Small Business Blog

Archive for March, 2009

If making a huge sum of money is your sole motive to publish a book, I will tell you to stay away from self publishing. The majority of those who want who goes the route of self publishing, does it because they want to share their work with others and that in itself to them is its own rewards.

The book publishing business just like any other businesses in these current economic times are having a challenge to stay afloat. The major book publishing houses are laying off many of their editors. They are also becoming pickier on what kind of books they will finance. Many of small books stores are finding that they have to close down their doors. There is some hope for you who are looking to get your book publish.

One segment of the publishing business that is showing strong surge over the years is self-publishing companies. Over the years it has gotten easier and easier to self-publish. So today, http://www.ipublishabook.com will provide information on some steps you can take to find a great self publishing company. If you are ready to self-publish your work of art, there are a few things you should be aware of. You, rather than the publisher, pay for things like cover design and printing costs.

You are also responsible for all editing and promotions. The self publishing company can provide all of it for a small fee or you can perform all of it on your own. I want you to keep in mind, there is a very good chance you will not make any money from self-publishing. Again, if you decide to undertake this endeavor, you have to do it because you want to share your work and passion with others The self-publishing companies generally make all their profits by charging you the author a fee.

This fee can range from $99 and up depending on the service you want the publishing company to provide. These services, including custom cover design and marketing and distribution to online retailers, or by taking a portion of book sales, or both. Some self-publishing company, like Lulu Enterprises, CreateSpace and Amazon.com, allow you, the author to create your book for free. One of the benefit of self publishing your book is that you get your book on the market is just a few weeks when compare to traditional publishers that can take a year before your book is out on the market.

http://www.ipublishabook.com will always provide information on book publishers, self publishing methods and the book publishing business. We want you to be in control of the publishing of your book. Self-publish your book keeps all rights to your book.

Every person now seems to see the Internet as the Business Holy Grail… ha… ha… ha!

What we find when we look deeper is greed… greed… greed. Sorry, no exclamation. If you believe different then you are naive.

The internet first gave us all great hope that a new dawn was beginning. That here was a great place to be, where everyone could be equal. Where every person could communicate honestly with each other. Where everyone could set their stall to making money any way they desired. That certainly holds true for the crooks and scammers. Sorry, but again, no exclamation.

We get bombarded with emails from what are called opt in lists. We see something we like, so we sign up with our email to get a regular sample of a supposedly new product or information that will change our lives for the better. You must be joking!

Our email address then gets sent about the internet to various joint venture lists, known as JV lists. And then we are called the simpleton list. The easy touch list and many other names.

What is happening now, and always has happened with the internet, reminds me of the old wild west of America, during the Gold Rush days. The old pan handlers had this inner desire to strike gold, much the same now with many people having a desire to win the lottery. Or start a home business online with their great idea. Every person wants to obtain great wealth quickly.

Those old westerners went on a great walkabout, searching here, searching there, searching everywhere for the business holy grail of quick, easy money. They were mostly hard working honest men, desperate to better themselves. And that is what made them easy pray to the vultures of greed. Just like now on the internet.

However, where there is money there is always ingenuity and greed. Some people realised that the gold prospectors would need equipment to search for gold. Some realised that tools would be needed, so they started a tool business and made a lot of money. Some realised that food would be needed, so they started a food business and made a lot of money.

But, the person who probably made the most money was the person who invented the trousers, called jeans. Well… except for the odd miner who struck gold. The people who made great wealth quickly and gave the rest of the gold prospectors hope for the future.

Is that now the same with the internet? Do we see, or more likely read about, some person gaining great wealth because they sold their internet business… and then believe we can do likewise? So how do we start to make money online? That is the burning question we would all like to know. Because what will probably happen is that an internet scammer will get us first.

The greatest desire with most modern people is probably to start their own home business. A business working from home that will give them their own financial independence. A home business where they can make money selling internet goods. However, where do we find such a home business idea that can generate great wealth for us? Or even just a regular above average business income.

First, we need to find something to sell. Next, we need to get lots and lots of internet visitors to our website. Oops, I should have probably mentioned the website first. How can we sell goods online without a website? But, then again, how can we sell something if we do not get visitors to our website? How can we sell something if we do not have something to sell on our internet home business? It is all starting to get rather confusing now. What came first… the egg or the chicken? Who cares. We must keep focused on our business idea. What business idea? I have not found one yet!

