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10 Things to Grow Your Business This Summer

by Melinda Emerson on June 22, 2011 in 10 Things Lists, Ask Smallbizlady, Become Your Own Boss Tips, Branding & Marketing, Business Inspiration, Customer Service, featured, Grow Your Business, My Recommendations, Social Media, Technology

Summer is here! Now that the kids are out of school, you might be thinking about how to reduce your work schedule, but that’s the worst thing you could do. It’s time to turn up the heat in your business. Third and fourth quarters are critical times in business. You may have customers who are in budget planning cycles, or have excess budget to spend. Now is the right time reach out to your existing customers and get your house in order to make your revenue goals for the rest of the year.

Here’s 10 Things to grow your business this summer.

1. Take a break. Even if all you can afford to do is a staycation, take a break from work for at least 7 days. You need to recharge your batteries so that you can go hard the rest of the year.

2. Attend a conference. The Summer is a great time to sign up for a course or attend a conference in your industry to learn the latest trends and techniques.

3. Read a great business book. Pick a book that’s you have been meaning to read and learn a few techniques that will help you grow your business. I really like 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business by Jane Applegate. http://www.amazon.com/Great-Ideas-Small-Business-Bloomberg/dp/0470919663/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

4. Revisit your business plan. In the first few years of a business, you should be updating your business plan every 90 days. When is the last time you reviewed your marketing plan and how well it was working to drive sales. Make sure your budget and revenue projections are up-to-date.

5. Organize a Business Retreat. Take your team offsite treat them to some good food in a lush environment. Brainstorm with them to solve the top three issues in the business. Bring in a trainer.

6. Ask for testimonials. Go back to all of your customers that you worked with over the last six months and ask for testimonials. Get them in writing to update your website and ask them to post recommendations to LinkedIn.

7. Refresh your website and marketing materials. Take a look at your website and marketing collateral including your blog header, business cards, and newsletter template. If something was just thrown together just to get some out or you’ve been using the same template for a whole, take the time to clean up your design elements to make your brand shine.

8. Update your personal bio and profiles across social media. Every small business owner should have a professional biography. Take this time to update yours with any new marquee clients, non-profit board service, and speaking opportunities. Be sure to update your profiles on your social media accounts as well.

9. Do a waste walk in your office. Summer is a great time to chuck the clutter. The shredder is your friend. Get rid of stray paper, conference bags, direct mail, magazines, equipment that doesn’t work, and giveaways you really didn’t want anyway.

10. Develop a special offer. You need a reason to contact your customers. Nothing is better than a discount, coupon or special offer. You use this as your excuse to call, email or snail mail your existing customers. They are the most valuable asset in your business.

Do you have any other tips to keep a small business growing over the summer?

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her one of the Top 20 women for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

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6 Things Oprah Winfrey Taught Us About Business

by Melinda Emerson on June 5, 2011 in Become Your Own Boss Tips, Before You Start, Branding & Marketing, Business Inspiration, Customer Service, Grow Your Business, How to Start, Women in Business, Your Small Business

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) to own her own studio. She immediately went from being just a daytime talk show host to becoming a media mogul. And it was awesome to watch. The biggest thing she did for me was show me that I could do it too. I have studied her every move in business. I had an Oprah file for a year before starting my production company in 1999. Any article I could get my hands on about her business I would devour, print and keep. What I love about her most is that she has never been about goals. Oprah Winfrey has always been about growth. She has constantly evolved. That and her business acumen will leave a lasting legacy to all business owners to come. Here are 6 Things Oprah Winfrey taught us about business. 1. Find your calling. Oprah said in her final show that every day she walked on stage she felt that she was exactly where she was supposed to be. If you have no life plan, you are most likely following someone else’s agenda for your life. Live on purpose! Don’t be one of these entrepreneurs with an endless to do list, exhausted at the end of day– getting nowhere fast and not making any money. Oprah urged us to follow our own truth. God speaks to us though visions and dreams. Pay attention to what he is showing you about your destiny and build a business around that. 2. People show you who they are the first time. If a prospective customer approaches you, acting like an impossible nightmare, that is exactly who they are and how they will behave if you move forward in business. Do not allow your need for money or a contract force you to tolerate someone who does not value your professional expertise. You will never be paid enough money to make it worth it. 3. Oprah owned a broad niche. Oprah targeted a demographic that was women of all ages and income levels. She developed shows that would appeal to career women, working moms, stay-at-home mothers, grandmothers, retirees, high school and college students. And her audience was loyal because she helped them be better, live better, and find a correct fitting bra. 4. OWN your mistakes. In the wake of disappointing ratings at OWN, The Oprah Winfrey Network, Oprah’s latest venture in partnership with Discovery Networks, Oprah made a change at the top. Network head Christina Norman, abruptly left the 4-month-old cable channel at the beginning of May. How many of us wait until it’s too late to make changes in our businesses? Evaluate what is going on in your business and do not be afraid to change course if you need to. 5. Know that you are worthy of success. Often times we know what we deserve, but the thing that keeps us from truly capturing it is internalizing that we are worthy of all God has for us in our lives and businesses. 6. Be willing to do what it takes. Oprah never missed a day of taping on her show in 25 years. She knew that showing up was the most important element in her success equation. Are you willing to do all that it takes to make your business a success? I have begun to reach major success in my business, but I started being your SmallBizLady in 2007. There is no such thing as overnight success. What lessons have you learned from Oprah in your small business? For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her one of the Top 20 women for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

