More small business interest articles…
Over the last few days, I’ve published some more guest articles that are helpful to small business/solo entrepreneurs/micro business. Take a look at these:
“The Marketing World is Changing” is a bit dated, because one of the first points Jessica Swanson makes is that “traditional marketing will be 1/3 as effective by 2010.” However, it is still relevant, even if the article is a couple of years old. It is true that traditional marketing has slipped considerably and that prediction may have come true (if we knew what to measure it against). What’s important about the article is that “do-it-yourself-on-a-shoestring” marketing has become available in a big way to entrepreneurs and is very, very effective. That’s good news for the new or soon-to-be entrepreneurs who are making the jump from employment to self-employment. And for those who are trying to start up while maintaining some sort of job.
In “Why You Must Attend Events To Grow Your Biz,” Michele PW outlines a rationale for attending events that not only help you learn more about developing and promoting your business, but also can give you opportunities to network with a variety of others who may help you with that or even become your customers or clients. So, go to seminars, workshops, continuing education classes for your profession and conventions. You’ll probably get lots more out of them than the cost of the actual educational offering.
In “Social Networking Mindset Tip: Be Approachable!,” Nancy Marmolejo helps you hone your social networking skills by showing you how to present yourself so that your warmth, charm and interest in others comes shining through. After all, social networking is personal. Your potential clients/customers want to see your inviting personality.
In “Leadership: 5 Barriers to Your Success,” Duncan Brodie reminds you that success requires you to have a clear idea of what that success looks like and be able to adequately describe it to others. Moreover, you must believe that it can be achieved and have specific goals that will lead to its achievement. And you must overcome both fears and inertia that keep you from continually moving forward.
Over the last few days, I’ve published some more guest articles that are helpful to small business/solo entrepreneurs/micro business. Take a look at these:
“The Marketing World is Changing” is a bit dated, because one of the first points Jessica Swanson makes is that “traditional marketing will be 1/3 as effective by 2010.” [...]
Small business and entrepreneurial abilities
As a follow-up to my July 24 blog post on Career transitions to self-employment, I wrote an article, Basic Business Start-Up Abilities and published it yesterday. It goes on a bit more about the minimum it takes to start a business for a solo entrepreneur operation or micro-business.
I want to be clear about something: When I say you don’t need as many “abilities” or “personal characteristics” as are often outlined as ideal for small business success, I don’t mean that those skills aren’t important. It’s simply that unless you are considering buying a business or a franchise, getting a loan, or putting a large sum of money into getting started, you can forgo some of the extensive planning and analysis often advised and take a shot at something you already know how to do very well. You can pick up the rest of the business skills you need along the way. That’s the way it’s done more often than not. I just want to encourage you to be creative and not allow yourself to be overwhelmed or intimidated. For example, if you’ve long wanted to try out being an EBay seller, you could experiment by listing a few things you want to get rid of in your own household and it will probably cost you nothing if you strike out or a few dollars if you fail to price correctly. (Although people rarely take a loss there.) So I’m talking about starting on a shoestring, without employees and risking little other than your time. Anytime any amount of money you can’t afford to lose is involved, get help from sources experienced in your field and professional advice. And under those circumstances, yes you do need a well-written business plan, more solid current business skills and a careful analysis of your ideas and the marketplace.Read the article.
As a follow-up to my July 24 blog post on Career transitions to self-employment, I wrote an article, Basic Business Start-Up Abilities and published it yesterday. It goes on a bit more about the minimum it takes to start a business for a solo entrepreneur operation or micro-business.
I want to [...]
Blogging for better government
Have you checked out the many blogs our various government entities and representatives are using? Have you read the White House blog? The blogs of your Senators and Congressmen? How about the blogs of the various agencies of the state you live in? Next time you go searching for information on a subject of interest, try using .gov as one of the keywords in your search. You might be surprised at the wealth of information to be found.
Just a few minutes ago, I was reading the blog of a Georgia representative (not my rep, I live in Nevada), Congressman David Scott of Georgia’s 13th district. I learned about the H.R. 2142, the Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Performance Improvement Act. It’s designed, as its name implies. to provide standards and processes for continuous performance improvement in agencies under the supervision of Congress. He provides a summary here:
http://www.davidscott.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=190873.
As you may well imagine, there are “government watchdogs” who report on such bills. But isn’t it nice to find folks who are paid by our taxes doing their jobs and keeping us informed. Especially when they inform us objectively, rather than with political rant.
