Small Business Success Strategies

Ten Ways to Start a Business on a Budget

If you’ve been thinking about starting a business, but are held back due to cash-flow issues, there are plenty of ways you can get your plans off the ground. Though your vision may be to own a big store, restaurant, warehouse, or office, consider starting on a smaller scale.

Every business must start somewhere. In fact, the founder of Kinkos started with one copy machine and some spiral notebooks for sale in a tiny rented space near a college. With a little ingenuity and some perseverance, you can make your business dreams come true. Here are ten ideas to get you started:

Read Stephanie's entire article Ten Ways to Start a Business on a Budget

Stephanie Chandler, our official Small Business Growth Expert

5 Tips On Using Video to Sell High Priced Programs

As a savvy marketer, you know how important it is to be an early adopter of new technology.

Since 2006, online video has been gaining importance as a useful and effective online marketing tool. If you want to be your industry's number 1 expert, you must use online video to promote your products and services.

If you want to sell high priced programs and services, it is vital that your potential clients understand what you can do for them, and how you can help them reach their goals.

Read Glenn's entire article 5 Tips On Using Video to Sell High Priced Programs

Glenn Dietzel, our official Selling High Priced Programs Expert

Five Solid Reasons To Use An Internet Fax Service

Online or Internet Fax Services are becoming extremely popular with our ever increasingly mobile workplace and workforce. As we become more mobile, we want the ability to receive and send faxes through our email and the Internet. It's as simple as that!

Receive and send your faxes anywhere, anytime.

Plus, you have no more paper jams, no more bulky fax machines, no more busy signals and no more return trips to the office to pick up that important fax at 10 o'clock at night!

Read Titus' entire article Five Solid Reasons To Use An Internet Fax Service

Titus Hoskins, our official Online Fax Expert

Don’t Quit Your Day Job: 3 Ways to Keep Criticism from Getting to You

There are two kinds of negative feedback, the kind that -- as painful as it is -- is generally accurate and helpful and the kind that is totally without merit. Let's look at this last kind of criticism first.

In an interview in YM magazine screenwriter, director, producer Kevin Williams talked about a high school teacher named Mrs. Tingle who whittled away at William's confidence to such an extent that he says he "didn't write another word for 10 years." Williamson says, "I always feel like a fraud. There's always that 'Mrs. Tingle' thing lurking in me."

Read Valerie's entire article Don’t Quit Your Day Job: 3 Ways to Keep Criticism from Getting to You

Valerie Young, our official Career Change Expert

How to Stop Fear from Blocking Your Small Business Growth

A few years back I wrote an article called "Facing the Fear Factor". Surprisingly it's the most widely read of any small business growth article I've ever written. Why?

Because everyone relates to the fear we face trying to succeed as entrepreneurs. Whether you're just gathering the courage to strike out on your own, or you've been at it for a while, at some point you're going to have to know how to prevent fear from stopping you from going after your dreams of building a successful small business.

Read Janis' entire article How to Stop Fear from Blocking Your Small Business Growth

Janis Pettit, our official Small Business Strategy Coach Expert

3 Coach Archetypes – Which Are You Today?

Each coach brings deep skills, world wisdom and powerful purpose to the table. But some excel in their coaching business more consistently than others. Why is that? Mindset is the make or break factor in our success on any given day. The good news is, we control the messages we feed ourselves.

If you want to bring in more consistent results in your coaching business, pay attention to the archetypes you embody – the pattern of thoughts and behaviors that you play out – they will help you consciously change and grow.

Read Rhonda's entire article 3 Coach Archetypes – Which Are You Today?

Rhonda Hess, our official Coaching Business Success Expert

4 Social Networking Tips to Break the Ice with Business Clients

When you use social networking to market your business, it's extremely important to keep the focus on relationship building first. People ask how to do this, and the standard advice is to go out and "break the ice" and initiate a conversation.

The problem I'm seeing pop up is that many people don't fully understand how to break the ice in online social networking. Here's a real life example: a business coach "Lauren" (not her real name) wrote to me, "OK, I'm on all these social networking sites . . . now what?"

Read Nancy's entire article 4 Social Networking Tips to Break the Ice with Business Clients

Nancy Marmolejo, our official Visibility Expert

Holiday Overwhelm Simplified

I am a real “finding solutions” gal, so here’s the real deal. It sounds like you have allowed too much to come into your calendar. Most of the things you mentioned are choices and how you respond/participate is also a choice. Your expectations of what will “fit” into 7 weeks is unrealistic.

That being said try putting all the “prep” work that is involved with/ tasks and events on your calendar instead of just the event. This should help you see when your life is getting overly full. For example, block out the time you’ll need to prepare birthday parties (consider one big bash if possible instead of 4).

Read Debbye's entire article Holiday Overwhelm Simplified

Debbye Cannon, our official BusinessMom Mentor Expert

Naming a New Business? Itemize and Prioritize!

One of the most common refrains I hear when naming a new business is "I'll know the right company name when I hear it." That may or may not be true. It also may or may not be wise! Why is that?

Because it makes the assumption that you know exactly what you want. In reality, most aspiring business owners have only a vague notion of what they want in a brand name. These notions are unarticulated, not written down anywhere, and it's in no certain order. If you were to ask, it would sound like a free flow of consciousness . . .

Read Phil's entire article Naming a New Business? Itemize and Prioritize!

Phil Davis, our official Branding and Naming Expert

Grow Your Business by Speaking

If you want to grow your business and reach a lot of people quickly, consider developing your skills as a professional speaker. There are dozens of trade organizations in every major city that need speakers for their weekly or monthly meetings. As a featured speaker, you receive instant credibility and establish yourself as an expert in your field. Your event (and you!) will also be promoted to the entire membership of the organization, even if only a fraction of the members attend.

Be sure to think outside the box. Your presentation can be loosely related to your business, as long as it addresses the needs of your audience. For example:

*A financial advisor could present "Managing Small Business Cash Flow."

Read Stephanie's entire article Grow Your Business by Speaking

Stephanie Chandler, our official Small Business Growth Expert