Posts Tagged ‘entrepreneur’

Ideas for Home Based Business Entrepreneurs

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

How can you establish a business without leaving the comforts of your home and do so with just a small capital? The answer is simple and it’s right in front of you. Think for everyone else. Act for everyone else. If they can’t do it, do it for them.

But how would you do it? To know the specifics, take time to attend seminars and workshops for more information and how to gather tips on starting a business. If you don’t want to spend your money on the first suggestion, there’s always an alternative. You could drop by the library within your community and read books regarding management and business. Well at least, that’s free. You just have to be part of the community. Or better yet, use the internet for various researches.

Home based entrepreneurs benefit vastly on having their business right at their doorstep. It extinguishes the agony and trouble of being stuck in heavy traffic and being late. Travel time would take at least thirty seconds from your bedroom to your home office. No dress code required.

You could come to your office on your pajamas, no one cares, and you’re the boss. Family time is not compromised. You are the boss of your own company. Best of all, self-discipline is practiced.

Here are 3 of the best suggestions for gearing up your home business:

1. Garage Sale – “the old and perhaps the new”

Sure you have clothes that are used only once. Those that your mother gave you when you were three but you wore them only once cause you never liked it. Remember? That’s right. Sell it on Monday.

Sign board announcement: Kid’s stuff on sale!
Your husband loves sports but that was 5 years ago. Again, sell it on Tuesday. Hunt down those baseball cards and sports gears he kept in his closet.

Sign board announcement: Sports stuff on sale!
Now are you having a clearer picture of what I’m trying to paint? You could sell different kinds of stuff on different days. That would make your garage a bit more interesting.

2. Food for Thought – “Sweet. Spicy. Sour.”

Cooking can be very consuming. But if your hands were made for it, then try the catering business. Supply food for gatherings like parties, anniversaries, meetings, etc. If you’re also good with pastries, then convert your garage or a part of your house into a mini café.

Set up a relaxing ambience that would suit and entice customers to hang around. Give them a reason to stay. A good cup of coffee, light music, and a satisfying bite of their favorite blueberry cheesecake would definitely work up an appetite to keep them coming back for more.

3. Clean it, Scrub it – “From top to bottom”

Having an obsessive-compulsive type of personality can be an advantage and it can be put into good use. Aside from imposing cleanliness within your own vicinity, other people’s house might need it as well. In a generation where time is of the essence, workaholics fail to maintain an organized environment.

That’s where you come in. Advertise your services to those people who badly need grooming. Emphasize that when the environment is healthy, the client is healthy as well.

Are thoughts rushing in? From my point of view, the percent of failure depends on the time when you say “no” or ‘it’s not possible” to realizing that it is.

Sail to Success – Social Media, the New Tool in Crisis Management

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Sail to Success – Social Media, the New Tool in Crisis Management

By Anthony Sudbury

Traditionally companies had at least a day to respond to any crisis situation and still keep face. However with the growth of the internet and in particular the growth of social media, this time has now been reduced to just a couple of hours.

Two companies have recently failed to recognise the power of the internet in restoring brand confidence. The first was major car dealer who failed to address all its safety issues at once and as a result the negative stories about customers fearing for their lives as their brake pedals failed has run on and on.

The other was a children’s pushchair manufacture who announced that some pushchairs were being recalled in the USA as there were reports of children losing their fingers. However the communication in the European markets was that all was fine and no products needed to be recalled. This left parents in a state of confusion and forums were filled with concerns over safety.

There is still this worry that communicating on line will lead to further negativity. However, in this age consumers are crying out for this interaction, relationship and reassurance from brands. Let’s face it we are all increasingly turning to the internet to research products before we purchase.

Interestingly, the largest UK airline has understood the benefit of communicating on line and is using You Tube as part of its crisis management strategy. It is showing footage of the CEO to provide reassurance with the aim to help build its reputation.

