Tag: Business

Entrepreneurship Defined – Entrepreneur Vs Small Business

The concept of entrepreneurship takes a wide range of definition and its meaning has progressed over the century. To many, it is linked to starting one’s personal business. However, nearly all economists believe that it is more than starting a business.

The word entrepreneur comes from the French word entreprendre, meaning ‘to embark on.’ In a business perspective, it means to start a business. Entrepreneur can also refer to a person who systematizes and administers a business and usually takes the risk for the sake of profit or turnover. He can also be defined as a person with high propensity who pioneers change or anyone who wants to work for himself.

Entrepreneurship vs. Small Business

The terms ‘entrepreneur’ and ‘small business’ are quite alike and can often be used interchangeably. With much commonality, however, there are significant differences between the entrepreneurial venture and the small business.

Entrepreneurial venture is quite different from small business in the following ways:

  • Innovation – This is the very instrument of entrepreneurship. It providesresources with a new power to create wealth. Entrepreneurship frequently engages extensive innovation further than what a small business might exhibit.
  • Risk – Risk must be usually high in an entrepreneurial venture. If not, with the enticement of sure profits, many entrepreneurs would be trailing the idea and the opportunity would no longer exist.
  • Amount of wealth creation – A booming entrepreneurial venture generates substantial wealth, normally in excess of several million dollars of profit rather than simply generating an income stream that replaces fixed employment.
  • Speed of wealth creation – A successful small business can make quite a lot of profit over a lifetime. But for an entrepreneur, wealth creation often is fast and speedy, for example, within 5 years. Also, the types of business they are engaged in is what basically differentiates entrepreneur activities. Innovation is the key. Every entrepreneur should rely greatly on this. Innovation can be emphasized on the following:
    • new organization
    • new products
    • new markets
    • new production methods

When such innovation produces new demand, wealth is created. From this standpoint, one can simply describe the function of the entrepreneur as one of merging a variety of factors in an inventive manner to generate value to the customer. It hopes that this value will surpass the cost of the input factors, therefore spawning greater returns on investment.

So the main differences between entrepreneurship and small business is that the entrepreneur takes a risk and hits the ground running with the intent of immediate, and hopefully massive payoffs, whereas the small business generally starts smaller, with less risk and the income and success builds over time under very controlled planning.

Small Business Idea – Home & Office Cleaning Business

For the cost of cleaning supplies and a stack of marketing materials – you can be well on your way to starting a Home or Office Cleaning business! A cleaning business is flexible and versatile in many ways. You can offer your services to small business offices, churches, day care centers, private homes, and much more. Due to the ease of start-up and low overhead costs, the cleaning business is often crowded and can be very competitive in some areas.

 

Here are a few things you will want to keep in mind if you are considering a Home or Office Cleaning Business:

 

1. What range of services will you offer?: This is one service based business where it may be best to keep your list of services as flexible as possible. Where one client may want to hire you for a weekly deep cleaning of their home, another client may need a one time service of clearing a cluttered garage. Someone may want a laundry service while another wants carpet cleaning. Be open to your clients needs and wants.

 

2. In what ways can you set yourself apart from the rest?: A home-owner or business in the market for a cleaning service ultimately want just two things – a clean home or office and peace of mind. How good you are at providing those things will determine the success of your business. When a person allows you into your private space, they are trusting that you will not steal or do anything else to betray their trust. As a small business owner, you do not have the brand recognition of a larger cleaning company, so you will have to work harder to gain clients. To give them peace of mind it may be wise to insure and bond your business, keep an up-to-date copy of your driving record, and criminal background check. You should offer to show any new client this information.

 

As society grows more conscious of the environmental impact of certain chemicals, people are moving towards eco-friendly or “green” alternatives. You can reach that demographic by offering green cleaning solutions and child-friendly methods. This will be very important for families.

