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15 November 2009 |
SCORE, Counselors to America’s Small BusinessesPosted in Uncategorized | 83 Comments » |
I found this great start-up consultant website at www.scores.org. Successful business advisors offer online and in person small business mentoring. The people of SCORE are committed to helping small business owners form and grow their businesses. The company was founded in 1964 and has since provided counseling to more than 8.5 million business owners, and has conducted more than 322,000 counseling sessions. SCORE has helped to create nearly 20,000 new small businesses each year. Some of the options SCORE offers to business owners is; online mentoring, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, finding you a mentor in your local community, and connect you with other SCORE volunteers. SCORE also has workshops online and on-site for business owners beginning their businesses. SCORE’s volunteers are all successful business entrepreneurs that want to share their knowledge and help others achieve their dream with business ownership. SCORE is a great start for those looking for a little extra help.
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8 October 2009 |
Do You Need a Startup Consultant?Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments » |
I came across this article on smartentrepreneur.net that addresses the issue of whether or not you need to hire a Startup Consultant for your new business. According to the article, it is a very wise decision to hire a startup consultant with expertise in the field you are working in for your business. A startup consultant can save you time and money from the very start by ensuring proper systems and procedures are put in place to smoothly run your business. Hiring a startup consultant allows you to focus on working at your business, while the consultant focuses on getting your business off the ground and running. When choosing a startup consultant, make sure to choose someone that you can trust, whether you plan to use one to get started or to keep around long term. All in all, the right startup consultant can help you get ahead of the competition and take complete control of your new business. To read the complete article go to www.smartentrepreneur.net/start-up-consultant.html .
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18 July 2009 |
Proper Keyword Research for your new websiteTags: keyword research, SEO consultant, startup website |
Many web-based businesses rely on Google and other search engines to drive traffic in their direction. Search engine traffic is one of the most effective forms of directed traffic. Efficient search engine traffic can greatly increase your hits, as well as your profits.
However, there’s a catch. In order to drive traffic to your website, search engines have to be able to find it. This is where an SEO consultant and keyword research come in.
Keyword research involves finding the exact keywords most likely to bring people to your website. What phrases are most commonly used by Internet users to search for the products or services you provide? Effective keyword research will find these phrases so that they can be organically incorporated into the content of your site. When search engines crawl your web pages, they will find the relevant phrases and direct searchers in your direction when they look for the services you provide.
While SEO and keyword strategies are effective, they have to be done properly. There are a number of guidelines and rules that must be observed for the most effective use of keywords. For example, using popular search terms that don’t have anything to do with the actual content of your site won’t help you find motivated customers, and can actually hurt your site ranking. Misuse of keywords, then, can have a negative effect on your website’s traffic as well as its rankings.
SEO consulting can help you use appropriate keywords in ways that will be most effective in bringing traffic to your site and increasing your ranking on the major search engines. Depending on your needs, an SEO consulting company can do keyword research as well as provide keyword-rich content for your site. They can also keep track of your search engine rankings to ensure your site is improving as SEO strategies are implemented.
Keyword research is vital to the growth and effectiveness of your web-based business. A qualified SEO consultant can help keep you one step ahead of the competition with effective, well-integrated SEO to drive your traffic and put you at the top of the search engine rankings.
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30 June 2009 |
Plan Your Business Start-Up SuccessPosted in Uncategorized | 122 Comments » |
A business start up can be as simple as getting an eBay store going, or as complex as beginning a corporation. No matter what size business one begins, the most important stage can be the start up phase. At this point, the planning begins, as you plan to succeed. If you fail to plan, chances are greater that the business will go off track, and possibly fail.
When you begin to plan your business start up, make sure you write down some ideas and some facts. As soon as you have decided what business to begin, there are still many questions to answer, and these should be addressed in your new business plan. Answer the following in your business plan:
- Will you have associates or partners?
- What will be your business structure? (Sole proprietor, partnership, corporation)
- Will you need employees?
- Do you have a business lawyer and/or accountant?
- Where will your business be located?
- Will you be leasing?
- What permits or licenses will you need?
- What are you going to sell or service?
- What resources do you have?
- Do you have a mentor?
- What will you name your business?
- Will it be a franchise or licensed business?
