Operating Your Small Business ? Everything Really Is a Project
October 22, 2007
Do you operate your business as a series of projects, using project management tools and skills to advance your projects from conception to completion? Or perhaps you’re new to project management tools and skills and haven’t considered applying them to your own business? Most of us fall somewhere in between.
Running a productive and efficient business, whether for one person or for 500, is a series of projects of various sizes and complexity.
For example, here are some projects a typical solopreneur may have:
– Creating/upgrading your business identity (logo, stationery, biz cards, etc)
– Creating/upgrading your web site
– Setting up or upgrading your computer equipment
– Setting up or reorganizing your filing system(s) whether computer-based or paper-based
– Doing your tax reports
– Creating your marketing referral engine
– Creating passive-income revenue streams (teleclasses, ebooks, e-classes, white papers, reports, etc)
If you aren’t using project management tools and skills to run your business, your productivity is suffering.
How Do I Define My Market?
October 22, 2007
Your market is who you want to reach. Your customer. Who is your average customer? What is your estimate of total market size? What territory do you intend to serve? Will you offer a variety of products or services?
The more specific you are, the better definition of your customer (what their characteristics are), the easier it will be to more clearly define your market.
Many times you can obtain your Unique Selling Position (USP) from your customer. You need a USP to stand out from your competition. It is specific to you and your business. It is yours and yours alone. Your way of doing business.
How you define your market will also make a difference on how and what you use to reach that market. Will you direct mail, cold call, do walk ins, use the web, employ radio/television and/or print advertising?
In lease purchasing you define your market based upon the strategies you employ. For example, with consulting your market is a lot broader and wider, than it would be if you are using the co-operative strategy exclusively in a well defined surrounding area of where you live.
Performance Appraisals: Nightmares or Sweet Dreams
October 21, 2007
Some managers think of performance appraisal meetings and recollections of torn Achilles’ heels or root canals immediately surface. They’re sort of “been there, don’t want to go again” situations. The more it can be put off, the better.
Study after study shows that both managers and employees are very dissatisfied with performance appraisals and often view them as a necessary evil to get over with quickly. Here are seven strategies to turn performance management from a nightmare into a sweet, or at least tolerable, dream.
1. Prepare for the appraisal meeting. Give yourself adequate time to review an employee´s file, complete an evaluation of their performance and outline topics for the session. It´s also a good idea to note some talking points and do a mental walk-through of the meeting.
The employee also needs to prepare in advance. Ask the person to assess his or her performance. Suggest that she also jot down concerns, questions and opinions regarding her work and suggestions for improving it.
Do You Want to Fire Your Boss?
October 20, 2007
Do You Want to Fire Your Boss?
by: Hardi Budd
Yes! You can fire your Boss and make yourself your own Boss!
Promoting or selling other people’s stuff on the net can make you earn a comfortable living that will give you confidence to quit from your job! You can do that by joining an affiliate programs.
What is an affiliate program?
Affiliate programs refers also to associate programs, referral program or bounty program. It is the most famous and the best sales and marketing strategy ever used by most of the companies or sellers on the web from small to large-scale companies. This allows “other people or companies” to promote or sell their products or stuff for a commission or other consideration. That “other people or companies” are called “Affiliates” or “Associates” and the owners of the products or services and of the affiliate program are called “Sponsors”.
Many affiliates are earning considerable amount of commissions up to more than $10, 000 a month and even hundreds of thousand dollars, through this affiliate scheme. Because of this, most of them stopped working as an employee and focus on affiliate marketing at their own time, own pace, own strategy and most importantly, at home with their families without seeing a face of the annoying BOSS!
Handling the Dreaded Why Did You Leave? Question
October 19, 2007
If you left your last job under less-than-ideal circumstances, you probably dread the “Why did you leave?” question that almost always comes up at job interviews. Here’s how to handle it.
First and most important, never lie. If you were fired, don’t say you quit. It’s very easy for companies to do background checks that will reveal this lie; it will probably come back to haunt you. Besides, you don’t want to start off your relationship with your next employer with a lie, do you?
KISS. No, I’m not referring to the ancient rock band or kissing up to the interviewer. Keep It Short and Simple. Tell what happened–you were terminated, you quit, your job was eliminated–whatever. Do not go into detail unless asked.
Don’t say anything negative. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding your departure, don’t say anything negative about your former boss, coworkers or company. Any negativity, frustration or anger you express will only reflect negatively on you. Stay positive!
Take It To The Customer
October 18, 2007
In the past, purchasing ad space was the solution to every entrepreneur’s marketing challenge. Then it was direct mail, followed by telemarketing. But with advertising and postage costs on the rise, these tactics have lost some of their appeal.