 

3. How can I market and advertise my cleaning business: When it comes to advertising – you will want to concentrate your efforts to high volume social places. Your local grocery store, day care facility, church or shopping plaza are ideal locations. Consider spending the money to run a print ad in your towns newspaper and CraigsList.com is another great (free) alternative. Building your word of mouth reputation will be important, offer to clean the homes of friends and associates in exchange for a testimonial of your services. You may also want to consider marketing a contract deal to local apartment complexes, Realtors and credit unions. These companies will always need a reliable service to thoroughly clean apartments and homes after leases end, evictions and foreclosures. In fact, specializing in foreclosure clean-up may prove to be highly profitable.

 

Though the overall start up costs of a cleaning business are very low, you don’t want to make the error of skipping over the important steps. Make sure to register your business legally with your county, state and the IRS. Purchase a domain name and establish a website. Finally, you are a cleaning professional and must present yourself as such at all times. Although you are cleaning messes, your appearance should remain tidy!

Startups for Vets, WordPress, Web Hosting, and Business Online

Web Hosting Tools, WordPress and Business Startups

Web Hosting Tools for Startups

Female veterans are facing employment challenges as they return home. The unemployment rate for female veterans well surpasses that of their male piers. Rather than waiting for the economy to change, many of our bravest are creating their own opportunities and seeking self-employment as an alternative. And for good reasons. Female veterans of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq are facing challenges when they return home from deployment. So often when we think about vets coming home and looking for employment, we visualize our brave soldiers coming home to a land of opportunity. But that is far from the reality. When vets come home they face a whole series of transitions that vets need to make in order to gain employment.

Many female veterans are single mothers who have a lot to go through all at once. Being a job seeker and also being a Mom can be a difficult challenge. Many female vets have stated that when they transition out of the military, they are not prepared for the income drop that stems from taxes and medical insurance expenses. Before they know it after they transition out of the military, many female vets find themselves homeless and without hope. They are looking for local help for home and food programs, such as Inner Faith, which subsidize the food for themselves and their children.

The competition for jobs against their male counterparts is extreme. Women vets are choosing to gain unpaid internships in order to get their foot in the door. Many times when seeking a job, female vets learn that the job is filled by their male counterparts. Male domination in many industries is prevalent. Women have to mold their schedule and their lives because of their children. There are many challenges. Biases against veterans, biases against women and the challenges that they face for not only getting a job but getting equal pay. Many vets return from deployment physically disabled or face PTS (Post Traumatic Stress) which makes finances a real challenge. Women vets are having to pick and choose which bills they can pay, which results in a lower credit rating. There are a whole series of challenges for women coming back after serving our country.

Getting Green Done with Vets

GCGreen.com is a women owned, native American, service disabled, veteran owned company that was started by a female vet after she returned home and found the employment opportunities for female vets were scarce. The company focuses on providing a growing network of education, training, apprenticeship, and project opportunities for vets looking to work in the energy efficiency and alternative energy systems such as renewable energy. They actively participate in developing and implementing training programs especially those for transitional veterans and for out of work or under-employed veterans attempting to overcome their unique challenges in today’s economy. GCGreen is a company for renewable energy consulting. A woman veteran focuses on veteran training and veteran mentorship in the clean energy industry. As students come out of the classes, GCGreen has employment opportunities for women veterans that are knowledgeable in solar panel installation.

Web Hosting Tools for Creating Your Own Opportunities

GCGreen.com is a website that was created using WordPress, a content management system, that makes creating a website or blog easy. WordPress is available with web hosting plans from reputable hosting firms. With the tools provided from a web hosting firm, people can start their own website and ultimately their own business. There are a lot of employers that do value the military experience, but it is a challenge to find those employers. With an unemployment rate for veterans at 6.8%, while the unemployment rate for female veterans is 15.5%, one can easily see the disadvantages for female vets. These are staggering numbers. These amazing women who went to war are learning that they need to be creative in order to make a living. Building a business during or after deployment is something that is a viable option to a desk job.

