These success techniques not only helped them forward but also kept them there even in times of depression, recession or other personal disasters.

Four of them are The Great M?s of Success in business and life.
Mentoring, Masterminding, Marketing & Motivation

I have heard it repeated over and over again, “Get Yourself a Mentor.” Get help, advice and guidance by someone who has already been there and made it. A mentor can save you years to a lifetime of mistakes. They can excel you forward, in ways you never could on your own. You?ll have a much greater ability to achieve your goals because you will have a blueprint to guide your way.

Surprisingly, many people if not most will go to a friend or relative for advice. People who have never succeeded and have no ambition to go anywhere, and then these same people are surprised when they too don’t succeed or even get very far. Then they look for excuses and reasons outside them selves for the failures. Such as recession, location, or even competition muscling in.

Accomplished people also belonged to a Mastermind group. They are people like you, entrepreneurs working towards a better life.

The collective power of the group brings increased knowledge that can help you resolve challenges that you may have. They also keep you motivated and accountable. The power or synergy of the mastermind group has shown over and over its ability to help people overcome any problems.

Each week, each person in the group would state what they have accomplished, what they are doing next and ask for assistance with any matters. The group as a whole then works together to come up with solutions. Discover just how powerful this is in moving you forward and achieving your desires. It also gives you the very important ability to give back to the group by helping them.

A small sample of people in or were in masterminds are: Henry Ford, Firestone, Napoleon Hill, Andrew Carnegie, Anthony Robins, Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, Joe Vitale, Joel Christopher and so many more.

The third M is Marketing. No matter what your business is, if you don’t market yourself or business, you won’t get very far. You can’t expect to hide under a blanket in the corner and hope that someone finds you.

Marketing is more than just advertising. It’s understanding your target market and knowing how to promote to them and the benefits that your product or service will provide them. Without this knowledge, you will either not attract anyone to you or you can waste a lot of money with zero results.

It pays to find people who understand this and can help guide you. They can help you define your niche’, explain copywriting and the magic of words. They can show you the difference between features and benefits and why they are so important. And they can teach you how to test everything for positive and increased results.

Finally, the fourth is motivation. Motivation is the juice that keeps you going, that allows ideas to progress and persevere when times are tuff. No matter how great your product or service is, if you don’t stay motivated, you probably won’t last through the hard times.

There are many ways to help you stay motivated. One is to be around others that are also moving forward. A second is to write down and post right in front of you, Why You Are Doing This. Get specific and detailed as possible. Then post it in front of your computer or where ever you work the most. Look at it often to remind your self why and what your motivation soar.

Grasp on the marvelous Ms and jumpstart your own goals dreams and desires.

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P.S. If you are looking for a place to develop your own
online business, you’ll love, “Master List Builder University.”
At this University, you gain access to premium features
such as the step-by-step system that’s guaranteed to generate
more leads, traffic, customers and sales for your business.
As well as mastermind with otherlike-minded members and have
access to webinars & teleseminars with successful business
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Check out the: List Builder Newsletter
List Builder Newsletter

All the Best!
Maria Boomhower
The Master Communicator
To sign up for a free report on
“The 7 Secrets to Communication Mastery” go to:
www.falconfreedom.com

Plan

After you have selected some ideas from your brainstorming to base your business around, create a plan of attack.

List what you’ll need before your business starts. What will your ongoing expenses be? Factors include rent, utilities, permits, licensing, legal fees, inventory, staff, design, marketing collateral, mailing lists, software, advertising and more. Get as much as you can out on paper and set deadlines to get things accomplished. This will allow you to evaluate your pace.

Prepare

Once you have a plan, carry it out. Preparing to start a business can be a lot of work. Tasks include getting an identity designed, creating business cards, brochures, web sites and other marketing material, consulting with CPA’s, lawyers, and HR professionals, in some cases finding and renting or buying a storefront or office, furnishing the business space, getting utilities in place, receiving and organizing inventory, getting a database for your customers and leads and any number of other tasks. By running a home business, some of these steps will already be taken care of, yet opening a business of any kind can be an enormous task. While planning your business make sure to leave plenty of time to get up and running. Better to plan your setup time too long than too short and finding yourself running out of money.

