(ARA) - Given the state of the U.S. economy, you might assume that turning your hobby into a small business right now isn't the best idea. On the contrary, launching your own small business in a down economy can be a very smart move -- if you plan in advance and set yourself up for success from the start.

Here are 10 tips that all budding entrepreneurs can follow to make their dreams of owning a small business a reality in 2010:

1. Develop a business plan

While preparing a business plan is a requirement for any small business owner seeking to raise start-up funding through a traditional loan or venture capital, every business can benefit from this practice. Your business plan should define your business, its products and services, while outlining your business goals, operating procedures and competition.

2. Consider incorporating your business or forming an LLC

While many small businesses choose never to incorporate, there are many benefits to doing so. "Incorporating your business or forming a limited liability corporation (LLC) is important because it helps protect your personal assets from business debts and liabilities," says Karen Kobelski, general manager of BizFilings, a full-service online incorporation service provider offering small business owners fast, easy and economical ways to form a corporation or other business structure online or by phone. "However, incorporating isn't just about protecting your personal assets; other benefits of incorporation include tax advantages and greater credibility with customers and business partners, which can give incorporated businesses a much-needed advantage over non-incorporated operations."

3. Select an accountant and attorney

Many small business owners seek advice from accountants and attorneys. As you research your options, get referrals from friends and family and turn to professionals who have worked with other small business owners or companies in your specific industry.

4. Get necessary tax identification numbers, business licenses and permits

If your small business will rely on employees, a federal tax identification number or employer identification number (EIN) is required. Most businesses will also require licenses and/or permits to operate in your city, municipality, county and/or state.

5. Insure your business and investigate other requirements

Some industries have specific insurance requirements -- do your homework. It's also important to research additional government tax and insurance requirements that might apply to your business, particularly if you plan on having employees.

6. Open a business bank account

When you own your own business, it's crucial to separate business finances from personal ones, so opening a business account is key. If your business is not incorporated, most banks will require a DBA (doing business as); contact your bank about requirements prior to opening an account.

7. Arrange your business accounting and apply for loans

It is critical to properly account for all business disbursements, payments received, invoices, etc., whether you use an accountant or handle the finances yourself. If you don't have enough capital to start a business, seek funding from banks or through Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs.

8. Establish a business line of credit

Establishing business credit will help reduce the number of times your company prepays for purchased products/services and helps establish a strong credit history, a beneficial practice when negotiating vendor and supplier relationships.

9. Ready your workspace

For home-based small businesses, make sure that you are meeting the zoning requirements for your area. Non-home-based businesses will likely require office space, which could lead to the purchase/lease of furniture and office equipment. Planning for this in advance will ensure that you have enough money to cover these costs.

10. Create a brand identity and start marketing your business

To diversify your business from the competition, you should establish your company's identity and start publicizing your products and services. Consider developing a unique business logo to include on business cards and letterhead, advertising your business in the local telephone directory, and developing customer leads -- from friends, family, and business associates. These activities will help potential customers find and remember your business and should reflect the personality of your organization.

Don't put your dreams of financial independence and doing what you love on hold until the world starts turning in your favor; start planning for your future today.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) - Do you have problems sleeping on Sunday nights knowing that you have to return to work the next morning? Are you constantly daydreaming about your dream job? Are you always checking the clock at work, counting down the minutes until the day ends? If so, you might be suffering from workplace blues.

Don Thibert, director of academic affairs for Everest College, has decades of experience helping thousands of individuals a year move into progressive new careers. The seasoned career expert says it's important to evaluate your work situation and offers great advice for finding career happiness.

"Most people are so desensitized by the daily grind that they don't even realize they're unhappy, let alone what to do about it. Given the recession, people are too busy just trying to keep their heads above water - they don't have time to imagine the work situation that would make them really happy," says Thibert.

To determine how blue you really are, Thibert suggests tracking your workplace blues for a month.

"Keep a daily record of what made you happy or unhappy each day and give yourself a score on a scale of one to 10, one being totally unbearable unhappiness and 10 being an absolute joy. By the end of the month you should be able to identify if you're happy -- specifically what you like and don't like about your work," says Thibert. "If your average score at the end of the month is six or lower, it's time to start strategizing for happiness."