Solutions for Female Veterans

Being an entrepreneur is something that could be a practical solution for these women. The U.S. Small Business Administration offers programs for women entrepreneurs who are willing to take the initiative. Capital One, for example, provides events for female veterans who have businesses and allow women veteran business owners to pitch their ideas in front of industry leaders. SBA.gov is the place to start marketing your new business and finding opportunities that would otherwise not be available.

Veteran business owners are able to network through SBA.gov and grow their business with opportunities provided by the Federal Government. SBA has training, networking, and sub-contractor information for small business owners. When signing up with SBA.gov, you will need a Dun & Bradstreet business number, a website address, and documentation that supports your business such as a Incorporation Papers or a Doing Business As (DBA) certificate from your state.

Web Hosting Solutions for Entrepreneurs

There are more than 27 million small businesses across the nation, and it’s a challenging feat to open one after a recession. But with the affordable cost of web hosting, entrepreneurs are able to secure a domain name many times for free, setup a professional website using WordPress, and have a formal e-mail addresses for yourself and any of your employees. In light of constant unemployment news, there is an emerging trend of veterans who brainstorm business ideas they launch in their free time — and grow into a full time job.

5 Insider Secrets To Starting The Best Home Business

There are so many home business ideas, how can you choose the best home business? If you want to know how successful home based entrepreneurs generate a comfortable income, here are 5 secrets that you can use to create the best home business to suit you.

1. You’re Online.

Without a doubt, the best business to start in 2015 has to be on the internet. Not only are the set up costs considerably lower than a conventional bricks and mortar business, but your business can reach customers from all over the world. It can be open for business everyday, 24/7 and be working for you even when you are sleeping.

2. You Don’t Have To Create Your Own Products.

One of the reasons why an online business is the best home business is that you can sell other peoples’ products without having to buy them yourself first and have money tied up in stock. In fact, the product owner will also take care of the product delivery, the customer queries and the payment system. This business model is called affiliate marketing and when somebody buys the product from you, the product owner pays you a commission.

3. You Provide Something Of Value For Free.

Most people who visit your website will not come back. But if you can email them useful information about your products and services after they have visited your website they may buy from you in the future. To get their email address you have to give them something of value in exchange that is relevant to your product or service. This could be a free report or eBook. If you are working with a good affiliate marketing program, they will provide you with the resources that you can give away for free.

4. You’re Always Expanding Your Customer List.

To create the best home business online, building your list should be your number one task everyday. Remember that once you have a prospect’s email, you can contact them anytime you want, for free. That’s not to say you should bombard them with emails trying to sell them something everyday. Email marketing is about building a relationship with your subscribers so as they come to trust and like you, they will be more inclined to buy from you.

5. You’ve Got Multiple Income Steams

If you just sell just one product with no add-ons or up-sells your customers will not have sufficient options to pick from. On the flip side, if you try and sell too many products you may confuse your customers and they’ll buy nothing. The best home business will have a good combination of relevant products that provide 3 revenue streams, basic one-off direct sales income, recurring income, and high ticket income.

Small Business Ideas: How to Plan a Small Business

Thinking of starting a small business? Planning and growing a small business may seem daunting, but it can be a lot of fun. However, it does require some careful thinking and planning.

You need to learn what it takes to start from scratch and succeed. Weigh all the pros and cons before making any decision.

You are the person most capable of planning, building, and running your business.

First, ask yourself questions, to discover what dream is driving you. Learn how that will be expressed in the business you envision.

* What kind of business do you wish to start?

* What kind of service or products will you be offering?

* What needs expressed by your market, do they fulfill?

* Who will buy these services and products from you?

* How do you plan to finance this project? Do you know where financing can be found?

* How will people learn about your service and products?

* Where will your business be located?

Planning and Decision-Making

Considerable planning, important financial decisions, as well as legal steps, go into setting up a small business.

