Tag Archives: business

Counting The Cost Of Recruitment Learning and Development In The Recession

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By Nick Jervis

What action can you take to ensure that you hold onto your staff and keep your recruitment costs as low as possible? Estimates vary, but to replace a solicitor the total expense in terms of recruitment, lost man hours of the outgoing staff and the training of the incoming member, can exceed £100,000.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has completed their 2009 Annual Survey of Recruitment, Retention and Turnover and it has identified some interesting trends.


Although there has been a significant reduction in the number of vacancies available, organisations are still reporting recruitment difficulties and the key reason for these difficulties are the lack of necessary specialist skills.

Learning and Development becomes even more important, as three quarters of organisations questioned said they were identifying internal staff and providing training to allow these staff to fill those posts.

This becomes even more important when you identify that the average cost per employee to fill a vacancy is £4,000, which rises to £6,125 when also calculating the associated labour turnover costs.

So why should you invest in training and development during the recession?

Whilst movement in the labour market during a recession invariably falls, employee retention is still a huge problem, with nearly 70% of organisations having issues retaining their staff. The most common method of increasing staff loyalty and therefore increasing retention is by offering Learning and Development opportunities.

37% of leavers state a lack of development opportunities as the reason for leaving the organisation, with only promotion outside of the organisation and change of career being above as a reason for leaving.

So in order to retain your staff both in and out of recession you should ensure you develop them and ensure they are maximising their potential in your business.

The Government is offering small and medium sized businesses a grant of up to £1,500 to fund learning and development. You can take advantage of this scheme and it does not take a lot of time to access the grant (less than an hour can be enough). There are obviously criteria you need to meet to obtain the grant, but these are easily explained by the advisor who comes to visit you. You can arrange a visit with an advisor at http://www.traintogain.gov.uk to see if you are eligible.

In short, it is vital to continue on with learning and development through the recession as it can mean that your business is successful and rides the storm. After all, your staff are your most important resource and without them you wouldn’t have a business.


For more information and a training newsletter with course details, visit MASS Training for all of your Legal Training needs . MASS Training provide cost effective, practical and interactive Personal Injury Courses. Nick Jervis is a Solicitor (non-practising) and a Legal Marketing Consultant for Solicitors and Legal Businesses in The UK and a Director of Samson Consulting.

3 Top Trends for Biz Success (Are You On Top of Them?)

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By Lani and Allen Voivod

As small business owners, it’s all too easy for us to get so immersed in the daily planning and producing of projects and profits that we forget to step back and take a look at the Bigger Picture of what’s going on “in the field,” as they say.

So take a minute out of – or add a minute into – your day’s to-do’s and get hip to three of the top trends that require your attention, ASAP. Not only will you feel smarter, but the information will help you:

  • Stay relevant and competitive.
  • Adjust your products, services, practices, and policies accordingly.
  • Make better decisions about what to do with your time and resources.

And away we go!

Trend #1: The Rise of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur

Over the last few years, we’ve seen the illusion of the “safe” corporate job get completely annihilated. We’ve seen retirement plans disappear, corporate greed get outed, and the “gentleman’s handshake” between dedicated employees who invest 10 – 30 years into their company’s goals and profits go the way of the dodo bird.

Enter the Lifestyle Entrepreneur. Creative, determined individuals who play to their own strengths, take advantage of the tools and resources available, and design their businesses to support their own passions, vision, and lifestyle goals, instead of designing a business that rules their lives.

What are some of the tools, signs, and secret weapons of the?

  • Leveraged business models, like membership sites
  • Ultra-niche products and services that can be automated
  • Using Virtual Assistants instead of employees
  • Driving traffic to online products and services that require little or no human intervention

With the Internet, every single business and industry has the capacity to create some passive money portals around their products and services. It’s not only possible – more and more, it’s expected! Which means even multi-million-dollar companies can take advantage of some or all of the savvy strategies of the Lifestyle Entrepreneur.


