Start a Solar Power Business

Starting A Solar Power Installation Company is the perfect business to start. Factors such as rising energy prices and people wanting to take care of the environment have made this business a money maker. And, the government is offering tremendous incentives in many states to individuals looking to "Go Solar". You don't have to be an electrician or even an expert in this field to start a Solar Business. You will need to have some basic knowledge and also learn the proper licenses you will need.

There are a few items to consider when you are looking to start a Solar Power Installation Company. You will need to learn where to purchase the materials from, how to do the installations and what types of licensing is required. There are numerous outlets to purchase the materials both online and by contacting manufacturers directly. The installation process is somewhat difficult to learn, but by studying and talking to other individuals in the business, you can learn more about the process.

The licenses needed to start a Solar Power Company, vary from state to state. You will want to work with an electrician to make sure you don't have a problem when doing installations. The panels are easier to install on a new house or building although if you know what you are doing, they can be installed on an existing structure.

For more information about opening a Solar Power Installation Company, go to:

http://www.SolarPowerBusinessPlan.com

Best of luck to you in your endeavors.

Sincerely,

John Peyton
http://www.SolarPowerBusinessPlan.com

How to Budget Your Business Start-up to Avoid Painful Failure

The myth that nine out of ten small businesses close in their first year may or may not be completely true. According to more recent Dun and Bradstreet data, 76 percent of new companies were still in business after two years. But since these statistics are based solely on the number of business license applications forfeited, they may not be entirely accurate. Many business owners don't immediately contact their licensing office; some never do.

Studies show businesses that do survive longer had more cash up front to invest. Other survival factors include the owner's age, higher education, and previous experience in their field. The number one cause of small business failure is "lack of planning," and the most common mistake in planning falls with making poor financial choices right from the start.

Most people believe that to have a successful business you need to start with a large sum of money and acquire those start-up funds by taking risky business loans or mortgaging your home. That's simply not true. In fact, 25 percent of business owners needed no dollar amount to start up.

Reports show that only 27 percent of business owners have borrowed the money they needed to start their business and 36 percent of owners used their savings for their business start-up. It is always better to save the money you need up front if you are able. A total of 69 percent of new businesses were started or acquired without any need to borrow money.

So if it's that easy, why do so many businesses fail? It may be that new business owners spend more time planning a vacation than they do their new business venture. Many don't calculate into the equation how their personal financial responsibilities will be met while their new business is growing legs. They will still have rent or mortgage, electric bills, phone bills, and other household expenses. A new business just can't support home life for an estimated need of 1-2 years. This is where we fail to plan.

Starting a small business should be looked at as just that, a "small" business. The founder of Dell Computers was a college dropout. Starting small out of his garage, he managed to excel above all of the world's top computer manufacturers. One in three computers sold today is a Dell.

Just over 32 percent of new business owners needed less than $5,000 to start or acquire their business. Businesses opening without a huge financial debt show a much greater chance for success. If you have a business idea, you need to keep it in proportion to the amount of money you have to pursue it. Instead of building a $400,000 franchise store, you might need to look at buying a $15,000 coffee cart that you can drive around to local events. There's always a way to work out your idea without exceeding your means.

Successful businesses are started with proper planning. Spend the time needed to plan your business idea and do the research needed to ensure you have all your ducks in a row before you open up the pond for customers.

Learn more about starting a business at http://booksbydenbow.weebly.com/business-books.html

Carol Denbow is a business start-up expert and the author of several on-line publications and books including "Are You Ready to Be Your Own Boss?" See more about Carol at http://www.booksbydenbow.weebly.com

Nightclub & Party Promoters - A Dream Job

A nightclub promoter is a guy or girl who gets people to attend parties. These events can be at bars, nightclubs, concerts, festivals, or private parties. Club promoters are also called party promoters. Nightclub promoters advertise and promote their events in many different ways, to get as many people to show up as possible. I've been a party promoter for over 10 years, and these are some of my favorite promoting tips.

First off, the job of a club promoter is really one of the best jobs there is.

You meet all kinds of people, tell them about great parties, party with them all the time, and get paid well to do it. The job isn't for everyone though. It entails staying out late on the weekends while being the center of attention. But if you go out all the time with your friends anyway, why not make a living doing it?

Nightclub promoters normally get paid per person they bring to an event. Because of this, nightclub promoting can be a great way to earn some extra money if you can get a bunch of people to show up at events. For example, if a club is paying you $5 per person that you bring to their party, getting 20 people to show up will earn you a cool $100. If you are a friendly and outgoing person, it is pretty easy to get 20+ people to come to an event. If you are really good at it, you can make a great full time living doing it!

The best way to get into club promoting is to get hired on by a promotion company to start. The promotion company contracts out with certain nightclubs for certain nights of the week. So, maybe the company promotes Thursday night with club ABC, and Friday night with club XYZ. The clubs hire promotion companies to get people into their venues, so all they have to worry about is the alcohol sales. Often times, the cover charge that you pay to get in is not going to the nightclub, but the promotion company. The club is making it's money (and tons of it) from alcohol sales.

For Example:

Let's say the cover charge at a nightclub is $10 on a Saturday night. The promotion company gets this money in exchange for bringing people to the club. The promotion company hires "sub-promoters" to work for it as independent contractors, and may pay each promoter $5 per head that they get through the door, and the company keeps $5 for itself. Your job as a sub-promoter is to get as many people to come to the party as you can. If you can get 50 people to the club, you walk home that night with $250 cash. If you can do that 3 nights a week, you'll rake in $750 a week. Once you get the hang of it, 50 people per night is not that hard to do.

Club promoters use many different tools to get people to their events week after week. A combination of email lists, handing out glossy flyers, text messages, active networking, and other tools like MySpace & Facebook can really get the word out about your party. Nightclub Promoter Tips is a great free resource for Party Promoters.

Once you master working under a promotion company, the next step is to start your own company and hire sub-promoters to work for you. This is where the real money is. Using our same example, let's say you hire 10 promoters to work for you, and they each bring on average 50 people per night. While you are paying each of them $5 of the cover charge per person, you are keeping $5 for yourself. $5x500 people = $2500 per event. You can see what your income can be if you had 2 or 3 events per week. Many promotions companies clear well over $5000 a week in the right markets, with the right knowhow.

Nightclub promoting can be an extremely fun and rewarding career for certain people. It's not the type of job that is widely known about either. If you have good business sense, love to party with people, and have a creative side, it can be a dream job. It certainly has been for me.

Tips for Nightclub Promoters:

Tip #1: Customer Loyalty is Everything for a nightclub promoter. Once you've made a name for yourself and have a large group of people that come to your parties all the time, make sure you take care of them. If you take care of your customers, they will keep coming back. It is much easier to keep the same people coming back to your events than to spend money trying to attract new customers. One thing I do to keep my customers happy is to buy drinks for the people that come by my events the most. If you regularly see someone at your parties, and they always bring a bunch of people with them, make sure to take care of that person and frequently buy them drinks and get to know them. Keep that person loyal to your parties, and you'll get more great "word of mouth" advertising, which is the best kind.

Tip #2: As a nightclub promoter, do everything in your power to get girls to attend your events. Hire girls to hand out your fliers to other girls, play music that the girls in your area like, have a ladies night, whatever it takes. Once you have a large group of women coming to your parties, the men will follow automatically. One of the biggest mistakes I see new club promoters doing is catering to a niche music genre that only men listen to. These events never last too long, because no money can be made from a sausage fest.

Tip #3: Hire a good photographer to take nightclub photos of your parties. Do this at every event, and post the photos online for people to see later. Every nightclub promoter should be doing this all the time. Party people love to go online Monday morning after a crazy weekend and see themselves out having fun. They share the photos with friends, and this gets more people interested in your parties. Make sure your website or logo is on the photo as a watermark too. It's great advertising. Humans are very visual creatures. Feed their visual senses and personal egos and they will keep coming back again and again.

Are You A Worker Bee?

In my business, I am constantly redefining myself, my services and my products in order to stay ahead of or at least keep up with the ever changing industry of marketing. If I don't bring fresh new ideas and material to my clients and contacts on an ongoing basis, then someone else will.

To stay at the forefront, I spend a significant amount of my time working "on" my business, not just "in" it. That means, instead of always consulting with clients, I lock myself up with my computer and write up my ideas, products, figure out how to market them, get them on my website or decide how to offer them to my clients.

I wanted to bring this to your attention this week because I see hundreds of small business owners and entrepreneurs each month who are struggling to "get it all done".

You know what I mean.

What I've found is that most entrepreneurs are not taking the time to work "on" their businesses, only struggle and stress out "in" it.

These same entrepreneurs are not open to learning new techniques about marketing, learning new industry standards, keeping their website and marketing materials current or even get out and meet new people to build relationships with to further their business. Or it may be that they're open to it but they don't see it as a necessary enough thing to fit into their schedule.

