Archive for October, 2008
Small Business is the Cornerstone of our Economy
In the midst of the current financial crisis, it would be easy to lose sight of what actually forms the cornerstone of our economy. Entrepreneurs and small businesses make up 20 million of the 26 million businesses in America, Of these businesses, 97% employ 20 people or less, accounting for half of the non-farm GDP [...]
|Building Your Client Base and Your ABC’s
We often think that building your client base is an extremely complex process…full of formulas, pie charts and diagrams. But it is important to take a look at your company’s policies and actions and make sure you aren’t missing the basic building blocks of customer service. Go back to the beginnings of school and check [...]
|Niche Markets: Finding Your Customers Online, Part I
Entrepreneurs have the flexibility and ingenuity needed to utilize the internet to find their niche market. As you build out your business plan, think about how you can use the internet to identify and market to your customers.
Critical to the understanding of finding niche markets is building your skills in social media applications. While basic [...]
Transformational Leadership in Challenging Times
As an entrepreneur, you are already a leader. But are you a Transformational Leader? Are you a visionary who inspires others? Challenging times create great opportunity for transformational leadership.
I was reading an article today on the Inc blog, it was about leadership in tough times. And as I was leaving a comment, I was reminded [...]
Entrepreneurship: Creating Meaning in Your Life
As you know by now, Virtual Assistants and Virtual Offices are the hallmarks of the new entrepreneur. But what other characteristics define Entrepreneurs 2.0?
In addition to a strong desire for a better work/life balance, new business owners want to have more control over their production and processes. Many want to find deeper meaning in their [...]
Small Business Owner and Technology
When a small business owner needs new technology, they may skip the most important part of the process…research. Because, in my experience, there are two reasons a small business owner struggles with technology. One, no research has been done on the product, and so, it isn’t a good fit. And two, they doesn’t actually sit [...]
|Confessions of a Lonely Virtual Entrepreneur
Virtual assistants can do many great things, but one thing they cannot do. They cannot be physically present in your “office”. Right, that is sort of implied by the name…and when your “office” is your comfy blue chair, sitting in the corner of your living room, days can be very quiet…downright lonely, at times.
And as [...]
Reputation is Everything in a Difficult Market
A good virtual assistant is a great reputation builder, keeping you on time and on task. Often in a challenging economy, less than savory scammers have to work harder to make a buck. And if your business is entirely virtual, ie, you don’t have a storefront, then you need to work a bit harder to [...]
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