Trend #2: “Kindred” Creation

It’s funny, most people assume moving business online means the death of personal connections. The irony is, to be successful online, you have to get in tune and in touch with what your Target Market and Ideal Audience wants more than ever before. You have to talk how they talk, hang out where they hang out, and make offers they find Irresistible. You have to find your Kindreds. Foster and nurture relationships. Find people who think like you do, have similar or complementary outlooks, etc.

Mega-marketer Dan Kennedy calls these folks your “Herd.” Marketing guru and author Seth Godin calls them your “Tribe.” We prefer Kindreds, because it sounds more human. And the human connection is what it’s all about.

Trend #3: The Great Social Divide

Essentially, there are those who have jumped (or are jumping) into the social marketing game, and those who haven’t (and won’t). Don’t be in the second group.

If you’re a business owner who sincerely wants to be in business five years from now, 2009 is the year you have to take the plunge into the social networking realm. It can be crude at first, but you have to budget some time and resources to get better and fold in this stuff a little at a time.

Right now, very few people (if any) are using all the vehicles perfectly, so you don’t have to worry about what’s the “right way” or the “wrong way.” The only “wrong way” is to end 2009 without some sort of presence on the top-tier social marketing sites, at the very least: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. And don’t forget that old dinosaur of interactive, conversational communications: BLOGGING. It’s still very much a respected VIP at the social marketing party – mostly because it can serve as your aggregate, your home base, your one-stop connection shop.

Set up a bare-minimum strategy. Learn a little about one of these every month, or every other month. Tools and applications are being developed even as we speak at mind blowing rates.

Your competition is learning this stuff. What’s more, your Target Market is looking for you – or will be looking for you – in these forums. They’re looking to connect, see who you really are, what you and your business are thinking about…what’s behind the curtain, so to speak.

If you’re not there when they want to make that connection or do their research, they’ll move on to whoever is willing to share their behind-the-scenes personality in authentic ways.

Ultimately, the human need for connection is fueling the social media explosion, and there will be thousands more sites and opportunities popping up in 2009 and beyond.

Be on the playing field when the pitch is thrown.

So there you have them – three top biz trends for 2009. May you use them to fuel your business success, this year and for many years to come!

Lani & Allen Voivod, The Content Lovers of Epiphanies, Inc., help imperfect-preneurs and million-dollar businesses get down ‘n dirty with their marketing, so they can connect and prosper with the peeps who matter. Get your FREE “A-Ha!” Success Kit, a one-of-a-kind 7-day ecourse with real-world case studies, posters, and articles designed to thrill, inspire, and rock your world, at http://www.AhaSuccessKit.com!

How To Get Your Business Creative Juices Flowing

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Creativity…”Originality, Imaginative thinking”

You’ve no doubt heard about “thinking outside the box”. Very often, business creativity is referred to as thinking outside the box. You can get locked in to your day-to-day operational thinking “inside the box”, and forget totally about the requirements of the need for business creativity. It is very easy to lose sight of adding creativity to your business while you work daily at accomplishing nearby goals.
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Giving Up the Good to Get the Great

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Have you ever been working on something, going down a path in your business or life, and it just doesn’t feel as good as you want it to?

You can reason it out – doing this makes sense, this is something that’s good for me or my business, I need to do this, I’ve got it pretty good here, etc… but you’re just not excited?

Congratulations – you’ve got a good situation. But what it’s costing you is greatness.

When I began putting together my six-month Business Success Breakthrough program, I started working with a partner. I was creating all the handouts, and my partner was to help me with the audio portion, and we’d split the proceeds. Some little voice was bothering me from the beginning – is this really what you want to do? Then when we actually began recording a few audios, the voice got stronger.

My partner was providing a supportive voice, but all the content was mine. And I was feeling like this wasn’t a real partnership. It wasn’t my partner’s fault – I like him personally, and he has plenty to offer, but I just didn’t need anything from him for this project.

After talking to a friend, I realized that this situation wasn’t what I wanted or needed. I wanted a 2nd voice on the audios, but I didn’t need a full partner – I needed a sidekick who would add a few comments and let me lead the show.