Hopefully this doesn't sound familiar to you. But if it does....

I'm here to tell you I've seen a large percentage of those businesses go OUT OF BUSINESS by not focusing on the BIG PICTURE.

We all know the stats on how many businesses go out of business these days but with all the great info out there now (including my own resources - some paid, some FR.EE), it boggles my mind why they don't do something about this.

Here are some action steps you can take to work more "ON" your business, easily and immediately:

1. Schedule 1 day each month as "Creative" Day

This day you will do nothing but sit and write down all the ideas that come to mind about how you can update or increase your business, who you know that you can work with on joint ventures, etc.

2. Schedule another day each month as "Implement" Day

This day you will do nothing but put those ideas into action - updating the text on your websites, writing and sending out a press release, planning your next workshop with flyer development, etc.

3. Contact 2-5 other professionals

These are people that you trust and ask them their perception of your business and ask them for ideas or feedback on what you could do to update it, freshen it up, revise it, change it or add to it

There is a pretty good article I recently read on Entrepreneur.com that might also help with your time management (this is my biggest challenge as well, you're not alone). It's "8 Ways to Keep Your Homebased Business Running Smoothly - If you're well on your way to home based business success, these management tips will help you stay on top of your game." Read the article now. http://www.entrepreneur.com/homebasedbiz/worklifebalance/article76888.html

10 Easy Steps To Start A Cleaning Business

In this age, a cleaning business is active and continuously grows. This is because this business is the simplest form of business chance or opportunity. As a matter of fact, this is an easy to learn business. Although you will get dirt in cleaning your assured that you get high income. In planning for this business make sure that you have enough information to succeed in this business. In any business you need to be knowledgeable. Take a look at these steps and learn more things to start a successful cleaning business.

1. To start a cleaning business you have to consider first if you really like this business. It is important that you know what you really want, for you to not end up wasting your time in starting for this business.

2. You should have enough knowledge and information in this kind of business. To make sure that you done the way to open and start this cleaning business.

3. Make a research to get more details before you start for this kind of business. You have gain more knowledge before you builds any kind of business.

4. Surf in the internet or ask for somebody that already handling their own cleaning business to make your business plan perfect before you start.

5. You should set up a small area to do your paper works. Learn how you can find regular customers while working out of home.

6. Once you get more customers you must hire staff to do cleaning and you are the one who will do the managerial work.

7. Buy all the cleaning supplies that you need to start this cleaning business. Choose for the cheapest tools but high in quality and durable. You don't need to buy expensive tools for cleaning just to make sure that you purchase for the durable tools.

8. Make sure that you hire staff that is physically fit. Remember that this business is truly a depression proof business because the cleaning needs to get done by someone.

9. You can also hire independent cleaning services to keep your offices looking neat and clean.

10. Always consider the work quality to have regular customers and be friendly.

Starting a cleaning business is not hard if you have enough information and enough knowledge. You have to know more about the things that you need to consider in this kind of business. Search for information to avoid failures. A successful cleaning business is the key to fulfill your dreams for yourself and for your family.

How To Start A T-Shirt Business

Many entrepreneurs have discovered the opportunities that abound within the T-Shirt Industry, and therefore the market is becoming increasingly saturated. These days, in order to differentiate yourself from the masses, it has become extremely important to find out what will make your t-shirt business unique. Before you even think about starting on production, take a look at the list below and think very seriously about each of these points. If you are aware of these things before you start your plans, you will already have a head start and a competitive edge over the sea of t-shirt businesses within the market today.

1) WILL YOUR DESIGNS EVEN SELL?

So you've thought up a great design and you're busting to get it onto some t-shirts and to start bringing in the cash? But how do you know if people are going to be as excited about your designs as you are? It's easy to get caught up in your own little world, thinking that your tee shirts are going to sell like hot cakes. This may be true, but it's extremely important to know for sure before you start spending your hard earned dollars on production.

One of the methods I suggest to aspiring t-shirt entrepreneurs is to do a little bit of market research. There are plenty of websites that accept designs and allow users to comment and vote on their favorites. By visiting such sites, you are able to see which designs are the most popular and can get a very good idea of whether your own designs will have appeal or not. Another method is to visit sites that sell t-shirts and find out which are the best sellers. Of course you don't want to copy them, but you will begin to see the types of designs that people are willing to fork out money for. Remember, that if your designs don't sell, it will be extremely hard to continue doing what you love - so do a little bit of homework first!

2) FINDING A NICHE OR TARGET MARKET

Because of the quantity of t-shirt designs available and business competition these days, it's imperative that you find your own little subculture or niche to market to. By going after a specific target market, you can increase your chances of success dramatically. Some questions to ask yourself:

What does your target look like? What are some of the places that they like to hang out? How old are they?

By knowing the answers to these types of questions, you are limiting your target market down to a specific group of people. You will now have the advantage of being able to think like them. What are the types of designs that would appeal to these people? You can now tailor your designs specifically for you potential customers. It's a great truth that to be successful all you have to do is find out what a certain group of people want, and give it to them!

3) ONLINE MARKETING STRATEGY

This world has not seen a greater opportunity than that which exists today with the marketing power of the Internet. Without a strong Online Marketing plan, you will definitely not be working you t-shirt business to it's fullest potential. The Internet has made the sale of t-shirts extremely easy, so target your customers Online and lead them to your store. There are hundreds of creative ways to draw targeted traffic to your website, many of which are free. Start by looking into such things as:

- Blogging

- Forums

- Social Bookmarking

- eBay

- MySpace - Facebook

- Pay Per Click Advertising

- Search Engine Optimization

- Email Marketing

The list goes on and on!

4) OUTSOURCING

If you don't absolutely love a particular job within your business, then find someone who does! If you love graphic designing, then find someone to print for you! If you're a printer, then find someone who loves to design! Maybe you have no interest in Online Marketing - then leave it to an expert!

Granted, this will cost you a little bit more, but you can't always do everything yourself! Besides if you don't absolutely love what you are doing, you will eventually want to give up. If you hate your day-to-day activities - then you won't last long in this business.

5) CUSTOMER SERVICE

Your customers are the most valuable asset of your business. Treat them well and they might buy from you again, treat them like royalty and not only will they be your customer for life - they'll become a raging fan and do most of your advertising for you, by referring their friends and colleagues! Even if it means losing a little bit of money to keep your customer delighted - it will be well worth it in the long run. I've had instances where a t-shirt order was late, so I organized an employee to jump on a plane and fly the package out to the customer. Yes, it cost more than the profit I made - but I made my customer's day! This one truth has the power to turn your business into a thriving multi-million dollar company. A customer focused company.

Heath Sanchez has launched 2 successful T-Shirt Businesses from scratch. A Promotional T-Shirt Printing Company, and a Vintage-Style Designer T-Shirt Line.

Having developed many skills along the way, he has set up a blog to share his knowledge on how you can start and run your very own T-Shirt Business. For FREE T-Shirt Business Tips, Videos, Reports and Emails, visit his blog at: http://t-shirtbusiness.blogspot.com

6 Tips On How To Start A Power Washing Company

1. First of all make sure you will enjoy the work, and want to run your own business. Pressure washing isn't rocket science, but it does take common sense to run a business and communicate with potential clients. It also is hard work, but rewarding all the same. Make sure pressure washing is what you want to do before you get started otherwise you won't have the motivation to build your business.

2. Make sure you have some capital set aside for advertising and equipment expenses. Although a pressure washing business has low overhead, there are some costs involved such as business insurance and equipment maintenance.

3. Create a business plan detailing all of your expenses and advertising methods. You will need to create a systematic way of doing things if you want to see real results. Advertising is just as important as doing the pressure washing work itself. Without an advertising strategy in place your company will be dead in the water. It's a good idea to talk to other power washing business owners and get some advice on what type of advertising methods work for them.

4. Be professional from the start and you will receive repeat business. It's vital you have all the business forms such as the contract, bid form, waivers, etc. and have them available to give to your clients. This will help separate you from the part-timers that don't take their business seriously.

5. Make sure you have the taxes and legal issues take care of. It's easy to forget to send in a tax form and end up paying penalties later or be audited by the IRS because you failed to pay your taxes right. An accountant can be hired for an inexpensive price to handle all your tax issues for your business. Also be aware of what legalities are involved with operating your own pressure washing business in your area.

6. Last of all make sure your family and friends support you in your decision to start your own business. If they don't you can still be successful with your own business, but it always helps to have a support system in place if things get difficult or to bounce any ideas you'll have on how to improve your business.

For a step-by-step guide on how to start your own pressure washing business by a professional pressure washing business owner check out the Power Washing Business Guide & Forms.

What Makes Famous Entrepreneurs Successful?

The Common Factor for Successful Entrepreneurs

Famous successful entrepreneurs like Ann Sieg of The Renegade Network Marketer, Mary Kay Ash of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Mike Dillard of Magnetic Sponsoring, and my own father, Wallace March who founded IDC, the first international drilling company, all had one particular thing in common. They all started with nothing.

