Small Business Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Secrets’

Whether you use someone’s free online business plan, pay a high priced consultant for one or develop it yourself, some kind of a plan is an essential  tool for you, the entrepreneur, to effectively grow your business. A written business plan helps you narrow down your focus and sharpen your skills as a business person through thinking ahead, planning and checking often to make sure you are on track.

Its major advantage, however, is that it is a place where you can harness the expertise of virtually hundreds of experts in the business field of your choice and bring their best practices together in a way that is unique to your own goals . The internet has indeed become a great resource for tapping into the best of other peoples previous experience.

Aside from helping you lay down the basics such as determining your objectives, setting your financial goals and assessing your company’s potential, the online business plan allows you to access other internet-based resources that improve the quality of your plan. No matter what type of business you are interested in, the internet is the research resource of choice for the advanced thinking entrepreneur.

What you must accomplish first is find the category your business belongs to. This helps customize your business plan for your particular need. You can find software that assists with your projections for cash flow, executive summary, analysis of break-even income, mission or vision statement, expense budget estimates, and more.

The software allows you to edit and customize your business plan according to your specifications. If you’re not confident about developing a good plan then you can always opt to get help online, browsing through the various forums and sites which can lead you to a consultant who can advise you on any matter you’re sketchy about. If your budget is low, even starting with a very simple outline of your objectives and milestones that you need to pass will be very helpful for you.

Another great place to scope out various books, software and other resources without having to go out and pound the pavement for information you want is your public library. Of course if you are going into a business large enough that you want to get financing from either banks or investors, a well formulate business plan is a must. If you are under the impression that investors don’t read the stuff anyway, well you could be right but if that is the case, at least someone on their staff does! So whether you just want a simple written outline to keep yourself on track or a highly polished business plan to impress investors – either way, don’t get started with out one.

Make no mistake, business is war, and the very best way to approach business war is by studying the teachings of Sun Tzu the ancient Chinese military strategist. Since he first published his strategies in the sixth century BC countless military, political and corporate leaders have implemented his strategies.

From a contemporary perspective the Dragons’ Den TV series gives us an insight into how savvy business investors like Theo Paphitis & Deborah Meaden either consciously, or sub consciously implement Sun Tzu’s Art of War strategies.

Picture the scene. The premise of Dragons Den TV is to provide a face to face interactive platform between aspiring business entrepreneurs, and high net worth individuals known as The Dragons. In the new series of Dragon’s Den 2010 this includes the well known Dragons like Theo Paphitis, Deborah Meaden, Duncan Bannatyne, James Caan and Peter Jones.

The entrepreneurs have to deliver their business pitch for investment to the Dragons. The rule is they have to secure all the investment from one or more of the Dragons, or they leave the pitch empty handed.

This is a real David and Goliath encounter. In military terms this is akin to Lichtenstein invading China. The Dragons have years and years of hard core business skills and acumen, whereas most of those pitching for the Dragons money are unskilled novices trying to get their foot on the first rung of the business ladder.

Although Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden hail from different backgrounds, Theo Paphitis is considered the Dragons Den TV retail expert, while Deborah Meaden is billed as the Marketeer, together they both form a dream team business partnership.

Any entrepreneur entering the Dragons’ Den (DD) will find added value in the business growth secrets harboured by Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis. It is their combined skill, experience and business growth secrets that can really turbo charge the aspiring entrepreneurs business into fast long term sustainable business growth.

Enter the Dragons’ Den, where Theo Paphitis & Deborah Meaden have established an unwritten investment partnership alliance to ward off Peter Jones & the other strategic partnership alliance of Duncan Bannatyne & James Caan.

DD TV provides all business owners with an array of business growth secrets. If you want to grow your business then don’t miss the new DD 2010 series 8.

Any master of Sun Tzu’s Art of War strategies will recognise the following traits adopted by Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden in the DD TV series.

Theo Paphitis Art Of War Business Strategy #1: Know Your Environment

Theo Paphitis is a master of this strategy, as it’s clear on the DD that he knows his business environment inside out.

Like Sun Tzu, Theo Paphitis is big on strategy meetings for his senior managers and directors. He is on record in one of the DD books that he likes to whisk his senior business people away twice a year to plan and manage their business development strategy.

