Successful Blog

Who do you want in the trenches with you?

by

Spoiler alert: this post contains a spoiler about the conclusion of Celebrity Apprentice.

You’re building a business. It has some similarities to going into battle.

  • You don’t really know what’s going to happen.
  • You need to equip yourself properly.
  • You must be in it for the long haul.
  • You need a strategy.
  • You must know what you want to get out of it. What’s the mission.
  • You need to have a thick skin and confidence.
  • You have to be able to handle unexpected events.
  • You need to know when it’s time to retreat with honor.

And.

You need the right people in the trenches with you.

Band of Brothers in the trenches

But how do you know who will be there, handing you the last cigarette as the artillery fire is landing all around you? Who will jump out of the trench with you and charge into the unknown, eyes fixed on the next hill? Whom do you want to share victory with?

Perhaps I’ve watched Band of Brothers one too many times, but I’ve always known that surrounding yourself with the right people is crucial to success. Jim Collins calls it “getting the right people on the bus.”

How can you discern who will be really invested in what you’re doing…as a colleague, partner, or customer?

How can you ensure that you have the right people?

Here are some tips:

  • Work with someone smarter. Surround yourself with people who inspire you with their resourcefulness, their savvy, and their education. If you need to be the smartest person in the room, you’re not cut out to be a business leader.
  • Work with someone who knows something different. If your special skill set is marketing, hire someone who’s an ace at finance. Know your own strengths, and choose people who compliment them.
  • Work with someone who’s been somewhere different. Find people who have a different life story, a different perspective. You don’t want to be surrounded by yes-men and yes-women. Find people who will argue with you if you’re wrong.
  • Give your people a way to shine. Leeza Gibbons won Celebrity Apprentice this week because she consistently took advantage of her team’s talents and allowed them the room to perform.
  • Stop trying to convince people. As an entrepreneur, your resources are best invested in people who already “get it.” When you describe your mission, look for the light to go on in the other person’s eyes. If it’s not there, you don’t have a good fit, and it’s best for both of you if you move on.

Who’s in the trenches with you?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Is Your Organization Financially Sound?

by

ID-100262910If you are planning to start a business or nonprofit organization, one of the biggest challenges that you will face is securing funding.

There are many ways to get funding for your venture, and you can determine which funding option best meets your needs by doing some research.

Here is a look at some of the funding options that are available….

Loans

Getting a loan is the most common way of raising money for a new business.

One thing you can do to find a suitable loan opportunity is to contact the Small Business Administration (SBA).

There are a number of specialized loan options for you to choose from, ranging from startup loans to microloans. SBA loans are usually easier to secure than bank loans because they have less stringent requirements.

If you decide to get a loan from a bank, it is advisable that you start with smaller banks in your locality. These banks will have a better understanding of how your business will fit into the local landscape.

If you are starting a non-profit organization, you can try to get a loan from funding sources such as the Nonprofit Finance Fund, as well as banks and other financial institutions.

Grants

Grants are usually offered by the public sector or charitable organizations, and they do not have to be repaid. Since they are pursued by many organizations, they are extremely difficult to secure.

Grants can come in many forms, including business startup grants, business expansion grants, research grants, financial education grants and others. There are grants that are specifically offered to aspiring owners or owners of certain types of organizations, as well as demographic groups such as women, minorities, single parents and others.

As such, it is a good idea to define your niche before you apply for a grant.

You can increase your chances of getting a grant by creating a detailed business plan that shows how your organization will stand out from others.

Federal, state and local governments offer a wide range of grant programs for businesses and nonprofit organizations, and you can find out about these grants by doing research on the Internet or contacting your state or local government offices. Grants can also be obtained from organizations such as the National Financial Educators Council.

As the following article shows, this organization offers financial literacy grants and funding to help organizations further their financial education initiatives.

Crowd-funding

Crowd-funding is becoming an increasingly popular method of obtaining funding for starting businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Presently, there are many crowd-funding websites that provide excellent platforms for organizations to locate startup funds. However, the increased popularity of crowd-funding also means greater competition.

In order to raise enough money for your start-up, you need to devise effective strategies to attract the attention of investors.

Securing funding for your new business or nonprofit organization does not have to be a complicated task.

If you can create a good business plan and make a great pitch, you will significantly improve your odds of getting the funding you need.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of iosphere at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author: John McMalcolm is a freelance writer who writes on a wide range of subjects, from social media marketing to Cloud computing.

Why we should stop saying, “I’m terrible with names”

by

By Lindsey Tolino

 

The first time I heard it was when I was in middle school. On the first day of school, our teacher said it with little emotional engagement. He coupled it with a remark that at some point, maybe a few weeks in, he would eventually have everyone’s down. I remember it rubbing me the wrong way even then.

“I’m terrible with names.”

I’ve always felt like someone devalues me when they say it. They don’t mean to. They are citing an insufficiency in themselves. I know that.

But when someone tells you that they’re terrible with names, they are essentially saying that you aren’t important enough to remember your name.

Name tag

 

I know this because you know whose names I don’t forget? My husband’s. My dog’s. My family’s. My friends’. People I want to get to know. People whose work I extol.

And just so you know, I’m terrible with names.

I’m usually selfishly worrying about what’s in my teeth and I don’t catch what you said. “Did she say Sheryl or Carol?” I hate when I do that.

However, I shouldn’t tell you that I’m terrible with names simply because I’m bad at listening to you. If I do tell you that, it’s like I think that it’s an acceptable character trait. And I don’t think it is. I want to get better at it. I want to listen well and show people I value them.

