You can also stop by and visit me at one of my other blogs. Mostly I blog about parties and entertaining, with a little kid’s stuff thrown in for fun. So, if you like parties or kids (and who doesn’t like kids!) stop by The Kid’s Birthday Fun Review, The Home and Garden Cafe, She Knows Parties, or Play Library and say hi when you get bored.

I’m also planning on writing a little about business (especially online businesses) at Lens Author, because I think I’m going to miss writing about business when I’m done here.

I’ve enjoyed sharing with all of you the last couple months. I’ve learned that I can pull quite a bit of information about small businesses out of my brain, I didn’t even know I had quite so much tucked away in there.

Thanks for the fun ride!

Image (c) L Gerlach

Post from: Bizzia

1. One of the biggest advantages is working in your slippers if you want to. When you’re not meeting with clients or customers you can hang out in comfortable clothes and your slippers if you want to. I do always try to get dressed for the day when I get up in the morning. I think that sets the tone for the day. When I’m up and dressed I’m ready to get to work.
2. You can set your own hours. Setting your own hours is usually a benefit, as long as you make sure you set aside some time for work. Don’t just blow it off because you have flexibility. You’ve got to put the hours in if you want to build your business.
3. You can decorate your office or work space however you want to. If you want to go all out for Christmas, there’s no one stopping you. If you want photos on your desk, or a coffee warmer, it’s all up to you.
4. You don’t have to pay for a separate work space. If you set up an office or a storefront it’s an additional monthly cost to your business.
5. You’ll save big on commuting costs. With gas prices up you can save big dollars each month on gas, wear and tear on your car, and insurance by driving fewer miles and working from home.

If you run your small business from home, what is your favorite advantage?

Home office image (c) L Gerlach

Post from: Bizzia

Seasonal businesses do have their draw backs, one of the biggest drawbacks is cash flow. It can be hard not to spend when you have cash in hand, but you do have to budget for the off months. There may still be rent to pay, and other fixed costs that you’ll have to have cash for when there is little or no cash coming in the door.

That’s not to say that you can’t make a wonderful business out of something seasonal. There’s definitely money to be made there. You just need to be extra careful to set up your business plan and your budget to include some down time.

Some examples of seasonal business ideas include:

• Lawn care and landscaping
• Christmas, or Halloween shops
• Tax Accounting
• Fresh produce stands
• Ice cream stands

There are many more out there, and many more potential seasonal businesses no one has thought of yet. If you’re thinking about starting a small business, there may be a seasonal market out there looking for what you have to offer, if you’re willing to work really hard for a few months out of the year.

Image sxc.hu

Post from: Bizzia

Are you someone who’s got a great idea for a small business? Maybe you’ve thoght of  a new product, or a new way of doing things, or cutting edge technology? Will you be able to get it off the ground, or will it be just an idea in your head?

How can you get your dream business from ideas to reality?

• If you can’t finance your business yourself you will need to develop a workable business plan to present to possible investors.
• Stay motivated and positive to help you power through the hurdles that will be thrown at you.
• There are many small business resources to help you through the business learning curve.
• Stick with it, and don’t give up.

Do you have any advice to share with someone trying to take it from idea to small business?

Post from: Bizzia

Here are a few online resources to help you get the information you need to get your small business up and running.

• The government has an excellent resource for businesses of all sizes at Business.gov, and if you don’t like to read you can check out some of the information at the Business.gov YouTube channel. They have a ton of helpful resources for new business owners.
• Another excellent resource for small business startups is the Small Business Association (sba.gov). They have a huge list of resources for small businesses there. From loan information, to formulating your business plan, and the tools you need to expand and grow your young business.
• Inc.com is an excellent resource for inspiration, and up to date news on what’s going on in the world of business today. Use the business success stories there to inspire you in your own business, and while you’re their check out their legal information, and growth strategies.
• Smallbusiness.com is a business wiki devoted to helping people new to small business ownership. If you need info it’s an excellent resource, if you have information to share you can add your two cents to the information already there.