Some companies can be praised for their quick response for example an international pizza delivery company made a video for reassurance in response to some employees being silly with the cheese topping from their pizzas. A more human approach was also demonstrated by the second largest retailer in the UK when an ex employee made a video running a riot in store. The company responded on You Tube at a corporate level but also videos were posted from staff members from the same store expressing their shame and embarrassment at their former colleague’s actions.

Getting it right by reacting quickly can even improve a brands reputation, for example a major British clothing retailer built a whole campaign around wrongly charging ladies extra for bigger sized bras. They said sorry and turned the negative into a positive and refunded the difference. An approach like this can often even drive up sales or at best retain current customers.

Thus in essence consumer conversations can make or break the reputation of a brand. If companies do not respond to this new evolving media vehicle quickly then they are more likely to find themselves with a dented reputation which is beyond repair.

About the Author

Anthony Sudbury set up his own part time business in 2005 before setting about running it full time in 2009. He has been trialling ways to Make Money Online since 2009, http://www.sailtosuccess.co.uk and shares his findings here, for all to learn. These articles are to help anyone Make Money Online if you are shown the correct way.

http://www.anthonysudbury.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Sudbury
http://EzineArticles.com/?Sail-to-Success—Social-Media,-the-New-Tool-in-Crisis-Management&id=3993487

What Education is needed to be an Entrepreneur?

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Is there really an education needed to be an entrepreneur? This is a question often asked by aspiring entrepreneurs.

Well, it all depends on the individual. There are times even when those that have no educational business background are still able to make it big in the business world. Some say that they owe it all to patience, hard work, and dedication. Most of the successful entrepreneurs on the other hand claim that it would take good education to become an entrepreneur.

So what will it be? Well, if you can afford to study a business degree, then don’t let that chance pass you by. You’re quite lucky if you can attend college especially for a business degree. You have to dedicate your time studying all your lessons because in due time, you will be able to use such information to the advantage of your business.

You can choose to study in a local university or college or those individuals with more money to spend can study abroad if they want to. The important thing is to take your education seriously because you can use them when the right time comes. And while you’re studying, you have to develop all the needed skills and characteristics of being an entrepreneur.

You have to participate actively in all school activities especially those that require you to exercise your skills in business planning, controlling, directing, etc.

There are many business degrees that you can choose from like commerce, business administration, economics, and many others. Make sure that you choose a course that you like and one that you can afford so that you can finish your way to college. Remember, passing alone is not important. You have to learn every step of the way and don’t forget the things that you’ve learned.

Some entrepreneurs didn’t have the proper educational background and yet they’ve become successful in their chosen field. The fact is, there are many successful entrepreneurs without the proper business education. How many times have you heard of an entrepreneur who started from scratch and yet ended up having a high-profit earning business? Perhaps there’s more to just education.

You see, aside from education, you have to possess the right qualities and characteristics of being an entrepreneur like leadership, innovativeness, creativeness, risk taker, and many others. Even if you have the proper educational background, you can’t become a successful entrepreneur if you don’t have these qualities and characteristics.

It seems that education and the right characteristics go hand in hand in producing an effective and successful entrepreneur. If you can have them both, take advantage of it right away. Education is something that money can’t buy in an instant and besides, you can use your knowledge for the best interests of your business.

This is not to discourage those that can’t afford to earn a business degree in college. If you want, you can use the resources available on the internet and learn everything you can about being an entrepreneur. You must also develop the right attitude and characteristics as early as possible. If you can pull it off, then no one can stop you from entering the business world.

Is there an education needed to be an entrepreneur? This question can only be answered by you. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, try to assess your qualities, skills, and educational background. After that, you can already determine if you’re fit to become an entrepreneur.

Characteristics to be an Effective Entrepreneur

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

Before a doctor diagnoses a specific disease, his patient must undergo a series of laboratory exams and assessments. He has to know the history of his patient and how lifestyle affected his present health problem. As results come in, that would be an indication of the time when a physician gives specific drugs and therapies for maintenance. This will eventually contribute to the level of optimum health for that individual. If all else fails, the process will be repeated again.

