General Business and Finance Blog » Idea

How to Find Your Small Business (or Idea)

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:13:53 +0000

If you have been thinking about starting an online business but just have not come up with the business idea that knocks your socks off then it is perhaps time that you consider brainstorming. Brainstorming your small business idea may very well set you on the path to financial freedom.Webster’s Dictionary defines brainstorming as a problem-solving technique that sparks a spontaneous generation of ideas. Brainstorming works through the power of association by offering ideas around a particular subject or problem.Brainstorming has these basic components:A. Generating as many solutions to a problem as possible B. Listing every idea presented without comment or evaluation C. Grouping and evaluating ideas to reach consensus D. Prioritizing ideas.Brainstorming your small business idea can help you choose a topic, develop an approach to a topic, or deepen your understanding of the topic’s potential. This is why brainstorming can be extremely beneficial. Brainstorming your small business idea helps you think outside-of-the-box! Remember that the purpose of brainstorming your small business idea is to generate ideas so avoid other idea-squashers. Do not evaluate or pass judgment on the ideas as you think of them. Brainstorming your small business idea can be an extremely effective way to generate lots of ideas on a specific issue and then determine which idea – or ideas – is the best solution. This can be particularly useful in providing creative solutions to problems that have defied traditional problem-solving methods as well as in such applications as new product development. However, brainstorming your small business idea requires a comfortable, non threatening environment to work effectively.Brainstorming your small business idea is very well suited to internet marketing because it can be very manageable to serve a niche, something that would have been more difficult prior to the internet revolution which began in the late 1990s. And small business creates 75% of all new jobs and anchors our communities. Small Business’ are the largest employers in America. When brainstorming your small business idea creativity is enhanced, because individuals are encouraged to bring up all ideas – even those that might appear outrageous. The Site Build-it (SBI) manger brainstorming tool is a very powerful tool for keyword research for your site concept. Problem solving in small business requires brainstorming of options and alternatives and problems are defined better as questions arise. Thinking challenges in the form of puzzles and other fun activities can get your creative juices flowing before brainstorming. And creativity can be enhanced if individuals are encouraged to bring up all ideas – even those that might appear outrageous. When brainstorming your small business idea listen to other ideas, and try to piggy back on them to other ideas. List at least 25 practical uses with explanations if necessary. List or describe (in a sentence or two each) at least ten consequences. List the attributes of the problem, object, or situation as you would in a standard attribute analysis. List at least six attributes and at least six alternatives for each. Listing each condition to be met or the part to be covered will assure that none are overlooked. List the concept(s) you chose to use, and describe how you’ll use them. Asking questions are one of the best tools for unlocking creativity. Questions are the best way to get brainstorming started. Brainstorming is a skill that comes with practice and is not a cult or a ritual so use it to your advantage and begin brainstorming your small business idea. And keep in mind that brainstorming isn’t coming up with an end finished idea, its about creating the ideas that spark the ideas. Brainstorming is creating a list of whatever comes to mind.Brainstorming your small business idea is most effective when you come up with many possible solutions to overcome one specific obstacle instead of thinking up many unrelated ideas. Brainstorming your small business idea is particularly effective when others provide different views, ideas, and solutions around one problem.

