Suppose you love baking pies and you’re really good at it. People are always saying that your pies are the best in town and that you should go into business for yourself.

One day you get bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and you decide to open a pie-baking business as a solo-entrepreneur.   Once your small business is up and running you concentrate the bulk of your efforts on doing what you love: baking pies.

However, you let other vital aspects of your business fall by the wayside: soon, you’re having cash flow problems, you’re working around the clock baking pies since you don’t have any adequate systems in place, and you’re worried because you don’t have a solid marketing strategy. Despite all of your pie-baking skills and your hard work and sacrifice, your small business is fledging.

The scenario described above is what Michael E. Gerber, author of the bestseller The E-Myth Revisited, calls the entrepreneurial myth.  The myth most new entrepreneurs buy into is that the way to beat the dismal odds of succeeding when you start a new business is simply through hard work and perseverance.

So, if it’s not just about skill and hard work, what does it take to make your small business succeed?

Build a Business, Not a Job

Gerber points out that most small businesses are started by “technicians”; a technician can be a plumber, a lawyer, a computer programmer, and so on. When these technicians decide to leave the company in which they work and strike out on their own, they have a tendency to continue concentrating on the work they’re skilled at and ignore the “business aspect” of their new enterprise.

That is, they basically create a job for themselves instead of really creating an actual small business.

The solution, says Gerber, is for business owners to balance their business personalities.  That is, they have to wear three different hats: the entrepreneur hat, the manager hat, and the technician hat. The technician produces the product or service, the manager makes sure that operations and finances run smoothly, and the entrepreneur creates a compelling vision for the business, formulates goals, and steers the business toward the accomplishment of those goals.

Here’s how Gerber defines the entrepreneur:

“The entrepreneur is not really interested in doing the work; he is interested in creating the way the company operates. In that regard, the entrepreneur is an inventor. He or she loves to invent, but does not love to manufacture or sell or distribute what he or she invents.”  ~ Michael E. Gerber

A business that is built and managed by someone who combines the approach of the technician, the manager, and the entrepreneur—Gerber indicates–will have a far greater chance of future success than one guided by someone thinking like a technician alone.

Prepare to Sell a Franchise of Your Business

Another way to make sure that you’re working on your business instead of just working in it — is to create a plan or business model as if you were going to sell franchises of your business at some specific future date, even if you don’t intend to do so.

Franchises have procedures, clear operation manuals, a consistent sales approach, and so on. They’re set up so that practically anyone can walk up off the street and run the franchise. This is the goal that you should set for your small business: you want to create systems and then continually improve those systems.

Gerber advices that you get all of the following right while you’re still small:

• Your sales system;
• Your lead generation system;
• Your lead conversion system;
• Your system to convert buyers into repeat customers.

Some of the questions you should ask yourself while creating your systems are the following:

• How can systems be put in place so that large numbers of customers can be served efficiently and consistently?
• How can the business run efficiently without you having to be there constantly keeping an eye on things?
• How can you maximize the time spent doing the things that you really enjoy doing?
• How can you minimize the time spent doing the things you hate to do, but that have to get done

Conclusion

By making sure that you take on the roles of technician, manager, and entrepreneur, and by creating systems and an Operation Manual as if you were going to sell franchises of your business, you’ll make sure that you´re working on your business instead of just working in it.  That is, you’ll be building a small business which will give you more financial independence and freedom, instead of creating a job that will enslave you.

Written by Marelisa Fábrega.  Marelisa blogs about creativity, productivity, and simply getting the most out of life over at Abundance Blog at Marelisa Online.  Marelisa is the author of the ebook “How to Be More Creative – A Handbook for Alchemists”.

Photo by Lars Plougmann

I hope Jessica finds this guide useful in pursuing her intentions of becoming a self-employed entrepreneur.  It certainly offers a lot of great advice to follow.

Jessica commented on my review of this book and was selected as the winner.  I used the Random Integer Generator at Random.org to pick the lucky recipient of the free book.

I appreciate all your comments and look forward to giving away another book very soon so please stay tuned for your chance to win.

