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Articles about small business advice (0-50 of 5940)
- Beyond The Glass Ceiling: 7 Habits Of Highly Successful Female Entrepreneurs
By: Michele DeKinder-Smith | - Over the past 20 years, the number of businesses owned by women has grown by more than 42%. In fact, in 2008, women-owned firms accounted for more than 1.9 trillion dollars in sales.
But while more and more women are eager to become small business owners, they're also still facing more challenges than men. Businesses owned by women are nearly 50% less likely to reach the million dollar markand often produce less return on investment for hours worked.
A new study ...
Tags: Successful women, female entrepreneurs, small business owners, small business advice
- Small Business Coaching On 3 Ways To Grow Your Business
By: Allison Babb | - It probably goes without saying that all self-employed people want to grow their small businesses as quickly as possible. Solo entrepreneurs, in particular, can find this to be quite a challenge. Perhaps it's because we're often wearing many hats and juggling many responsibilities. Growth can seem slower and harder to achieve at times.
When you're self employed it's important to understand how growth happens in a small business so that you're not spinning your wheels. Growing your s ...
Tags: small business advice, self employed, solo entrepreneur, solopreneur, business growth, marketing
- Starting A Business?: 3 Questions To Ask
By: Allison Babb | - Berta is a talented in two areas and she's undoubtedly very skilled and experienced at both. She can choose either to launch a business, but as with most new entrepreneurs, she's unclear on where to start and she'd like some guidance on business planning and next steps. Berta has tried multiple times to create a clear plan for her business, but struggles with moving forward.
Whether you are a new or established entrepreneur, you want to be sure you are crystal clear on 3 critical th ...
Tags: small business advice, self employed, solo entrepreneur, solopreneur
- Small Business Advice On Why Referrals Are Not Enough
By: Allison Babb | - A majority of entrepreneurs I've worked with admit that word-of-mouth and referrals are their primary ways to attract new clients and customers.
Referrals should be a part of your business life for sure, but too often I see it become the only way to bring in new business.
Here are 3 reasons why referrals are not enough...
Who's at the Steering Wheel
Many of my clients secretly confess that relying on referrals leaves them feeling like t ...
Tags: small business advice, small business marketing, starting a business, getting clients, more prosepects, solopreneur, soloentrepreneur
- Small Business Advice On The Quickest Way To Attract New Clients
By: Allison Babb | - The majority of entrepreneurs I've worked with are concerned about attracting enough clients. And rightfully so, as customers are the lifeblood of our businesses.
One of my recent subscribers, Kelly, asked what is the quickest way to attract new clients and to create consistent success. This is actually a question I get every single week on my web site.
Here are 4 things that attract customers with absolute speed:
Without a doubt, the #1 thing you can ...
Tags: small business advice, small business marketing, starting a business, getting clients, more prosepects, solopreneur, soloentrepreneur
- Small Business Advice: Are You Image-marketing?
By: Allison Babb | - If you're a bootstrapping solo entrepreneur, image-marketing should probably be pretty darned low on your list of priorities.
But before I offend too many people, let me say if your competition tends to be heavy corporate types or mega-company types, then you are probably competing with mega "image-marketing" as well and may need to do some level of that.
That said, here's why I'd ditch image-marketing any day in favor of these 3 types of marketing that are far more ...
Tags: small business advice, small business marketing, starting a business, getting clients, more prosepects
- Success On A Budget
By: Allison Babb | - The best thing I ever did for myself as a business owner was to become a student of success. That meant plunking down some cash to get the knowledge I now have. I truly believe that small business owners must never stop learning. When we stop learning, we stop growing and our businesses typically follow.
Today, I'm consistently investing in 5-figure coaching programs and I have no doubt I'd be investing in coaches that cost 6 figures before long. Hard to believe, but I didn't ...
Tags: small business advice, small business marketing, starting a business, getting clients, more prospects, solopreneur, solo entrepreneur
- Small Business Advice: Convert Prospects To Clients With This
By: Allison Babb | - I remember the conversation vividly. An entrepreneurial couple came to me for help because of a chronic problem with late payments from clients and the impact was, of course, their own financial struggle. I listened to what was happening and suggested they change their business model to require payment up front.