Small Business Idea Sure To Have Big Impact On Student’s Budgets

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:03:37 +0000

With many students looking for auxiliary income because of financial stress on family budgets, businesses are now looking to those students for help with advertising. Businesses know that students rule the social networks. They speak wordpress, facebook and twitter like they are a second language. Tapping into that type of resource has always been a strong objective of marketing firms and advertising agencys. But now one small home based business has jumped on board offering weekly cash payouts of 65% just for placing links, ads and chatting in those social networks. pagebuzz.com started a program allowing anyone to post ads and earn $75.00 for each customer anyone can refer to their “do it yourself website hosting”. The internet is the primary focus of the company so social networks, forums and blogs provide customer rich enviorments for advertising. By allowing the users of those websites to place ads for the pagebuzz.com website hosting service a new revenue stream is born. Any student, young adult or even grown ups with internet access can become their very own advertising company and earn as much as Wall Street executives. The allure of the pagebuzz.com program is that the payouts are every Friday, so there is no waiting for checks. It pays even faster than most jobs who hold at least 1 weeks pay. Get a sale on Wednesday and get paid on Friday. Getting paid has always been a problem that has plagued revenue sharing programs with most paying monthly with a 1 month delay. Meaning you earn money today and get paid in 2 months. Students have long tasted the revenue from blogs using programs like google adsense and affiliate programs. But with payouts of $0.02 on click thrus and 3-5% of $5.00 sales yeilding $0.15 per sale the profits are less than attractive to anyone without millions of visitors. Coupled with the long wait to be paid and frequent deductions most fail to produce a solid income for anyone. Now with companies willing to shift their marketing budgets to the backs of independents placing online ads, the skys have opened with opportunity. Anyone can make $1000.00 a week or more with just a few hours work. Not like all the scams on TV, but for real. CEO Bob Smith of pagebuzz.com claims that the initial cost of acquiring new clients is far less using this method despite the larger payouts. “If we hire an advertising company we would pay $75,000 before we ever run a single ad. If we pay that money directly to students and home based workers we get 1000 new customers guaranteed”. The great part about linking back to pagebuzz.com from a forum or a blog is that the ad or link will remain online indefinitly so posting one link could produce 10, 20, 30 or more sales in the next year or two. Making that few minutes of work it took to post the link potentially worth upwards of $2000.00. With those numbers it has not been hard to attract people to post links back to our website said Smith. While pagebuzz.com is a small home based company itself, the opportunity for earnings of independent ad placers is in the millions of dollars a year. Certainly enough to keep many struggling students floating in extra cash. Judging by the success of the pagebuzz.com program there will be many merchants lined up to follow suit. But like every good idea and legitimate offer, so shall the scammers come and try to take your money. If you decide to participate in one of these programs, keep one thing in mind. You are making money for them. If they charge you anything, it is a scam! Before you invest time promoting a company, do research, make sure they pay and their product is as good as you plan to say it is. While you can make a million dollars you can just as easily waste time or even get clipped for cash or false advertising. Deal only with reputable companies.

Best Small Business Idea — Get Focused And Get Going

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:17:49 +0000

I used to give a talk titled, “10 Ways to Overcome Overwhelm in Business and In Life”. It was an excellent resource for getting into action and taking charge of your business. If you’d like a copy, just email me and I’ll send it to you. After I’d given this talk for awhile, I realized that getting out of overwhelm was even simpler. You don’t need 10 ideas. That’s overwhelming in itself. You just need one essential key. If you can master this one key, you can pretty much get whatever you want out of your business and your life. Here it is. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it. Focus.
That’s right, focus. When you are entirely focused on what you are doing in the moment, you don’t have any attention left for being in overwhelm. Focus and overwhelm are opposites. Think about it. You are overwhelmed because you are thinking about all the things you’ve got to get done today, tomorrow, and the day after. You aren’t solidly focused in the present moment doing what’s in front of you. But when you are stuck in overwhelm, it’s really hard to get focused. So what can you do?
It’s actually very simple. Get back to basics. Go back to your core values, your mission statement, your vision. Stop right now and think about the vision you had for your business when you first started it. What did you want to accomplish? Why did you want to do it? Were you looking for freedom? Did you have a better way of helping people? Completely let yourself be absorbed in the dream you had. Feel how it was when you started. Now you are focused. Take this vision and write it down again. Go into detail about what you really want to do with your business.
Now from this focused state, get into action. It should be much more clear to you now what the most important tasks are. Focus your energy on those and get going. Any time you start feeling overwhelmed, stop and go back to your dream, your vision. Ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing. Really feel it and then start again. I guarantee you this will get you focused and get you out of overwhelm. Now you can get what you really wanted out of your business.

Small Business Idea – Start a Concierge Business

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:55:45 +0000

Starting a concierge service is going to take some work and creativity on your end. Although most people have a need for this type of service, some have a hard time justifying the expense. Your marketing and client acquisition strategy will require you to effectively demonstrate how easy their life would be with you on their team! Here are a few tips to consider when planning your Concierge (errand service) business: Do you know someone who’s so busy that they’re constantly saying things like “I’d pay someone to do this for me” or “I need more hours in my day!” or even “I wish I could clone myself” ? If so, what that person really needs is a personal assistant! Concierge or Errand businesses are a growing trend. Although the economy isn’t in the best shape, people are still leading very busy rat race type lifestyles. From busy working moms to jet setting professional singles – they all have a need for an extra set of hands or person to remind them of important appointments or tasks.

