Category: Business

Start by writing your business plan. If you do not know how to do this, work with a small business mentor who will give you personalised advice. if your finances do not allow for this specific help then get a limited amount of free advice from your government advisor such as the Small Business Advisor or the Princes Trust. Although the help be general it will give you a great start.

Writing your business plan will enable you to plan your business in a structured format. It will be a good exercise and help you get a good structured business together for little outlay.

Do not try to jump into a business too quickly. Plan it out carefully and test out your ideas. To the second saying, if no one wants to buy from you then you do not have a business. Start slowly and research your ideas. Pop over to those masters of sales: Amazon, eBay, etsy and fivver and see what is selling, how popular they are and what kind of money things are selling for. If your intended products are not covered here, and most B2C (business to consumer) products are, then research on the internet. You … Read the rest

• Ask each staff person to “brag” about three favourite products (that you sell!) at your next staff meeting. Have a fun contest for best story. “Bragging rights” wins a gift certificate for dinner. If you have three employees, the goal is to generate nine great stories (three each) – nine more products to tout.
• Distribute “free” product to your employees. (If the cost is too prohibitive, “loan” product.) Encourage each staff member to try out the product; wash the product; share the product with family and friends; and come to the next meeting with an evaluation of the product. Again, offer small prizes for the best anecdote. And do remind the staff that honesty prevails! If your staff dislikes the product, tell us why – state valid reasons why you would not buy this product. As a business owner, you need to hear this criticism. You are looking for honest feedback.
• Encourage staff to re-assess products and collaborate on “features and benefits” lists. Once staff members recognize that their opinions are valued, they will feel more empowered and voice their concerns more readily in the future. Display a “features and benefits” detailed list on the bulletin board, as a frequent

… Read the rest

This same 97% of people will keep snoozing the alarm clock every single day until there is no other choice than get out of bed or else call in sick for that day. Do you jump out of bed all excited for the day ahead? Or do you jump out of bed only on Saturdays or when you are on leaves? Are you really living a freedom life? Can you relate?

I can definitely relate. Since the very day I realised I was not working out of passion but out of need to pay bills, loans and to attend to family obligations, getting out of bed for work had been the most irritating hassle of the day. The gnawing question “How long will this continue?” shadowed me like my best friend for years and years. As time went by, another more vexing question proliferated in my mind: “Is this all life is about?”. I wanted a freedom life for me but there was no such hope as long as I was seated in a cubicle working to pay my expenses and debts!

• Is life about snoozing the alarm every week day and looking forward to the end of the week

… Read the rest

Two dozen display booths formed at the center while others hugged against the walls. I was busy ogling at the finger foods, salads and refreshments. You couldn’t walk five feet without someone assaulting you with their business card in your face.

Everybody was intent on selling you their product, package or program. They wanted you to notice them. Whether you wanted to or not. And maybe one person in one hundred seriously wanted to trade notes, share ideas or look into a profitable partnership.

Which made the whole affair a big yawner…

These are total strangers trying to convince you they have the secret tool that will make you more money and save you more time. They believe relationship selling is conducted by them giving you their 30-second commercial, and then something clicks and a bright light bulb appears above your head and you respond with, “You have exactly what I need for my business. I’ve been looking for your product forever. Why haven’t we met before? Give me a call so we can do business.”

Which isn’t so bad in itself…

Because lurking in the shadows are the energy-zappers. They love to go phishing at these functions. They usually … Read the rest

The first is the path of hoping. Marketing on the path of hoping is a lot like flinging pasta at the wall to see what sticks. I used to do this a lot.

I’d decide to create a class, send out an email or two, and see if anyone showed up. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn’t.

My creative, feminine energy was alive and flowing. The people with whom I connected received the sort of value that allowed great shifts their lives from what I was offering. My heart fills with love when I think about them.

But with no strategy in place, the benefits were short-lived. I wasn’t growing my business; instead, I was paddling like crazy just to stay afloat. Because my thinking was short-term, I wasn’t spreading the impact of my work the way I wanted to. And I wasn’t making the money I desired.

I needed to do something different.

I leaped over to the second path, the path of singular focus. I learned the tools of list building, marketing strategically, building a reputation, and creating a financially abundant business. My inner masculine nearly roared with delight as I pursued this path.

Then one morning I … Read the rest