Though forgetting names shouldn’t be acceptable, it does show that you’re a normal human if you struggle with it. But you don’t want to be seen as normal, right? You want to be remarkable, so don’t identify yourself with the cliché of being terrible with names.

If you can’t remember someone’s name, simply tell them how you remember them, but that you can’t recall their name. It will at least make them feel valued that you remembered them in some capacity and most people understand that names can be evasive at times.

If you just met them a few moments ago, you can simply apologize and ask for their name again. Just don’t qualify the lapse in memory by saying you’re terrible with names. No one wants to hear that.

We all want to know that we are valued. So let’s not minimize each other by saying “I’m terrible with names.”

Author’s Bio: Lindsey Tolino is an intentional creative who helps make businesses better. She serves business owners with her words at ToBusinessOwners.com. Follow her on Twitter @LindseyTolino or connect with her on Google+.

Image info: Original royalty-free image from http://www.freeimages.com/photo/1428915

5 hot call to action tips for business bloggers

by

You’re blogging for a reason, right?

If your blog is part of your business strategy, it’s time to do a check-up on your call to action (CTA).

A call to action is something that is intended to provoke a response in your reader.

It could be a bright red box that says “click here,” it could be a pretty picture of the cover of your e-book saying, “download now,” or it could be “set an appointment today.” Those are overt calls to action.

call to action

It could be more subtle, like a series of recommended blog posts. Those are calling the reader to read more, to explore your useful content.

Without any call to action, your blog posts are just spaghetti tossed against the wall.

Read these five tips that will help you clarify and enhance your calls to action right now (see what I did there?):

  1. First, consider what action you want to provoke. It should be obvious to your audience what they’re supposed to do when they land on your blog. Do you sell a product? Are you a consultant? Are you a thought leader/speaker? Your purpose must be clear in your own mind before you can communicate it to your visitors.

    And if you don’t know why you’re blogging, that might be ok (you’re just a writer who needs to write), just don’t expect to be getting revenue from your blog.

  2. Color me beautiful. Color theory is its own course of study, but there are some basic tenets you can apply. The folks at crazyegg.com produced a great infographic that summarizes the psychology of different color choices. Your CTA should be differentiated and appealing.
  3. Location, location, location. The human eye tends to read a web page in a zig-zag pattern, starting at the top left corner. We know that images and videos attract the eye, too. Consider putting your CTA in an attractive image that sits above the “fold”.
  4. Copywriting 101. Be brief.
  5. Track success and change it up if necessary. Know in advance what success looks like. Is it number of e-books downloaded? Is it number of paid consulting gigs? Is it number of unique visitors to your site? Think about using a unique link identifier on your CTA so that you can see it in your Google Analytics as a goal completion.

If I visited your blog today, would I know what you want me to do?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Are You in the Business of Apps?

by

apps-kids-blocks-shows-application-software-and-computing-100303643In today’s business world, it is all but a necessity to be up to speed on the latest technology.

For many small business owners, the lack of time and effort when it comes to technology can ultimately lead to missed business and lost revenue.

So, which areas of technology should you be focused on moving forward in order to build your company?

Consumers Love Apps

Living in a fast-paced world means many consumers want their products and services yesterday and not today. In order to meet such demands, business owners must utilize the best technology available, allowing them to stay a step ahead of the competition.

Among the technological devices that should be standard in today’s business world are apps.

For starters, much of that necessary technology must come from within, meaning your office and your employees need access to it in order to best serve customers.

One of the top apps that should be in your arsenal is a mobile app.

With millions of consumers sporting mobile devices, your mobile app can be a treasure trove of new and existing business.

Face it; you should be catering to a large swath of the population who can and should be using your products and/or services.

You can provide customers with a wide-range of specials (mobile coupons, deals etc.) that will likely keep them coming back to you for years. The mobile app also allows you to do business instantaneously, lessening the chances customers will go elsewhere.

Make the Workplace More Productive

Apps are also beneficial to business owners when it comes to handling a host of workplace needs from organizing data to scheduling meets.

If you are looking at companies who are tasked with developing android apps and other such tech devices, look for a provider who can offer you some of these needs:

  • File storage – Filing of company and computer data is one of the biggest tasks facing any small business. Use the right app to view and manage your PDF, Excel, Word and other such files. This will also allow you to share sizable documents in one link inside the creation of an email, thereby allowing you to skip attachments;
  • Customer invoices – Staying on top of your customers’ invoices is critical in order to keep your finances healthy. The right app allows you to neatly manage the invoices, including the all-important bills. One of the biggest challenges any business (but especially small businesses) faces is collecting payments from those individuals/companies who can be lax at following through after being billed. Delinquent accounts can end up costing the business owner time and money, both of which he or she may be short on. Make sure your app has all the numbers up to date so you can easily see which client or clients are falling behind on their financial commitment to you;
  • On-the-go – Many small business owners and/or their employees end up having to be out of the office at any given time of the day. Whether it is to make deliveries, meet with clients or attend networking events, they want to stay in touch with the workplace. This can be done via an app which will permit you to team up with your PC. You can then review any files you may need, especially if they are relevant to meeting with clients;
  • Reaching out – It is not uncommon for small business owners to need to reach out to current and potential customers with pitches, special offers and more. The right app helps you by storing details in a business letter, something you can then send off to clients. You can save a particular template and design so you do not have to repeat the process over and over again.

As you can see, apps have a wide-range of helpful options for the man or woman running a small business.

If you have not used much in the way of technology before, see what apps can do for you moving forward.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes for a variety of websites on topics such as marketing and technology.