Think Big to Become an Entrepreneur

Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Planning to start your very own business soon? Think first if you can really handle the "rocky path" you'll be experiencing. Business responsibilities aren't that easy. In fact, not many people are willing to step out of their shoes and venture in business. One can get green-eyed at successful entrepreneurs because of the money they can earn and the freedom they have. If you have been dreaming to become one and are willing to take the risk of venturing out, go ahead! Gear up with your passion, creativity and right attitude! If you possess these qualities, success will ring at your doorbell!

Advantages and Disadvantages of Entrepreneurs: Have Your Risks Calculated before Jumping In!

Advantages:

Entrepreneurs earn in direct proportion to their hard work - having excellent sales would mean lots and lots of moolah! Employees earn what has been set by their employers.
Independence. Need more elaboration? Entrepreneurs are their own bosses. They answer to themselves and they can't get fired. They set the rules and the structure in their company. Another is that they may have flexibility in their time to do other personal stuff due to the fact that they control work schedules. Also, Entrepreneurs can decide freely if they want the company to wear business suits or not.
Entrepreneurs can get to practice their creativity. Innovation is essential in the business world as people want new, fresh ideas or products all the time. Business owners are also surrounded by the Marketing staff to help them out.

Disadvantages:

Entrepreneurs don't get regular salaries. If the business is low or the economy is experiencing a recession, lower income will flow in the company. More so, if the target market is not responding to your advertised products.
Time. Yes, even though entrepreneurs have flexible time schedule, there will be days in which they tend to work longer or overtime. Stress and pressure will come to them as they plan on how to improve the company. Most employees work on the regular nine-to-five pace or even less.
Major decisions are made by entrepreneurs. It can be a disadvantage and a burden to them because every decision they make will greatly affect the business.

Qualities That are Needed to Become an Entrepreneur:

Creativity.
Stability
Risk - taker.
Passionate.
Honest.
Optimism.

You can insert some positive qualities there as well. Also an entrepreneur has to be observant when it comes to the company's environment. Now, these characteristics will help the business owner cope with daily tasks.

So then, what else is needed to become successful in the world of entrepreneurship?

Starting up a business requires ideas. You plan what product or service you will provide to people. Make sure that your product is in-demand or marketable, or else there will be no sale. Continue to innovate your desired product so that your customers will not get bored by looking or experiencing the same thing all over again. If you have plenty of innovative ideas, save some for the future! Be honest when it comes to pricing your products. A hundred dollars for a pillow will not work! This is also where you have to think how much money or capital you would like to invest in the business. Any ideas on how to finance your business? Alright, grab that piggy bank you have since 3rd grade!

After planning what product or service you will be selling, determine who are your target audience - Barbie Dolls won't work for boys, unless they're dads who wanted to buy dolls for their "princesses" or older brothers who wanted to give their little sister some Barbie Dolls. You do get the picture right?

Decide whether you want to have a business on a store or online. Business-in-stores may have few customers at first, but within time, by exerting a lot of effort, it will grow into a huge company. Having an online business may lessen the start-up costs. However, beware of false buyers, they will only waste your time. Moreover, try securing all your data before someone else will steal it! After, decide whether you can register your business with the government to make it official.

Now, in order to have some customers, advertise your product or service! Choose whatever media you will be using that may reach your target audience - television, radio, newspaper, posters or even the Internet. Teenagers might hear about your product on the Internet or the television.

If you need any help with your business call your friends or post an announcement. Staffing may be difficult, but if you know proper staffing, then your problems might be lessened.

Always remember to BUDGET the money. Don't overspend for further renovations or productions. Also, don't be overly stingy with money either.

Now you know what it takes to be an entrepreneur. If you still wish to continue, brace yourself and don't get discouraged. Think BIG. Endless possibilities will come in your way.
by : Luminada Jenkins

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Habits of successful entrepreneurs

Starting a new business is an exciting experience so it is all too easy to get carried away with the process and forget to make sure you are ready for the ride. One of the great ways to help prepare for becoming an entrepreneur is to take a look at some of the habits of other successful business owners. While there may not be a singular recipe for business success, those who make it tend to have a few things in common. The following is a short list of some of the habits that you can try to adopt to make your business a success as well.

Look at the Glass as Half Full

Instead of lamenting on what goes wrong, try to take a more positive outlook. One of the few guarantees all new entrepreneurs can expect to have is that things will not go according to plan, but your response to unexpected problems can help to define your path to success.


Have a Plan, But Be Flexible

A business plan is one of the basic necessities of starting out on a new venture. A documented plan acts as the road map, and can save you lots of time, energy and money by illuminating what is likely to work and what seems to be the best way forward. However, just because you wrote it down, does not mean it will happen exactly according to plan. A successful entrepreneur is able to take challenges and turn them into opportunities.