New evidence north of the border shows that Americans are not alone in experiencing workplace blues.  A recent survey commissioned by Everest College found 59 percent of Canadians said 2009 was mediocre at best; one quarter called it either "a downer" or downright "depressing" and nearly three quarters said they suffer work-related blues at least occasionally.

"For some, it's possible to find happiness in their current job," explains Thibert. "But there are still many with a failing grade in the happiness department.  In those situations, career training is a door opener to a more rewarding work life and greater overall satisfaction.  Every day I see how it can really change your life and I encourage people to meet with counselors if they need some help to evaluate their career training options."

People choose to do business with those they know, like and trust. Business owners who’ve worked in the corporate world often find it challenging to adjust to the reality that small business is built on relationships.
Studies reveal that the majority of customers leave, not because of problems with services or products, but because of perceived indifference. Plan to build and nurture great client relationships to grow your business!


1. Clearly define your ideal client, then study to understand their industry or profession and the challenges they face, especially the possible problems that your service or products solve.

2. It’s difficult to build good relationships over the phone and via email, so arrange times when you can meet face to face with current and potential clients.

3. Take time to talk with your current clients, ask questions, listen and learn from them about their needs and frustrations. Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities to help them and advance their interests whenever you can.

4. Clients who know and trust you are much more likely to recommend your services or products to others. Ask for referrals.

5. View complaints as opportunities to position yourself as a candid, committed problem solver. Research shows that when customers have a problem with a company and have that problem spectacularly solved, they become more loyal to the company than customers who never experienced a problem. Time and energy spent solving a client's problem reaffirms and strengthens the relationship and any trust that was broken.

6. Keep in touch regularly via newsletters (print or electronic), calls, emails, notes, letters and “Raving Fan Celebrations.” (Call Dave, at 720-962-8888, to learn how this can increase your bottom line). If you don’t already have contact resource management software (CRM), such as ACT, Gold Mine or Maximizer, consider investing in one, and keep it current!

7. Employ the power of personal, handwritten notes to say ‘thank you,’ emails to share something that will be of genuine value to them, or just to let them know that you appreciate and value their business and their friendship.

8. Learn about what is important to them - their family, favorite sports team or hobby, and remember to ask about this. Focus on what matters most to them.

9. Look to the future and build long-term relationships with your current clients, then turn them into loyal fans. This won’t happen overnight, but it will yield big dividends!


10. Always, always, always be sincere! Be real, authentic and true to who you are!



About the Author: Victoria K. Munro is co-founder (along with husband Dave Block) of Make-it-Fly® LLC, a company dedicated to creating success for small business owners through creatively designed programs and tools. Victoria has started and run nine different businesses. To receive FREE business success articles with tips to help you with your business, sign up for their award-winning ezine, “In-Flight Refueling,” at: www.Make-it-Fly.com, and receive a free copy of the eBook, Get More Done in Less Time: 101 Quick and Easy Time Tactics & Tips.

I decided to start a blog because I enjoy writing. My first blog post wasn’t very attention-grabbing, but I wanted to write about my personal experiences. Secretly, I imagined a career as a freelance writer. One day, instead of daydreaming about becoming a writer, I began researching information about the social networking industry. I was amazed by how many people blog on a daily basis and I wanted to become a part of this fascinating social phenomenon.

So, I frequently browse the internet and visit book stores or libraries for more information. Here’s a few tips that I learned to help boost your blogging skills: Writing good quality content helps you to establish credibility.  No one likes to read something that they don’t understand or is misleading.

Meaningful topics that are well thought out can increase traffic to your blog, instead of making posts that are filled with a bunch of fluff.  Don’t make blog entries just for the sake of posting because fluff stuff only purpose is to take up space.  You should make every effort to establish a relationship with the reader by encouraging comment discussions.

Also, strive to address the reader’s needs and connect through email. Keep in mind, many people do not read blogs word for word and may start by skimming quickly to see if it’s worth their time.  It’s a good idea to break up your content by using bold text, sub sections and add color to text links.  Modifying your text will help get your message across to readers that are glancing at your post. Use a conversational tone because it’s easier to read and smoother to digest.