In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  I’ll leave you with a few hand-selected articles on entrepreneurship that I know you’ll love.  Enjoy!

• Want to earn more money? How to find your first 3 paying clients
• How To Find Time To Start A Side Business
• Fun Money: Why Having Fun Is Great For Business

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography

“Why not you?”  This is the question that Robert Tuchman, the author of Young Guns: The Fearless Entrepreneur’s Guide to Chasing Your Dreams and Breaking Out on Your Own, suggests that you ask yourself.  Why shouldn’t you be the one out there pursuing your passion and making money at the same time?

He has a valid point.  Why not you?  You are just as capable as anyone else that has done the same thing.  All you need is a little guidance and encouragement to help you get started, right?  Absolutely!

Here’s the good news!  I’m giving away a free copy of Tuchman’s book to one of my readers.  You could be the proud new owner of a resource that will inspire, motivate and guide you to become the entrepreneur you’ve always wanted to be!  Keep reading for the details on how to win.

My Review of Young Guns as a Business Startup Guide

Tuchman recently provided me a free copy of his book to review.  I didn’t get to it right away, but I have now read it and I’ll say that if you’ve ever thought that you’d like to strike out on your own, then this is a book you’d probably enjoy reading.

It is geared primarily toward twenty-somethings because Tuchman says that there is no better time in life to take a risk than when you are young.  I’d have to agree with him on this point.  You have a lot less to lose, fewer responsibilities and far less distractions compared to most people that are older with families, mortgages and retirement to think about.

However, I think Young Guns offers value to anyone that is stuck on the fence thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.  It might be just the kick in the pants that you need to finally take action on what you’ve always wanted to do.

Tuchman’s book is a little different than most startup guides.  He focuses less on the details and more on getting your mind right.  He tries to help you figure out the why more than the how of pursuing your dream.

I really like this approach.  I’ve certainly made some boneheaded mistakes running a business and I think many of these could have been avoided if I had started with the right mind set.  This is why I think that Tuchman’s book is a good read for anybody.

It covers things like:

• How to decide on the right business for you
• How to pick the right partner to help run your business
• How to write a one-page business plan
• How to take the leap of faith needed to get started
• How to effectively use technology to compete with the big boys
• How to treat your customers and your vendors
• How to handle failures and setbacks

If you want to get a flavor for his writing and approach, then take a moment to read the recent guest post that he wrote for this site called The Entrepreneur’s Seven Priorities for a Successful First Year.  Both the book and the article are easy reads with great advice!

How To Win a Free Copy of Young Guns

Since Tuchman was kind enough to give me a free copy of his book, I thought I’d pass it along to you.  I hope it helps a reader with an entrepreneurial spirit to take a leap and never look back!

All you need to do to win is leave a comment on this article.  I will close the comments on Friday, January 22, 2010 and then randomly select one winner.

I will notify the winner via email so please be sure to provide a valid email address!  I will not share your address with anyone and I will never spam you.  I just need a way to let you know you won and to find out how to get you your copy of Young Guns.  I’ll even pay the postage!

Also, if you don’t mind, please share news of this giveaway with others via Twitter and Facebook.  I have provided links below to make this easy.  Thanks and good luck!

It doesn’t matter whether you are a consumer, entrepreneur, manager, employee or volunteer.  Customer service is a topic that has significance for us all.

We all want good customer service when we are doing business with someone and it is important to acknowledge others want the same from us.

Customers are what makes the world go around for organizations of all kinds.  Without customers, citizens, donors or bosses to serve, we have no jobs.  Your livelihood would cease to exist.  When the pocketbook closes, paychecks stop coming.

It is a good idea to occasionally stop and ask yourself, “Who is my customer and how well am I serving them?”

Poor Customer Service Phrases We Hear All Too Often

We have all heard some pretty ugly customer service horror stories.  MSN Money even conducts an annual Customer Service Hall of Shame survey to chastise those companies that do an exceptionally poor job of meeting customer expectations.

Hopefully, your organization is not a part of the hall of shame, but we’ve all probably been guilty of providing less than stellar service.  We’ve all also probably been victims of it.

