Business Tips Archives - My PINK Pages

How to Build a Team of “A” Players

You really can’t do it all alone. No small business becomes a big business with a single person at the wheel. It takes a team of experts to scale your efforts. The problem is, building that team brings its own stress. How can you know who to trust? Where will you find the time to train? What if you can’t afford to outsource? These and other questions are what prevent entrepreneurs just like you from turning a good business idea into a 6- or even 7-figure empire. Here’s what to do about it. Know Your Personal Work Style & Preferences Not everyone works in a similar style. Some people love to touch base by phone, while others prefer email. Some people require lots of direction and step-by-step guidance, others work better when they can figure it out on their own. No way is right or wrong, but if you’re a phone person and you hire an email lover, there’s going to be conflict. Look for team members who are a fit with your preferred work style, and you’ll be…

Direct Marketing with Postcards or Sales Letters

A mistake that a lot of online marketers make is ignoring the potential of offline marketing. It used to be that direct mail marketing with postcards or sales letters was the go-to way to market. Then online marketing took off and many businesses left behind offline marketing opportunities - and they're missing out. But even if you decide that you want to use one of these forms of marketing, there can be a debate over which form of advertising is the better one to use. The answer is simple. The one that you choose depends on the business advertising needs. If your pitch is short, you won't need a lot of copy, so using a postcard is feasible and it saves money over sending a sales letter. This is especially true if you use headline marketing. However, some people prefer to get a sales letter because they think it looks nicer. Plus, using a sales letter allows you to add a responder. You can't do that with a postcard. People have become savvier about certain types of …

Presentations Come in All Shapes and Sizes

There is more than one type of presentation that can be given to an audience. The purpose of each might be different, with the main goal being to influence the audience in some way. Below are some tips on how to get it right, as well as a list of some of the common types of presentations you might be asked to participate in throughout your life. Some you may have already tackled. Getting It Right Presentations are a way of communicating information to others. The best way to approach these presentations is to plan for them. As soon as you accept the challenge, preparation begins. Regardless of the type of talk, here are a few things to keep in mind. * Length of time – This dictates how much detail will be included. * Topic – If you choose your own, make sure that you get information on the target audience. If you are given one, research it thoroughly for important facts to include. * Outline – Plan what will be included in the presentation so you stay on topic. …

Coping Strategies for Presentation Jitters

If you are not nervous before a presentation, then you are lying to yourself. Even a veteran speaker gets butterflies. Here are some strategies to assist with overcoming nerves that can sabotage your talk. Public speaking is a skill that everyone needs to cultivate, although most would rather be having a root canal instead. Why? People are fickle and frightening. An audience can turn as quickly as week-old bread. Whether it is a group of twenty or a group of 1,000, the dynamics of your presentation should stay the same. A stable foundation of how to reach your audience will give you the confidence to speak to any size crowd. That alone won’t be enough however. So, here are some coping strategies to tip the scales continually in your favor. How to Cope with Presentation Jitters 1. Get rid of your nervous energy – Instead of fidgeting on the stage for all to see, burn off some of that energy with exercise. Exercise releases those feel-good endorphins that calm mood and outloo…

The Connection Between Good Health & Business Success

When you’re working on growing your business or even working hard to get that next promotion, it’s easy to put in long, hard hours and in the process neglect your health. I get it. It’s hard to eat right and make time for exercise, or even get enough sleep when you’re working 12 hours a day. The problem is that by ignoring those healthy habits, you may be shooting yourself in the foot. Let’s look at how your health and your financial success are linked. The link is easiest to see when your health isn’t where it should be. Think about the last time you had a bad cold or some back pain. Being fairly uncomfortable didn’t make it easy to get work done, did it? Chances are everything took you much longer because it was harder to focus. Your productivity started going down, and you were more prone to make mistakes. The sicker you get, or the more pain you’re in, the worse the effects are. But even something as simple as a stiff neck, or not getting a good night sleep will influ…

Top Ten Home Business Ideas for Parents

Parents have to make special considerations when it comes to starting a home business. They need to be able to work without punching a clock or having to available at particular hours, otherwise they’ll have to get a babysitter. Parents who want to start a business from home may have special challenges if they don’t want to hire help. But, it’s not impossible. In fact here are the top ten home business ideas for parents that don’t require clock punching, or answering to anyone but yourself. 1. Stock Photographer – Stock photography is used in numerous applications, from websites and blogs to print ads. The demand is quite high for good and unique photographs to use for these reasons. Therefore, most stock photography companies allow independent contractors to upload pictures for sale on their websites. You can also start your own website offering the images for use. 2. Graphic Designer – Designers are needed everywhere; the demand is high. If you’re good with using creati…