1. Start with a business plan: You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a business plan – in fact, with this type of service business – you can write one yourself. You will want to write out the vision you have for your company, as best as possible – note any start up costs, price points, target demographic and market.

2. Discover your start up costs: Start up costs associated with a concierge business are surprisingly minimal. Like with any business, one of the first steps you’ll take is setting up your business legally. This means you will need to check with your state and local commerce offices as well as the IRS for any licensing and tax requirements. The cost of a business license in most states is pretty low ranging from $25 to $100. After you’ve established your business legally you’ll want to create your website and marketing materials. Depending on your level of technical and graphic expertise you may be able to do this on your own for nothing at all. However if you’re like most people, it’s something you’ll end up outsourcing. You can find a reputable website designer at places like GetAFreelancer to do your website for under $500 with matching business card and brochure templates for a little bit extra. It’s also advised to invest in business liability insurance. Depending on the range of services you offer, you’ll likely spend a lot of time driving around – if your current car insurance doesn’t recognize your vehicle as a business/commercial vehicle – you may not be covered if you get in an accident while doing company functions. All in all, the estimated start up costs for a concierge business would be under $1500.

3. Develop your legal documents and contracts: Because of the nature of a personal assistant concierge style business – it’s important to have contracts and agreements between you and your client. For example – you may offer a car pooling service shuttling kids to and from soccer practice. You’ll want to have a signed agreement that authorizes your clients children to be in the car with you.

4. Decide on your range of service: A concierge can offer a wide range of services. As long as it’s legal – you should remain open to any type of assignment. Typically concierge services are divided into two categories – corporate services and personal/individual services. The types of services you offer a business will vary from what you’ll offer an individual. Corporate services may include things like courier services, event planning, travel planning, and transportation arrangement. Those types of things are often duties handled by executive secretaries, but many businesses choose to save money by hiring a concierge business instead. Personal services include gift shopping, cleaning services, relocation assistance planning, dry cleaning pick up, house sitting, reminder services, appointment making services, grocery shopping and many others.

5. Decide your price point: Most concierge businesses charge by the hour, with $25-30 being the going rate. It’s also wise to offer monthly package rates. This will help you secure long term contracts, particularly if you require a minimum number of months to sign up. Your packages should include a guaranteed number of services and/or hours per month – with an extra fee being charged for services or hours over. 6. Put your best foot forward: With your business cards and services brochures in hand – you’ll want to hit the ground running with your marketing strategy. Word of mouth is always the best way to grow a business – it’s free also! The first impression will be the lasting impression for potential clients, because of this you should be courteous to a fault! You want clients to know that you are a trustworthy and responsible individual. Your appearance should be well-kept at all times, answer your phones in the most professional manner and always be organized. The sky is the limit when it comes to starting a concierge business, it will be challenging in the beginning – but that’s the case with any new venture. Don’t give up and always keep a smile on your face – you never know, you may be talking to your next client!

Small Business Idea – Start a Personal Chef Business

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:47:37 +0000

When it comes to cooking you have three different categories of people; those who love it, those who hate it, and those who prefer to pay someone else to do it for them! Americans spend more on fast food and take out than any other industrialized nation – and the scales are proof of this! Is cooking your passion? Do friends and family constantly brag on how tasty your dishes are? If so – the personal chef business may be the ideal start up for you!

For the amount that the average person wastes on fast food in a month, they could hire a personal chef to prepare weeks worth of nutritious delicious meals! If the personal chef industry is something that you’re seriously considering as a business start up, there are several things that you need to keep in mind:

1. Know your state and county laws: A personal chef will usually prepare meals at the clients location of choice, but there is a growing trend of personal chefs who prepare at their own location – and deliver meals. Generally speaking, each state has it’s own set of laws that are applied to food service businesses. Depending on the type of services provided, the business must meet certain criteria. Some states do not allow home based food service businesses (ones where you will prepare meals in your own home) while others require certification. These laws are referred to as Cottage Laws. Just call your state’s commerce department and inquire about their cottage laws or food service preparation business laws.

2. You are more than a chef!: As a personal chef you will do more than whip up tasty meals, you will often service as a family meal planner and grocery shopper! Diversify your recipe repertoire to accommodate a wide range of tastes and styles. You should also familiarize yourself with the best places to shop and save. You will want to cook with the best cuts of meats and most fresh vegetables, so make friends with butchers and farmers where possible.

