familiar with your products and services. Without an effective marketing plan, any business will fail.
Another important factor is to be aware of the tax and law concerning your business.
These are all very important points that need to be given all attention by any would-be entrepreneur.…

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Get Out Your Financial Mess The Easy Way!

Posted on by Bella E. Hussain

The economic downturn has left many people powerlessly immersed in a financial mess with no cash and no job. Several companies had to layoff a lot of employees, and with the rising prices, it does not take long even for your life savings to get depleted. Thankfully, there are ways to get out of your financial mess as fast as you can. You can have no cash and no job today, but tomorrow you could be welcoming thousands of dollars into your bank account. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Don’t Mope Around

Instead of moping around at home because of your seemingly hopeless situation, make up your mind to do something about it. It’s all about the attitude. If you decide not to do anything, then your financial problem will last quite a while. But if you decide to do something, you won’t be overcome by hopelessness.

2. Look for Money Making Techniques Online

There are now many ways to start earning money without having to pay for gas or any other costs. All you need is Internet connection at home. There are now a lot of moneymaking opportunities offered online; most of them don’t have many requirements so you can easily do them and earn money as soon as possible.

3. Don’t Watch the Financial News

There is one thing you should not do: do not, at all costs, watch the financial news. It will only fill your head with negative money talk. Remember, you are in control of your financial situation. You can make decisions and actions to change it. What happens to the economy may influence your situation, but it won’t make the final decisions. Thus, try not to let the negative feedback get to you, so it won’t get you down.

4. Turn Your Mentalism Into A Money Magnet

Do you know that most of the problems that plague various aspects of our lives are problems of the mind? The way you think, or your mentalism, can significantly affect your reality. If you change the way you think about money, you can change your financial situation – fast!

The problem is, how can you change your perspectives about money in a world that’s wired to think negatively about it? Well, that’s no problem with subliminal messages, which are sent straight to the subconscious so your conscious mind can’t think up any ideas contradicting them. These messages can evoke powerful changes in the way you view money. Once you start sending out positive financial vibes, money will be magneted straight towards you.

One of the most effective ways to do this is to watch subliminal videos such as the Money Mentalism videos. These can stir changes within you in just the first ten seconds after you watch your first video. The videos can be purchased online, so you can start saving your bank account within the confines of your own home.
In no time, your financial situation will turn from no-cash-no-job into $100,000-per-month. And all for just watching a 10-minute video every day.…

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Small Business Marketing Strategies

Posted on by Bella E. Hussain


Search engine optimization for local searches requires quite a different approach than what would be used for searches on a larger scale. In this article I’m going to share with you the what’s required to perform well in local search so that your small business marketing stays on target.

Claim your Google Business Listing

Sign into Google Business Listing Center, and claim your listing. You will then be able to appear on the Google Map – which is really something that will help your local business. There are so many mobile devices in operation nowadays – your business needs to be available online for people searching for suppliers when they are on the road. Your business will also be displayed on laptop and computer based searches.

Categorize correctly

To categorize, think about what a person would need to Google to find a business like yours. Think products and services. If you are a bakery, a searcher might use ‘cakes’ or ‘bread’ as opposed to ‘bakery’. Get clear on you categories and use them consistently – don’t overlap.

Consistency, accuracy and currency

Keep all mentions of your business consistent. This means address, categorization, telephone numbers, and website addresses. Google is going to be checking the data that is available. Google works hard at producing relevant result, so make sure it can find you and feel confident that you are open for business. Check data in other online directories such as Yellow Pages and InfoUSA for consistency.

Add a meta description to your site

A meta description is a brief and concise description of your company. It will be displayed in search results under the link to a website page. It counts in search engine optimization and should be written to accompany each page. It should contain your selected keywords (i.e. products, brands and location). It should encourage viewers of a search result page to click into your site. A strong keyworded meta description not only supports your small business marketing efforts, it will help with your search engine results too. Add your telephone number to it too – so that people can call you immediately without even needing to go into your website.

Get customer reviews

Ensure that your business is collecting reviews. If there isn’t an industry review site, then direct happy clients to your Google Business Listing. Google is watching the quantity and quality of reviews in addition to your prospects. Encourage and ask customers for reviews in emails, on business cards and on invoices.

Age of your domain counts

It’s not just about how old your site is, it’s about how long it has left on its registration too. Register your domain name for at least another 5 years. Google wants to know that you are going to be around for quite a while longer yet, and you are not just a fly by night business setup.

