Small Business Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Ways’

Writing a business plan can be pretty tedious. There’s the cover, the table of contents, some 20-25 pages of content and the back cover. The innards are typically long paragraphs punctuated with bold font sprinkled hither and yon.

And it’s all a big bore.

There’s a reason for this. The “how to write business plans” books are classics. That means they are old. They were all written pre-internet. And that’s an important consideration in capturing and holding an audience.
The writing style of the internet has changed the way people think. And the way they read.

For instance, glance through this web site, or most any other successful web site, and you will see some real differences in style and layout, such as:

1. Short Paragraphs. Computer monitors don’t have the tight resolution of a printed page, so our eyes get tired. To help us focus, good writers use shorter paragraphs.

2. Bulleted Lists. But sometimes there is still a great deal to be communicated, so bulleted lists have become quite popular (or indented lists).

3. Block Indents. Block indents give visual variety, so your eyes don’t get so tired and I can hold your attention a bit longer.

4. Left Align. In the old days, nearly all paragraphs were indented five spaces. No more.

5. Judicious Use of Color. A bit of color is nice. Splashes of color all over is yucky.

6. Style that Reflects the Topic. Your business plan layout, like your web site, is going to pick up on the style of your business. A presentation for stylish clothes for teenage girls will look a lot different than one for biotech research. Other than that, your business plan layout is pretty much up to you. Make sure that all the pertinent parts are there, but put them in any order that makes sense for your business.

7. The Tiny Font Stuff. And when you’ve got a glump of stuff that really needs to be included, but it is in tiny print and long paragraphs, put it as an attachment, either in hard copy form or on a disk, or both. That way, the information is still there for those who want it, but you wont’ lose your reader before you get started.

8. How to Use Your Logo. Incorporating your logo is important too. I very small logo in a corner of the page, or on the first page of each section is fine. A big, intrusive logo splashed over every page is not fine.

As straightforward as this advice seems, I am continually astounded by how poorly written most business plan area. Many follow the rather dorky outline of business plan software. Most haven’t a clue how to include a chart or an image.

My “Bad Example”: I have one business plan that I got a couple of years ago that I hold onto as a “bad example”. The business was actually pretty good. It was for an online business incorporating a particular ethnic style of art. The owner was from that ethnic group, so it was a nice fit. But the business plan was 100+ pages of tight, tight paragraphs. And not a single solitary image of the art. Not one. I just couldn’t believe it.

Just as an entrepreneur can’t plunk down three pages and shout, “Here I am! Drop your money in the bucket!”, neither can he expect a serious lender or investor to overlook a lousy business plan. This business plan represents you and your company.

Make it professional.

Make it real.

Make it reflect your energy and your style.

The money will follow.

Most business companies  tremble  with fear at mention of competition.It is the most feared word.Competition drives all business to create logo design branding and do intense marketing and advertising.It is dream of every business to overtake its competition and create a niche for its services and products.

Logo Design New Zealand give 9 tips to fight competition in a effective way.

Your competitors are as afraid of you as you are of them.This is the biggest factor to be remembered .Never panic and handle your competition in a sensible reasonable way with organized scheduled planning. The competition’s articles, websites, and marketing materials  can help to educate your clients so that they come to you with enough knowledge to make an informed decision.You can even take inspiration from their well written presentations to enhance your marketing. A healthy rivalry can generate a lot of interest in the  product and services concerned.Competition between your business and other businesses can generate publicity for your service or product offering, which can generate more perceived need or desire  for the things that you offer. Competition can be effectively combated by emphasis on different and exclusive features of the business product or services. By stating how you’re different from a competitor who is widely known, you can often more easily express your differentiation. Your competitors are not just the other businesses that provide similar products or services to yours. Your competition also includes the other things that your customer could purchase to solve their problem, even things that aren’t in your immediate field. Your competitors are not just the other businesses that provide similar products or services to yours. Your competition also includes the other things that your customer could purchase to solve their problem, even things that aren’t in your immediate field. Look for alternative solutions that might give your clients extra options and value added services. Never ignore small or startup business as insignificant.Closely follow the path of your competitors big or small Big businesses aren’t your only competition. Be sure to think about the smaller businesses that offer similar products or services—sometimes they can grow into major players or eat into your market. Highlight how your customers can enhance and gain financially from your products and services more than you competitors.This is a sure fire way to snatch clients from customers. Inaction, indecision, and postponement are other often-overlooked competitors. What happens if a client decides not to undertake the project or make the purchase? This can be worse than any competitors so learning to close a sale is very important using marketing skills

So, are you looking for ways to start a home business because you know there has to be something better out there then where you work right now? Well,there probably is and It does not have to cost an arm and a leg to start your own home business. Begin examining the processes in your own home business and look for ways in which you can save yourself time and money. If you like searching the internet and love working with people then your own home business definitely for you.You can find information on the internet on ways to start a home business .It does not take a cost you a lot to start a home business.