Always use correct spelling and proper punctuation.  Proofread your content once or twice before posting your message. Take your time writing good quality content and be resourceful.  Make an effort to help your readers in each post that you make.  The internet is filled with millions of readers that share first-hand information and common interests about any number of topics. Learn from other bloggers mistakes and don’t underestimate the potential of your blog.

If you want to start blogging seriously, get your own domain name and hosting service.  You’ll have more control over your content and learn what you need to do if you want to monetize your blog. Don’t forget to backup all your blog posts.  Use external devices, such as USB flash drives to save your data or use an online backup service.  Remember, computers often crash and your information may not be recoverable. If you use a social networking site to make blog posts, keep in mind their site may develop glitches or problems.  Some known issues bloggers have experienced include disappearing content, difficulties logging on, being unable to view profiles and error messages when posting content.

For more information and "hot" blogging tips visit: http://justsayitblog.com Follow Me On Twitter! - http://twitter.com/justsayitblog 


About the Author:Tips and advice for writers, bloggers and entreprenuers.  Learn how to monetize and increase traffic to your website.

The good thing about working for yourself is that you can be more flexible with your working hours than you would be otherwise. Just imagine going into a regular job at eleven thirty in the morning just because it suited you better that day to do so. Chances are they wouldn't be happy about it.

But as the boss you can do this if you wish because you have control over your working hours and work only when it suits you. But you do need to be a bit careful because there is no one looking over your shoulder reminding you to do certain things at certain times. If you don't get the work done when it needs to be done you will end up losing clients and your business could be at risk.

It is essential therefore to make sure you have methods of hitting deadlines every single time, no matter what might is happening around you. Its easy to get a job which should take you 10 hours and block out 10 hours on your calendar to complete it. But if you block out the last possible 10 hours you aren't leaving any breathing space available as a cushion in case anything urgent arises.

Lets say for example you have a days work that needs to be sent off by Friday night. If you block out Friday for doing it you aren't leaving any space in case anything should happen to ruin your plans. But if you allocated say Wednesday for the job instead, you would have two extra days in lieu in case anything went wrong.

Supposing you sat down to do the work and your internet connection went down or you had a power cut? If that happened on Friday you wouldn't have a chance of getting the work done in time. But the same situation on Wednesday wouldn't be as panic stricken. This is because you know you have two extra days to use if you need them, which gives you time to solve the problem and get the work done as well.

Of course you might want to get everything done more than two days in advance. But this is typically a good cushion to have, and it covers most issues which could crop up. And of course for the most part nothing will happen to scupper your plans, which means you can get the work done two days early and impress the client with your timeliness. So in a way this method has an exciting bonus in store which you can always count on if you stick to your own deadline instead of that of the client.

As you start to use this in your everyday business life when you are working from home you will notice yourself being less stressed as well. This is because you wont have the same sense of urgency about each deadline. Even the smallest thing wont throw you off balance because you know you have time to cope with it.

About the Author: Naz Daud - CityLocal Home Business Home Business Opportunities Work at Home Home Deadlines

You walk into an elevator, you are the only one in it, then the gal/guy who lives 2 flights up (that you've wanted to meet) gets on.  Quick, say something!  You say, "Uh, hi, uh, my name is Jack, and uh, you live up stairs, uh…"  Door opens, the gal/guy runs for her/his life.  And you just want to take the walk of shame.

You are at a chamber of commerce networking event, across from you is the CEO of your "dream company."  What do you do?  What do you say?

Quick, there's the woman who you know can get you in for that interview.  What do you do?  What do you say?
So, what the heck is an elevator speech?

Well, it's a quick 15 to 30 second introductory statement of  yourself.  Some call it an elevator speech, because if you ran into someone in an elevator, you do not have much time to get your point across.  Obviously, you will use this micro statement in a whole lot of other places than in an elevator, but you get the point, right.

Fact is, whatever you call it, it is an important networking tool for marketing yourself, breaking the ice with people you meet or making a run for those opportunities before the others get to it.  Think of it as a sound bite, a movie trailer for someone to remember you by, and intrigued enough to want to see the whole movie (you).  So, the initial principle is a sound bite that is clear, concise, informative and engaging.  Got all that.  The goal is not to lay yourself bare on the first contact but, again, offer up a movie trailer of you.

