So you have seen a great opportunity and are about to get started. Where do you go from here? Before you dig in, I cannot stress enough the importance of a well laid out business plan. You might then be asking, how do I plan and set goals if I don't have a clue what I'm going to achieve and in what timeframe? This may be true, but your business must have a foundation on which to start from. You are going to start your home business because you...more
Most people mistakenly assume that when you talk about marketing, you're automatically talking about "Tactical" marketing - placing ads, generating leads, sending out mailers, attending trades shows, creating brochures, implementing a follow-up system, and so forth. They fail to realize that the "Strategic" side of the coin - what you say, how you say it, and who you say it to - is almost always MORE important than the marketing medium of WHERE...more
IntroductionIn this article, a presentation is made of the differences between major credit cards (http://www.chooseacreditcard.co.uk) and credit cards offered by specific stores to their customers. The purpose of this article is to provide a general overview of major credit cards and store cards to aid consumers in making decisions regarding which lines of credit lines would be the best for them in a given set of circumstances. In most situations, due to the higher rates of interest (http://www.chooseacreditcard.co.uk/lowstandardapr.html) charged by most store-specific cards, it is best for the budget-conscious consumer to consider forgoing those accounts in favor of a major credit card.With that said, we are not endorsing any particular credit card brand in this article. Rather, the materials presented are for informational and educational purposes only.General AvailabilityMajor credit cards are accepted in a wide variety of places and venues. Indeed, the major credit card companies make it a point of promoting how wide spread card acceptance is in this day and age.On the other hand, store-specific credit cards are good only at the issuing store.Where to ApplyIt is simple to...more
An introduction to Injection Molding.Every plastic product you see needs to be shaped, and the most common method is Injection Molding. Most people using their computer to read this give no thought to how all those plastic parts were formed. Or how complex and expensive it is even to produce a ballpoint pen. Just about every part made of plastic...more
Many home-based entrepreneurs are gaining new ground with partnering arrangements. Although it takes many shapes, the core of the partnering concept is two or more businesses teaming up to achieve together what they can't do alone. Partnering with other businesses can help you offer a broader product or service package to a particular market...more
This saying came to mind when reading my Icop newsletter. JL was discussing things that Chuck and I talk about all the time. A couple of weeks ago while listening to Jim Edwards' audio newsletter he ranted about the "psycho freebie seekers" (love that name). Jim rants almost as well as Dennis Miller.Anyway these two newsletters and what they had to say have been rolling around in my head for a couple of days now. What came to mind is that people who run Internet businesses from their home are no different than those who ran businesses out of their home in the 80's ..they don't want to pay for anything. You would think with all the failed businesses they've had it would dawn on them that it is because they have done no research, no business plan, no determination on whether or not there is a market for their business in their vicinity. They don't do mission statements. I could go on and on.Unfortunately, too many people still think all they need is a computer, fax, and some business cards. In fact, they don't even give out the business cards, they leave those in their office in nice little card files. A lot of good that's doing them.They will spend money on all the trappings but...more
Some call it the 30 second commute. We call it wonderful. What are we all talking about? Working from home, of course. There's nothing more satisfying than operating a successful business from your own home office. Believe us, we know. We tried...more
Many businesses lose money yearly because they don't think creatively about the future. They run their businesses doing what they think they should: dealing with customers, dealing with problems, ordering for their business, and paying their...more
The internet stands as the largest open marketplace in the world today, almost every possible product or service is being sold on the internet. With such an availability of potential monetary transactions, the preferred method of payment is the...more
There is an old expression you may have heard - to 'gild the lilly'. Basically, this means that if something is working fine, don't attempt to 'fix it', or 'improve it'. Chances are you will end up doing more harm than good. Nowhere is this more true...more
More and more businesses are seeing the value of photography in marketing their business. Websites, html emails, business cards, banners. Scanners and other digital equipment is HOT! What do you need to know about the subject of photography to take...more
Have you ever gotten frustrated when you realize that your prospects keep stereotyping you as a "salesperson"? And because of that, they don't give you the trust and openness that you deserve, and that are essential if you're going to help them solve...more