posted by Success on May 31

The current economic situation and millions losing their jobs points out extremely clearly why one needs to depend on oneself and not an employer for making a living! To do this, one needs to be an entrepreneur, meaning you need a skill to make money with your own business.

Anyone depending solely on a job for a living would be almost completely lost if he loses his job. Unfortunately ever since the Multi-Nationals Companies began treating employees as just another business resource, albeit commodity, the age of life-long employment seizes. Satisfying shareholders’ financial expectations became the sole reason for a business enterprise. Coupled this with the practice of achieving short term objectives and the need to maintain share prices, retrenching workers became a normal business practice. Words like ‘downsizing’ and ‘business rationalizing’ became common business parlance.

This dehumanizing of business enterprises, prevalent throughout the 18th and 19th century industrializing Britain, was revived and practice by most, especially western businesses. The new reality in capitalist America means a worker is subject to his job being taken away any day. This means that the individual worker must realize quickly the insecurity of a job; also why he need to be an entrepreneur.

What then is a worker to do to secure himself? Off course there are skills like being a doctor or dentist and others which are not down sizable. However, most workers are dispensable! Henry Ford, the car genius, once said that ‘money is not a man’s security; he is his own security’. What he meant was that a man’s security lies in his knowledge and skills. However, if your skill and knowledge is tied to working for someone then that skill can be replaced any time. However, Henry Ford is not wrong; if a man’s skills and knowledge is in creating a money making enterprise; i.e. being an entrepreneur. Robert Kiyoskai, a highly successful entrepreneur himself, said that ‘every man must mind his own business’. What he meant is that ‘to have security a person must learn to develop his own money making business’. Is this possible? Every man? In my opinion in today’ new reality any worker who wants financial security has no other option!

But what if you are not retrenched yet? Do you have some time to learn? Could you invest in a money-making skill that can provide an alternative income? Could you learn to be an entrepreneur with little resources and connections? The answer is yes but you have to adopt an entrepreneur mind-set; which really means that you to start believing in possibilities! Remember that when Bill Gates and Steve Jobs started their little enterprises in garages all they had mainly were their belief in possibilities. The amazing fact is that because of them the possibilities have increased exponentially with the advent of the internet.

Besides a strong belief in possibilities, an entrepreneur is one who learns to gather resources, knowledge and skills and organize them into money making processes. In most conventional businesses, this is usually a huge ask for any newcomer. However, if you choose to become an internet entrepreneur it becomes much easier: the main thing you would need is a good PC, some money (mostly affordable), a willingness to learn and a lot of belief in yourself. What is to be learned is seldom difficult; anyone can make money online. If your motivation is create a secure financial situation for you and your loved ones, then you need to be an internet entrepreneur.  

The thing to do is to find some successful practitioners who are honest and have their own strong reasons to want to help you succeed; and they do exist. To learn about how to develop your own online business you can go to a site named TheSuperFastaffiliate.com. You would find arguably, the most successful super affiliate. Rated highly by many successful online practitioners, this guy provides a comprehensive program and would teach you the complete skills to make it. It’s also done in a simple step-by-step manner which allows even the novice to follow. Wishing you all the best!
Louis Lim

Louis Lim is a very experienced Certified Management Consultant who promotes entrepreneurship as basic skills for financial security! Louis has identified Internet Marketing as the latest opportunity for those seeking financial independence. He has decades of experience consulting for many firms and mentors many business people. He shares his business skills on the internet. To learn how on to make money in a internet business, go to http://www.TheSuperFastAffiliate.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/what-is-an-entrepreneur-and-why-do-we-need-to-be-one-941088.html

posted by Success on May 30

Moving home or office can require sometimes a lot of things that you do not usually think as very useful like bubble wrap, boxes and packing tape. But you will quickly realise that you need a lot of them when moving.

I am sure we all have had this problem already when we moved to a new place whether at work or home. You just realised that you are going to need a lot of office or home removal boxes but you do not have any as you usually throw boxes away when you buy a television, a DVD player or any other medium or large product.
But boxes for moving and any other office or home moving equipment can easily be found in some shops. You may be surprised to find out how difficult it can be to find removal boxes when you need them.
There are now more and more shops specialised in removal products like bubble wrap, moving boxes of different shapes and sizes and other different accessories that are essential when moving.
You will be able to find in those specialised shops moving boxes specially made for specific use. You could for instance by a CD or DVD box to help you store your discs properly so you know exactly that they will not break or get spread around many boxes when you unpack after your home or office move. They have special sections for office moving equipment where you can get monitor covers in cotton to protect your LCD monitors and screens, but also labels or floor protection if you do not want to take any risk and damage the floor of your old or new place.  

Other products are more commonly used for a home move. Rather than having to fold and pack your clothes in your bags, you could get wardrobes cartons to put them in it. The main advantage of those is that your clothes are well protected and you will not have to iron everything once you unpack because your clothes were everywhere in bags.
You can even get specialist cartons for mirrors, chairs or bikes.

With so many products available for your home move or office move, it becomes so easy. But do not throw all the boxes away once you have used them. They can easily be folded back so they do not take much space and stored somewhere until the next move.