Ann Sieg was a frustrated network marketer going nowhere fast in a long line of MLMs. Mary Kay Ash was a single mother of three working in a man's world, constantly losing out on promotions to the men who she herself had trained. Mike Dillard was waiting tables. My dad was a bookkeeper.

Of course they all put in countless hours and ingenuity into developing their businesses. But what was it that kept them going in those early years that enabled them to overcome the odds and build business empires? They all possessed the mindset of the entrepreneur.

If you have ever attended a motivational meeting, you have probably heard phrases such as "believe to achieve" or "establish your why" as if this kind of magic thinking will have an effect on your ability to succeed.

Guess what? It does!

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

What you believe about yourself can set you up for success or failure. If you envision yourself as unprepared, ill-equipped or incapable of doing something, you have unconsciously set yourself up for self sabotage. A student who announces, "I'm no good at math" will probably have trouble in math class. We call this "The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy."

During my long career as an educator I have worked with a wide variety of populations studying how they learn. While working at the USC School of Medicine, I helped research effective continuing education programs for physicians. I have worked with adults who couldn't read. I was part of the pilot program for the proficiency exam in the California school district. I assisted in teaching introductory courses at Pepperdine University, and have taught high schoolers down to preschoolers.

The biggest obstacle to overcome in ALL of these scenarios, was the belief that the task couldn't be done.

Sometimes this self sabotage is referred to as the inelegant "stinkin' thinkin'".

Stinkin' Thinkin' Sets in in the First Few Years of Life

This lack of self confidence frequently sets in at an early age. A huge percentage of our psychological personality is formed in the preschool years. How we learn to view successes and failures as youngsters can have a profound effect on how we deal with challenges later in life.

When in a preschool classroom, I would frequently make a deliberate mistake, spill my juice for example. Then I would exclaim, "Oh look what I did! I spilled the juice! Oh well, I can't learn if I'm not willing to make mistakes!" Then I would calmly clean my mess and move on.

If you are parenting a young child, this kind of lesson is critical to their future success. They must internalize the concept that wrong answers are merely stepping stones to right ones. The fear of being wrong, or looking foolish, can be overcome when the child understands that the act of taking the action is what's important. Give your child this gift of understanding on a daily basis.

Famous successful entrepreneurs will say things like "you fail forward," in other words, failing is merely a step to success. This belief system is what allows them to move beyond disappointments.

Your Mindset Influences How Others See You

When I was in seventh grade, I attended the Westlake School for Girls. I had to take several placement exams to be accepted into the school. Due to some kind of clerical error, even though I had tested out as "gifted" on all of the tests, I was placed on the "C" track, which was for children who were what was then described as "slow."

As I sat, day after day staring at the same page in my French book, my mind would wander. The teacher would ask a question and I would have no clue as to what she had been talking about. She would impatiently tell me to try to stay focused and I felt dumber and dumber. I can remember thinking to myself, "I used to be smart. I wonder what happened." At the first grading period came to a close, I was failing every one of my classes.

My parents came in and met with each of my teachers one by one. The first one up was my French teacher. She gently tried to explain to my parents that some children simply do not have the capacity to learn another language as evidenced by my inability to concentrate in class. My father asked if she had ever spoken to me in French and she replied that the class was no where near ready to attempt actual conversational French.

"Ask her a question in French," my father prodded. So the teacher reluctantly asked me what I had done the night before. I still remember her facial expression as I rattled on about the television show I had seen and how my roommate at school had gotten into trouble for not doing her laundry. You see, I was fluent in French. But the teacher never knew that because she believed I was incapable of learning a language. And despite my fluency in French and Italian, I came to see myself as incapable as well!

This is the power of our minds. We will live out the experience we envision for ourselves. Just as I was convinced in a very short period of time that I had somehow lost my learning abilities, things can be turned the other way as well. Lead a learner of any age to believing in their own ability to achieve, and achieve they will! Encourage creative thinking, seeing failure as part of the adventure on the way to success and you will have possibly fostered the mindset of a future successful entrepreneur!

And With Its Head He Went Galumphing Back

This line from Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky was in the coded telegram my father sent to my mother when he closed the deal that was the beginning of IDC.

Even with a full scholarship, my father was unable to attend college not only because he couldn't afford the textbooks, but because he couldn't attend school and support his parents and four siblings at the same time. Through highschool, he wore the same checkered slacks every day that all his peers knew had been given to charity by one of the rich students in the community. His family spent one summer eating nothing but potatoes and his baby brother literally died of starvation in his arms.

But he had a vision. Working as a bookkeeper for Drilling and Exploration Company in the states, he could see the need for international relations in the oil drilling world. He was instrumental in helping to heal the strained relationship between the US and Japan when Japan had to battle an oil rig fire that threatened to burn up its oil resources. My father convinced two Americans, world renowned as the best in the business for putting out oil rig fires to offer their help. Fifty years later, there are still news clips shown on this historic event and the role my father played in it.

Pretty good for a small town boy from Guthrie, Oklahoma.

How To Develop the Mindset of Successful Entrepreneurs

Are you lacking the self-confidence you need to make your business a success? Are you overwhelmed with all the training materials, tax laws, internet strategies, marketing materials to be mastered? Is it keeping you from going after what you want?

The first thing to do is to take action. You can refine your goals and strategies as you go, but you have to take the first steps. Lay out a plan for yourself as to what you want to accomplish. Then begin, one step at a time to put your plan into motion. Educate yourself. Keep your goals in front of you all of the time. If you are willing to do the work, learn from the people who have been successful, and lay a solid foundation for your business, you CAN succeed.

See it. Believe it. Achieve it. It's not just trite rah-rah. It's harnessing the power of the human mind which is limitless.

Barbara Silva is a network marketing coach at Renegade University. Learn how to generate leads for your home business, mlm or network marketing business using the Attraction Marketing Business Model.

Writing a Mini Business Plan

Writing a full business plan is a ton of work no doubt. If you are a student it could take 6 months or more to make a full plan. If you aren't seeking funding or don't want to create that full on business plan then what options do you have? I still think you should create a plan, just because it will be incredibly beneficial for your business, but there is a shortened business plan that you can create that will give insights into the industry and business you are looking to run without the time investment of a full plan. This shortened plan is known by many as a preliminary venture analysis. (called a PVA for short) A PVA give you the info needed to create a fairly quick decision on whether or not your business is feasible or if you have a smaller decision that needs to be made such as whether or not a new product line should be launched. A PVA is most comparable to the executive summary part of a full business plan. The big difference between the two is that to make a PVA you will spend a lot less time gathering information and researching. This means it will not have the same depth as an executive summary.

A PVA is quite useful to show to various organizations and to circulate around. It is sort of like a paper version of the Elevator pitch and there are several companies you can send PVA's too that review and circulate them so that you can hopefully find angel investors around the country. For business plan competitions with the right PVA's you can show them off to receive reviews or even funding if its good enough. By making a mini business plan you are saving yourself the time and effort needed to make a full on business plan but still have something concrete and real to show.

Want more information about starting and running a business? If the answer is yes than you need to check out our website at http://startyourowncompany.theinformationexperts.com It will show you how to run your own great company and be your own boss.

Writing a Mini Business Plan

Writing a full business plan is a ton of work no doubt. If you are a student it could take 6 months or more to make a full plan. If you aren't seeking funding or don't want to create that full on business plan then what options do you have? I still think you should create a plan, just because it will be incredibly beneficial for your business, but there is a shortened business plan that you can create that will give insights into the industry and business you are looking to run without the time investment of a full plan. This shortened plan is known by many as a preliminary venture analysis. (called a PVA for short) A PVA give you the info needed to create a fairly quick decision on whether or not your business is feasible or if you have a smaller decision that needs to be made such as whether or not a new product line should be launched. A PVA is most comparable to the executive summary part of a full business plan. The big difference between the two is that to make a PVA you will spend a lot less time gathering information and researching. This means it will not have the same depth as an executive summary.

A PVA is quite useful to show to various organizations and to circulate around. It is sort of like a paper version of the Elevator pitch and there are several companies you can send PVA's too that review and circulate them so that you can hopefully find angel investors around the country. For business plan competitions with the right PVA's you can show them off to receive reviews or even funding if its good enough. By making a mini business plan you are saving yourself the time and effort needed to make a full on business plan but still have something concrete and real to show.

Want more information about starting and running a business? If the answer is yes than you need to check out our website at http://startyourowncompany.theinformationexperts.com It will show you how to run your own great company and be your own boss.

Famous Entrepreneurs and How They Got Started

Here are just a few of those people that are more than just a household name.