3. Define your specialty: Although you will want to have a wide range of recipes in your menu offerings – it’s a good idea to define a specialty to attract a specific type of client. Perhaps authentic Italian is where you excel, or maybe you are an expert in preparing gluten free meals. Whatever your specialty, be sure to highlight that fact on your services brochure!

4. Don’t forget the special needs!: In order to be a success, you will want to familiarize yourself with the various special dietary needs. From diabetes to gluten free to vegan and beyond – the most sought after personal chefs know how to make the best meals for every diet need!

On The Lookout For A Small Business Opportunity Idea?

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:45:40 +0000

There are many things that you can do when you are on the lookout for a small business opportunity idea. First of all, you need to realize that if you are looking for a small business opportunity idea, it is just as if you are looking for a regular business opportunity idea. The only thing that is different is that you want to run a small business, which means that you aren’t planning on having as many employees, and you aren’t going to be very large. So, there are some things that need to play into it when you are looking for a small business opportunity idea.
The first thing that you want to do when you are looking for a small business opportunity is whether or not you can make money with the small business. This might be something that sounds like it would be obvious, but a lot of the time people don’t bother making sure that their business venture is actually going to make them money. There are many times when you should take a look at the various business plan options, just to be sure that the one you are following is going to be worthwhile. You must be able to look at the business plan and determine what is going to allow you to make money and what is not. The plan should be available, and it should clearly show that you are going to be able to make money.
The other thing that you wan to keep in mind when you are looking for a small business opportunity idea is something that is going to be fun for you. This also might seem obvious, but you would be surprised to know that a lot of people get involved with a small business opportunity idea that doesn’t make them happy, and then end up spending too much time on their small business idea, and they don’t end up enjoying the time that they spend on it.
The other thing that you want to keep in mind is the idea that you are going to be doing this small business opportunity idea for a long time, so you have to be sure that you are doing something you want to do for the long term. You also have to be sure that you are giving yourself plenty of chances for improvement and advancement. These are all things that you have to be sure you keep in mind while you are dealing with the small business opportunity idea. It is very important that you keep all of these things in mind because it might be important to you in the future, because a small business opportunity is something that you should always be keeping in mind as a viable option for the future.

Make Your Business Idea Work

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 05:07:22 +0000

You surely know that a small idea can lead to a great business success. The first movement is to think of an idea that would be suitable for the business market. After coming up with the idea, the next step is to put that idea into action. Of course, this is a very difficult step and having the idea is only the start of the journey. After that you will have to face many obstacles before being able to carry on with your business project. This is just the beginning of this process and there is a lot of questions you will have to answer before even start. Some of the main aspects you have to concentrate on when you have business ideas are the abilities and gifts you can pour into the business. It is very important for you to be identified with your business project. Those ideas should be based on activities and actions you take pleasure in doing. For example, if we suppose that you dislike working in the open, landscaping business would not suit you. On the other hand, if you like working with children, setting up baby-sitting or tutoring business would be an excellent idea. In this case, without any doubt you business will be more successful because you will have put your mind, effort and also your heart on it. Another vital step is to analyze the needs of a specific product or service in your region before setting up your business. Do people of your area need your product? Are there other business like the one you are planning to start? You should ask yourself whether or not you are the only one offering that service or product. If you are not, you will have to analyze the competence you will have to face. You have to think whether the service you are offering is one that customer would repeat, or if it is a one-time specialized service. Obviously, the former are more likely to succeed than the latter. There are other aspects you have to take into account. These aspects are described below: – One of them is that if the idea is unique, you will reign the market. But if there is much competition, it will be difficult to enter into the market. – A second point would be if you can offer quality from the very beginning, otherwise, you won’t succeed. – Finally, you have to think about your capital to start your own business. There are many business ideas that require little investment and bring great profit. Some demand research, such as daycare service, and others need a large amount of money to begin the business. So take this recommendation into account before investing all your money in a small business idea.

If You?re Sick of the Nine to Five, a Home Business Idea Could be the Answer

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:31:37 +0000

Are you looking for a good home business idea? There are many ways to make money at home and thousands of people do it every year, but you need a strategy based in reality to pull it off. It doesn’t matter if you are selling jewelry or tax preparation; there are a few things common to all successful home ventures: attitude, marketing and sound advice.

A Small Business Idea Could Lead to More Freedom

Maybe you used to be stuck in a cubicle. Some people need the stability a 9 to 5 offers. Some people are more comfortable with a boss and an office building to come to, but these things bring limitations. Entrepreneurs do not have a boss, work where and when they want to, and they do not have the limitations on success.