They said "Oh we couldn't do that - no-one would pay us up front. No-one in our field does that." I asked why and they didn't really have a good reason other than being ...
Tags: small business advice, small business marketing, starting a business, getting clients, more prospects, solopreneur, solo entrepreneur
- Small Business Advice: Are You Chasing After These?
By: Allison Babb | - It's almost like an "entrepreneurial curse." Not in a bad way, but it's that need to continually be in search of the "next sure thing to grow my business." That desire isn't inherently bad, but it can plague us so badly that it literally stops us from creating the very success we desire.
You may know what I'm talking about - bright shiny objects (BSOs). You know you're chasing after bright shiny objects when you are flying from one thing to another in the hopes that one of those " ...
Tags: small business advice, self employed, solo entrepreneur, solopreneur, business growth, marketing
- Small Business Advice: Got Any Sales Prevention Strategies?
By: Allison Babb | - I'm in the process of booking a hotel for a workshop I plan to deliver shortly. My assistant did some initial legwork and I did some follow-up calling. I can't begin to tell you how hard it was to reach someone to say "Can I give you money for a meeting room?"
There I was, credit card in hand yet for several hotels, no-one seemed to care much at all that I was ready to buy. For others, I felt like an unwelcomed intrusion in their day. I honestly felt like I reached the "sales pre ...
Tags: small business advice, self employed, solo entrepreneur, solopreneur, customers, marketing
- Small Business Advice: Is Your Product Or Service Enticing
By: Allison Babb | - One question I often get from small business owners is "How do I get people to buy my stuff?" I'll admit the phrase "getting people to buy" makes me squirm a bit as it seems to suggest pushing products on potential customers when the opposite should be true.
Customers should be attracted to what you offer and should be coming your way checking out your products and services.One thing to keep in mind is that people buy when they're ready to buy and not necessarily when you're ready ...
Tags: small business advice, self employed, solo entrepreneur, solopreneur, products and services, marketing
- Advice For Small Businesses Seeking To Succeed On Line
By: Lori Olson | - There is no shortage of hype on the Internet. A start up business does not have to look far to find a "Guru" who will offer a miracle solution for the "getting found" dilemma that faces every on line business. Typically, this product or weekend seminar (where many more products can be expected to be pitched) virtually guarantees overnight success. This information is usually at a significant price premium over the same information found in an existing book.
Okay, let's get a rea ...
Tags: Small business start up advice, advice for small business, advice for small businesses, advice starting small business, SEO for small business
- Small Business Advice On Where To Find More Prospects
By: Allison Babb | - For self-employed people who are building a small business on a budget, finding prospects you can then turn into customers is a huge concern. If the prospect pool dries up, so does your potential for new customers. So the question is where do you go to find new prospects to continuously feed your "potential clients" pool?
FIRST, WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
One of the best ways is to first know exactly who you're trying to find. This may seem obvious, but if the descrip ...
Tags: small business advice, self employed, solo entrepreneur, solopreneur, marketing, prospects
- Small Business Advice: Is Your Marketing Upside-down?
By: Allison Babb | - When I first thought of how to market my business, ideas for how to do it were things like.. print a brochure of flier, run an ad, send out some postcards. But I later discovered that's actually upside down and is the last of 3 steps in an effective marketing strategy.
Many marketing efforts fail because they don't follow the right order of things. We often focus on the fancy glossy brochures, and the image we project. I'm not against creating an image, by the way, but for small b ...
Tags: small business advice, self employed, solo entrepreneur, solopreneur, marketing
- Small Business Advice On How To Keep Your Customers
By: Allison Babb | - Whether the economy is up or down, as self-employed professionals, we all want to be sure we're doing everything to keep our customers. Some of you have shared that your customers are disappearing or just not returning to your business. Some have expressed a concern that their business is viewed as a luxury expense and is the first to go when hard times hit.
So how do your keep your customers on board with you? Here are 5 ideas you may want to think about:
Stay in t ...
Tags: small business advice, self employed, solo entrepreneur, solopreneur, customers, marketing
Social Web Results   Home Based Business - Getting Started Advice | ProfitBrite Shared By: profitbrite - Home Based Business - Getting Started Advice There are many reasons why people choose to set up a home based business and these can include: being...
