eBay is a great marketplace that attracts hordes of buyers and sellers. But is it the right marketplace for testing new products? From my experience with eBay, it is not the best marketplace for new products. First, the market that eBay attracts is looking for low prices, particularly for commonplace items such as children’s clothing, women’s handbags or outdoor power equipment. Buyers go to eBay because they think they can find deals and huge discounts. They want the lowest possible price for the quality they want. Second, people come to eBay to look for unique items such as antiques and

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I’ve previously written about how to start a lawncare business , but here are some additional tips to starting and marketing this type of business: Direct marketing is a very effective way of reaching potential customers for your lawncare business. You can either create brochures that provide details about your company or a postcard that highlights what your business is all about. Whatever format you decide in your direct mail campaign, it is important that your ads must be written in a way that speak directly to your potential clients. Emphasize the reasons why you are better than other lawn-care

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In today’s highly competitive environment, you need to employ as many marketing arsenals as possible to increase awareness to your business and get the word out about your products and services. One of the best ways is to get mentions from the media. Getting mentioned in a newspaper, TV or radio can benefit your business in a number of ways: Branding – the fact that a respected publication mentioned your business gives it credibility Prestige – getting mentioned by the media particularly the top guns like Wall Street Journal or CNN is certainly prestigious Marketing tool – some even go

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I was contacted today by a journalist who is doing a feature article on the founders of an online dating website for wine lovers. He wants to know the challenges faced by small business owners when starting an online business. I have worked with many online entrepreneurs, including those who advertise on our website. In my opinion, the most difficult aspects of starting an online business for small entrepreneurs are: No clear idea of how to start a business on the Web. To have a business online, you need to have a web presence — which is a website. However,

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I will be taking a couple of weeks maternity break as I take care of my newborn. Best of luck to all your entrepreneurial ventures!

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I had a very interesting discussion today with a “retired” entrepreneur who had started several successful ventures in his hometown. We were discussing the topic of starting a business; in particular, how can a person know that this is the right business to start and succeed with it. According to him, he only ask himself three questions: 1. Is this a business that I can do? He basically looks at whether he has the resources, skills, knowhow and right support to start the business. If he feels that the business is way over his head (and budget), he takes a

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If you think pay per click advertising is too expensive and not giving you the results you need, you may want to try pay per call instead. Pay per call is a type of online advertising that appeals to many small businesses — especially those without websites — because it combines the power of search marketing and the one-on-one interaction of a phone conversation. Pay per call is geared towards Internet users who go online to search for vendors and suppliers, but would rather talk to someone rather than email to discuss concerns such as pricing, product availability, and get

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The Intuit Future of Small Business Report authored by the Institute for the Future has come up with an interesting study on the changing faces of entrepreneurship. According to the study, gone are the stereotypes of long ago when people associate entrepreneurship with middle of the age folks. The study sees three trends affecting small business formation in the coming future: 1. Entrepreneurs will become more diverse in terms of age, origin and gender: – those nearing retirement (and looking for a way to sustain income, pursue their interests, or just keep busy and involved) as well as those who

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If you are a woman business owner, you might want to consider getting certified as a woman owned business. The certification, which confirms that your business is 51% owned by a woman, will give your business a boost when you engage in government contracting process, including bidding on state government contracts, and even some local corporate contracts. You don’t have to pay to get information on how to become certified as a woman owned business. Contact the following organizations regarding the procedures and benefits of being certified as a woman-owned business (however, some agencies such as WBENC which is one

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Here are some very informative articles I’ve read this week on various aspects of marketing your business: The Secret of Sending Press Releases How Can Online Communities Yield Product Sales Results? Putting the URL back in Google indexes Three factors determine your online success

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If you are tired of being an employee and want to start your own business, here are some steps to help you transition: 1. Start by thinking and deciding what you really want to do, whether you want the comfort of a regular paycheck or the risk but excitement of entrepreneurship. And then pursue it. 2. Decide what business you want to do. There are different approaches: start a business based on what you are doing in your career (if you work as a web designer with a company, you decide to embark on a web design business on your

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