Power Moves For Every Smalll Business

The United States loves small businesses - it's official!

Why is this? Well, small businesses are seen as a positive influence "on the way things are going in this country." But it's more than that.

Small businesses are the "heartbeat" of creating value. Either through customer experiences, products, or services. This will be my value added proposition to your company in the form of 10 points... that I believe will be the most useful in establishing integrity, community engagement and a high level of customer service. When was the last time you called a small business and got put through to an automated call center? These seemingly small things come together to create a hugely competitive value proposition - and are the lynchpin of your brand.

1. Determine who needs or wants the product or service you offer.

Identify your target audience and develop ways to engage and interact with them. Ask yourself the questions to narrow down your prospective customer base.

The narrower the definition, the more successful you will be. And don't stop with identifying your customer, but work to build a relationship and deliver a product/service for which they come back repeatedly. Retaining customers is equally as important as attracting new ones. So ask their opinion on your product/service via printed or online surveys or through conversations.

2. Make your customers/clients comfortable with you.

They need to have a sense that you'll be creditable and competent. If you don't meet this standard they're not going to want to go any further with you. The art of the sale is not a matter of convincing people to buy what you have; it's finding what hefty want and your ability to deliver.

3. Leverage social media and e-mail marketing.

Social media and e-mail marketing are important tools as a part of an overall balanced media mix for any type of business. It takes you where your customers are. Neither are magic pills, but intelligently and diligently capturing customer data and maintaining a database is a good way to build a foundation for e-mail campaigns. Social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest are good ways to build a client/fan base, as well as engage existing customers. To be effective, however, it must be continually monitored and updated as well as organic in it's approach.

4. Know what online resources are available to help you go global.

Find that outlet online that will allow you to plug your product or service into the global market either commercially or government sources. The key service elements that you should be looking for to assist your global expansion platform are market research, trade events, leads, and information on how to export. The Export-Import Bank of the United States provides export financing by assuming credit and country risk. Also, study the topic, Doing business anywhere: The essential Guide to Going Global by Tom Travis may serve as a step by step guide in this arena.

5. Secure capital in this economic climate.

Small business owners are always on the hunt for sources of capital and guidance on how to secure it. Whether hunting for venture capital or an angle investor, you need to have a solid plan in place to reach both types of investor. Know the ins and outs of your business and have at least an executive summary and have a thorough understanding of your business, your competitors, and be able to speak to your unique selling proposition. Build relationships with community banks and always follow the money. Position your company to meet the needs of those industries and sections with business opportunities on the horizon.

6. Develop strategic alliances.

Contractual or information agreements to work together with another entity afford small businesses the opportunity to, "Play with the big boys", literally. Partnering to form a much larger business allows you to go after much larger contracts-with beneficial gains for both parties. Of course, the objective is to collaborate with someone who can supplement your own capacity.

7. Choose the proper system

If you are starting looking to start a business and you desire a systematic approach them consider franchising or private franchising (more commonly known as home based business). A franchise system provides ongoing support in marketing/advertising, training, and education. The emphasis is on marketing and advertising because while a franchisee can gain financing to stay in business, he or she will fail if potential customers don't know that the business exists. The ideal franchise situation should provide additional training and support, an education on how to connect with people in your respective city, and how to access business resources in their community. They also help business owners learn about tax breaks and tax credits available.

8. Know your business credit score.

A common mistake new business owners make when seeking small business capital is failing to establish business credit separate from personal credit. Most lenders will not finance your business without a business credit history. Start by establishing bank accounts and securing business credit cards to be used exclusively for your business. Before moving to secure your business loan from a small bank, consider establishing lines of credit with your vendors. Ensure that all sources of business credit are reporting your payment history to the Small Business Financial Exchange. The purpose of this third party entity is to report to all of the business credit agencies on your behalf.

9. Create your own opportunities.

Entrepreneurs need to be a bit more creative and solution- oriented in today's challenging market place if they want to acquire new customers. Now is the perfect time for idea generation. Target those sectors and industries that are most promising for growth as you utilize government resources to gain that competitive edge!

