Jane Yao's Blog

The start of a new year is a time for a clean start. Resolutions

are made, you clear your files of last year’s paperwork, and you

swear you are going to start the year off keeping your financial

house in order.

It all sounds good when you say it on January 1st. But now, after

only one month into the New Year, how many of you have done ANY

of the above? I can’t raise my hand, can you? Here are a few easy

to follow tips that will benefit all business owners.

Learn to use the software you have

If you purchased software last year, and it’s still shrink

wrapped and sitting on your bookcase, get it open and install it

onto your computer. Until you do that, you’ve done nothing more

than waste money. You shouldn’t have to hire a professional to

handle the software installation.

If it’s already installed, but you can’t seem to figure out what

to do next, read the manual, do the tutorial, ask for help. Do

whatever is necessary for you to learn how to use the software

that you spent good money on. You had a need when you purchased

the software, and until you start using it, the need remains

unfulfilled.

Automate common tasks

Once you’ve got the software you already purchased up and running

put together a software budget for this year. Start by making a

list of all the work-related tasks you wish were automated. Here

are just a few ideas: contact management, inventory management,

project management, bookkeeping, billing, appointment and

employee scheduling and your new employee orientation program.

Next prioritize your software automation wish list. Put together

a realistic budget for each of the four quarters. Then as money

allows, purchase one piece of software at a time. Then, remember

to actually install it AND use it!

Protect your Data

If you’ve not already done so, you must install virus checking

software on every desktop that receives email. Failure to do this

one thing can stop your business dead in its tracks. You don’t

have to spend a lot of money on this type of software; it’s

readily available and relatively inexpensive. Regardless of the

cost, its cost is far lower than the price you will pay once your

computers become infected. The costs of lost productivity as well

as lost data will be steep.

Another thing you need to do to protect your valuable company

data is to install a backup and restore utility and BE SURE TO

USE IT! The price of this type of product will vary, and the

amount you spend will probably coincide with the amount of

information you need to backup. The more data, the more you’ll

pay for protection.

So many business owners purchase these types of software products

only after a catastrophe has occurred. It’s true that it’s better

late than never. But be smart and be prepared for disaster

because it will happen.

Order the CD version

In some cases, you’ll be able to purchase and download your new

software right from the vendor’s website. You’ll have your new

software installed and ready to use in no time. But, should your

hard drive ever crash, you’ll need the CD version of the software

so that you can reinstall it right away. Most software vendors

let download customers buy the CD at a huge discount. It’s worth

the money because, remember, hard drives will crash.

Register All Your Software

It’s annoying, but important. You’ll want to keep informed of

such things as new versions and other important software-related

issues.

And there you have it – five simple software tips for business

owners.

You could possibly have heard plenty of stories about consumers who have began up Internet corporations and who have ended up producing millions. It is less most likely that you’ve heard about all the other men and women who’ve tried and failed.

As human beings, we appreciate to hear good results stories. They can be inspirational and give us belief that anything is feasible. We’re much less keen to hear tales of failure.

Unfortunately, this can bring about a distortion of reality. If some people happen to be successful, then we might possibly come to think that such success is simple to achieve. This really is something that will definitely be observed when we think about the world of on line home business. Lots of people think about that it is quite easy to generate income.

The harsh reality, needless to say, is that it really is hard to run a successful business enterprise operation. You will have an amazing idea, slightly bit of luck and an enormous quantity of hard work. Believe it or not, Online enterprises do not truly differ too much from conventional alternatives.

Uncovering some thing to sell

The whole process normally begins together with the requirement to find one thing that you simply can essentially sell. Extra particularly, you will need to determine a item or service that other folks call for. One of the wonderful mistakes that some individuals make in this circumstance is usually to ignore the reality that demand might possibly not exist. As you might consider, this can be unlikely to lead to an amazing organization approach.

You will must come up with a item range, or service, that can be sold. It also needs to become one thing that you simply can offer. Are such opportunities simple to determine? The truth is that this is often problematic and most people spend years interested in the proper things to sell. It really is probably to involve many study.

Dealing with the practicalities

Obtaining one thing to sell is only the very first portion on the story. It’s probably that there will be a range of practical troubles that you just should handle. These may possibly include things like obtaining to think about holding stock, finding premises and employing staff. In most circumstances, you will discover that you just have to have some sort of capital at the outset.

If you happen to do not have any funds readily available to invest, then issues may develop into that bit alot more troublesome. A single alternative may be to approach outside investors. Ahead of undertaking so, you are going to ought to be sure that that you are providing an fascinating proposition.

Advertising the enterprise

Considering the fact that you are intending to operate via the world wide web, you might imagine that developing a internet site should really have a high priority. Sadly, this really is basically another mistake that a lot of modest business enterprise owners make.

What you need to have is usually a appropriate marketing technique in place. The web-site will form only a small portion of that method. You will need to take into consideration how you are going to attract visitors and possible consumers to your website.

It is almost inevitable that you will ought to fully grasp search engine optimization to some degree. Despite the fact that you can find professional little home business Search engine marketing specialists, you’ll really need to consider the marketing and advertising spending budget which you have readily available to you.

You might have large plans. There may very well be an expectation that you will have the ability to dominate a national, or perhaps an international marketplace. At the outset, having said that, it may be wise to concentrate on the nearby region. You might make use of an Search engine marketing Hampshire neighborhood service, as an example, to obtain things started out.

