SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com » Before You Start

In Just 365 Days You Can Become Your Own Boss

Melinda Emerson — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:30:06 +0000

If you have always wanted to become your own boss, now is a great time. I realize that you are probably saying to yourself a year, Really? But trust me, 12 months is a reasonable and realistic timeframe to make your transition from employee to entrepreneur. You will want to take the time to plan [...]

How to find a manufacturer for your small business product?

Melinda Emerson — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:30:34 +0000

I have been talking to quite a few small business inventors lastly, and the most common question that keeps coming up is how to find a manufacturer for your small business product. Most of the business owners in my network use foreign manufacturers, so that is where my advice is centered. Here are some tips [...]

Do you have an idea for the next great tech start-up?

Melinda Emerson — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:44:06 +0000

Last night, CNN debuted Black in America 4 with Soledad O’Brien, which featured 8 African-American tech entrepreneurs who went out to Silicon Valley this summer to participate in a business incubator with the hopes of landing seed capital to catapult their entrepreneurial dreams. It was an amazing mix between MTV’s the Real World and Donald [...]

5 Things Wrong With Your Business Plan

Melinda Emerson — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:30:32 +0000

If you’ve taken the time to develop a business plan for your start-up business, you are on the right track. You have a roadmap that will help you with decision-making in your new enterprise. Take the time to be sure your business plan doesn’t contain any of the following shortcomings that will prevent your business [...]

Is Your Life Plan Working For You?

Melinda Emerson — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:30:52 +0000

I am a firm believer that you need a life plan before you ever write a business plan. Your life plan is your big picture vision for your life. Your reasons for starting your business should be to fulfill your life plan. It’s also a step in business planning that is often overlooked. Why is [...]

How to Interview For Your First Employee

Melinda Emerson — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:16:58 +0000

Choosing the right person to do the job can be a challenge. It all comes down to your interview process. Once you have reviewed the resumes, its’ time to get in touch with your prospects. You should interview at least 5 people for every available position. A great candidate will have a strong match between [...]

9 Reasons Why Boomer Businesses Fail

Melinda Emerson — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:15:36 +0000

I know a woman (let’s call her Sarah) who was a vice president at a major Fortune 500 company. She was a sassy 48-year-old single MBA who was very successful climbing the corporate ladder. She worked in marketing, managing a brand at her company and making a handsome six-figure income. Then one day she decided [...]

9 Reasons Why Boomer Businesses Fail

Melinda Emerson — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:11:29 +0000

6 Things Oprah Winfrey Taught Us About Business

Melinda Emerson — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 11:40:46 +0000

Oprah Winfrey is my hero. I never thought about being an entrepreneur until she got on my radar when I was in college in the early 90’s. It was around that time that she opened Harpo Studios in Chicago, making her the third woman in the American entertainment industry (after Mary Pickford and Lucille Ball) [...]

4 Things All Entrepreneurs Should Do On LinkedIn

Melinda Emerson — Tue, 31 May 2011 08:00:35 +0000

LinkedIn is important! 75% of all professionals in the US have a LinkedIn profile, which means if you want to do business you must have one too. LinkedIn is powerful tool that you can use to promote yourself if you are an individual consultant or a company with 2 or more employees. Here are [...]