The author knows a lot about home removal boxes, moving boxes and boxes for moving.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/home-moving-equipment-and-products-944210.html

posted by Success on May 30

If you are working as a technology professional in the small business space and wondering how to become a software reseller, think carefully about how you are packaging your products and services.

The truth is, most technology professionals that want to resell software and other products solely in the small business space can’t expect to see very high, if any profit margins.  This is why, if you want to make product reselling a part of your business, you need to think of other services you can provide to your valued clients.  This might include on-going service agreements that will have you working with small business clients on a steady basis and bringing them real, total business solutions they can’t live without.

Here are 3 ways for you to learn how to become a software reseller successfully and profitably by building up the value proposition that you provide to your clients.

1. Create Sound Pricing strategies. Make sure you set your prices for both products and services high enough to put you in line with other high-end technology professionals in your area… and even more importantly, so that your business is profitable enough to survive and thrive.  You can’t sell yourself short or give away the store by charging rock-bottom prices.  While low prices might attract the attention of some penny-pinching small business owners, this short-sighted positioning strategy will not attract the attention of the right kinds of long-term-focused small business owners.  If you don’t set your rates and prices right from the beginning, you will find yourself with a client list full of cheapskates and deadbeats — essentially those that really don’t appreciate or understand the value of your comprehensive IT solutions.  Also bear in mind that if you set your prices and rates wrong at the beginning, you will find the process of changing your prices and rates nearly impossible, which means you’ll basically have to dump your client list and start over.  So make sure you create sound, sustainable, and profitable pricing strategies right from the start.
2. Leverage On-Going Service Agreements. In order to learn how to become a software reseller profitably, you really need to leverage your long-term client relationships and make sure those relationships lead to on-going service agreements.  These agreements give you predictability and financial security for your business and your family, so you don’t have to torture yourself every month with “feast or famine” and jeopardize the long-term survival of your business.  If you are too stubborn to implement service agreements, you’d better scale very large very fast (8-figure annual sales or more) or you will go out of business sooner rather than later … really!  So don’t procrastinate.  You need clients on long-term service agreements.
3. Get Your Prospects and Customers to Commit to On-Going Service Agreements. If you want to know how to become a software reseller successfully in the small business space, you need to set a goal of getting the overwhelming majority of your clients on long-term service agreements.  This means you need to get rid of those prospects and customers that are on the fence or just want to cherry-pick you.  If you have a lot of customers that only call you every once in a while or just rely on you for low-margin software and other products every few years, you need to really up the ante on your business model.  Reselling can be a valuable part of your overall service offering, but you can’t survive without on-going commitments from your clients to provide them with regular services that they pay for on a monthly, recurring basis.

In this brief article, we talked about 3 reasons why you need clients on service agreements if you want to successfully and profitably resell hardware or software in the small business space.  Learn more proven secrets about how to become a software reseller and get steady, high-paying clients now at http://www.BecomeASoftwareReseller.com

Copyright (C) BecomeASoftwareReseller.com All Rights Reserved

Joshua Feinberg is the author and editorial director of the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course, which helps computer consultants, VARs, integrators, solution providers, and managed services providers get more of the best, steady, high-paying small business (SMB) clients.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/how-to-become-a-software-reseller-944218.html

posted by Success on May 29

Have you ever considered starting your own business from home? Considering the present job market with a steady flow of layoffs and downsizing, working from home seem to be very attractive these days. In this article we will discuss two characteristic you must have in order to have a successful work at home business.

When you start a home business your first impressions are usually from emails you receive from doing research and you begin to feel confident and excited about the opportunity you have found. However, having these emotional feelings are fine but you need to have more than just feelings. You need to start right here …

Change your Mindset

When you become an entrepreneur your mindset will determine how successful your business will be. As an example: When you start your own home business you look for opportunities to test different things. In other words, when things doesn’t go as planned, it’s just an opportunity to try something else. Now you know what doesn’t work so you can eliminate it and move on. You almost look for things that doesn’t work so it can be deleted from your list. Only a changed mindset can operate that way because the average person would have given up the minute something went wrong.

Determination

Another characteristic the entrepreneur must have is determination. This is a firm intention or the quality of being resolute. No matter how many obstacle you face on a daily basis with your work at home business, your determination will get you through each one of them.

Have you ever played a game against a team or someone who had determination? These are the most difficult people to beat because they will never give up and keep coming back at you. This is the same characteristic you must have as an entrepreneur in the home business arena.

When you start your work at home business with this mindset and determination, you are headed for success whatever you put your hands to. Now you have a clear understanding what it is to be called an entrepreneur.

Join other entrepreneurs at the Niche Power Group who’s mind set is determined to be successful online. Also visit my Work At Home Business and sign up for my Free newsletter and receive tips and techniques to market your online business.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/work-at-home-business-2-characteristic-of-the-entrepreneur-944393.html

posted by Success on May 29

One of the most effective, easiest & lucrative ways to earn loads of money online is provided by Google’s AdSense program.

Whilst there are thousands of ways to skin the AdSense cat, the white-hat, good original content approach is the one that is used by many AdSense publishers to great effect.