Take a flexible strategy

In case you have some superb merchandise, you have got all of the practical considerations below manage and you’ve also carried out the on line marketing successfully, then you are going to acquire that you’re in a sturdy starting position. But this does not guarantee good results.

You are going to ought to be conscious that every thing won’t often go smoothly. There may be occasions exactly where you’ll should modify course. Remain flexible and aim to build an amazing organization model.

As a teenager I worked for my father’s small business. At 18 I worked for a small video rental business owned by two partners; there were 4 employees. At 23 I worked for an auto body shop, the owner was from Greece; there were 8 employees. At 25 I became CEO of my family’s small business; we have 15 employees. Today, I own a 3-employee automotive repair shop; an online business; a promotional licensing business and I still consult for my family’s business.

Today working in large firms with hundreds of employees or even 50 employees is rare. Like most people I grew up around small business and worked in small business. The transition to a business of my own seemed a natural progression. The time has never been better to get your feet wet. Small business is booming.

Consider these facts from the U.S. Bureau of the Census: · 23 million small businesses in the U.S.; 75% of which have no employees · Small businesses represent 99.7% of all employer firms · Small businesses employ half of all private sector employees · 44.3% of U.S. private payroll is paid by small businesses · 60%-80% of all new job created annually are by small businesses Today, small business is the standard. If you’ve ever dreamed of owning or starting your own business, clearly the climate has never been better.

But making your dream come true takes a few key strategies. First, before starting any endeavor, do your research, education is the single most important factor to a successful new business. If no one wants your product or if no market exists for your service you will spin your wheels trying to survive. Know your market, who are they? Does your product or service exist? If so, how can you make it better? What is your competitive edge? What are your competitors doing? If your service or product doesn’t exist, why should it? This is a tough question but if you cannot justify the purpose of your product or service and the need it fills how will you find customers?

The next step is planning. What will you need? How will you get started? What is your first step? When I’m looking to start a new endeavor, I jot down the goal and then write down each and every task I can think of that will need to be accomplished in order to achieve the goal. Organize all those items into an Action Plan and then get started, one step at a time.

Getting started is probably the most difficult step. We all have fear of the unknown. You need only one ability or skill… courage. Take the step, even if you feel like you’re falling from a tall building. I promise once you get started, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do so before. Execution is where all the research and planning pay off. You’ve made your marketing plan; now just take it one step at a time. Keep at it. Even if your first marketing tactic works, keep at each and every one. If you send out 100 fliers and start getting customers, do not stop. Follow through on the next mailer or article. You must continue executing your marketing plan; this tactic will ensure long- term success. Clearly it has never been a better time to start a small business.

There are millions of small businesses out there; you are not alone. Seek out others for support. Start small to get your feet wet and start accumulating accomplishments. With small businesses creating 50% of the gross domestic product you can’t go wrong.

You’ve heard it before; we’re living in an information age. The business world is no longer driven by tangible products but on information and ideas. Internet based companies or other companies that use the Internet as an integral marketing tool that don’t tap into information-based products or services could soon find themselves without customers or with lackluster sales. Small business owners, many of whom are on a tight advertising budget, can use all the help they can get to promote their product or service. Providing free information to sell yourself and your company may seem like an oxymoron but it is in fact a legitimate marketing strategy. It allows small business owners to reach large amounts of people and establish themselves as a leading expert in their respective industriesSmall business owners have several options to achieve their marketing goals:E-books – Offer free e-books on your site to encourage traffic and repeat visitation. Your e-book can include references to your site, newsletter, or special offers. You can also allow others to redistribute your e-book and allow other sites to include your e-book in bonuses or contests. Forums and Newsgroups – Helping other people within your industry is a great way to increase your visibility and gain credibility. You’ll be surprised at how much traffic you get just from your forum posts alone. It’s always important to be familiar with the forum you’re participating in. Advertisements are not only unnecessary but in most cases they are unwelcome and can cause you many problems. So stick to helping people and answering questions. Most sites allow for some sort of signature that is included within all of your posts. If your information is helpful, people will want to learn more about you. Submitting articles – Writing articles related to your area of business is one of the best ways to increase your visibility. The great thing is that many people are constantly looking for free information to enhance their own efforts and will appreciate your contributions. You’ll get a great deal of traffic from the articles you submit to various e-zines. Each article should include a copyright notice and a brief biography with a link back to your own site. Seminars – If you’d like to expand beyond the web and you’re comfortable with public speaking, you can easily and quickly set up a seminar related to your industry. Many hotels offer conference room rental for affordable prices that you use and give free seminars. Announce your helpful even on the web and local newspapers. People are constantly looking for ways to improve their lives and their businesses. You can have low-cost reading material printed out and make sure you have plenty of business cards handy. You’ll soon build an impressive list of prospective customers and affiliates. As you become more experienced, you can even begin to enhance your seminar and charge a nominal entry fee. Conferences – There are all sorts of conferences out there today where organizers are looking for qualified speakers to assist their audience. You can submit informative press releases that establish yourself as an expert and include a notice you are available for speaking engagements. E-zine – Starting your own e-zine can allow you to offer valuable information to your prospective customers. You can also build valuable relationships with other business owners looking to form joint ventures. You also have free placement for any special offers, events, and contests you’d like to promote. The objective is to establish yourself within your industry and by doing so you can build an extensive database of qualified prospective customers. Your collection is an invaluable resource for your sales efforts and will produce majority of your sales. The key is to build relationships and produce genuine prospects, not suspects. A small business can’t afford to waste time or money on “suspects” or untargeted consumers who may not have an iota of interest in your product or service.