10. Rethink business

There's no cookie cutter formula for finding the right balance of time and resources when it comes to focusing on improving your leadership skills, so every entrepreneur will have to determine what works best for them. But particularly when business conditions are poor and competition is fiercer than ever, it's clear that the old rules of business are outdated. So be prepared to reinvent yourself and the organization. Read books, listen to audios, and commit yourself to daily growth.

Your Core Business Numerology Profile - Business Path

In business numerology there are three main numbers that make up the core profile of your business. They are your:

Business Path

Business Expression

Business Motivation

Today we will be looking at your business path. This is found from the registration date of your business and represents 35% of your core (business) profile.

Your business expression number also makes up 35% of your core profile, while your business motivation number makes up the remaining 30%. (We will cover those in more detail in parts 3 and 4 of the series)

You might be wondering why the three core numbers are not equally split across the board? What makes the business motivation number slightly less important than the other two numbers?

The reason is because the drive and motivation behind your business can be overridden by you, the owner or your personal numerology profile.

That is why it is so important your core profile aligns with your core personal profile. If not you may experience some unnecessary problems and obstacles.

Finding Your Path

To find your business path simply add together the numbers from the day, month and year you registered your business then reduce them to a single digit.

For example if your business was registered on the 27th July, 2010, your business path would be 1, worked out as follows:

Day: 2 + 7 = 9

Month: 7 (July is the 7th month)

Year: 2 + 0 + 1 + 0 = 3

9 + 7 + 3 = 19

1 + 9 = 10

1 + 0 = 1

Once you have found your business path number, read below to find out what your number indicates.

What Does it all Mean?

Your business path lets you know the inherent strengths your business has and the opportunities it will experience. The main strength and area of opportunity for each path is as follows:

Innovation

Cooperation

Self-expression

Building foundations

Promotion/PR

Nurturing

Analysis

Big picture strategists

Compassionate tolerance

In the case of the example business registered on 27 July, 2010, the 1 path number would suit an innovative, forward thinking business that likes to be seen as the leader in its chosen field. This is also where the opportunities for this business are.

The good news is that if you are starting a new business, you have some control over the date you register it. You can choose to register it on a day that reduces to a number that best supports the function it will serve.

If you are already in business there's not much you can do to change your registration date unless you register a new business name. In most cases this would be costly, impractical and not advised, especially if you have an existing customer base.

Instead, you can take note of the main strength and opportunity of your existing business and look for ways you can apply it in your day-to-day tasks/activities.

Bonus Tip - You can also use your business path number to help you find more clients using social media.

Why Hasn't Manufacturing Upturn Led to Gain in Jobs?

According to the Institute for Supply Management March "Report on Business, the PMI was 59.6%, an increase of 3.1% over February's 56.5%. Norbert J. ORWE, CPSM, chair of the Manufacturing Business Survey Committee said, "The manufacturing sector of the economy grew for the eighth consecutive month during March. The rate of growth as indicated by the PMI is the fastest since July 2004...The Inventories Index provided a surprise as it indicated growth for the first time following 46 months of liquidation - perhaps signaling manufacturers' willingness to increase inventories based on expected levels of activity." This wasn't just an upturn in a few industries - 17 of the 18 manufacturing industries reported growth in the PMI in March.

The PMI is the Purchasing Management Index, based on data compiled from purchasing and supply executives nationwide. A PMI reading above 50% indicates that the manufacturing economy is expanding and below 50% indicates that it is declining. At the very worst of the recession, it was 32.5% in December of 2008.

While it's good news for our economy that manufacturing has grown for eight months in a row, why has the national unemployment rate held at 9.7% for the third month in a row in March, after peaking at 10.1% in October 2009?