Here are a few poor customer service phrases we hear all too often:

• The computer won’t let us do that.
• I don’t know and don’t care.
• You’ll have to call or come back later.
• We can’t take care of that here.
• That is not my responsibility.
• I can’t help you with that.
• You’ve called the wrong number.

I’m sure this list could go on and on, but you get the idea.  On top of these poor customer service phrases, we often get caught in perpetual automated phone system hell!  You know what I’m talking about, “Please press 1 for…”  Of course, none of the options ever match what I need and there never seems to be an easy way to access a real, live human!

Okay, just thinking about these things raises my blood pressure!  Let me move on before my blood starts to boil. 

Enthusiastic Customer Service Phrases I’d Like to Hear

What is it that our customers want and that we want when we conduct business?

I think mainly we want someone who will listen attentively to our issues, take ownership of the situation and do their best to make us happy so we will return, ready to spend our money with them again another day.

Basically, we want companies to make it easy for us to do business with them.  We want them to remove as many of the obstacles as possible for us.

Customers are valuable and often hard to come by.  You know this if you ever been in sales or if you’ve operated your own business.  Every customer that is willing to give their money to you in return for your product or service is a gem that you need to protect and coddle.

The difference between good and poor customer service has a lot to do with how you make your customer feel.

Here are some enthusiastic phrases we’d all like to hear more often:

• I can take care of this for you in no time at all.
• I’m going to personally make sure this gets resolved for you.
• This is a little out of the ordinary, but I can handle it for you.
• I’d be happy to help you with this.
• I’m not sure, but let me find someone that can help you.
• What can I do to make this right for you?
• We stand behind our products, so this won’t be any trouble.
• You don’t have to wait, I can take care of you now.
• We’d be happy to refund your money if that’s what you want.
• It won’t cost you anything to get this corrected.
• We’ll be there today to make this right for you.
• Your satisfaction is our top priority.  What can I do for you today?

Beyond these, you might also want to check out The Top 7 Phrases to Use With Unhappy Customers.  This article is just one of several I found on Top7Business that I thought were very useful and practical for improving customer service.

We Are All in the Business of Improving Customer Service

It is in our best interest to please as many of our customers as possible.  Giving them what they want will ultimately lead to us getting what we want.  It really doesn’t take all that much effort to impress customers with our level of service.  We just need to put ourselves in their shoes.  Treat others like you want to be treated and your service will be golden!

What enthusiastic customer service phrases would you like to hear?

UPDATE: This article received a very nice write-up on MSN Smart Spending that really compliments what I wrote.  I’d encourage you to check out Customer-service phrases we hate.  I hope you enjoy it!

Photo by ann-dabney

A great way to get yourself and others energized about your blog is to spruce things up a bit.  This is one of the things that I absolutely love about WordPress.  It is incredibly easy to completely change the look of your site literally overnight.

A quick facelift may be just the thing your site needs to leap to that next level.  You know as well as I do how important that first impression is when you visit a website of any kind.  Is your site up to par?  Is it time for some improvements?

What if you don’t have a WordPress site?  Well, why not start your own blog?  The tips I’m offering today can help you get a beautiful and professional looking site up in very little time.  All you really need are some basic computer skills.

My Recommendations for Your WordPress Facelift

You might have noticed that I recently applied a new theme to my site.  That’s what inspired me to write this.  I’ve really gotten a boost from the new look and I thought why not suggest the same thing to others?

This all ties into Super-Charged Living because one of the key characteristics is having an entrepreneurial spirit.  This site is a micro-business for me.  Therefore, I’m continually looking for ways to improve it.  I think I’ve found a couple so now I’m going to pass them along.

Here are two incredibly easy ways to give your WordPress blog a quick facelift:

1.  Buy and Install a Premium WordPress Theme

In WordPress, the theme defines the look and layout of the site.  There are thousands of free themes out there, but none of them really offer what you can get in a good premium theme.  Premium themes cost a little money, but they are worth it. 