Persist

This is the most important step of running a business. Without persistence, you won’t even be able to finish your business plan. Hang on like a pit-bull. When the going gets tough, get tougher. Have worst case scenario plans to fall back on, as well as best case scenario plans.

Some businesses become over-night successes, while other take year to develop. If you plan, prepare and persist, you?ve got a very good chance of making it.

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Halstatt Pires is with the Internet marketing firm - www.marketingtitan.com - a San Diego Internet marketing and advertising company offering automated web site systems through www.businesscreatorpro.com.

I read an article today that suggested that up to 80% of all new franchisors either fail or end up using another route to expand their market share.

Why is this figure so high? I believe that most people do not realise how many hurdles lie in your path when they decide to franchise their business. Having a great business idea is only ten percent of the process. The rest is about sheer effort, marketing, developing processes, creating operators manual, recruitment and then supporting your existing franchisees once they come on board.

Finding the right franchisee takes more effort than everything else and is very important in the success of the business model.

Once you have a franchise agreement in place then it will have to be approved by the BFA before you can even start exhibiting at the franchise exhibitions. They also have to approve all your marketing materials including brochures and videos before you can exhibit.

The whole process is extremely lengthy and very costly but if you use your noodles you can cut your costs by over 50%. Most of the so called experts charge a fortune for carrying out very basic tasks.

If you want to franchise your business the first step is to attend some large franchise exhibition. Pose as a potential buyer and request all the brochures, marketing materials and operators manuals that you can get hold of. These will then give you a fair idea as to what is required.

Once you have received this information then request copies of franchise agreements from businesses that are in a similar business niche as yourself.

Bear in mind that they will ask you to sign confidentiality agreements and a few might even ask you to return their franchise packs if you are not interested. It is also important to realise that you can not use their material as they own copyrights to it.

What you do though is get a fair idea of what is required in terms of marketing material and how you might word your own franchise agreement. Do as much work as you can your self before approaching any experts. This should help to reduce your legal fees substantially.

Again if you have a basic outline as to how you want your brochure to look and feel it will reduce the cost of design.

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Naz Daud - CityLocal Franchise
Franchise Opportunity & Business Opportunity
Business Directory & Franchises
Ireland Business Franchises

In this digitally inter-connected world, you’d think we could “fix” such basic differences. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as plugging another device into the system. Maybe they’re the problem. Maybe you are. We all know difficult people - and, in fact, we can all be the difficult person.

A little background on communication styles can help us understand the issues and learn how to alter our approach to eventually make life a little easier for both parties.

The Basics–Every time we speak, we choose and use one of four basic communication styles:

1. Assertive 2. Aggressive 3. Passive

4. Passive-Aggressive

Assertive Communication
The most effective and healthiest form of communication is the assertive style. It’s how we naturally express ourselves when our self-esteem is intact, giving us the confidence to communicate without games and manipulation.

When we are being assertive, we work hard to create mutually satisfying solutions. We communicate our needs clearly and forthrightly. We care about the relationship and strive for a ?win/win? situation. We know our limits and refuse to be pushed beyond them just because someone else wants or needs something from us. Surprisingly, assertive is the style most people use LEAST. Isn?t this amazing?

Aggressive Communication
Aggressive communication always involves manipulation. We may attempt to make people do what we want by inducing guilt (hurt) or by using intimidation and control tactics (anger). Covert or overt, we simply want our needs met–right now! Although there are a few arenas where aggressive behavior is called for (i.e., sports or war), it will never work in a relationship. Ironically, the more aggressive sports rely heavily on team members and rational coaching strategies. Even war might be avoided if we could learn to be more assertive and negotiate to solve our problems.