The above paragraph probably applies to the vast majority of people who have a great desire to break away from their mundane life and start their own business. However, what most people need to realise now is that internet selling does not only apply to the future. It applies to the here and now. If you want to be successful, then you need to learn to sell online. You need to keep focused and hopefully avoid the internet scammers.

Once you have an idea for your home business and have set it up, you then need to know how to get visitors or traffic to your website. The search engine Google seems to have a monopoly in that area. There are other search engines, like Yahoo and MSN, but for now, Google is king.

But for how long, I wonder? Nothing lasts for ever. Most large businesses start to lose a direction from their original roots with their thirst for expansion and over-expand. That usually makes a business ripe for takeover. A rising business will eventually reach a pinnacle. It can either stay there or meet another rising business on its way down.

What makes Google a lot of money is their ingenious Adwords system. You agree to pay Google a certain amount of money for certain types of keywords connected to your business. Then, when people search Google using your keyword a small ad box will appear, describing your product. If they click on the ad box your website will appear, where you can hopefully sell your product. You will also pay Google the agreed price for people clicking on your ad.

Would it not be fantastic if we could find an idea where we could obtain free ads from Google? A business idea that brings us thousands of visitors to our website from Google for free. Such an idea would save us thousands on ads. It could also make us extremely wealthy.

In 1999 a New York physician did come up with such an idea. Although he was a medical practitioner, he always had a dream of having his own home business. He wanted to work from home selling products instead of having the daily stress of attending to public health problems.

The business idea he brought to the internet originated in the offline business world. It was kept secret for many years by a select few business people, to ensure they made millions from it. What those business people did and still do, was use a simple method to obtain free ads in top class magazines. Ads that would normally have cost their business thousands were obtained free! And 100% legal.

By 2007 this New York physician had amassed a personal fortune of $75million with his free Google ads idea. But he always kept quiet about his free ads system.

Now retired from business, he decided to release his idea in e-book form. You can read how his business idea became a reality by downloading his ebook. It contains 124 pages with step-by-step clear instructions on how to obtain free Google ads.

This is one home business idea that turned into a multimillion dollar empire. The real deal.

Every small business owner knows that it is essential to keep updates of his or her business. This is a good and reliable way to follow the progress of how your business is doing. Any business information needs to be stored in a convenient yet secure location. In the past, small business owners used books to store their ideas, plans, sales etc. These books contained very sensitive material since they were the very essence of the business.

There were receipt books that recorded the sales. It was a tedious process but usually it was manageable. Nowadays many business owners have replaced the use of pen and paper with computers and effective computer programs that make it easy to store material.

It is interesting to note that however much we advance you cannot do away with the power of books. There are many small business books available on the shelves and also on sale online. These books educate the new small business owner and help the existing one polish his or her act. The business world keeps changing and it is important to be aware of this.

Reading a book on how to start, operate or even manage a small business can give you ideas that previously had not crossed your mind. Since they are written and researched by experts in the business they will give you other option on business. They make you think like a businessperson and you get tips on how to be successful. They also teach you how to save and invest in other ventures. Small business books contain a world of knowledge and every small business owner should make a point of taking a break once in a while and indulge in them.

Are you looking to start your own home business, and work from home? Luckily it will not require a business loan, and can easily be started with almost the smallest investment capital. The good point is that the money investment is small, and you can test to see if it will work for you. In this article, I will go into the greatest home business ideas.

There are today many home business opportunities available, so the choice is great. However, before looking at some of these home business ideas, it is best to consider the point, which we all want and that is success in our home business.

Many people believe that to be successful, you need to come up with something which no-one else has thought of. You need to invent a widget or something similar. However, this is not the case. More people failed in such thought than ever achieved. In fact most of those failures happened at the point of the idea. So, no action came about. I am sure you know some people who constantly think they are inventors, but none of those inventions have even been put to paper.

The greatest way to get into business is with an existing idea. And this is what we are going to look at. Choosing one which either appeals to you, you are passionate about or have skills in, will be your greatest key to achievement.

* Home Business Idea #1 – eBay Selling

Starting your own home business is not always an easy task. For most people starting a home business can be a distant dream. Most people think you need thousands of dollars to start a home business, but with thanks to the auction platform, eBay, you can start your own home business for the price of a good meal!