For example, the theme I’m running here on MySuperChargedLife.com is a premium theme called WP-Sublime from Solostream.com.  I love it for several reasons:

• It was easy to implement and it instantly transformed the look of my site.
• It has numerous options that are configurable from the admin section of WP.
• It has 9 different pre-defined color options to get you going quickly.
• It has options in the control panel to easily adjust the colors per my taste.
• I can radically change the look of the home page with just a few clicks.
• It has a footer that I can customize with WordPress widgets.
• I can add a custom header logo easily right in the control panel.
• So much more!  Check out all the features at Solostream.com!

A premium theme like the ones offered by Solostream give your blog a more impressive appearance.  This translates to more subscribers and ultimately to more traffic. 

In addition, it gives you more flexibility to customize your blog to better suit your specific needs.  For instance, in my theme options I can make my home page and my content pages look completely different with just a few mouse clicks.  This means I can spend more time concentrating on writing great content and less time trying to figure out design changes.

Finally, I think premium themes are worth the money because they usually include some form of support.  When I want to do something with my site that I don’t know how to do, I simply log into the Solostream Forums and get the answers I need.  Again, this saves me a an incredible amount of time and hassle.

A Special Solostream Offer for MySuperChargedLife.com Readers

WP-Sublime is the second premium theme that I’ve purchased from Solostream.  I am truly impressed with what they offer and even though I think their prices are very fair, I’ve arranged a special 10% discount for you. 

Click here to browse Solostream premium themes and then enter supercharge at checkout to get 10% off of your purchase!  This promo code will expire soon so take advantage of it now.

I want to be completely transparent here.  Yes, I make a little commission if you click the link on my site and buy a Solostream theme, but it doesn’t cost you a thing.  In fact, you actually save money buying a great premium theme this way and you support this site!  Obviously, I truly believe in their themes because this is the second one I’ve purchased.

2.  Get a Custom Designed Logo for Your Site Header

The second way I would suggest that you can radicially improve the look of any website is to get a custom designed logo for your site header.  Even if you’ve already got one, think about getting a new one.  I firmly believe a fresh coat of paint can really change the entire feel of a site.  You will be amazed at the difference a custom header makes!

Check the difference for yourself in these images of my site:

MySuperChargedLife.com — Custom Header

MySuperChargedLife.com — No Custom Header

See the difference!  There is no comparison.  A custom designed header graphic makes a world of difference.

I have personally used two guys at different times that are terrific at graphic design and that I highly recommend.  They both do incredible work and get it cranked out very quickly.  Also, they are amazingly reasonable on their prices!  Check out:

• Logos4You.net (Brad)
• Logos for Websites (Peter)

I am not receiving any form of compensation for mentioning either of these graphic design sites.  I just love their work and want to pass along their information in hopes that it will benefit you.  There are a ton of other designers that you can find online, but you will not get the same courteous, personal service from them as you will from Brad and Peter.

A Small Investment Can Make a Huge Difference

Do you want your blog to grow?  Are you committed to its success?  If so, then make a small investment in it and you will reap incredible dividends.  In just a couple of days at the most, you can completely upgrade your site to professional quality with the two suggestions that I’ve made here.  Why wait another minute?

Questions?  Leave me a comment and I’ll be happy to answer whatever I can!

Photo by Elvire.R.

This is a guest post from Robert Tuchman from

.

To become the kind of person that makes things happen by launching a company, you must make a big personal investment. I’m not talking about money (yet). I’m talking about time.

During that first year, you are going to be doing a lot of breathing, eating, and dreaming about your company. Setting priorities is essential to making your company succeed in its first year.

An Entrepreneur Must Set Priorities to Succeed

Here are seven priorities that you will want to set for yourself in the first year:

1.  Build a Culture of Action and Enthusiasm

You want to build a company that rewards taking action, a company that is perceived as being youthful, vigorous, forward-thinking, and results-oriented. People expect action and energy from the young, and they are likely to search out young and hungry companies.

You will find that clients are willing to pay for your energy and dynamism, and they will even take a bit of a risk in order to get young, energetic minds on their side. Enthusiasm and energy will take your business further than any other factor.