However if you’re thinking of embarking on a black-hat, get-rich-quick scheme, then you’re so far behind the old successful AdSense publishers so it’s advisable not to go that route if you want a long term AdSense earning plan.

So your plan should include posting good, compelling content & publishing relevant AdSense ads.

Back to the question of How Much Can You Earn From AdSense?

Well according to a recent poll most AdSense publishers make less than $10 a month whilst the second highest amount of AdSense earners make up to $500 a month.

However there is a significant amount of AdSense publishers who earn more than $10,000 a month from Google’s magic money making program.

What this means is that us non-guru AdSense publishers should get a lot of encouragement from the latter group which shows that earning $10,000 a month from AdSense can be a reality.

So whilst this may be true, to make this kind of money you need to carry out a self assessment to see whether you are the type of person who can achieve this earning potential by asking yourself the following questions;

• How much do you want to make from AdSense?
• How hard are you willing to work to achieve this?
• How much time are you willing to spend working the Google AdSense program?

You can see what the above questions are getting at and if you think you have what it will take, then you shouldn’t waste time – get your AdSense earning program into action & with the required drive & commitment you may just be earning a more than decent income very soon.

PS
To start making truckloads of money, find out how you can make $100 every day from AdSense with these 9 Key AdSense Tips here »

The author, a university graduate, is continually exploring alternative ways to do business on the internet for entrepreneurs

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/google-adsense-how-much-money-can-you-earn-with-adsense-941306.html

posted by Success on May 29

In these three days social entrepreneurs and advocates for change come together to form practical collaborations, showcase and develop their ideas, and network with fellow professionals.  At the launch event on May 29th, at The UnLtd headquarters in Central London, key speakers will be sharing their experiences of business and organisational development.  Discover the power of social enterprise in creating economic opportunities for Africans in Africa and the Diaspora, and enjoy a variety of Afrocentric entertainment, cultural activities and cuisine at TAFLon this spring.  Whether or not you are of African descent, the Taste of Africa in London Weekend is an opportunity to discover contemporary African culture, and interact with a new wave of young enterprising Africans who claim individual and collective responsibility to bring about change.

Cllr Mary Arnold the Labour Minister for Brent District will also be speaking about her work to implement Barack Obama’s ‘Yes We Can’ campaign in the UK.  Freda Owusu has been active in public finance for the past ten years, assisting people who cannot raise the money needed to start up or expand their businesses, through a local loan fund. She is passionate about social enterprise and will be speaking about its power to effect positive economic change.

As well as the launch TAFLon participants will be partaking in a number of culture activities including a visit to the Soho Theatre to watch Ìyà-Ilé a vibrant mix of comedy, political satire and family intrigue.  An Afro Beat Music Concert at The Empowering Church, Dalston will feature live and raw Afrobeat from London’s finest musicians. An African cuisine experience at Mama Calabar will complete the weekend, offering outstanding Nigerian cuisine in a lively and energetic atmosphere. 

The TAFLon event is organised by Songhai Creative, an afro-centric creative agency, based in Wimbledon, London, in collaboration with several other businesses. Songhai Creative and TAFLon, is spearheaded by 26 year old entrepreneur Davinia Douglas.

For more information

Event information:

davinia@songhai-creative.com

www.songhai-creative.com

toailw@chitchatafrica.com

www.chitchatafrica.com/taflon/home.php

Press information:

Ronke Lawal

info@rslmanagementservices.co.uk

Ronke Lawal was born in Hackney, East London of Nigerian parentage. Having graduated with honours from Lancaster University with a degree in International Business she started her own business in 2004. At 27 years old, she is a passionate business woman running RSL Management Services, a successful PR & business development company. Apart from business her passions including food, travel, music, literature and most importantly living a life she loves.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/taste-of-africa-in-london-launches-may-2009-942683.html

posted by Success on May 28

This is Terry Wygal, from from http://ExtremeWholesaling.com, and today, I will give you a dummies guide for wholesaling houses, a brief but concise explanation of how to wholesale houses.

Wholesaling houses is the choice of people who do not want to spend too much time selling house. It is very ideal because you do not have to go through all the trouble of rehabbing houses and still get money. There are even cases that with as much as 10 bucks, you can do the whole house wholesaling and earn a thouand times of what you originally spent.

Another thing that makes house wholesaling appealing is the facts that there are a lot of houses to wholesale available. This method of buying houses for profit answers the prayers of those people who intend to sell their house fast for reasons ranging from immediate relocation to divorce. No matter what their reasons are, they are motivated to sell, thus they are called motivated sellers, and you are there to relieve them of their miseries.

So, you buy their house, but not with the original value of the property. Rather, you buy it at a much lesser cost. There are some homeowners who, even if they are in a hurry to sell, would still question why their thousands of dollars expenses on a renovated hall would only cost so much. You try to explain to the that renovations will be assessed according to how long it has been when it was done and how necessary it is to prospect buyers. Most renovations might only appeal to the owners of the house but would not, in so far, budge the interest of some buyers.

