Can Blogs Do Big Wonders For Your Small Business?
Short and honest answer to this question is “Yes”, after all blogs are hot and happening. From my experience, small businesses would be wise to have a blog of some sort. You always need to advertise your business, well; a blog is yet another effective marketing investment. It can prove to be a platform for your customers to interact casually with you and provide you with ideas and hints, which can actually earn you more business.
A survey has witnessed more than 39 million blogs in existence while 75,000 blogs are created every day. The web presence a blog gains for you is much more reader-and –user friendly, which can develop wider audience and potential customer base for you business.However, remember one thing, every business varies and has its own way of serving their targeted customers.
For you I bring few aspects to light which make blogs an effective marketing tool for small business.
- Find out the issues surrounding your business that are worth discussing;
- If you are in a swiftly changing business, like technology, then discuss your company’s latest trends and products on blog;
- You can hold polls and quiz to know what exactly what your customer requires;
- It will let people come up with different ideas and hints to solve your minor business issues;
- For “consultants” (engineers, marketers and event planners) a blog is a way of showing your expertise and establishing yourself as a trustworthy authority without doing the travel;
- The feedback loop created by a blog between you and your customers helps to prove the better options you are providing than your competitors do
- The instant-feedback mechanism of blogs, allows the readers to respond to your posts or link to them on their own blogs
- They facilitate spread of buzz about your company’s latest news regarding customers and prospects;
- Small business owners target very narrow market, a blog helps to focus the targeted audience;
- Blogs help small business owners offer products and services which are highly requested by their customers;
As a small business owner if you decide to start a small business blog, there are few don’ts, you need to, strictly follow.
#1: Do not have someone write about your business on your blog, no one can convince your customers better than you can.
#2: Do not make your blog sound as if you only want to promote your products and services, no one will be interested reading.
#3: Do not let your blog go unattended for long period; you will loose your credible customers.
Since promoting your business through this unique way is easy to set up and pay for (some are free), launching a blog should be at the top of your to-do list.
I’ll love to hear from any of you small business owners, if blogging have been doing big wonders for your small business… keep in writing.
Merging Business and Marriage = Multiplied Challenges
Have you ever thought of starting your small/home business with your spouse?? If you have done so or have such plans, then let me caution you… Get ready to face multiple challenges and risks because inappropriate organization will make something suffer inevitably – business, marriage or both.
Planning a home based, small business with your better half is a great way to combine your family and business activities under one roof but without setting up clear boundaries and dividing responsibilities you cannot expect to be successful.
Therefore, I thought of bringing you few steps that can turn real life partners into successful business partners.
# 1: Do not step on each other’s foot
Roles and responsibilities of both the partners should be well defined and clear. For example, one spouse may be responsible for sales, marketing, and networking while the other can be made in charge for bookkeeping, ordering, and office tasks. Similarly, home-related tasks can be also taken care simultaneously.
#2:Do not bring your business conflicts to the kitchen
Just imagine, how difficult life could be if business conflicts spill over your personal life issues. Without following an effective plan, there is a high likelihood of business related issues taking over your personal life.
#3: Childcare provisions
In a home based, small business, kids are the main distraction, which are hard to avoid. In such a critical business situation one of the spouses’ have to step out of the business mode into the parental mode. Some couples get outside help for the childcare so they can concentrate more without disruptions.
#4: Strictly follow the self-made rules
If you won’t be confining yourself to few limitations, your hard-earned business can turn into a money-losing hobby. Most importantly, you won’t be able to achieve targeted goals if you will not follow self created rules, to increase productivity.
#5: Develop an effective way of resolving disputes
Good communication does not only make a marital relation strong, in fact, it is just as important in a business relationship. If both the mates don’t agree over small issues, then it might become difficult to turn your small business into money making venture.
#6:Setting goals
It is important to divvy up your roles in business and personal life, so that later you don’t blame each other. One partner is the “front of the house,” handling sales and business development and preparing proposals and job estimates. The other partner acts as the “back of the house,” handling the day-to-day operations and taking care of the bookkeeping.
