"Joan, I'm working so hard and I'm not getting anything done!" I have heard some version of this cry of frustration by many an entrepreneur. It's a common complaint voiced by those of use who sought the freedom to have complete authority over our schedules, only to find ourselves unwittingly shackled by old ways of operating. It does not appear to matter that we are independent professionals or business owners, we live in a world shaped by the...more
Steps and tips on marketing your business to the government.Fact: Federal, state and local governments buy over $450 billion combined in goods and services each year.Part of that can be yours if you know how to get it.Fact: Federal procurements under $25,000 never go through the bid/RFP process. The only way to earn these government procurements is to market your business wisely. You probably know there are huge opportunities for any business...more
Outsourcing has become a controversial issue and a hot topic among presidential candidates this year. But have you stopped to think how your business can benefit from the efficiency, functionality and cost savings of outsourcing? If you have, you might find that, like many others, you are already outsourcing-and enjoying its benefits.What is Outsourcing?Outsourcing simply means "contracting out" various functions of your business. It doesn't necessarily mean that you will be contracting out work to foreign countries because there are many American companies that provide outsourcing services i.e.. commercial printing services and cleaning services, among others.) The vendors who supply outsourced services may be self-employed contractors, consulting firms, temporary employee services or professional service firms. One common example of outsourcing is payroll processing. Other commonly outsourced functions that can be provided by professional services firms include: Succession planning Accounting and tax preparation Information technology (IT) Consulting (i.e. due diligence, business planning) Distribution services Pension management Manufacturing Assembly Staffing Grounds...more
There are four different ways that audience members assimilate information. They are: visual, auditory, auditory digital, and kinesthetic. While all members of the audience will process information utilizing all four of these approaches at different times, each audience member will individually will individually tend to rely on one of ...more
Have you ever found yourself having to scramble to organize a meeting at the last minute? Wouldn't it be nice that if and when this daunting situation arose, you were well prepared with all necessary information ready at your fingertips? That's why I've developed the following seven survival strategies to help you plan for the inevitable, because...more
A lot of people do not realize that entrepreneurs play a big role in our society. When you put the total number of entrepreneurs together, they count as the biggest financial contributors to our nation’s wealth. If only politicians would give grants to finance small business start-ups, the economy’s growth could be hastened. Knowing the obvious financial rewards and the important role to society of business owners, many individuals aspire to be entrepreneurs. The fact remains, however, that several business start-ups fail and never take-off from the ground because of one thing : the lack of adequate and sufficient knowledge on how to start a profitable business. In this article, I will attempt to give practical strategies on how to run a successful business start-up.First: find opportunities in your own backyard. Look at the demand side by observing your neighborhood. It is good to assess the close-to-home demand for starters. Aside from familiarity with the area, familiarity with the customer will be an enormous advantage.Your neighborhood is not strictly your home address. It can be any area that you may be familiar with. It can be the university vicinity....more
Hiring good employees is not only important to business, it's essential. Employees are the heart and soul of a business; they are the mechanism that makes a business run; they are the breath of life that enables a business to be something more than...more
al debt load and ROI, whether the industry as a whole is in a slump, whether there are too many partner or legal problems, whether future demand will materialize and so on and so forth. While these questions are certainly relevant, the most...more
If you are already in business it is hardly likely that you will agree with my title. Aren't all businsesses different?When you think in broader terms, yes, of course you're right. I want you, however, to look , for the moment, only at the basics.All...more
The idea for this month's newsletter came from an unlikely encounter: I recently had lunch with a new friend named Rick Rockwell. You may remember him as the bachelor from the first-ever reality TV show, "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire?"...more
If we want to fill our heads with the doom and gloom society seems to thrive on, all we need to do is turn on the local news at night. To make that quantum leap toward personal happiness and success in life, sometimes we just need to do what so...more
When I made the decision to do free workshops and book signings for my latest book, Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer, I thought it would be easy to draw an audience. I had, after all, done all the right things to prepare for this big event: I...more