"Small businesses can do BIG things using low-cost technology and readily available expertise." It doesn't matter if you're running a business out of your home, the local Starbucks (free Internet), or an abandoned warehouse, if you have the right tools to reel in a large consumer base, it's not necessarily important how small your business is because it's doing big things. With all of the technology tools out there, small businesses are now in a better position to compete. I wanted to share a post on this tomaragua/drinkwater site for small business owners or people new to MLMbusiness or simply people that work from home.
"With the rise of social media and ubiquity of online software the time is NOW for small businesses to reach a big business audience," Ray says.
Now is also a good time to understand that it's not necessarily about appearing bigger—and leading your customers to believe your company is something that it's not—it's about identifying the advantages your company has from being a proverbial small fish in your market and leveraging that to your benefit. Phil Simon, author of The New Small: How a New Breed of Small Businesses is Harnessing the Power of Emerging Technologies, explains in his book how small companies are using technology to do cutting edge things and becoming leading competitors in their industry.
Simon notes that with today's technology, smaller businesses now have the capability of being just as powerful as larger companies. "In fact," he says, "you can argue they're more powerful because they've got less stuff clogging the technological artery. So, smaller companies can turn on a dime...[and are] able to do things that big companies can't, not because those big companies don't see the value but because they are, for example, contractually obligated to an antiquated software vendor for the next 10 years or politically it's not possible to move in a different direction, or financially the cost for such a move would be prohibitive."
Embracing the fact that you have a small business doesn't mean it's bad to aspire to be bigger. There's nothing wrong with that at all, but even to accomplish that goal you need to have a firm understanding about which tools you can use to become a big player in the market.
How to Make Your Small Business Seem Bigger: Start With the Basics
So you run a small business, maybe even a business of one, and you feel like it's time to take it to the next level. Here are three must-have items to get you started:
•Professional Business Cards - Cutting cost can be a great thing, but your business card represents you and your company when you're not present. So it should not be "some flimflam, two bit piece of yellowing paper," Ray says. This is not to say that you HAVE to invest in over-the-top, pricey metallic business cards—though, if you've got the means go for it—but perhaps relying on your self-printed paper cards is not the best idea. Perhaps consider ultra mobile virtual business cards you can link to a text code word, an example here at
www.mobilehelpers.com/globaljetbusinesssolutions
However if you insist on pupling old tress, there are companies that will make, print, and deliver your cards to you for a reasonable cost including VistaPrint, UPrinting, and PrintPlace. It's important to take the style and design of your business cards seriously or no one else will. How many times have you thrown away a card because they don't look professional?
•Company E-mail Address - "Clearly if you're giving somebody a business card and you've got philsimon88@gmail.com listed as your business e-mail then that just doesn't connote the same professionalism," Simon says. "It doesn't take a lot of technical know how to register a domain."
Weebly pro Go Daddy, iPage, and JustHost.com are good places to start. Leave your Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, and Yahoo accounts for personal use.
•Updated Website - "You can't be taken seriously as a business if you have no website or an ugly website. In the book I call them 90s sites, sites that look like they were built 15 years ago," Simon says. "They have a Home, About, Contact, Directions, Testimonials, but there's no meat, no compelling content, there's never a reason to come back. That's a huge mistake."
You can create a basic, yet effective, website for a modest price. Do your research, read reviews, and ask around before deciding which web hosting tool is right for you. Sites such as Host Gator, Fat Cow, Blue Host, Go Daddy, and Inmotion are good places to start.
This ancient Chinese art is based on the Taoist belief that nature—and our environment—is filled with Chi, or energy, which affects our health and fortune. Here's how to balance those energies to create a harmonious office environment.
Do You Have What It Takes to Start a Business?
Managing yourself effectively is the best preparation for managing a new business. Consider these nine traits when deciding if running your own business is right for you.
People who can't manage their own lives don't make good entrepreneurs. Small businesses require multi-tasking, work prioritization, and decision-making, with no entourage of assistants and specialists. That's why Fortune 500 executives usually don't survive as start-up CEOs.
First you have to learn to accept total responsibility for things that happen to your business, just like you are responsible for everything in your personal life. Maybe you are comfortable with having a spouse in control of your personal life, but couples running a business are high risk.
If you recognize yourself in these clues below, you may not be fully managing yourself. These points represent real problems for entrepreneurs trying to manage a start-up:
•You often feel overwhelmed and out of control. There is always more to do than time to do it. Usually the stress people feel does not really come from having too much to do, but from having to make decisions on what to do first, and not setting reasonable targets.
•You find yourself starting many things, but completing few. Productivity is all about the ability to complete tasks. It requires trade-offs and decisions, to declare that something is finished. Get in the habit of finishing what you start. Perfectionists need not apply.
•You like to defer big things until later. If you catch yourself deferring important tasks, in favor of smaller easy things, that's a management problem. Adopt a "do it now" motto, and tackle your to-do list in priority order, rather than crisis order.
•You regularly over-think decisions and second-guess yourself. If you spend more time thinking and worrying about a task, than doing the task, then you are not managing yourself. Don't waste your precious creative energy. Finish items, and get them off your mind.
•Avoiding new opportunities due to fear of failure is also something you want to avoid. Real entrepreneurs look at every new opportunity as an exciting and new-life experience. They are energized by the risk and learn from every failure.
•You find yourself counting your weaknesses. Good business leaders never criticize themselves for their weaknesses. Smart ones recognize their undeveloped skills and higher potential, but they are confident that they can change, and they constantly work at it.
•You exhibit a lack of confidence and enthusiasm. If you have a "downer" day at least once a week, and can't remember the last time you were truly enthusiastic about something in your life or work, you are not ready to manage a business. Self-confidence is key to success.
•You like to work alone. Every business and every relationship is a team effort. Loners hide from others because they don't want anyone to see that they are not in control. Make an effort to network with others to stay informed and contribute, but not dominate.
•You're a control freak. Believe it or not, many people who don't manage themselves very well are control freaks when it comes to their business and other people. Practice the art of delegating and the joy of being spontaneous.
Managing yourself effectively is the best preparation for managing a new business. It means you understand yourself, and are likely able to read other people and understand them, leading to a trusting relationship with your team and your customers.
More important, managing yourself gives you a deeper understanding of what you value and how you define success. It means that you can make the hard choices about your real goals in business and can reach those goals. Above all, you will be able to truly enjoy your successes.
Raymond E Lee Carmichael is the creative director for Globaljet Business Solutions and a business consultant for tomaragua at http://www.tomaragua.com
"With the rise of social media and ubiquity of online software the time is NOW for small businesses to reach a big business audience," Ray says.
Simon notes that with today's technology, smaller businesses now have the capability of being just as powerful as larger companies. "In fact," he says, "you can argue they're more powerful because they've got less stuff clogging the technological artery. So, smaller companies can turn on a dime...[and are] able to do things that big companies can't, not because those big companies don't see the value but because they are, for example, contractually obligated to an antiquated software vendor for the next 10 years or politically it's not possible to move in a different direction, or financially the cost for such a move would be prohibitive."Embracing the fact that you have a small business doesn't mean it's bad to aspire to be bigger. There's nothing wrong with that at all, but even to accomplish that goal you need to have a firm understanding about which tools you can use to become a big player in the market.
How to Make Your Small Business Seem Bigger: Start With the Basics
So you run a small business, maybe even a business of one, and you feel like it's time to take it to the next level. Here are three must-have items to get you started:
•Professional Business Cards - Cutting cost can be a great thing, but your business card represents you and your company when you're not present. So it should not be "some flimflam, two bit piece of yellowing paper," Ray says. This is not to say that you HAVE to invest in over-the-top, pricey metallic business cards—though, if you've got the means go for it—but perhaps relying on your self-printed paper cards is not the best idea. Perhaps consider ultra mobile virtual business cards you can link to a text code word, an example here atwww.mobilehelpers.com/globaljetbusinesssolutions
 |
•Company E-mail Address - "Clearly if you're giving somebody a business card and you've got philsimon88@gmail.com listed as your business e-mail then that just doesn't connote the same professionalism," Simon says. "It doesn't take a lot of technical know how to register a domain."
Weebly pro Go Daddy, iPage, and JustHost.com are good places to start. Leave your Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, and Yahoo accounts for personal use.
•Updated Website - "You can't be taken seriously as a business if you have no website or an ugly website. In the book I call them 90s sites, sites that look like they were built 15 years ago," Simon says. "They have a Home, About, Contact, Directions, Testimonials, but there's no meat, no compelling content, there's never a reason to come back. That's a huge mistake."
| globaljet business solutions can help you compete with simple mobile websites. With approx 9BILLION phones on the market your clients can have you at their fingertips |
- Feng Shui Tips for the Home Office
This ancient Chinese art is based on the Taoist belief that nature—and our environment—is filled with Chi, or energy, which affects our health and fortune. Here's how to balance those energies to create a harmonious office environment.Do You Have What It Takes to Start a Business?
Managing yourself effectively is the best preparation for managing a new business. Consider these nine traits when deciding if running your own business is right for you.
- Do You Have What It Takes to Start a Business?
People who can't manage their own lives don't make good entrepreneurs. Small businesses require multi-tasking, work prioritization, and decision-making, with no entourage of assistants and specialists. That's why Fortune 500 executives usually don't survive as start-up CEOs.
First you have to learn to accept total responsibility for things that happen to your business, just like you are responsible for everything in your personal life. Maybe you are comfortable with having a spouse in control of your personal life, but couples running a business are high risk.
If you recognize yourself in these clues below, you may not be fully managing yourself. These points represent real problems for entrepreneurs trying to manage a start-up:
•You often feel overwhelmed and out of control. There is always more to do than time to do it. Usually the stress people feel does not really come from having too much to do, but from having to make decisions on what to do first, and not setting reasonable targets.•You find yourself starting many things, but completing few. Productivity is all about the ability to complete tasks. It requires trade-offs and decisions, to declare that something is finished. Get in the habit of finishing what you start. Perfectionists need not apply.
•You like to defer big things until later. If you catch yourself deferring important tasks, in favor of smaller easy things, that's a management problem. Adopt a "do it now" motto, and tackle your to-do list in priority order, rather than crisis order.
•You regularly over-think decisions and second-guess yourself. If you spend more time thinking and worrying about a task, than doing the task, then you are not managing yourself. Don't waste your precious creative energy. Finish items, and get them off your mind.
•Avoiding new opportunities due to fear of failure is also something you want to avoid. Real entrepreneurs look at every new opportunity as an exciting and new-life experience. They are energized by the risk and learn from every failure.
•You find yourself counting your weaknesses. Good business leaders never criticize themselves for their weaknesses. Smart ones recognize their undeveloped skills and higher potential, but they are confident that they can change, and they constantly work at it.•You exhibit a lack of confidence and enthusiasm. If you have a "downer" day at least once a week, and can't remember the last time you were truly enthusiastic about something in your life or work, you are not ready to manage a business. Self-confidence is key to success.
•You like to work alone. Every business and every relationship is a team effort. Loners hide from others because they don't want anyone to see that they are not in control. Make an effort to network with others to stay informed and contribute, but not dominate.
•You're a control freak. Believe it or not, many people who don't manage themselves very well are control freaks when it comes to their business and other people. Practice the art of delegating and the joy of being spontaneous.
Managing yourself effectively is the best preparation for managing a new business. It means you understand yourself, and are likely able to read other people and understand them, leading to a trusting relationship with your team and your customers.
More important, managing yourself gives you a deeper understanding of what you value and how you define success. It means that you can make the hard choices about your real goals in business and can reach those goals. Above all, you will be able to truly enjoy your successes.
Raymond E Lee Carmichael is the creative director for Globaljet Business Solutions and a business consultant for tomaragua at http://www.tomaragua.com