2.  Take Daily Action on Your Business Plan

What separates successful entrepreneurs from floundering entrepreneurs? Daily commitment to fulfilling the benchmarks you have set for yourself and your company in both your short-and long term business plans.

Every day you have to be willing to put your time in and do what you know needs to be done. For some people this daily commitment means picking up the phone and making ten sales calls a day, no matter what. For others, it means creating ideas for new products, new systems or new marketing initiatives, and then carefully testing the results.

3.  Get Your Web Site Up and Running

Your website has to say, “This is who we are,” to the outside world and it has to be compelling. Expect to update your Web site regularly and to improve it constantly over time. A Web site that is over dated, with irrelevant or months-old information is a real deal killer.

During your first year in the business, do the very best you can on your website with as much as you have now and be ready to update and improve it on a regular basis.

4.  Talk to Absolutely Everyone About What You Do

Who says opportunity stops at five o’clock? You need to always be talking about your business, as well as thinking about it constantly. Remember, you are building a brand for your company.

It should become second nature for you to talk to people about your business at parties, at family gatherings, and at outings like sporting events. You never know who the people you meet might know or might be speaking to next.

5.  Try to Fund It Yourself, or Mostly Yourself

Lots of entrepreneurs ask me, “What type of funding will I need to get my business off the ground?” I always advise would-be business owners to go after the least amount of funding that is necessary.

The reason I recommend self-financing for people who are just starting out is that fixating on some outside source of capital is a great way to make launching the business someone else’s responsibility. You don’t want to do that. If you spend the entire first year talking about presentations so that someone else can take action or make decisions, your mind-set is wrong.

6.  Get Connected, No Matter What

During your first year of operation, it’s extremely important to develop new relationships and meet people in your industry. I was fortunate enough early on to meet Alex English, former Denver Nuggets Hall of Famer. Alex gave me a shot at having my first office when he asked me if I wanted to share an office with him near Madison Square Garden.

When I was starting, I would make over 100 cold calls a day to potential clients. I had the same pitch that I would recite over and over again. Soon enough Alex would recite the pitch over and over to me verbatim. Getting connected was all about living and breathing the business.

7.  Stay Balanced

During the first year, and all the years after, you will have to find a way to achieve balance. You need an outlet of some kind, a hobby or exercise activity that helps you stay sane.

Many nights I left the office at 10 p.m. and went to the gym to hit the heavy bag until I had alleviated all my stress. If you are working hard, and putting all of your energy into work, you are going to need a release.

Last year, Tuchman Sports Enterprises earned over $70 million dollars in sales as the Corporate Events division of Premiere Global Sports. Robert Tuchman now serves as President of that division, still guiding his company in its new form. 

Robert is no stranger to entrepreneurship.  He has also launched other successful ventures including RentACarNow.com.

Photo by gcoldironjr2003

Living life to the fullest requires one to take risks.  I believe you have to have an entrepreneurial spirit in order to seize every good opportunity that comes your way.

However, you also have to be very discerning because not every door that opens is one that you want to walk through.  This is how people lose their shirts!

When your ship pulls up at your door, will you recognize it and get onboard fearlessly?  This is smart living at its best!

What is an entrepreneurial spirit?

An entrepreneur is a person that:

• Sees opportunity where no one else can
• Takes risks where no one else will
• Experiences success where no one else does

Entrepreneurship is generally associated with business.  An entrepreneurial spirit is an attitude that takes these same abilities and applies them more broadly in life.

It is about seeing the possibility for something great when everyone else is blinded by fear.

Having your eyes open in this way and creatively seeking new possibilities is an absolutely awesome way to live!

My smart living confession: I don’t like to take risks!

I have to admit that this is one of the rules that I still struggle with sometimes.  I’m pretty conservative by nature and I have to really push myself to take big risks.

Despite this, I have ventured into starting my own business and have made several major life changes over the last couple of decades.

I am especially hesitant if the risk involves money or relationships.  I don’t like to lose money and I can be fairly introverted around people I don’t know.