Steve Jobs -

If you're not familiar with this name...oh who am I kidding? Everyone is familiar with this name. Jobs dropped out after one semester of college, although he continued working as a summer employee with Steve Wozniak at Hewlett Packard. His real beginning started when he convinced Wozniak to start a company to market a homemade computer that Wozniak had designed for personal use. After this particular incident, there was a long road for Jobs, including creating or helping to create some of the most used technology on the planet. As one of the founders of Apple as well as other billion dollar companies, Jobs is now recognized by Fortune as one of the most successful and famous entrepreneurs.

Vince McMahon -

At the age of 12, Vince McMahon met his real father, who was the promoter of Capitol Wrestling Company. This would prove to be an inspiration to Vince. Although he started out as a traveling salesman, Vince was hungry to follow in his father's footsteps and finally convinced his father to let him enter the company. Vince began working in Maine and was not well known at all. Today, Vince is not only one of the most successful and famous entrepreneurs there are, but he is also chairman of WWE or World Wrestling Entertainment as well as being the majority shareholder. He also has a major part in the WCW and the ECW. Fans tune in continuously to check up on Vince's self-based character and the many wrestlers that Vince has found and managed through the years.

Oprah Winfrey -

Quite possibly one of the most famous people in the world, Oprah Winfrey made her way onto the list of the most famous entrepreneurs and shot right up to the top. After dropping out of high school, she got a job at the age of 19 as a reporter. She stayed with one television station for a while before she switched to WJZ-TV in Baltimore. Apparently she impressed someone, because soon after that she got a job hosting their chat show called, 'People are Talking.' 1985 brought Oprah an Oscar for the movie, 'The Color Purple.' After that, Oprah was offered a television show, now famous as 'The Oprah Winfrey Show.' She is now estimated to be worth about $1.5 billion dollars! Now that is going from humble beginnings to super stardom!

It is possible for anyone to become a successful entrepreneur. While any business, company or individual needs a great idea and the right way to market that idea, you also need to truly want success. With one great idea and a lot of dedication and hard work, you could become the next famous entrepreneur!

Make Money By Staying Up All Night

Are you one of those people who have trouble with sleeping at night? Would you rather sleep during the day? What if I told you that it was possible to make money by staying up at night or just by being a light sleeper? Would you be interested in having a company pay you for your sleeping problems?

Working at night can have lots of benefits. It allows you to have some time during the day when you can accomplish tasks such as paying bills, etc. that you are unable to accomplish when you work a full-time regular day job. If your spouse works nights, it is beneficial to your relationship if you both work nights. So where can you find a good night job?

--Answering Alarms Could Be the Answer

Alarm companies monitor businesses whose alarm has gone off at night. This is usually by accident and requires a simple visit to check things out. This requires the Alarm Response Agency to hire individuals who answer the alarm notifications. They then contact the individual responsible for going to the premises to determine the cause of the alarm. Many times, going out to the premises is done by the owner or manager of the company. This can be very frustrating since they may need to respond to numerous calls during one night - let alone 365 days of every year. Since this is the least welcome aspect of the business, the owner/manager often is relieved to have someone else take over this responsibility.

--How to Get Started

The Yellow Pages of your local phone company is a good place to start your search for work. Look under Security Systems, Security Alarms, and Business Security. They may indicate that you need to look in a different section. After you have a list of companies, contact each of them by telephone. Ask if they have a Human Resources or Personnel Department that handles hiring. If not, ask them who does the hiring for Alarm response personnel.

Another good method of locating an alarm company is when you visit any of your local businesses, look for a sticker on their door or window. Make a note of the alarm agency information. You can then contact them using the White Pages of your local phone company.

--Requirements for Alarm Company Employees

Most agencies will require that you be at least 18 years of age. Each has their own regulations for alarm company employees. Some states will require you to obtain a license to perform this type of service. Check with the prospective company to see if your state requires this type of license. They will also be able to tell you how much the license costs and how long it takes to obtain one. If your state does require a license, you will probably have to have a criminal background check and submit your fingerprints to the local law enforcement agency. All of this information can be obtained from the alarm company.

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Are You Ready to Start a Bed and Breakfast?

One excellent type of business you may be interested in is a bed and breakfast. Since people travel all the time for fun or business there is no reason why you can't do well with it. When you are ready to start a bed and breakfast though you need to do it the right way. You can't just place a sign in the front yard of your home and cook some great meals in the kitchen.

One of the first things you really need to focus on is the location. A bed and breakfast can't survive if it isn't accessible. You may be lucky enough to live in an area with some great natural scenery. You can use that to entice people to come stay at your bed and breakfast. If there are plenty of activities in the area on a regular basis then that can benefit you as well.

Before you start a bed and breakfast you need to be honest with yourself. Are you up to the responsibility of this type of business? Are you well organized and do you enjoy being around people? The quality of the services you offer to each one of your guests is going to vital to your overall success.

You will find that you have to get up very early for this type of business as well. That way you can have a hot and delicious breakfast ready for everyone that comes in. If you don't like the mornings or you don't like to cook then this definitely isn't the right type of business for you to become a part of.

You definitely need to have a good business sense to make it work. Too many bed and breakfast locations out there are up for sale. The owner's weren't able to make it work for them. One aspect you definitely need to look very closely at is your overhead. You can't make money with this business if you owe a great deal each month on the property, utilities, and other business related expenses.

Take the time to find a place that is affordable and that will make a lovely bed and breakfast. You may find a place that needs to be fixed up is perfect and will cost you less. You may be able to buy a location that has been used as a bed and breakfast for a great price too. The owner's may just be attempting to get themselves out from underneath it.

If you feel you are ready to start a bed and breakfast then you need to work to make your dream come true. Have a good time with decorating and setting things up. You want the appearance both inside and out to be very inviting. You want each guest to feel comfortable when they stay with you.

Don't forget how important advertising is as well. If your rooms are empty than that is money you missed out on. Make it a goal to fill up your bed and breakfast each day. You can advertise locally as well as online. Creative brochures you can offer as well as listings with the area hotels.

Establishing your own website is a great way to advertise as well. People will find it very exciting to see pictures of it on your site. In many instances this will help them decide to secure a reservation. If you feel you are ready to start a bed and breakfast then do your very best to make it successful.

Patti Rob writes about the ups and downs of starting and running a B&B. You can avoid the common rookie mistakes and take the B&B Owners Quiz at BedandBreakfastProfits.com

Women Entrepreneurs in Ontario - Support and Services For Business Development

Women entrepreneurs are a growing force in Canada. One million women in this country will own their own business by 2010, according to a CIBC report on women entrepreneurs. This same report states that women-owned businesses are growing 60% faster than those owned by men. Ontario is home to 40% of all women-owned small businesses in the country, although Western regions in Canada are experiencing tremendous increases in the number of women entrepreneurs.

What is driving this change? For a lot of women, business ownership is a lifestyle choice. Most employers have had trouble adjusting to the fact that employees, especially women, need flexibility in their work schedules in order to maintain balance in their lives. Women don't want to get home at 7:00 at night. They don't want to put their kids into before and after school programs. And they don't want to miss out on important events in their children's lives.

But it's not all about children. The fastest growing demographic in self-employed women is those 55 and older.

The trend here is obvious. Workplaces have not adapted to women's needs, so women have moved on. They are better educated than ever and have developed skills that are well suited to business ownership, so they are taking the plunge in huge numbers.

Despite the growing success of women entrepreneurs, many still face some harsh realities. Some 41% of respondents in the CIBC study reported being taken less seriously than their male counterparts. And there are income disparities. Women entrepreneurs in retail and personal services earn significantly less than the average self-employed woman, and nearly one-third less than men in the same occupations.

All individuals who start their own business face challenges, but women entrepreneurs face many that men do not. The reasons are obvious and have been well documented. Women are typically the primary caregivers for children or elderly parents. They usually do most of the housework and cooking. Finding the time to manage a new business is difficult.

Women entrepreneurs may also encounter barriers when searching for suppliers or financing, again because they are not taken as seriously as male business owners. Because many women-owned businesses are knowledge or service based, they have no collateral, which can make it difficult to obtain financing.

Luckily, governments and non-profit organizations have stepped up to the plate with a wide range of programs designed to help women entrepreneurs find the advice and support they need.

• Canada Business is a federal service with a range of programs for women. It also offers a special program for aboriginal women entrepreneurs.
• The Canada-Ontario Business Service Center has a guide for women in business.
• Many continuing education centers run courses for women in business. Your local board of education can tell you more.
• Chambers of commerce and municipal business development departments may also offer programs of interest to women.
• Women's centers in Ontario provide resources for women in business, from workshops to full training programs. Consult your local women's center for more information.

With the right supports, women can continue to develop as entrepreneurs and, in turn, achieve the work/life balance that eludes those toiling in traditional workplaces.

To see an example of a unique and successful entrepreneurial program for women, visit the Halton Women's Center

Evelyn Mackenzie writes frequently on women's issues and the value of community supports for women.

A

Qualities of an Entrepreneur

Courage.