Then, the crucial thing comes in, and that is doing your best to sell the house fast before other expenses set it. This is where a buyer’s list comes in handy. In fact, a buyer’s list is very crucial in the house wholesaling business because it will help you convert what you have bought to something profitablefast. With a range of buyers at hand, it is possible to earn thousands of dollars right after you make the sell. Imagine, if you buy today and also sell the house the same day, you will be able to immediately earn the money you intend to get without having to be bothered by the danger of the other expenses getting to you.

Lastly, you must be sure that you have all the necessary documents at hand. What is the use of a stupendous wholesale and a handsome profit if you get to have legal problems the next day? So you better have all the necessary papers checked, make sure you followed protocol and you had everything legally. Again, the next thing that you need are lawyers, or worse the police, banging on your door. It could spell the end of your real estate career even before you get started becoming used to it.

Wholesaling houses appeals so much to many because it promises a lot of money without having to go through all the trouble that house flipping requires so long as you know how to play your cards well with effective wholesaling houses strategies.

Terry Wygal also known as The Quick House Buyer, has been teaching real estate investors how to wholesale and flip houses for several years now. Terry also teaches real estate investors how put your website on the front page of google and crush your competition.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/understanding-wholesaling-houses-942303.html

posted by Success on May 28

For me the most frustrating thing about the sales process is all of the people I had to sift and sort through before I found a legitimate customer. It was very time consuming finding people that were seriously interested in what I had to offer.

When I did find people that were interested, it was always very gratifying to be able to help them. I wanted to get more of them and spend less time sifting and sorting for them.

So I turned to the internet to find out if this was even possible and if so how to create an online business. What I discovered was Jay and his amazing team of successful entrepreneurs. Jay has become my mentor and he has taught me how to become a successful marketer. Jay showed me the marketing blueprint required for removing all the sales variables that cause most people to fail.

By combining a proven business model, and the power of internet technology what you get is a marketing system that has the ability to reach people on a massive scale.

With the right marketing system you no longer have to chase people pitching your sales opportunity, dialing for dollars or dealing with rejection. Instead you become the hunted because the system does all of the sifting, sorting and qualifying for you.

The key to my success is because I was fortunate enough to find a successful mentor that was willing to teach me how to create an online business of my own and I am forever grateful for that. Now, I am able to work from home promoting my business online and spending more time with my family.

When I started I didn’t know anything about marketing. But that’s not a problem when you find a proven business model with a turnkey marketing system that provides a comprehensive training program that is able to help everyone from beginners to experienced marketers.

Jay has made all the difference in my direction and growth as an online marketer and I want to share what I have learned with as many people as I can just like Jay did for me. I want them to enjoy financial independence, time freedom and a better quality of life like my family and I do.

I was once where you are, then I did this, and now I am successful.

Brian Wright is a professional network marketer, business owner and online business coach. If you want to get started learning “how to create an online business” of your own quickly using a proven business model and a revolutionary turnkey marketing system today. Then go to my website now and see for yourself at http://www.WrightPath2Wealth.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/how-to-create-an-online-business-make-money-940506.html

posted by Success on May 27

This is Terry Wygal, from from http://ExtremeWholesaling.com, and today, I wil discuss to you the things that matters most when you are wholesaling houses. It is not enough that you found a motivated seller who is willing to sell his house at a much cheaper price. There are the still things that you should remember to make your house wholesaling a success.

One thing that you should remember is that when you try to do house wholesaling, time is very important. The cliche time is gold very much applies when you try to wholesale a house. Why? When you buy real estate properties, you just do not have to pay for the price for the property that you bought. There are still corresponding expesnses that you have to be mindful about. So, before the other expenses come in the picture, you should have already sold the house that you bought as to limit the expenses to just the money that you spend for the price of the house. So, if it is possible, the moment yoiy buy a house, you sell the house fast. Selling a house quickly does not violate any rule in the wholesaling book, in fact, it will save you from a wholesaling catastrophe waiting to happen.

Since selling houses quickly is very important, what you need to have is a buyer or prospect buyers. That is whyit is a must that you have a buyers list on hand. In fact, a buyer’s list does not just come in handy when you already have a house to sell. It can also help you in choosing a house to buy. The people in a real estate scene in a certain community would most liekly know each other – the wholesalers, the flippers, among others. These people would most likely be in your list and knowing the trend of the buyers (the kind of houses that they prefer) would help you in choosing what kind of house to wholesale. This in turn would make the buying less tedious (not necessarily easier) because knowing that you have bought the house with a specific target buyers group in mind would more or less assure you of a quick sell.

Lastly, you should be aware of the trend of the market. This will guide you if it is a good time to do some wholesaling and it will also help you have a benchmark on how low or high you should price. The market trend is especially helpful for people who have not been in the wholesaling business for a long time. Pricing needs experience, and in the absence of experience, what is being done by many would mostly be your best chance of hitting the right price.

Wholesaling houses is all about timing, going for a quick sell and knowing the present happenings in the market. There are of course other more complicated technique and strategies in wholesaling houses that veterans of the trade have been using, but for beginners who have no experience at all in buying houses for profit, this is definitely a good start.