A Beginner’s Guide to the 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule (officially called the Pareto Principle) is a general rule that states that 80% of all effects come from around 20% of the causes. The idea behind this rule is that it can be applied to basically any field. In business, the Pareto Principle states that 80% of all your profit is going to come from 20% of your products. It also means that 80% of all work is done by 20% of your employees. It can apply to basically any field that you can think of, including sports, math, healthcare, and fitness. In this article, we are going to look at how the 80/20 rule can be applied in various fields to give you a better understanding of the principle as a whole. In Healthcare The 80/20 rule can definitely be seen in healthcare. As a general rule of thumb, 80% of all healthcare resources will go to helping 20% of all patients. Those 20% of patients are typically the elderly or those with persistent health issues who need round-the-clock care. In Sports In sports where anal…

Getting PR Attention is Easier Than You Think

Online marketers tend to ignore traditional press. They'll get exposure on social networking sites, social bookmarking sites and try to get their content written up about by other people's blogs. But by and large, they don't contact the offline world. Yet getting exposure in the offline world isn't any more difficult than the online world. The difference is when you get exposure offline, the traffic is often both higher in volume and higher in quality than the traffic you get from online sources. How do you get PR attention? Here's how. ==> Identify Potential Publications Don't do press releases. Don't fax in press releases and don't do online press releases. While these may be good for backlinks, by and large editors and writers at successful publications find their stories from other sources. Instead, it's much more effective to take a more direct approach. Start by figuring out which publication(s) might be interested in the things you're doing. If they've …

4 Rules For New Entrepreneurs – Practical Tips For Starting Right

It’s a great time to be an entrepreneur—in the last decade, technology has leveled the playing field and propelled an entrepreneurial revolution. As an entrepreneur, you now have more access to information that enables you to make more intelligent choices more quickly. You have an advantage over big businesses in that you’re lighter, more flexible, and faster on your feet. You can target new markets more quickly, and you can turn on a dime. But being a successful entrepreneur requires that you look at the big picture and follow a plan through from beginning to end. Rieva Lesonsky, President and Founder of GrowBiz Media gives some practical guidelines that can help you when beginning your own enterprise: 1.Don’t Quit Your Day Job. Consider starting your business part-time, especially if it’s online, while you’re working and have a steady income. It usually takes six months to a year to get a business going and you don’t want your ability to make your house payment to hing…

Communication And Follow Up In The Business World

Out of all the skillsets that are necessary to be a success, communication is perhaps the most important. Think about it. Communication is the only way for us to share concepts, ideas, feelings or plans. It’s the only way we can tell others about ourselves. If you own a business, it’s the only way to attract the attention of new customers and keep the attention of current customers. Since customers mean sales and sales mean profits, communication is actually currency. In other words, the manner in which you communicate is directly related to how much money you make. That is a powerful thought.

If communication is related to financial success, then it stands to reason that only good communication skills have value. Therefore, if one of your goals is financial success, you need to take the time to hone your communication skills and develop the most effective way to talk to your customer base. One of the best places to start this process …

In Business It’s Just as Important to Sell YOU!

When many business owners start out, they tend to emulate those they respect in their industry. This is not a mistake but rather a first step on the path to real business success. You will know that you’re on the road to long-standing success, however, when you’re able to sell YOU rather than to stand in the shadows of your mentor, coach, or business idol. Here’s how to let your personality shine through for better business today and tomorrow. * Be yourself - One of the easiest ways to be yourself and share your true personality is through your communications. This can be through your email messages, your blog posts, your social networking interactions and through your content efforts. When you write or speak with anyone in your industry - client, prospects or business associates, let your personality and communication style shine through. For example, if you have a knack for colorful metaphors, use them. If you have a very animated face when you speak, don…

What Successful Mompreneurs Have in Common

If you’ve ever wondered how some women seem to be able to do it all and have it all, you’ve come to the right place. The first thing to know is that that there’s no such thing as a Super Mom, and that women who appear to have it all, don’t. What they do have is a life that works well for them. And you can too. Successful mom entrepreneurs all have a few key characteristics: * Confidence, or at least a willingness to take a risk. Everyone, even the most seemingly perfect person has insecurities. The difference between successful mom entrepreneurs and others is they have the ability to take a risk. This takes both a high level of confidence and the ability to push past any insecurities and surge forward to achieve what they want. * Resilience, which means a positive attitude and the ability to adapt (because what are you going to do when your youngest gets sick on the day of a big teleconference?). Successful mom entrepreneurs are great at bouncing back from mistakes a…

Have You Ever Thought About Starting a Business of Your Own?