So I talked to my partner, and told him that I wanted to do this project myself. Fortunately, we hadn’t done too much together, and he was incredibly gracious and supportive of my choice. We’ll work together in the future, I’m sure – just not this time.

When you find that you’re traveling the wrong road, it’s never too late to turn back.

That call was hard to make. I knew that I had a pretty good situation with this person. But I also knew that taking it back, and making it my own, was the ‘great choice’ in this case.

The Universe supports you in greatness.

I immediately got an offer from national speaker, Cheri Britton (www.BoomThinking.com) to be my 2nd voice on the audios. Cheri is funny and articulate, and she’s a perfect sidekick on this project. And now I’m excited, really excited, about how great this program is. But it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been willing to give up the good to get the great.

Where in your life are you accepting the good, instead of going for the great?

Is there a client that is draining your energy, but you’re afraid to let them go? Are you plugging along with a business model that is bringing you moderate income, instead of looking for something that would be overwhelmingly successful? Whether it’s a relationship, or an office system, or a mindset – if it’s just good, but not great, you’re cheating yourself of your true success.

Tapping Tips for Success

Setup statement (tap the KC point):

Even though I’m afraid to give up this situation, I know that it’s not serving me, and I’m open to the great.

Even though it would be safer to keep this situation, even though I know it’s not the best, I choose to accept myself completely.

Even though I don’t know if I can let this go, I choose to accept myself now.

Do several rounds, tapping on each of the tapping points, using the following reminder phrases, or make up your own:

I know this isn’t the best situation

But it’s safer to keep it.

How do I know what else is out there?

What if there isn’t anything better out there?

I know this isn’t serving me

But I want to be safe.

I’m nervous about giving up the situation.

It’s not so bad

But it’s not great.

How could I change now?

This is what I’ve done.

Don’t I have to live with this?

When the intensity of your upset has dropped to a 5 or below, do one round, tapping on each of the tapping points, using the following reminder phrases or make up your own:

What if I could give up the good, and go for the great?

I wonder if I could create something that would really be amazing.

I’m open to the Universe prviding me with something great.

I choose to let go of the good and go for the great.

Alternate the negative and positive rounds (always end with the positive!) until you feel excitement at the idea of letting go of the good, and receiving the great.

Identify one thing in your life where you’re accepting just the good. Eliminate that so you can create greatness for yourself.

Copyright © 2009 Pamela Bruner

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Pamela Bruner specializes in helping service professionals overcome their blocks to success so they get more clients, make more money and have it all be easy. Does marketing your business feel challenging or painful? Learn how to make your success easy by signing up for your free copy of the mini-e-Course ’5 Secrets to Business Success’ at http://www.makeyoursuccesseasy.com.

Growth Of Business – 5 Secrets Of An Innovation Business Model

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By Dr Mark Yates

Although most businesses are effectively treading water through the current economic crisis, many astute business owners are looking to the growth of business by utilising what’s commonly referred to as an innovation business model.

Innovation and change are often requirements for business growth and many opportunities present in times of business hardship.

The growth of business utilising an innovation business model is often the key to the success of many contemporary businesses.

Many business consultancy strategists & many an individual business consultant believe the first steps to achieving business success lie in identifying your business growth strategy plan.

Researching a good business model example will probably highlight business growth strategies and a concise business model definition.

In times of financial hardship every company aspires for growth in sales and profitability and profit maximisation is considered one of the first and the foremost business growth strategy plans of any business.

An innovation business model is a useful benchmark to successfully keep the business on the growth trajectory. When working to a business growth strategy plan it is necessary that all the areas of business are managed professionally.

Irrespective of the size of the business, these areas may include customer relationship and customer satisfaction, finance, quality and supply chain, vendor development etc.

When one considers strategy corporate and innovation and change not all businesses and their managements have the right skills to efficiently strategise, improve and manage every business area.

However no management can afford to ignore any of these areas. Therefore a large number of companies increasingly seek assistance of business consultancy in order to ensure all business areas are developed and improvised to meet the business growth objectives.

Hence the phrase, business consultancy equals business growth holds relevance as businesses depend on the expertise of business consultancies and business consultants for their business growth strategy.

