Today you hear more and more about people starting their own businesses. According to a study reported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, adults ages 55 to 64 are the group most likely to do so. The volatile economy and depreciated retirement accounts are just a few of the reasons some people who may have never before considered starting their own business are now doing so. They want to shore up their nest eggs, supplement retirement income or avoid returning to the corporate world for a job. But is now the right time to get started? Well, it depends . . . on what type of business you... (Read More ...)
Over the last few days I have had several conversations with friends and clients about their businesses. Many are thrilled with the fact business is picking up while others immediately go into, “The economy is still slow. That’s why my business isn’t picking up.” For some, The Economy is Slow song may be one they have been singing for so long they don’t even realize how often they might be affirming this way of thinking. The fact is, in many industries things are picking up. For some of us, we never felt a dip at all in the last year. Actually, there are some entrepreneurs... (Read More ...)
Many experts enhance their product offerings with high quality services. Regardless of what you make available to your market, you need to take one very important step. Before you invest time, money or effort into product development make sure you understand the needs of your market. You must have enough information to address these needs. The more you know the more focused you will be on what solutions you create by way of products and services. Pay attention to what your customers/clients are asking for. You can determine what your market wants by studying your own market, studying your competitors’... (Read More ...)
One of the greatest concerns for those who do sell online is how to make sales stick and minimize refunds. Selling someone a product or service is one thing. Making it stick is something else. If you’ve been doing business online for any length of time, you know that making your sales stick and minimizing refunds is essential to your success and your profit margin. Some experts have very few refund requests, while others have a high number. Years ago I heard a very, very well known expert say, “If you’re not getting a lot of refunds, you’re not selling hard enough.” To say I was disappointed... (Read More ...)
The more visible you become in your market, the more you will have people who assume you have an extra few minutes to address their questions – for free. If you don’t learn how to handle this from the start, it can easily get out of control. You can end up spending more time addressing the concerns of people who have no intention of paying you to the detriment of those who do. Learn how to stop this before it gets out of control. Last evening, I had the good fortune of having dinner with my sister who is visiting from California. Over sushi we talked about how grateful we each are for... (Read More ...)