Theo Paphitis Art Of War Business Strategy #2: Control The Game

Although Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden have partnered up on some DD investments, Theo is very comfortable, and very successful in funding investments on his own. He achieves his high level of success by controlling the game.

In reality the DD TV series is about controlling the game. In fact much of the TV entertainment derives from watching the Dragons and the entrepreneurs fighting to control the game.

Theo Paphitis Art Of War Business Strategy #3: Run With Opportunities

Collectively Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden are very adept at running with opportunities but Theo Paphitis is particularly astute at identifying opportunities which will reap rewards from his business growth secrets.

In the DD Theo Paphitis understands that chance favours the prepared mind.

Enter The New Dragon: Theo Paphitis Profile

Theo Paphitis is a very popular member of The DD TV series. Over 22,000 people search for the name Theo Paphitis every month, and a further 22,000 search for the key phrase Paphitis Theo on Google. Although Google is the largest search engine in the world, it is only one of many search engines like Yahoo, MSN-Bing, Ask, AOL and many others.

Deborah Meaden Art Of War Business Strategy #1: Your Philosophy Matters

Ghandi said, “be the change you wish to see in the world.” Deborah Meaden is the only female member of the DD TV team. She is a successful business woman with a vast array of personal business growth secrets. A woman who has masterfully transferred her own creed and life philosophy into a formidable business empire and business investment portfolio.

Every one presenting before Deborah Meaden on the DD TV show should understand her belief that your philosophy matters. Understand this and you will establish good rapport with Deborah Meaden. Part of the synergy between Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden stems from this mutual understanding of company philosophy and corporate values.

Deborah Meaden Art Of War Business Strategy #2: Act Fast

As a Master Marketeer on the Dragons’ Den, Deborah Meaden appears to follow Sun Tzu’s strategy of acting fast. She is quoted as stating her best advice to aspiring business entrepreneurs is to, “stop thinking about it, and do it.”

This reinforces Sun Tzu’s belief that damage to moral and resources are caused by protracted campaigns. As an expert in marketing, Deborah Meaden clearly understands the relevance of taking swift action to avoid the two pitfalls of expense and exhaustion.

Duncan Bannatyne and his sometimes investment partner James Caan and Peter Jones all clearly understand the importance of acting fast when a lucrative business opportunity presents itself. Avid viewers will be glued to their TV sets watching the new series of DD 2010 for the next tranche of business opportunities.

Deborah Meaden Art Of War Business Strategy #3: Remove Emotion From Strategy

When you study previous episodes of DD TV and the individual reactions from Theo Paphitis, Duncan Bannatyne, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden and James Caan, it is clear that Deborah Meaden has mastered the art of removing emotion from strategy.

Deborah Meaden attributes her hard work ethic to having a resourceful mother who taught her that to be successful, you have to do whatever it takes.

One of the best ways to understand how to remove emotion, is how Deborah Meaden has no time for self pity. She has no time for this. Her belief is you should just get on with your business and do it, because no one else is going to do it for you.

Enter The New Dragon: Deborah Meaden Profile

Since her first appearance in third series of the DD, Deborah Meaden has become a very popular member and favourite of The DD TV series. Over 18,100 people search for the name Deborah Meaden every month, and a further 880 search for the key phrase Deborah Meaden Dragons Den, every month on Google.

Considering Google is only one of several major search engines online this offers a clear indication of Deborah Meaden’s popularity.

Those in the business world with an interest in start up ventures will look to the new series of DD 2010 in eager anticipation. The BBC has managed to fuse together a superb blend of business and real life TV drama. In just the same way as Simon Cowell’s X Factor derives a huge audience following for the absolutely terrible performers, so does the DD.

TV critics have referred to some unsuccessful entrepreneurs in the Dragons’ Den as ‘Car Crash TV.’ However in reality, one should consider this an excellent platform for learning how to apply for investment. I’ve watched many episodes from the shows seven previous series, and I’ve learnt something from just about most of those pitching for investment.

The DD is also a fantastic resource for any business consultant and business advisors. Where else can you receive real life feedback presented by new entrepreneurs pitching for investment from serious business heavyweights like Theo Paphitis, Deborah Meaden, Duncan Bannatyne, Peter Jones and James Caan.