The growth of any business planned during times of economic hardship should be carefully designed as the transition from feast to famine is not always a smooth ride.

It is always wise to seek the professional expertise of a business consultant who has proven expertise in business growth. Appointing a proven business growth consultant will ensure that many of the time, effort and financial mistakes are kept to a minimum.

A proven growth consultant will have been privy to all of these mistakes several times before and is therefore best placed to ensure they don’t materialise during your business growth.

When considering business growth strategies or strategy corporate tactics, the growth of business utilising an innovation business model should factor that without innovation and change the likelihood of business failure increases significantly.

When seeking to identify the initial business model definition or business model example a business consultant should understand the relevance of how embracing an innovation business model can lead to the exponential growth of business.

Therefore by definition, business consultancy equals business growth is a true phrase because business consultancy plays an important role of the catalyst in the growth of business organization.

Present day businesses face number of challenges right from getting finance to the deployment of right technologies and quality tools to ensure customer satisfaction is sustained and improved continuously and the business consultancy acts as a key enabler to equip the business organization with the right skills and know-how to meet these challenges effectively.

One expert business consultant is providing significant success to companies looking for the growth of business and through his business consultancy Art of Business War. He has successfully partnered with a large number of small and large business organizations to effectively put them on the growth trajectory by targeting the growth of business utilising his innovation business model.

Many businesses have been successfully transformed into profitable organizations through The Art of Business War innovation business model.

The well known expert business consultant at The Art of Business War has deployed unique business growth strategies for each business organization contemplating the growth of business utilising an innovation business model and has also imparted Professional Management Training specifically designed to assist in the implementation of a business growth strategy plan.

Hopefully the growth of business utilising an innovation business model clarifies the importance of identifying your business model definition or business model example before implementing business growth strategies and innovation and change.

Growth Of Business 5 Secrets Of An Innovation Business Model #1

Hire A Business Consultant With Proven Growth Skills

Before you consider any aspects of a business growth strategy or any business growth strategies it is wise to conduct due diligence to identify a business consultant with proven innovation and change skills.

He or she should be skilled in strategy corporate methodology required for business model definition. In today’s fast paced business life, the growth of business can sink or swim depending on the innovation business model example.

Hiring a business consultant with proven business growth skills is number 1 on the business consultancy 5 Secrets list.

Growth Of Business 5 Secrets Of An Innovation Business Model #2

Innovation And Change

When any business contemplates business growth strategies two of the most difficult aspects to manage are innovation and change.

Given the current economic business crisis every business growth strategy is best produced by an outsourced business consultant who is fully versed in implementing and managing the company problems associated with innovation and change.

The business model example and business model definition should incorporate all aspects of strategy corporate tactics identified from the business owners by the business consultant.

Although often difficult to implement in many businesses because it takes business owners out of their comfort zone innovation and change is number 2 on the business consultancy 5 Secrets list.

Growth Of Business 5 Secrets Of An Innovation Business Model #3

Business Growth Strategies

Just about every professional business consultant understands the relevance of business growth strategies when producing a strategic growth plan for a business.

The business model definition of business growth strategy lies in the business consultant producing a workable plan based around each individual business and the business employees.

There can be no such concept as a one business model example to serve all businesses because no two businesses are the same.

The strategy corporate tactics like innovation and change may be highly successful for one business but fail miserably for another business. This is why business growth strategies is number 3 on the business consultancy 5 Secrets list.

Growth Of Business 5 Secrets Of An Innovation Business Model #4

Business Model Example

Many business growth strategies suggested by an untrained or an unqualified business consultant include plagiarising the contents of another business model example. However as discussed above this method is often pre-programmed for failure.

For example trying to implement the Starbucks coffee shop business model example will be at opposite ends of the spectrum for the business growth strategy required by a medium sized engineering company seeking to grow its business.

The business model definition and business model example has to be relevant to the individual business and should only be produced after the business consultant has identified the business needs for growth like innovation and change and strategy corporate.

The business model example is number 4 on the business consultancy 5 Secrets list.