Today the competition is fierce for a customers’ attention. In order to compete, you need to employ take-it-to-the-customer techniques. Some of these techniques can include attending trade shows, seminars, and sending them to your website.
You want to promote your business and in doing so you want to maximize referrals and conduct effective public relations campaigns. The following are five sure-fire, inexpensive marketing methods:
1. Be an expert. Don’t overlook your most accessible source of promotion: yourself. Give speeches to industry groups, colleges and community organizations, or offer workshops at conferences and business expos. Provide sign-up sheets or marketing materials for potential customers. Also, be a reference for customers, clients, vendors and related businesses by circulating relevant information and providing contacts. After all, home-based businesses thrive on a steady stream of referrals from clients.
Handling Procrastination
October 17, 2007
"TIME CANNOT BE ‘MANAGED.’ THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF TIME MANAGEMENT IS A BIT OBSCURE. THE ONLY THING THAT CAN BE MANAGED IS YOUR ACTIVITIES WITHIN THAT TIME."
I am quite confident I have never had an original idea in my entire life. What I have done, however, is create new ways of expressing old ideas. In this respect, I now invite you to approach, with a new perspective, the way you manage your activities.
Need-to, Ought-to, Can-do
Say it a few times to yourself: "Need-to, Ought-to, Can-do." Tongue-twisting aside, it represents three categories, within which falls everything that you are presently capable of. (Any activity that you are not presently capable of would perhaps fall into a forth category of "Can’t-do," and yet I would submit that if you are spending much time considering what you cannot do, you are not only mismanaging your time-you’re throwing it away!)
Is it me or is the Internet making potential entrepreneurs lazy?
October 17, 2007
Is it me or is the Internet making potential entrepreneurs lazy?
by: Richard Grady
We all know that it is possible for an online business to generate significant income that, ultimately, can be earned with minimal input from the business owner. This is due to the fact that so many processes can be automated on the Internet thus saving the need for an individual to carry out these tasks.
BUT no online business is going to generate a worthwhile income without at least some hard work - usually several months worth at the bare minimum.
I often refer to myself as a lazy Internet marketer because I know that there are many things I could be doing to further improve my businesses but often prefer not to. My problem is that I can always find something better to be doing than working! But it wasn’t always this way and in the early years of my online career I worked some serious hours to get things up and running - certainly a lot more than I had ever worked in any job.
How to Develop an Effective Company Profile — and Why
October 16, 2007
What is a company profile?
A company profile is essentially a resume for your company that you use to establish your credibility with the market you serve. Your company profile helps potential customers to understand your business as well as to understand your company’s approach, unique strengths, and relevant experience. Your company profile demonstrates your company’s ability to effectively meet customer needs. Your company profile also helps others who are in contact with you such as lenders, the media, and job candidates to better understand your business.
Who would benefit from having a company profile?
A company profile would benefit any company wanting to establish its credibility including:
* A consulting firm where it’s critical for the company to establish the basis for its expertise
* A service provider with a service that can’t be evaluated before the sale where the prospect assesses the company’s ability to provide the service based on its assessment of the company itself
* A company that lacks a recognized name in the market it serves
How can a company profile be used?
50 Great Ways to Motivate and Not Break the Bank
October 15, 2007
Quick, Easy, and Even Fun!
1. Smile, say "Hi! How are you doing today?"2. Regularly invite someone to join you for coffee.3. Send them flowers, chocolate, a bunch of balloons.4. Provide a group lunch—pizza, six-foot sub, barbecue.5. Write someone a thank-you note and put a copy in his/her file.6. Hand out coupons for an extra 30 minutes for lunch. 7. Make a donation to their favorite charity in their name.8. Give out tickets to a movie/play/cultural/sporting event.9. Celebrate achievements with bulletin boards, videos, E-mail.10. Catch and recognize someone doing something right, not wrong.11. Write a letter of appreciation to their family.12. Bake a batch of cookies for someone or for the team.13. Give limited time off, with pay, when things are slow.14. Bring a camera to work, get candid shots and post on a humor board.15. Go to the movies. During lunch or breaks, run a funny movie or TV show.16. Ask about their interests, family, or weekend activities.17. Send a company T-shirt or hat to the employee’s child(ren).18. Walk around with free lunch coupons. Hand out on the spot.19. Recognize special accomplishments publicly in meetings or celebrations.20. Hand out life savers, M&M’s, tootsie roll pops, or other appreciation snacks.21. Get candid shots of people doing good work. Post photos on bulletin boards.22. Take out an advertisement in a local paper and include their names and pictures.23. Allow flexible work time so they can participate in outside work-related activities.24. Have special days. Hold an "ugly tie" or "ugly sweater" day. Award joke prizes for the winners.25. Give them a surprise for their work area—a desk organizer, a picture or poster, a new mouse pad.