#7: Skip the traditional gender ideology
You will have to neglect the conservative gender strategy. If any one of the spouse starts taking decisions to brag about his/her superior gender (especially men, you know how egotist they are) will have difficulty resolving many problems that will inevitably crop up as the business grows.
Careful and advance planning is the key to navigate a small/home business successfully with your spouse. Always remember, liberal amount of communication and trust can make your partnership a profitable deal.
So, what do you think? Is it a smart move for the life partners to become business partners as well?
Kill Your Fear of Failure – You will Win!
“I’d love to start my own business but I fear if …”
This is the point where I find so many small business owners lacking behind. The fear to fail, fear of doing something stupid and being ridiculed by your peers for decades, just don’t let these striving guys progress boldly.
I believe that every single person, who dares to dream, possesses the potential of turning it into a reality, but their apprehensions don’t let them grab their dreams. I bring this post so you don’t let your fears grow bigger than your faith.
If it is the dreadful thought of failure, preventing you from starting a small business, I bring you a list of actions-to-do, to help you overcome this feeling.
- You meet a business owner who could benefit from your product/service but you get too nervous to make him the offer because of their “prestige”… Go ahead!
- You want to send design options for a card or flyer to someone but you think they won’t approve it…Let them decide. Send it anyway!
- The phone feels like 1,000lbs when you are trying to pick it up and make that prospecting call…Don’t hesitate!
- You have an unusual marketing idea clicking your mind, but you don’t share it with others thinking they will laugh …Say it!
- You plan to invest more on marketing your business but think you are wasting more money…Do it!
Starting and running your own small business could be one of the most enriching experiences of life. Don’t let your fear of failure make you miss out.
Therefore, promise to kill your dreads because “Courage is not absence of fear, but mastery over fear.”
Understanding a child is easy but dealing with a client…. Ooops!
I really wish to know the magic spell to turn my difficult clients into dream clients (and who doesn’t want to) but unfortunately, nothing of this sort has been discovered yet.
Believe me; dealing with a 6-year old kid is much simple than getting a clear idea of a customer requirements. It is like heaven, when you get along and communicate well with your clients while a difficult client can make you pull your hair.
I am sure each one of us, must have gone through the trauma of dealing with demanding clients, therefore I bring you a list of helpful tips which can save you from going crazy. I am not promising you that my post will disappear your client dealing problems but it will give you a new perspective on how to handle this issue.
1.Show them the right direction:
Most of the clients are distracted with so many things happening around, TV, billboards, cell phone, Internet, e-mail. Take their initial instructions and guide them about your services regarding their project.
2.Listen to your client with patience:
Every one wants to be acknowledged, understood and receive attention. You just need to offer complete concentration to your customer making him believe that you have ample of time and patience to answer their questions.
3.Make them understand your perspective:
Make sure your customers understand what you are saying to them. Use simple and understandable terms with them to avoid any type of confusion.
4.Make yourself easily reachable for your clients:
Don’t make it difficult for your client to contact you. Provide him all the contacts where he can easily reach you and discuss his issues.
5.Don’t confuse them giving too many options/choices:
Don’t confuse your client by offering number of special offers on different products. It becomes difficult to take a final decision when you offer several options.
6.Appreciate their ideas and concepts:
Sometimes, a client fails to give a clear idea of his requirements thinking he might be wrong. You need to make them comfortable to discuss their every requirement. Every one wants to be acknowledged, understood and receive attention. You just need to make your client feel comfortable talking to you.
7.Make them know about your sincerity:
Make your customer realize you are dealing their project sincerely and have pain for their money. This will make your customer have a strong faith in your services.
8.Make them understand your perspective:
Customers requirements should be your top priority but if you find your customer suggesting something which will not benefit his business, do give your advice. Explain your perspective and reason your suggestion to convince your client.
However, this was my take on how to deal with difficult customers. I’d love to hear from you if this stuff helped you understand what your child like client wants, needs and intents.
SOCIAL MEDIA – THE FEVER IS EVERYWHERE!
Lately, I got to attend an event with a group of small business owners in Chicago, to encourage the striving entrepreneurs to share their examples and ideas. Business events where we get more to ask and less to talk are always interesting and helpful. Therefore, I make it a point not to miss such gatherings and highly recommend you as well.