Before revealing the beneficial reasons of the small business marketing opt in list, you must recognize the false beliefs that must be understood prior to embarking on growing a small business marketing opt in list. Being in the dark about small business marketing opt in list secrets will be a hindrance towards your profitting well from your business.

Realize that hardly any business people even use small business marketing opt in email marketing, much less build an actual small business marketing opt in list.

Small business marketing opt in list email is one of the most effective marketing practices nowadays chiefly because virtually all people use email.

Small business marketing opt in list email marketing campaigns can offend a lot of people. The ethical way to surmount this quandary is from practicing permission-based marketing. You will have infinite more success if you’ve been allowed permission from an small business marketing opt in list to email a person something.

It makes no sense to email Spam. The way to winning in this area is to solely send email to those who have become members of your small business marketing opt in list. It is paramount to fully understand the process to know how to build a profitable small business marketing opt in list.

The truth about constructing a small business marketing opt in List.

Once you know the truth about small business marketing opt in list marketing, here’s how one can benefit from employing the power of email marketing campaigns – creating your own small business marketing opt in list. Building a small business marketing opt in list isn’t always easy particularily for those lacking the knowledge.

Here are a few tips on how to win with an small business marketing opt in list email marketing endeavour.

1. Reasoned Collecting of Data

Realizing which data to extract from your list will help you in lowering costs and/or make sales flourish. Systematically create a system that rewards your visitors and encourages them to provide the info you need. Overload of data is not good. Whilst establishing a small business marketing opt in list, only try to capture their name and email addresses. Make sure that the profiles that you gather are updated to aid in improving the relevance, timeliness and satisfaction from each deal you make.

2. Suitable Start-up

As in any business endeavour, doing isn’t planning…doing is doing! This easily translates to the difficulty one has to undergo during the execution of his or her email marketing efforts. Stop thinking and start doing. It’s a good thing that numerous methods, usually inexpensive, abound to speed and facilitate the building up of one’s small business marketing opt in database.

Maintaining proper records of your small business marketing opt in database can pose a problem to some.Opt-in Technology and quality sources should be employed in making this function of your marketing more controllable. The best quality groups of opt-ins with the greatest results should be taken noted of.

As a proactive business advisor from wirral Liverpool merseyside england uk my role is specifically to grow businesses in a long term sustainable fashion.

However given that I’ve provided my business advice and support to companies beyond Manchester Liverpool and across 4 continents I have been retained for my ability to assist businesses of all sizes to grow exponentionally.

The idea of this article is to disclose some of my company advisor secrets, so that your business can benefit from increased growth.

Frequently business owners ask me as their company advisor to outline a magic formula for business growth. In all reality there is no such concept as a magic business growth formula.

If there was, then every business would be super successful, when in real life quite the opposite is true, and a very high percentage of new business ventures fail during the first 12 months of trading.

That said, I’ve run many of my business advisor wirral training programmes and business courses Liverpool to help business growth.

On occasion I have also delivered company advisor mentoring for business owners from various business incubation units including the one owned by a Liverpool University.

Every company advisor understands that all business directors need to know the inside company advisor secrets which ensure business success, while so many other businesses fail.

Knowing the business advisor wirral liverpool merseyside england uk company advisor secrets will grant you a tactical business edge.

Many seek to retain a business advisor uk from business services Liverpool because of the huge business success in Manchester Liverpool.

The business advisor wirral liverpool merseyside england uk company advisor secrets will hopefully open up your eyes to business concepts you may have previously dismissed.

Business Advisor Wirral Liverpool Merseyside England UK Company Advisor Secrets #1 Gather Your Business Intelligence

Given that my business centre Liverpool services clients in manchester Liverpool and the rest of the UK, it is important to understand the relevance of how your company advisor gathers your business intelligence.

A famous US General once wrote that a poorly designed plan executed now is better than a perfectly designed plan executed next week. The absolute foundation stone of your business plan is your business intelligence.

Business services Liverpool place great emphasis on gathering business intelligence and a number of business courses Liverpool explain the best methods for gathering and collating this intelligence.

Every business advisor uk I know recommends that at the very least you should conduct in-depth research to identify your main competitors and their business modus operandi. This is the first company advisor secret from business advice Liverpool.