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4 Tips for Listening to Your Audience Online

by sss4success on May 24, 2011 in Grow Your Business, Social Media, Your Small Business

One of the first pieces of advice you’ll find about using social media for your small business is to “listen to your audience“. By creating a listening strategy you’ll find out what conversations are happening among your customers (or potential customers), before you dive in and try to become part of the conversation and ultimately sell your wares.

A good Social Media Marketing Strategy starts with an active monitoring and listening plan that helps you learn what’s going on in your industry, as well as what people have to say about your brand. It allows you to plan exactly how you’ll enter the conversation and what valuable content you’ll use to make yourself a valued asset and not just another person shouting about their brand in the already overcrowded social media space.

The following 4 tips will help you formulate a listening strategy to hear what your audience is saying and find out what you can bring to the conversation:

1. Use Google Alerts: Google Alerts lets you get email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on the topics of your choice, where you can choose your topic and have the results delivered via email or RSS feed at the time you specify. The great thing about Google Alerts is that you can set up multiple alerts for your name, company name, competitors’ names, and relevant keywords or search terms for your industry to keep up with the information that you need. This intelligence will be delivered to you regularly, instead of heading to a search engine and running queries yourself.

2. Try Social Mention: Social Mention is a social media search engine that searches user-generated content such as blogs, comments, bookmarks, events, news, videos, and microblogging services. It’s like Google Alerts, but for social media platforms. It works similar to Google Alerts, where you can set it up and monitor your brand and competition in the social media space.

3. Search Twitter: With over 200,000,000 million users, tweeting 155,000,000 tweets a day, Twitter has become a real-time information network that connects you to the latest information about topics you’re interested in. Searching Twitter is a great way to find out what people are talking about NOW, and using a Saved Twitter Search is the best way to monitor topics relevant to your brand and industry.

4. Create Surveys: Regularly polling your customers and prospects is a great way to find out what topics are of interest to them, and what kinds of products and services will meet their needs. Services like Survey Monkey make it easy to gather information from your customers first hand by asking them what you want to know. For the cash-strapped entrepreneur, Survey Monkey offers a basic plan that lets you have up to 100 responses on a 10-question survey, thus providing an excellent tool to learn more about your stakeholders.

Have you tried any other listening strategies that have brought you success in the online realm?

Kindra C. Cotton, Serial Entrepreneur, Technology & Social Media Specialist, and Jill of All Trades (and a Master of Two), channels her energies into her small business consulting enterprises specializing in brand marketing, market research, and strategic information consultancy. A transplanted Nashvillian with years of expertise with the Internet and web-based technologies, she channels her passion for entrepreneurship, information technology, and social media into being an excellent resource for online marketers and people looking to promote their brand on the web as Examiner.com’s National Online Marketing Examiner. Her flagship brand “SSS for Success (Small Business Survival Specialists)” specializes in preparing small and medium-sized organizations to take advantage of the free and low-cost marketing avenues that exist in the online arena.

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When It’s Gut Check Time in Your Small Business

by Melinda Emerson on May 17, 2011 in Guest Articles, Your Small Business

From time-to-time things may not go the way you need them to in your small business. When that happens, you need to take a deep breath and figure out what you are going to do. You can always seek the advice of mentors, but ultimately you need to do a gut check with yourself.