Terry Wygal also known as The Quick House Buyer, has been teaching real estate investors how to wholesale and flip houses for several years now. Terry also teaches real estate investors how put your website on the front page of google and crush your competition.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/things-to-remember-when-wholesaling-houses-938530.html

posted by Success on May 26

Certain areas of a home are more likely than others to be forgotten about when it comes to staging a property to sell. However, these often-ignored spaces which seem unimportant to some homeowners (and even some home stagers), might actually rank higher than expected on a prospective buyer’s property wish list.

One often forgotten space of a home is the basement. You never know what a prospective buyer may have planned for the basement of a property you’re staging. If the homeowners are using their basement primarily for storage, make sure everything is in order so a buyer can perceive it as a great, usable space.

The basement should never be kept looking like a dumping ground when a house goes up for sale.

• Put up shelves to get as much clutter off the floor as you can. Have your clients donate or sell anything they don’t want to move and suggest they put other large items into storage that they’ll be taking with them to their new home.

• If the walls and floor are dingy, give them a fresh coat of paint.

• Install better lighting if needed.

• Put up blinds to hide ugly views from basement windows.

• In a finished basement, help buyers envision a use for the space by adding props such as a craft table or workout equipment. Add accessories such as plants, art and lamps to give the space warmth.

Taking care to ensure the basement of a property you’re staging looks its absolute best gives your clients a great advantage.

If you found this advice useful, you should read Debra Gould’s Staging Diva Ultimate Design Guide: Home Staging Tips, Tricks and Floor Plans. It’s full of this same type of home staging advice and covers every nook and cranny of a property.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/staging-diva-home-staging-tips-for-the-basement-938008.html

posted by Success on May 26

Over the last five years approximately 600,000 entrepreneurs pitched first tier venture capital firms in North America and about 15,000 received funding. Your chances of getting funded are 2.5%. This is a fact. Many of those that were funded became quite wealthy and many more failed. Venture capital firms are looking for home runs not base hits.

To begin, let’s say you’re having difficulties raising capital for one of a multitude of reasons. You lack an experienced management team with a track record of prior success, your product is still in development, the service you’ve created hasn’t been market tested and you still haven’t refined the sales process. Or, your company may simply not be a “VC deal” or a “home run”, that is, something that will go public or be acquired for a bazillion dollars. Finally, your organization may be a non-profit with a cause like the environment or autism. Does this mean you should give up? Not at all.

I could build a case that too much money is worse than too little for most organizations, not that I wouldn’t want to buy a NBA franchise one day to emulate Mark Cuban. Until that day comes, the key to success is bootstrapping. Bootstrapping refers to a group of metaphors that share a common meaning, a self-sustaining process that proceeds without external help. The term is often attributed to Rudolf Erich Raspe’s story The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen, where the main character pulls himself out of a swamp, though it’s disputed whether it was done by his hair or by his bootstraps. Regardless bootstrapping sounds a lot more businesslike and appealing than hairstrapping. What follows is some practical advice for bootstrapping a start-up or small business.

First, focus on cash flow, not profitability. Generating revenue and profits is the key to survival. If you could pay the bills with theories, this would be fine. The reality is that you pay bills with cash, so focus on cash flow. If you know you are going to bootstrap, you should start a business with a small up-front capital requirement, short sales cycles, short payment terms, and recurring revenue. Service oriented businesses or new products in hot market segments come to mind immediately.

Next, forecast from the bottom-up. Most entrepreneurs do a top-down forecast: “There are 150 million cars in America. It sure seems reasonable that we can get a mere 1% of car owners to install our satellite radio systems. That’s 1.5 million systems in the first year.” The bottom-up forecast goes like this: “We can open up ten installation facilities in the first year. On an average day, they can install ten systems. So our first year sales will be 10 facilities x 10 systems x 240 days = 24,000 satellite radio systems. 24,000 is a long way from the conservative 1.5 million systems in the top-down approach. Guess which number is more likely to happen. This is one of the most common mistakes I see entrepreneurs make. Stop dreaming and let’s get real.

Hire an affordable mentor or small business coach to offer guidance based upon relevant experience. Most likely they’ve bootstrapped their own businesses in the past. They can provide you with valuable objective advice steering you around potential pitfalls and hopefully save you money, along with time, by keeping you from making the same mistakes as they did in the past. They also aren’t going to want equity in your business just by having their name attached to it or request a seat on your board of directors. Check out Ethos Mentor, www.ethosmentor.com, as an example of what I’m referring to.

Most start-up small business entrepreneurs don’t have a “proven team” and you can’t create experience out of thin air. Proven teams are often over-rated anyways. Especially when most people define proven teams as people who worked for a multibillion dollar company for the past ten years. These folks are accustomed to a certain lifestyle, and it’s not the bootstrapping lifestyle. Hire young, cheap, and hungry people. Employees with passion and desire along with low overheads are going to be much more likely to stick beside you during the inevitable ups and downs your business will face. Once you achieve significant cash flow, you can hire adult supervision. Until then, hire what you can afford and make them into great employees.

What type of business is best for bootstrapping you ask? One path to take is to start as a service business. Let’s say that you ultimately want to be a software company: people download your software or you send them CDs, and they pay you. That’s a nice, clean business with a proven business model. However, until you finish the software, you could provide consulting and services based on your work-in-process software. This has two advantages: immediate revenue and true customer testing of your software. Once the software is field-tested and battle-hardened, flip the switch and become a product company. You’ll also have obtained a list of satisfied clients and developed important industry connections which can be priceless.