Know When to Delegate

Although one of the trademarks of an entrepreneur is the ability to do fill in the blanks in the business, there comes a time when it is better to acknowledge when someone else is better suited to the task. Don’t get carried away in the drive to do it all yourself that you avoid seeing that help is available and affordable. You may be able to save money by contracting certain tasks out because it means you are able to divert your attention to other tasks.

Do What You Enjoy and Enjoy What You Do

Finally, successful entrepreneurs are not just in it for the money. This might be a bit of a paradox, but passion cannot be bought. When you are excited by what you do everyday you are more likely to do your best and to succeed at what you do. Naturally, one of the objectives of your business will be to make a profit, but you may find that the more you focus on making your customers and clients happy and really getting fulfillment from your business, the money will follow.
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Put Action Behind Your Decision

Making a major decision in your life is a big deal. Many times, it will come after long hours wrestling with options and quieting yourself to hear the voice of the Spirit and where It is guiding you.

Now, when you do make your decision...make it 100%. Do not hold onto any doubts or think about what could have been if you had chosen another path. You will find peace and serenity from committing yourself fully to the decision you have made for your life, your business, your family - whatever it is.

I have found in my personal life that when I say "YES" absolutely to the decision the Universe has confirmed for me, I am blessed with greater abundance than I could have ever imagined on my own.

So, how do you commit to your decision with all of your being? Here are 4 steps to take you to this point:

Make your decision a definite one. There is no room for maybes here. Do not allow yourself even a 1% stake in another decision path, because you need to focus everything on this one decision that you have made.

Know that your decision will impact all areas of your life. You need to be ready to acknowledge the influence your decision will have on your whole life.

Say you make a big decision regarding your business, and you have committed yourself to starting a new venture. There may be things in your current life that will hold you back from dedicating yourself fully to this new life. It may be a relationship, a location, or even a material possession that will just remind you too much of your previous life before you made this big step forward.

Let it go.

Don't let anything hold you back from this new decision that you devoted yourself to now. It will likely be very difficult to let go, but if it's holding you back in repetitive patterns from your past... just release it.

Leave yourself no alternative. If you tell yourself, "Well, just in case, let me do this or plan for that..." - you are setting yourself up for failure. You are allowing your fear to contradict what you have already decided is right for you. Don't let this happen.

Build a new life around your decision. Your new path will likely bring many changes your way. Make sure that you welcome this and create a new lifestyle that pleases you and supports your decision.

It is important to maintain a positive environment during this time of change. Part of this will be fun - create a happy space for your new business, and fill it only with things that you TRULY like and enjoy. Part of this will be extremely tough - like moving out of state or leaving a relationship, if need be.

But, you are on a new path now, and the rewards of committing yourself fully to your decision will surprise you immensely.

by David Neagle.

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Why We Don't Have Time to Think, Dream, and Strategize?

4-Reasons Why We Don't Have Alone Time

Alone time, quiet time, creative time, time to breath, margin, or whatever you call it, most people would say they do not have enough of it.

The list of excuses for why we don't have QUIET TIME to reflect, meditate, think life through, and dream would take way too long to list out and would require much stronger listening attentively skills than I possess.

Here are the four core reasons we do not put time aside to focus on the really important things in life:

1. We do not have boundaries. We have no fences for allowing people into our lives. Most of us let other people set our priorities, wreck our calendar, and basically walk with muddy shoes through the LIVING ROOM of our life.

The simple solution is to put up fences with NO TRESPASSING signs on them, enforced with a pit bull or a shot gun. And, this fence must have some gates so that, once you have let people in, you can let them leave so that you can be alone for a time.

2. We do not put value on QUIET TIME. We find time to do what we value. That we find time to eat and sleep every day is no great wonder. That we find time to play games on Facebook, watch Classic Sports, and do busy work proves that our values are messed up. IF we put value on QT we would have QT.

One solution is to begin to shift your values and to place QT at the top of that list. Read those people who encourage creativity. Believe that you will begin to actualize your dream (begin to live your life) when you can be quiet enough to clarify what it is to truly be wealthy.

3. We are addicted to distraction. We are being distracted to death. Our addiction to information, entertainment, and really, really IMPORTANT NEWS is draining the life right out of us. It is a slow death, a sort of decay, but the signs are all there. We get more excited about Twilight than an election. We get more excited about Weiner Gate than we do about the budget crisis. We pay top dollar for concerts, tequila, and the latest electronics but cannot find it in our budget or in our calendar to attend a Parenting Class, a Marriage Retreat, or find a time of simple reflection.