 The best of 2009 e-letter wisdom from 'experts' Shared By: CVAConnection - - Susan Ward, a Vancouver entrepreneur who runs the Small Business Canada site at About.com,wrote an article on "Five ways your business can make more...
 Small Business Startup Advice | Dealing with Difficult People Blog Shared By: ashleysmith100 - There are so many times we wished we would have just asked someone for their business tips and advice. When you're starting a small
 Mashable's Social Media Guide for Small Businesses Shared By: manhattangrp - Small businesses face many challenges when trying to use social media, but the benefits are plentiful. Check out our round up of Mashable's small biz...
 Business, financial, personal finance news - CNNMoney.com Shared By: business_matt - CNN, FORTUNE, MONEY, BUSINESS 2.0 and Fortune Small Business magazines offer business news and financial market coverage updated throughout the day,...
 Creating Web Video That’ll Work for Your Business « InovediaMarketing.com Shared By: inovedia - Engaging, creative, cost effective "New Marketing" advice for Small Business It’s no secret anyone can create & post web video on Youtube or other...
 OPEN Forum Shared By: SPermuy - As the end of the year approaches, small business owners should start... I’m optimistic about 2010. I believe we’re already seeing some...
 Smarta 100 | Smarta Shared By: SmartaHQ - We're on a mission to find Britain's 100 smartest small businesses Copyright © 2008-2009 www.smarta.com No part of this web site may be reproduced,...
 Thirty Women Entrepreneurs To Follow On Twitter Shared By: Wecai - The following 30... and columnist who tweets valuable articles and advice. 4,346 followers. : Bernadeen McLeod is a business coach who tweets small...
 The Best of Inc. Magazine, 2009 Shared By: vpvinteractive - A look at the most popular articles, news items and videos published in 2009 on small business and entrepreneurship from the editors of Inc. Magazine.
- Small Business Advice On How To Generate Qualified Referrals
By: Allison Babb | - Whether you join a networking group or you're trying to get your clients to refer others to you, one thing's for sure, when the referrals show up, you want them to be qualified referrals.
Let's face it, it's great when more people show up to do business with us, but it's also disappointing when you we out that they're not really your ideal prospect.
So what are some strategies for generating qualified referrals so that when they show up, you're both thrilled to have ...
Tags: small business advice, self employed, solo entrepreneur, solopreneur, referrals, marketing
- Small Business Advice: The Truth About What You're Really Selling
By: Allison Babb | - During a recent radio interview, I shared one of the biggest mistakes I see small business owners making - believing you are in business to sell your products and services. I was asked why I considered that such a big mistake since it seems like any small business owner would indeed be in business to sell their products and services.
Here's why I see it as a mistake - your prospects and clients aren't waking up in the middle of the night focused on your products and services. Tho ...
Tags: small business advice, self employed, solo entrepreneur, solopreneur, business growth, marketing
- Small Business Advice: Don't Lose Your Shirt Buying Ads
By: Allison Babb | - Self employed people typically think of buying ads as a way to get the word out about their small businesses. I recently sat next to a woman who spent her last $1000 on an ad hoping and praying that it would bring her loads of customers. It didn't. Many small business owners think of ads as the entire marketing process, when it is only a tiny fraction of the marketing options available to us.
When I moved to Georgia, an ad sales person was hot on my trail trying to persuade me to ...
Tags: small business advice, self employed, solo entrepreneur, solopreneur, marketing
- How To Make Sales In A Tough Economy
By: Murray McFadgen | - Getting sales in a bad economy for a small business isn't easy. But in order to succeed it's important that you get the prospective customer's attention, and keep it long enough to separate yourself from your competitors.
Today's market is driven by the internet. This means that all business owners must have a strategy both online and off. Using either one exclusively won't be as effective.
There are many web marketing strategies to consider assuming, of course, you have ...
Tags: idea business, online business ideas, small business advice, small business ideas, small business solutions, small business survival, small business surviva
- Self Employed? How To Not Become A Slave To Your Business
By: Allison Babb | - There are so many self-employed people out there running themselves ragged. In fact, their small business is running them. And trust me, I've walked that path myself. Up late at night, going all day long, believing that's just the way it is for small business owners.