Ok, coming back to that event I attended, this time we discussed something very exciting and happening …The Social Media.
I bring you some guidelines to enter the world of social media:
- Join as many social bookmarking sites you can but do not forget the most prominent ones, such as Stumble Upon, Del.icio.us, Digg, Mixx, Propreller,etc.
- LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, Face book are the most accessible networking sites used by professionals and organizations to stay in touch with prospects, clients and colleagues.
- Invite enough people to connect with you on these social networking sites, despite the fact of unawareness with each other. Invitations for so many people will eventually bring traffic to your site.
- While adding your content on these sites, save your time and energy by submitting the same description for the same pages on all social networking sites.
- Try submitting every page, article and post available on your site or blog because you never know what clicks the customers mind and motivates him to visit your website.
- Whenever you submit any new content on these site just make it a point to mail or IM your family and friends to vote your submission, just remember don’t bug them much that they stop doing such favors in future.
- Every time you write and post anything, use Twitter to announce the update.
These tips will help you alienate potential customers but if you recognize the rewards, you can achieve from social media you will start investing more time on it. As few of them are below:
- It is a shortcut for business owners to gain potential customers;
- Customers get a platform to discuss your product and express their demands;
- Promotes your business within a real community where people of same interest are teamed up;
- The customer feed back you receive through these sites help you modify your marketing strategies;
- Plays significant role in creating brand perception;
- Helps you find more effective, latest marketing tips to promote your business.
Hpoefully, you are convinced that social networking sites are no longer a source of entertainment for youngsters; in fact, they have become a commonplace for more than two-third of business professionals.
So, what are you guys waiting for? Fire up your engines and submit your content!
How Ex-Employees get unfair with their Ex-bosses?
Achieving a successful business by using or exposing confidential information, violating a non-compete agreement or defaming a former employer, is no big deal for the former employees nowadays. To start a business, usually people choose the same industry they have been associated with, during their 9 to 5 job as their experience and expertise can help them establish their new-fangled business.
However, the story does not end here. Laid-off workers, who start their own business, get into an unfair competition with their ex-employers using all the confidential information of their former employer’s business, that is not generally available to the public — like customer contacts, pricing etc.
Many reputable companies make their employees sign particular agreements informing them about their professional limits and letting them know that they cannot solicit business with any of the customers they worked with, formerly.
However, I guess those days are gone when an ex- employee tried to be loyal to his ex-boss, avoiding using all the secrets of the trade to make his venture a success. To win this race of “greed for more” we see number of people joining big companies to learn tricks of a trade and then getting into a competition with the same company.
If you ask me to give an honest verdict, I am not against opting for the same profession for your small business but misusing the confidential success secrets of your ex-employer, sounds unethical.
So, all the striving small business owners out there, do you think I have let you on a decent path of success?
Why feel bad of being a “small business” owner?
It never ceases to amaze me when I see small business people introducing themselves as an entrepreneur because they think it conveys a certain level of professional achievement. It is too awful to see “small business” owners reluctant to admit their individuality as much to themselves or to their colleagues.
I think there is an important lesson to be learned here. Small business owners, who think of themselves as entrepreneurs, ignore the advantages their small business is bringing to them, so I thought of highlighting few of them;
- Entrepreneurs, talk all about big plans and large-scale profits while small business owners work their way through day to day.
- An entrepreneur builds a big business with someone else’s money and wants it to be strong enough to last for long time while a small businessperson launches everything on his own and enjoys the craft of doing it everyday.
- Small business people often take fewer risks and make more money with less hectic while entrepreneurs face extensive challenges and get to pay large expenses.
- Usually, the entrepreneurs cannot ignore their business for a longer period while small businesspersons can enjoy long vacations, as they do not have things relying on others.
Building a business is about freedom, so it is important for you to decide who you are going to be as you walk in the world eventually.
I hope this post does not make me sound an anti-entrepreneur, but I really want small business owners feel proud of their identity.
For the ones who do not agree with my perspective, your thoughts are more than welcome.