If you have ever thought about starting your own business, its important to know who you are and if you have the "qualities" it takes to have an Entrepreneurial Mindset? There are several ways to tell if you have this entrepreneurial mindset. Moreover, there are just as many ways to clear the road to becoming an entrepreneur. To Have the Entrepreneurial Mindset, Consider these Personality Traits: ___ Leadership qualities ___ Creative thinking ___ A feeling that there is something more than what you are doing in your current job ___ Innovative ideas If you show any or all of these qualities, you could very well be on your way to owning your own business because you do have that entrepreneurial spirit. How to Clear the Road toward Entrepreneurial Success (photo courtesy of Freepik) Going from the 9:00 to 5:00 grind to the entrepreneurial spirit may not be the easiest path, but it is something you can achieve. However, there are several steps you need to t…

5 Tips For Crafting Compelling Subject Lines

When it comes to email marketing, the first thing you need to get right is the subject line. If you can’t get your subscribers to open your emails, it really doesn’t matter how good the actual email content is. It’s easy to spend a lot of time crafting a great message and then just slap a subject line on it at the end. Spend some time writing them and see what type of headline gets you good open rates. Here are five tips to get you started. Keep It Short You want your readers to see the entire subject line before they click it. You also want to make it easy for people to scan through their emails. Try to get your point across in 50 characters or less. Pay attention to how your subject lines look on your own devices. Another great idea is to keep a swipe file of subject lines that grabbed your attention. Even if the emails are on a very different topic, you can adapt them for your own needs. Avoid “Spammy” Words Stay away from using any words we all associate w…

Are You a ‘Mompreneur’? Then you Need a Good Support System

One of the most challenging aspects of being a 'mompreneur' (mom entrepreneur) is learning how to ask for help. Of course, before you’re ready to turn to your support system, you have to recognize or build one. Here’s how to build a good support system. * Family. If you have family nearby, they’re often the easiest to turn to. After all, that’s what family is for, right? You help each other when you need it. If you’re new to asking for help (and many mompreneur suffer under the delusion that they can and have to do it all), then family is usually a great place to begin asking for help. Ask them to watch your children during crunch times in your business, or to help you take care of errands and chores and remember to return the favor. Once you get accustomed to asking for help from family, taking the next step and turning to friends, neighbors and associates won’t be so difficult. * Friends. Friends are the next easiest group of people to add to your suppo…

Top 7 Analytics/Statistics to Track in Your Business

Small business owners are great at creating products and services. This is because entrepreneurs are "idea people" at their core. Some are even great at developing an initial customer base. Unfortunately, many business owners don't know the crucial ins and outs of business management. Track the following 7 metrics and you will have a much better understanding of how to make your business successful. 1. Customer acquisition cost How much does it cost for you to acquire a new customer? This important business metric can include a lot of factors. Your personal time, marketing efforts, business insurance, utilities, payroll, and several other expenses come into play here. Your customer acquisition cost should be expressed as how much money you spend to bring in new business divided by the number of customers you acquire over a certain period of time. 2. Lifetime customer value How much revenue does every new customer generate for you over their lifetime? Business ow…

The 5 Considerations You Need to Make When Creating Your Business Plan

"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." That quote has been bandied about for so long, it is difficult to accurately determine who said it first. It has been credited to Benjamin Franklin and other great minds. Regardless who first made the statement , or since, it has definitely proven true where launching and managing a business is concerned. When creating your business plan, remember the following 5 important considerations that will help you achieve your goals. 1. Raising capital Forbes magazine reported that 8 out of 10 businesses fail within their first 18 months. What is the principal reason behind that 80% failure rate? The primary reason businesses big and small, off-line and online, fail so quickly is a lack of capital. You need upfront money to launch your business. You should also set some plan for a continual influx of capital, whether that be through sales, outside investors and venture capitalists, or diverting your personal income to your b…