Videos and images

Add videos and images to your Google Business Listing. You can add 10 images and up to 5 videos. Also add video and images to your site. Google is looking for credibility and so are your customers. They want to know how your premises you have an establishment of some quality or is it just an aluminum roadside shack?

Link to directories

Get the word out about your business by adding it to directories, like InfoUSA and Yellow Pages, and Google will check to see what coverage there is of a business to determine whether it is a credible business.
Your small business marketing efforts may significantly improve by paying attention to the details of Google Local Business listings. It’s your turn to shine, and to reel in the profits!…

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Strategy Selecting New Business Direction

Posted on by Bella E. Hussain

New Business
You’re working out a direction for your new business and have some degree of clarity on what that will be, and how you will execute it. You believe it will be profitable, but you’re not sure whether or not you’ve put the plans together to maximize your profit. Here are a few ideas on how to examine your new business direction through the profit “lens”.

1. Is your new direction powerfully bolstered by playing to your strengths and expertise?

When you build a new business plan where you’ve clearly got the skills and experience, it automatically raises the value of your services. Starting anew, as one of a crowded field of competitors where you don’ have standout credentials, makes closing sales harder, and lowers your potential profitability.

2. Aim for a well-funded niche willing to spend for the solutions you provide.

It’s best when this niche recognizes your specific specialty as uniquely prepared to handle their needs. This will increase your profitability by making it easier and more predictable to close sales. Aim for a target market who has the money, and a willingness to spend it. Position your business so that you’ve got unique ability to solve their problems.

3. Look for a market with a “crying need”.

When working to solve crying needs you don’t have to do such hard work convincing prospects that they need your solutions. They are desperately looking for resolution. There’s intensity to their search and they want their problem solved, NOW, or even better yesterday.

4. Make yours service better, more complete than your competitors’.

Make a point of fully satisfying the client’s needs. Put together your offering to encompass all facets of the prospect’s needs. Go beyond what your competitors do. Make your service distinctive, rising above the competition. This allows you to increase your profitability.

5. Select a target market that values excellence – and deliver excellence.

Clients will pay a premium price to receive excellent results. Targeting those who value excellence will save you from working with those who are underfunded and under-motivated (and can often be a drain on the profitability of your business). Of course, they have higher expectations, but if you’re aiming for the correct target market, that should not be a problem for your business.

6. Look for ways to increase your value to clients.

Combine a product with your service. Create packages of services. Add a new expertise. Combine skills for a new offering. Examine what clients request of you. How can you add value by fulfilling client requests?

7. Let your prospects know that you have solved that same problem they suffer from.

When you have a compelling story to tell about having had the same problem your target market is looking to solve, it increases your credibility and profitability to tell it. It’s even better if you’ve come up with your solution because of your own experience. Make it plain that you want to help others who are now suffering as you once did. The whole story about how you came up with the solution and evolved it through working with clients is a moneymaker. Of course it must be sincere and genuine.

8. Ooze competence.

Competence is valuable and shows up in net profit. Present yourself as a problem solve and be one. This is a singularly attractive trait. Prepare ahead and show professionalism. We are all intensely attracted to the highly competent.

9. Keep it simple.

Everyone has such complex lives nowadays, that simplicity itself lends considerable value. Don’t make it simplistic, but do make your services easy to understand. You want prospects to be able to easily imagine working with you and to be able to fantasize about what that could be like.

When you’re taking your business in a whole new direction, take the time to examine how you can increase the potential profitability of what you are embarking on. Spend that time up front, build profit into your endeavor, and you will take home the money later.…

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Bookkeeping Services to Small Businesses

Posted on by Bella E. Hussain

Bookkeeping Services
In the United States (and many other countries), there are literally thousands of new businesses start-ups each and every month. There is currently a great opportunity for bookkeepers and accountants who are willing to provide these businesses with the services they require.

This opportunity will suit any of the following: Bookkeepers currently working but not getting job satisfaction, wishing to avoid the commute, looking for more control over their working lives and hours or simply wishing to fulfil their dreams. You get to choose your work hours, the clients to work with and it gives you time for other important things like time with your family. This type of work is both more rewarding and more satisfying than the daily commute and grind of working for somebody else. You also get to choose which clients to work with!

There are fairly few requirements of starting small business bookkeeping services and anybody with good attention to details, is good with numbers and willing to learn bookkeeping software can open a bookkeeping service. The law requires every business to do accounting on a monthly basis and so skilled small business bookkeepers are always in demand.