During the start-up stage be prudent and focus on value. You don’t need the fanciest office furniture, phone system or computers. Look for the best value, haggle and shop around for the best deals. There is no shame is negotiating pricing and terms on almost anything related to your business. Sometimes the best isn’t always the best either; it’s just the most expensive.

When it comes to employees make sure new hires have multiple skill sets and can handle stress because if they can’t they’re going to crack or go crazy lowering overall moral in the process. You are the visionary and leader of the company. Your employees need to believe and put their faith in you. Take your time; hire carefully. At times you’ll be asking your employees to do three jobs at once, while learning a fourth, and eating lunch that day at their desk because there’s so much work to be done. Your employees look to you for leadership and make sure to lead by example. YOU are the first one there and the last one to leave. Every day.

Go direct and sell, sell, sell. The optimal number of mouths (or hands) between a bootstrapper and customer should be zero. Sure, stores provide great customer reach, and wholesalers provide distribution. But ecommerce was invented so that you could sell direct and reap greater margins. By taking this route you’ll also learn more about your customer’s needs. Stores and wholesalers fill demand, they don’t create it. If you create enough demand, you can always get other organizations to fill it later. Why would a store or a wholesaler put time, money and effort into selling your product or service if you can’t? If you don’t create demand, all the distribution in the world will get you nowhere fast. Sell, sell, sell and if you’re not good at selling one of your first hires better be a superstar in that department.

In summary, focus on creating revenue, retain a qualified affordable mentor/business coach, forecast from the bottom up, pick the right business model for bootstrapping, focus on value when purchasing goods and services for your business, take your time to hire the right people and sell, sell, sell. For a small business or a start-up nothing happens until someone sells something to someone. Period.   

About the author:

Ellisa Brenneman started her career, after receiving her Bachelor Degree from the University of British Columbia, with the Canadian government merging academic rigor and business savvy to produce and disseminate research findings. She has been published multiple times in scientific journals for her research findings. A born entrepreneur; her zeal for entrepreneurism soon took hold. She’s started green businesses and has vast experience managing public, media and investor relations for small-cap public companies. Ellisa is the owner of Ethos Mentor. Ethos Mentor provides entrepreneurs with affordable one on one mentoring, business coaching and capital raising services so they can launch and grow their businesses. Visit www.ethosmentor.com for additional information or email info@ethosmentor.com to schedule a free consultation.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/bootstrapping-basics-entrepreneurs-need-to-know-934107.html

posted by Success on May 25

Anyone who has an ounce of entrepreneurial blood and pursued his dream of being a contractor knows that low-priced contractor leads will boost business profitability by leaps and bounds. 

A basement that needs to be remodeled, a kitchen that needs to be constructed right from scratch, or wirings that demand an electrical contractor are just some of the problems which can be offered solutions by contractors.  Though most people have fallen on hard times with the recent onslaught of economic crisis, there are still a lot of folks out there who can afford to maintain their houses in tiptop condition and they should be your target market.  How to go about in your quest for them?  Here are some surefire tips:

First, scour the internet.  You can start by searching your locality.  Once you have established your presence by giving affordable goods and services, you can set your sights one step higher by eyeing neighboring areas.  In a matter of time, you can also expand your business in the state, and maybe even nationwide.  Your potential is limitless.

Second, there are companies offering affordable contractor leads.  They are called lead generation agencies.  Usually, they are explicit in stating the needs and wants of the clients.  This way, they can also save you the time and effort of initiating communication with uninterested customers. 

Other firms even go a step further by making sure that your potential clients have the ability to pay the work you’re about to perform by assessing their credit limits. Most major contractor leads offices also have account managers to assist you from beginning to end.  They will usually assess your needs and wants depending on your set criteria.  Once the profile for your target customers is completed, the quest begins.

An added bonus of this type of contractor lead offering is that they don’t charge you an extra amount for low quality or invalid contractor leads.  This is a huge benefit which should be clearly stipulated in a contract signed by both parties.

Third, satisfied customers from previous accounts could lead you to new clients.  As long as you have given them your best service at the lowest price quotation, they will undoubtedly endorse you to other people.  Remember that you belong in a small industry and a simple project can surprisingly produce a ripple effect.  This means that negative work habits and exorbitant fees are total no-nos.  

Lastly, affordable contractor leads can be attained by attending monthly conferences of homeowners.  It’s a brilliant idea because it is common knowledge that time can wreck havoc on even the sturdiest structures causing possible hazards.  The safety concerns voiced out can be addressed by general contractors at a lesser rate if they have their home repairs done in groups.  This scheme will prove to be beneficial to both sides. 

These are just some examples of getting affordable contractor leads.  Well, what are you waiting for? Try all of them and be in for an exciting surprise that will take you to unchartered territories.