Really, having a prepared elevator speech with you at all times, like a business card – another networking tool, is more about you than anything else.  Having a well rehearsed, introductory statement that you can whip up on anyone is such a huge confidence builder.   If you are in an elevator and that dream gal/guy walks in, wow, knowing what to say and to say it with confidence is huge.  Here's the other thing, when you are actively in the job market, everyone – everyone – is 6 degrees away from your dream job.  Having the speech, business card, ready is crucial.

So, as you prepare your elevator speech, you do need to consider a few things.  First and foremost, it must sound effortless and natural.  It has to sound conversational.  Write a brief statement that you think works and then practice, practice, practice.  You practice in front of the mirror, to your friends, to your mentor.  Key is not so much to memorize it, as it is to know it.  To know it backwards and sideways and forwards.  It has to sound natural.  The person listening has to say, this one is speaking to me!

As we talked about previously regarding business cards, your micro speech has to be memorable, and in this case, also sincere.  Let this brief statement give your listener a peek-a-boo look into your personality.  Write and rewrite, practice and refine.  First time, your statement might be one or two minutes long.  That is okay.  Just practice, refine, practice, refine.  What is verbose; what is not necessary; what really is not going to be important to the listener (maybe important to you, though), seek counsel.

When it is showtime, have confidence in what you have been practicing.  Visualize confidence.  Visualize getting a positive reaction to your micro statement.  And if you get a little nervous or feel a few butterflies fluttering about in your gut, that is okay.  That is probably normal.  You are at a network event, everyone is probably feeling the same, but who is prepared.  Visualize success. 

Make eye contact.  Smile.  Extend that hand and shake with a "firm" grip.  Speak slowly, stop for natural breaks in the conversation.  And, by the way, if the conversation goes well, cut it short.  Excuse yourself, set up time to get together later.  Leave them wanting more, not you be desperate.  And if the interest is not there, just excuse yourself politely and leave.  Do not waste your time or theirs.
By the way, this works for cold calling.  I will talk more about this in a later article, but by all means, this is a perfect time to use your elevator speech.  Especially, if you have to leave a voicemail.  Practice, come across natural.  Why you are calling, how you would benefit him or her, how you are the solution to his or her problem and asking for a call back.

Lastly, your elevator or micro statement must end with a call to action.  If you do not, then this whole exercise was for naught. 

**One other thing, every situation is different and you must have the wherewithal to adapt your speech to the circumstance you find yourself in.  If you practice and refine and practice and refine, then this will not be a problem, as you will know what needs to be said backwards and forwards. In short, having an elevator speech can only help improve your chances for getting that job you want.  So, I urge to develop one now, if you have not already done so.


About the Author: H. Kim has been up and down the corporate ladder so much, he's on first name basis with each rung. Which is a good thing, because it lets him use all the successes, and more importantly, the mistakes, he's made in his blog, "Landing On Your Feet: A Help You Find a Job Blog."
Strategies, Tips and Advice, a few laughs and a couple of words of wisdom are all it is. Get his newsletter at http://www.landingonyourfeet.com/submit.
Or come on by to www.LandingOnYourFeet.com and drop us a note.

Article marketing for smaller clients is an awesome customer relationship marketing tactic that has been proven to bring dramatic results.
Let's focus in on an article marketing insight that I've found to be WILDLY profitable.

I can't imagine that there's a regular among us who doesn't want to write great articles. And by constantly sharing writing techniques that we know to be valid, we'll all become even stronger with our writing and our articles will, over time, approach greatness. (Which is why I like it in here so much!)

Okay, let's get to a juicy piece of learning that will definitely help your articles and find out how jury duty could possibly help anyone do anything.

Many writers, especially those who are new to the game, get into the habit of finding comfortable formats for their writing. Four sentences per paragraph. Three sentences per...you get it. Similarity.


The problem is: while this may be their comfort zone, one format is NOT how people read comfortably. And more importantly, it's not how people 'hear' writing.
When people speak, they start and they stop. They have long winded moments. They say something small. They have a medium amount to say...then they say next to nothing and MEAN a lot.

In essence vary their 'copy.' And you can take great writing clues from this varying of copy.
It's very easy to know if you fall into this group. Just bring up your articles on your screen and if they all LOOK the same, without getting into the content, then you'll need to make an adjustment.

