So you have entrepreneurial aspirations, but you're stuck in a job working for someone else. You wake up, commute to work, work hard, pay your bills and then come home exhausted. You repeat the pattern for another four days, becoming increasingly tired as the week progresses. By the time Friday night comes around you are absolutely shattered requiring every second of your weekend just to recover! And just as you start to feel as if you have your life back, your alarm clock goes off on ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Homeland security, airport security, Internet security ' these days we're literally inundated with a need to protect ourselves and our property from the non-stop bombardment of potentially damaging attacks by unknown sources and entities lurking somewhere out there. This is the reality of the world in which we live today. We can't just lock ourselves up in our homes and wish the problems away. Life must go on. What we've got to do is fight back. And we have to protect ourselves the best way ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Throughout history people have built wildly successful businesses around the world starting with no money and no formal business education. If you were to study these people you would find they have one very important thing in common. They believed in their own success and ability to attract money into their life. My grandfather was an example of an entrepreneur who overcame great financial hardship to achieve wealth in his lifetime. He had immigrated to the United States when he was eight ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Business plans continue to be an essential element of the capital-raising process. They must convince investors to take notice ' investors that are shrewder today due to the ups-and-downs they have experienced over the past few years. Adding to the financing challenge is the plethora of high-quality companies, both public and private, in which investors can choose to invest. In this environment, more and more investors are asking companies seeking capital the question 'Why You, Why Now'? The ...
Read the rest of this entry »

As a teenager I worked for my father's small business. At 18 I worked for a small video rental business owned by two partners; there were 4 employees. At 23 I worked for an auto body shop, the owner was from Greece; there were 8 employees. At 25 I became CEO of my family's small business; we have 15 employees. Today, I own a 3-employee automotive repair shop; an online business; a promotional licensing business and I still consult for my family's business. Today working in large firms with ...
Read the rest of this entry »

How long should a business plan be? A business plan needs to be whatever length is required to excite the investor, prove that management truly understands the market, and detail the execution strategy. From surveys of investor needs, Growthink has found that 15 to 25 pages of text is the optimum length in which to accomplish this. Any more and the time-constrained investor will be forced to skim certain sections of the plan, even if they are generally interested, which could lead them to miss ...
Read the rest of this entry »

When I was little and learning to walk, I had a problem... I couldn´t crawl forward, instead I did it backward. My parents told me that every time I tried to do it right, it went wrong! But, that was a long time ago, and, as you can imagine, I finally learned to walk, just like most people, just like you. Maybe you´re asking yourself what does this have to do with owning a home based business or an online business? Well, a lot! Many people who are trying to start or run their businesses ...
Read the rest of this entry »

BE PREPARED WHEN BUSINESS INVESTORS LOOK BEYOND THE NUMBERS "Here's a quick review of items you should expect business investors to look into beyond their analysis of the financial statements..." Let's say you have spent a year seeking an investor to invest in your business venture; you spent considerable time pulling your business plan together, contacting potential investors, making management presentations, and now all you have to do is get past the investor's due diligence. *** What ...
Read the rest of this entry »

The choice of financing is an important determinant of whether a product reaches the market, or whether an existing business can survive. The choice of financing is an important part of being an entrepreneur and business owner, and the ability to raise cash when you have no or limited history takes skill and creativity. There are a number of sources of financing. The suitability of the alternatives depends on what stage you are at, and will change as the company matures from stage to stage. The ...
Read the rest of this entry »

So you want to start a business but you don't have a lot of money? Start your business online, and it won't be a problem. There are some pretty terrific resources you can use. Some of them you have to pay for, but they are inexpensive and can get you started quickly and easily. 1. A domain and web hosting. If you want others to see you as a professional and take you seriously, then you need to invest in your own domain and web hosting. Purchased separately, the cost can add up very quickly. ...
Read the rest of this entry »

People will always stress that having a well researched business plan is key before you start your business. Although creating a business plan is often an important step in the evolution of a business, particularly if you need financing or you are not experienced at running a business, it is not necessarily the essential first step. There are two key elements that should be completed prior to the business plan: 'The business model 'The strategy What is a Business Model? While the word model ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Leaving the corporate world for a home business is exciting. Being one's own boss and making one's own decisions is a great feeling. However, one still needs to have discipline to be effective at being a home business boss. In my home business I have found at least two things that one must be persistently disciplined about in order to achieve success. First is the work schedule. A home business like any business requires work and often a lot of work. While it is true you do not have to get up ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you are looking for a job or running a business, giving out business cards is crucial to marketing your skills or services. Even as a job seeker, develop the mindset of running the business of YOU, Inc. Business cards speak volumes about who you are, what you offer and how serious you are marketing YOU, Inc. as a business. Oh! So, you have a resume and don't need business cards. Can you carry 10 resumes in your wallet? Do you or can you carry your resume everywhere you go? A church ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Starting a business can be overwhelming enough trying to get up and running but when you think about all the tax requirements, your cup may runneth over. Here is what you must know in order to start your own business on the right foot and avoid paying penalties and interest which can cost more than paying an accountant to do things right the first time. WHAT FORM OF BUSINESS SHOULD YOU SET UP WHEN STARTING YOUR BUSINESS? There are several different options including a sole proprietorship, ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Is Your Business Idea Feasible? By Darrin F. Coe, MA 10/26/04 So you have a love for business, have a talent or skill you're passionate about, and believe you've come up with a great business idea? Before you push forward you should consider doing a feasibility study to see whether you're business idea is worth your time; whether you should just dump the idea; or whether you can modify your idea and make it profitable. Study a specific business. ' If you can spend some time working for a ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Everyday, it's important to keep your business in front of your audience because one of your biggest mistakes as a business owner is to allow people to forget about you. Creating opportunities for exposure is an important skill that you can develop in order to help increase the comfortability (is that a word?) of your company with its audience. Entrepreneurs need to interact with their target market and then communicate effectively with them in order to build any relationships that may lead to ...
Read the rest of this entry »

With the proliferation of the world wide web and independent businesses, it is literally a 'jungle' out there when it comes to locating affordable website design services. If you don't know the difference between a web host and a website, how are you supposed to figure out which web design company will be capable and worth the outlay from your fixed budget. Let's face it, start-ups, independent entrepreneurs and small businesses do not have the large budgets of corporations and every ...
Read the rest of this entry »

There are more books about succeeding in business then curse words on MTV. It is not easy to define what makes a business succeed, but it is easy to describe what makes a business fail. If you are starting your business or currently being miserably unsuccessful, you might want to read on. No doubt that most entrepreneurs want to succeed in business and I wont argue that failing is on the top of the do list for anyone. Here are five things you must do to fail in business. 1 You must want ...
Read the rest of this entry »

Can There Be Any Other Business Like Your Own Business? by Gerri D Smith Copyright 2004 Word Count 688 'Whatever you persistently allow to occupy your thoughts will magnify in your life.' -Dennis Kimbro, PhD., Author, Small Business Consultant, and Lecturer for the Napoleon Hill Foundation Your reason for becoming an entrepreneur or having a business of your own is the first spark that motivates you to do so. A successful business is determined by how often you are motivated and in balancing ...
Read the rest of this entry »

The advantage of working with Outlook offline folder files (OST files) is that one can work on the same data as that stored in the mailbox on the Exchange server without any interruptions. However, users often forget that OST files are merely replicas of the server-based folders - in fact, they are often referred to as the slave replicas of the folders located on the Microsoft Exchange server with the mailbox on the server being the master. It is very important to bear in mind that if the ...
Read the rest of this entry »