Posts Tagged ‘Small’

How to Avoid Small Business Financing Mistakes

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Commercial loan mistakes can have severe financial consequences. However, with proper time and effort, the business finance problems described in this article can be overcome successfully.

Unanticipated business financing mistakes are often difficult to avoid because they involve complications that are not easily understood by many commercial borrowers. There is often a tendency for borrowers to ignore or overlook factors that can produce long-term financial problems with complicated commercial loan situations.

What benefits will you realize when you avoid a common business financing mistake? Commercial borrowers should expect to avoid potentially devastating business finance problems and secure improved commercial loan terms by taking some extra time and caution when they are obtaining a new business loan or commercial mortgage. The stakes are high and this will admittedly require a concerted effort by business owners in order to successfully avoid commercial financing mistakes.

This report will address two approaches for avoiding mistakes with business financing. Both are considered to be of somewhat equal importance, so it is strongly suggested that business owners devote time to both approaches.

You should make an initial evaluation of the need for long-term or short-term business financing. It is essential to consider all possibilities before you commit to a commercial loan. With a long-term business loan, borrowers are likely to incur substantial penalties if they need to refinance in the first three to five years. With short-term business finance agreements, business owners could be faced with the need to obtain new financing that will replace an existing loan at an inopportune time.

The biggest potential mistake could occur if a borrower is not aware of the terms in their commercial financing. Even though a commercial borrower might have what appears to be a long-term commercial mortgage, many traditional lenders include recall terms that allow the lender to require early repayment of the commercial real estate financing under specified conditions. Lack of knowledge about such loan terms can prove to be a serious mistake. Here is a recommended solution to help avoid this specific problem and other related problems: Commercial borrowers should look for resources which will provide relevant solutions for a business owner contemplating business purchase or real estate refinancing.

Working with an experienced business finance lender and advisor is an absolute must. Following such advice will not be as easy as you probably imagine due to the recent chaos in the residential real estate mortgage field. This unexpected financial turmoil has resulted in an increasing number of residential brokers and lenders seeking to become active in the business financing field. What this means is that there are now substantially more inexperienced financial advisors attempting to advise business owners about how to obtain a commercial mortgage or commercial loan.

Obviously there is a high probability of serious mistakes occurring if an inexperienced loan advisor is used, and these mistakes are unfortunately likely to be of a critical nature because of specialized business loan requirements. Here is a suggested solution: Business borrowers should thoroughly discuss financing alternatives with a commercial financing expert before buying or refinancing a business investment or commercial property.

5 Reasons Small Business Marketing Should Use Postcards

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

When considering different forms of advertising, always think about postcards. When I refer to postcards I mean 4 inch by 6 inch (4″x6″) flyers. I have many reasons to use them, especially in small business marketing, and I have found them to be very effective. Here are five good reasons why postcards should be included in your marketing campaign.

Reason #1: Low cost to print.

4″x6″ postcards are pretty inexpensive to print in comparison to most other printed items. I can have a box of 5,000 cards designed, printed, and delivered for under $500. Brochures can cost that much for 500. When dealing with small business marketing, these flyers can save a huge amount on marketing and printing costs.

Reason #2: Size.

I’m sure everyone has seen a 4″x6″ flyer at some point. Many times they are placed on your car or left in your door. These flyers are easy to handle, distribute, and save. If someone receives a 4″x6″ flyer with coupons on it, they are more willing to save it than if they receive the same coupons on an 8.5″x11″ sheet of paper. Obviously, everyone will have different reasons for using flyers, but 4″x6″ postcard-size flyers are effective in just about every situation.

Reason #3: Postage Costs.

Postage goes up quite often. It seems like every time I go to the post office, it has gone up again. When determining how small businesses will market to their target markets, postage is always part of the equation. If you are mailing a 4″x6″ flyer, it will cost you the postcard rate, not regular first class, which saves you almost half. Many people tell me they use a mailing house and it helps reduce costs, but I have used them before also. The savings you receive in postage is usually eaten up by the mailing house’s fees, and even before those fees, you still save money with 4″x6″ flyers.

Reason #4: Quality.

4″x6″ flyers are used quite a bit, especially by the entertainment industry. For this reason, there are many printers available for 4″x6″ flyers. You have to be selective in choosing your printer, but the better printers provide a top-quality finished product. The price I quoted earlier is for UV-coated, 14 pt stock, and full-color on both sides. Most small businesses struggle with price of printing because they usually can’t order large quantities. They usually end up using weaker quality products to save money, but 4″x6″ postcards can be top-quality and still save money.

Reason #5: Attention-Grabbing.

Many direct mailers tell me I should send a letter, sample, pen, and other garbage in an envelope. Besides the outrageous cost this brings, it weakens the response. People see a marketing piece in the mail a mile away, including postcard flyers. Will they take the time to open the envelope, maybe. Will they read the postcard flyer because the information is staring at them, definitely! Test the theory yourself: see how many envelopes you decide to open versus the number of postcards you read.

Small Business Marketing Assessment: is Your Marketing Time Sacred?

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

You’ve heard it before, right?

How you’re supposed to work on your business instead of in your business? Sounds good, but how on earth do you make that happen when you’re already stretched thin trying to get everything done in your day?

Carving out time to consistently work on your woman-owned business is actually quite simple if, instead of trying to “fit it all in”, you shift your outlook about this important time.

Trying to “fit it all in” is a left-brained, logical way of looking at your time. It’s a distinctly masculine viewpoint of time, which works great when you need to powerhouse your way through a project. But, it does not work as well when you find yourself butting up against the competing needs of clients, family, exercise, down time and other priorities.

Here are four tips for turning your marketing strategy time into sacred time so you can accomplish what matters most, even on your busiest days:

Small Business Marketing Tip #1: Create a ritual of beginning and completing your marketing tasks.
Days that seem to run together are missing the important ritual of beginning and completing, a ritual that actually helps you feel like time is slowing down. So instead of letting your marketing tasks bleed through to everything else, create your own personal ritual that signals the start of your marketing for the day. One of my favorite rituals is to close out my email program, unplug the telephone and pull out my marketing to-do list. When finished, I just reverse my steps for a satisfying feeling of completion.

Small Business Marketing Tip #2: Clear space on your desk, even if just for ten minutes.
If your desk is normally piled with papers and sticky notes, try moving everything off to one side so you have a nice, clean welcoming work space. You’ll be surprised at how much more creative you are with your marketing plans when you (literally!) make space for them!

Small Business Marketing Tip #3: Keep it pretty.
Who says marketing has to be unattractive?! I use pretty marking pens, colorful folders, pretty paper clips and sticky notes with inspiring messages printed on them to keep my marketing ideas and projects organized and fun. Making what we do a visual treat is an important part of creating a feeling of the sacred.

Small Business Marketing Tip #4: Don’t let the needs of others trample your sacred time.
Sacred time inspires feelings of abundance, importance and quiet. Think of it this way: you wouldn’t play loud rock music in the middle of a sanctuary, would you? Of course not. So it makes sense that you wouldn’t let other people interrupt your sacred marketing strategy time either.

By thinking of your marketing strategy time as sacred time you’ll find it simple and easy to honor working on your business, so that your woman-owned business grows and thrives into the true expression of your Soul’s Divine Mission™ that it’s meant to be!

Small Business Marketing Tips to Add $5,000-$20,000 Per Month to Your Income

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

There are two schools of thought in small business marketing. One of the marketing strategies is to have lots of clients at a lower price point. The other is to have fewer clients at a higher price point.

My preference is to design my business to have both that work together synergistically. If you have lots of clients at a lower price point you have a “tribe” of people who already know, like and trust you and are likely to want more of what you offer.

This means you can then offer private, intensive specialty coaching or consulting “Platinum Days” at a much higher fee.

My success coaching clients are surprised by how many of their clients are willing to pay top dollar to spend a day or two with them in a private, intensive retreat-type setting.

Clients love the concentrated focus that’s all on them, and often achieve significant breakthroughs they could only achieve if they were to work with you over a longer period of time.

Here are four quick coaching tips to make your “Platinum Day” income stream successful for you and your clients:

Success Coaching Tip #1: Hold your “Platinum Day” in a special setting.
These days, resorts are all the rage. You can arrange for a guest suite or a meeting room in which to host your Platinum Day for a reasonable rate compared to what you’re charging your client.

Success Coaching Tip #2: Plan at least one “experiential” activity.
People learn and work best when they are engaging all of their senses—eyes, ears, body, taste, smell and intuition. Even if you’re working on topics as “serious” as strategic planning or implementation of marketing plans, be sure to include some type of physical outing. It could be a nature walk, a golf lesson, or drumming. The point is to make the activity something unusual that creates a memorable experience and forces your clients to stretch out of their comfort zones.

Success Coaching Tip #3: Include loads of pampering touches.
My Platinum Day marketing plans include limo service to and from the airport and yummy catered lunches. I also include a guest stay at a beautiful bed-and-breakfast where I know my clients will be treated like royalty. You could include a massage, facial or other form of spa treatment for the women small business clients attending your Platinum Day.

Success Coaching Tip #4: Focus on how the day with you will move your client forward by leaps, not little steps.
Platinum Days are designed to create breakthroughs. The marketing strategy here is to emphasize the value of having intensive time exclusively with you to work ON what they want, instead of IN what they want.

What are the results of the Platinum Day marketing strategies? I typically receive anywhere from $10,000 – $20,000 per private Platinum Day retreat and spend between one to three days with my clients. One of my clients created her own Platinum Day, charging $2,000 and successfully marketed it to a modest-sized list of start-up women small business owners.

Another success coaching client created her first Platinum retreat for her executive clients to pursue a more enlightened form of leadership and comfortably charged $5,000 for a two-day experience.

Whether you’re newer in your business or have been growing for awhile, adding a Platinum Day to your list of services is a simple, easy and a highly profitable way to add significant money to your monthly income!

Achieve your Small Business Marketing Goals With Seo

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Nowadays, fresh new websites keep surfacing with every passing moment. As competition keeps getting tougher, small businesses need to stay alert and develop excellent marketing strategies. Online small business marketing plans should begin with a solid search engine optimization (seo) strategy. Seo is a complex activity which focuses on bringing your website at the top the search engine lists. It is highly recommended that you turn to a professional seo training service if you want excellent results. Here at Wolf21 we provide the best in seo training Toronto Canada.

The importance of search engine optimization has increased dramatically over the past few years. The harsh and ever-growing competition in the internet business world has lead companies to search for more efficient marketing methods than those traditionally used. The influence of seo on small business marketing has probably been the most significant. Small businesses don’t have the financial resources to invest in powerful advertising campaigns but still need an efficient way to reach their targeted audience. Seo and a well-developed website has turned out to be the best solution in providing small businesses with the exposure they need.

The seo process doesn’t seem complicated at first glance, but with all of the new developments search engines are making, things can get very tricky. Turning to a professional company for seo services is probably the best way of making sure your small business marketing strategy will succeed. A professional seo service provider will do everything they need to in order to optimize your website for the search engines. Getting expert seo training is the best thing to do when you want to improve your website traffic levels. Wolf21 offers professional seo training Toronto Canada.

If you want to make seo a part of your small business marketing strategy, be prepared to make some important adjustments to your website. First o all, you’ll have to optimize your keyword count. Using the right number of keywords isn’t the only thing that matters – you have to choose the perfect ones to attract visitors. Next, you’ll have to make sure that your website content is excellent. Another important aspect is making your website easy to navigate. Your visitor will become irritated if they have trouble finding what they’re looking for. With our professional seo training Toronto Canada you can learn everything about making your website efficient.

Small business marketing is a difficult task, especially with the harsh competition you’re facing these days. Websites have to improve constantly if they want to keep the traffic coming. Search engine optimization is an excellent method to ensure that your website attracts many visitors. Wolf21 offers the best seo training Toronto Canada.


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