Here are 5 things to consider when your business is not going well:

Don’t be an ostrich: A major failing of many small business owners is in not taking their head out of the sand to give their business an overall strategic look. It is vital that you step back and research – look for trade association analysis, economic marks, and consume as much information as is published about your information. But you can’t rely solely on what is published – you need to venture into the real world to ensure the data you’re finding is valid. Networking is critical – go to tradeshows, join your local chamber of commerce, and talk to other business owners in your industry. Talk to different sources to make sure the information you’re receiving is consistent. You can spot trends by speaking to manufacturers and vendors that service your industry – they’re the ones that see what’s coming down the line.
Prepare for battle: Take a coldblooded look at where your market is in terms of how you think it will uptick. Then, look outside of your market to see how the larger picture as the buying habits of your target customer may have changed. Use what you learn to formulate a 6-month and a 12-month plan of action, which should include milestone markers that will be used for you to assess your plan as you execute it. But, don’t panic if it takes a little longer than you expected it might– there are frequent delays and changes in the market, and you have to give your plan time, and keep the faith. It’s important to balance belief in what you’re doing with outside data that confirms you’re on the right bath – large companies have teams of people that do this full-time, but for small business, it falls on the business owner to do so.
Call in backup: Every business owner needs a group of people that they truly trust, but whom aren’t involved in the day-to-day operations of the business. Business owners should seek to create an advisory group of individuals that understand your sector, but aren’t in the trenches with you, to bounce ideas off of and then triangulate accordingly. Small biz owners tend to be isolated, and forget the value of having outside perspective. Large companies have investors and boards of directors, and meet quarterly to get that perspective, which gives them a leg up over small businesses that don’t take the time to connect for insights.
Low, slow, or no cash flow: In order to sustain delays in the market, smart business owners will build in a financial cushion. It is vital that business owners go beyond living week-to-week or month-to-month – you need to think about your plan and how you’re spending your cash. What if several customers are suddenly unable to pay in the set window of time? If multiple accounts receivables are coming in slow, instead of waiting for crunch time, prepare ahead – can you tap a line of credit? Contact your vendors to extend payment terms? Order stock/supplies less frequently? Take a close look and do a cash flow projection to make sure you’re prepared to weather the worst.
The laws of (funding) attraction: Investors are largely still on the sidelines and, unless your company has an Internet play (retail or service), they’re going to evaluate you based on traditional models of revenue and profitability. If you go out for funding, you must be able to allocate time away from your business – and it takes a lot of time, and you have to put together a written plan with backup on financials. For small businesses right now, banks are still very tight. Unless you have perfect credit and a stellar background, the bank’s return to traditional lending guidelines means that your best bet is to go after small business loans backed by the SBA (federal government). If traditional lending sources are not an option for your business, don’t give up hope – there are more large groups of angel investors than ever before, and many businesses survive by reaching out to friends and family.

Quincy Yu, has spent her 30+ year career consulting for big and small businesses across a variety of industries, and currently she serves as President of SeaYu Enterprises, makers of Clean+Green natural pet stain and odor removers.

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Problem-Solving Through Challenges in Your Small Business

by Melinda Emerson on May 10, 2011 in Grow Your Business, Guest Articles, Your Small Business

While entrepreneurs are certain to face challenges from clients, one of the keys to being successful in business is the ability to face problems fearlessly. The three most common problems in business are managing deadlines, managing expectations, and dealing with a changing marketplace. Below, I’ll share with you some of the most common obstacles facing small business owners and some tried-and-true secrets and solutions.

Problem 1: The Late Project

Business is more or less about multitasking. Especially as an entrepreneur, us businessmen (and women) inevitably juggle a lot of things at once – whether it’s juggling advertising work with filling client orders or juggling the many obligations we have in our lives as a whole. With this in mind, one part of business planning is crucial: Having a “game plan” for when something comes up.

For example, let’s say you have a translation job. You also know that you have a meeting with a PR representative, a few advertising-related errands, and a family event that same week. Or let’s say you don’t know about all of them, but you can easily estimate some setbacks – even if it looks like an easy project. If you have a translation job, and you need three days to complete it, tell the client it will take you five days.

