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How to Get PR for Your Business — Without a Publicity PR Company

If you’ve been wanting to get as much press as you can for your business without busting your bank by hiring a public relations firm, read Jason Calacanis of Silicon Alley Insider’s 10 tips on how to get PR for your startup. His tips, though, are not for the faint of heart or the introverts (well, if you are seeking PR, chances are that you are not the shy type). One of his amusing anecdotes is when he climbed down the stadium during a Knicks game in order to hand a copy of his Silicon Alley Magazine to John F.

How to Become a Sales Superstar

Voss Graham of Lawn and Landscape Magazine wrote a great article on how to become a sales superstar. To become a sales superstar, you need to master 10 critical decision-making areas that create sales success, as follows: 1. Sales superstars are always learning – learning in-depth about their customers; reading about selling, business trends and industry trends; and even attending training and development sessions. To become a sales superstar, you need to constantly sharpen your skills. 2. Business acumen – you must speak in terms that are important to customers, not just about product features and benefits 3. Preparedness =

Increasing Your Product Mix: How to Decide

Someone asked a question during lunch today: “Do you have any ideas what else should I sell?” This young lady just started an online store selling hair extensions and bags, and she has been thinking of expanding her product line. But she has no idea what else she could offer on her new website. She was expecting me to give her ideas of specific products that she could sell. In the discussion, some suggested that she offer hair accessories. Another person suggested she offer makeup. While another said she should offer yoga products such as mats and yoga outfits. And

Starting a Business and the Fear of Failure

One of the most common reasons why many would be entrepreneurs hesitate to start a business is the fear of failure. What if the business fails? It's a scary thought, especially if you've given up a lot in order to jumpstart the business. The key is to prepare and have a plan of action.

Common Myths of Starting a Business

Many want to start a business, but find that actually starting one is not easy. Some are scared of venturing on their own, while others doubt whether they have the ability to run a business. A new book entitled “What’s Stopping You? Shatter the 9 Most Common Myths Keeping You from Starting Your Own Business” by Bruce Barringer and B. Duane Ireland explores the various reasons that prevent people from starting their own businesses, then provides a reality check to address these myths. According to the authors, here are the common myths of starting a business: It takes an extraordinary

Buy an Established Website vs. Start a New Website from Scratch

Here’s an interesting question: Which is a better path to getting into internet marketing: buy a small, established website that has a monthly cash flow or start from scratch and learn-as-you-go? In my view, the established site has the advantage of being already set up. The site has been in existence so there must be some content, and that means lesser work for you. (Of course, whether you will keep the content depends on the quality as well as your goals for the site so you may still need to scrap the whole content and replace it.). Check out Archives.org

Data and Statistics on Small Businesses

Here are some interesting statistics on small and home-based businesses: Home-based businesses constitute 53% of all small businesses. 99.7% of firms that have employees are small businesses. Small businesses employ over half of the more than 145 million American workers. Source: Testimony of The Honorable Thomas M. Sullivan, Chief Counsel for Advocacy, U.S. Small Business Administration, before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business on July 30, 2008 http://www.sba.gov/advo/laws/test08_0730.html Some other great sources of statistical factoids on small businesses are: SBA Frequently Asked Questions http://www.sba.gov/advo/stats/sbfaq.pdf Small Business Lending in the US http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/lending.html National Small Business Association Survey of

Profitable Niche Opportunities in Social Networking Sites (MySpace)

Social networking sites are all the rage today. According to web measurement firm Hitwise , MySpace.com alone received 72.73 percent of the market share of U.S. visits in May 2008 among a custom category of 58 of the leading social networking websites commands 73.82% of all social networking traffic (as of May 2008). With the enormous traffic these social networking sites receive, there is a huge opportunity for other online businesses to develop business models that revolve around these massive social networking sites. One entrepreneur who saw this opportunity is Ashley Qualls. Ashley founded WhateverLife.com in 2004 at the age

How to Rank Well in Yahoo

If you want to know how to rank well in Yahoo, read this very insightful interview with Priyank Garg, director of product management for Yahoo! Search Technology (YST). Here are some tips from the interview: The quality of the experience of the users is the most important consideration. Quality is much more important than quantity when it comes to links. Anchor texts are important Given the concern about buying links, Yahoo apparently does not automatically discount paid links if their algorithm shows that those links add to the user experience. Use Yahoo Site Explorer to gain some insights on the

When the Going Gets Tough

The stock market fell today to its lowest level in nearly two years. Many investors scrambled to sell after a spate of bad news. It’s the same sense of panic and dread if your business is failing and you are running out of money. You are getting deeper in debt. You can’t even afford to buy needed supplies, pay your rent for an office or mortgage for your home. Bills are starting to stockpile and creditors are starting to knock on your door. Employees, if any, are starting to panic and leave you. Worse, your bank just called that they

Common Mistakes in Starting a Business

I’ve previously written about the common mistakes of startup entrepreneurs in the article Top 10 Home Business Mistakes. However, it is also interesting to see what other authors and experts consider as the most common mistakes small owners make: Maria De Lourdes Sobrino, Founder and CEO of Lulu’s Dessert Corporation and the author of Thriving Latina Entrepreneurs in America considers the following as the most common mistakes made by Latinas: Lack of focus Inadequate financing Ignoring a problem Not delegating Inconsistency with product or service quality Not understanding your competitors Unwillingness to work hard CNNMoney.com considers the following as 5

Hiring Sales Representatives to Market Your Business

One way to increase sales is to build a sales force for your business using independent sales representatives. An independent sales representative or manufacturer’s representative sells the products of several different companies. Before you go out and find a sales rep for your business, here are some steps to consider when hiring sales representatives to market your products or services: Analyze if you can afford to hire a sales representative now. The first question you need to be asking is whether you have the budget to hire a sales representative now. Determine the sales process. What is the sales process