I would invite you to read "the eMyth Revisited" or get the audio book version. It talks about the entrepreneurial myth that takes us down the path of starting a business with passion and excitement only to become ...
Tags: small business advice, self employed, solo entrepreneur, solopreneur
- Small Business Marketing: How To Thrive In A Down Economy
By: Allison Babb | - One small business owner is a real estate agent and is calling it quits while another is having their best year ever in 2008. One retailer is closing her doors, while another retailer in the same industry is growing like gangbusters. Over and over again, I see a bunch of entrepreneurs struggling while others are thriving. So what's up with that? How can you thrive is this so-called "down economy."
Well, here's what I'm seeing as the difference between the thriving business own ...
Tags: small business marketing, small business advice
- Small Business Advice: 6 Reasons Entrepreneurs Fail
By: Allison Babb | - These reasons are in not particular order by the way. I am going to ask that you take a look at each one and really ask yourself if any applies to you. Not just ask the question but decide what you are going to do about it to create success for yourself, your business, or your business idea: Not believing in your own ability to succeed
If you struggle to believe that you can be successful, that, to me, is the greatest failure point of all. When you do not believe in yourself, y ...
Tags: small business advice
- Small Business Advice: Self Employed? How To Become A Wealth Magnet
By: Allison Babb | - After studying successful entrepreneurs, what was amazing to me was that I had never heard of these wealthy entrepreneurs before I set out to find and study them. They are not Donald Trump or Bill Gates, yet they were quietly earning millions. You've probably never even heard of them either . It was then that I realized that I was not prohibited from attaining wealth and that my own self-limiting beliefs were what prohibited me. As I let go of those beliefs and took on new ones, doors began ...
Tags: small business advice
- Small Business Advice: Self Employment Freedom In 5ds
By: Allison Babb | - Hundreds of people are showing up for work today, but not because they want to. It's because they have to. Or they believe they have to. Many have a strong desire to become self-employed, but they are deathly afraid. Afraid of failing. Afraid of going bankrupt. Scared to give up the steady paycheck. At a loss for how to actually make it happen.
So how do you leave the job behind and step into your dream of self-employment.... And most importantly, be successful at it. Here ...
Tags: small business advice
- Small Business Advice: Self Employed? 5 Ways To Attract Customers
By: Allison Babb | - Often, one of the greatest fears in starting a business is whether you will actually make money at it. Questions come to mind like, "Will people buy from me? Will I make money? Will I make sales?" and also "Where will I find customers?" Here are 5 different ways in which you can attract customers for your business.
Know your Target: If you know who your target market is, then it becomes infinitely easier to find them and to market your products and services. If your target cu ...
Tags: small business advice
- Small Business Advice: The One Thing You Must Become When You Start A Business
By: Allison Babb | - In this article, I would like to focus on something that entrepreneurs are almost never told when starting a business. What's the one thing you absolutely must become when you start a business? Read below for more.
The joy: When you take the leap to become an entrepreneur, you are most likely thinking about the thing you most enjoy doing. You look forward to how much you will enjoy doing what you've always dreamed about doing. You said adios to that corporate job and you plan to spen ...
Tags: small business advice
- Small Business Advice: Set Yourself Up For Business Success - 5 Different Ways
By: Allison Babb | - Have you ever been to a seminar, or read a good article, or listened to someone share something that really impacted you positively. You felt so eager to go try it out, to do what they recommended, to make a significant change in your life. Months later, you realize that you have not made that change or the change didn't stick. New Year's resolutions are quite like that. A lot of good intentions that fizzle out by the end of February.
Why is that? In my study of successful ent ...
Tags: small business advice
- Small Business Advice On Turning Clients Into Prospects
By: Allison Babb | - You have ramped up your marketing efforts, hit the streets both offline and online and prospects are starting to show up. Now it's your chance to turn those prospects into clients
You can turn prospects into clients by understanding the 3 phases (and a bonus 4th) that your business must be set up to successfully take them through.
Prospect: This is where I don't know you at all. I have no idea who you are or what you sell. But you, the business owner, have my co ...