One solution is to recognize it is an addiction, to confess it as an addiction, to seek help from someone, to seek the help of Someone Higher, and to take steps to walk out of the addiction.

4. We are afraid. What will we hear when it is silent? Will we even like ourselves when we hear ourselves without the constant interference of someone else? How will we know if we are successful without our bosses telling us we are (or the car we drive, the house we live in, the paycheck we cash)? How will we know what we want without the TV shouting at us, the internet pitching to us, and the latest greatest, to be forgotten tunes blaring in our ears?

The solution to being afraid of being quiet, of being alone, is to be quiet, to be alone. To quietly yet resolutely face the space that is quiet in front of you.

Stop fighting the excuses. They are superficial. Look for the root of the WHY you refuse to be alone, quiet and living with plenty of margin on the page.

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What Niche Do You Want For Your Home Business?

It is important that before you undergo any business, ample time is made for research and feasibility. Nothing beats being ready for your endeavor. Do not make the mistake of just starting something without learning the ropes, the ins and outs.

That's where niche comes in. One of the surefire ways to earn money online is to create a niche business - something that will set you apart from all the others.

A niche is described as a specialized target segment of a particular market. It is what's going to increase your chances of success as a home business entrepreneur.

For example, if you are adept in writing articles, then you might consider offering copywriting services or virtual assistance. Not everyone has the talent to write, hence, your writing skills can set you apart from all the others. Also, if you are good in website design then you might want to consider offering your services to small and medium enterprises. Couple your talent along with reasonable rates; you will certainly attain a lot of customers.

So how do you come up with your niche?

Start looking for your niche by discovering your passions, strengths, and desires.

Here is a handy tip: take a piece of paper and pen and then write down all of your skills and talents. Figure out which ones sound unique or extraordinary. From all the things on your list, decide which one can be your niche. Do you think selling purely native bags can make you stand out as an entrepreneur? Or do you think offering garage pads in your area will fare better? Always remember that the niche should be something that is not everyone can easily offer.

Do not stop at listing down your greatest skills, though. The search engines are your next pit stops. Do your research. Just type in the keyword or keyword phrase into the search engine. Enclose the keyword or keyword phrase with quotes. This limits the search results that feature the keywords. Then, examine the results and check each of them out. If you keyed in "copywriter," for instance, see if there's a huge demand for them. Also, while you're at it, check the going rates. This can help so that you won't end up charging more than what a lot do.

The third thing you can do is read news clippings about the industry that you want to join. Check the stock markets and browse related websites. See if the niche that you want to promote is in demand or has all the makings of a steady industry. If you want to enter the world of content writing, for instance, check if there are a lot of opportunities for writers like you - examples of these opportunities are new websites that would need content, companies that would need marketing collaterals and individuals who would need ghostbloggers.
by : Sean R. Mize Next...

Some Steps to Creating a Simple Business Plan

Your business plan is like a road map to long-term success.
Have you ever been in a situation where you didn't have a map
to find your destination and got lost wasting precious time and
money? Well, the same can happen to your business if you
don't plan out your business strategies.

Why you need a business plan.

It gives you a clear direction where your business is heading.
Many business owners just jump into creating a business
without researching and making a concrete plan.
Inevitably, they soon find that they are out of money and
have no time or clear strategies how to market their business.

Here are some simple steps to creating your own business plan
(this is by no means a comprehensive plan but a primer to get you
started):

1. Name of your business - create a name or reevaluate the name
of your business. Does it integrate well with what you are
selling? Is it easy to spell and remember? Is it a name that can
be well branded over time?

2. Vision - what will your business look like 5 years from now?
Think of how you may want to expand it to include other branches
or extra employees.

3. Mission statement - this defines what your business really
does, what activities it performs and what is unique about it
that stands out from your competitors.

4. Goals and objectives - clearly define what you want to
achieve with your business. Make sure they are quantifiable and
set to specific time lines. Set specific goals for each of your
products or services.

5. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) - by
analyzing these characteristics in your business, you will get a
clearer idea of what it will take for you to not only to survive
but also prosper.

This could include such factors as:

- your companies own changing industry
- the marketplace which may change due to social and economic conditions.
- competition which may create new threats and/or opportunities.
- new technologies which may cause you to change products or the process
in how you do things.

Evaluating your SWOT will help you to:

- build on your strengths
- resolve your weaknesses
- exploit opportunities
- avoid threats

Doing this analysis will help you create a more realistic
strategic action plan.
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6. Strategic action plan - this is the most critical step of
your business plan, because without it, your business will not
get off the ground. This should include your sales and marketing
strategies.