Growth Of Business 5 Secrets Of An Innovation Business Model #5

Strategy Corporate

Whenever a professional business consultant mentions strategy corporate it is relevant to understand the actual meaning behind business growth strategy and business growth strategies.

Strategy corporate is generally a plan of action or policy in business. This helps to identify the business model definition prior to finalising the business model example.

Any innovation business model has to include innovation and change which is why it lists at number 5 on the business consultancy 5 Secrets list.

The growth of business utilising an innovation business model is often the key to the success of many contemporary businesses. Many business consultancy strategists & many an individual business consultant believe the first steps to achieving business success lie in identifying your business growth strategy plan.

Researching a good business model example will probably highlight business growth strategies & a concise business model definition.

By working closely with your proven business growth consultant in implementing your innovation business model you should be able to look forward to long term sustainable and profitable business growth.

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Dr. Mark D. Yates The International Business Guru & Growth Consultant grows businesses fast in a long term sustainability method. His dynamic business model delivers exponential growth, increased turnover & profit margins. He delivers business support to small, medium & large businesses in 42 countries. To claim his FREE business case files visit him at => http://www.businessconsultancyonestopshop.com or e-mail him at drmarkdyates@aol.com

Become Your Own Boss For Less Than $10K

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By Niki Irmal

As 81 million American baby boomers begin to move into their retirement years, they are redefining what retirement means. For many, it doesn’t mean they’ve stopped working, but rather that they are exercising more choice over how they work. According to a 2009 survey, some 75 percent of people who chose to engage in some form of work found the work satisfying, and in four out of five cases, they were able to find white collar jobs for what are known as “encore careers.”

Picking the perfect second act for your career can involve trying a field that’s always interested you, helping out with a cause that you believe in, or getting a chance to run your own business.

If it’s running your own business that appeals to you, chances are you don’t want to sink a large chunk of your retirement savings into a new venture at this point. Therefore, the key is getting started with minimal investment up front. This is very possible these days, depending on how you set up your business, and what type of business you choose to go into.

Getting Started with a Shoestring Budget

To start a business with relatively little up front capital, the key is to minimize fixed costs. Variable costs–expenses of the pay-as-you-go variety–are preferable because they allow you to ramp up or scale back investment depending on how the business is going.

Here are some key tools for keeping fixed costs to a minimum:

- E-commerce Solutions. Who needs a business location when you have the Internet? The ultimate low-overhead storefront, the Internet gives you access to a world of potential customers. Utilizing e-commerce solutions is much cheaper than having a physical place of business where you receive customers. For example, it allows you to avoid the many expenses of having a retail outlet, such as rent, utilities, staffing, and insurance.

- Outsourcing Back Office Infrastructure. Rather than building a complete organization from scratch, try to outsource anything that isn’t central to the unique value proposition of your business. For example, functions such as customer support, credit card processing and human resources are only needed occasionally or periodically. Therefore, it makes more sense to utilize outsourced call center services for telemarketing or customer support or HR outsourcing for human resource activities than to try to staff it internally.

- Use Online, Social Media Strategies to Promote Your Business. Developing a full scale online social media strategy can seem overwhelming at first. But you can implement simple things by hiring interns to do the leg work such as starting a blog or using Twitter, and tracking different programs making adjustments along the way.


Low-Cost Small Business Ideas

If the above are some techniques for structuring a business with minimum up front investment, what are some lines of business which lend themselves to getting started with minimal capital? One rule of thumb is that services generally require less investment than manufacturers or retailers, though with e-commerce some re-sellers can operate cheaply if they have tight supply lines and add value in the process. Focusing on services, the following are some examples of businesses that might be right for the current environment, and can be started on a shoestring.

- Business consulting. If many retiring boomers are going to be starting their own businesses, why not use your business experience to help show them how to do it?

- Green consulting. People are striving to become more energy-efficient, for economic and environmental reasons. If you have expertise in this area, consulting with businesses and homeowners on how to reduce their consumption is a natural.