An entrepreneur needs to have courage to withstand the ups and downs that come along with being an entrepreneur. Many times entrepreneurs might have to withstand financial difficulties such as debt or even bankruptcy.

For instance, let's focus on entrepreneurs who are involved in home based businesses. Entrepreneurs go through a lot to create a successful home based business. And that's because a thriving and lucrative home based business doesn't just happen over night. It takes time and sometimes sweat. Sometimes there may even be tears. A home based business is a great way to make money, but often it isn't simple or easy. That's why entrepreneurs need to have courage. Starting and maintaining a home based business can get rough at times.

Discipline.

Often entrepreneurs have to put in long nights or get up early in the morning to run their home based business. Many people who are starting home based businesses are beginning them while working a fulltime job outside of the home. And it really takes discipline to work with hours like that. Often the budding entrepreneur is tempted to fall asleep during late hours when he or she should be getting work done. The budding entrepreneur is often swayed to quit when things don't look like they are going very well. But with discipline every entrepreneur will stay up all night working if that's what it takes.

Working from home is different from working in an office somewhere. You won't have your boss watching over you. The only boss you'll have is yourself. So you have to try very hard not to go too easy on your self. Give yourself just as hard a time as your boss would give you if you worked somewhere else. Tell yourself you can't take a nap until the work is finished.

Motivation

Entrepreneurs need to be motivated. It takes some real "get up and go" to work from home. Working from home isn't something that everyone does. So the entrepreneur has to be motivated to do things a little differently from the crowd.

And those are the qualities that make for an entrepreneur. Take on some of these qualities, and before you know it you'll be the owner of a successful home based business.

J. Laverde is a stay at home mom who has learned an living as a mommy and entrepreneur. If you are interested in learning more about being a successful entrepreneur, please visit her here

How to Market Your Business-Advertise Online and Profit Faster!

Ok. So you've finally decided to start your own business. Congratulations. But how do you go about advertising your new business? You've got to generate some leads and some sales, right?

In the past you could choose to cold call or you could go door to door trying to sell your product or service. Of course, in neither of these methods did you pre-qualify a lead and you most certainly had to handle a truckload of rejection. Maybe you could choose to hire advertising experts to create a flashy but expensive advertising campaign. This could prove to be extremely expensive yet there is no guarantee of results.

Fortunately, you no longer have to do this. With the evolution of the internet economies of scale have been created with respect to advertising costs that enable the little guy to compete with the corporate giants. No longer do you have to cold call or pound the pavement or borrow big bucks from Aunt Martha to fund your marketing budget. With internet advertising not only do you make money faster but you cut your expenses tremendously. Hey, it's not how much you make, it's how much you keep that counts.

It is imperative to create your own website. Nowadays it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to do so. You can create a high quality site with relatively little expense. Even better is the savvy business owner who decides to join a home based business that already has its own website. However, this deserves a cautionary note. I would recommend setting up your own personal lead capture page even if you join a business with its own website. In this way you can capture and store all the contact information for your potential customers or buyers and not give away this information to the company.

There is a vast array of advertising methods available online. Good news: a lot of these are absolutely free. Yeah, you heard me right. I would recommend utilizing some free ad campaigns in the early days of your business. Find a site which allows you to submit free ads with, of course, a link to your lead capture page. Another tried and true method is posting banner ads. These are larger and in general I prefer not to use them. However, there are successful marketers out there who use banner ads.

It is always a good idea to give away free content to entice visitors to your site. The content must be interesting and useful to the reader. There are several ways to do this. Giving away free e-books that are short, simple and easy to read yet provide valuable content is a great way to attract more customers to your site. Who doesn't like getting something useful and interesting for free? Another method which may work equally well is writing a periodic free e-newsletter. Submitting free newsletters, again with a link to your capture page, will certainly bring more traffic to your site. And more traffic means more sales.

Most business owners are so focused on marketing their own product or service they often miss one of the best and most profitable strategies on the internet today. I'm talking about affiliate marketing. What is it, you ask? Simply put, you can sign up as an affiliate on other people's sites and agree to refer their product or service to some of the names on your lead capture list. You can create an affiliate link on your site which sends people to the other site. You will receive referral commissions when your visitors buy from the other site. There are some visitors to your site who will never buy your product or service. Why not make money from them anyway? And for your own buyers and customers you can cross-sell others' products to them and make even more money from them.

No longer do you have to sell your house and your car just to fund the advertising budget for your new business. No longer do you have to spend hours on sales calls to people who are not even pre-qualified. The internet, with its global reach, can do your marketing for you. Even if you join a business with its own website, I would recommend creating your own website, or at the very least your own lead capture page. And whether you post banner ads or write free ads online you are not spending money to advertise. Don't be shy about giving away quality content for free either. We've already discussed writing an e-book or periodic e-newsletters. Remember these drive people to your site. And don't forget about the hidden secret: affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing can bring in cash flow during the start-up phase of your business when your own profits are small. It also works during the mature stage of your business to build up profits even more. What are you waiting for? Kick start your profits with the right internet marketing and you will have a winner!

Billy Anderson III, JD, MBA, has started and run a number of successful businesses. As an entrepreneur he is among the top income earners on the internet and enjoys helping others. For more information please visit http://www.createwealthwithbilly.com

Taking the Plunge - First Steps to Starting Your Own Business

Have you ever thought about taking the plunge to start your own business?

With today's unsettling job market perhaps you will consider striking out on your own - either full or part time.

So where do you start?

First of all let me point out I am not a lawyer or accountant and am not qualified to provide any legal, financial or other professional advice. For that you must consult the appropriate licensed professionals.

Now that's out of the way we can continue.

Certain experts might suggest setting up a business structure, like a corporation as a good first step.

Others might suggest designing logos, business cards, stationary and other company identity stuff.

Still others might recommend getting a separate office with telephones and a fax machine.

Not me. All that may be needed at some point - just not now.

I'm going to take another cut on this - perhaps because my background is in selling. My view is to first test the validity of your business concept or model. You can do this by actually trying to sell something and see how many people actually buy your product or service.

If you think about it this makes perfect sense. Why would you invest anything until you have confidence that your business concept will work? Or until you're actually making money from your business?

I'm not trying to suggest that some infrastructure may not be necessary or desirable. What I am saying is that it shouldn't become a project unto itself - that sucks money out of your pocket - and delays actually getting the business going.

So how do you do this?

Let me share with you what I did to test a new service we planned to offer. I won't go into specifics about the service except to say it revolved around an Internet technology.

First I made sure I had a clear picture of our service. I got down on paper exactly what we proposed to do and who I thought needed this service. It important to mention I did NOT write a big and complicated business plan, just a short and concise two-pager.

Of course my two-pager included all of the features and attributes of our proposed service. But that was only the beginning. We went on to match up any benefits associated with each feature of the product. It's important to think through everything that your product will do to help your customers.

In other words; Why will they buy your product?

But that's not all. Let's take it one step further. What are the benefits of the basic product benefits to our target customer (remember we pictured who would want to buy our product). See the distinction?

Here's an example to show you what I mean:

• Feature: Product builds a website in minutes by selecting from over 1000 unique artist created templates.
• Benefit: Save time and money getting a website created for your business.
• Customer-focused benefit: Start earning money immediately from selling online.

See the transition from product feature to customer-focused benefit?

Okay, next step is to test whether our planned offering is sell-able. You'll want to know if anyone will actually buy what you want to create.

The fastest way I know to tell everyone that you know what you're doing. Ask them for opinions and for referrals - do they know anyone that could use this product. Get advice about features and new ideas for benefits.

Best of all shoot for getting a customer to try it out on. Nothing helps refine a product than a real world test. Done right this will make your product better and also get some valuable customer testimonials.

Don't be shy about turning your friends, relatives and business contacts into a virtual selling team by making them sales affiliates. As an affiliate the get paid a commission whenever they leverage a sale. The more feet on the street selling the better off you are.

That's all for now.

Our plan is to make this an ongoing series of small business and selling tips. Keep watching for our next article in the series.

Mark Dresner is founder of FreeBusinessBookClub.com - the free membership service that delivers free digital downloads to subscribers each month including; free business books and audiobooks, expert interviews, special reports and other business tools and information - all for free.

Mark is also a sales and marketing marketing consultant with 30 years of direct selling experience to both small companies and global enterprises. During his career he has a built and run 3 technology service companies and 2 Internet focused companies.

Free subscriptions and classic ebook starter downloads are available at http://www.FreeBusinessBookClub.com

Contact Mark Dresner at: mark@DigitalEdgeMarketing.com

10 Steps Toward Thriving As an Entrepreneur

Twelve years ago, I left the administrative career I had built for twenty-three years, and started my own business. Why? For some of the same reasons that attract other pioneers, such as you..

You want to be your own boss.

You want to unleash your creativity, which your current job stifles. You expect to double or triple your income. You are eager to implement your lifelong fantasy. You lost a previous job, and you don't want to face being downsized again.