Path of E-mail Nirvana
“Just imagine how effectively you can work if someone keeps on shouting at you “Look at me!” after every few minutes”
Yeah, you guessed it right! I am talking about the email monster, which keeps on bugging you while working. Few days back, a company ran an email usage survey of 300 email users, composed largely of technology workers. Unsurprisingly, there were number of respondents who thought they could not flourish without emails while 80% of them were frenzied by the maintenance of these mails.
The bottom line is that emails are unavoidable in today’s high-tech age but you need to come up with a workable strategy for your emails. Below, I’ll walk you through some of the tips from my personal experiences which are likely to help you get the better of the emails.
Tip # 1:
It’s time to check your inbox: No one expects you to answer a mail as soon as you get it. Dedicate specific time to check your mails but while checking ensure that you reply them as well.
Tip # 2:
Organize your mails using technology: If spam mails continue to be a problem, use a spam controller. As spam has overtaken mailboxes over the world, using spam controlling tools has become essential for regular mail users.
Tip # 3:
Avoid Email Chains: Sort out subjective and complicated matters using a phone rather than creating a flurry of mails which go back and forth. It can take away a lot of your precious time.
Tip # 4:
Mail when necessary: To avoid confusions and wastage of time, refrain from mailing for minute issues. Not only does this reduce the clutter in your inbox, it lets you get to the important emails faster.
Tip # 5:
Say “no” to lengthy mails: Lengthy mails are tedious and ineffective. In order to save your time you need to write small mails, so you also receive the reply in the same manner.
Tip # 6:
Archive if no deleting: Some of non-critical mails you receive are of no use, but still you prefer keeping them in a record. For this purpose, list them out from your relevant mails and archive them systematically.
I guess these tips will really increase your productivity without being a slave to e-mails. Try the tips and do let me know if they helped you find the path of email-nirvana!
Conquer the World Wearing Bunny Slippers
Image by Ben McLeod
The never-ending debate of home office, has been going around for long time. “How do I, can I” are the suspicious questions one keeps on asking himself. Everyone can work from home; opting the right industry is the hard part.
Now comes the main issue, how to find an appropriate home business option. I have summarized the process into four key steps to find or create a perfect virtual job. Look!
Know What You’re Good At:
Figure out your interest and know in what type of business you can give your best. If you are having trouble finding out what you can be good at or what you want to do exactly, try running through the exercise ‘Finding Your At Home Work Option’, listed on different home business sites.
Prepare yourself to work with all distractions:
You need to ask yourself if you can work with all the uninvited distractions one have to face while working at home, an irritating child, unexpected guests…etc. Just because you get that cool job you’ve dreamed of for years doesn’t always mean you’re ready for it.
Prepare yourself to work with all distractions:
You need to ask yourself if you can work with all the uninvited distractions one have to face while working at home, an irritating child, unexpected guests…etc. Just because you’ve dreamed of working from home for years doesn’t always mean you’re ready for it.
Get an Assistant:
Running a business setup from home can be very daunting at times because marketing a business and fulfilling customer demands, is a full time job. With the growing idea of working from home, the trend of hiring a virtual assistant is also on rise. You can hire someone to do the routine tasks of your business, gather materials or find clients for you and market the business, so you can completely focus on making productive strategies for your business.
Plan a Flexible Setup:
Full-time businesses require a dedicated office area designed for comfort and function. You need to plan carefully to have an efficient, flexible and multipurpose office. After all, the work you produce is highly influenced by your work environment.
Therefore, have confidence in yourself and continue nurturing your business - and if you are lucky, you just might see your business grow into the business of your dreams. I am sure, following the above given key tips will help you challenge big corporate companies.
12 brilliant home offices – Gotta Love That!
One can give his best performance, if sitting and working in a workspace of own choice - be it a desk with 4 huge screens or a laptop in your garden. There were times when working from home was almost impossible but nowadays the trend of home office is surely gaining a foothold. With the advent of technology and more importantly the internet, work-from-home is surely a sensible and successful decision.
A few days back, when I quit my office job and decided to work from home, I started scouring the net to plan my home office. Then only I came across few intelligent examples of modern home office designs - some good, some bad, some cluttered and thought of sharing them with you.
Which one did you like the most? If you think, your home office design is worthy enough to be on this list of exclusive home offices, then feel free - it is always interesting to see how other people work.