- Public relations. If you have media and promotional experience, you could be in demand with the new wave of entrepreneurs starting their own businesses. In particular, bringing knowledge of modern promotional techniques such as social media strategies could be valuable to these new businesses.

- Employment counseling. Between a weak economy and an aging population, there are many people facing a career crossroads these days. Helping them find the right niche can be a good way to make use of any personnel experience you have.

- Online Lead Generation. Sales Lead Generation is growing by leaps and bounds as far as start up industries are concerned. This is a very special industry that affords flexibility and freedom that is unparalleled. And, there is even a significant demand for highly specialized lead generation consultants to help companies generate qualified sales leads in this market.

Running your own business may not have been your parents’ idea of retirement, but things are very different today. If you have the entrepreneurial itch, starting a venture might just give you the satisfaction and extra income to make your “golden years” more than just an expression.

I am very passionate about every small business and its positive impact to our local communities and the overall economy. A must visit site for small business owners and entrpreneurs looking for sales leads and business opportunities to grow their business.

Kiss Procrastination Goodbye!

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By AnnA Rushton

Have you heard of K.I.S.S? It is much used in business and particularly in training, and it stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. Now I agree with keeping it simple in principle, but calling me stupid is not going to help tackle procrastination.

I prefer a much kinder, and more effective way of thinking of it that tackles one of the fundamental problems that procrastinators face, that of being overwhelmed, so that is what I use:

Keep Implementing Small Steps

Every part of that is an essential tool to dealing with procrastination. Whatever it is you are procrastinating about, I promise it will be easier to tackle if you just follow those four simple instructions.

Whatever the issue, if you can look at it as a series of small, achievable, actions you are on the way to overcoming your procrastination.

Keep is the first part and what does it mean? Well it means keep going, or keep repeating an action. Do something to move your project forward, and keep on doing it. No stopping after just one attempt, by all means rest and recoup if it has proved difficult but the key lies in consistently addressing yourself to the problem.


Implementing is straightforward enough; thinking of how to overcome your procrastination is all very well but it is action that will move you forward. I know how easy it is to get seduced into thinking over your options and debating what you ought to do. That is great, but you actually have to do it! To quote the immortal Elvis, ‘a little less talk and a lot more action’ needs to be your motto.

Small is another key word that will help you be successful in tackling procrastination. Not actions that are so huge you can?t get them done in one session, or are so numerous you get exhausted just thinking about which one to do first.

I will let you into a secret; it doesn?t matter which action you decide to do first, as long as it is small, manageable and you do it. Most procrastinators tend to see the project as a giant mountain they have to move in one go; reality is if you take a shovelful at a time it will get moved.

Yes, it takes longer, but not nearly as long as if you never start to move that earth.

Steps are where you catch up with Keep; in other words one step at a time will get you there and you keep on making them! The simplest way to do this is to write a checklist of the actions that need to be done, and put Write checklist down as the first item and keep it limited to items you can do on that day. When you have done your list cross that line out because you have done it!

You are already on your way and taken action. Even the longest and most difficult task only consists of a series of smaller tasks, which if you see them as small steps will be are easily achievable. They may be small steps individually, but they are a giant step for a procrastinator.

AnnA is the author of ‘How To Kill Procrastination And Get On With Your Life’. She is an inspirational writer and speaker on health, personal development and creativity. For free weekly procrastination postcards to motivate you, then visit http://www.procrastinationkiller.co.uk . For free email newsletters, creative resources and archives then visit her main website at http://www.catalystonline.co.uk

Self Employment Vs Job

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With the unprecedented growth explosion of e-commerce, retailing and the expansion of the internet marketplace, an overwhelming number of opportunities for starting an online business have emerged. Yet, the question remains: should you take up a job or start an online business? A working job requires less responsibility than owning an online business, solely because the business’s future is not in your hands as an employee, but does not necessarily allow you to do what you want within the business. A steady income is always welcomed as an employee, for it allows you to map out your future with relative ease, yet a successful business may provide multiple streams of income.

Although starting an online business does not guarantee a steady income, it does allow you to do what you enjoy doing, or what you are interested in. Plus, running your own online business allows for more flexibility in terms of times and working hours as compared to the strict, rigid work hours employees must abide by. But because of the modern-era internet boom, starting an online business has never been more lucrative.

Ever since the advent of the internet, it has been evolving at an exponential pace and has attracted more and more people every year. As of March 31, 2009, approximately 6,710,029,070 users access the internet on a regular basis – over 99% of the world’s population. This drastic figure only emphasizes the innumerable opportunities that have emerged for starting an online business since the dawn of the internet, and marks a time of a more technological and computer savvy world that relies on the computer more than ever before. But before you click your mouse and begin building your online business, you should know that researching is vital and essential to having a successful business; you must become intimately familiar with whatever facet of business you envision. This requires dedication, commitment, and passion on your part. Books, e-books, magazine articles, and online articles are among the plethora of resources that can and will help jump start your business and allow it to compete in the real world. On the other hand, self-employment offers you more chances to explore and challenge your limits, without having to deal with the pressures of running your own business.

In a way, to become self-employed successfully you must adopt a system, a sort of scientific approach to your job: hypothesizing, researching, testing, re-testing, analyzing, drawing a conclusion, and finally and most importantly, communicating that conclusion with the rest of the world. To become self-employed successfully, you must learn the advantages of becoming self-employed, and weigh that with the other options you have and choose which is best for you. Only then will you be on your way to becoming a successful individual.

What most people fail to recognize is that you can be self-employed and own your own business, simultaneously. Owning your own business while at the same time working for someone is a beneficial way to gain valuable experience that will assist you in establishing your business. There are several tools that you can utilize to help automate your online business, thus taking a major workload off you so you can manage your own business as well as be self-employed satisfactorily. The first is the auto-responder. This nifty program will automatically reply to en e-mail that is sent to a certain e-mail address. It can be programmed in such a way that it sends one e-mail the first day, a different e-mail a second day, and so on. This resourceful program will allow you, the owner, to salvage valuable time spent on responding to the same e-mails that would normally fritter away hours of precious time.

Another handy way of taking a workload off of you is by hiring drop-shippers. In a nut shell, drop-shippers hold products that are being sold through your website in a warehouse and when purchased, ship it directly to the customer. This way, your company does not have to be the retailer and the manufacturer, thus reducing expenses and increases profits. Your only job is to pay the drop-shipper for the shipping costs and they will do the dirty work for you. In addition to auto-responders and drop-shippers, if properly executed, search engine optimization (SEO) will attract customers to your site, without you having to go to them. Ideally, you want your company’s web page to appear in the first page of a search engine’s page when a certain term(s) (the broader the better) is entered into the search engine. These simple tools will drastically improve the amount of clients you have, while still allowing you to focus on something more important than responding to e-mails, shipping to clients, and having to physically go to a potential client to get them to commit.

Copyright © 2009 Ajay Prasad

Ajay Prasad is President and CEO of Global Marketing Resources, an Orange County California based company that specializes in website design, website maintenance and website marketing. GMR Web Team offers complete website maintenance services for website owners starting at only $25/ hour. For affordable packages on website maintenance click on the link. Also check out Orange County Website Design at GMR Web Team.

In Search of the Recession: One Small Business Owner’s Quest for Relaxation and Recession

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Victor Mataraso, M.B.A. is the founder and president of Reliable Receptionist, a personalized, off-site telephone reception and appointment scheduling service.

1166523_palm_groveThis summer I went on a quest of sorts. In truth, the initial idea was to take a cross-country summer vacation with my family. However, being the ever vigilant multi-tasker, my trip soon evolved into a multi-pronged mission that looked something like this: Spend quality time with the family, seek out expansion opportunities for my business and assess the state of the economy in America first-hand in the summer of 2009.

Living and running a business in the San Francisco Bay Area, it seems we are often subject to the mixed blessing of rising faster and higher during the good times, and falling further and harder during the bad. This certainly seemed to apply to our real-estate market among other things, but it was not consistent with my experience doing business locally. Sure, there are certain segments of our economy that are struggling, and some serious pain for families suffering layoffs. However, among the entrepreneurs and small business owners I have encountered, most have resolved themselves that business must go on and many are finding creative ways to conduct theirs. I wanted to see if this was the case as we worked our way across the country.

Our chosen method of transportation was an older model, semi-reliable, borrowed RV. Taking a northern route to avoid the summer heat, we left our home in Walnut Creek, CA and headed North to Portland, OR. We visited my wife’s brother and his family there. He had worked for years in the mortgage industry of all things and had, in-fact, recently been laid off when his company closed his division. We were curious to see how this development had impacted their lifestyle.

By the time we rolled into Portland, he had already found a new job and started work less than 2 weeks after being laid off and before his severance had even expired. They took us to a local farmers market on a sunny Saturday afternoon. It was packed with vendors selling a variety of farm-fresh wares and the majority of booths had customers lined up three deep waving their dollars in the air for service. Business was brisk.

Heading East from Portland, we ventured through Idaho and could not help but notice the plethora of other RV’s on the road, most significantly more modern and well equipped than our humble bus. Chatting with some RV owners on the road, I learned that many of these vehicles sell for well in excess of $100,000 and qualify for a mortgage and a tax deduction as a second home! Interestingly, the RV crowd did not strike me as highly compensated top executives either. These were folks of relatively average means that had left their primary homes behind and took on a second mortgage to hit the road for the summer. They certainly didn’t seem to be suffering too badly from this recession.

As we passed through Idaho Falls in route to Yellowstone National Park, our semi-reliable RV suffered a bout of unreliability forcing us to seek out service on the road. Not wanting to fall behind on our itinerary, we called around looking for same-day service. The first mechanic shop I called specialized in RV’s and told me they were so busy they couldn’t get us in for three days! Finally, I found a shop that could take us and they did a great job getting us back on the road later that same day. But it sure didn’t seem like these small mechanics shops were suffering.

We arrived at Yellowstone the next day relieved we had made a reservation as all the RV sites were completely booked. Perhaps it was RV owners that had found a way to steer clear of recessionary forces. Leaving the RV parked, we boarded an all-day bus tour of Yellowstone with a knowledgeable tour guide who shared much insight and history into the park. As part of the tour, and completely unsolicited, he shared that June of 2009 was the busiest month in the history of Yellowstone Park. These were visitors from all walks of life and all areas of the country and the world, not just RV owners. I guess the recession was not hurting vacationers too badly.

But what about Main Street USA, those hard working local folks who surely were suffering the most? Our next stop was the small Western town of Cody, Wyoming where we discovered a beautiful new restaurant facility hosting a cowboy cookout and western music festival. This hall was huge featuring a stage and rows of tables to accommodate some 500 hungry cowboys of which I was one. The show was great and during our meal, the emcee asked the crowd who was from out of town and who was local. Nearly half the crowd on hand identified themselves as locals out for a night on the town. It seemed like half the population of the town was in this place. Later we were greeted by the owner who shared that he had just recently opening this gleaming new facility and that business was good. Hmmmmmm.

Coming down from the mountains, we enjoyed stops in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Everywhere we went where business was being done (there’s whole lot of miles of nothing in between), business was brisk and crowds were large. So here I sit in Chicago where I just learned that demand is so strong for some theater shows that they have added performances on Monday night, which historically is the dark night for theater goers.

While my evidence is anecdotal and our trip not quite complete, it brings to mind the famous quote from FDR at his inauguration, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Surely my experience has been that this recession is playing out primarily in the media and the minds of business executives and consumers whose own fear actually exacerbates what is otherwise a fairly mild and certainly transient situation. Whether you’ve been personally impacted by this recession or are just looking for ways to jump-start your business, start by putting on your best positive attitude, get out there with your marketing and begin your own quest to get your share of consumer’s dollars because they’re spending them.

Based in the San Francisco East Bay Area city of Walnut Creek, CA, Reliable Receptionist specializes in helping small businesses convert callers to clients. For more information, call 925-627-4200 or visit http://www.ReliableReceptionist.com .