Tags: small business advice, small business marketing, start-up advice
- Small Business Advice On How To Thrive In A Down Economy
By: Allison Babb | - One small business owner is a real estate agent and is calling it quits while another is having their best year ever in 2008. One retailer is closing her doors, while another retailer in the same industry is growing like gangbusters. Over and over again, I see a bunch of entrepreneurs struggling while others are thriving. So what's up with that? How can you thrive is this so-called "down economy."
Well, here's what I'm seeing as the difference between the thriving business own ...
Tags: small business advice, small business marketing advice, starting your business advice
- Small Business Advice On Getting Referrals
By: Allison Babb | - One of my subscribers recently asked the question of how to get a steady stream of referrals. Great question and one that more business owners should be asking as referrals are a powerful source of new business.
Referrals are powerful because when someone speaks positively about your business, it is far more powerful than any marketing the business owner can do. That's because it is unsolicited and comes from personal experience. The person speaking about your business has firs ...
Tags: referrals, small business, small business advice
- Going For Gold In Your Small Business
By: Aisha Jones Scheffel | - Measuring yourself and/or your business is always difficult. Whether it is weighing yourself after a week on Weight Watchers or waiting for your credit score to pull up after you have applied for a loan. However, without measurement how else could you show growth and improvement. Let's take for example the famous swimmer Michael Phelps. Do you think in practice he swims and goes "I think I made pretty good time with the breaststroke". Or do you think he is timed to within 1/100th of a second du ...
Tags: small business advice, entrepreneurship, financial advice for small businesses and practices
- Small Business Advice That You Need
By: James Copper | - Setting up a business requires certain formalities and responsibilities on the part of the owner. These include registration, planning, gathering funds, licensing, naming the business, choosing the location, etc. One the business is set up; there is no guarantee of its success or failure. It entirely depends on the owner to achieve the goals or lying back.
What Needs To Be Done?
A person who have started a small business is generally inexperienced and lacks knowledg ...
Tags: small business advice,
- Seven Business Mentoring Tips: How To Survive Paying Taxes
By: Linda Hunt | - "Death and Taxes." Ben Franklin gave timeless small business advice when he proclaimed that they are the only two things in life that are certain. But you don't have to let your tax responsibilities drive you and your business to an early grave.
As a business coach, the one problem I see many entrepreneurs running into is failing to budget enough money to set aside for their taxes. Then when it comes time to file their taxes, they don't have the cash. Unfortunately, not filing ...
Tags: business mentoring, small business advice, bookkeeping business advice, business coach, freelance bookkeeper
- Small Business Advice: Improve Your Accounts Receivable Collection Cycle Now
By: Laurie O Neil | - Almost any small business can use advice on how to improve its collection cycle. The first line of defense against late payments is a complete invoice. Your bills should be accurate, detailed and easy to understand. If difficult to understand, then your client will need to call for additional information. That translates into "you have been added to their to-do list," which increases the time of your collection cycle. Include on each invoice:
Your company's contact information ...
Tags: small business advice, bookkeeping service, business mentoring
- Five Reasons Not To Combine Your Small Business And Personal Banking
By: Thomas Pretty | - When starting a small business one of your primary concerns should be the banking services you employ. Those who are starting out often think that by mixing their personal and small business finances they will have greater efficiency and far less stress. Many part time business operators often use their personal account to carry out their business banking functions but on the whole, this kind of strategy should be avoided.
There are many reasons to have distinct personal and smal ...
Tags: small business banking, small business advice, banking advice
- The Advantages Of Starting A Small Business
By: James Copper | - Many people are now leaving their current jobs to start their own business as the Indian market floods with small business franchise opportunities. In India each day the economy is expanding which is leading many people to the different areas where there are various amounts of small franchise opportunities. If one is wishing to start business on a small scale this is available, small business franchises open up those perfect moments of opportunity.
Starting your own business is a ...
Tags: small business advice,
- How An Effective Banking Solution Will Help Your Small Business
By: Thomas Pretty | - The appeal of starting your own business is certainly strong. Becoming your own boss, controlling your own hours and having staff working to earn you money are of course ideal. This is however a wholly unrealistic view of starting your own business, in reality it takes a long time to achieve success, a lot of effort in planning, such as banking and accounting solutions and in general a great deal of work.