Mr. Johnsen can help you locate cheap contractor leads in a very short period of time. He has helped many small businesses to grow and he can help yours do the same. For more valuable information check out his website at www.contractor-leads.net today. He probably has what you’re looking for.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/finding-the-ultimate-contractor-leads-936107.html

posted by Success on May 25

According to information from the 2007 U.S. Census, consumer retail markups range from 46.6 percent at furniture and home furnishing stores to 38 percent at department stores, and from 33.5 percent at building supplies and materials stores to 28 percent at electronics and computer software stores.

“When it comes to retail markups, many consumers don’t even realize what they are spending. And if they do, they often feel helpless. They don’t know there are alternative options to retail stores, so they opt to spend less rather than spend more wisely,” said Sara Shragal, of DirectBuy, the leading home improvement and furnishings club with direct insider prices. “You can’t stop shopping altogether. If you’re a homeowner, particularly if you purchased your home in the past few years, it’s difficult to spend less because you run the risk of your home running into disrepair and lowering the property value.”

In fact, according to the National Association of Home Builders website, www.homeeconomics.com, families spend $12,332 during the first year after buying a home built in 2004 or later; and $8,927 if the home was built before 2004. For a non-moving owner, that figure was $4,420.

Even further evidence that homeowners are still investing in their properties comes from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. In a recent report, the Joint Center projected that U.S. homeowners will spend $134.1 billion on home improvements in the third quarter 2009 and $137.2 billion in the fourth quarter 2009.

So, if consumers are still going to spend on home improvement, how do they escape costly retail markups?

“At our clubs across the U.S. and Canada, we enable our members to buy directly from the manufacturers. That eliminates the markup and gives them optimal value for their dollar,” said Shragal. “That’s why member sales are up at many of our clubs because, even in this difficult economy, people know they have to reinvest in their homes and want to get the maximum bang for their buck.”

DirectBuy clubs offer members the opportunity to save on home furnishings, home improvement items, entertainment and outdoor products and accessories. In addition, DirectBuy clubs boast teams of specialists and access to designers to help members with their purchases, as well as exclusive access to a roster of hand-selected contractors to expedite those projects.

Consumers interested in becoming members may obtain a Visitor’s Pass to attend an Open House by visiting directbuy.com.

 About DirectBuy

For more than 37 years, DirectBuy has been showing thousands of consumers unparalleled ways to save as they shop for virtually everything for in and around their homes – from furnishings, home improvement and flooring, to entertainment and outdoor products, accessories and much, much more. With more than 160 locations in North America, DirectBuy offers its members access to approximately 700 brand-name manufacturers and their authorized suppliers in the US, and more than 500 brand-name manufacturers and authorized suppliers in Canada.

Consumers interested in seeing DirectBuy’s savings, service and selection up close may obtain a Visitor’s Pass to attend an Open House by visiting www.directbuy.com or www.directbuycares.com.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/what-you-dont-know-about-retail-markups-does-cost-you-934227.html

posted by Success on May 24

Exaggeration and over-generalization are common logical mistakes. This is why, to a good extent, we have grown insensitive to them.

The human mind is naturally inclined to analyse facts, look for patterns, identify common causes, and draw conclusions to be used in the future. This is how knowledge is acquired and expanded.

Even when facts are insufficient to sustain complex logical connections, our thirst for certainty can lead us to exaggerate and over-generalize.

Logical errors do not base their appeal on evidence, but on man’s desire to control his environment and predict the future.

The problem with inconsistent ideas is that they don’t work.

* Every minute that you devote to arguing in favour of a logical error is a wasted minute.
* Every time that someone tries to implement it in real life, waste will be the likely result.

“Pursuing the impossible is the wrong kind of ambition,” wrote Emperor Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations in the year 176 C.E. “Unfortunately, such attempt is common to many men.”

Just-in-time production techniques are widespread in Japan. Since their introduction 50 years ago, just-in-time principles have greatly contributed to reducing the cost and increasing the quality of complex industrial products such as motor vehicles.

In our days, this philosophy enjoys universal popularity amongst managers and has become a central subject of study in business schools around the world. Running a factory according to just-in-time principles involves six steps:

1. Determine which features customers want in a product.
2. Identify the steps that are necessary to manufacture that product.
3. Eliminate any steps that are not needed.
4. Ensure that each step is performed at a constant speed (just in time).
5. Avoid over-production and under-production at each step.
6. Maintain process stability by allocating sufficient resources to each step.

Just-in-time thinking has proven highly effective in car manufacturing under conditions of growing market demand and stable consumer preferences.

Nevertheless, its positive results in that area cannot not be taken as a success guarantee under all conditions. That would constitute a case of exaggeration and over-generalization.

Assuming that what is true under certain circumstances has universal application can lead us to mistakes in other areas.

As it frequently happens, reality shows us a more complex truth:

* DEVELOPING A VISION IS A KEY ENTREPRENEURIAL FUNCTION. Human behaviour cannot be mathematically predicted. Surveys of consumer preferences have proven repeatedly ineffectual. No success formula is written in stone. Determining what new products should look like is a key entrepreneurial decision.

* ASSESSING MARKETS IS PART OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP. Process regularity and employment stability are highly desirable, but markets often disrupt the best intentions. There is no way to predict with certainty how many products will be sold and at which price. Assessing the strength of consumer demand is an essential task of the entrepreneur.