If you REALLY want to know how people speak, get yourself JURY DUTY. Yes, dreaded jury duty will clue you in as to EXACTLY how people 'vary their copy.' Once you sit in that jury room with your cold coffee you'll have access to the court transcripts. This is where you'll see for yourself how people REALLY SPEAK and how people really listen. You will see in a flash just how varied people's speeds are of their 'copy.'


In fact, many new copywriters that I have taught are given jury transcripts as a way of making them well aware of how people REALLY speak and how their readers really 'hear' that copy. It has a tremendous effect on the honesty of their copy.
So a great way to continue to find ways to write great articles is to vary your copy speeds. Sure, get into it for a paragraph or two, but then give yourself much needed relief. Follow up long paragraphs with very small little ones. Then follow two short ones with a medium length one.

It works.
Not only does this make your copy easier to read (it does) but it more accurately approximates the way people listen to the written word.
Tab Interactive finds the best keywords for our clients and then uses those keywords optimally in its article marketing for those same clients. It's a great way to use great content for affordable customer relationship marketing.

Use it, you'll see!

About the Author: Kevin Browne is a former Creative Director and Senior Copywriter at agencies including J Walter Thompson, McCann Erickson and Young and Rubicam. Kevin now runs TABinteractive where he shows web owners how to FINALLY make ridiculous, and consistent online sales at http://www.tabinteractive.net

With the Internet being so accessible and convenient, it's no wonder many are looking at other methods to find a telecommute job.

Twitter has played an important role in not just connecting like-minded people together, using it as a platform to market a business or sharing news, but it is also a valuable source for job worthy information.   Building a professional online presence is the first step to finding an employer you would like to work for.

Use your real first and last name as your Twitter handle. It's preferable to upload a recent picture of you otherwise choose a professional avatar, but don't use the Twitter default image placeholder because it is impersonal and it doesn't look professional. Fill in your bio with something interesting about you. List your specific experience or qualifications. You want to stand out and be noticed by employers. Take the time to customize your Twitter background and add information about your skills, credentials or qualifications. To stand out above the rest you can create a professional resume or portfolio with the help of Visual CV. It's a free interactive resume builder that includes many great features like audio and video. This surpasses the regular resume builders found on job boards.

To be effective in any social networking site for any purpose you must be consistent. You have to build an online presence because it can't be achieved in one day and it can be a slow process. Also, if you're looking to brand yourself, you need to have constant exposure.

Lastly, follow niche leaders or experts in the telecommute industry in your field. Look for connections with others who you think can help you get one step closer, who can recommend, who provides job leads or who can refer you to a hiring employer.  
Tweet what you know, engage in conversations, share tips about your industry, be helpful to others who have questions and be yourself which is the most important thing, but always have and show a professional attitude. Never speak badly about an employer, company or their staff.  

Twitter can also be used as a job search tool. In the Twitter search box for example you can type in #jobs or #telecommute or #your term. You will get a full list of tweets grouped under your keyword.  Twitter when used together with other social media networks, work at home forums, job boards, job sites and the traditional methods can greatly increase your chances of finding your telecommuting job

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/networking-articles/successfully-using-twitter-to-job-search-1845070.html

About the Author Follow Sophia on Twitter twitter.com/WorkAtHomeSpace to network, get work at home job lead alerts, job tips and more. You can also find support, daily postings of telecommute job leads, business resources and much more on her work at home forums.

Relationship marketing is an extremely valuable element when it comes to a successful business. This marketing type focuses on the fact that customer retention and the overall satisfaction of those customers as a whole is an essential component to the overall success of a business. There were a number of marketing campaigns conducted in the decade of the sixties and the eighties which implemented the use of direct responses in order to confirm the basis of the relationship marketing practice.

The scope of relationship marketing is to zoom in on a particular audience when it comes the promotion of certain services and various products. This form of marketing takes the interests of the people that it is seeking to appeal to, and uses that information in order to appeal to the senses of these people. Relationship marketing is a key component to creating, and building long term relationships that can be productive, beneficial, and long lasting to all of the individuals, clients, and businesses involved.