I realize my risk avoidance sometimes impedes my own smart living, but it is hard to overcome.  I really have to force myself to step out of my comfort zone in these two areas.

Regarding money, I come up with business ideas, but then become hesitant to pursue them because of the initial investment that’s involved.  I know that startups are risky and the thought of several thousand dollars evaporating before my eyes is quite honestly paralyzing at times.  I hate to have to admit this, but it is true.

When it comes to socializing, networking and relationship building, I can be pretty timid in this area as well.  I know that good opportunities often come as a result of who you know, but I hate to ask people for things.  I don’t know if it is fear of rejection, lack of social confidence or something else, but it haunts me.

Of course, acknowledging my hesitancy in these areas helps because I know I have to take specific steps to pursue good opportunities when they arise.  I’ve found the best way to overcome my limitations in this area is to just power my way through it.

I take risks in these areas despite my fear because I know it is a part of smart living!

How I evaluate risks to pursue good opportunities

Given my reluctance to take risks in certain areas, I have to have a good system for evaluating risks so I can decide when to really push myself.

Recognizing a good opportunity from a bad one is paramount to living life to the fullest.

Having a decision-making system for evaluating risk is priceless.  It takes a lot of the emotion out of the process which helps me to control my fear.

Here are the steps that I go through to identify good opportunities:

1.  I ask myself some tough questions about the opportunity

I have found these 10 questions to be very effective in helping me to sort out good opportunities from passing fads.  They have saved me from going down what would have surely turned out to be some tragic mistakes.

2.  I employ time-tested strategies for making the right decision

I use six strategies to help me make the right decision.  This technique has proven effective in my personal and professional life.  Using these same strategies for decision-making keeps things consistent and on an even keel.

3.  I get the opinion of others that I trust

I always run ideas past my wife and others whose opinion I value and trust before I pursue a risky venture.  I also ask myself what people like Dave Ramsey would do.  This helps me collect valuable insights that I might have otherwise missed.

Once I’ve completed these three simple steps.  I usually have a very clear picture of whether an opportunity is a good one or not.  The trick then is to go with what I know is right!

Assignment: Develop an entrepreneurial spirit

Here is your homework to start putting this rule for smart living to work!  These steps will help you to start exploring good opportunities as they arise.

1. Pinpoint your reluctance – As I mentioned earlier, it is important to recognize what causes you to hesitate when good opportunities arise so you can devise strategies to overcome it.  We can master our fear if we are aware of how it limits us.  Read these articles to help become honest with yourself about your hesitancy.

   Cure Your Fear To Get The Most Out of Life!
   Five Great Ways to Conquer Your Fears
   Inferiority Complex- Toss Out Feelings of Insignificance

2. Teach yourself to accept risk – Start small, but find some things that you consider to be risky and do them.  Ask your boss for a raise or go on a spur of the moment vacation or start a blog!  Facing the unknown is the beginning of developing an entrepreneurial spirit.  Try this and you are likely to find a new sense of excitement and control in your life!
3. Embrace the entrepreneurial spirit – Find someone with an entrepreneurial spirit to look up to and follow their lead.  For me, having one or more role models is very helpful.  It emboldens me and let’s me see that risk really does pay off!

Smart living means pursuing good opportunities fearlessly!

I’m not there yet, but I know that accepting risk and pursuing good opportunities is a powerful and essential part of smart living.  It is one of the rules that I will continue to explore for myself. 

What advice can you offer to help?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

Follow this link to discover all the rules for Smart Living.

Photo by FreeWine

Many people dream of leaving their job and starting a business.  They daydream about being their own boss and living their passion.

However, only a few ever take the leap to explore their entrepreneurial yearnings. 

For the majority, the perceived risk involved in starting a small business is just too great of an obstacle to overcome.

The stumbling block most of us can’t get over

So, what does it really take to be a successful entrepreneur?

Well, first let’s look at what it means to be an entrepreneur in general.

Entrepreneur – one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.
~ Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Many of us have the organizing and managing part down.  We’ve done that for others for years. 

We’ve created budgets, tracked expenses, managed resources, lead people, organized projects, conducted meetings, made decisions and been held accountable for results.