For most folks who contemplate to start a home business, a low-cost or no-cost solution is not only nice, but also very necessary. Many also seek to find a home business that will permit them to maintain their regular day job in order to protect their base income.Taking the cautious approach to start a home based business and keeping one`s job during the start-up period is often a very good decision. By maintaining one`s job, one can maintain the health of their personal finances while permitting their home
business to grow healthy and strong.

Fortunately, most home based businesses can be started with little or no cost, can be maintained on a shoestring budget, and can be operated successfully with only a part-time investment. In conclusion there are many ways to brake into home business. If you dislike working from 9-5 there is a way out. All it takes is some patients and some research. It takes time, it will not happen over night. Just have some patients and some will of not giving up on hope because there’s always hope when you need it.

The nature of a home based business makes it easy and very realistic for most people to take the plunge into home business ownership.Many people start there home business for good reasons that’s why they adventure out in start there own home business because they want to succeed in life in make a better place for there family’s.

On your research starting your home based business, try not to get caught up in any scams that will run off with your money. There are thousands of scam artists out there just waiting for the next sucker to come along. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Just use your good judgement and invest wisely in proven methods on starting your home based business.

Copyright (c) 2008 Schauffler Associates LLC

I’m sure you’ve heard too many times about how you MUST have a business plan, right? And you, and most of us street-fighting entrepreneurs, have looked at the 500-page monstrosities that seem to be most business plans and say, “Not enough bang for the buck to do all that work!?

However, many of the things that are covered in one of those formal business plans are crucial to consider for all small businesses. We’ve created a little checklist in the form of forty important questions for you to answer about your business – if you’re about to start a business – and even if you’ve already got a going enterprise.

Just read each question and see if you can answer it. If you get snagged on one, consider stopping and doing whatever research or considering you need to do. Write some of this stuff down and – guess what – you’ll have many of the elements of a good business plan!

Why did you decide to enter this business?

What’s attractive about your opportunity?

What market need will you answer?

What’s been accomplished so far?

What stage of development is your company at right now?

What milestones have you reached?

What kind of company do you want to build?

What brand image are you seeking to establish?

What strategic position are you trying to occupy in your market?

What is your strategic advantage?

What is the long range objective? For example, “To build revenues to $50 million within 5 years.”

What are your products/services? (Think about this one – it is not as simple as you thing…)

Can you explain the technology involved to create them?

When will they be ready for introduction?

What benefits do your products/services provide that are clearly superior to the competition?

What are the proprietary aspects of your products/services?

What is your strategic advantage?

What is the size of your market?

How is the market changing and evolving?

What is driving market growth?

Who are your competitors?

What are their strengths and weaknesses?

How do you think the competitive environment will change in the next 3-5 years?

What are the barriers to entry in your industry?

Who will your targeted customers be?

How will you reach these markets?

Specifically, how will you distribute and promote the products/services?

How much will it cost to reach these markets?

Who are the key individuals in your management team and what have they accomplished in their careers?

Who owns the company today?

Who will own it the future?

What exit strategies are available to you and your financial partners?

What prior experience does the management team have that will lead to success in this venture?

How will you manufactured/produce your product?

What type of equipment/facilities are required?

Where will your office(s) be located?

What risk factors could keep you from achieving your forecast results?

How much capital do you need and what will it be used for?

What is the history of the company’s finances?

What are the projected revenues, expenses and profits?

If you can answer all of these then you’ve done a great job of thinking through almost every crucial aspect of your business – and you’ve got the essential content for a business plan! You have a well thought out clearly explained plan for your business in the upcoming years.

The home based business especially are becoming more and more popular by the day in todays world simply because people are starting to see the true benefits of the World Wide Web, consumers are starting to trust the web more, and more importantly, the start up costs for a home based business are next to nothing compared to the offline world of business start ups.

The only set back most people run into when wanting to start one of their own home based business is How and Where to get started.

I did a search under the keyword term “home based business” and the search results returned 64,800,000 results for that keyword alone.

That’s a pretty intimidating number for someone wanting to start their own home based business on the web would not you say?

These were the same obstacles I was up against when I first ventured into the online world of home based business.

But I did not let that stop me and I hope that will not stop you either from wanting to start your own home based business.

So, I saved you the hassle and put together 3 of the fastest ways for ANYONE(that is You) to start their own home based business with next to no investment required and can get started in less than 24 hours.