If you want a good example of an informative blog by a politician, Scott’s is worth a visit for that alone. http://davidscott.house.gov/News/DocumentQuery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=1836
Have you checked out the many blogs our various government entities and representatives are using? Have you read the White House blog? The blogs of your Senators and Congressmen? How about the blogs of the various agencies of the state you live in? Next time you go searching for information on [...]
Career transitions to self-employment
Lately, I’ve been publishing more articles relevant to small business. Especially one-person operations and micro-businesses. I’ve been focusing more on small business because it’s one of the most available career transitions for the unemployed and underemployed. As fewer and fewer acceptable jobs are available, large numbers of the formerly employed are turning to entrepreneurship, contract work and other forms of self-employment to make a living. Many never wanted or expected to work for themselves; but now they seem to have no other choices. And it’s a hard choice, because so few people are actually prepared for all the variables of working without a job.
I’ve read quite a lot of books and articles about the necessary “characteristics” of people who are suitable for running their own businesses. Much of it has merit as guidelines for identifying your strengths and weaknesses in business. However, I’ve found in my many years of experience researching and counseling, that necessity is truly the mother of invention (or motivation), and the idea that you “must” have certain entrepreneurial abilities to succeed is greatly exaggerated. Most people who have gone into their own businesses have few of the “standard” entrepreneurial attributes, at least in the beginning. The biggest determinant is your willingness to do whatever is necessary to earn a living. If that means making up your own job and making it work, that’s what you’ll do.
You also get to define “success” as being able to make a living or make extra cash or whatever else you decide to call it. You’re not stuck with “success” being defined as becoming wealthy. After all, few people do become wealthy running their own businesses. They may make a comfortable living and move into middle-class neighborhoods. But that’s pretty successful.
There are numberless ideas and opportunities awaiting the unemployed who want to take charge of their own work lives through self-employment. If you are among those people, take the chance, experiment, try it out. Educate yourself so you avoid the many scams. Get creative and think of what you might do that requires little or no money to start.
(If you’re thinking in more traditional terms, however, such as investing your own money that you can’t afford to lose, getting loans, starting a franchise or going into a partnership with some other person’s money, you actually do need to be better prepared. And you need to do all the traditional “stuff” like extensive research, analyses and planning.)
Stay tuned to this website. I’m going to be publishing articles and links to resources for more information for starting up your own solo or micro business. Remember, though, I publish more articles in the main section of this site (http://superperformance.com) than I do on this blog. So look for the daily content uploads there.
Lately, I’ve been publishing more articles relevant to small business. Especially one-person operations and micro-businesses. I’ve been focusing more on small business because it’s one of the most available career transitions for the unemployed and underemployed. As fewer and fewer acceptable jobs are available, large numbers of the formerly employed are turning to [...]
Selling by teaching and demonstrating
Earlier today I published a guest article Stop Selling and Start Teaching!. In the article, Jessica Swanson tells of her experience with the hard sell in a brick-and-mortar store. She shows clearly how off-putting “the sell” can be and advocates using an educational/informational approach in your online business, to build trust and confidence.
Jessica’s article reminded me of my Dad. He was a “born salesman.” He was one of those guys who could sell anything. He could extract your eye teeth and sell them back to you. And get you to agree he had done you a favor. He did it all by informing, explaining and demonstrating. In his retirement years, he became a crafter. He made tole-painted decor objects and sold them at craft fairs. I occasionally got to see him work his sales craft on customers. He would pick up an object the customer was inspecting and just start talking about it. With great enthusiasm, he would tell 
the tale of how it was made, what materials went into it, and even the history of the particular pattern or the history of tole-painting. He never asked someone to buy something. He just talked to them casually, while showing great love for his creation. Not only did the immediate customer buy the product, but also bystanders who overheard would often buy the same item or other items. He usually drew small crowds just curious to hear his stories. And when he ran out of product, he took orders to make and deliver the sold-out items. He actually build a fan-base of customers who would look for his booth at the craft fairs, buy from him again and again and phone him to make custom gifts to give.
Think about it. What can you do to connect so powerfully with your prospective customers or clients on line? How can you show them the value of your product or service? How can you create for them a demonstration of your commitment to, enthusiasm for and expertise in your field of endeavor? And for those who operate only on line: how can you show your interest in and concern for your customer or client even though you never connect with them face to face?
Earlier today I published a guest article Stop Selling and Start Teaching!. In the article, Jessica Swanson tells of her experience with the hard sell in a brick-and-mortar store. She shows clearly how off-putting “the sell” can be and advocates using an educational/informational approach in your online business, to build trust and confidence.
Jessica’s [...]