Successful Strategies to Relationship Marketing

There are many ways that have proven to be quite successful for individuals and businesses that have implemented them. The following details some strategies that are quite effective when it comes to developing long lasting, productive relationships:

1.    The first thing that you should do when implementing this particular strategy is to change your tune with potential customers and clients. Many of us get lost in the whole "I can do this or that" attitude and forget that clients and customers really are not interested in our abilities. They want to know how we can fulfill their needs. If you take the attitude of "what do you ultimately need as my customer?" - you are likely to succeed in relationship marketing.
2.    The second way that you can be successful when it comes to relationship marketing is to ensure that you communicate with your clients and customers on a regular basis. Constant and frequent communication are the keys to a successful relationship - regarding of what type it is - but especially in ones that involve business.
3.    When dealing with customers and clients in an effort to develop your relationship marketing endeavors, it is essential that you are seen as an expert in your field. The more knowledgeable that you appear, the more your clients and customers will lean towards the many products and services that you offer.
4.    It is important for you to understand that when you work with clients and customers that their needs and wants will change. It is important that you take the time to ensure that you grow to meet those wants and needs. If you take the time to do this, then you your relationship marketing campaign is sure to expand and grow profusely!

The Benefits of Relationship Marketing

There are many different benefits of relationship marketing. However, it all boils down to about two major benefits. The first benefit is that the clients and the customers that you work with will see you as a value. The second benefit is that you will experience an increase in the amount of profits that you experience from the sales of the products and services that you specialize in. The relationships that you experience will reduce the marketing costs and other expenses that you would have normally experienced without the solid customer and client base that you have developed!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/communication-articles/understanding-the-value-of-relationship-marketing-and-how-to-do-it-successfully-459660.html

About the AuthorDiscover Kevin Sinclair's system for making profits regardless of whether anyone joins your network marketing business.

You must have heard phrases like “Don’t do this, Don’t do that or follow these tips” regarding social networking web development. Though there are many dos and don’ts for the success in social networking web development, not all of them are equally important. With almost a year of hands on experience with the popular social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook, we have gathered 4 must know tips for the success in social networking web development.

4. Provide the users with something usefulThe way people use the Internet has changed a lot these days. Unlike earlier days when people were attracted by flashy banners and bright pictures, today people look for something useful. Today’s Internet users know the fact that “all that glitters is not gold”. This is an important point to be noted for successful social networking web development. You have seen the popularity of niche social networks like Myspace and Facebook to increase rapidly through the past few months. The reason behind this fast growth of these social networks is the introduction of very useful social networking softwares. There are some cool social networking softwares in Myspace which makes the visitors stick to the seats for long hours.

3. Include something that makes the visitors stay in your Social Networking WebsiteSocial networking is not all about finding friends and sending messages. There should be some reason for the visitors of your social networking website to stay in your site and spend some time. Lately this year, some cool online, multiplayer games spawned in some social networking websites like ‘in.com’. Online gaming is where people spend more time today. Hence offering some free online multiplayer games in your social networking website will make the visitors spend more time. Moreover, these online games also make the users to refer the same to their friends too. Offering online games in social networks is just an example. There are many other stuff that makes users stay on your social networking website. Video and audio sharing is also an attraction today.

2. Make it easy to find friends and connect to themThe main motive of the visitors of the social networking websites is to find friends and to connect to them. Even the businessmen look for connecting to more people through the social networks. Hence for a successful social networking web development, it’s necessary to ensure that the users of your social networking website can find friends easily and connect to them with a few clicks. The user interface and the navigation through the social networking site should be made simple and easier to understand. Remember the fact that not everyone out there are Internet savvy computer geeks.

1. Don’t make the visitors of your social networking website to wait There is one common mistake that most of the social networking web developers make. They overload the website with graphics and concentrate in making the website look eye catchy. This is a big mistake because overloading the pages with graphics will increase the load time of the webpage. This will irritate the visitors of your social networking website, no matter how good the graphic is. They will eventually quit from the page and will never return. These are the key factors that have to be considered for successful social networking web development.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/web-design-articles/4-must-know-tips-for-social-networking-web-development-694498.html

About the AuthorJonathan Mac is a professional Social networking web designer of pearsestreet.com. When it comes to social networking web design, he knows the fact that social networking web design should be unique or else it will be lost in the Internet Ocean.