It's the loss of manufacturing jobs that is keeping unemployment so high. Too many manufacturers are sourcing all or most of their manufacturing offshore. An upturn in their business doesn't mean more manufacturing jobs for Americans if they aren't producing or buying everything for their products in the United States. Since 2001, we've lost 63% of the U. S. textile industry and 74% of the U. S. printed circuit board industry. We lost 47% of communication equipment jobs and 43% of motor vehicle and parts industry jobs.

In addition, manufacturers are doing more with less; existing employees are required to work harder and longer because manufacturers aren't hiring new people until they have more confidence that the upturn in business will continue. Manufacturers aren't building up inventory to fill orders - they are ordering materials, components, parts, and assemblies as needed to fill orders they receive from their customers.

The number of manufacturing jobs is a better indicator of what's really happening in the economy than the stock market. Many of the companies on the Dow and Standard & Poor index of the stock exchange are no longer American-owned companies. They are companies that I call multinational globalist companies, which have no loyalty to the United States and don't care about providing jobs for Americans. These companies may be doing well based on their worldwide business and could post profits and have their stock prices go up without creating jobs for American workers and benefiting the U. S. economy as a whole.

Tips For Internet Marketing Customers

Internet marketing has had a burst in the past few years. It appeared almost three decades ago, being the invention of entrepreneurial people, with an innovative spirit; people who wanted to leave the busy offices, short deadlines for projects and angry bosses in favor of the privacy of their homes.

How does it work? Well, the answer is very simple. A person who has a business idea creates a website. The website presents the business: items that can be bought (goods or services), details about these items, information regarding the price, delivery or refund.

Customers have to be with their eyes wide opened when they decide to do some online shopping. If you are a new customer, there are a few things you need to know. First of all, don't shop from the first website you find. Use a search engine. Search engines are tools that help the internet users find online database.

Customer service is the most important thing for most of the people when they shop. It is available on the internet too. Customer service still has to work, it doesn't matter that the shopping is done into an online environment. Do not accept rudeness. It is your money sellers are looking for and you expect instead a quality service. Refunds must be available on any serious website. Do not be afraid; do not hesitate to ask for these refunds.

You can face a situation in which the objects purchased can be delivered in a damaged state. Make sure that you receive your money back or another object. It should be your choice.

Look for offers. The first website you visit is not the only one. There are thousands of websites, each with its own offers and prices. A good website always tracks the competition's offers and updates its own offers. Take advantage of this. You will see that it is worth it. Enter websites that provide enough information about the objects they sell. One that has information that you need to search in nooks is not reliable.

As a loyal customer of some website, do not accept e-mails if you don't want to. There are websites that create loyal customers lists. When in such a list, you can receive spams or e-mails containing information about the new objects they provide or offers. They can be useful, but as a loyal customer, it is clear that you enter the website whenever you need something. You don't need them to announce you that it is high time to do it. It is one of their strategies to persuade people buy different items. You might not even need the item.

Even if you are a loyal customer or just a person who wants to try the experience of online shopping, it is important to know that a series of services are at your disposal to help you in the process. Use them to help you; they will keep you away of any unwanted situations.

The Best Business Plan for Your New Venture

A well-conceived business plan does much more than merely describe what will become your business. Your business plan must first and foremost portray you as a competent and trustworthy professional and furthermore sell your entrepreneurial concept.

Along with a description of the products or services you'll offer, your plan will also describe a promising business model, the marketplace in which you'll compete, reasonable estimates of start-up and monthly operating expenses and when the business can be expected to turn a profit. If outside funding is required, then the plan must convince lenders or investors that you are prepared and qualified to build a significantly profitable enterprise. A good business plan will do the following:

Describe the products and services

Identify target customers

Identify and evaluate major competitors

Describe the business environment

Present a profitable business model

Detail the marketing plan

Detail the operations plan

Detail the financial projections

Present the qualifications of the management team

Provide an exit strategy

Here are business plan options for three scenarios:

The Executive Summary

An expanded Executive Summary can serve as a useful business plan, in particular for those who will launch a venture that will have modest start-up costs and operating expenses. A detailed Executive Summary can provide a good road map from which to launch a business venture, yet it is not a business plan option for those who will approach lending institutions or investors.