Business Advisor Wirral Liverpool Merseyside England UK Company Advisor Secrets #2 Identify Your Customer Base

Every business advisor uk, working for business services Liverpool or running any of the business courses Liverpool understands the importance of identifying your company base well in advance of commencing your business trading.

Business owners need to think like professional film screenplay writers who seek to identify their potential fee paying audience before they write a single word of their screenplay.

Ask your company advisor to demonstrate the insider business secrets of how to identify your customer base and then how to categorise these customers into dynamic marketing data bases. i.e. splite them down into business regions like manchester Liverpool and other UK cities.

The business centre Liverpool advocates drilling down even further when goe-targetting your customer base and I agree wholeheartedly with this good business advice Liverpool.

Business Advisor Wirral Liverpool Merseyside England UK Company Advisor Secrets #3 Know Your Competitors

It is of equal importance for a business advisor uk to know his or her competitors as it is for a military leader to know his enemies.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu advocates winning the war before the battle commences. A proven company advisor delivering business services Liverpool understands this is precisely the same concept required for growing any business in Manchester Liverpool or the rest of the UK.

In reality and in most cases, your business competitors are your enemies and the business centre Liverpool advises that once you know your competitors you will truly know your business marketplace and how to capitalise on it.

Best business advice Liverpool suggests attending any one of the business courses Liverpool which are run specifically for business owners looking to gain a legitimate competive advantage from knowing your competitors.

Business Advisor Wirral Liverpool Merseyside England UK Company Advisor Secrets #4 If You Chase Two Rabbits Both Will Escape

Early on in my business consultancy career I listened to a wise old business to business company advisor who advised business owners not to be tempted to chase both rabbits because if you do, both will escape.

I’ve never forgotten these wise words from this business advisor uk. In fact when ever I run my business courses Liverpool I am constantly faced with business owners who have led their businesses into horrendous problems because they were unaware of this phrase and chased every single opportunity that presented itself to their business.

Business services Liverpool advise all clients in Manchester Liverpool and the rest of the UK to follow points one to three above and then specifically identify business opportunities and business customers that you are certain will bring added value to your business.

The business centre Liverpool suggest it is best to stick with a certainty especially in the early stages of your business start-up than to chase multiple opportunities.

Business advice Liverpool is a firm believer in this concept if you are looking to achieve long term sustainable business growth.

Business Advisor Wirral Liverpool Merseyside England UK Company Advisor Secrets #5 Attack Is The Best Form Of Defence

business services Liverpool suggests that tough times require tough measures and the current economic downturn is probably the toughest market experienced by businesses in Manchester Liverpool and the rest of the UK in the last 10 years.

I have heard many a company advisor recommend that business owners circle their wagons in times of crisis like this, and just try to ride out the credit crunch storm in a defensive mode.

However every business advisor uk offering business advice Liverpool and business courses Liverpool understands that it precisely these periods of economic downturn when a great many business opportunities present themselves to proactive business owners who are unafraid to attack the marketplace.

The business centre Liverpool adopts the example of, attack is very often the best form of defence in times of economic crisis, providing the attack is carefully planned and carefully executed.

Adopting the five company advisor secrets will enable new and existing business owners to set their business on track for long term sustainable business growth.

Raising capital is one of the most critical activities in getting a business started, for obvious reasons.  It is one of the largest hurdles development stage and microcap companies have to overcome.  Raising capital through private investors is one of the best ways to get a young company off the ground.  Raising money this way provides your company with more exposure to your best customers.  Getting equity from family and friends has many advantages over other types of financing.  The course offered at  www.RaisingCapitalSecrets.com is one of the most comprehensive guides available for raising the capital you need to start a business or to grow an existing business the world of raising capital.

Small businesses are a major part of our economy, in fact one of the most important resources we have is the small entrepreneur. We need to keep this resource active as part of our economic growth.  To fund the business and keep a roof over one’s head, the entrepreneur must maximize assets, minimize expenses, and use credit judiciously.  By having a strong business plan, you will be able to effectively present your concept to potential angel investors, venture capital firms, banks for SBA Loans, or Business Loans.  They can provide your business extra working capital that can be used for marketing, purchasing of property, purchasing of another business, or for just about anything else for the growth of your business.  The investors want to see in depth information on how much money you need to run your business, and they also want to see how that money will be spent.