Yet, whether you have taken that step or merely intend to, you're afraid. You know former business colleagues whose new businesses failed.

Fear no more. I offer these guidelines for success, which I have used since launching my company in 1996.

One: Involve Your Family
Entrepreneurship will bring family changes, for sure. Your home office takes away the guest bedroom, and startup expenses strain the family budget.

From the outset, let every family member know what you are doing, why, and how it will impact them. Then listen. Solicit, and respond to, their advice. Welcome their objectivity, which you're lacking in your euphoria. Talk candidly about these changes before they happen, and you'll gain valuable teammates.

Two: Network, and Keep On Networking
In Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty, Harvey Mackay wrote: "If I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly successful people I've met over a lifetime, I'd say it is the ability to create and nurture a network of contacts."

Mistakenly, during the first six months, I tried going it alone. The results were dismal.

Then I sought advisors, who helped me immensely, giving constructive feedback about my Web site, company name, motto, logo-practically every significant component. I still meet monthly with a group of my peers. We share marketing strategies, and even a few leads.

I encourage you to join civic groups and your professional association, and start your own informal group.

Three: Master the Clock and the Calendar
Time will become your most valuable commodity. Treasure it, protect it, use it wisely. Decline politely when your Thursday afternoon golf buddy calls on a warm, sunny day.

Use time-savers like these:

• Organize your work area, so you can find information quickly.
• Rely on a contact management program, such as ACT, to keep track of prospects/clients.
• Start each day with a to-do list, arranged in priority order.
• Limit the length of phone calls and meal breaks.
• Outsource work that others will perform well at a reasonable price.

Four: Get Physical
To endure your long work hours, you must remain in top physical shape. Exercise regularly, eat nutritious foods, reserve adequate sleep time, take short stretch breaks, and schedule your annual physician's exam.

I start each day with a one-hour workout at a fitness center. Rather than tiring me, the session ignites me.

Establish your own health-supporting routines. Stick with them five or six days a week, and you will enjoy feeling better, thinking more clearly, and having more energy.

Five: Nurture Your Spiritual and Emotional Needs
Remember to nourish the needs that go beyond the physical realm. Daily, you will require exceptional motivation, reinforcement, rededication, resilience, and sheer courage. Many successful entrepreneurs rely on sources not seen and touched.

For me, memorizing and repeating inspirational passages boosts my morale. Select whatever method uplifts you-meditation, reading, attending religious services, walking down a nature trail, or others.

Six: Get Technical
Most entrepreneurs don't start out with administrative assistants. We are SOHOs-single owners, home offices. Then who does the correspondence, records, research, and filing? You do.

So if you are technologically impaired, or you're somewhat competent but lack proficiency in programs like Power Point and Desktop Publisher, enroll in a nearby computer course. Fortunately, even small community colleges offer them as noncredit evening courses, modestly priced.

Take another step-learn how to produce audios and videos. You'll need that skill to keep pace with your competitors.

Seven: Become-and Remain-an Expert
Will prospects return your calls? Will appointments turn into contracts? They will when you demonstrate that you have mastered your field.

Expertise doesn't happen by accident. Successful entrepreneurs read voraciously, attend conferences, interview leading authorities, explore their topic on the Internet, pursue advanced degrees, and earn special accreditation.

And we don't stop learning. "Continuing education" is a redundant phrase. To be educated means that we keep learning the latest advancements in our profession.

Eight: Hire a Coach
Tiger Woods, possibly the greatest golfer ever, wasn't reluctant about hiring a coach. Presidents, actors, and industry leaders rely on coaches.

Almost two years ago, I hired a coach to jet propel my marketing efforts. We worked together for three intensive months. With his help, I revolutionized the way I seek business. I consider his fee one of my wisest professional investments.

Nine: Spend Wisely
Friends told me the writer's conference in Maui was one I must attend. I considered the cost, and went to a regional conference instead, where I learned plenty and kept my creditors happy.

Spending wisely becomes especially essential when we understand that an entrepreneur's income, typically, is cyclical. We can't let a highly lucrative month or quarter lull us into lavish life styles. Soon we'll face months with less income-possibly even no income. Set aside cash reserves for those non-revenue periods.

Ten: Reject Rejection
Yes, turndowns will happen, when you just knew your proposal was powerful, and your presentation flawless. How could they have chosen someone else, you ask in bewilderment?

In the words of Thomas Paine, "These are the times that try men's souls." The more you are rejected, the more you question your ability. Your confidence drops.

I suggest that you reject rejection. Realize that losing a contract doesn't mean that you are inferior or your work is substandard. Somehow, there wasn't a fit between you and the organization. Really, the company paid you a high compliment by selecting you for an on-site interview. That alone affirmed your credentials, programs, and product.

Think of the rejection as a rehearsal for your next potential client. Learn what you can from it, and then go find someone who embraces the value your services will bring.

Bill Lampton, Ph.D.--author of The Complete Communicator: Change Your Communication, Change Your Life!--helps individuals "Learn More. . .Earn More," through his expertise in communication, motivation, customer service, and sales. His speeches, seminars, and communication coaching have benefited top-tier clients, including the Ritz-Carlton Cancun, Gillette, Duracell, Procter & Gamble, Missouri Bar, CenturyTel, British Columbia Legal Management Association, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Visit his Web site to sign up for his complimentary monthly E-mail newsletter: http://www.ChampionshipCommunication.com Call Dr. Lampton to discuss how his services will benefit your organization: 678-316-4300. E-mail him: drbill@ChampionshipCommunication.com

What to Consider When Starting Your Own Business

Starting your own business can be hard work, and, while everyone has creative business ideas, not everyone puts them into action. What's to say one idea is more of a money-maker than the next? While not everyone is cut out for the pressure of owning his own business, many people benefit from the satisfaction of being self-employed.

Depending upon the industry, setting up and starting your own business can be a risky venture. Many people try to choose something that will interest everyone, but you must realize that you can't create a market that will appeal to all people. Select a market that suits your product best and then get started. Consider that starting your own business will be challenging in the beginning but rewarding in the long run. The big question that remains is, once you have some creative business ideas in mind, how do you get started?

Formulating Creative Business Ideas and Market Potential

You must first devise an idea that you believe has some sort of market potential. Remember that your market is what makes and keeps you in business. Cater to your customers, and they will reward you with an increase in business. If you've found great market potential, you can now move onto formulating these creative business ideas into words.

Construct a rudimentary plan that covers your creative business ideas loosely but concisely as well. In this initial draft outline, ensure your idea is something that interests you and that your product or service is easily acquirable and cost-effective. If you're unsure, make a list of pros and cons to decide if the idea is worth pursuing.

Creating a Solid, Organized Business Plan

While you don't necessarily have to be savvy in business matters, you do need to create a solid, comprehensive business plan that is well-organized and consistent throughout the document. Here, you will incorporate all of your creative business ideas into a plan that demonstrates how you will put your idea into action.

In your business plan, you need to outline and cover the general concept of how you will go about starting your own business as well as the specifics. You will need to discuss the start-up costs, the state of the industry, finances, and perhaps even include graphs and charts to highlight your research of the industry. Keep in mind that this business plan is what financiers or lenders base the viability of your idea on.

Financing Your Ideas and Starting Your Own Business

Once your creative business ideas have been turned into words and are approved, your financier will give you the thumbs-up to begin. Should you need a place for your business, scout out an appropriate location and begin the leasing process. Once you have a location locked in, you'll need to begin spending money on the business space by purchasing items according to your needs. If you're starting your own business from home, you will still need to acquire licenses and permits to operate your business legally. Proper insurance for your business and products is necessary so that you will be covered in the case of an accident or disaster.

Generally, small businesses have three financing options: asking friends and family for a loan, finding investors, or applying for limited equity bank loans. You must decide if you can relinquish some ownership of the business for the first two types of financing options or be willing to hand over a monthly loan payment and a sizable chunk of your profits to the bank.

The Grand Opening: Advertising and Marketing Tactics

After the financing is out of the way, you can concentrate on the particulars. Next, you must decide on a legal structure when starting your own business: sole proprietorship, a partnership, or a corporation. Choosing one of these set-ups will help in the long run; however, your financing will ultimately determine which structure you choose.

You'll also need to spend money on advertising and marketing for your business. It is here that more of your creative business ideas come into play; consider using both local and regional newspapers, television, fliers, the Internet, and the radio. Using a wide variety of tactics will help you reach a larger audience than just a hyped-up grand opening. However, word-of-mouth will be your greatest help, and this generally stems from top-of-the-line customer service.

Ensuring the Success of Your Creative Business Ideas

There is a tremendous advantage for business growth and success in the United States. Researching your market, formulating a sound business plan, and acquiring appropriate financing are the avenues you must follow for starting your own business. This is the hard part, however, and this is where many people neglect to study their options.