Passive Communication
Passive communication is based on compliance and hopes to avoid confrontation at all costs. In this mode we don’t talk much, question even less, and actually do very little. We just don’t want to rock the boat. Passives have learned that it is safer not to react and better to disappear than to stand up and be noticed.

Passive-Aggressive Communication
A combination of styles, passive-aggressive avoids direct confrontation (passive), but attempts to get even through manipulation (aggressive). If you’ve ever thought about making that certain someone who needs to be “taught a thing or two” suffer (even just a teeny bit), you’ve stepped pretty close to (if not on into) the devious and sneaky world of the passive-aggressive.

So now what?
Clearly, for many reasons, the only ?HEALTHY EFFECTIVE? communication style is assertive communication. Surely you can identify many people in your own life that favor each of the four styles. Most of us use a combination of these four styles depending on the person or situation. The styles we choose generally depend on what our past experiences have taught us will work best to get our needs met in each specific situation. If you take a really good look at yourself you’ve probably used each style throughout your lifetime in different situations with certain people.

Understanding the four basic types of communication will help you learn how to RESPOND most effectively when confronted with a difficult person. It is very important that you always use ?SELF-CONTROL? and do NOT ?REACT?! This is a skill learned through personal development. When we ?react? to someone we have just given our power away! It will also help you recognize when you are using manipulative behavior to get your own needs met. Remember, you always have a choice as to which communication style you use. If you’re serious about taking control of your life, practice being more assertive. It will help you diffuse anger, reduce guilt, and build relationships - both personally and professionally.

Take Action!
Begin to pay attention to which communication styles you use throughout the day. How often do you use a communication style other than ?ASSERTIVE?? Watch and identify the communication styles some of the difficult people in your life use. Can you begin to notice how others use manipulative techniques to get their way? Learning to use effective communication will increase your success in all of your relationships.

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Businesswoman, Rose Kirkland assists Women to be success stories and inspiration to others. The fact that you are investigating the home-based business industry is a sign that you have dreams and trust in those dreams. Let me assist you come visit: Success and Freedom

Here are some of the dilemmas entrepreneurs face.

Cash vs. control
Contrary to many beliefs, being an entrepreneur might not necessarily be a more lucrative than working for someone.

The truth is, many entrepreneurs venture out not out of a profit motive. Many do it out of the need or desire for control. They want to grow and control a new venture and they enjoy the independence. They want to have more control over their decisions and future. They enjoy the financial independence.

Passing the baton
Many entrepreneurs don’t develop a succession plan because they don’t think anyone can fill their shoes. That?s a mistake many entrepreneurs make because they find it very hard to let go. However, grooming a successor is a key step in planning for the future of the company.

Growing pains
Once you?re on to something really good, the dilemma is two-prong. Firstly, the founder need to decide if he should grow or not to grow and at what rate. Do you grow slowly, and build brand recognition with the risk you don’t go fast enough to ever build your brand? Or do you go quickly into it, without brand equity?

And if you decide that it is important not to miss the ride and grow, you need to determine if you wish to do it all yourself or perhaps it?ll make more sense for you to license the idea to another entrepreneur or established company. That is not an easy decision to make.

The second dilemma is to determine if it?s time for someone else to take the reins. Sometimes, the person who starts a business isn’t necessarily the best person to steer it into the big leagues.

The dilemma of partners - Can?t live with them, can you live without them?
Many entrepreneurs deliberate of whether they should go at it alone or they should do it with a partner. I am sure that many of us have heard horror stories of how the ventures fall apart because of partner?s disagreements. A partnership is just like a marriage. Communication is key.

The value of partnership is it offers you an additional avenue to tap on another person?s creativity, contributions, talent, networks and even funds.

The dilemma of ethics
How often do we comment that Company ABC lacks integrity in conducting business? As an entrepreneur, you?ll be faced with many of such situations. Many entrepreneurs grapple with the dilemma of ethics/honestly vs. survival. If you were to be put in such a situation, which will you choose?

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For more essential information and resources on starting a successful daycare business, please visit www.setupadaycare.com

So lets get down to it and spell out the top MLM lead sources and why they are so effective.

