Will You Add? - Business

How Much Time Should You Spend On Marketing?
As a solo-professional or small business owner, you have many responsibilities. Not only do you have to run your business and manage all the tasks associated with that, you also have to market that business.But just how should you divvy up your day?How much time should you spend on marketing?I believe you need to spend at least half of your time on marketing. In fact, as a business owner, I believe you really only h

l taught that debt is a bad thing, and not to get into it.

Listening To Understand
It has been reported by the American Psychological Association that during meetings 68 percent of the participants are thinking about events in their lives unrelated to the meeting. 20 percent of the participants are actually paying attention, and only 12% are really listening.More than likely, you as a salesperson truly understand less than half of what your customer is telling you. Effective listening is critically important to

Is this you? The whip-smart businessperson with all the best intentions and no business plan?

I am continually surprised, whenever I speak with my consulting clients or attend a public speaking engagement, to discover that many people start a new business without a business plan.

“What do I need that for?” they ask.

Inevitably, I roll my eyes and answer, “So you know where you’re going.”

You wouldn’t consider driving somewhere new without a map, and similarly, you shouldn’t start a new business without a business plan. You may not believe me now, but your business plan is the single most important aspect of your business.

“What about my expertise?” you might say.

Your expertise is certainly very valuable, as are experience, skill, dedication and stamina to work long hours. But none of these may get to even make an appearance if your business plan is unprofessional, or is not presented in the way potential financiers (loaners of money, in other words) want to see your goods.

Let’s face it, most of us need money as we’re starting our new business. The smallest, most bank-draining expenses will crop up, so we will need it to get started. There’s certainly no shame in that. But simultaneously, we’re all taught that debt is a bad thing, and not to get into it.

Where Business Ideas Come From
I was reading the local paper and came across a picture of the cleanest garage I ever saw. In addition to a picture of the garage there was a picture of a gentlemen, in his late 60's cleaning the cobwebs with an extension pole. I thought to myself I have never seen a garage so clean in my life. The accompanying article was discussing how this individual and another had painted and put cabinets in their garages, and how you could eat off

or?” they ask.

Inevitably, I roll my eyes and answer, “So you know where you’re going.”

“What about my expertise?” you might say.

Prospects, You Can't Make Them Drink if They Aren't Thirsty
Last week I was going over the sales process with a new salesperson. It was an engaging conversation and as we went over each step of the sales process. The analogy of how "we can lead a horse to water, but we can't make it drink" came up.Prospects can be exactly like the horse that didn't drink. Sure we can spend lots of time with them and show them plenty of food and water. Even so, they might not eat or drink of what we are of

spect of your business.

“What about my expertise?” you might say.

Job Interview - Remain Relevant and Enthusiastic
Interviewing well is an art and yet I find so many people pay very little attention to this aspect of the job search process. It is in fact likely the single most important step.If you are called for an interview, the assumption must be that it is your job to lose. If you have been called, you have many of the skills needed for the job and your qualifications are enough of a match that if the fit is right, they could hire you. Pe

otential financiers (loaners of money, in other words) want to see your goods.

Slow Accounts Payable in Large Corporations Hurt Small Businesses
So many times you hear of small businesses working their rears off in order to satisfy large corporate clients only to find them selves buried in bills due to those large corporations slow payments. Unfortunately this is a typical strategy to hoard cash. After all the slower they payout the more money they have in cash flow. It is not uncommon during downturns in the economy for large companies to have outstanding invoices in excess of

l taught that debt is a bad thing, and not to get into it.

I don’t want to encourage irresponsibility, but it may help to remind ourselves that most companies carry debt. Yes, even Microsoft carries debt for a specific purpose. Debt can help establish a credit record, or build a relationship with a lender (in case you need money later). It can also become a calculated risk for greater growth in the long term. If borrowing money can help you make and sell more products now, it’s generally worth the risk of establishing debt in the short term.

If you’re new to business plan writing, and the very idea of writing one causes you to go to bed with a migraine, one of my favorite software programs is Business Plan Pro, which does most of the work for you (and who doesn’t like that?). Simplifying Excel and QuickBooks imports (for those all-important balance sheet and P&L statement figures) and offering more advanced tools than most other business plan programs, this is a no-brainer for anyone who wants to get up and running fast.

If you’d prefer to work with an expert, and have a little more money to spend, you may be able to kill two birds with one stone by signing up for John Day’s Real Life Accounting. John will not only teach you how to write a business plan, but how to plan the accounting strategy of your soon-to-be successful business (hey, think positive!).

Don’t worry. It’s entirely for beginners and completely internet-based. John leaves plenty of time for emailed questions (answers are provided within 24 hours). In twenty no

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For the past decade it has been common knowledge that the average worker will no longer have the same lifetime job security that s/he had fifty years ago. Today’s workers are more likely to move between jobs, and to be involved in more projects and businesses over the course of their careers. Even in 1982 the average work-span for a worker at one job was 8 years. Why has the market tended towards shorter employment periods?

There's a common theme brewing in TV's Apprentice, both Donald Trump's version and the new Martha Stewart edition. And it's one that most small business owners and entrepreneurs should pay attention to. Because while The Apprentice candidates could use it to save their jobs, business owners can use it to save their business from failure.

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Will You Add? - Aw, Man: You Mean I Have to Have a (Business) Plan?

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