Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, and the other social media websites have supplanted the water cooler as the place to go when you need a break from your work day. I suppose for many in this increasingly virtual world having a chat with a cyber friend brings some meaning, if not a respite from the grind…
There are times when a full business plan is not needed. Time may not allow for the creation of a full length plan or the reader might just want a shorter version. In this case, a dehydrated business plan is often chosen. This type of plan is a very brief version of the traditional business…
This is a guest article by Social Media expert Daniela Bolzmann Maximizing the use of LinkedIn by a business is a function of the type of business and of the target market company. If the target market is primarily found on LinkedIn, I would suggest an active participation in the LinkedIn community. This can be…
To get money from an Angel investor or from a banker will often require entrepreneurs to demonstrate a proof of concept. This begs the question, “what exactly is a proof of concept?” While the term is kind of fuzzy, a proof concept is evidence that the company, product, or service is financially viable—the business model…
To be successful online and generate profit for your company you must have lots of customer traffic and it needs to be the right people. Yet, getting your site the right visitors is no simple task. An incredible looking website is useless if the web designer did not consider search engine optimization (SEO) when building…
People learn, read, and communicate in many ways. Some people need or prefer more spatially effective communication with both words and images. In that case, consider a mind map. A mind map is a visual outline. It has a central core or box at the highest level, uses topics as bullets below it, and can…
Perceived Value Pricing is the best choice for niche marketers (most of the time). This pricing strategy is defined as pricing a product or service at a level that reflects the potential savings, the highest satisfaction level, or the maximum use that a client will receive from the purchase and/or of use of the product…
Your brand is a promise of value. Excellent brands are unique, consistent, and authentic. Your brand’s uniqueness answers the question, “How is your offering different or better?” To be considered better or different than your competition, your offering must have at least one feature or benefit that is measurably better than the competition. A great…
Venture Capital firms are out to make money—lots of money, if possible. The first thing to know about VC firms is that they are investing other peoples’ money, rather than their own. The money comes from a variety of sources including insurance companies, banks, pension funds, university endowments, and corporate investment entities. The game is…
When a small business or start up approaches a bank for a loan, you need to be able to answer the following eight questions: 1. How much money do you want? 2. Why do you want the money? 3. How will the money be used? 4. How will you repay the loan? 5. What is…