With eBay you can sell almost everything, and is a great way to learn the basics of selling online. It can feel amazing seeing earning money online. And you don’t need big office space. In fact you can work from home and as the business gets bigger, you can expand.

* Home Business Idea #1 – Homemade Jewelry – Creativity – And Craft

If you have an artistic flair and a bit of good craftsmanship, there are plenty of opportunities to create your own jewelry. This does not have to be jewelry that costs thousands of dollars just for the jewels! This home business opportunity can be started with simple products that can be sourced cheaply, and made into key rings, paper craft, and custom pendants. Use your creativity, and you may find a successful home business in your hands.

* Home Business Idea #3 – Freelancing

You have no money, so how are you to start? If you have skills, there are many places that need those skills. Sometimes these skills and abilities, we may not use in our job. So, you can freelance your ability and make more money than in your day job. If you speak another language that you are in fluent in, you could translate for people who need such services.

There are many great opportunities to be found. Unfortunately the limited space does not allow expanding on the other great home business ideas available.

Outsourcing boasts about the practice of handling various business related tasks in a small amount of money. Mostly small organizations take the advantage of this facility as they can save a lot of money and utilize it for some other purpose. Small business book keeping outsourcing provides a relief to the business owners from the pressures that come up during the time of overload of work. It is a commonly seen that the small business owners try to handle each and every department on their own, as they have less funds to pay to the hired employees. It is natural that if one has to hire in-house employees, he has to shell out a huge amount of money in the form of salaries. He also has to give allowances like house allowance, medical allowance etc. to the employees, in addition to their salaries. This is a costly affair. Here the concept of outsourcing the task of book keeping, is of crucial help.

Handling and maintaining the regular financial records, profit and loss account, balance sheet, journal entries are all the segments of book keeping. Book keeping is a monotonous task and one has to be an expert in handling all the affairs related to it. One must have a good aptitude for numbers. During the time of tax session, if one is loaded with excess of book keeping work, then a minor negligence can cause a problem. It can affect the estimation of financial growth of the company. A slight mistake can create a big mistake as the balances in the accounts may not tally with each other. The professionals at small business book keeping outsourcing firm are experts in this field. Small business book keeping outsourcing professionals are thorough with all changing accounting rules and regulations. They maintain the records with accuracy while keeping in mind the rules and regulations.

Taking the services of small business outsourcing professionals will not only save time but also cost. A business owner is able to handle his business in more efficient manner. Hiring the services of an outsourcing firm, is rather a good option than overspending on the in-house employees. Thus, transferring the work to a third party can help you in concentrating on other aspects of business and reap more benefits from it. The accounting professionals are committed to their work as they do not have to see other areas of the business. The professionals prove their worth by providing satisfying results to the business owners and there is no chance of negligence on account of these professionals.

Small business book keeping outsourcing curtails a huge amount of expenditure. In the cut- throat competition, every business wants to reap benefits by minimizing his costs. This is where outsourcing the task of business book keeping comes to rescue. By availing its facilities, one can earn a competitive edge over others. The professionals here are efficient enough to provide excellent results. They guarantee error free work for the clients. Thus, one can be relieved by handing over the work to these professionals who take great pains in providing good results.

The idea of starting a business is alluring to so many people.  There is the vision of wealth, providing opportunities and security.  Also there is pride and purpose- knowing what you’re doing is for you and your family.  And of course, one of the most appealing reasons is the freedom of being able to work from home and choose your own hours.  

These visions are wonderful and, in many cases, attainable.  In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, there are over 17.6 million businesses with one or more owners but no paid employees.      

So why are so many aspiring entrepreneurs left on the sidelines? 

It turns out, there are three reasons.  One, as you can imagine, is good old fashioned fear.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of failure.  Believe it or not, fear of success.  The second reason is a lack of knowledge.  “Where do I start?” “I don’t have enough resources.”  “I don’t know anything about marketing.” And the third reason, which I will be discussing in this article, is about the business idea, itself. 

