Friday 31 December 2010

Healthy New Year Habits for Entrepreneurs

By Kathi Burns

Manage your emails and phone calls
a. Never check email or voice mail first thing in the morning b. Schedule regular times to check emails and stick to it c. Read recent emails first d. Allocate the amount of time you will spend and stop promptly e. Create email signatures to sign off with one click f. Read it, delete or move it
Pre-plan and then plan again - keep your eye on your large goals
a. Plan next week either on Friday afternoon (business) or Sunday evening (mom) b. Plan your day before it plans you!
Set your intentions and goals for the day in advance of that day
The day before, the night before or in the morning before you begin your tasks for that day c. Allocate specific time slots for recurring tasks, do them over and over at the same time each week
Gasoline, banking, grocery shopping
Calls, reports, marketing d. Arrive early for appointments
Spend the time you wait for others to plan what you want to accomplish in the meeting
a.This will decrease your stress level b.You will appear poised, professional & in control of your schedule instead of harried and disorganized
Umbrella Your Day (create chunks of time for related activities)
Divide your main responsibilities into 5 days, for example:
Monday = Planning Day
Tuesday = Current Large Project
Wednesday = Outside Appointments, Errands
Thursday = Bills / Paperwork
Friday = Research Day
Create an exit area in your office for all items that need to leave your space.
a. Place things there as you find them.
b. Choose an area on your desk or credenza that is positioned towards the door
Create 'To Do' Lists
a. Complete the three most important tasks each day before you move onto anything else
Take Control Your Papers
a. Check it, move it into a predetermined place off the counter until you are ready to take action
b. Handle it only once before you work on it
Learn to say NO
a. Don't volunteer until you take a moment to determine whether you have the time to fulfill the commitment
b. Give yourself permission to reconsider commitments Delete unnecessary tasks from your schedule that detract from your BIG picture goals
c. Don't automatically respond to another persons problem / fire before you determine whether it is going to foul up your agenda
Kathi Burns, CPO is a Board Certified Professional Organizer and Image Consultant and author of Master Your Muck.
Her website addSpaceToYourLife.com, is known for it's straightforward organizing advice and simple solutions for home and business. addSpace To Your Life is also a powerful resource for wardrobe, image and time management challenges.
Kathi's new book, How to Master Your Muck, is filled with illuminating stories and empowering methods designed to teach us that growth requires space. Muck sabotages creative expression. It acts as a roadblock to our success. Muck blocks our ability to be free. Kathi's tips, sidebars, and action steps train us to release what no longer serves us and to create space for inspired living.

Sunday 26 December 2010

Entrepreneur - The Vital Ingredient for Longevity

By Christine O'Dwyer 


In challenging economic times you have a choice whether to cower with fear and regret or whether to start a business and profit. Did you know that more millionaires were made during The Great Depression of the 1930s than in any other era in US history? It is in the challenging times that entrepreneurs flourish.
There are so many reasons why people start their own business these include:
-Be the boss, make decisions, take time off when they want
-Greater possibility of significant financial rewards
-Prestige of leadership
-Involved 100% in the businesses
-Make a contribution and help the local economy
Once the business plan is made and the finance in underway they move forward with extreme motivation and positivity. However a shocking 80% of businesses fail within the first 3 years. Why is this? Whilst I do not have all the reasons why these businesses fail, I do have one way to increase the success rate. This is a secret shared by one of my mentors Simon Sinek.
The Missing Ingredient
As an entrepreneur you need to define the ultimate reason you are in business and be sure to distinguish this from your how you do business and the results you get. If you ask many entrepreneurs why they are in business many will say for the money, no that's a result not their 'why'. Others may say it's because they love what they do, no, that's how not their 'why'. You need to be very clear on your why. And yes it will most likely fall somewhere within the reasons listed above and will be very personal to you.
So what's so important about identifying your why. By identifying your why you will maintain your motivation and purpose. Everything decision you make in business will be guided by your why. If you are moving further away from your why you will steer yourself back on course with the necessary action. If moving towards your why you will drive ahead in a focused way.
When starting up in business or when running a business there are so many distractions. By knowing your why you can quickly eliminate the irrelevant ones and consider only the relevant distractions. This helps you stay focused on your business and move your business forward.
When starting my home business I thought of so many good reasons why to go into business. I also listed all the features of the business and fooled myself into thinking this was why I was going to be an entrepreneur. Such features included that it runs automatically 24 hours per day 7 days per week; continuous learning; relatively low initial investment. These were not my 'whys' these were my 'hows'. It took time for me to ultimately identify why I am an entrepreneur with this businesshttp://www.havingthebestday.com. My why is, so I can be at the school gate everyday to collect my children. After years of being torn between children and career I drew a line in the sand and said enough is enough. I took action with http://www.havingthebestday.com. What's your why?