To begin your own business providing bookkeeping services, you will require a small office and the usual trappings, such as a computer, telephone stationery etc. The type of business you wish to operate needs to be determined. It is probably best to begin as a sole proprietor but you should seek the necessary advice and information before deciding. Other business types include corporation, cooperative and non-profit. Choose a business name to suite your work, apply for a business license and do the business name and type registration. You will need a copy of software you will be using for your bookkeeping business. Peachtree, Sage, Quicken and quickbooks all have good offerings with Fusion accounting offering a good online service which is very suitable for this type of work due to it’s portability.

Getting clients is the next stage and this may not be as difficult as you may think. Networking is a very worthwhile activity, but choose your groups wisely. Test a few in your area and stick with the ones showing most potential. Speak with local accountants who may not be interested in this level of work and so be able to pass clients on to you. Keep good track of your business expenses and pay your taxes when they are due.

As you become familiar with different business accounting needs, you will become more efficient in your work, which will also give you more freedom with your time. Take very seriously the risk in your business of data loss as this could be catastrophic. Create regular backups of your electronic files and store these securely so that is disaster does occur, it is easily rectified. Never omit to take your backup as this could save you countless hours and drudgery redoing lost work. You provide the client with orderly reports of all invoices, checks, tickets, statements and any additional services they may require such as tax computation totals. This will also help when it comes to billing the client; operator time etc and hourly charges are $20 average.

Networking is an important part of a home or small office bookkeeping service because that is where you will find potential clients. Attend as many local meetings and business events as you can where your target clients may be present. Talk to them and distribute cards, but be careful of hard-selling here.

Your future clients need to be able to find you online too, so ensure a good presence there as it is money well spent. Do not go for flashy websites, but ones that are optimised for the search engines so that you will be found. Another good tip is to try and name your business with the letter “A” as it’s first letter. This will help you be nearer the top of business listings and in telephone directories. If possible, obtain a phone number for your business which is memorable. And don’t underestimate the power of catchy slogans, but keep them professional sounding too.…

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Step to Develop a Success Small Business

Posted on by Bella E. Hussain

Small Business
Starting a small business has proven to be the answer to many financial woes. That is because in these times of economic slowdown many peoples’ lives are being turned upside down due to the downsizing, and even the total shutdown of many Companies. Many people find themselves in the unenviable position of having nothing to fall back on after their jobs are gone. To survive they need to come up with innovative ideas to find jobs or create alternative sources of income.

Finding other employment, however, may be a temporary solution since there are no guarantees that the jobs that are available these days will be secure. So finding another job, more than likely one that is not as good as the one had before, could be another heartbreak waiting to happen, When one considers that the competition for new jobs increases as more people are laid off and enters the job market, it is no wonder that frustration and hopelessness abound.

One very good option is starting some form of small business. As a matter of fact I personally think that this is the best way to go since the financial rewards, as well as the personal sense of achievement and satisfaction, are second to none. Yes, there are some challenges associated with building a successful business from scratch. However, when one considers the history of successful businesses it is obvious that anyone, no matter their circumstances, can do exceptionally well if they follow a few simple guidelines.

The first is mindset. How one thinks is very important in the development of any venture. An optimistically thinking person will see problems as challenges to overcome rather than obstacles to halt progress. There are many books that help in the development of success thinking. They can be found in any bookstore with a well laid out self-development section.
Once the decision is made to start, however, many are left wondering what to do next. Here are five steps to help develop a successful small business.

When the decision is made to start a venture, the next problem faced is deciding what to market. This can be as simple as determining what excites you, what frustrates you, what you think should be easier to access, what service is required in your neighborhood, or a myriad of other such questions. Even a simple idea like using your lawnmower to cut your neighbors’ lawns can develop into a thriving landscaping business.

Funding the venture may be the next challenge that will have to be overcome when developing a small business. There are lots of institutions out there that offer soft loans for small business start-ups. If accessing these are not possible for some reason or the other, then selling your ‘unneeded’ stuff from around the house may be the way to go. It is amazing how much can be raised by utilizing eBay, Craigslist or even a simple garage sale.

Now that the venture is funded and running, the next important aspect is customer satisfaction. This is the life-blood of any small business. If the customers are not happy there will be no repeat business and no referrals, signaling the beginning of the end of the adventure.

Finally, delayed gratification must be practiced. As the profits come in a significant portion must be reinvested back into business to finance such things as equipment and advertisement. Promotion can be as simple as printing low-cost calling cards and bumper stickers. Always remember, if you develop your business then your business will develop you.