Remember that starting your own business will not be easy, and yes, sometimes businesses do fail. If you keep persevering despite doors that slam in your face, you will eventually get your creative business ideas off the ground and find yourself self-employed and in charge of your own affairs!

Darrel Giann, a former businessman and founder of Just14-95.com, has years of experience guiding individuals to achieve financial freedom and peace. For more information about how to start a business of your own, visit Just14-95.com.

Notes on Self-Development (Including How to Meet Prince Charming!)

Once I decided to expand my business lines into producing and selling online HR products (in addition to continuing my consulting practice), I sought outside sources of knowledge because online product development and marketing were totally new fields to me. You also recognize how important it is to continue to learn and grow your knowledge, skills and abilities over your lifetime.

As a self-employed entrepreneur, I've heard from various experts that it's critical to invest between 1-10% of gross revenue in self-development. While it sounds like a lot of money, it's not hard to spend with the wealth of offerings in so many subjects that are available to learn in person, on the web, or on the phone. But these seminars can quickly add up to big bucks when you include the fee, driving or flights, hotels, meals, etc. You also have to consider much time you can allow yourself to spend away from the office.

When I've judged whether a presentation, conference or seminar was worth the time, effort and expense it took for me to attend, I evaluate whether I gained new perspectives on the subject. I find that if I'm able to view an issue differently from insight gained through another person's thought process, it enables me to develop new solutions and systems. Of course, it's always great to learn something completely new, but if I leave the event thinking differently about issues or problems than I did before I went, I consider that training class or presentation to have been time well spent.

After having attended a vast array of conferences, seminars, colleges, and other educational programs the quest in seeking specialized knowledge then becomes which organization or person to work with. I've mapped out my self-development for the remainder of this year:

• I'm in a local Mastermind group that meets monthly to discuss our businesses and brainstorm how we can more effectively market our businesses.

• I just finished working with my first business coach after eight months of continuous support to guide me through developing my first info product.

• I'm signed up to attend two conferences on info products and online marketing in November.

• And I pick up these daily events based on the topic and perceived value of attending each class.

One of the most valuable tools you can use to figure out your path is to create either a vision board or a mind map. You may have heard of these tools before. Used in such blockbuster books as "The Secret," they can help you clarify your goals and set your intentions.

The mind map is a visual representation of where you are and where you want to go. It identifies subset issues for every main category and helps you to work through all the angles of a problem to arrive at a solution. The vision board is a poster board you use to build a collage of pictures and word phrases clipped out of your favorite magazines and publications. The main idea set forth in books like "The Secret" is that if you clearly set your intention and identify your goals, the energy you generate will act as a message and magnet to bring back what you want or need from the universe.

I'm also a big believer in making things happen. Truly, I believe these are powerful tools that can help you clarify your intentions and goals, but then you have to also take ACTION in order to move forward. You can't simply create a vision board with a picture of a gorgeous hunk, wedding pictures, dates, vacations, etc. and expect Prince Charming to march up to your front door tomorrow! That is, if your goal is to get married by a certain date.... No, you have to motivate yourself to meet and network with others so they can help you realize your dreams (and help you to broadcast your story).

What transition do you find yourself to be going through now? What challenges are you facing as a result of progressing to the next level in your own self development? Have you created your own "roadmap" for how you plan to get from here to there? Do you know where you're going?

Now I'm in another transitional stage moving from writing and producing my info product to promoting and marketing it. Just like you, I'm using these tools to map my way over into the next year from where I am now to get to where I want to be then.

Whether you're an employee or an entrepreneur, there's a real diversity of skills that are required to manage your own development. Take the time and energy to set your path now in your pursuit of self-development. A year from now, you'll look back and reflect upon how much you've learned and accomplished and you'll be grateful that you took the initiative, effort and time to set your intentions and goals when you did! Then of course, it will be time to start the process all over again...

Becky Regan, M.A., CCP began her own consulting practice in 1995, Regan HR, Inc. to provide human resources consulting services to businesses in California. She has been successful in growing her business through reputation and client referrals. Her work as a consultant includes the full spectrum of HR technical expertise, including C-level recruitment, compensation studies (design, market and executive pay studies, sales compensation plans), training & teaching, interim assignments as a HR Director for organizations, and employee relations, including workplace investigations and written responses to formal complaints. For more HR tips and to receive my FREE "The Top 5 Secrets to Building a Better Organization that Every HR Pro Must Know" go to http://www.ReganHR.com

Why You Should Start Hanging Out With People Who Are Playing Bigger Than You Are

I'm about to be stretched. I'm about to be asked to think bigger than I have been, to look at possibilities that I've never considered and to probably change my thinking. I'm going to start hanging out with people who are playing bigger than I am.

You can only take yourself so far

We need to surround ourselves with people who see our potential. From within our own lives our viewpoint of what is possible for us is limited by old beliefs and fears. But other people don't see that, they don't know what thoughts stop us, they only see our potential. We need to hang out with them so we can have a bigger view of what is possible for us.

I used to keep an acknowledgment book in which I wrote the nice things people said about me with the date it was said. When I started feeling dumpy about myself I'd read what was written. "Oh, they saw that in me? I didn't know." Now I simply save the lovely emails and the amazing testimonials that people give me. But I still have to go read them periodically to reaffirm my own value.

Hanging out with the bigger players shows you how it's done

Every time I have a conversation with someone about their services or the way they manage their business, I find some small nugget for myself that I can adapt or modify or just plain use.

I'm about to acquire another coaching certification and as I give thought to how I will work it into my current business I find my vision expanding. When I talked to another participant about how he structured his coaching practice I began to rethink mine. When I heard how much he charged I realized I was ready to reposition my fees and attract more clients who firmly believe that my coaching is well worth the money and are willing to spend it to grow their business.

And it's scary

I'm in a funny place. At 75 when someone asks me what my five year plan is my answer is "To still be here!" But that's a joke, because I'm building my business with all the intention of working it for another 30 years. But there is an energy about someone twenty or thirty years younger that I need to recapture.

That's another reason to hang out with people who are playing bigger than I am. I need to create my version of my business in a way that honors who I am, what I know how to do, and how I want to live my life. And I need to watch what other people are doing for ideas.
So I have to overcome the fact that only 10% of women my age went to college (I went back for my MA at 40) and that women of my generation were only expected to grow up and be housewives.

I have to overcome the loss of confidence I discovered when I reentered the work force after fifteen years of raising children to find what I knew how to do had no value to others in the work place.

And I get to celebrate my blossoming as my creative, enthusiastic self and the fact that at long last I am deeply involved in what I love to do.

Now that I've made it to this point I get to do more.

So I'm going to go hang out with people who are doing their business well and see what I can learn from them. And while I'm at it I'll keep an eye out on what I can teach them.

You see it's not about who is better or worse, who is more than or less than, it's a study in how beautifully different each of us are. I will engage in this training environment with a willingness to learn, an enthusiasm to share, and an expectation of both inner and outer expansion.

That's why it's important to periodically go hang out with people playing bigger than you are.

Cara Lumen, The Vision Distiller, helps entrepreneurs expand their vision, extend their reach and touch lives all over the world. Her Magnetic Marketing Method helps you create prosperity from your inside out. You can find more articles like this in The Success Magnets Emagazine at http://www.caralumen.com

Why Small Business Entrepreneurs Need a Mentor

A mentor is a must for the success of your small business. Do you have one as yet? A mentor is a person who has more entrepreneurial business experience that you and he or she is someone you learn to trust over a period of time.

However, you might be wondering why a small business mentor is important for the development of your business. After all, you have friends and family you trust and whose opinions you respect. The reason is that a mentor can guide and nudge you towards the right business direction.

If you are an entrepreneur and dream of running a highly successful business, you should go out and find a mentor immediately. It is definitely not easy to find a good mentor but they are out there waiting for a mentee who is willing to work hard to build a successful business. When I found my mentor (Charlie Schaivo), it made a world of difference to the way I approach my dental practice.

It made a huge difference to my success. He instilled confidence in me and taught me without even me knowing about it. So, when you find your mentor, you too will start having the successes that you have always wanted for your business.

When you want a small business mentor, you should look for a few characteristics in him or her. It is important that you and your mentor share the same values; you should have a good rapport with your mentor; you should be always willing to listen to him or her even it is something you do not want to hear; your mentor should have goals lined up for you; and he or she should be willing to use their time and energy, assuming that you do not waste their time and yours.

The advantages of having a small business mentor is that he or she has already achieved what you want to; your mentor provides you this experience for free; and he or she expands your network by putting you in touch with other experienced people. All these advantages result in you having a highly successful business. There is absolutely no doubt that a mentor is essential for all small business entrepreneurs.

To find out more about creating a successful business go to http://www.joecapista.com to access the free eBook, Build a Multi-Million Dollar Business.

