Marketing Your Small Business – The Top 10 Brilliant Ideas
aA Brilliant Marketing Idea… sounds great but what is it? Is it the idea that results in the mailman ringing your doorbell, signaling in a caravan of postal workers with mounds of letters (all in response to your latest advertisement)? Is it the idea that brings a 20% response rate on your direct mail campaign?
Surely these ideas would be considered brilliant marketing ideas…right? Well, maybe. It depends on the costs incurred generating the response. If the cost of the marketing was greater than the income it generated, it doesn’t matter how great the response, it’s not very brilliant. Read more
Fashion Marketing Tips – Creating Search Engine Optimized Articles For Your Business
We’ve all done it: typed our “niche” into Google and prayed that our website would magically appear. This is usually the moment that we are swiftly knocked from our totem pole and realize that we are just one little ant in one gigantor anthill of fashion websites. Wouldn’t it be nice to be let in on fashion marketing tips that all of the major sellers are privy too?
You’ve got your website up and running. You’ve created pieces that would give Michael Kors a run for his money. You know everyone would love your stuff –if only they could find you! You know you are amazing . . . now it’s time to tell the world. With SEO articles, you can do just that. Read more
Business Planning – A Good Business Development Strategy is Crucial for Success
photo credit: Tammy Manet
As part of my consulting practice, I read and review business plans written both for venture capitalists and for grant applications. The weakest part of every business plan is always how will the company get from today to “the dream” five years out.
Usually, there is a pretty good description of what will happen in the next six months and a decent description of what will happen in five years, but there is nothing in between.
Technical entrepreneurs have a good handle on what product development they need to do to get the product into a usable form. They understand the costs and the time involved. However, once the product is developed, they seem to be at a loss as to what to do next.
The lack of a business development executive early in the process often leads to the product being developed in a vacuum. There is a bit of a chicken and egg problem here: start-ups don’t feel like they can afford a business development person until they sell product and they can’t figure out how to sell a product without business development.
Also, I’ve noted that a number of engineer or scientist CEOs tend to discount the role of business development, as if the science behind the product is really what sells the product. This is just not true – if it was true, universities would be a lot richer. Read more
Business Fundraising – Network With Your Capital Providers Before You Need The Money
photo credit: Tammy Manet
Often entrepreneurs will be in the process of building their businesses and suddenly be struck by a need for cash. The business wins a big contract or general growth has increased in speed. On the down side, the slower economy slows sales growth or customers slow down their payable cycle. Either way, this is not the time to go looking for capital.
If you ever believe you may need capital, the time to start the process is now, be it debt or equity. Take the time to get to know your banker. If you bank at a large bank, such as Bank of America, get to know the local branch manager. Find out how they process business loans. If there is a local loan officer, ask to meet with him or her. Find out what the lending standards are.
Large banks may allow the branch to approve loans up to a certain amount. Higher amounts may be kicked up to the regional or corporate offices. It would be a shame if you were denied a $60,000 loan by a corporate office, but you could have gotten a $50,000 loan approved by the local branch. Read more
Outfitting Your Business – Do’s and Don’ts
photo credit: Alaskan Dude
These days, outfitting your staff with appropriate corporate apparel or promotional clothing has become a necessity. Sending out your sales people wearing custom logoed shirts not only makes them look professional but also greatly increases the credibility of your company. The right corporate apparel makes a small company look bigger, and a big company look stronger. Having been in the corporate apparel business for almost 10 years, I have sold shirts, jackets and other items to companies of just about any size! I will offer some pointers below to save you both money and time.
#1: Choosing the right shirt for the right occasion
Choosing the right shirt is the most important step in your decision making process. Ask yourself the following questions:
- How are my competitions outfitting their people? Are they wearing tee shirts, button-down shirts, polo shirts, vests, and sweatshirts? What should I do so my people will look better and smarter than their people?
- What is the climate like? Will my people be comfortable in the particular garment in consideration?
- Will my logo decorate well on the garment in question? You want your logo to look its best. You want it looking great after repeat washing, and whatever else the person wearing it will do to it!
Getting the right type of shirts will save you money in the long run. If a company logo shirt is mandatory for your staff, meaning they have to wear it everyday, you want to get a relatively good quality shirt so it will hold up for a while. Read more
What to Include When Building Your Income Statement
photo credit: Tammy Manet
Often when a entrepreneur starts a business, he or she creates an income statement for the plan that is often built on unrealistic expectations and/or missing key elements. Understanding what goes into an income statement will help you create a realistic plan.
An income statement is separated into several parts. The first section is the revenue section, which can be one line or several lines if you want to break out your revenue by product or service. In general, your revenue can grow as quickly as you would like, but you must understand the drivers behind your growth.
For instance, if you have developed a new product for a semiconductor manufacturing process, it may be eighteen months before you see your first revenue because that is how long the semiconductor manufacturing cycle lasts, and your product will not become part of the process until the next cycle.
If you’ve created a revolutionary anti-aging skin cream, you may be to grow your revenues exponentially, but there will be a significant marketing and sales budget behind that growth that will have to be accounted for in your expenses. And note, those sales and marketing dollars will have to be spent before you see a dime of revenue. Read more
Small Business Loans- Secured Business Loan – Providing A Conducive Atmosphere For Business Growth
- Business Loans – A Source of Finance for your Business
- Business Loans: Translating Potential for Financial Success and Independence.
- Business Loans: If You Know How To Make Good Use Of Money And Expertise
- Secured Business Loans – Equipping Your Business Blueprint With Concrete Groundwork
- The common reasons for business failure
- Successfully Closing the Strategy Gap
- A Lesson in Leverage
- Startup Company – What Are Accredited Investors and Why Should I Only Raise Money From Them?
- Choosing the Right Business Model for Your Startup
- Private Business Loans
- Private Loans for Every Situation
- Private Lenders – How to Use List Brokers to Find Money For Real Estate Deals
- Real Estate Investors – “7 Step Formula” to Secure Private Money
- Why Apply For a Private Loan?
- The Benefits of Federal Loans Vs the Benefits of Private Loans
- How to Apply For Private Student Loans
- Private Loans – The Alternative Education Loan For Students in Need of Additional Financial Aid
- Small Business Credit Cards – Let’s Analyze Them
- Economy Recovering – Bank Loans Still Scarce
- How to Get $5000 Personal Loans From a Private Individual Lender