* ENTREPRENEURS DETECT MARKET CHANGES. Constant production speed (just-in-time) is not an end in itself. Consumers always have the final say. Determining which production and delivery speed suit markets best is a fundamental entrepreneurial decision.

Despite its extraordinary contribution to enhancing quality and productivity, the just-in-time approach cannot replace the role played by entrepreneurs.

“When the eye looks at the world, it wants to perceive every colour,” observed Marcus Aurelius two thousand years ago. “When the mind looks at reality, it should be open to perceiving all circumstances.”

Look at reality with your own eyes, assess where the best opportunities lie, and decide which course of action you should follow. No formula and no ritual can replace the entrepreneurial mind of the individual.

JOHN VESPASIAN writes about rational living. He has resided in New York, Madrid, Paris, and Munich. His stories reflect the values of entrepreneurship, tolerance, and self-reliance. See John Vespasian’s blog about rational living.

http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com/

JOHN VESPASIAN writes about rational living. He has resided in New York, Madrid, Paris, and Munich. His stories reflect the values of entrepreneurship, tolerance, and self-reliance. See John Vespasian’s blog about rational living at http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com/

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/how-justintime-thinking-can-destroy-your-life-933538.html

posted by Success on May 23

Are you starting your own computer business? Do you want to make sure you launch it the right way, the first time around?

Then make sure you’re aware of your new company’s sales cycle.

If you are like a lot of other new computer business owners, maybe you don’t quite know how to sell your services or get long-term clients and predictable revenue.  One of the first steps to building a successful computer business is knowing the sequence of the sales cycle and following it consistently every time you come into contact with a potential client.

There are six steps in the sales cycle, and often new or naive computer professionals think these are just the ideal of what they ought to be doing in a perfect world.

The reality is, the sales cycle is not just a hypothetical best case scenario.  Following its steps is the only way for most to consistently sell the high-margin services you need to get steady, high-paying clients.  Methods that are limited to selling products, canned solutions, and even managed services that are pretty much just commodities put lots of downward pressure on your profit margins and won’t help you build your business.

To keep you away from profit-destroying methods as you are starting your own computer business, follow the 6 steps of the sales cycle below.

1. Targeted Marketing Activities that Generate High-Quality Leads. As you are beginning the process of finding the best clients for your computer business, you need to plan and implement a whole bunch of targeted marketing activities that will find those most likely to benefit from your unique services and the solutions you provide.
2. Careful Lead Qualification. As you are starting your own computer business and building your potential client roster, you need to qualify leads to make sure they fit your criteria for what makes a good client.  For example, are they geographically desirable?  big enough to need steady weekly or monthly sophisticated technology services?  small enough to not have a big in-house IT department?  and invested in, or planning to invest in, a platform supported by your particular computer business?
3. Sales Calls as Mutual Interviews. Once you’ve qualified your prospects, you need to go on initial sales calls.  You need to have a written-down, plotted-out agenda for these meetings, but also treat them as mutual interviews.  They are checking you out as a potential service provider.  But when you’re prepared, calm, cool, and collected, you are also able to more proactively figure out whether or not they have the potential to become good clients for your company.
4. Proving Ground Projects Build Credibility and Trust with New Customers. This step in the sales sequence is often overlooked, especially when you are just starting your own computer business.  If you did everything right up to this point, your next step will be selling a small billable project – an emergency service visit or a technology assessment.  This project will act as a proving ground of sorts, during which your company will prove its value to new customers.  And conversely, your new customers are proving themselves to your business as being able to work well with you and your staff.
5. Remediation Projects, Major Upgrades, Installations, and Rollouts. The fifth step in the sequence of the sales cycle only happens if the proving ground project works well.  This step involves talking about fixing a larger problem… often a major upgrade of systems, a big installation, or some sort of rollout project.  Naive computer business owners might try to sell this type of project right out of the gate, before the process of lead qualification or a smaller project have been completed.  However getting impatient can be a big mistake if you want to build long-term relationships.
6. Annual Service Agreements for On-Going Maintenance. As you present the major project or installation, talk about how on-going maintenance will be handled and present an annual service agreement program of some sort.  You really need to have this service agreement program in place as you are starting your own computer business, so you can create the framework for creating long-term relationships.  This final step of the sales cycle will take some time to reach as you let relationships evolve naturally.  If you start talking about this major commitment in the first sales call with your potential client, before you have even built trust or proven yourself, you will in nearly all cases sabotage that relationship.  Make sure you don’t propose marriage on your first date.  Take time to let new customer and client relationships evolve naturally.

In this article we went over the 6-step sales cycle for new computer business owners.  Learn more about starting your own computer business with the proven sales cycle that gets you great, steady, high-paying clients now at http://www.StartingYourOwnComputerBusiness.com

Copyright (C) StartingYourOwnComputerBusiness.com All Rights Reserved

Joshua Feinberg is the author and editorial director of the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course, which helps computer consultants, VARs, integrators, solution providers, and managed services providers get more of the best, steady, high-paying small business (SMB) clients.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/starting-your-own-computer-business-the-right-way-932460.html