1. Warm Market ? This is where some people cringe about the network marketing industry, as they don?t like the thought of ?selling? to their friends and family. I suggest you consider what business it is that you are in. ?Network Marketing? ? you are becoming a marketer who utilises the networks available to them so change your mindset. The key here is not to go and sell to your warm market but to tap into their networks. Do this and a whole wealth of MLM leads will come your way.

2. Seminars ? As a marketer think about where your ideal customer/prospect spends their time. If you?re looking for successful people then odds are they will attend seminars designed to provide tools to improve both their mindset and their bank balance. Go along and network with both the participants and the event leaders. Again don?t sell, you are here to make contacts and thus build a funnel of never ending leads for your MLM business.

3. Prospecting Tools ? Always have a pack of your MLM companies prospecting tools with you at all times, you never know who your going to bump into. Some of the most successful leaders in the MLM industry have built huge teams but simply ensuring they always had 10 DVD?s with new prospects at all times. Constant action will bring constant MLM leads.

4. Referrals ? This my friends is the real goldmine of the network marketing industry. How many times do people say ?no? to your opportunity? Does this get you down? Not me, I jump for joy at every ?no? I receive. Why? Because that gives me a chance to ask for a referral and generate a whole bunch of new MLM leads into my business. Get this technique buttoned and your business will explode.

5. Online Forums ? These days we not only hang out with like-minded people offline we now also do the same online. Go and find some MLM forums online and start to build relationships with fellow network marketers. If you can bring value to the conversations your going to attract MLM leads simply by being perceived as an expert.

6. Blogging/Social Networking ? The Internet is a vast interactive place where people share information and contacts. Join some of the top social networks and build your profile and attract MLM leads to you. Learn the skills that will make your site more appealing and watch in amazement as people flock to you.

7. Buy MLM leads ? I deliberately left this one till last, as it need only be a last resort. There are so many free methods of generating MLM leads that there is little need to purchase leads. However if you really want to go down this route then make sure your lead supplier has been thoroughly checked and vetted by your upline leaders. The last thing you want to do is spend your hard earned money on ineffective leads.

So there you go seven tried and tested methods to generate leads into your MLM business. Now I will leave you with one final important tip that will make all the difference to your business. Don?t just use one method but use as many as you can. In this manner you will have an endless supply of MLM leads even if one or two sources dry up for a while.

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John O?Driscoll is an Expert Internet Network Marketer.
“Learn How To Make $10,717 In Less Than a Week While
Quickly And Easily EXPLODING Your Network Marketing
Organization Without EVER Buying a Single Lead?”
==> www.opportunity-waits.com

Last week, during an interview by my friend and client Kendall Summerhawk, a woman in her program asked, ?How do I know it?s time to add more people to my team without losing profitability??

For the entrepreneur, cash flow is the make or break point. Interestingly enough, many of us will throw thousands of dollars at programs and products that suggest they will make us money but you will hold back from investing in the ONE KEY STRATEGY that is proven to help you achieve a six to seven figure income.

I?d like to help you identify 8 Keys to Know If It?s Time to Build a Virtual Team.

1. You want to grow fast but have limited time. This is crucial for people who are still employed, mothers of young children and people with multiple businesses. The fact is, you can only grow as fast as you have time to move your projects forward. A team can execute on work while you focus on other things.

2. You have more referrals than you can follow up with. This is a sign that you either: need an assistant to help filter out leads and get them in your funnel or you need to outsource work to others.

3. You are doing things that you hate, screw up or procrastinate. After I booked myself to Ft. Lauderdale when I needed to be in Orlando, I realized booking my own travel had to be delegated to my assistant. These tasks will cost you hundreds, if not thousands, until you delegate them to someone who loves the tasks. Bookkeeping, client invoicing, website updating, paperwork all fit here. P.S. That travel mistake cost me $500 extra dollars. =-(

4. You need and want more freedom to enjoy your life, but you can?t afford to be away from the business. The right team will be able to handle anything while you are gone.

5. You routinely are late, deliver incomplete projects or forget things you promise people. This is a sign that you have too much on your plate. Even delegating email management and phone call follow up can free up 8 ? 10 hours a week!

6. You are an opportunity addict and don?t want to give that up. Let?s be honest. Some of you are just really good at new ideas and you don?t want that to stop. You thrive on the creative phase. But someone has to implement your ideas ? that?s where a team comes in.

7. You are a speaker, information marketer, coach, consultant, service professional or business owner with more on their to-do list than time in the day. I guarantee you I can find at least 25 items in your to-do list that could easily and profitably be delegated!

8. You truly desire a six to seven figure income. The one thing that every successful person knows is that they could not have done it alone.

Last year I interviewed five 7- figure entrepreneurs who all said, ?If I could do one thing differently, I wouldn?t have waited to build a team.?

Ready to build a team but still not sure how to pay for it? Tune in to our next edition and I?ll give you a simple formula to pay for a team. Or join us for the next Virtual Team Building Tele-Bootcamp starting September 12th.

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About the Coach:
Melanie Benson Strick, The Entrepreneur’s Success Coach, teaches entrepreneurs how to stop feeling overwhelmed so they can create more money, more freedom and more prestige.
If you’re ready to stop working in your business and start working on your business, go to www.virtualteambuildingsecrets.com/secretweapon/ to learn the secret to growing your company to a six and seven-figure success without employees or a 90-hour work week!

Dietary supplements are especially big in America. Face it, for most Americans a little pill or drop of vitamin elixir is far more appealing than all that dieting and exercise nonsense. Everyone loves an easy fix, and you could provide that for them.

Having your own brand of supplement would be the ideal solution, but not many people have the time or knowledge to partner up with a lab and make that happen. The next best thing is to partner with an affiliate program. The dietary supplement arena is a playing field you have to be a little careful on. Because it deals with supplements that can affect people’s health, you want to go the extra mile before you get started.

What do I mean by go the extra mile? First do your homework. Make sure the supplement company you partner with is reputable! This is easy to check in this Internet age - look for complaints against them online, make sure they list their ingredients somewhere on their site, and make sure they have a way for customers to contact them directly. After all of that, make sure they have plenty of plain language disclaimers posted on their site that people experiencing serious health problems need to see their doctor.

Most of those things do three things - they protect the supplement maker, they protect the customer and they protect you. The ingredients list and the contact information are the most important things on that list - you want people with allergies to know what is in the supplements, and you want people with problems to call the supplement company, not you!

Once you’ve gotten the logistics figured out, what can supplements do for your income? They can create a huge income stream for you. If you know how to find and package private label supplements to sell as your own brand, you are looking at a $5 per bottle cost with a $50 per bottle sale price. Nice, isn’t it? That’s a healthy chunk of change right there, that can quickly add up.

Even if you don’t want to get into the legalities and hassle of private label supplements, you can become an affiliate for an established company, most of which pay around 50% of each sale to their affiliates, plus residual income for repeat customers - you are still looking at nearly $25 a sale, for doing nothing more than sending people their way. If you market it right (and if you’ve been listening to my advice, you will) you could be looking at a healthy monthly income. So don’t be afraid to supplement your income with supplements.

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Supercharge Your Income With Woody Maxim

How many times have we let someone?s opinion dissuade us from doing what we want to do? How many times have we given our power away by letting one person?s opinion stop us from achieving our goals? Smith did not let his college professor stop him. After he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, Smith implemented his overnight package delivery service in 1971. The name of his business was Federal Express.

1. Smith never gave up on his passion for his concept for an unmet need

During Fed Ex?s first two years, the business lost $27 million and almost went bankrupt. Smith came close to losing $80 million that he raised from investors, including personal money from his brothers and sisters. Smith was able to renegotiate some loans.