Another example: Have you ever noticed how an airplane always manages to leave late—and arrive early? Very simple. It’s just a matter of playing with the math. If they tell you that are going to leave at 8 o’clock, and arrive at 4 in the morning, and really, if you left at 8 and landed at 3, by simply playing with the numbers on the slip of paper that come with the ticket, you are happy that you got in 15 minutes early instead of annoyed that you came in an hour late.

The Solution: Overestimate how much time it will take you to complete a project. Give that date to the client from the beginning. Continue Reading →

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Ask @SmallBizLady: How do I get started with social media?

by Melinda Emerson on May 6, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Your Small Business

Every Friday, I answer your small business questions in a video blog segment called Ask Small Biz Lady.

This week, we are taking on the question: How do I get started with social media?

Here’s the answer:

If you want to start using social media as a lead generator for your small business here’s 4 steps to take to get started:

Develop goals (how many prospects, subscribers, website hits, etc.)
Conduct a listening strategy (know where your customers are hanging out online)
Have a great website that solves your customer’s problem within 3 seconds!
Start using social media by setting up a personal profile on LinkedIn

If you have a question for Melinda Emerson, Small Biz Lady, leave a comment on this blog using the contact us page or send me a note on Twitter @smallbizlady, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/smallbizlady or you can hit me up on www.linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson

I’m always here as a resource.

Melinda F. Emerson, SmallBizLady, is one of America’s leading small business experts. She is an author, speaker, and small business coach whose areas of expertise include small business start-up, business development, and social media marketing. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to End Small Business Failure. She publishes a resource blog at: www.succeedasyourownboss.com and hosts a weekly talk show on Twitter called #SmallBizChat for emerging entrepreneurs. Forbes Magazine named Melinda Emerson one of the Top 20 Women for Entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. Melinda has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Fortune, and Black Enterprise. She’s the author of the bestselling book “Become Your Own Boss in 12 months: A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works”, and she writes a column for www.secondact.com and is an instructor for the Black Enterprise Small Business University.

P.S. Want an “I [heart] #SmallBizChat t-shirt? It’s available! for $20.00 plus s/h sizes M-L-XL-2X

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Ask @SmallBizLady: How do I get more lunch customers?

by Melinda Emerson on April 29, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Branding & Marketing, Grow Your Business, Your Small Business

Every Friday, I answer your small business questions in a video blog segment called Ask Small Biz Lady.

This week, we are taking on the question: How do I get more lunch customers?

Here’s the answer:

If you want to get more customers into your retail establishment follow these steps:

Communicate with your customers
Change the menu
Advertise weekly lunch specials
Start using social media such as a Facebook fan page
Offer discounts after 2pm
Develop a contest

I’m always here as a resource.

P.S. Want an “I [heart] #SmallBizChat t-shirt? It’s available! for $20.00 plus s/h sizes M-L-XL-2X

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#SmallBizChat’s 100th Show: Small Business Legend Alan Weiss

by Melinda Emerson on April 27, 2011 in Grow Your Business, Q & A Interview, Q & A Interviews, SmallBizChat

For the last two years as Smallbizlady, I have conducted interviews with small business experts on my weekly Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. April 27^th was the 100^th episode of the show and in celebration if that milestone, I had the honor of interviewing small business legend Alan Weiss, PhD, President of Summit Consulting and Author of the classic bestseller Million Dollar Consulting. For more information on http://www.summitconsulting.com Alan’s Twitter handle is @BentleyGTCSpeed. In honor of my 100th show Alan has offered a special bonus. His audio training session on 10 different key moments in the sales process which are critical in securing business. For the next 7 days for this audio normally sold for $150 will be available for just $10. (Alan Weiss’s materials are NEVER this affordable.) Grab 10 Key Moments in the Sales Process Today!

SmallBizLady: What is the biggest thing holding back most small businesses?

Alan Weiss: More than one thing holds back small business owners: A lack of self-esteem of the owner; an underestimation of the value they provide; a focus on price instead of value; a disregard for the real power of small business, customer relationships.

SmallBizLady: You are known as America’s most well- respected consultant. How did you land your very first customer?

Alan Weiss: I landed my first customer from a referral. It was someone who knew me in a former life and a client employee who knew me in that former life.

SmallBizLady: Why do most consulting businesses fail?

Alan Weiss: Firsts, most consultants don’t realize this is the marketing business. They focus on their methodology instead of on their results. And second, they content themselves with low level, HR people instead of finding true, economic buyers. Add that to the self-esteem issue I mentioned before, and you have a cocktail for failure.