Financial Planning is vital during the overall business planning process. It includes:

* Financial planning and funding sources

* Pricing

* Record keeping

* Managing costs and expenses

* Cash flow forecasts and monitoring

* Analyzing sales results

* Contingency plans and financial reserves, including long-range financial planning

Operational Planning examines everyday production processes and management issues. Day-to-day business activities are also included.

* Acquiring suppliers.

* Employee hiring.

* Evaluating and choosing production methods.

* Product handling and delivery, etc.

* Choosing reliable, secure suppliers, who can provide raw materials and other quality supplies.

* Decisions about inventory and where to store it.

A legal Framework means the considering and adhering to all legal requirements, surrounding the setting up of a small business. It helps you evaluate the following:

* Types of business ownership

* Business-related legal requirements regarding safety, health, employment legislation, etc.

* Tax liabilities, including income tax, government insurance contributions, and VAT, etc.

Insurance includes numerous measures you have to take to secure your business.

Marketing: How a venture and its products and services, appear to the world.

* Marketing is all about identifying the needs of consumers, and satisfying those needs in a profitable manner. It is essential to identify the level of demand for your services, within the market you have decided to target.

Website: You need to build a website that tells your audience about your business, or helps you sell online. It needs to reflect your vision and commitment to quality.

Networking: The type of people you ought to know, and how you can meet them, so as to make your business succeed.

* Networking is becoming increasingly important for small businesses and is a key part of the marketing process.

* Take an inventory of all your contacts and relationships, seeking out those who can help your business.

Self-Development: Examining your skill set, and what more is needed for managing a successful business.

* Looking closely at your talents and current skill set, to determine what you still have to learn.

* Seeking ways to shorten the learning curve, with assistance from a mentor, a partner, or skilled employees.

* Online or local courses can also be of great benefit.

Future and Exit: In order to promise long-term success, you need to have a vision of how to expand your business into the future. Above all, you need an exit plan. Nothing continues forever, and you need to prepare to take leave of your business in a structure, controlled manner when the times comes.

Conclusion

Owning a business can be very satisfying and is certainly the biggest learning experience of your life. Careful planning, an understanding of the type of business you’ve chosen, as well as the target market it is supposed to serve, will increase your chances of long-term success.

Dig Deep for Small Business Ideas

If you’re serious about wanting to start a business, the first thing you want to do is take the time to understand what really makes you tick. Where do you get your drive? What gets you in a “zone?”

However, there’s a lot more to figuring out the BEST business idea that will make you more money and give you more freedom to enjoy more success in your life.

And success to you may be different than success to someone else. It may not be all about money at all. It may not be about finding something you are completely passionate about. It may not be about having a “cool” business — the latest fad or a unique niche.

Success is how you define it.

Finding the right idea to bring you that success takes a willingness to be patient, good timing, and a lot of research.

And there’s nothing wrong with taking your time, being careful trying to figure out which small business ideas are best.

If you rush this process, you’re bound to come up with a business that doesn’t excite you at all.

You’ll be bored.

You won’t reach goals and it will become more like a job … maybe even harder!

You’ll feel like you would working for someone else. (You don’t want that again, do you?)

First, Figure Out What You Really Want

Starting off, you really have to force yourself to relax. I know what it’s like being very, very unhappy at a job. And I can tell you from first-hand experience that walking away from a well-paying job and jumping into your own business is stressful.

But if you carefully plan your “escape,” it will make it that much better!

Set Your Short-Term Goals

Maybe you want to make a ton of money and drive around in a BMW.

Or maybe you just want the freedom to enjoy your family or friends. Or perhaps it’s just a matter of being in control of your life — being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want.

Whatever your long-term goals are, first you have to concentrate on the shorter term goals before you can begin to see that “big picture.”

It’s up to you.

But understand that the type of business you start will play a roll in whether or not you meet your goals — both short and long-term.