Similar to what the abovementioned situation has stated, an entrepreneur’s responsibility would be pretty much the same. It’s just that, he should see his customers as his patients and what they must have to survive a present predicament or a need. He must follow certain steps before doing anything irrational that could contribute to the downfall of his business. He should have certain characteristics innate in his personality for if he lacks one of these, he’s most probably doomed to fail.

Entrepreneurship is collectively defined as exhibiting one’s vision, taking action, and pursuing that vision as a goal to be achieved in life as service to reality. In the meaningless definition, it’s getting your butt out of that couch and doing something rather than fulfilling your life’s destiny of being a couch potato. Stated below are some of the distinct attitudes an entrepreneur should positively have:

• Optimism – is foreseeing things in a positive way notwithstanding any circumstances that may hinder progress. The assertiveness of an individual depends on his knowledge of how to handle a difficult situation

• Creativity – is thinking outside the box. Expanding one’s mind of what is beyond the ordinary through fine research and collection of data.

• Stability – either physical, mental, social or emotional, a leader must possess a stable life which means he could handle tough situations during tough times

• Charismatic – intelligence of communicating with different walks of life. Who says a charming man is less than an intelligent one? A good entrepreneur must have the certain magic glistening in his eyes and could convey enchanting words to get hold of that convincing power no one dare resist.

• Risk-taker – as someone beginning his own dream, he should be stern and must have the guts and the balls to take the big leap of plunging into his own doom or success. He should not be afraid of taking chances when opportunity strikes.

• Energetic – willing to do whatever it takes to reach to the finish line. His drive must always be at its highest level for being an entrepreneur would make you work overtime. His enthusiasm must prevail the next best thing.

• Time bound – like a written report in a newspaper, an entrepreneur must be on the top of every innovation. By looking at our past, we could predict our future.

Small businesses, in time, would turn out big if the scope of management exceeds what is expected. So it is necessary for a beginner to be positive about his endeavors. He must be very observant of what his environment lacks and needs. He should have sturdy shoulders to put on extra weight of carrying a responsibility that could change his or her life.

One’s greatest failure is sticking with the mentality of being conventional. This would be one of an entrepreneur’s greatest downfalls.

Think big. Act. Make your business dreams come true.

How to Be the Internet Entrepreneur

Friday, March 5th, 2010

How to Be the Internet Entrepreneur

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Have you ever tried running a business that is online? A lot of entrepreneurs are now relying on the power of the internet to market their products or services. Home businesses are gaining more and more popularity these days. Perhaps it’s also time for you to consider an internet entrepreneur home business.

Steps

  1. Have you ever tried running a business that is online? A lot of entrepreneurs are now relying on the power of the internet to market their products or services. Home businesses are gaining more and more popularity these days. Perhaps it’s also time for you to consider an internet entrepreneur home business.
  2. Sometimes, those that have families can’t manage their time between career and family life. Because of this, most of them are forced to leave their jobs just so they can take good care of their family. This is not the end of the world for you. In fact, even when you’re at home and taking care of your family, you can run an online business.
  3. There are a lot of home business opportunities online. All it takes is looking into your home business options and choosing the right one that will work for you. If you have the qualities of an entrepreneur, an internet home business will be the answer to your needs. Oftentimes, if only the husband or the wife works, the income is not enough to provide for the family’s needs. If you don’t have a career or a job, you can start thinking of the best internet home business opportunity.
  4. If you have your own computer and most importantly, an internet connection, you can already become an entrepreneur who owns or runs an internet home business. However, you must also see to it that the business is legitimate to avoid any problems in the future.
  5. The first option is to become an affiliate marketer. For those entrepreneurs with limited capital for business, this is an excellent choice because you will only need a small amount. You will have to find an affiliate company who will provide you with the products or services. After doing so, you will then create your very own site where you will market the products or services. In order to attract huge traffic to your website, it must be interesting and catchy. You will be able to receive commissions for every product sold or for the services rendered.
  6. Supposing you already have a home business such as arts and crafts. Perhaps you’ve observed that you have very few customers in your locality. If you want to have a larger market, you can turn your home business into an internet home business. By doing so, you can reach the different countries of the world. You have to create your own website and there you can put pictures of your arts and crafts.
  7. This will take a lot of hard work especially if you’re just starting out. You will have to work on your site and make it user-friendly. If customers can manoeuvre within your site without any problems and you have excellent arts or crafts products, more orders will come in.
  8. Since you’re an entrepreneur, you will not have much problems dealing with the orders and shipments of your products. You only have to establish the right contacts or connections and the profits will come rolling in.
  9. There are still other internet home business opportunities for entrepreneurs. By surfing the net, you can find the right business opportunity for you. Your qualities and capabilities as an entrepreneur will not go to waste if you engage in internet business.
  10. So if you have limited capital and less business resources, try the home business opportunities online.