Do you have a favorite small business resource? I’d love to hear about it.

Image: sxc.hu

Post from: Bizzia

• Do you like to craft? Set up an online shop at Etsy to sell your handmade items.
• Do you enjoy photography? You can sell your photos at several online photo galleries. Most pay you when your photo is downloaded, some popular photos and digital images are downloaded hundreds, and even thousands of times. One of my favorites is istockphoto.com.
• Create your own digital designs and upload them to shops like Zazzle, or Cafe Press where people can add them to things like t-shirts and mugs, earning you a nice little commission.
• Do you love to shop for bargain antiques, designer clothing, or electronics? Start your own ebay shop to sell your bargain finds.
• Are you an expert at something? Teach others what you know in classes at your home, or in a virtual online classroom.

I hope these work from home business ideas will get your creative juices flowing. Don’t stop with these ideas, take them to the next level. Come up with your own spin on things and take your small business to the next level.

Good luck!

Image: sxc.hu

Post from: Bizzia

How can you implement a customer survey in your small business? There are several ways.

• You can have the customer fill out the form in the store while they’re waiting to check out.
• You can give the customer a slip of paper to direct them to a website and fill out a survey online.
• If you have an email list you can send the survey out to your list, and have them fill it out online.
• If you have an active website, you can have customers who visit fill out a survey there.

A good way to intice customers to fill out the survey is offering them a small gift, a discount, or the chance to be entered into a drawing for a prize.

Use the completed survey to better target your business toward your customers needs. You can also use their wording in your advertising and promotion, to give them exactly what they want, in their words. They’ll be impressed that you’re listening!

Image: sxc.hu

Post from: Bizzia

• Make sure you have some passion to begin with. You have to want to make your business succeed. You can’t go into running a business if you don’t feel passionately about the outcome. A business is difficult enough to get off the ground, if you don’t have the drive to get it off the ground you’re behind from the start.
• You have to enjoy working with your customers, and you need to want them to be happy. If you are not passionate about pleasing your customers it will show. It will show in your customer service, it will also show up in customer satisfaction.
• If you’re not sure if a small business is for you, or if you will have a passion for it, find out more about the business you want to start. Talk to other business owners, and visit trade shows to learn more about your chosen industry.

How do you keep that passion once your small business is up and running? What if you lose your passion?

• Sometimes it helps to take a little break, go on vacation or a long weekend. Put your mind on other things and enjoy yourself.
• Change up your products and offer something new.
• Go back to the basics and take a look at your goals and business plans. Where are you at compared to the plan, and what do you need to do to stay on track.
• Join a local business group, or network with others in your industry.

How do you maintain passion for your business?

Image: Sxc.hu

Post from: Bizzia

Why do you need to set budgets goals and plans for the year?

• Having a plan can help you guide your business growth. If you have no plan for where you’re going in the next year, how can you get there?
• You’ll know what to plan for your resources. How many employees will you need? What will your cash flow look like?
• Yearly plans will help you work toward your long term business goals.

Now is a great time to sit down and look at how your goals and budgets have gone for this year. Are you on budget for the year, will you meet your business goals for 2009? Take a look at how you are doing this year to help you plan your goals and budgets for next year.

Image: Sxc.hu

Post from: Bizzia

Other small business owners like to create a team, and work hand in hand with their employees. This management style can work for some businesses, with the whole group working as a team to make decisions and get things done. Communication is very important with team management, and the whole team needs to get along to make it work.

Some small business owners focus on the job, and getting the project done. Project oriented business owners can be more difficult to work for, because they tend to be less personal. Their drive to get things done can sometimes come across as being short or harsh.

Still small business owners tend to be reactive to situations, instead of proactive to prevent negative situations from happening. A proactive manager will try to think of problems before they happen, and work to prevent them. Sometimes small businesses are so busy reacting to problems they have no time to try to prevent the problems from happening in the first place.

What type of management style do you use to run your small business? If you’re not managing in the style you’d like you can work with your employees to make changes and improvements.

Image: Photoxpress.com

Post from: Bizzia