Are you ready? I hope so.

Home Based Business Model 1. Affiliate Internet Programs.

Affiliate Internet Programs are simply programs set up by the home based business business owner for others to sign up for and promote for the home based business owner for a agreed upon commission(usually between 5 – 75%).

The great thing about affiliate internet marketing is it does not cost you a single penny to get started, you do not have to worry about refunds or customer service that come with owning your own product.

All you have to worry about is generating the traffic to your affiliate link and collecting your commission cheques.

This is the quickest way to get started online… Period!

Home Based Business Model 2. Resell Rights.

Resell Rights are simply products that have already been created and are available to anybody who is willing to pay for the Resell Rights to market them.

The upside to this is you get Ready-To-Go websites with PROVEN sales letters that convert. The best part of all is… you get to keep 100% of the Profits.

The draw back is you can not claim those products as your own. The original creator of the product maintains full rights. You just get to keep all the profits.

Not such a bad trade off would not you say?

Home Based Business Model 3. Private Label  Rights (PLR).
 
PLR are simply products that are ready to be branded with your name to it.

What I mean by that is you get full rights to the product or products and are able to claim them as your own even though you did not create them yourself.

This is the fastest way for anyone to start a home based business who really does not have any experience or knowledge on how to create their own products.

The other really cool thing about PLR products is they come with Ready-To-Go websites which then again saves you time and money in having to create them yourself.

Well there you have it, 3 fast ways to start your own home based business in less than 24 hours.

The easiest way to locate any of the above via the search engines is by entering something like this into there search engine web form:

affiliate programs + “what your niche is”

(Note: make sure you use the quotations around what niche you want to target. Very Important!)

This will save you time and target your search much better, where as if you were to just enter ‘affiliate programs’ into the search engine web form you would get a gazillion results, leaving you frustrated.

Now, the only thing left for you to do Right NOW is make a decision on what you would really enjoy doing as a home based business online.

Once you have figured that out the only thing left for you to do is put together a… Plan For Profit.

1.Be professional and polite: We all know that First Impression is Best Impression, so make it as best as possible. Lot of times we make some conclusions about people or the organisations within sometime after doing some interactions with them. Make your employees to be professional in handling customers and also polite. Provide them with adequate training and support in this area. This will not only boost their confidence but also helps make you more business efficiently.  

2.Be Knowledgeable of products or services: I have seen many times that the front-desk employees do not have enough knowledge about the products and services and when a customer enquires about them, either you will get the wrong information or no information related to it. Keeping your employees knowledgeable of your products or services, especially those who are interacting with customers like sales people and customer service personnel is very important if you want to deliver good customer service.

3.Consistently following the procedures and policies: Ensure the employees who are constantly interacting with outside customers follow the procedures and policies of your organisation like refund policies, warranty and guarantee policies, etc. In failing to do so, will cause unnecessary misunderstandings, chaos and other problems leading to poor customer satisfaction. Provide the employees with right set of tools and train them how to use those tools. You will have little time to provide the requested information to the customer, so make sure you have all the right tools and right training.

 4.Immediate resolution of complaints: It is very critical that you provide the solution to the Customers complaints as soon as possible. A poor timeline for resolution of problems of customers will lead to significant damage to company’s reputation and image, which will cause serious trouble to your business. Also document the complaints and their solutions for future reference, so that you can resolve those problems, if they resurface in future, immediately rather than reinventing the wheel.

 5.Taking feedbacks and putting them into action: The best way to improve your customer service and keep a touch with customers is to ask for feedback about your company, products and services. This way you not only know where you are lacking but also gets new insights about the expectations of the customers. Many organisations follow this method to stay competitive and improve their processes and products.

 6.Keep it Simple:Simplicity is the way to go in today’s businesses. You can see this approach in every business today. Take for example ipod, it has become popular mainly due to its simplicity in use. People love simple and good design products. Make your procedures and processes simple so that customers do not go through the complex processes to contact a customer service personnel or order a product or enquire about a product.

 Use the principle KISS: Keep it Short and Simple. Or in a funny way: Keep it Simple, Stupid.:) 

At the end I would like to conclude that it is not easy to accomplish the above strategies without the use the technology in today businesses. Invest in the appropriate technologies with clear goals as much as you can and you reap the benefits many more times than your investment (High ROI, Return on Investment). Providing a great customer service is only first step and to have you business growing you need to have Loyal customers, and you can check out 7 Ways to increase your customer loyalty.

 Follow the above steps and you will be on the fore-front of the Customer Service with Happy and satisfied Customers.