Make Your Business Succeed In A Location Where Others Have Failed

Every neighborhood has one--a particular retail store or restaurant location that seems to consistently fail. One business after another moves in, each succumbing to the same bleak fate. The location itself seems doomed to fail. Can any business succeed there, or is the spot just jinxed? The Portland, Oregon, location of entrepreneur Allen Tackett's coffee-house could certainly be considered jinxed. In the seven years prior to Underdog Coffee's residence, at least three businesses had come and gone--including another coffee shop that couldn't make it work. Not easily discouraged, Tackett bought the failing coffeehouse in early 2005 (it was being run under a different name) and completely revamped it. From giving it the Underdog Coffee moniker and sourcing higher-quality coffee to creating new, eye-catching, backlit signage to draw in crowds, Tackett, 29, set out to unequivocally break the curse. Change is the key to making previously failing locations succeed, says Richard Parker, a small-business expert and author of How to Buy a Good Business at a Great Price. A new business can't do the same thing as the old, failing business and expect to succeed. "As opposed to the location being wrong, the concept of the business is usually wrong," says Parker. "Maybe a restaurant isn't good for that location, but another business is." Even a seemingly small change to the business concept can make a huge difference. Parker cites a situation where restaurants continually failed due to a parking lot that customers perceived as unsafe. The restaurant that finally succeeded in that location offered free valet service. Parker also suggests using grassroots marketing to get the word out about your new business. New, more visible signage, local fliers, direct mail, radio spots and product giveaways will encourage people to give your business a chance--and hopefully, the quality will keep them coming back for more. Tackett proved extremely adept at marketing his new business. When he decided to give away free coffee during the week of his grand opening, he asked his local radio station to publicize it--and the DJs were more than happy to send listeners his way. The strategy worked, and now Tackett expects combined sales from that first store and a second location in Lebanon, Oregon, to gross over $250,000 in sales for 2005. This From a Magazine.

Starting An Online Business

Starting an online business requires an investment of your time and a willingness to acquire the necessary knowledge.

I receive lots of questions about starting a home-based business.

Many are along the lines of "How do I get started making money online? What should I sell that will make the most money? How do I get more traffic... more sales?"

Then there's the occasional question about stuffing envelopes from home.

First things first...

The Bottomless Money Pit

Envelope stuffing isn't a work-at-home business. It's a bottomless pit that sucks in people's hard earned money.

Don't throw your money into the pit. You can't buy a business for $29.95.

In fact, the Federal Trade Commission recently leveled charges against 77 different work-at-home operations in 17 states. A good portion of those charged were envelope stuffing operations.

Working At Home Is.... Work

Working at home requires an investment. Not so much an investment of money, but an investment of time.

Certainly, you'll need some money. Money buys the building blocks. But you don't necessarily need to invest lots in the beginning. In fact, you can start an online business with very little.

But you absolutely must invest your time.

When you first begin thinking about a home-based business, the initial excitement and giggles are very intoxicating.

After that wears off it begins to dawn on you... Man, this home business gig is work! Yes, it is work. Learning how to be proficient in any business takes work. With a little fortitude and stamina though, you begin see how all the dots connect together. As the dots connect the money flows.

Plant Your Flag

Truly, what you discover is that things get easier as your base of knowledge grows. The dots merge into a larger picture. You can accomplish more in less time and money flows in as a result.

Personally, I have a tendency to get really focused on a task to the exclusion of everything else. I pour everything into it until I've mastered it. One dot at a time. Plant my flag. Move on.

Where do you want to plant your flag first?

There is no other way than to first choose a path that you feel passionate about. Choose with the heart first and the money is more likely to follow.

Getting Started

Once you've got an idea, how do you get started?

For an online home business your best bet is to start small. For as little as $1 per month you can get a site going with Hostica.com. That's a bargain.

Once you've got a site, how do you turn blank pages into a viable website? How do you get orders? How do you build traffic? So many "how-do" questions!