Video

Sail to success with an internet business.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Be the Internet Entrepreneur. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Sail To Success

Friday, March 5th, 2010

How To Make Money Online With Your Net Biz.

A quick video update showing the new website Sail To Success which launched on the internet Wednesday 3rd March 2010.

Once you have the tools and the knowledege about how to use the internet, the world really is your playground!

I made the decision in 2009 to create my own Your Net Biz and it was one of the best decisions of my life (after marrying my wife and having children!)

I look forward to helping you create a fantastic future for yourself and your family.

Enjoy the video!

Dare To Be Powerful Beyond Measure!

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

This is a moving video from Tony Robbins, by the way, Happy 50th Birthday!

“” Its Tonys 50th birthday and he has a special gift for you, an exciting and moving 3-minute video mash-up called Powerful Beyond Measure”

Branching out: Anthony Sudbury

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

With Self Assessment season safely behind them, AccountingWEB.co.uk caught up with some of our Class of 2009 members to see how their firms are progressing.

Anthony Sudbury has been running Better Bookkeeping since 2005 but it wasn’t until February 2009 that the company was incorporated and Anthony focused his attention on building up the practice full time. When we last spoke to him in October, he was concentrating on building up his client base. Four months on, we caught up with him again to find out how it was going.

AccountingWEB: What progress have you made since October in terms of consolidating your business?

Anthony: In October I branched out and decided to look at using the internet to gain new skills I could use to start marketing my business. I had found that the traditional routes, local magazines and newspapers were costing a fortune with no results – except people calling me and trying to sell me things! I have spent the past four months diligently increasing my knowledge about internet marketing and what tools are available to use and actually in the process created another service I can offer my clients. As a result I have added a few things to my website, which I plan on developing further in 2010.

AccountingWEB: Have there been any major challenges over the last few months that you’ve had to overcome?

Anthony: The biggest challenge is juggling time. There are a lot of different roles when you run a business and when you are working by yourself you have to do them all. I also look after my children (aged three and four) in the afternoons in order to keep childcare costs down as we build the business, so most evenings and at least one day at the weekend is spent working on the business – be it client work, admin or even my own accounts.

AccountingWEB: Have you attracted any new clients since we last spoke? If so, how did they come to you?

Anthony: Yes things really started to pick up from October onwards (after a drought for the first six months). I also finished a six month maternity contract I was covering for my old employer in November 2009 so I have been able to concentrate on my own business permanently now. I now have 25 clients on file which is a nice mixture of tax returns, monthly bookkeeping and payroll, and quite a few limited companies. They have come from a variety of sources which has included direct advertising (not cost effective), Facebook (yes, my new skills are working already!), search engine results from Google and word of mouth.

AccountingWEB: Have you experimented with any new marketing techniques over the last few months? How effective have they been?

Anthony: Yes I have experimented with internet marketing. I have been blogging, using Twitter and Facebook mainly (very effective!) and I am going to be looking at using video marketing more in the next 12 months to provide information and even software tutorials to my clients. The most important message I learnt last year was ‘The Law of Attraction‘ and personal branding. As a result I created my own website and have actually created a nice sideline business on the internet which runs 24/7 (to a global target audience) which will complement the accountancy side, especially as the UK heads out of recession.