If you’re trying to startup a part-time venture while working full-time for someone else, you’re going to have to set daily goals to try and squeeze in a few hours of work every day, often before and after work! (I used to get up at 4:30 in the morning, go to my full-time job at 8:30, come home at 5 or 6 and get right back to work on my new business … and I loved it!)

But if it’s a small business idea you came up with on the ride home and it doesn’t really “drive” you, it’ll make reaching your short term goals — often the hard part — a heck of a lot more difficult.

What are Your Long-Term Plans?

That big picture includes, more than anything, something you can see yourself doing every day. Something that — even on weekends — you love to do.

And even though it is something you love to do, make sure it will feed your long-term plan. And you won’t know that until you know what your long term plan actually is!

For instance, if your plan is indeed to make a lot of money and retire at a young age, you’ll obviously have to look at small business ideas that are highly profitable.

This would include mostly business-to-business models. There is typically more profit selling to businesses (a product or service) unless you make it big in the consumer market.

Why would the business-to-business market be more profitable? Because a business would be more willing to invest in a product or service (that may even be a write-off) versus the consumer market which is more “luxury” driven. Meaning, consumers base a lot of their buying decisions on want instead of needs.

It’s also a financial issue.

A larger business can pay a $300 invoice without thinking about it whereas a consumer getting a $300 bill may sweat a little more.

This is just an example of understanding your long-term goals so you can look closer at a finite number of business ideas to get you closer to where you want to be.

And if you go ahead and hang your “open for business” sign and then realize, “Oh, I can’t make that much money doing this!”, you’ll only be taking one step forward and two steps back.

Grab a Pad … Ideas Will Come and Go

Because — like all entrepreneurs — you’re a thinker, you’ve always got ideas popping into your head. Probably more than you can handle (the brain only has so much room, right?).

That’s why you should always keep a notebook by your side.

Sure, some of the best ideas get written on a cocktail napkin. But you’re better off trying to give these ideas more permanence. And having a notebook dedicated to your small business ideas will give you a growing and buildable “diary” to use when you’re good and ready to go for it!

And once you start putting your ideas in writing, you’ll find yourself getting into the habit of using your notebook more and more. It’s like anything else that takes practice.

The more you do it, the better you get at finding the best small business ideas. And each idea will help you grow more specific or “niche” ideas.

Become a Private Investigator!

What you want to do is really learn how to research. You’ve got to dig — and dig deep — to determine what business really could work best for your success.

Not only do you have to know who you are and what’s going to drive your personality the most, but you also need to think about what sells.

What type of business can be profitable?

Too many people make the mistake of looking at only one aspect of starting a small business. If you love parakeets and you’re passionate about them, it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to open up a store in your town without knowing if anyone else likes them!

As a side note, starting an internet business allows you a greater opportunity to build a business around something you’re passionate about. If it’s parakeets you love, you’ll find more people on the internet with your same passion than you would in your own backyard. For some great information about finding your passion on the internet, click here

You research should include looking at what other businesses are doing (successfully and not so successfully) in your city or town.

Look at small businesses and even what the “big guys” are doing.

Maybe you could create a smaller business with a personal touch that the “big guys” are typically missing out on (no matter how hard they try.)

Figure out more about what makes you tick …

What kind of hobbies do you have, if any?

What kind of magazines do you enjoy?

What do you like to do most in your “free” time?

What was the best job you ever held? Even if it’s one you had when you were a kid, you may find a business in something you know and love — but don’t even realize it yet!

Business Ideas Are Everywhere

Start to think about needs in your town or city. Is there something missing? Is there a need or a product or some type of service people would use that they “want?”

What is the majority age population in your city or town? Is it mostly seniors? (a huge market because they are more active and living longer than ever.) Or is your community made up of younger families?

Check out the local sections in your paper. Read the Lifestyle and Arts section. (I always find articles about local business people who have started businesses.)

Look at local and state businesses. Look at consumer trends and what people “want.”

Is there something other businesses in your area need? Don’t be afraid to go around and ask!

Think about concerns we all have in the world today.

There are so many opportunities out there, waiting for like you to step up and get started with a new business!

Don’t be afraid to ask!

This is where your friends, family and neighbors come in. Ask them to give you their number-one need. A product or service that’s “hard-to-find.” A complaint about what’s missing from their lives.

How many times have you looked for something — a product or service — and had to travel a long distance to get it?

Answering questions will give you plenty to think about and some good material for your notebook.

And if you’re interested in the business-to-business market, you could always put together a survey and mail it out to local businesses. Give them an incentive (a low-cost, high value gift) and find out what they really need to help them improve their business.

You may find that all of the local businesses in your area need someone to take care of local deliveries. Or someone to help them type or use their computer more effectively..

Just remember, starting a small business is a process and it takes time. The more planning and research you do up front, the better chance you’ll have to success and have a little bit of fun, too.

Got A Business Idea But No Money? Here Are 5 Tips On Funding A Women Owned Business

More women are leaving the corporate world to become entrepreneurs. For the past two decades, majority women-owned firms have continued to grow at around two times the rate of all firms. According to the Center for Women’s Business Research, the number of majority women-owned businesses increased 42% between 1997 and 2006.

One of the concerns faced by a woman business owner is finding the money to start or grow her business. While some women-owned businesses are funded through a small nest egg, others may turn to additional means of finance.

Here are 5 tips on funding a woman business start-up.

Borrowing From Family And Friends

This is one of the most common ways to fund a new business. Your family and friends are more likely to lend you their money if they are convinced by your business plan and idea. Borrowing money from people you know is a cost-efficient approach as you may not be required to pay extra fees or interests. However, it could potentially lead to strained relationships if you are unable to repay the money. Some individuals believe that they are automatically entitled to a piece of the business in return for the money loaned. Any stipulations associated with the “loan” should be put in writing to avoid any future misunderstanding.

Some women business owners are aware of the tension that can potentially arise from borrowing from family and friends. If you are one of them, why not ask your family or friends to help out in running your business such as taking orders, promotions, delivery and so forth.

Credit Cards

Small business owners reportedly use several credits cards to pay for expenses. This type of funding is expensive and risky. Failure to make repayments can jeopardize your personal credit. If you want to resort to this means of funding, make sure you can pay off your card before the interest kicks in.

Personal Loans

Banks are usually quick to approve loans less than $25,000 based on personal credit. If you need a few thousand dollars to spend on equipment or inventory, a personal loan is an ideal way of funding. The interest rate is less than that of a credit card. You will still need to submit a business plan to support a personal loan application.

Business Loans

You’ll need to provide collateral or guarantee in addition to a business plan or financial statements when applying for a business loan. The screening process is more rigorous. Business loans are typically available from $25,000 onwards. If you are using the equity of your home to get a business loan, you may be putting your home at a risk of foreclosure if you fail to meet your monthly repayments. Understanding all of the details regarding this type of loan is vital to protect the ownership of your home.

SBA Loans

When a larger loan is needed to acquire a building or an expensive piece of equipment, there are business loan programs for women provided by Small Business Administration (SBA). Please note that SBA only acts a guarantor but does not offer loans to small businesses. SBA reviews loan applications by borrowers. If a loan application is eligible, SBA issues a commitment letter on behalf of the applicant. This letter shows the willingness of SBA to guarantee the loan, which helps to speed up the loan approval by a lender.

There is an inherent risk of funding any business activities, no matter what type of funding you choose. The key is not to borrow too much to the extent that you cannot meet the monthly repayments from the income of your business.

5 Traits of Successful Women in Business

There was a time not so long ago when it was considered rare to find women in business. Today, more and more women are empowering themselves, starting businesses, and leveling the playing field with the men of the business world. Most women in business share common traits that help them become and remain successful. Below are a few of those traits.

Setting and Achieving Goals

Almost all successful women in business share the common trait of setting goals and then achieving those goals. Goals consist of anything you intend on doing and that you will strive to meet. By setting clear goals for yourself, you will give yourself a vote of confidence that helps to improve your overall business sense and drive.