- What equipment and insurance will you require?
- How will you finance this business?
- Are there zoning restrictions to deal with?
- What government requirements may apply?
- What is your marketing plan, and competition?
Although it takes some time to prepare, the business plan is one of the most important documents you can create to help your business start up. It is also useful if you need to approach a bank or other financial institution for a loan for your business. It explains in detail how your business will operate, who will be involved, how the business will be financed, what is the market and competition, what you will sell or how this business will make a profit, physical location or offices, personnel, permits, and how you will promote this business to achieve success.
There are many resources to draw from, including the SCORE organization, which is the Service Core of Retired Executives, the government Small Business Administration, and myriad of information on the internet regarding putting together a successful business start up. You will need some advice from an attorney, an accountant or tax professional, and business insurance. With the business plan in hand, and your financing arranged, you are ready to launch your business start up.
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30 June 2009 |
The Need for Start-Up Help in a New BusinessPosted in Uncategorized | 31 Comments » |
Nearly everyone who has served in the workforce has desired to be his or her own boss. Being unable to make one’s own schedule makes a person subject to the desires of another person and forces one to surrender a lot of the control of his or her time. Going into business for oneself, however, gives a person the ability to work when he or she desires and to keep any profits that the business makes.
While it may be the ideal, however, getting into business for oneself is not as easy as it seems. In fact, most small business owners require a great deal of start up help. There is an old saying that a person has to have money in order to make money, and starting a business always involves a source of start-up funds. Many people will look to personal friends or family to provide this help, asking them to invest some money into the business in exchange for a share of the profits.
The money that is invested in start up help for the business enables the owner to buy equipment, rent space and match other expenses that are involved in running any kind of enterprise. If a person is unable to secure private investors, a United States citizen can also apply to the Small Business Administration for a start-up loan at a competitive interest rate. As the business grows, the monies earned are used to pay off the loan.
Another form of start up help that new business owners require is in the form of business planning. Money, whether from private investors or a small business loan, cannot be spent without thought and planning, for that would be the quickest way to go under. There has to be an organized business plan that realistically estimates the market for the company and anticipates the needs the business will have when it begins. The owner will also have to make a basic plan for further growth if he or she is able to use the start up help to create a successful company. Marketing resources abound for this planning, including books at the local bookstore or library. The owner can also take some marketing and business classes at the local college.
With a little hard work, foresight, and start up help, the dream of owning one’s own business can come true. Every potential owner should take advantage of this help.
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30 June 2009 |
Start Up ConsultingPosted in Uncategorized | 103 Comments » |
Many new enterprises fail because they entered the field with insufficient knowledge of their market. In fact, the number one difficulty that entrepreneurs cite in getting a business of the ground is subject matter knowledge — who, what, where, when, and why of their business. A great idea can only go so far if the market itself isn’t ready for it.
The key to orienting a new business toward the demands of the market can often be start up consulting. Many entrepreneurs, some of which who have started dozens of successful enterprises, sell their expertise in the form of start up consulting to help new business owners make the most of their time, money, and intellectual capital. Even the most sound business ideas can fail without proper direction, and nothing is more beneficial to a new business owner than the expertise of having launched a successful venture. Greg Shenkman
Unlike other business consulting services, such as management consulting, start up consulting is not always prohibitively expensive. Start-up consultants realize that new businesses are often strapped for cash and generally can’t afford the high fees charged by many strategy consultants. In some cases, a strategy consultant might even take equity in the company in lieu of cash, allowing the start-up to conserve much-needed cash and also ensuring that the consultant gives the best, most appropriate advice.
Some entrepreneurs think that soliciting advice from a start up consultant could be seen as an indictment of their own ability to run the company. But start up consulting isn’t babysitting or hand-holding; generally, it focuses on the operational aspects of running a company, from hiring to lease agreements to payment and bonus structure. These are the aspects of business that no newcomer would be expected to know — they can only be gained through experience. Start-up consulting is not a substitute for intelligence, instinct, or motivation.
Given that start-ups and new ventures are one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, start up consulting can be the advantage that a new venture needs to outpace its competition. The business world can be a murky, troublesome frontier to navigate, and the assistance that a start up consultant provides can sometimes be the difference between early success, or a long, protracted start-up phase.