The expanded Executive Summary will include a description of products and services that will be sold, identify primary client groups and competitors and give an overview of the business environment. The business model, marketing plan, operations plan and financial data will also be provided. To be useful, the Executive Summary business plan must fully integrate the above components and demonstrate how the business will become profitable.

The Operational Business Plan

An Operational Business Plan is produced by an existing organization with several years' performance history, usually with a goal to either apply for expansion capital or prepare for the sale of the company. Operational Business Plans may also be used to upgrade and streamline how a business runs, functioning as a guide for the management team.

The Operational Business Plan delves into great detail about production, customers, competitors, the marketplace and business environment, sales distribution channels, management and staffing. Historical data are available and five years of financial statements are typically included, along with financial projections that forecast the company's expected performance over the next three years.

The business plan to attract investors

When outside investment is sought, it goes without saying that the potential for strong profits must be demonstrated. The more money that is requested, the bigger the promised profits must be and the more quickly realized. A break-even analysis, which shows the timeline for when revenues and operating expenses will equalize and the business will be positioned to earn a profit, along with credible financial assumptions and revenue projections, are critical in this scenario.

If the business is an existing one, the financial projections must appear to be attainable, based on the five-year financial history given. Make sure that your business and personal credit scores are 700+, as lending institutions are highly selective and conservative in regards to awarding loans.

Venture capitalists and angel investors may be somewhat more forgiving of a less than perfect credit rating if your business concept and model are extraordinary. Beta test the products/services, business model and operations with a sampling of target customers to verify product demand and your ability to efficiently deliver the goods to the marketplace.

For VCs, the potential for big profits is king. They are in it for the pot of gold that comes when the company goes public and stock is offered. Angels are not totally dissimilar to VCs, but they are drawn to an entrepreneur's vision and passion in addition to the pay-off.

Regardless of the type of business that you choose to launch and whether you will self-finance or seek funding from others, a well-written business plan will ensure that you think critically about your ability to build a business, either alone or with partners. Your business plan is the road map to entrepreneurial success.

Do You Have Any Idea About Network Marketing?

Internet marketing is a huge business opportunity and does opens up the door to a big fortune and there are plenty of examples of famous millionaires who have paved their way to affluence and success through this avenue. The truth is internet marketing is just blooming and there is chance for each of us to find our own niche of success which will not be difficult if you go through the right procedures. There are millions of home-based businesses which have sprouted up in the recent couple of years and it is estimated that there will be around 80,000,000 home-based businesses in the next five years which is a whooping number and with the number of business options going high, internet marketing is definitely going to succeed and there are opportunities for each of us and the best part about this marketing is you don't have to be a people person because you can market without so much as meeting or speaking to anyone.

One of the first steps in internet marketing is to try to create business relationships with like-minded people. This is a very important criterion in internet marketing and identifying your group of like-minded people will make sure that you are forming your connections with like-minded people which will allow you to form your own network. Forming your own network is a very important part of this line of marketing.

Marketing knowledge is an added advantage but not a compulsory need. If you do not have any sales or marketing knowledge, all you need to have is an open mind to learn. A person who is eager to learn will certainly do well than other people who are not willing to learn the right tips to carry out successful marketing.

Do You Want To Improve The Performance Of Your Business?

A Checklist to Begin the Journey of Improved Business Performance

"Culture isn't just one aspect of the game - it is the game. In the end, an organization is nothing more than the collective capacity of its people to create value." Lou Gerstner, Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?

Reviewing the management process of a large, nationally operating company recently highlighted once again the continual challenge of remaining objective about the business we lead. Our repeated observation is owners and managers of businesses may declare they want to implement new ways to enhance business performance, but rarely understand and accept that as leaders of the enterprise, their own personal change must accompany or precede business change.

Although senior management may name a set of values they assume will create the organizational culture, the real culture will be determined by how all workers perceive daily operations are actually practiced and rewarded. An old maxim states, 'Perception is stronger than reality'. Our work teams will see, feel, sense and then practice the culture of our business long before they adopt any stated values or formally announced strategies and processes.

Behavioural change will not come through talking, written communications, lecturing or demanding a particular process. Effective long term change to increase company value and stability requires carefully thought out modelling of the proposed practices and processes plus showing all team members what needs to be done and how to do it. Rose-coloured glasses will maintain business performance at mediocre levels, based on historical practices in the company.

Bill and Kristine Schneider of the Corporate Development Group (CDG) emphasise how company value and growth is likely to be highest when the cultural practices, leadership style and strategy adopted by a company are aligned.

The following is a detailed checklist allowing any business to begin the journey of improving business performance. It is not intended to be comprehensive but will highlight sufficient key issues for your business to review. Please use the checklist as a positive assessment of how you can kickstart new growth and understanding of your business strategy.

Company Leadership:

Does your business have a clearly defined written strategy as a foundation for all decision-making?

Does your leadership team pro-actively research, discuss and adopt what is required to enhance business certainty and clarity?

Do you conduct frequent regular reviews of operational and strategic planning?

Are you confident about what is required to take the business to the next level?

Have all business owners and senior management team members formally indicated they will learn and adopt all required changes to enhance growth?

Have all business owners and senior management team members formally indicated they will commence the journey of personal change required to enhance their own leadership?

Have you listed 5-6 practices of yourself or other leaders/managers in the business clearly inhibiting growth and clarity for the future?

Do you know how to lead all staff into a program of change and improvement?

Can you succinctly explain the Vision and Mission of the business?

Have you done any specific leadership and management training in the past 10 years?

Do you read about and study businesses, leadership and management frequently?

Do you have certainty and clarity about the business in all areas?

If not, how do you deal with this? (This may include personal skills you struggle with, tasks you are required to do for which you do not feel equipped, team issues, business functions, how suggestions or recommendations are handled... or anything!)

How would you describe your leadership and management style and practice? (be honest!)? How do you think others would describe it?

· Autocratic/Controlling

· Participative/Democratic

· Developer/Trainer

· Visionary/Big Picture

Staff Training:

Many companies limit growth by neglecting staff training. The resultant focus on short term targets delays expansion or stops it completely.

Do you have a specific program of in-depth staff training?

Does formal staff training include learning methods additional to lecture style and written instructions?

Has the business designed and implemented on-the-job training processes to model and demonstrate all systems and processes?

Can staff have some autonomy and be free to make mistakes as they learn?

Does every staff member have a personal training and development plan?

Do all business owners and senior managers have a personal training and development plan?

If each staff member was asked about on-the-job training would they say it is frequent, relevant and equips them well for their role?

Marketing and Customer Service

Do you view marketing as unnecessary?

Do you have a multi-strategy marketing plan?

Is there a procedure and schedule in place to frequently review your marketing?

Do you have a specific written description of your key target market groups?

Can you identify your primary customers (ie customers who create 80% plus of your business)?

If so, is the plan known by all key personnel?

What perception do your primary customers have of your business? How do you know?

What uniqueness are you giving clients to create competitive advantage?

Can you list the performance drivers of the business? i.e the factors that determine success - they must happen or everything heads south.

Are Innovation, Creativity and Research being specifically nurtured, developed, tested and measured?

Do you have a system of testing and measuring all marketing and advertising strategies?

Do you have a clear picture of how many leads are required to obtain 1 customer and what the process of lead generation costs?

Are your staff trained in how to use an effective sales process?

Does the business have a specific program for writing effective advertising copy for all marketing strategies?

Would relevant staff say all marketing and sales processes are frequently reviewed and therefore work well?

Financials, Performance and Business Control:

Is business growth decided and planned? (the alternative is merely hoping it will happen)

Do you have a Gross Revenue & Net Profit target for each Market/Industry segment as relevant to your business?

Do you have other targets for various indicators relevant to your business?

Do you have a written comprehensive strategy with detailed action plans and teams to move toward strategy achievement?

Have you identified key issues and risks hindering achievement of growth plans?

Do you have a risk management plan to protect the business against all reasonably foreseeable scenarios?

Do you have a plan to ensure all systems and processes to keep up with proposed growth are reviewed, installed, updated or changed?

Is there a plan to adequately fund all proposed areas of growth for the business?

Combined, the answers to these questions will give you a general, overall picture of the strengths and weakness of your business. This will give you clarity as you move towards improved business performance.

The Ways to Deal With Health Risks in Big Cities

Nowadays, with the development of modern society, the human health is greatly affected by the busy activities. People are always busy with their jobs. "24-hour society" has appeared all over the world. At the beginning, 24-hour society meant the rapid development of the modern society. Recently, 24-hour society has been used to mean the busy life of people in big cities.

People in big cities are always puzzled by many health problems caused by the busy life. Because of excessive activities and jobs, people can not get adequate rest in time. The functions of the brain have been hurt seriously. According to the medical research, the flow rate of blood in the brain can be increased when people are sleeping. Thus, the demand of brain cells to blood oxygen can be met and the discharge of wastes in the brain can be accelerated. In addition, adequate sleep can also enhance the memory and improve the intelligence for people. If people always stay up late, chronic dysfunction of brain can be caused. In addition, it is also easy for people to get cardiovascular diseases if people always stay up late. When people stay up late, the normal functions of the human organs and the normal standard of blood-fat can be disturbed. It can hurt the angiocarpy and cause coronary heart disease seriously. In addition, the high pressure of life and jobs can increase the blood pressure to cause high blood pressure and cerebral apoplexy. It has been proved that inadequate rest of the brain is an important reason to cause cardiovascular diseases. 24-hour society can also accelerate the aging of the human body and decrease the human immunity.

In order to keep healthy and avoid serious consequences caused by 24-hour society, it is important for people to form healthy habits in everyday life. For example, people should avoid staying up late and get adequate rest as far as possible. The night activities like staying in a bar should be reduced. It is also important for people to supplement essential nutrients like vitamin C, iron, zinc and calcium in time. In addition, people should take aerobic exercises in a right amount so as to improve the physical conditions. People can choose suitable kinds of sports like jogging and swimming according to their own physical conditions. Bad habits in everyday life can seriously endanger the human health. Therefore, bad habits like drinking coffee before going to bed should be thrown away.

How to Make Money From Home Even If You Have No Idea What You're Doing

Nearly everyone on the planet wonders how to make money from home, and that's understandable; after all, who wants to spend their life time working a 9 to 5 job that will likely never lead to a financially independent future? You spend 40 hours a week (plus commute time) away from your family. Get home in the evenings, eat dinner, go to bed and start all over again the next day - what kind of life is that? In this article, you will find out how you can earn a living from your own home even if you have no idea where to start.

Whether you want to make money online or do something else from your home such as start a catering business or home daycare, there is no reason you cannot pursue your dream. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of guides and e-books online that explain exactly how to do anything, from affiliate marketing, blogging and freelance writing to starting your own craft business. If you can think up a good work from home idea that suits your interests, there are resources online that will lay it all out for you so that you can get started in a business of your own.

If you don't want to purchase a CD course or e-book in order to learn how to make money from home, you can learn a great deal simply by researching online. However, be warned that if you go this route it will likely take you a good deal of time to figure it all out. When you purchase a good guide or e-book (which can usually be found for around $47 or less,) everything is laid out for you in a step-by-step manner, so that you know exactly what you need to do from beginning to end in order to build a successful home business for yourself. This is a small investment in your future, as anyone would agree.

Today, the most popular and profitable methods used to make money online include affiliate marketing, blogging and freelance writing. Does it all sound a bit intimidating? It may sound impossible, but you can put any of these methods to work for you as long as you are motivated and determined to create a stable financial future for yourself.

Affiliate marketing simply means you sell someone else's product or service and earn a commission. Most merchants let you join for free, and give you links or banners to place on your website or blog. If you want to start up a blog about Play Station 3's or skin care for women over 40, you can find products to promote that are related to your interests.

One of the best ways to make money from home today is through writing. If you have used the internet to do searches for information, you know there are literally billions of websites online. The owners of these websites need fresh content on a regular basis in order to keep their businesses listed high in the search engines. You don't have to have a degree in writing or anything more than a high school diploma as long as you have good spelling and grammar skills! Write articles, web content and blog posts for these website owners, and earn yourself a handsome income each and every month - right from your own home!

Information on how to make money from your own home abounds on the internet, so there is no reason you cannot fire your boss! If you're tired of making someone else rich and need ideas to help you figure out what route you want to take, visit the links below.

Big Reasons Why Most Businesses Fail

Many years ago, I tried to start a storefront business. Actually, I tried to start a bunch of businesses through out the years. But this particular business was it! I thought of a clever name, had a coworker design a logo, and then I bought inventory. I'm officially in business, so I thought! I was excited and ready to start my business. I even started looking at offices to run my business.

I had everything: Enthusiasm, confidence, desire and most of all, a great idea that was a sure sure path to success and riches. This time.

I started an E-bay drop ship business. I was selling sports paraphernalia. Everything was going great. I was buying products dirt cheap from a warehouse and selling them on e-bay at a pretty nice profit. However, I did not have a plan. All I know is that I wanted to make a lot of money - fast.

I did not account for the cost of shipping. I did not account for shipping costs for different areas of the country and for the size of the boxes in which I mailed the products. This ultimately ended by drop ship business along with other unexpected costs,

But those weren't the main reasons I went of business. The three main reason my business and most other businesses shut down is - lack of vision, plans and goals.

Vision

Vision is a clear picture of where you want your business to go. For example, your vision could be that you want your business to grow from one store to four stores in 10 years if you're running an offline business. If you're running an online business, your vision is to make enough money to be able to start an online marketing academy to help other struggling marketers.

Vision helps you and your business have something to strive toward. Your vision is a map to guide you on your business journey. When you have a vision, you have a clearer a since why you do what you do and anything that does not help you reach your vision, you should not pursue.

Goal

Goals are specific milestones that helps you get closer to your vision. Goals are specific, attainable and they have a deadline attached to them. I should have one more ingredient for a goal. It should have action!

Your goals should also be measurable, challenging but realistic. Setting a goal that says I want to make 1 millions dollars in three months is a goal but unrealistic. A better goal is I want to make 1 million dollars in my business in one year by using online and offline marketing strategies such as giving out business cards, running solo ads and posting articles on my website and e-zines.

It is important to write your goals down. keep them in front of you at all times. This will keep you focused and will help you not lose sight of your goal(s). As time goes by, you may have to reevaluate your goals depending on how situations change. It's OK to set new goals. Businesses do it all the time. But you must keep your goals.

Because starting a business requires so much commitment, time and focus, it's good to celebrate after achieving a goal. Celebrating renews your spirit and gives you the energy to keep going,

In the bible, even God celebrated his achievements. He created the sky and he said that was good, He created the water and the fowl of the air he said that was good. And on the six day he created man and he said that was good. On the seventh day, he rested.

We should have the same philosophy when building our businesses.

Plans

Plans are a foundation for helping you achieve your goals. As the old saying goes, people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. Although failure is not necessarily a bad thing, you should strive to fail as fast as possible so you can move on to success. What this means is that you're going to make mistakes. Make the small mistakes early so you can learn from them. And use what you learned from those past mistakes to succeed.

Just like you need a blue print to build your house, you need a blue print for your business. The blue print for your business. The blue print for your business is your business plan. Here is what you need to include in your business plan:

Who is your target market?

What will we sell (Be specific)?

What makes us different from the competition?

You don't have to write a two page business plans to include taxes, credit, inventory, receivables, etc. like your traditional offline business but you need a short term and long term plan, plan of action to achieve your goals and your marketing strategies.