Of course developing a small business may not be as simple as it is made out to be here but if the burning desire to succeed is channeled positively, then anything is possible. Always remember that a winner never quits and a quitter never wins. Stay the course and develop your small business and I promise you will never regret it.…

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Designing A Small Business Website

Posted on by Bella E. Hussain

Small Business Website
To build a small business website, the first thing you should do is to write out a brief and small plan of what you want to put in the website. The website would be made up of contents and graphics. Make sure you have a clear mind and head when starting out to create this website. This will allow you to think better and also, to work better. The website should be mind-catching, user friendly, stylish and should come with different colors which will make it more attracting. Set your mind on designing a very decent website which will gain the attention of your target market.

A very important thing you should think of is the loading time for your website. Make sure the loading time for the web is very short as this will make your target market to view your business website more, and hence you promote your product better. If the loading time is long, it will discourage viewers and they close it and check some other websites. Make it of a professional and industrial model.

In starting out to create your own small business website, you don’t have to look for a web designer to do this for you. You can create the perfect website for your business. There are website builder template available that helps you create your desired website and to also maintain it. With this website template builder, you can build a website and it also teaches you how to host it, register domain name, page inclusion and other stuffs required. The advanced builder template gives you more option on creating your own website and will aid you in a very significant way.

Due to the fact that you want to build your website for a professional reason, you have to think professionally. There are tools available for you to work in such a manner, such as Professional web templates. They assist you in creating the desired small business website of your own requirements and ideas rapidly. With the aid of the professional web template, you can construct your own small business website, cooperate sites, online market and shops and also other professional businesses. The good thing about it is that they can be done at a very reasonable price and within a short period of time. This prevents you from wasting time, energy and money.

There are several of these tools available online from which you can select the one that is applicable and useful for you. With these professional templates, you can create your small business website of your own choice, select the various formats you want, and also get to make the changes that are required.
Following all these guides, you are on to owning a successful and mind-catching business website that will be of utmost importance to you and to your target market.…

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3 Questions to Start Your Day With

Posted on by Bella E. Hussain

Start
More and more I am beginning to find that the first 2 hours of my day will determine the productivity for the rest of the day. This isn’t in the same vein as someone who jumps on the scales and is depressed all day if they have gained a pound. What I am talking about is the mental and strategic preparations you do to make sure you know what the day ahead involves. If my first two hours are very lax, I find I don’t get much done for the rest of the day.
If I start my day in the frame of mind where I want to make this day count towards increasing my success in business, I find my day becomes geared towards that.

In this post I detail 3 questions you can start your day with to focus your attention on what is important about the day ahead. When I have started the day by getting up and going straight into work, I have found my mind isn’t completely in the game and as a result the outcome suffers. If you are an early bird like me, the morning should be the time when you do your best work; having a mind that is all over the place prevents you from taking full advantage of the situation.Whilst in future articles I will go into more strategies to ensure your day is the most productive it can be, here are 3 questions you can start the day with that can fine tune and stream line your thinking for the day forward;

1. What do I have to do today?

This is your checklist question. What actions are you going to do today that will work towards achieving your more long term goals (you’ve got those, right?). Make the list no more than 6 actions and look towards them being actions you can complete today. “Write my book” isn’t likely to be complete in one day but “write 5 pages towards my book” is more realistic to complete.

2. How can I improve my connections today?

More and more it is becoming apparent that connections count when becoming successful in building a business. In his book, ‘tipping point’ Malcolm Gladwell talks about ‘connectors’; people who have a massive network of people and one of the interesting points that comes from the piece is ‘connectors’ actually work at building their network. They know the birthday of each connection, they send Christmas cards, and they attempt to bring together people who could help each other. It is very rare to have someone with a large number of connections who is not successful and that is because your network of connections is big enough for opportunities to occur more frequently.

3. How can I add value?

Apple gave people value through innovative technology, Gary Vaynerchuk gave value by educating people about wine in a down to earth easy way, and Tim Ferriss gave value by showing people how they can make changes in their life quicker. By consistently asking how you can add value, you are ensuring that ideas are never far away from the forefront of your mind. You might not always get an answer when you ask this question, yet don’t let that dissuade you; have trust that, in time you will come up with answers that could potential change the game for you.

For some, the morning time is met with a feeling of contempt especially in the Winter time as we dragged ourselves out of the comfort of our bed. By starting the day with some strategically directed questions you can quickly get into a productive mindset far quicker and begin to start your days on a high.…

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