Tag Archives: small business advice

Business Plan Outline

When you start a small business, one of the most important steps is to write a business plan outline. Once you have that outline prepared, all you have to do is fill in the blanks.

You may be surprised at how simple it is to fill in the outline once you have it in front of you. All of those thoughts that you’ve been having about the business that you want to start will start flowing out of your brain and onto the page.

A good business startup outline includes (but is not limited to) the following:

– executive summary

– summary of your proposed product or service

– marketing plan

– how you’ll implement this plan

– management summary (who will be running this company?)

– the financial plan (one of the most challenging parts to write)

Stay tuned to this section of StartUpaSmallBiz.com for advice and guidance on how to use a business plan outline to start your small business.



Starting up a small business, even if it's just on the side, is no longer an option -- it's a necessity. Why? Because everyone needs an additional source of income in our new economy. Click here to sign up for educational and motivational posts to keep you on track.

Small Business Administration

Whenever you need some assistance and advice for how to start up a small business, it’s a good idea to turn to the Small Business Administration and its wealth of resources for guidance.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA.gov) publishes information on the following topics related to starting a business:

– starting and managing

– loans and grants

– contracting

– local assistance

and more. This section focuses on Small Business Administration topics that will help you decide and plan your new business. Stay tuned for updates and information.



Starting up a small business, even if it's just on the side, is no longer an option -- it's a necessity. Why? Because everyone needs an additional source of income in our new economy. Click here to sign up for educational and motivational posts to keep you on track.

Entrepreneur Ideas

Come to this section of StartUpaSmallBiz.com for entrepreneur ideas to inspire you to start your new small business.

An entrepreneur is officially defined as someone who “organizes and manages a business undertaking, assuming the risk to make a profit.” Does this sound like it could be you?

– Do you really like the idea of being your own boss?

– Are you comfortable with the challenges involved in starting a small business?

– Can you handle the pressure involved when starting up a small business and money doesn’t flow in as quickly as you’d like it to?

– Do you have money set aside to invest in your business ideas and pay your bills while setting up your small business?

– Do you like innovating and creating new things?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then keep this page bookmarked for inspiration and useful entrepreneur ideas.

Visit the entrepreneur ideas category page >>



Starting up a small business, even if it's just on the side, is no longer an option -- it's a necessity. Why? Because everyone needs an additional source of income in our new economy. Click here to sign up for educational and motivational posts to keep you on track.

Home Business Ideas

Bookmark this page for home business ideas that may inspire you to start your new small business.

You don’t have to establish a separate business location in order to start a business — you can start your new company from home. Here are a few common home business opportunities you might want to look into:

– virtual assistant

– content writer

– online store owner/manager

– medical transcription

– tech support for people who aren’t computer savvy

– travel agent (setting up travel itineraries for clients)

– tutoring

– website developer or designer

Keep this page of StartUpaSmallBiz.com bookmarked for more home business ideas.



Starting up a small business, even if it's just on the side, is no longer an option -- it's a necessity. Why? Because everyone needs an additional source of income in our new economy. Click here to sign up for educational and motivational posts to keep you on track.

Get the Tools You Need

If you have the right tools and supplies from the start, starting your small business will be a breeze.



Starting up a small business, even if it's just on the side, is no longer an option -- it's a necessity. Why? Because everyone needs an additional source of income in our new economy. Click here to sign up for educational and motivational posts to keep you on track.

3 Keys to Selling Success for a Small Business

You’ve probably heard that the ability to sell to people is something that you either have or you don’t have—an innate talent. But in truth, it is something that you can learn through experience. You must learn how people think and make decisions. People who are successful at selling usually come to a sales transaction equipped with confidence, information and intuition.

Confidence

People are very perceptive and they can detect when you’re unsure of yourself. If you show that you are unsure of yourself, that might mean that you’re unsure of the product or service you’re selling as well. Avoid stumbling over your words, shuffling about or glancing around nervously. Look the potential customer directly in the eyes and tell him what you’re selling. Remember that you, as a person, reflect on the product you’re selling—in many cases a customer chooses you, not the product. So carry yourself with confidence whenever you are talking to a prospect. Practice pitching your product or service in the mirror or to a trusted friend who will give you constructive advice.

Information

If you master every feature of the product or service you’re selling, you increase your chances of converting sales. Customers are bound to have questions—every time you intelligently answer a customer’s question, you remove a potential barrier to making the sale. Also, once you identify the customer’s needs you can easily match them to the product’s features.

Also, when it comes to selling, people usually need to see it to believe it. Do a product demonstration if possible or offer a free trial of your service. Provide the potential customer with as many samples as they need to be convinced that what you are selling is great.

Intuition

Intuition is not something that is easily taught when it comes to sales, but it can come with experience. An expert salesman eventually comes to a place where he can predict how a potential prospect will respond to his product and pitch. He learns how to read faces, gestures, body language and comments from the potential customer to know what he should say or do to get the sale. If you don’t have this ability, ask a more experienced sales person to mentor you.

Of course these are not the only traits you need in order to become a successful sales person—having an awesome product or service is a large part of the formula. However, when you go in prepared with plenty of confidence, information and intuition you’re putting yourself in a good position to start pulling in some sales.