The sky is the limit. If running a business is your goal, letting a proven marketing system work for you is a necessity. Find a product or platform to assist you with many of the automated elements of the daily business operations. You need someone who is experienced in the way marketing works.

Find a Reputable Marketing System for New Business Ideas

Trying to handle all the variables on your own may prove to be overwhelming; unfortunately, very few home business idea succeed without professional advice and a sound marketing plan. These needs continue to be identified and are being met through products and mentors. The home business industry is getting easier for people to take advantage of opportunity.

Do you know that you can make money from a business idea, but just don’t know where to start? Visit this site todayhttp://www.SmallOnlineBusinessIdeas.com and find out exactly where to get started.

Best Small Business Idea — It’s All About You

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 04:54:52 +0000

Getting More Focused — It’s All About You
Jeanna Pool from Catalyst Creative writes a great ezine on marketing each month. In January she shared 5 Great Marketing Tips for 2006. Number 1 was “Stop Focusing on You”. She declares 2006 the year of the client and exhorts you to focus totally on your clients and their needs. I think she’s right on. And I think she’s completely wrong. Why right and wrong?
Because if you’ve been in business for awhile and have great products and great services and aren’t getting the results you want, you may be too focused on your clients and not focused enough on yourself. Last week, I encouraged your to revisit your vision of your business and ask yourself why you started your business in the first place. Now I want you to focus even more on what you want. What exactly do you want out of your business? Do you want more money? If so, how much? Write down a number. Do you want more flexible hours? If so, write out exactly the schedule you’d like. Do you want to change the world? If so, write out specifically how that would look.
Why all this focus on you? Because if you aren’t absolutely clear on what you want, how are you going to know if you are successful? How are you going help your clients if you aren’t taking care of yourself as well. Maybe you need to be making $150,000 a year to provide your family with the life that you wanted. You want to send your kids to college. You want to retire while you are still in active and in good health. Or maybe you want to just make an extra $20,000 a year working part-time while you take care of your children until they are in school. Or perhaps your goal is to make a million dollars a year and live a really incredible life. Defining this is very important. Why?
Because what you want will shape your business. It will determine who your customers are and how you will help them. If you want $5,000,000 in sales, your products and methods are going to be a whole lot different than if you want $50,000 in sales. If you want to work only afternoons, that is going to shape your business as well. If you want to sell your business and retire in five years, that’s going to affect your decisions as well. So right now, get out a paper and pen and get ready to write.
Did you get your pen and paper out? Answer the question, “What do I want out of my business?” Write in as much detail exactly what you want your business to give you. Be as specific as possible. Write as much as you can. Think income, lifestyle, schedule, partners, travel, location, employees. What exactly do you want? Throughout the week, add to this and revise it. Compare where you are right now to what you really want. How large is the gap? Next week, I’ll help you create a plan to narrow the gap with: Why Business Plans Don’t Work — How to Create an Effective Action Plan

Best Small Business Idea – Overwhelm – Get It Out Of Your Head

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 05:44:50 +0000

If you are like most businesses owners, you’ve experienced overwhelm in your business at one time or another. Maybe you experience it regularly and for good reason. Hundreds of things are pulling at you at one time. You’ve got marketing going, production to oversee, calls to return, employees that need your advice. It’s never ending right? How do you possibly handle it all?
Most of the small business owners that I talk to keep almost all of these things in their head. I ask them where their business plan is. It’s in their head. I ask where their employee training manual is. It’s in their head. About the only thing that’s written down is their calendar of appointments. Even a lot of their to-dos are in their head. Here’s one simple and powerful way to get out of overwhelm—write it all down.
Your overwhelm is in your head because most of how you run your business is in your head. Start writing it down and you will start having less overwhelm. Start taking a little time each day to document your business processes. Make a list today of the processes that you haven’t recorded. Cover marketing, production, training, accounting, etc.
Then take one of these areas and document it in detail this week. Each week, for the next few weeks document another area. Within a fairly short period of time, you should have at least the basics of marketing procedures, production procedures, client follow up procedures, and employee training procedures in place. In other words, you’ve now got business processes. Processes that you can rely on. Processes you don’t have to think about. Processes that you will use to grow your business without all that overwhelm now that it’s not all in your head.