SmallBizLady: What is the hardest thing about building a million dollar solo practice?

Alan Weiss: Changing your mindset so that you actually work less and less while making more and more. Becoming a thought leader with a very strong brand that attracts people to you. Having zero fear of failure.

SmallBizLady: What are some ways for consultants to leverage themselves so that do not feel like a hamster on a wheel in their business?

Alan Weiss: Understand that your presence is not your value, but your results are. Streamline your methodology, delegate tasks to your client, and subcontract things that don’t rely on your unique expertise (more than you think).

SmallBizLady: What has surprised you most about running your businesses?

Alan Weiss: That I could leverage it so much and create such strong marketing gravity.

SmallBizLady: Pricing is always a challenge for business owners. What’s your advice on getting it right?

Alan Weiss: Charge on results not “deliverables,” charge based on your value not your methodology or delivery, and stay far away from trainers and HR people.

SmallBizLady: You has said that small business owners under utilize their existing customers. How so?

Alan Weiss: They don’t build solid relationships that lead to referral business, which

is the platinum standard. They treat customers like annoyances. I can get

better service in many “big box” stores than in small businesses.

Smallbizlady: What are some ways to increase the value of an existing customer?

Alan Weiss: Elicit referrals, include them in the design process of new products and services, give them discounts for repeat business.

Smallbizlady: How do you measure success?

Alan Weiss: I don’t. That’s one of the silliest things people try to do. If you have to be convinced by a metric that you’re successful, then you aren’t.

Smallbizlady: What’s your must-read resource for small business owners and Why?

Alan Weiss: Peter Drucker on strategy, which he invented in all reality; my own Million Dollar Consulting, which has been on the shelves for 20 years and four editions; and Atlas Shrugged, which, no matter what you think about Ayn Rand and her politics, tells you that you can’t allow crazed political correctness to undermine true talent.

Smallbizlady: Complete these sentence: If standing on a rooftop facing crowds of aspiring or struggling small business owners, I would shout:

Alan Weiss: How many of you would like to buy my special techniques for getting up here on the roof?

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #Smallbizchat http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her one of the Top 20 women for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

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11 Great Technology Tools for Small Business

by Melinda Emerson on April 27, 2011 in My Recommendations, Technology, Your Small Business

As SmallBizLady, my mission is to end small business failure. To that end, I love to share great free resources that can help small business owners save time and money. Here are my 11 favorites that I am sure you’ll find beneficial to your business operations. If you embrace these technology tools you’ll be amazed how much more efficient you will be each day in your small business.

Here’s my best small business finds:

1. Gmail.com

Google provides a great free email solution which also integrates seamlessly with Google calendar. Some of the features of Gmail include: You don’t need to have MS Office to download attachments—you can download any file into as a Google document. Gmail comes with 5GB of storage and can be accessed from any computer. It also saves every email address you send messages to, and has one of the best spam filters around. Even if you have a branded email address you should have a Gmail address too.

2. LinkedIn.com

LinkedIn is one of the world’s largest professional networks with over 100 million members. LinkedIn allows small business owners to connect with old and new contacts. This allows you exchange knowledge, ideas, and search for prospects across a broad network of professionals. In today’s professional world, people change jobs and locations constantly. By connecting on LinkedIn, your address book will never go out of date. Every small business owners needs a professional LinkedIn profile to make sure that potential business leads can search for you.

3. Facebook Fan Pages

Think of a Facebook Fan Page as a secondary website for your small business. The tabs at the top of the page are like site navigation. You can have a tab for your newsletter sign-up, a tab for customer testimonials, and a tab for products & services. One of nicest thing about fan pages is it allows the business to communicate directly with a small group of people who like the fan page. In order to have a successful page you must provide regular content and interact with your fans. Showing up every few weeks won’t cut it. It’s best to post every day or even several times a day to make sure your fans know you care.

4. Twitter.com

Twitter is a social media tool and microblogging website that demands that you only use 140 characters or less to communicate with your followers (think text messages). Twitter is a great way to monitor your clients and your competition. You can also get instant feedback on your latest offers in real-time. One of my favorite uses of Twitter is to get answers to questions or find resources and vendors. Twitter allows to follow the most compelling conversations. You can also create the conversation. Every Wednesday 8-9pm ET, I host #Smallbizchat on Twitter to answer questions for small business owners.