Luckily, there are still options for funding new companies, but finding and securing the cash will take careful research, good negotiating skills, and, above all, an unflagging commitment to launching your new business.  When raising capital privately, your offering memorandum is the disclosure document you must present to communicate the benefits for your business model – and warn potential investors of the risks inherent in your business.  Small business lenders want to hear the good and the bad, the need to understand all the risks involved. Whether your business is struggling, or making money hand over fist, it’s important that both situations be communicated to a lender.  Find an Angel.  Angel investors will not only share their money; they’re also great sources of knowledge for fledgling businesses.  Keep it clean. Make sure your agreements are in writing and legally binding.  Cleaning up mistakes made in a securities offering is expensive, time consuming and can shut your business down.

One of the most important things to keep in mind: Raising capital takes more time than you think. Expect the capital raising process to take anywhere from a month to six months once your business plan is complete.  Even then, capital raising activities are likely to continue long after operations have started as you seek additional funding to expand your business.  It’s important not to waste your time (or theirs) pitching you business where there isn’t a good match to begin with.  You will likely pitch your business to many potential investors before all is said and done.  Private placement successes often involve businesses offering products that improve the environment, niche online communities, or a unique service concept.

We encourage you to read articles regarding raising capital and how best to do it.  To prepare yourself for raising capital, you should create documents that support each stage of the process.  Raising capital from family and friends has many advantages over other types of financing.  Raising Capital Secrets is the definitive guide for entrepreneurs and growing companies that need to raise capital, whether from friends and family, angel investors, or venture capitalists.  The course provides a huge selection of checklists, charts, sample forms to expedite the capital formation process, and the author relates eye-opening “”war stories”" and perspectives from the investor’s side of the table that will help you avoid pitfalls and guide your business confidently through every growth stage.  One word of advice, the duration of raising capital could last a few weeks, or it could last several months.  Finally, the last and most important rule of all is be tenacious, there is no substitute for absolute commitment to growing your company by raising capital.

To Get more information on how to raise capital visit www.raisingcapitalsecrets.com now and get your free report on the 1 sentence business plan.

Nothing’s worse than when a situation is more confusing and complicated than it needs to be, especially when it comes to your customer service experience.

Here’s an example: Say you have just purchased a pair of shoes for a sale price. However, when the item is scanned at the counter, the sale price does not come up. The regular price does.

Now, an easy answer to this solution would be for the customer service representative to already know why this is occurring and plug the sales price in without any hassles.

However, in most cases, what happens is another customer service rep is called over the intercom while you wait in line. Ten minutes later, the two customer service reps will question you and often you will be left to return back to the item and find the price tag with the sales price.

By then you are fed up and don’t even want the shoes anymore.

This is not an easy solution and is the perfect example of poor customer service.
Make sure this doesn’t happen to your customers by always providing them with the easiest methods possible.

•    When it comes to your contact informative, ensure that your customers know how and where to contact you. Include your email address, your phone number and your business hours on all websites, emails, directories, business cards, flyers and in the store front.

Make sure your customers know that you are there to help them, no matter what.

•    Opt for a Toll Free Number for your help desk. Toll free numbers do not collect unwanted costs for your customers. Sometimes customers choose not to call simply because there is no toll free number available.

Give you customer the option of calling Toll Free to make their customer service experience as helpful as possible.

•    Offer a Simple Refund Policy. Sometimes a refund is necessary and there is nothing worse than having to jump through hoops in order to return a product.

Ensure this doesn’t happen by providing an efficient refund policy where your customers do not have to prove their purchase with several pieces of documentation.

Instead, keep records of purchases, especially large ones, in a computer system. This will simplify the process for the customers and keep them coming back for more.

•    Answer the phone yourself rather than using a large phone service system. Although they may be convenient to you, often times your customers will disagree.

A confusing phone service will leave your customer frustrated and annoyed at the lack of personal care.

Instead try to answer the phone or hire a cheerful receptionist who can effectively transfer the calls without your customers being subjected to the dreaded automated service.

The most important thing to remember is that with a simple and efficient customer service policy comes a loyal customer base.

Want to learn more? Check out Customer Service Profits for your all-access pass to how to ensure your customers are 100 percent satisfied and guaranteed to return for more.