"Stop being such a Pollyanna," a trusted, more experienced colleague counseled as we took the long route back to my office. He had just witnessed my project idea annihilated as co-workers eagerly argued why my idea wouldn`t work, where it was flawed and why it shouldn`t be funded. Despite naysayers ...

If you run a mobile car washing firm we recommend trading for as many products and services as possible. You should trade for both personal and business items. You need to keep in mind that your gross sales will go down as you do this because money will not be taken in for these services you perfo...

Say you have an idea for something new and exciting in your life. This may be something as simple as a new arrangement for the garden or as far-reaching as a career change. You get the idea and decide you will do it. Take a moment to use the power of your imagination to get a crystal clear vision of...

Think about it. If only it was as easy as ?filling a funnel? and having sales fall through the other end. I can make 200 calls a day, but who are they to and what am I doing? Just pounding phone lines and telling the company story isn?t selling. Or better yet, when I get the check (the bottom of t...

Outsourcing is when you hire outside professionals or services to take on part of your business workload.You may want to outsource part of your work because you don`t have the room, you need an expert, you have periodic busy periods, or you need more production to get orders out on time etc. Yo...

In modern corporations mostly due to the DotCom era, when corporations were seeing investors move to faster moving companies; we saw a paradigm shift in Corporate Management. Tom Peters and others saw this and started writing about it. These corporate management gurus were trying to tell us all alon...

THE PURPOSE OF SURVEY FEEDBACK: In globally competitive environments, organizations are seeking information about obstacles to productivity and satisfaction in the workplace. Survey feedback is a tool that can provide this type of honest feedback to help leaders guide and direct their teams. Obsta...

The Hotel Industry has surely seen a roller coaster ride with Hurricane Katrina. Many Hotels along the Gulf Coast were totally destroyed, many were damaged and others in the aftermath remain totally full. So full in fact that finding a hotel with vacancy within 300 miles is nearly impossible. This i...

You DO use direct marketing for your small business? right? If so, you?re taking advantage of the most cost-effective means of advertising available. (Yes? I?m biased? I admit it!) Let?s talk for a minute about how you can make your sales copy and direct marketing more effective. One of the simple...

Want to hear something truly not funny. Many minority small business enterprises have the following challenges to implementing a digital divide solution. Some seem to be made up, but I have received emails, letters and had telephone conversations during the whole of 2005 to provide proof of business...

"When I walked into the grocery store last Saturday, I was just `browsing.` But... their MWR was obvious. Because,... I could smell the `hot fresh baked bread` in the bakery department. They must have arranged to circulate that aroma all over the store. Yep... I knew at that moment, their MW...

Office cleaning in particular is the one area of contract cleaning which is extremely competitive. For cleaning companies bidding for contracts it can be virtually guaranteed that there will be someone out there who is willing to undercut you and put in a price solely to gain the contract. Should bu...

Do you know what the majority of people sell? I could not tell you what Michael Green sells, but if he does sell something, then I would probably buy it. His name is popular among the ?Marketers?. When you were in school you probably remember that some guys and girls were more popular than others....

Women have made tremendous contributions to society at every level; consider Joan of Arc, Golda Meier, Indira Gandi, Condalezza Rice. In writing this article my attention is to open the eyes of small business and no way patronise female mangement or give offence. In some domains this is still a sens...

This newsletter is full of opportunities staring you in the face. If you don`t believe me, write and tell me so--and by doing that you`d be proving me right. That would make you a proactive marketer: spotting a marketing opportunity in an everyday activity. For instance: Something most of us do ev...

As a small business owner, at some point in time, you will most likely decide to hire your first salesperson. This process can be exciting and rewarding but only when the proper planning is completed. It is important to keep in mind the old saying; proper planning prevents poor performance. This new...

There is a little greasy spoon in my neighborhood that always has a line out the door on weekends. The fried eggs are so greasy they could stop your heart, there isn?t a single homemade pastry or muffin in the joint, and the 99-cent cup of coffee tastes like coffee tasted before the American cuppa j...

Do you want to look cool and get people to think you are a pro photographer? There are several ways to do so ? and some of them are really cheap and simple. Get a photo jacket A photo jacket is a wonderful piece of clothing. Totally unsuitable for most weathers (in summer you don?t need it as it is ...

I`ve found that winners say ?I choose to.? Whiners, on the other hand, say ?I have to.? Let me explain. On a plane, I mentioned to the executive next to me that I?m a professional development consultant and speaker. She smiled, gave me a knowing nod, and before the wheels were up revealed her ?pain....

Banner Stands are a high impact, inexpensive and attractive medium of advertisement. They are usually found at exhibitions, trade shows, retail stores ? just about anywhere the potential customer can be attracted by high wattage graphics. The attractive thing about banner stands is that they are por...

When we launch a new product, we all hope it`s going to be a runaway bestseller. More than that, most of us aim to produce a product so remarkable that it generates rave reviews and achieves cult popularity. You may very well achieve all of these objectives with your product launches. But, beware of...

Your marketing and advertising won`t be effective if your potential customers don`t believe the claims you make. So how can you prove your that you can do what you say you can? Tone it down. Even if it is possible, your claim that dieters can lose 50 pounds in a month probably won`t be believed. Mak...

Although you may not currently be a student, learning is a life long process. Perhaps you need to learn something new for your job, or you would like to learn a new language before you take a vacation abroad, or you want to ?brush up? on math so you can help your children with their homework. For ...

As a writer, editor, web designer, forum maven, etc. [boy, I sound multi-talented!] I try to give my clients a/k/a customers a little something extra whenever or wherever possible. No, not so that they take advantage of my kindness, rather to show that I go the extra mile for them. Hey, it is a comp...

Cover Letters must grab the reader`s interest so that they immediately want to learn more about the writer (you). Your cover letter is generally the first document those potential employers will read. So your job is to make sure it introduces you effectively and positively. The 5 Best ways to make s...

Selling is not talking. It?s listening. You may have heard the saying ?the first person who talks, loses?. And, it?s true most of the time. There are dozens of reasons to stop talking so you can start selling. Here are a few worth listening to: Let Them Take Center Stage Most people would rathe...

It is that time of year again. Yuletide?Christmas in the air. Nostalgia, goose pimples and casting off all financial discipline. It was originally meant to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Joy to the world, and good will to all men? Then the commercial establishment descended and hijacked the ...

Passing the CCNA, Intro, and ICND exam is all about knowing and noticing the details. (Which makes perfect sense, since becoming a master networking administrator or engineer is also about noticing the details!) One such detail knows the difference between error detection and error recovery. Whil...

When advertising, you need to sell your opportunity, your products and yourself. What sets you apart from everyone else? Maybe you produce a newsletter with a specific content where there is a demand from a particular group of people, or you promote your own special product that no one have not yet ...

In today?s competitive business environment, it often seems that the most important aspect of someone?s buying decision is price. People constantly ask for lower prices, compare our prices with the competition, and badger us to give them a better deal. Regardless of what you sell, you probably face ...

In my last column, I explored Jim Collins? ?hedgehog? principle, and how powerfully this can be used to attract great employees. After many dozens of CEO interviews, I?m convinced that leaders with well-defined hedgehogs deploy the most successful hiring models. Recent job growth figures mean that...

If you run a home business, you know that budgets can be pretty tight. Saving money wherever possible can be the difference between the business that succeeds and the one that fails. This article represents a broad survey of things you can do, from consolidating your student loans to getting small b...

As I`ve gone to professional meetings, and have informal meetings with colleagues, the tenor of these times is clear. Many independent professionals are challenged by the downturn in the economy...and upping their marketing, and especially networking, as they work towards increasing their ...

What really amazes me, with all the personal and professional development seminars people attend, from executives in corporate world, business owners and employees alike, very little investment has been made into the way they look ... personal image. Perception is Reality I`m no image consultant, ho...

Portrait is defined as, ?A likeness of a person, especially one showing the face, that is created by a painter or photographer, for example.? In the area of portrait photography there are some guidelines that you should consider when you go to take photos of people. The different types of portraits...

Ask Yourself three simple questions that affect your strategy planning...

• What direction is my business going in?
• How do I create my business strategy so that I can position myself as a leader in my industry?
• Where do I go to find out information about business strategy pl...

Knowing your NICHE MARKET and where to find your NICHE is more important than the product you sell. Most Netpreneurs take a narrow view of NICHE MARKETING as a limitation on their business, when in fact it is the POWER that provides longevity to their business. The biggest mistake most new netpreneu...

As a mobile detailing company it is important to have some key corporate accounts where you can show up weekly and wash and detail cars for executives. One promotion you can do to help secure such accounts is to join in with the United Way in their promotion. The United Way depends on employees of l...

Worry/Anxiety Anxiety and its partner, worry,` are specific forms of fear. They can also be some of the most insidious and crippling emotions. Worry can be useful if it motivates you to take action to make changes. Worry then becomes action. Worry becomes a problem when we believe the big lie that "...

A paper manufacturer with over 300 employees once announced that it was planning to move to more spacious and attractive premises thirty miles down the road. When staff members heard the news, they were very apprehensive. Would transport be provided, so that they would be able to commute easil...

I really can`t stand leaving my office disorganized and that`s how I felt when I left my office and went home yesterday. I was up late last night doing some work from home, but that nagging feeling was there because I like to walk into a clean, organized office each day. (I just feel better). Becaus...

An essential idea of business is that data is enhanced into information and then into knowledge. Business use BI to gain an advantage in the marketplace by understanding their customer?s needs, customer?s decision-making processes, and economic, cultural, and technological trends. Business intellige...

January?s retail sales strength is reflected in people redeeming their Christmas gift cards. The average adult received 3.2 gift cards this holiday season, up from 2.5 gift cards last year. Gift cards are more popular and this also moves spending into January. Consumers are also interested in rec...

As a business owner, wouldn`t it be great if you could take time off whenever you needed to? Unfortunately, most small business owners worry that the business will fall apart if they`re not there to mind the store. Too often, they simply lack the appropriate resources for their business to keep goin...

The Internet has become a valuable source of information and purchasing tool for today’s consumer. With the click of a mouse you can find almost anything from products to services on the web, and you can shop for the best prices and values all hours of the day from the convenience of your own ...

Considering a work-from-home business? Clients often say their biggest fear is loss of momentum. Here are ten tips to keep yourself motivated and productive. (1) Build structure into your day. Create a schedule and To Do list every evening for the next day, before you sign off for the day. (And...

BizTech 2.0 is an entrepreneur education program offering business assistance to students over 13. The program teaches business, information technology and life skills to young people via the Internet. It reinforces math learning, reading and critical thinking skills. The program was launched by T...

Outsourcing is an established way of doing business today, allowing companies to maximize their budgets and resources ? and generate better products. Also referred to as subcontracting, outsourcing simply means acquiring a product or service rather than producing it in-house. Outsourcing is suita...

When is the best time to prepare for your success in life? What`s that you say? " I have to actually have to prepare for it? Doesn`t success just happen?" No. It doesn`t. If you want to improve your life you have to take the action. An article by Jim Rohn who is a well-known motivational spea...

Are you the position or the person? Bosses can lose their own identity sometimes. It?s easy. It happens a lot. The results are devastating to both the workers and to the supervisor. When we are the boss, there are many dangers in becoming you the ?position? instead of you the ?person?. There ...