Why Start Your Own Business?

By Chris Pascall 



Why would anyone want to start their own business? I am sure this is a question that is asked every day. Here are some of the reasons why starting your own business is a good idea:-
You are your own boss
You make the decisions
You can work at your own pace, slow or quick
Financial freedom - money that is made is yours
Your ideas stay with you
You can take control of your life
You can make a difference - you may be a niche market providing a valuable service or product
With many businesses you don't need business premises
Lifestyle changes
Starting your own business may seem a little frightening. But if you have been working in a job that is similar to the business that you intend starting, then you will have knowledge of both the job and the industry. For example you may be a web designer working for a large organisation, thinking about setting up your own web design business.
To achieve all of the above effectively you'll need to develop the right mindset along the way. If you are passionate about your business this goes a very long way to being successful, otherwise instead of creating a successful business you could end up simply creating another job for yourself and working longer hours for less money.
Even in today with the uncertain economic climate it's still easier than ever to start your own business. You don't need business premises - you can start in your living room. You can start a business in your spare time with a huge investment. In this Internet, digital information age it's the right time to reach an international market.
If there's ever a right time to take the plunge, it's right now, today. My current business is internet marketing, which I do from home. I love helping others and making a difference.
If you would like to know more about the system we work with and receiving mentoring from us why not take that first step and get our free video bootcamp http://www.sixfigurewealthcreation.com
To find out more about the authors http://stuartandchrispascall.com.