Keeping Priorities Straight

It’s all too easy to get excited about something that leads you off the track of your goals. By keeping your priorities in order, you will keep your path leading to your ultimate goals. If you start to sway or stray from the path you are on, then you could run the risk of losing focus and eventually missing out on opportunities.

Time Management Skills

Smart women in business have great skills when it comes to managing their time. If you dedicate too much time to any one thing, other things get neglected. Dividing your time between the goals of your business will help you meet your goals more efficiently and within a reasonable amount of time. Great time management skills go a long way to help you work on the tasks that need you the most.

Overcome Challenges

Women who decide to become part of the business world need to overcome unique challenges. As a woman, the world is still biased and will not treat you fairly in a lot of instances. You are often forced to prove yourself where a man may not need to. You need to remain strong and capable, while also staying emotionally in line with yourself. By making yourself aware of challenges before they take place, you put yourself at an advantage over other businessmen and women. Every challenge you pass is another step closer to making your mark.

Take Time to Relax

Every once in a while, it’s good for a woman to take time out to pamper herself. Go to a spa, have a bubble bath, or simply take time off to spend with family or take a vacation if you need to. A little rest and relaxation can go a long way to recharging your batteries to take on new work challenges.

Women in business have many unique challenges that they must overcome in order to be successful. The traits above are some things that almost every successful business woman possesses. By knowing what these traits are, you can work toward making them part of your daily routine, and you will quickly notice some big things happening on your horizons as a business professional. When you’re ready to take on the world, do not hesitate, and move forward with the confidence you know is within you.

The ABC of Writing Business Letters

We often wonder whether writing business letters correctly is as important as it is made out to be. Communication, written or verbal has always been significant to civilization. The method of communication is often dictated by various factors such as who is addressing whom, why, and when.

Business letters are generally used to communicate formally with various players regarding business matters. Unlike informal letters, these need to conform to certain rules so they could be read and processed speedily and at the same time provide you with the relief you are seeking. Fortunately, the basics of writing business letters are easy to master.

1. The beginning – you begin with the name, designation and address of the person you want to communicate. In case you do not know the name, the designation would often suffice, though personalization always provides better results.

2. The subject – you should keep in mind that the person who would read your letter has limited time and therefore needs to know what the letter is all about at a glance. The subject line serves to this purpose.

3. Reference – next, is your reference. This pertains to the source that influenced you to write this letter. For example, the advertisement in the newspaper if you are applying for a job; a previous letter, a recent development, your own preceding letters and so on.

4. The opening address – you start the letter with a “Dear Sir or Madam” depending on the gender of the person. It is important that you address a woman as Ms unless she makes it obvious she wants to be addressed as mrs or miss.

5. Body of the letter – the matter you want to be said should be put in simple and crisp language, avoiding wordiness. The tone should be polite, even when the letter is a complaint or gives negative feedback.

6. Closing statement – try your best to end the letter on a point of action. This is what the person would read last and therefore carry it in his or her mind. What you want the person to do? What do you expect from him or her? What you want them to remember about the letter?

7. Ending – the letter generally ends formally with, “yours faithfully”, “yours sincerely”, “warm regards”, or “best wishes” depending on how well you know the person you are writing to.

As you can see, writing business letters is not a difficult task. All it needs is a little practice and the basic know-how.

Legitimate Home Business Marketing – Increase Website Traffic with Forum Marketing

SO, you created your website for whatever purpose, to sell a product or service, to show off your photographic genius… whatever its YOUR pride and joy!! But you have no visitors to see your wonders in design or your legitimate home business opportunities?

The VERY FIRST STEP in driving traffic to your website is through what is commonly referred to as Online Forum Marketing. Online Forums are very interactive web pages that allow you as a registered user to read, interact and participate in discussions about a certain topic of interest. You would do everything you can to participate in as many discussions as you can about your favorite topic, wouldn’t you?

The reason is because with these ‘discussion groups’, you realize that this is your opportunity to learn as much as you can from these people in the shortest amount of time! and more importantly, you can establish your credibility as an authority on your chosen topic!

Forum Etiquette – Every forum has its own set of rules. It is your duty as a member to find out what is acceptable and what is not. This can include how to set up your signature. Do they allow links? If so how many? How long can your signature be? Some forums do not allow you to post links that are of certain type of nature. This can include links to adult sites, gambling sites or even affiliate links. What is the general subject matter of the forum? If using a Homeworker Ideas forum for instance, don’t post things that are off topic unless they have a specific thread for that. There are forums that do not allow discussions of a political nature or discussion of religious topics. Even others discourage talking about specific products and companies.

The bottom line is that each forum is different and if you are to be an outstanding member, you have to play by the rules. If you don’t, you might get slapped and even publicly humiliated. That doesn’t amount to good marketing.

In conclusion, the best way to market yourself in a forum is to not really market yourself at all but rather to be a consistent member that contributes quality and substance to the community. When your motive is to help others, contribute good content and become an integral part of a community, you end up marketing yourself without even trying.

When you start participating in various forums, you will notice the various Signature Boxes on the bottom of the majority of the comments posted by forum members. You will also notice that after you read a member posting that intrigues you, you will find yourself clicking on the link of that particular member’s signature.

Just like that, you just created a click through to that particular member’s website!

When you simply register for your first online forum, the VERY FIRST THING you should do is create your ‘Signature’. As mentioned in the section above, a Signature is basically what is used at the end of email messages to give your recipient that ‘feeling of credibility’ about you. However the SAME THING could be accomplished by adding that signature at the end of EVERY SINGLE ONE of your forum posts.

This is one of MANY times you are going to hear me teach you about the importance of your CREDIBILITY when marketing your product or service online.

Your first major accomplishment as an Internet Marketer is to first ESTABLISH your credibility. As you are well aware, the Internet is enormous – and being able to establish even a small amount of credibility is a major achievement, and COMPLETELY doable! Do everything you can to use Online Forums as your first step in establishing your online credibility! Why not, it’s free! Warning!

Forums are VERY interactive in nature, with back-and-forth replying from just ONE particular post lasting for weeks and months at a time! You should post as frequently as possible: 2-3 times a week in as many as 5 different forums.

Try not to spend a tremendous amount of time on the forums. Just simply log in, locate your prior posts to check out any possible responses, respond if necessary, then go ahead submit your NEW POST, maybe read a few other members’ posts, then LOG OUT!

Forums could be VERY ADDICTIVE if you let them effect you in that way. Millions of other forum members around the world find themselves investing TOO MUCH TIME in forums. So don’t forget the reason why you are a forum member – that is to learn as much as you can, and DRIVE TARGETED TRAFFIC to YOUR WEBSITE! Another reason why you want to be careful in forums is because, depending on the forum, it may be a case of the blind leading the blind. You will notice that the MOST SUCCESSFUL internet marketers may not even exist in the forums anymore because of this.

Just to remind you, When you are just starting your internet marketing career, establishing your positive professional credibility is your first and main concern. Forums are one of the most PERFECT places to accomplish this goal. However, as your credibility starts to rise and you start to brand yourself, you may make the decision whether or not you still want to invest your valuable time in the forums. This is completely up to you and your business.

Your Action Step for driving massive amounts of targeted traffic to your website using Forum Marketing TODAY! Simply sign up and register for as many RELEVANT forums as you can, insert your Signature Box, and publish your first posts! Don’t hesitate to involve yourself with 3-5 separate forums – of course the more the merrier! The first step is to modify your profile to include your Signature Box. When you create your first post, make sure you can ‘preview’ your post to make sure your Signature Box appears. Don’t forget to make sure your website link is WORKING, then post away my friend!

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