Yanik Silver and Jim Edwards put out a great ebook at 33DayToOnlineProfits.com that tackles these questions. It's a guide for businesses wanting to get started online. It takes you through the specific steps of startup on a 33 day timetable.

Create Great Copy

Learning how to write great sales copy for your site and promotional materials is a business must. You need to attract sales with compelling headlines and dazzling offers.

This is important. You're just spinning your wheels and setting yourself up for disappointment if don't create a site that targets your visitors in specific ways.

Marlon Sander's has a great system available from AmazingFormula.com. This is a good resource to learn the skills of writing compelling headlines and sales copy. With his 14 step formula, you can pump out great sales copy just like a pro.

If you want to really turn up the heat try Joe Sugarman's techniques. You can get his guidebook at PsychologicalTriggers.com. You'll learn the triggers that cause people to enter a buying mode and increase the response you want from people.

Optimize Your Site For The Search Engines

Now optimize your site so people will find you when they search online and submit your pages to the major search engines. A good chunk of the traffic I receive each day comes through search engines. And it doesn't cost me anything.

A good way to start learning how to build a search engine friendly site is with Mike Grehan's marvelous book at http://www.searchengine-report.co.uk. It has the knowledge you need to get your site ranked high in the engines.

There you are. A few islands of knowledge you can explore. And you don't have to lick a single envelope.

Now go plant your flag.

This from http://www.HomeBizTools.com

Business Insurance - What You Need To Know

Getting your business up and running is exciting, challenging and hard work. You’re finally making money – and you are the driving force that is making your business grow. But have you taken care of the “What ifs”. Like – “What if I get sick, how do I pay my bills” or “What if I have a fire, how do I keep my business running”. Simply put, the one thing you do not want is to have the business that you have labored so tirelessly on, hit a financial snag. If you are a sole proprietor or a partnership – both your business and personal liabilities are at risk. Do you think you’re safe if you incorporate or have an LLC? Many are misled into believing this is so, however, you too can become personally liable if you sign a personal guarantee on a loan, personally injure someone or act irresponsibility. As you will see, owning business liability insurance can and does protects your business and personal life from financia ruin. My discussion here will be limited to Business Interruption,Overhead, Umbrella Liability and Liability Insurance – explaining what these four types of insurance are, and what they can offer you and your business. Business Interruption Insurance Business Interruption Insurance helps to insure against any economic losses that you may encounter if something should happen to close down your business. For example, you have a fire in your corner of the house – your business office. Your home is covered for property damage – thus, the rebuilding is covered, however, what about the lose income you’re losing while you rebuild? That’s where Business Interruption Insurance can come in to play. Overhead Insurance There is one type of business insurance that you may want to consider when your business is making a good profit, and that would be Overhead Insurance. Overhead Insurance covers rent, salaries, utilities, insurance premiums and/or interest payments that are related to the business – this type of insurance would cover you in case of a major illness or accident. Umbrella Liability InsuranceUmbrella Liability Insurance is used for catastrophic losses. This will protect you in the event someone wants to sue you. An umbrella policy will upgrade your basic auto, homeowners or business insurance to cover these unforeseen events. Liability Insurance If you have people coming to your home-based business, than liability insurance may be something you should look into it. Liability insurance will cover you against claims made by others against you for injuries or damages that occurred on your property. Yes, your homeowner’s policy includes some liability insurance, but it may not cover you for liability claims caused by your business. To conclude, life offers many unexpected turns in the road – and basically, that’s what all insurance does – it protects you against those unexpected bumps in the road – and keeps you moving toward your goals with only limited stales. Personally, I believe I can deal with a small bump in the road better than a complete halt in business. How about you? To your success. i got this from http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz/

20 Marketing Ideas

Marketing could make or break a small business. Successful marketing is one of the most important things you can do to ensure the success of your small business. Here are 20 free marketing ideas:

1. If your marketing offends someone it will probably be a success
2. Get someone to tell a friend. Hopeful someone will tell another friend and it will become viral
3. Collect email addresses from prospects so that you can build a relationship (with permission, of course)
4. Everybody makes marketing mistakes, learn from yours
5. Give a sample away for free.
6. Perform an outrageous publicity stunt
7. In some instances it is better to co-operate with a competitor rather than compete
8. Create a company blog
9. Ask clients for written testimonials
10. Study the marketing techniques of your competitors. Do what works for them
11. Be seen as an expert in your field by writing Ezine articles
12. Write a press release and submit it to newspapers and magazines
13. Differentiate your product. Just know that your product also must be good. A different product that sucks is useless
14. Give something of value away for free via a contest
15. Put your logo and website URL on everything
16. Learn from the pros – read Seth Godin’s marketing blog, read the Guerrilla Marketing series of books
17. Don't just make a promise in your marketing message. Deliver on your promise or you will be seen as a liar
18. Sponsor a popular local event
19. Use the new media
20. Follow your gut instincts

I got this from Marketing Profs' Daily Fix.

Practise Good Manners In Business

Good Manner with customers :

Good manners are more than being “nice,” and they should be part of your fundamental business strategy. Everyone who makes up the company must always use their best manners which includes behavior, attitude, and grooming. Remember that your customers are judging you and your employees from the first moment they enter your business, and first impressions last.

Did you know that people look at your face first and your feet second? That is what the etiquette experts say, and they say that is why it so important to be well-groomed from head to toe. That is also why your first reaction to a customer must be a smile and eye contact. You must focus your attention on the other customer, listen to them, and let them know that you are interested in what they are saying. Use your customer’s name and thank them for doing business with you.

Communicate clearly and carefully. Carefully choose your words and how you say them. Be certain that you understand the customer and the customer understands you to avoid misunderstandings. Communicate intelligently and maturely. Always try to put yourself in the customer’s shoes and understand how they feel. Try to see things from the customer’s perspective and let them know that you will do whatever is necessary to meet or exceed their expectation.

Customers appreciate it when you ask about their families and show an interest in their job and their interests. This makes them feel important, and they will like you for it. Use your sense of humor and positive attitude as an effective tool to lower barriers and gain people’s trust. Remember, customers do business with people they know, like, and trust. If your customer has a complaint, don’t dismiss it lightly and assure them that you will do everything possible to address their complaint. Also, thank them for bringing their complaint to your attention so that you can fix it. If a customer is upset and loud, take them to a private office, offer them a beverage, and ask what you can do to address their complaint. If their complaint involves an employee, try to involve the employee in resolving the complaint and be sure the employee offers a genuine apology.

Good Manners in the Workplace:

Good manners are also important in the workplace, and you should encourage a friendly, cheerful, and positive attitude. Recognize and reward good work and thank employees for their good work. Always be available if an employee has a question or needs guidance and make them feel welcome in your office.

Every employee wants to know that they are appreciated, and they want to have input regarding the work they do. Ask them for their opinions and listen to what they say. Encourage employees to express their point of view and offer suggestions, and create an environment that is comfortable and enjoyable. Follow up on employees’ suggestions or requests to make them feel appreciated and valuable.

You should never make any disparaging or sarcastic remarks about an employee, a customer, a vendor, or the company. Be sure your employees know that no one in your company should makes negative or disparaging comments. Put an end to gossip. The way you and your employees talk creates an atmosphere and an attitude. Be sure the workplace atmosphere and attitude are positive, supportive, and fair.

Treat all employees equally and don’t show any favoritism. Encourage everyone to do the same with the goal that your employees will be solid and fair. Be proactive in helping employees resolve conflicts when they arise and be an effective mediator. Set up a meeting where everyone can express their opinions, find middle ground, and sort out their differences. This is your responsibility as a leader, and your employees will respect you for your dedication to resolving conflicts.

i got this from Indigo Business Solutions,