Most of us know how to run a business because without realizing it we’ve been doing it forever already.  We’ve just been doing it for someone else.

The kicker in the definition above is the part about assuming the risk. 

We keep holding back from going into business for ourselves because we aren’t sure we want to take the risk.

Basically, we are afraid that we might fail to earn a living as an entrepreneur.  Furthermore, we fear that we might make some bad decisions and wind up worse off than we are now.

That’s the stumbling block holding most of us back.  Agreed?

The most important thing you need to become an entrepreneur

Okay, so we’ve identified the stumbling block that is holding us back.

It all goes back to the question I posed at the beginning of this article.  Do you have what it takes to become an entrepreneur?

We’ve already covered the part about organizing and managing.  We already know that we are competent at that or other people wouldn’t pay us to do it.

What else is there?

Well, I’ve had the opportunity to be in business for myself and I worked with a lot of other entrepreneurs over that eight-year period.

As a result, I believe I have identified the remaining key ingredient to becoming a successful entrepreneur and I think that the word that sums it up best is GRIT.

Grit – firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger.
~ Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

It takes an incredible amount of grit to decide to win at being an entrepreneur.

The ways that grit helps an entrepreneur succeed

An entrepreneur with a healthy does of grit does the following:

Living your passion as an entrepreneur is possible if you have grit

What do you think?  Do you have the grit needed to be an entrepreneur?  Are you willing to commit yourself and lay it all on the line?

It truly is a move that will make you feel more alive and excited than you’ve felt in a long time.  What is holding you back from pursuing your passion?

Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Photo by Niklas Hellerstedt

Layoffs, bankruptcies and business closings top the headlines.

It’s not just small business that’s looking for ways to survive either.

Big name companies like GM, Ford, CitiBank, Wells Fargo and Chrysler have been in the fight of their lives.

Others like Starbucks, Office Depot and Sharper Image have closed numerous retail locations.  While some, like Circuit City, have shut the doors on all their stores for good.

The warning signs are everywhere.  It is time to take definitive action.  But, what is there to do?  In what ways can you help your small business survive this economic recession?

Diagnosing the business issues and developing a plan to survive

I have some friends and family members that own small businesses.  They tell me things are very slow.  In fact, one family member that has worked for himself for over 15 years recently had to take a job to make ends meet.

I’ve been a business owner too and I know how hard it can be.  This economic recession has to make things just that much harder.

This week, I ran across some excellent information that I think might help.

Let me share with you 3 ways a small business owner can help their company survive.

1.  Try stuff to make sure your business is NOT invisible

As a small company, you do not have the advertising budget the big guys have.  In good times, you get enough business to survive and maybe even to do pretty well without having to advertise.

However, when the economy slows down, you have to work a little harder to make sure people notice you.  It is very easy for a small business to become invisible and go unnoticed especially during an economic recession.

I absolutely love the example that Havi wrote about in It’s not the economy.  Read this story!

Here’s a little preview!  Havi walked by a store every single day for a year, but never noticed it until she saw the enormous “going out of business” sign.  The sign got her attention.  She went in and loved the store.  Too bad it is closing.

Now I’m not telling you to go by a bigger sign, but do something to get noticed.  Do more than you ever have before!

Picture yourself as a Who in Whoville like in Horton hears a Who.  Disaster is imminent and your only hope is to somehow communicate with the elephant out there.  How are you going to reach him?  He is your only hope!

2.   Try things that you’ve never tried before (think outside the box)

I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again.  Doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results is crazy!

If what you’ve always done to promote your business is not working anymore, then it is time to try something new!

I know this is difficult and scary, but so is riding the ship to the bottom.

You can no longer wait for customers to come to you.  You have to go find them and use creative means to get them to familiarize themselves with what you offer.

Find sources of inspiration!  Get on the Internet and look for what others are doing that works.  Reach out  online and make some connections.

I saw an interesting idea just this week.  Pamela wrote about it in Take back the economy.  During March 9-13, she along with John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing are participating in an online small business stimulus program.  Read Pamela’s article for more info!