Rread How to create your web site marketing plan

7. Financial plan - a business can operate without budgets, but
it is clearly good business practice to include it. With budgets, you will be
more likely to achieve your business objectives, you will make
more-reasoned decisions and you will have better control of your
cash flow.

For any period, a cash flow statement would include:
- The cash and credit sales (or accounts receivable) expected to be
received during the period.
- The anticipated cash payments (for example, expenses for purchases,
salaries, utility charges, taxes, office expenses etc.)
- A description of other incoming and outgoing cash, with a calculation
of the overall cash balance.

This will assess how much money is on hand to meet your
financial obligations - what cash has been received and what has
been paid out. Knowledge of this cash flow cycle will help you
predict when you will receive funds and when you will be
required to make a payment.

8. Measuring and evaluation - you wrote your business plan and
set the goals with the intent of achieving them. So now break
them down into measurable pieces and monitor the results
regularly. A plan that cannot be measured is almost always
destined for failure. Celebrate your wins and recharge yourself
to accomplish your next goal.

Decide beforehand what constitutes a real serious loss and what
loss will be acceptable.

If you find your goals are unrealistic and unattainable, adjust
them, but realize that it takes hard work to achieve them, so
don't give up easily.

Conclusion:
Now that you have a business plan, make it a part of
you by knowing and understanding it clearly. Build upon it
continuously and refer to it often, so you remain on track to
building a profitable business.
resource :
http://www.isitebuild.com/

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Using Niche Marketing For Your Online Work At Home Business

Many online entrepreneurs get started using affiliate marketing and the most successful still employ this method. Affiliate marketing has recently been taken to the next level by those who are making money with niche affiliate marketing. Niche affiliate marketing can turn a huge profit for those who understand the principals but in order to use this method you must understand what affiliate marketing is and how to integrate the niche marketing strategy into your system. To be successful you must also understand how to choose and promote a product and it is the goal of the article to discuss these items.


Affiliate Marketing is a simple strategy where somebody promotes another companies products and services and receives a commission for their efforts. There are thousands of companies offering affiliate programs that you can sign up for and the amount of money you can make depends on the commissions offered and the sales to click ratio of the company's sales page. Promotion can be done using numerous methods including building your own promotional website, pay per click advertising, email marketing, and other methods. Affiliate marketing has gotten to be a huge enterprise on the Internet and therein comes the problem. Often times the most successful affiliate companies are saturated with affiliates and you may well be competing with thousands or even millions of others trying to promote the same service or product that you are. This is where the beauty of affiliate niche marketing comes in.

Niche marketing is the latest craze among Internet marketers today because this method concentrates on very small and specific areas of products. Because niche marketing involves finding small profitable segments of a much larger market, it involves a lot more work but if you are willing to put forth the effort, it can me a very profitable system. Niche marketing is designed to meet the unique needs of a targeted audience and helping real people solve real problems that they live with every single day. Niche marketing is the ideal choice for new Internet marketers who don't have a lot of money to get started but it does take some hard work and effort and finding the right product can make or break a new niche affiliate marketer.

Market niches can be geographic areas, a specialty industry, ethnic or age groups, or any other particular group of people. Niche products need to be chosen carefully so they appeal to the specific market you are selling to. Your product should be optimized for a highly targeted audience and should stand out from the crowd who is selling a broad range product. You would want to find a product with a large number of monthly searches but a low amount of competition. For example if somebody was to promote shoes on the Internet, there would be millions of competitors. But if you chose to promote Brand X athletic shoes then the competition would be much less. Once you have decided on a product then it is time to build a promotional website and to take steps to get traffic to your site.

No matter how great a product you choose to promote, you will not get any sales without getting some type of traffic to your website. Obviously you can choose to promote the product through alternate methods such as PPC advertising but this can be expensive and uncertain. Building your own promotion site is the most effective and least expensive route to take and getting traffic can be easy if you optimize the site correctly. Internet marketers that have been around for any time at all understand the need for and the effectiveness of article writing for traffic building. If you want traffic to your website then article writing and submission to the main article directories is not only recommended but is also a necessity. Writing keyword rich articles and posting them to high traffic web sites is a great way to make sure that you get maximum exposure within your niche market and there are many article directories that allow you to submit your articles for free.

Affiliate marketing can be a great way for an Internet marketer to make money but if you are just starting out then it is unlikely that you can beat the massive amount of competition online. If you want to be successful online with affiliate marketing then using niche marketing can be one of the best ways to do it. This method is definitely a lot harder to employ but the results can be spectacular if you are willing to invest the time and resources to find a profitable niche.
by : Rick Churchill

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