Flea Market Business

The flea market business is one of the most profitable albeit unconventional businesses of its kind. In this system of entrepreneurship, proprietors who wish to engage in this field usually gather all sorts of items in variety that can be of interest to a wide range of consumers to cater to. Most of the usual product types are clothes, books and many collected items, but the products that can be sold in the flea market is not limited because there are also a lot of people who sell items like lamps or ceramic figurines.

People who engage in this business are usually gathered in a place called the flea market, which is usually the most public place in a city or town that is public. These markets are usually housed in tents or stalls where the sellers can engage in business with their consumers, but at the same time be able to move out anytime to another place when the purchasing season is over. The reason why flea market business entrepreneurs gather together is because it will be easier for them to gather their buyers in one place. When consumers come to the flea market looking for a target product, they also get exposed to other products they can browse through from other merchants, allowing them to buy other things they might want or need. This in itself is the prime benefit of gathering flea market merchants in one place - a convenience for both the buyer and the seller.

Although flea market merchants who have larger sales have a wide range of products for sale, it's usually advisable for those just starting in the business to choose their product of specialty. This can be determined by many things related to the merchant, but it's ideal for the product of choice that the merchant wishes to sell be based on his or her own interests. This is to help ensure that the seller is highly familiar about the products he or she will be selling, while helping ensure quality of the products being sold. Being able to know the quality of the products without taking too much time in research and study gives the merchant an edge over other sellers, which can mean more than the average profit.

Of course, in the future these merchants can continue to expand their flea market business after they've properly established themselves. Whether it's in terms of product variety, cost or location, expansion best begins after making the business start off successfully.

Clifford Young is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about flea market business, please visit Flea Market Site for current articles and discussions.

Don't Miss the Opportunity to Earn 6 Figures From Home!

New home based companies pop up every day. But the perfect opportunity only emerges once in a decade. When you find the right home based business, it is possible to earn six figures within 6 months. This is not to say you will get rick without working, you will have to put in much time and effort. But after a year, your time and effort will be cut in half while your paycheck will continue to double in the months to follow.

Certain home based companies have given network marketing or MLM (multi level marketing) a bad name. But thanks to companies that have erupted in the past 15 years that have amazing products and compensation plans, the tides are turning quickly. Not to mention financial gurus like Donald Trump and Robert Kioskoki strongly endorse MLM companies and even go as far as to say that the next batch of millionaires will come out of home based businesses. It is a fact that 60% of women that earn a six figure or more income, do so with direct sales via MLM.

My mission is to help individuals exit the rat race by aiding in the decision for the perfect home based business. What should you see in a company and in the product in order to jump on board? Well, if you follow these guidelines you are bound to choose the right company and start making a great income in no time at all.

First, the company should be less than 4 years old so there is much room for growth in the country (and if it is international...in the world). Second, the product should be consumable so your customers will need to continue to buy every month. Next, the company should be debt free. This ensures that the company will not go out of business, leaving you stranded in the years to come. And lastly, there should be no age limit on those that will enjoy and need the product.

Once you have found the business from home that meets all of the above standards, it is safe to register and get going on earning your six figure income. What I love most about MLM companies is that YOU decide how hard you want to work and how much you get paid. You can work from anywhere in the world if you have access to a computer and/or phone. And you do not need a college degree to be successful with MLM. Enough with trying to get ahead by starting off behind with college loans, etc. If you are a motivated person that can see yourself being successful, than multi level marketing is for you. Don't miss the 6 figure train. When you find it, jump on board!

To learn more about The Perfect Business, visit Brianne's Healthy Chocolate website.

Brianne Beaty is a successful home based business entrepreneur, speaker, and trainer. Her passions are helping people attain their goals of financial freedom and health. She has a degree in Dance and Communications with an emphasis in Media Management from San Diego State University. Brianne was a professional dancer in San Diego, L.A, and Portland. She also has been a director of fitness for five athletic clubs in the Oregon valley and continues to consult for the health and wellness industry.

Should I Own a Job Or Own a Business?

After graduating from high school and/or college, most people start earning a living by trading hours for dollars (A JOB). Whether you work for a family member, friend or maybe a business, you work for a traditional "boss", have to be on the job certain hours, have to perform specifically as trained and basically have very little FREEDOM! Limitations rule and can make you feel like a lion in a cage.

However, this is the lot of most people in life forever because they don't have the necessary skills to employ themselves properly in operating their own business (or don't have the desire). Therefore, making more money in a traditional JOB is more attractive leaving their freedoms at a disadvantage.

There are other choices.

First of all you might OWN A JOB. What does that mean? A person who owns a JOB is one that is a free enterpriser that might own a home-based business. These are people who have their own businesses but simply sell a product. There are no other employees or business associates. It's a "one-man show" so to speak. And, if you are absent, probably no income will be coming in.

However, this choice might be less desirable than having a traditional JOB and trading hours for dollars. Why? Because you could be earning less although you may have more freedoms. You probably have more headaches, too, trying to wear all the "hats" of owning your own business like marketing, selling, administrative and even shipping, to name a few.

A better choice would be to OWN A BUSINESS. A business, by definition, means you employ other people in your business. And, it means if YOU stop showing up, your business will continue, survive and even thrive guaranteeing your income will continue.

The least expensive business (and the best) like this is a "network marketing" business. Emphasis is on "work". For an example, if a farmer plants a seed but he doesn't wait for it to produce, he can't expect to declare himself a millionaire. He must fertilize, irrigate, plan for all types of weather, etc. In other words, it takes WORK! And it takes time!

Same in network marketing. These days, there are many "get-rich quick" schemes on the internet, but face the truth. Surely you will agree there is no substitute for work and besides, network marketing is a "people" business and it takes time and effort to gain peoples' trust. It will be worth all the time and effort you expend, though, because many network marketing businesses have a very generous compensation plan and certainly provide freedom at your choosing!

"Hybrid" network marketing is the best of all worlds. This type of business has a job function (owning a business) attached to a pay plan. The focus is on making money first (and quickly) through a generous compensation plan and looking for other business builders along the way to build your own business. A network marketer is basically replicating himself and his business. This is called leverage and a very smart way to earn a huge income. Imagine the income if you duplicate yourself over and over in your business earning from each of these team members.

By building this type of business, you can enjoy all the "freedoms" you like: no time restraints, no ceiling on income, no boss, no relying on Social Security, etc. The sky is the limit.

Jan Buske is an avid internet marketer with a passion for teaching others to become 6-figure+ income earners. Training under well-known mentors/marketers, she "cuts through the chase" and focuses on outstanding product, lucrative compensation plan and the state-of-the art marketing system to build teams. You may learn more about Jan at: http://www.resortvacations-are-us.com

Have You Ever Thought of Starting a Personalized Gift Business?

A lot of people are looking for a home based business to supplement their incomes these days. Many of these folks even have a goal to eventually "fire the boss" and make one of these businesses their primary source of money.

Of course, when there are a lot of people looking for the same thing, there are a lot of companies around hoping to sell them what it is they're seeking. Home business opportunities are no exception and the internet is full of them, often overwhelming new entrepreneurs with the limitless possibilities.

The main concern that a new entrepreneur has when studying a possible business venture is usually the potential for profit that the opportunity offers. The second thing to be considered is whether or not the type of business is well suited to the personality of the individual starting it.

Starting and running a new business takes a lot of time and effort. Putting all of that work into something that doesn't offer at least some job satisfaction will probably lead to misery down the road. You might as well stay at your old job if your new activity is one that you hate!

I have a friend who was able to put his drawing skills to use, learn how to use a computer, and start his own personalized gift business. People who want to give something new and different to their friends and family are really crazy about the things that he makes. the downside to his particular business is that it's very labor intensive and often requires him to work late into the night to get his orders filled. At the same time, he receives TONS of positive feedback from his customers and is very gratified by this.

All things considered, my friend is happy with the business he has chosen to develop. However, not everybody possesses his artistic skill(and most of us would rather not have to work the long hours that he does). However, some computer skills and a willingness to work make plenty of options available to somebody who wants to starting a personalized gift business.

The best part of a personalized gift business, is that customers often purchase MULTIPLE COPIES of their wares to give to all of their family and friends. This is especially the case when the gifts are bought with the intent to commemorate some event, like the birth of a baby, a graduation or an important wedding anniversary. This is where the real profits can come in, since the first item produced usually requires most of the work and any additional duplicates can be made quickly and easily.

There isn't enough space for this little article to list the various personalized gift possibilities that are out there. It would be a good idea for new entrepreneurs to look over several possibilities before reaching a decision.

If you think you're the kind of person who would gain a lot of pleasure from knowing that your products are being truly enjoyed by the people who are giving and receiving them, maybe you should look into the possibilities that starting a personalized gift business offers. It may be just the business for you.

Looking for a home based business to start? How about a Personalized Gift Business? I've discovered one that seems to have the potential to be a lot of fun and to eventually make good money I've built a Squidoo page about it that I invite you to look at.