5. Hootsuite.com

Once you have all of your social media accounts set up, the next thing you need is a way to stay on top of all of the status updates. Hootsuite is a web-based application containing an entire set of tools to manage, track, analyze, and schedule your social networking campaigns. Not only does this web application let the user post to multiple social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn at one time, it also allows you to schedule tweets and updates in advance. If fans and followers should be updated about a special sale for tomorrow, the message can be scheduled today.

6. Bit.ly

Once you create your content you will want to keep your links short so they can be shared easily. Bit.ly shortens your long links so you can share your content on Twitter, Gmail, Email, or Facebook. It also allows you to develop custom links and get personalized stats on the open rates for your Bit.ly links. This is a really useful tool.

7. Rapportive.com

Rapportive shows you everything about your contacts. You can use this service to connect to your contacts across their entire social media footprint on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. It works right inside your email inbox. It helps you know what the web knows instantly. If you use Gmail, it replaces all those Google ads with helpful information.

8. Dropbox.com

Dropbox is the easiest way to store, sync, and share files online. There’s no complicated interface to learn. It works seamlessly with your operating system. It’s a great way to make sure you have the right version of any document, which is really helpful when you are working on a team project. Dropbox allows you up to 2GB of storage free and you can sync your files of any size and across all your computers automatically.

9. Tungle.me

Tungle.me is a scheduling application that syncs with your existing calendar. It eliminates double-bookings and time zone mishaps. The Tungle.me application supports Google, Outlook, Apple iCal, Entourage for Mac, Lotus Notes, Windows Live, Yahoo! and connects to major social networks including Facebook, Plancast, TripIt, LinkedIn and Twitter.

10. Skype.com

Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. Calling other computers is free. Calling other phones is really cheap. You can accept calls with Skype or set up voicemail. You can also connect to more than one person at a time to do conference calls. It’s all very simple. Additionally, you can use Skype for instant messaging, sharing files, and video conferencing. One of the best features I like is that it records all conversations that take place using instant message.

11. Delicious.com

Delicious is a social bookmarking service that allows users to tag, save, manage, and share web pages from a centralized source. It’s a great way to remove paper from your desk. When you find a great article on the internet that you want to save but don’t want to kill a tree to print it, now you just save it to your delicious file and you’ll always know where you can find it when you want to refer back to it. You can make what you save in delicious public or private.

You may not need all of these software options in your business, but if you find yourself in need of a resource refer back to this list of free options first.

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Ask @SmallBizLady: What if you don’t have 12 months to start a business?

by Melinda Emerson on April 22, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Your Small Business

Every Friday, I answer your small business questions in a video blog segment called Ask SmallBizLady.

This week, we are taking on the question: What if you don’t have 12 months to start a business?

Here’s the answer:

To get your small business rolling right away follow these steps:

Answer these key questions

What do you know that you can sell?
How much cash do you have on hand?
How much money can you afford to invest in your business?
Develop a Target 25 list of people who can give you a contract or refer you business.
Contact 5 people a week until you get a contract then repeat this process often.

I’m always here as a resource.

P.S. Want an “I [heart] #SmallBizChat t-shirt? It’s available! for $20.00 plus s/h sizes M-L-XL-2X

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Happy Birthday #SmallBizChat

by Melinda Emerson on April 20, 2011 in SmallBizChat

Today marks the two year anniversary of #Smallbizchat. It’s a weekly interactive chat that I host on Twitter for small business owners. @Smallbizchat takes place every Wednesday from 8-9pm EST. It’s hard to imagine that an idea to help small business owners get answers to their small business questions has grown to such a strong community on Twitter and this blog. I started #SmallBizChat as an online mentoring program to fulfill my mission to end small business failure.

I’m so proud to provide this resource to emerging entrepreneurs week after week. Earlier this year, I was given a social media star award by the Philadelphia Business Journal for creating #SmallBizChat. It was the show’s first award. One entrepreneur who is regularly on @Smallbizchat recently told me that #SmallBizChat was part of her rope team that she looks to for help with running her small business. She’s a perfect example of the participant feedback that we hear often.

I could not do #SmallBizChat without my co-host @TaiGoodwin. Special thanks to my first co-host @cathywebsavvypr who helped me launch the franchise. I also have to give a special shout out to @SoniaSchenker who has pulled together our transcripts weekly since we started.