Many of us have financial challenges. Smith was about to lose tens of millions of dollars that he raised to implement his passion for an unmet need: overnight package delivery. Smith knew he was able to answer the classical marketing question: what is the unmet need? Smith answered the question very well and persevered.

2. ?Naivete was also a big part. I didn?t know that I couldn?t do this.?

Smith was quoted as saying in a 1998 interview. How many of us put so many demands on ourselves and are always thinking that the worst will happen? Is it the fear of the unknown? Are we that much attached to our comfort zone? Also in a 1998 interview, Smith said that ??the currency of exchange in Fed Ex was just money, it wasn?t people?s arms and legs, or lives.? This quote was in reference to Smith?s experience in the Marine Corps in Vietnam. Apparently, Smith?s philosophy was that losing money was not like losing lives. How many of us deal with situations in which lives are at stake? Medical professionals can experience situations in which they need to save lives. Can losing money ever compare to losing lives?

3. Smith never lost his confidence

Smith did not want to let down people who signed up with him to make Fed Ex happen. His philosophy went back to his Marine Corps days. He had said, ?I knew I had put this thing together properly and that it was going to be all right.? Have you graduated from college? If so, you put together a plan and succeeded. Smith was confident about his passion and stuck to his plan. He did not let the threat of losing tens of millions of dollars and going bankrupt stop him from losing his confidence. Have any of us faced as much financial difficulty as Smith did? Smith also did not let a grade of C on his paper at Yale deter his confidence.

4. Smith took advantage of his learning resources and had great mentors

Frederick Smith said ?The Marine Corps is the best when it comes to teaching people how to lead other folks.? Smith made the most out of his military training, which was a foundation for his ultimate success at forming and maintaining Fed Ex. What have we learned from our experiences and how can we better utilize them? Who are some of the people that have greatly influenced us? Staff Sergeant Jack Jackson and Father Vince Capodanno were two people who had a big influence on Smith. Sergeant Jackson was Smith?s platoon sergeant in the Corps. When Smith first met Sergeant Jackson, he had grown a mustache and smoked cigars. Smith wanted to look older than 22 years old. Sergeant Jackson told Smith, “Well, the first thing, shave off that ridiculous mustache, and quite smoking the cigars — because you look absurd — and be yourself.” Sergeant Jackson told Smith the he ?looked like a smooth-faced kid trying to be something that (he) wasn’t.? Smith said what Sergeant Jackson said stuck with him to this day.

Father Capodanno was Smith?s battalion chaplain, who received the Congressional Medal of Honor. In 1966, Father Capodanno was assigned to Vietnam, with the Third Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment. On September 4, 1967 he was killed in action, in Que Son Valley. He was giving last rites to wounded and dying Americans in the heat of battle. Father Capodanno showed the utmost in self-sacrifice. Most people, including Smith, though it was an honor to have known such a great man.

Smith suggested that young people take advantage of the tremendous access to information that we have, especially the Internet. Support from others can help us in our quest to accomplish our goals. Support from others can help us overcome barriers, much like the ?C? that Smith received on his paper for his Federal Express idea. Many of you possess so many great ideas. Don?t let naysayers discourage you.

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Sean North primarily helps writers gain focus, motivation, remove mental blocks that help to unblock the writing process.
EVERYONE who writes has been stuck at some point in his or her career. You do not have to accept these mind-boggling roadblocks!
seannorthstn@aol.com
(586) 216-7516

Nobody starts out a new business venture with the aim of being unsuccessful.

And yet:

It has been statistically proven that four out of five business start-ups will close their doors within five years time. Yet every year hundreds of thousands of individuals venture out to do ?their own thing?

The short list of questions below will prepare you for what?s awaiting you around the corner when you set out on your own.

Rule 1: Business owners must chose the right business, right from the start. Otherwise you will spend valuable time and money trying to figure out what business is right for you.

The most important question is ?who are you and what can you do??

A man weighing 300 pounds cannot run a hundred yards faster than a 150 pound man can.

A 150 pound man cannot lift as heavy as a 300 pound man can.