3.  Stay focused on your sweet spot (you know what it is, right?)

In his article, Blog Strategy, Job Strategy, Life Strategy, Ron describes the sweet spot as that special place where your individual strengths and passion are perfectly aligned with your customer’s needs.

The sweet spot is also a place where your competition doesn’t quite have it together.  It is your niche.  It is your point of greatest opportunity!

You need to be intimately familiar with your sweet spot and you need to have a single-minded focus on staying right in the middle of it.

Now is not the time to get distracted pursuing good things at the expense of what you do best.  Stay centered and you’ll have a better chance of not just surviving, but thriving during this time when others are withering away!

The recession can help you or hurt you.  You decide!

This economic recession may be just the jumpstart you need to really get concentrated and focused on growing your business.  It may even help to knockout some of your competition!

If you make the right choices and do the right things, you might just come out of this smelling like a rose!  You have what it takes.  Go apply yourself and you will see the results start accumulating.

What are you doing to be sure your business survives the recession?

Photo by Ed Yourdon

These prominent bloggers answered questions exposing their secrets on how they created high-profile, high traffic, and high profit blogs! 

The cool thing is that Blog Blazers isn’t just one person’s opinion on how to get more blog visitors.  Stephane asked all 40 successful bloggers the same questions.  This approach is awesome because it gives us insight into not only what they all have in common, but also what makes each one of these gurus unique!

Advice from Blog Blazers on how to get more blog visitors

If you are serious about building a successful blog, then you really need to read this book.  I found a ton of great ideas, resources and a lot of encouragement reading through the interviews. 

There are many reasons that I write this blog, but one of them is to satisfy some of my entrepreneurial desires.  Blog Blazers is to blogging what books like Good to Great are to more conventional businesses.  It looks for and exposes what led to success.

Here’s some of what you can learn from reading Blog Blazers:

1.  Find out which blogs the top bloggers read

Aaron Wall from SEOBook says:

I read every post Frank Schilling writes on his Seven Mile blog.  I am a regular reader of SearchEngineLand.com. And while it is not updated as frequently as those two, I love TropicalSEO.com by Andy Hagans.  CopyBlogger.com and Paul Kedrosky are equally refreshing.

2.  How long it takes to become a successful blogger

Anita Campbell at Small Business Trends says:

Unless you’re backed by a substantial financial stake and can hire researchers, writers and marketers, it really takes a good two years to get established today.  Blogs are an example of the network economy and the “law of increasing returns.”  At first the gains seem small, but as the network effect increases, it increases exponentially.  So once a blog starts growing, the growth rate seems to accelerate.

3.  Ways to successfully market and grow your blog

J.D. Roth from Get Rich Slowly says:

I build and maintain relationships with other bloggers.  I accept and contribute guest posts.  But I don’t do these things with marketing in mind.  I do them because I *like* to and because they foster community.  Marketing is a side-effect.

Don’t worry about SEO.  Search engine optimization does *not* make a successful blog.  Writing content that people want to read makes a successful blog.  (I’ve literally done zero SEO at Get Rich Slowly.)

4.  Most common pitfall new bloggers fall into

Seth Godin says:

The mistake most blogs and books make: they are about the writer, not the reader.

The things that fascinate you about your life are almost always banal to strangers.  Strangers want to read about their lives, not yours.  And guess what?  The same thing is true about prospects and customers and just about anything you can imagine marketing.

5.  The best monetization methods for making money with a blog

Trent Hamm from The Simple Dollar says:

Google Adsense is my best money maker.  FeedBurner is second.  Everything else trails far behind.

Penelope Trunk from Brazen Careerist says:

I sell my blog posts to print and online publishers.

I earn a six-figure income from my blog.

Blog Blazers is a terrific resource for growing your blog!

I’m going to hang on to my copy of Blog Blazers for a long time.  It is already highlighted and dog-eared!  I encourage you to check it out.  What I’ve shared above is just the tip of the iceberg.  This book gives real advice from the top bloggers that will almost certainly help you attract more visitors to your blog!

Are you a blogger?  What advice do you have to get more visitors?