Sunday 5 December 2010

Understanding The Business Entrepreneur

By Peter L Bennett 



Who is the business entrepreneur?
The business entrepreneur is not a "person" but a part of everyone's personality. The entrepreneur is our visionary, the creator that can be found in each of us.
We're born with that quality and it defines our lives as we respond to what we see, hear, feel, and experience. What we do with it is up to us.
It is developed, nurtured, and given space to flourish or it is squelched, thwarted, without air or stimulation, and dies. Look at anyone around you and you will recognize whether or not the entrepreneur is alive and well within them.
The business entrepreneur in us sees opportunities everywhere we look, but many people see only problems everywhere they look. (I bet we all know people like that!)
The business entrepreneur in us is more concerned with choosing between opportunities than he or she is with failing to see the opportunities. Opportunities are everywhere if you are open to it.
We're all born with what we need to be a business entrepreneur. 
We are born to create. Everyone is born with that drive, desire, passion, and interest. It is what we do with it that makes the difference.
Most business owners have not fully developed or nurtured the entrepreneur ideas within themselves. Working in the business consumes them with little time left to work on it.
There is no time or energy to be creative, nor the understanding that being creative is being alive, fully alive. Few business owners are fully alive; they're too busy working for a living.
A business entrepreneurial seizure
A business entrepreneurial seizure is the moment the entrepreneur decides it would be a great idea to start his or her own business. It's when one believes that knowing how to do the work of a business is all one needs to understand in order to start and grow a business.
So the accountant starts an accounting practice; the mechanic starts an auto repair business; the cook opens up a restaurant. They go to work, accounting, fixing cars, or cooking meals, none of which is the true work of the entrepreneur.
In doing so, the person who starts his or her own business is lost in the teeming confusion created by demands he or she never anticipated...the demands of organization, the demands of cash flow, the demands of people -- employees, customers, suppliers, banks, family -- and so forth and so on.
They are simply not prepared for the demands that are going to be made on them. The longer they're in business, the worse it gets. There is no vision; there is only being a slave to work and staying alive. The seizure is long gone; the entrepreneurial vision a vague memory.
The business entrepreneur is not really interested in doing the work; 
He is interested in creating the way the company operates. In that regard, the entrepreneur is an inventor. He or she loves to invent, but does not love to manufacture or sell or distribute what he or she invents.
You will not find business entrepreneurs on the production line. You will find them in their office, their room, in their research center, in their mind, dreaming about the product, or building a sample of the product, or drawing a picture of the product on the back of a napkin. Entrepreneurs are dreaming, scheming, imagining, playing.... not doing it, doing it, doing it.
The business entrepreneur goes to work ON the business, not IN the business.
The business entrepreneur invents a business that is more successful than any other business. The business entrepreneur builds an enterprise; the technician builds a job.
It takes study, practice, continuous education and experience for the entrepreneur to create a world class company. While top entrepreneurs seem to be born with the qualities and traits that mark them, there has, in fact, been an enormous amount of trial and error in their lives.
In many ways, it is the school of hard knocks that can turn innocuous little stones into sparkling, outrageous gems called entrepreneurs. Giving up is not an option and challenges are just par for the course.
Trust your entrepreneurial spirit, never give in and chase your dreams until they become just as real in reality as they ever did in your mind.
You will be glad you did.
Make every post a winner!!
Become the business entrepreneur you have always wanted to be.
The business entrepreneur lies within all of us. Don't fight it. Get out of your own way and watch the magic.
If you want to find out more about me, feel free to visit my about me blog page at Work With Pete Bennett

Saturday 13 November 2010

Wednesday 10 November 2010

7 Secrets to Entrepreneur Inspiration and Motivation Every Day

Even if you absolutely love your business, when you are an entrepreneur it can be difficult to find daily inspiration and motivation. However, when you can wake up each day excited and ready to go, your business and your personal life will thrive. There are tremendous benefits to finding inspiration and motivation every day. Here's how to get it done:
#1 Gratitude
Gratitude accomplishes amazing things. One way to wake up motivated and inspired is to create a habit of gratitude. Journal the things you're grateful for at the end of every day. Or wake up and before you get out of bed, journal what you're grateful for today. Create a habit of gratitude and you'll establish a positive and energetic mindset. There really is so much to be grateful for.
#2 Set Small Goals
Long-term goals are great. However, when a goal is far off in the future, it's tough to find motivation to achieve them. However, smaller goals can be inspiring especially for an entrepreneur. You can set smaller daily or weekly goals to spur inspiration and motivation. Remember to set goals that get you excited. If you're not a money-motivated person, for example, then a monetary goal isn't going to motivate you.
#3 Do What You Love First
It's easy to get into a ritual rut. You wake in the morning, have your coffee, check your email and start working. The thing you love to do most is often down on your priority list. This makes starting your day less than exhilarating. However, if you rearrange your daily routine and do what you love first, then getting out of bed is easy and exciting.
#4 Affirmations
Mindset is powerful. An affirmation is a positive statement that helps you create inspiration and motivation. Affirmations help reaffirm and inspire a positive mindset. Determine what's preventing you from feeling motivated and inspired each day and create an affirmation that supports change.
#5 Reward Yourself
Some days are just tough to get through and even more challenging when you are an entrepreneur. Instead of trying to avoid them or forcing yourself to push through them, reward yourself. Rewards help you stay focused on the end result and the silver lining. Additionally, a reward doesn't have to be huge. Sometimes a simple reward like your favorite coffee drink at the local coffee shop can be enough to help you stay positive and inspired all day long.
#6 Surround Yourself
One great way to stay inspired and motivated is to surround yourself with inspiration. Listen to inspiring music. Create a home office that you enjoy spending time in. Surround yourself with the things you love. It'll make each and every day so much more enjoyable.
#7 Take Time Off
When most people think about taking time off, they look at annual vacations. However, it's important to take more time off than just a week or two a year. Consider taking time off each week or month. Even a few hours or a day or two can really make a difference, as an entrepreneur large blocks of time out of the office usually don't happen. It gives you time to recharge and find that original source of inspiration and motivation.
Building and growing a business is difficult. Finding inspiration and motivation can make the difference between a struggling business and discontent to a thriving business and joy. Use these seven tips to help find inspiration and motivation each and every day.
Whether you are marketing a business, service, or yourself learning new marketing and communication strategies and implementing social media tools can help give you that 'edge' to succeed.
Using new media marketing can help you stand out from your competition and exceed your goals. Want more marketing strategies that can help you maximize new media? Visit New Social Media.com for more new media marketing tips and and communication strategies today!
You can also copy and paste http://www.NewSocialMedia.org into your web browser. Thank you for taking the time to read this article.

Sunday 17 October 2010

FREE FACTSHEET 27 Top Money-Making Tips On Using Twitter For Marketing

The social networking phenomenon Twitter is so popular and so big that any business, particularly an internet based business, cannot afford to miss out on its potential as a great tool for marketing. Its tremendously valuable to marketers because of its capacity to target a specific audience and communicate with them in real time.


I've just posted a new article on How To Use Twitter As A Marketing Tool on the Biz Skills 2000 website, so please take a look and help yourself to a free download at BizSkills2000.co.uk/free-factsheets/  Let me know if you found it useful, and also send me your requests for factsheets in the future that would help your business andrew@bizskills2000.co.uk

Friday 8 October 2010

How a Low-Risk Entrepreneur Can Start a Work at Home Business

Ezine-Articles | How a Low-Risk Entrepreneur Can Start a Work at Home Business
By: Jeff Casmer

Many of us dream of working from home; however, in the past there were few legitimate work at home business opportunities that allowed you to do so. Entrepreneurs at heart had the option of either joining a multi-level program, holding in-home parties for kitchen ware or cosmetics, or selling restate. Many of these however, required a substantial investment without the guarantee of success. In fact statistics say that four in five businesses fail in the first five years.

What was the low risk-taking business person, who wanted to create a dream worthy life to do? Take all their business savvy online. Detailed below are some of things you should keep in mind when venturing online to start a work at home business.

Anyone successful will tell you that the best way to make money is to find something you enjoy doing and try to make a living doing it. Whatever you decide to do make sure it is something youre either good at or have a great interest in.

This will not only keep you motivate when things are not going as planned, but it will also make your job easier. There is no better feeling then wanting to get up and go to work.

Do not look for opportunities that will make you a lot of money look for ones that you will make you very happy.

2. Create a business plan

There in no cliche in the phrase those who fail to plan, plan to fail. The number of failed business online is even greater than offline business. This is due to a lack of planning on the entrepreneurs part. If you dont have a plan, you not only how to execute your goals, you dont have a clear concept of what your goals are. There are many services out there that will help you draft one if you feel overwhelmed.

3. Find a mentor

The probability of success will be greatly improved if you have someone to help you realize your dreams, someone who has not only traveled down your road but has become successful. Often all it takes is reading the advice of those before you to get a sense of what you should and, sometimes more importantly, what you should not be doing.

4. Create a website

A number of people shy away from online businesses for fear of having to build a website. But with so many templates, cheap domains and even already made sites theres no reason for anyone to be scarred to dip their feet into the net marketing pool. Creating a website is neither taxing nor expensive.

You can obtain a domain for as little as five dollars and there are free tutorials on the web to teach you how to build one. You might even want to setup a blog which gives you the benefits of having a website without the work or the expenses. Although you will hear people say that you do not need a website to make money online, having one makes the task easier.

5. Start making money

There are a multitude of avenues that can direct you to financial success. You can for example create an adsense site. These types of sites offer users useful information and in exchange you make money when a user clicks on a Google advertisement. Or you may want to sell others people merchandise as anaffiliate marketer. If you have your own product you can create a sales page for it. If not, you can create an information product or buy the rights to one and sell it to your customers. The possibilities are endless.

If you are an entrepreneur at heart, but dont want the stress of having to commute back and forth to an offline business, then an online venture or work at home business is perfect for you.
Author Resource:- Jeff Casmer is an internet marketing consultant and work at home business owner. For more information on affiliate programs please visit his "Top Ranked" Best Affiliate Programs Directory gives you all the information you need to Earn Money in the 21st century.
Article From Ezine-Articles

Tuesday 5 October 2010

"The Real Deal" James Caan autobiography



Great read about the life of the great "Dragons Den" entrepreneur James Caan from his childhood as an immigrant in London; the early years of his business career; and his life and times as a wealthy businessman and philanthropist. 

Saturday 2 October 2010

Business Brainstorming Techniques to Grow Your Business

Brainstorming is an important tool for developing new ideas for your business. Brainstorming activities are also useful in solving problems faced by your business or your industry.
Here are three tips to help you get the most out of your brainstorming sessions. 
  1. Schedule Brainstorming Time - Put this activity on your calendar so it is not forgotten or pushed aside by another project. Schedule as much time as you can, but even a 10 minute brainstorming session can generate a long list of creative ideas.
  2. Record Everything - During your brainstorming activities, write down every idea that comes to mind. Do not filter out any ideas and never trust yourself to remember the ideas at a later time. Write them down immediately so you can refer back to the ideas in the future.
  3. No Criticism or Judging - When you are capturing creative ideas, do not criticize or judge any of the ideas. You can evaluate your list of ideas at a later time. During the brainstorming session, your goal is simply to come up with ideas and get them recorded. Don't worry about the cost or other obstacles involved with implementing an idea, just write it down. If you are brainstorming with other people, do not criticize or judge any person's ideas - that can ruin a brainstorming session.
After your brainstorming session, keep writing down future ideas as they come to you. For the next few days, be sure to keep a pencil and paper, recorder or other system close to you for recording additional thoughts. These thoughts may be completely new ideas, a refinement of an earlier idea, or thoughts on how to implement a particular idea. The same rules apply here: write down every idea without any criticism or judging.
Try scheduling a brainstorming activity every week and watch your list of creative ideas grow.
For more tips on growing your business, claim your Free copy my report "Innovation Excellence - Unleash the Power of Innovation to Boost Your Bottom Line" by visiting http://www.InnovationStrategyReport.com
From Steve Sponseller - Innovation Strategist

Thursday 30 September 2010

James Caan: My favourite Dragons Den entrepreneur

I don't know how much attention you pay to "Dragons Den" these days. Personally, I've
slightly gone off the main programme and find instead that the follow-up What Happened Next
spin-offs are far more interesting. Sometimes you can pick up a good idea or a useful tip in
amongst the general business chit-chat.

Anyway, I just wanted to talk a little about my favourite Dragon and that's James Caan. He
comes across on TV as calm and thoughtful - "quiet" even, given that entrepreneurs generally
have plenty to say for themselves! And did any of you cricket fans out there hear his interview
with Jonathon Agnew on Radio 4's Test Match Special a few weeks ago? He's a busy, busy
guy with plenty to fill his life but what impresses me about him as a businessman and as a
human being is his ability to show compassion and care about the people he's doing business
with or trying to help through his charitable trust.

James' interview at the cricket was just a few days after the devastating flooding in Pakistan,
the country of his birth, and he was jumping on a plane to fly there straight after the interview
finished. His intention was to go out to some of the villages that had been destroyed; to see
what needed to be done; and to use his own money to help the poor villagers to rebuild their
homes and their lives.

An inspiring and touching story you may be thinking - but why have I posted it on a blog site
dedicated to the spirit of entrepreneurism?

Well the answer to that springs from something I mentioned in an earlier blog on this site, the
piece called “Take A Break: Why doing nothing for a day is good for your business”. In there
I spoke briefly about what happens when you've earnt far more money than you realistically
need so that other "rewards" start to have more value to you than just earning yet more
money. One of these rewards was the opportunity to "buy" time for you and your family by
being able to pay others to do tasks for you. This is a concept that we are all sort of aware of
but the first time that I saw the concept staring straight back at me in black and white so to
speak was in the pages of “How Come That Idiot’s Rich & I’m Not?” and it hit me then how
right the author Robert Shemin was.

Now, getting back to James Caan and his mercy flight to Pakistan, another
entrepreneurs "reward" that Robert Shemin explained and strongly advocated was the
entrepreneurs capability (because of his/her great personal wealth) to "give" to others. And
for grasping and implementing this concept whole-heartedly as a man, and through his
charitable foundation the James Caan Foundation, I believe that James Caan should be
warmly regarded and praised for all his good work.

If reading the biographies of the rich and famous is your thing, then I heartily recommend that
you read James' book “The Real Deal: My Story From Brick Lane to Dragons Den” about the
story of his life. It's my personal favourite out of all the biographies I have read because of
the warmth of James' thoughts and the focus he has always put on people, whether they be
customers, colleagues, friends or family members. So, when you've done your day's work, put
your feet up and "reward" yourself by reading the inspiring personal story of a really nice guy.
Enjoy!

Tuesday 14 September 2010

Words of Wisdom Quote

The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done,
and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.
Theodore Roosevelt 

Friday 10 September 2010

Decision-making: the lighter side of life!



Informed decision-making comes
from a long tradition of guessing and
then blaming others for inadequate results.


 - Scott Adams

Monday 6 September 2010

Take A Break: Why doing nothing for a day is good for your business

When your an entrepreneur and the founder of a business let’s face it, it can be a hard slog at times. There is so much to be done and you naturally feel the pressure from the responsibility of needing to keep the business moving forward. Sometimes even those mad 80-hour weeks that you willingly do because of your love for your business just don’t seem to be getting you anywhere. What’s the solution you ask? The solution is: It’s time for you to take a break.

Yes, you did read that correctly. The solution is to take a break. Why? Because you need to get off the daily treadmill, recharge your batteries and take time out to think in a calm, unhurried way.

  • Time away from your business is good for you and your health. Get some decent rest. Go out and get some gentle physical exercise walking the dog or going to the gym. Spend some time absorbed in a favourite book or a favourite hobby. Forget the business and do something totally unrelated. That’s good therapy for your body and mind with the bonus that when you do return to your business you’ll feel refreshed and have that exciting entrepreneur buzz once again.
  • Remember too that your business and entrepreneur skills are absolutely the number one most important asset of the business. Your family, business partners, investors and employees rely upon the wealth that your skills are creating, so its a priority to look after yourself. Here’s a quote from American entrepreneur and author Robert Shemin in his book “How Come That Idiot’s Rich & I’m Not?”:  “When you act, act to take care of yourself first. Pay yourself first. Rest yourself first. Reward yourself first. If you don’t take good care of your primary asset - you - you won’t be able to take care of all the other people who will come to depend on you as you become more and more wealthy.”
  • Its not a crime to enjoy the fruits of your success. You had the idea. You got the business up and running. You are entitled to reward yourself with money, gifts or time away from the business. Time is a commodity that you should place a high value on. Once you have enough income to stop worrying about how to pay the household bills, start thinking about using your wealth to pay other people to do tasks for you that save you time. Having quality time for your family, friends and hobbies soon becomes more precious to you than extra wealth. After all, when you worked the 9-5 as an employee for somebody else, wasn’t it always your dream to quit and spend your time doing the things that interested you far more? Start seeing a little time away from the business as a reward not a crime.
  • Finally, stepping away from the business for a short time is good for the business because it gives you precious time to review what’s happened recently. Did the new marketing campaign work or not? Are costs under more control this quarter compared to the last one? Do I know what cash reserves the business had in the bank last week? Is it enough to see the business through a sudden downturn in business, or to fund a sudden increase in output and sales?
  • Plan out what your priority activities need to be for the next two days when you get back to the business and allocate time in your diary to get them done ahead of all other demands on your time. Achieving these priorities will drive the business forward, thereby reducing the pressure you might have been feeling and giving your confidence a great boost also.
  • Finally, finally. Set up your favourite deckchair in the garden and pour yourself a glass of something pleasant and satisfying. Now close your eyes, empty your mind and enjoy some “blue sky time”. Let your mind wander freely over all aspects of your business. Write down all the important stuff that comes into your mind because ideas, challenges and inspirational thoughts will certainly come by the dozen. Place a high value upon blue sky time and don’t just dismiss it as wasteful daydreaming. Trust me, you’ll come up with some really great stuff that will give you and your business a significant boost. That’s why I called this article “Take A Break: Why doing nothing for a day is good for your business”.

Wednesday 1 September 2010

Entrepreneur skills: what it takes to be successful


I’ve been doing a bit of thinking and research lately into what you might call the skills or qualities that a successful entrepreneur needs. Here’s a quick whizz through some of the things that I reckon you need to create and run your business:

  • Original Thinking & Creativity. Whether your business idea is brand new or an attempt to use an existing idea but doing it better than anyone else, keep your eyes and your mind open for ways of making your business stand out from everybody elses. Look for new trends, new ways of expressing yourself, a different angle on an old product or service. Ask employees and customers what they think.  Spend time evaluating all the ideas and feedback that comes your way. You will find the answer.
  • Managing Money. Even if facts and figures aren’t your strong point, it is critical to know the costs of your business in detail. You must know to the nearest pound how much it costs to provide your product or service. Only then can you get a feel for what price to charge in order to earn a profit. And only then can you consider doing deals and providing quotes to generate new business. Keep a very close eye on money coming in to the business and the bills that you need to pay soon. Question every item of expenditure in the earliest days of a new business. Don’t waste money on a luxurious office and the latest PC.  Work from home or get a market stall. Beg or borrow equipment rather than buying or leasing. Keep those costs right down at the start to give yourself a chance of making some money early on to build up a business with.
  • Motivation & Persistence. The great entrepreneurs are always characterised by their passion for what they are doing. Are you 100% rock-solid committed (some would say obsessed) to your business idea? Are you finding it mentally tough to keep going when things just don’t seem to be going your way? Feel like throwing in the towel because its just too hard and not worth the effort? Don’t give up. Take a long term view, build up your business slowly, carefully and with solid foundations. Keep on going. Read the biographies of the rich and famous and you will always find that they believe in theirselves and their business. When they reach a setback they fight back by finding a different way of moving their business forward until success is achieved, no matter what it takes.
  • Time Management & Delegation. In the early days there is just so much to do that the pressure is on to be a jack-of-all-trades. To save on costs you try to do everything yourself, understandably. The clever trick once the business is earning a little money is to delegate or outsource those bits of the business that don’t interest you or that you acknowledge you are no good at. The number one role for an entrepreneur is to keep the business moving forward. Make sure that you concentrate on leading the business and on the things that you are good at. Get the best people around you to do the other things. There’s one thing that you must keep a very close eye on, even if you delegate the day-to-day stuff to someone else. And that’s the money side of the business. If you don’t fully understand it, for goodness sake get someone trustworthy to manage it for you and to keep you fully informed on a very regular basis.
  • Marketing. Its easy to get passionate and excited about your idea for a new product/service but you must balance that against a dose of reality. Think hard about who is likely to buy this product and how they are going to know about its existence. In actual fact, there’s a lot of sense in looking at the marketing challenge the other way round, i.e customers first, then product. At first it sounds a difficult concept to get your head round but try to think in terms of who the customers are for your business; then find out what products they really, really want; and then you know with certainty what products you should be trying to create. Going through this process will help you enormously to work out how to advertise your new product to your prospective customers. When you’re ready, go all out with your marketing campaigns to get their attention and get them buying. Better to spend your last £100 on marketing your existing products than wasting it on developing the latest gee-whizz gadget but then finding you’ve no money to market it to anyone. This is crucial. No marketing means no sales means no business. So get good at marketing as quickly as you can. Your business depends upon it.