A 60 year old cannot climb a tree as well as a 12 year old, and a 12 year old cannot solve cross word puzzles as well as a 60 year old.

So ?who are you and what can you do??

Please be honest with yourself. The more honest you are with yourself at this stage, the easier it will be to be chose the right kind of business and increase your chances of success.

An accountant might not be as good in changing oil as a former machine tools worker would be.

The former machine tool worker might not be as good with numbers as the accountant would be.

Rule 2: The truth is, we all have certain capabilities and learnt skills. If we concentrate on what we know best, do best, and what we like to do best, we have already come very close to succeeding.

Find out who you are and what you can do. The best way is to start asking people who know you well. They usually will tell you all about your good sides. Next, talk to somebody whom you don?t know, like a business adviser or a management consultant. Tell them about your plans, your background and your business experience. Ask them to do strengths and weakness analysis about you and your planned business to determine a ?fit? and possible opportunities and threats to your business.

Clarify the following questions, before starting your formal business planning process

1. Product or Service
? Have you clearly defined your business?
? What differentiates your product or service from your competitors?

2. Your Personal Needs
? How long can you survive financially?
? Are you ready to work long hours and weekends?
? Will your family support your decision?

3. Your Business?s Industry
? Do you know the cyclical/seasonal nature of the economy, the industry and your market and how these things can affect your business?

4. Marketing Issues
? Are there buyers out there who would be willing to part with their money to purchase your product/service?
? What do buyers pay for in your market: price, quality, or convenience levels?

5. The Competition
? Do you know who your competitors are?
? How does your business measure against the competition?

6. Your Finances?
? Where will your start-up funding come from?
? Are you aware of how much time it will take before you start to turn a profit?
? Are you aware of how your business structure is taxed?

7. Employment Issues
? Will you need to hire employees?
? Have you written a clear set of company policy and procedures for your employees?

8. Insurance
? Do you know what kind of property coverage your business will need?

9. Location
? Does your product or service require specific location needs?
? Can the area support a business like the one you propose?

Rule 3: If you can?t answer the questions above, don?t start your business. Find somebody that can help you answer these questions.

Rule 4: Just don?t ask one person. There are lots of people out there who can?t tell right from wrong. Talk to your banker, talk to somebody at the SBA, talk to SCORE advisers.
All of this advice is free.

Rule 5: Do research on the internet. Use search engines like Google and Yahoo to look for free online articles about setting up a business, and how to write business plans.

You might have heard of the term ?paralysis by analyses?. Don?t overdo it. There is no need to for you to prepare an overly detailed business plan and over commit on time and money.

But a business plan will be necessary, especially if you will need to bring in outside investors or get financing from a bank.

Rule 6: Unless you really want to, don?t go splurging on expensive business planning software. They are costly; you will need to spend time to learn how to use the software and most of them just do what spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel do.

Rule 7: The final and most important rule! Be realistic. Downsize your business success expectations by at least a half. After you have sold to your family, friends, relatives, colleagues, you will need to sell to total strangers that could care less with whom they do business. Unless you are able to sell and generate repeat sales from total strangers, your business will not make it. That means the following:

Rule 7.5: Your business concept, whether it is selling goods or services has to be sound. You need to do whatever you are doing in the most competitive way that you are capable of. If your capabilities compare to the present market contenders you will be moderately successful. If you can surpass the present market contenders based on how you do things,
and if there is a market for what you are doing, you will be successful. Its that simple.

Rule 7.75: Simple is good. Don?t complicate things. Simple is always good.

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Jim Kayalar is a management consultant and political analyst with 20 plus years of international experience. He holds a BA in Management/International Relations from Webster University St.Louis- Missouri USA and an MBA from the University of Western Australia, Perth. Jim Kayalar is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) with the Institute of Management Consultants USA & Hong Kong and a member of the Gehrson Lehrman Business Councils USA. If you have comments, suggestions or questions, contact us at info@biztuneup.biz or visit our web site at : www.biztuneup.biz.