Business Idea Paralysis

What is business idea paralysis?  Quite simply, it’s a condition that prevents people from starting a business because they get held back in the idea generation stage.  Basically, they are stuck in neutral.  Below are the two most common reasons why:

 The Pet Rock Syndrome

In 1975 a gentleman named Gary Dahl created a product called the pet rock.  Many of you have probably heard of it.  In case you haven’t, it was nothing more than a rock set in a box on some straw.  Within 6 months, Dahl had sold over 5 million of these pet rocks for $3.95 each.  It cost him less than 30 cents to produce the rock.  So, when you do some basic number crunching, he made over 15 million dollars in just 6 months – selling rocks.   

What does this have to do with anything?  Well, quite a bit actually.  Imagine how much your life would change if you could sell something as simple as a rock and become a multi-millionaire in just 6 months.  Pretty tantalizing isn’t it?  Unfortunately, it has tantalized people so much that they never end up starting a business.  They only end up chasing their own “pet rock” gimmicks that never catch on.

The reason is simple.  Some people just haven’t been blessed by the idea gods.  The gods have failed to spring upon them the multi-million dollar idea that they believe they need.    No matter how hard they try to come up with the next pet rock, they can’t.  If you don’t believe me, take a look at how many get-rich-quick schemes are being sold today.  If people can’t think of the next great idea, then they will buy the idea from someone else.  Well, guess what?  It doesn’t work.  Mr. Dahl was an aberration.  He hit the winning lottery ticket.  Chances are you won’t.

After you have wiped the pet rock syndrome from your head, beware of the next, equally as paralyzing syndrome that can keep you from getting to business with real, tangible ideas. 

Peace, Love and Happiness Syndrome

On the other end of the spectrum we have the peace, love and happiness camp.  This group is a little more realistic in their pursuit of a business idea.  Their problem, however, is that they love too many business ideas.  In fact, they love them so much that they can’t decide on the best one.  They become paralyzed by trying to figure out which idea is best, and ultimately, never try any of them.

These types of people, I have found, are extremely visionary.  They love to explore all of the different business angles and long term visions.  The problem is they don’t take action because their heads are filled with amazing ideas and forecasts for success.

If you fall into this camp, I have bit of advice.  Stop it!  You need to choose an idea and then let your mind run wild within the boundaries of that idea.

How Do You Find the Right Business Idea?

There are two schools of thought on how to come up with the right business idea.  I’ll discuss them below:

The Traditional Approach

The traditional theory for finding the right business idea states that you should find a need and fill it.  In other words, you need to pay attention to your surroundings and look to see where there might be an opportunity to offer a new product or service that people may need.  Once you do, that’s what you will build your business around. 

There is no question that this method of generating business ideas work.  It has led to many great inventions and innovations over the years.   It is for this reason that pharmaceutical companies make billions of dollars.  They develop new drugs to satisfy a need, such as a heart condition.  You can also see the traditional approach at play with today’s green technologies.  New, “green” businesses are trying to fill the need for clean, renewable energy.

There is one problem with this method, however.  It can be quite expensive and time consuming.  First, you have to develop the product or service.  This includes spending a lot of time and money on market research and sampling.  Second, you have to spend a lot of money on marketing to not only introduce the product or service, but to also convince people that they really do need it. 

If you’re a typical entrepreneur with limited funds and expertise, this may not be the best method of generating business ideas. 

The Give Them What They Want Approach

There is a second school of thought about coming up with a business idea that in many ways is far less risky and is much less expensive.  This theory is based on the idea that you should come up with an idea that already exists.  Or, simply put, offer people a product or service that they are already buying. 

Wait a minute, you may say, but doesn’t that mean there is more competition?  Isn’t the market already saturated?   Um, I would reply, tell that to Netflix. 

In 1997 the originator of Netflix reportedly hit upon the idea for movie rental-by-mail when he was forced to pay $40 in fines after returning an overdue videotape of the film Apollo 13.  Renting movies was not a new business “need” that needed to be satisfied.  In fact, Blockbuster had been renting movies for over 10 years, and in 1998 had served nearly 60 million people who rented more than 970 million movies and video games.  Netflix took a proven market (movie rentals) and simply enhanced the service by offering movie rentals by mail, with no late fees.  The result:  today, Netflix has over 10 million monthly subscribers while generating  an annual revenue of over 1 billion dollars.  Blockbuster, on the other hand, is struggling to stay afloat. 

The point is that if you know what people are buying, a good business idea is nothing more than simply enhancing the product or service and/or marketing message.  It’s a lot less risky and more often than not, a lot less expensive.