Over the last two years my team and I have had the opportunity to host top small business experts from across the world including Michael Gerber, Jill Konrath, Anita Campbell, James Tayo, Hugh McFarlane, Peter Shankman, and Tim Berry.

I am very excited that tonight for our 99^th show our guest is @GuyKawasaki Author of the new book Enchantment (Penguin, 2011) and classic bestseller The Art of the Start (Penguin, 2004). Guy is a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, co-founder of Alltop.com and Former Chief Evangelist of Apple. Information on the topic and each week’s guest can be found by following @SmallBizChat and @SmallBizLady on Twitter.

You won’t want to miss our 100^th show April 27^th with my special guest Alan Weiss, Ph.D. @BentleyGTCSpeed author of the classic bestseller Million Dollar Consulting (4^th Edition, McGraw Hill 2009). Alan has been called America’s #1 Independent Consultant. I can’t wait to learn from him!

You must have a twitter account to join @SmallBizChat. Participants can use tweetchat.com or use TweetGrid.com to join the live chat. For information on how to participate in #SmallBizChat, click here.

If you are not a Twitter user, a complete Q&A interview from the #SmallBizChat guest is posted every Thursday morning on Melinda’s blog at: www.succeedasyourownboss.com

If you know a small biz owner who could use some advice tell them to follow @SmallBizChat and join us every Wednesday at 8-9 ET.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her one of the Top 20 Women for Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs, and publishes a resource blog at: www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months: A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

P.S. Want an “I [heart] #SmallBizChat t-shirt to help us celebrate? It’s available! for $20.00 plus s/h sizes M-L-XL-2X

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How to Use the Four Types of Income to Your Advantage

by Melinda Emerson on April 19, 2011 in Cash Flow & Finance, Guest Articles, Your Small Business

“The poor man’s budget is full of schemes”. – Proverb

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”. – Albert Einstein

How are your budgeting strategies doing?

As a small business owner, it can be far too easy to get stuck in a bad budget rut. We set lines and parameters; we stick to them; and, after a while, we get so engrossed in our new budding business that we forget to check up on our budgeting health once in a while.

Let’s talk about the four kinds of income:

1. Work income: You work in the pizza store, and that’s work income – money you’re paid for the hours worked.

2. Transactional income: When I come into the pizza store and buy a piece of pizza, I give you money and you give me pizza. The deal works for both of us. I may come back; I may not. The transaction is finished and a one-time deal.

3. Renewal income. This income renews itself; one real-life example may be a magazine that you continue receiving, renewing every year when the notice comes. This is much better than the other forms of income because you don’t have to keep looking for new people. The same people come again and again–repeat business. Most people will continue getting the same magazine they like.

4. “Till forbid” income. Every single month, money is charged to your credit card or deducted from your bank account–until you say stop, whether it’s a membership site online, or any other form. For example, business magazines automatically charge your card at the current rate. GoDaddy, a popular company for registering domain names, provides this service for the small amount of $7.49. Unless you choose otherwise, the domain name will automatically get renewed every year. When they do it automatically, as opposed to giving you a notice that your domain is going to expire, you will be charged $7.50 (or more, depending on the current renewal rate). That may not sound like much unless you have 50 or 100 domains, or if you just don’t like wasting money you realize they’re really getting you. All subsequent years, your rate will be billed at the non-discounted rate which is currently of $11.99. After the first year at a special rate, the automatic renewal is at full base price. Another example: NEBS is a company that sells blank checks and stuff like that. When you try to order from them the first time, you get what’s called a mail code, which gives you 50% off the price. You’re getting a steal of a deal. You get 1000 envelopes for pennies. However, when you reorder, there is no mail code.

GoDaddy and other online registrars work the same way. They are not exactly giving you the perceived “steal of a deal”; their real money is made on the automatic renewal at a coupon-free, full price. This also works well because by artificially raising the prices, you think of the “true retail price” as being discounted and you feel so slick about having found a coupon code online- while, in all honestly, you are actually paying the “true retail” price.

In business, you really want to try to get one of these forms of income. Work income, once you stop working, you don’t get this anymore. Transaction income, if you’re closed for the day, you don’t get any more income. And out of the two remaining incomes, the “Till forbid” income is the much better income than renewable. You can automatically charge your customer’s credit card every month until they cry, “Stop!” – and the potential for profit triple, because many people may forget to cancel.