AccountingWEB: Which of your processes are paperless at present?

Anthony: At the moment I am using traditional files for working papers and important correspondence, and using the computer to save electronic emails, spreadsheets, etc to each individual client file. I don’t have the technology or hardware to run a paperless office.

AccountingWEB: Do you see any obstacles for small accounting firms like yourself to going paperless?

Anthony: Yes, the cost! Until you are established with a consistent amount of fees coming in every month, you can’t afford to buy all the equipment, servers, software and then usually a monthly fee to run it.

AccountingWEB
: Have there been any successes you’ve had over the past couple of months, or new things you’ve tried that you’re keen to share with other small practitioners?

Anthony: I actually signed up with KeyTime Accountancy for my software – accounts, personal tax and corporation tax – based on reviewing what was on offer and the price. It has been fantastic and on the occasions I have needed support they have been superb. I would thoroughly recommend them. On a more important note, my first year end was on 28 February 2010 and I am thrilled at what I have achieved in the past 12 months. When I first decided to set it up full time, my main reason at the time was to be up and running as the UK heads out of recession. So far it’s looking fantastic!

http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/topic/branching-out-anthony-sudbury

Your Net Biz Update

Friday, February 26th, 2010

What an amazing journey the past year has been for my family and myself!

It is the end of our accounting year on Sunday (a year has flown by already!!!!!!!)

I did a quick video update this morning about it and hopefully reinforce the point that normal down to earth people can make a change quite easily!

Life is to be enjoyed!!!!!!!!!

Have a great weekend!

The Entrepreneur and Internet Home Business

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

Have you ever tried running a business that is online? A lot of entrepreneurs are now relying on the power of the internet to market their products or services. Home businesses are gaining more and more popularity these days. Perhaps it’s also time for you to consider an internet entrepreneur home business.

Sometimes, those that have families can’t manage their time between career and family life. Because of this, most of them are forced to leave their jobs just so they can take good care of their family. This is not the end of the world for you. In fact, even when you’re at home and taking care of your family, you can run an online business.

There are a lot of home business opportunities online. All it takes is looking into your home business options and choosing the right one that will work for you. If you have the qualities of an entrepreneur, an internet home business will be the answer to your needs. Oftentimes, if only the husband or the wife works, the income is not enough to provide for the family’s needs. If you don’t have a career or a job, you can start thinking of the best internet home business opportunity.

If you have your own computer and most importantly, an internet connection, you can already become an entrepreneur who owns or runs an internet home business. However, you must also see to it that the business is legitimate to avoid any problems in the future.

The first option is to become an affiliate marketer. For those entrepreneurs with limited capital for business, this is an excellent choice because you will only need a small amount. You will have to find an affiliate company who will provide you with the products or services. After doing so, you will then create your very own site where you will market the products or services. In order to attract huge traffic to your website, it must be interesting and catchy. You will be able to receive commissions for every product sold or for the services rendered.

Supposing you already have a home business such as arts and crafts. Perhaps you’ve observed that you have very few customers in your locality. If you want to have a larger market, you can turn your home business into an internet home business. By doing so, you can reach the different countries of the world. You have to create your own website and there you can put pictures of your arts and crafts.

This will take a lot of hard work especially if you’re just starting out. You will have to work on your site and make it user-friendly. If customers can manoeuvre within your site without any problems and you have excellent arts or crafts products, more orders will come in.

Since you’re an entrepreneur, you will not have much problems dealing with the orders and shipments of your products. You only have to establish the right contacts or connections and the profits will come rolling in.

There are still other internet home business opportunities for entrepreneurs. By surfing the net, you can find the right business opportunity for you. Your qualities and capabilities as an entrepreneur will not go to waste if you engage in internet business.

So if you have limited capital and less business resources, try the home business opportunities online.