A small business is certainly not an easy ride to profit and a simple life. ...
Tags: small business banking, small business advice, banking advice
- The Small Business Culture Destroyer - A Toxic Employee
By: Henri | - We all want to have a united team in our company; a high energy positive working environment that fosters high performance and a high level of employee job satisfaction. The big guys call this culture. We all need a unified, high energy, high performance company culture.
I imagine you have worked hard to create such a positive culture, or it may have come about organically because of your own high energy entrepreneurial personality. However, there are many dynamics at wor ...
Tags: human resources, management, small business, small business management, problem employee, employee discipline, small business advice, small business c
- The Single Greatest Secret For Small Business Owners To Be More Productive
By: Henri | - Are you the great-guy CEO who loves to be loved by all your employees? Do you have an "open door policy?" I have a challenge for you - close it!
Think about it - open door policies are for big businesses that need a strategy to break barriers. Small businesses dont have those barriers. Youre on the floor with your people every day, arent you? The only thing an open door policy does is upset the chain of command and confuse your employees. So, close yours when you ne ...
Tags: small business, management, planning, time management, small business advice, management advice, business coach, small business coach
- Small Business Owner Ceos: Heroes
By: Henri | - Today, I want to celebrate you, the small business owner. So please take a step back and allow me to appreciate you
Our society, especially since 911, celebrates as heroes fire and police men and women and our armed forces men and women - and very rightly so. But there is another category of heroes in our society that is often overlooked - YOU - the small business owner CEO.
Did you know that small businesses employ over 40 million Americans, with 98% of those ...
Tags: small business, small business advice, small business planning, small business problems, small business management, management
- The One-page Business Plan For Your Bookkeeping Service
By: Linda Hunt | - Sometimes the thought of sitting down to draft a business plan sends me running for the hills, even though I preach the importance of planning to all of my clients! Small business advice: Without planning, your bookkeeping business goes nowhere fast. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
What I have come to learn as a business coach is that business plans dont have to be long to be good. In fact, a single page can contain all the essential elements you need to show where yo ...
Tags: bookkeeping service, bookkeeping business, business coach, small business advice
- Small Business Ceos - Heroes
By: Henri Schauffler | - I would like to celebrate YOU the small business owner! Please take a minute and listen to what I have to say.
Our society, especially since 911, celebrates as heroes fire and police men and women as well as service men and women - and very rightly so. We are all very grateful for the life-risking everyday life these heroes lead to keep all of us safe and protected. But there is another category of heroes in our society that is often overlooked
YOU - the s ...
Tags: Small Buinsess, Small Business Success, Small Business CEO, Small Business Growth, Small Business Advice, Business Coaching, Business Coach
- Get Over The Fear Of Networking
By: Dexter P. Morgan II. | - Network marketing is one of the most effective ways to conduct business. The reason being that word of mouth advertising is much stronger then print. Think about it for a moment if a friend told you that they love Product A and what it did for them, then you will probably remember that when you go to male that purchase and you are comparing Product A to Product B. Which one are you libel to pick.
It's the fear factor that drives most small business people away from networking. I ...
Tags: networking, sales, business, business advice, small business, small business advice, stratagy, advice, selling, public speaking, networking, small business, busin
- Considering Small Business Startup Advice
By: Stephen Campbell | - When you decide to start your own business, you will get a small business advice from everybody that surrounds you. This move can help you to gain essential knowledge that is needed for your business-you need a business start up advice. Several startup business ideas will be helpful and of course productive; however, others will be advice that bring no best for your business. Luckily, you can find many services and programs that are dedicated to giving you expert business startup advice and hel ...
Tags: business start-up advice, small business advice, small business start up advice
- Get Over The Fear Of Networking
By: Dexter P. Morgan II | - Network marketing is one of the most effective ways to conduct business. The reason being that word of mouth advertising is much stronger then print. Think about it for a moment if a friend told you that they love Product A and what it did for them, then you will probably remember that when you go to male that purchase and you are comparing Product A to Product B. Which one are you libel to pick.
There are a large number of small business owners that don't do any networking, and ...
Tags: networking, sales, business, business advice, small business, small business advice, stratagy, advice, selling, public speaking, networking, small business, busin
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