What’s my bottom line? Funnel your income into the most profitable type possible. If you can increase the amount of repeat income, you can increase the value of your business tremendously.

Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg is often called “the marketer for marketers”, a strategy and marketing advisor, ideas generator and action planner, experienced mentor and friend consulting to independent professionals and businesses large and small worldwide. For more info visit: www.issamar.com or reach him on Twitter at @RabbiIssamar . Find secrets like these and more at his blog: www.issamar.com/strategy

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Where to Find the Money to Start Your Small Business

by sss4success on April 18, 2011 in Become Your Own Boss Tips, Before You Start, Cash Flow & Finance, Your Small Business

One of the most common questions that I get as SmallBizLady is about start-up financing. ”Do I know where people can get a grant to start their small business?”. Now Hear This: BYOB doesn’t just stand for Become Your Own Boss! BYOB also stands for Be Your Own Bank! There are NO grants! When you are starting out in business you must come up with your own money to invest into your brilliant idea. You also need to have resources to maintain your household while you are building your business. You are your business’s credit and debt. Now there are micro-loan programs when you may be able to borrow up to $25,000, but you better have a great business plan to get it.

If you are ready to start your business, you must develop a plan for yourself to save more money and become debt free. Now, I am not talking about paying off your mortgage, but I do mean everything else. I am talking zero debt—meaning no credit cards, no car payments. Basic living expenses only. Eliminating your debt will allow you to always make decisions that are in the best interest of your business. You also need to establish zero debt to free up your credit capacity. When I realized that I wanted to leave my job to start my first business, I took out a home equity loan (which you need to do while you are still working and can prove income) and paid off every bill I had, even my car. I used home equity because you can write off the interest paid against your income taxes.

Getting your house in order financially will be one of the first milestones on the road to starting your own business.

To find the money to start your business, take these steps:

Develop a plan to eliminate all debt. Make a list of all debt, the balance owed and the interest rate. It is best to start with the credit card with the lowest balance, while you continue to pay the minimum fees on the others cards to keep them current. By starting with the card with the lowest balance you will boost your confidence about your personal finances. Next, should be the card with the highest interest rate. Keep working your way down the list.
Make of list of what you need at the store. To avoid impulse buying, take a list with you to the all stores and do not deviate from it! Be careful not to go grocery shopping when you are hungry. It is very hard to stick to your list that way.
Keep driving your car. Drive you car until it stops running. As a new business owner, you will no longer be able to afford to upgrade your vehicle every two years. Buy a reliable car and take care of it, so you can ride without a car payment as long as you can. (I still do this! My car is more than five years old).
Cut back on trips to Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and cut your cable bill. The money you spend each month on unnecessary extras can really add up. Treat yourself once in a while to a pay per view, but the pay channels need to go. You’ll be shocked how the money you save will add up.
Check out the library. You can borrow books, magazines, and the latest DVDs from the library. You can also make requests and they will order things for you. If you’re a serious book junkie like me, find a good used bookstore or buy used books on Amazon.com. The books will still be new to you.
Drink at home. Stop drinking alcohol in bars and restaurants. If it’s beer, wine, or mixed drinks that you like, they are much cheaper when you pour them yourself. Pick up a six-pack or a few bottles invite over some friends and hang out at your home.

You will start your business if you develop the ability to control your spending and cut costs. Follow this advice. I promise you will find money you never realized that you had. You cannot kick your addiction to your paycheck all at once. It will be a gradual step-by-step process, but you can do it!

Do you have any other cost saving suggestions for start-up entrepreneurs?

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Ask @SmallBizLady: How to Develop an Effective Sales Strategy

by Melinda Emerson on April 8, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Cash Flow & Finance, Grow Your Business

Every Friday, I answer your small business questions in a video blog segment called Ask Small Biz Lady.

This week, we are taking on the question: How to develop an effective sales strategy for your small business?

Here’s the answer:

Know your target customer!
Determine your 30-day sales goal.
Determine your weekly sales goal.
Determine your sales activity action plan to generate your monthly and weekly sales goals.
This will also help your figure out your monthly marketing budget.

If you have a question for Melinda Emerson, Small Biz Lady, leave a comment on this blog using the contact us page or send me a note on Twitter @SmallBizLady, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/smallbizlady or you can hit me up on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson