Growing your business is one of the toughest things an entrepreneur needs to do. But nothing gets done without a paying client so you have to go out and get some. For established businesses like I specialize in, I suggest 30% of your business development time be focused on building new client relationships and 70% be devoted to your existing client base.

That said, both need to occur to diversify your channels of opportunity. Here's how:

ATTRACTING NEW CLIENTS:

• Focus on your client. They're the reason WHY you're in business. They pay your mortgage, expenses and meals.
• Do what you say you're going do plus a little extra. Keep your promises and over-perform.
• It's about relationships. People buy from people they trust.
• You have to get out there and meet people. Dress professionally. Smile. Relax. Be yourself.
• Really CARE about your clients problems. If you listen well, they're actually opportunities.

YOUR BIGGEST ASSET IS YOUR EXISTING CLIENT BASE:

• It costs a lot of money and time to get a new client in the door. Your current clients already trust you enough to have done business with you---they will again and it won't cost that initial bump.
• Especially now, now is a great time to talk to your clients and see how they're managing. See if you can help them in some way. You might actually be able to and the offer will go a long way.
• Survey your current clients by phone or personal email and ask them for feedback about how you're doing, what they'd like to buy from you and ask them what their biggest worries are. The feedback could be your next growth opportunity.
  
• Create lower priced services or find lower priced products right now and get more customers.
  

Keep your margins intact if you can but have a lower priced offering in hand for two reasons.

1. People aren't spending money these days because of the economy and people pay attention to their nickels now where they didn't before.
   
2. You'll need more clients to retain your current income but with more clients--when the turn comes--you'll be set for double digit growth.

To your Success.

Executive summary by Mark R Overbury
Source from: ezinearticles.com

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Business Opportunity Dreams Evolve Into Reality

Business opportunity entrepreneur needs to stand out from the crowd. In order to do that an "entrepreneur must dream big and then aim higher, past the dream, to bring the dream into reality". Success does not just happen, it has to be earned. Start out with a dream that is molded and turned into goals and action steps to build a successful business opportunity.

Moving from the dream world to a goal oriented view allows you to develop strategies to move your business into a profitable endeavor. Creating synergy within your business helps to leverage your results so you can achieve your money goals faster.

The goal of every business is to make money. In order to have a successful business you must have customers who will purchase your product or service. The more customers you have the more successful and profitable your business will be.


Finding enough customers to create a substantial income is the greatest challenge every entrepreneur faces. The Internet is one of the few places where and entrepreneur can access customers from around the world. Attracting those customers to your specific business and developing a loyal customer base is the overall goal of every business.

You might wonder why there are not more success stories with such a huge marketplace. The answer is fairly simple. Most dreams never reach the goal stage and even fewer aim high enough to create effective marketing strategies.

Building a business online is like any other business. In order to be successful you need a plan but more importantly you need to follow your plan. A traditional business owner makes a huge monetary commitment for start up costs. They would not dream of treating their business with a laissez faire attitude.

An Internet business can be started at a fraction of the cost. Working online usually means work from home which cuts down the maintenance costs as well. The potential for profit is as great as or greater than a traditional business despite the low start up costs. All too often, it seems that working online in a home setting is treated like a disposable business. If there is no appreciable immediate and significant income generated the owners simply move on to the next hyped up business opportunity.

Get serious. Don't just dream big about success. Take the next step, aim higher, turn that dream into a real working plan and follow it. The only way to create a substantial income online is to make a commitment to do whatever it takes to build your business opportunity.

Executive summary by Paulette Sherb
Source from: ezinearticles.com

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Entrepreneur Ideas That Are Simple and Easy

People often say that nothing is easy, that business is tough and that only fools believe otherwise. This mindset if you swallow that goop is a terrible result and if you believe something will be hard, you create inefficiencies yourself sub consciously that prove the belief you have. Believing something is hard makes it hard by your own perceived reality and that is unfortunate. But this article is not about psyche 101 however it is a valid point to realize that traditional wisdom especially about running a new business, is in error.

An entrepreneur is a professional and what a professional does above all things to separate themselves from a hobbyist or an amateur is that they GET PAID That is the difference. Some amateurs are actually more skilled at a similar activity than a professional. But a professional is called a professional because they add that other component to their activity known as profit.


A professional entrepreneur makes decisions based on this thing called profits and really not much else matters in terms of the activity. An entrepreneur therefore, to conduct business so he does indeed get paid does a simple thing first. He conducts a short study called a feasibility survey which allows him to consider the potential market and to understand what that market segment are thinking in terms of the idea and what they would be willing to pay.

Entrepreneur ideas that are simple and easy happen at this point after the feasibility study. If you do know all the crucial information about the potential market segment by actually physically going out into the street and meeting this market face to face and seeing say 100 of these individuals and asking the pertinent questions, you will see that everything that springs from there is pure and simple...profits.

Executive summary by Terry Hart
Resource from: ezinearticles.com

Relates Articles : Start Up Entrepreneur, Successful entrepreneur, Small business planning

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Start Up Entrepreneur - Today Isn't Everything, Really

As an entrepreneur, your job is very detailed. "You need to be the creative one". You need to be the boss. You need to hold the vision of your business at the head of each and every thing that you do for that business. But, today isn't everything.

As a business owner, you must remember the fact that the long term goals and process of your business can only happen if you plan for it now, not in the day. You have probably heard people tell you that you need to; "Live in the day!" As an entrepreneur, this is not possible and should not be the way that you hold your business agenda. But, why not? Most of the time, we would like to think that all we really need to do is to put together a plan and work the plan. Isn't that what we have all been taught?

Somehow, things will fall into place. It has to. That's all it can do. Yet, from a business standpoint, there is much more to think about.


For example:

1. You may have employees that need the funds that come from your business for their day to day expenses.
2. You may need to take into consideration the overall benefits that you have in keeping your business going.
3. What about your assets? Will they make it through the process?
4. How about your cash flow?
5. What will happen if something does go wrong?
   

All of these things are really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ruining a business in the long term. The bottom line is that you need to consider what your business will be like today as well as ten, twenty and more years down the road. Think About This. It is essential that you understand two concepts of your business dealings. When you make a decision in your business, ask yourself these questions first and foremost.

1. When I make this decision, what is the short term and immediate effects of doing so?
2. How does this affect my business today?
3. When I make this decision, what is the long term effect of making this choice?
4. How will this decision affect my business months and years from now?
   

When you take the time to carefully consider decisions that happen in front of you, you put yourself in charge of your destiny. Don't let it just happen, make today count for tomorrow. Sit back and think for a minute...Have you ever heard the old sayings there is safety in numbers?

Two heads are better than one. Think about this for a minute. There are many online start up companies available today on the internet that help you start an on line business for a small investment and guide you step by step. There is always another choice. Instead of being out there alone in the great big entrepreneur world on your own. You may choose a company with years of experience, training videos, coaching and help desk guidance to insure that you succeed.

If you are thinking of starting a business search the internet for help on selecting the type of business you will be most successful in and that offers the most support and has a vested interest in seeing you succeed.

Executive summary by Tom Belton
Resource from: ezinearticles.com

Relates Articles : Successful entrepreneur, Small business planning

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Seven Key Qualities of Successful Entrepreneurs

A recent poll conducted by Forbes magazine shows "that majority of its readers would prefer to become a billionaire rather than a Nobel peace prize winner, a great scientist or a famous athlete". There is no secret that most of the average people dream about getting rich albeit very few makes any real effort to become one.

According to statistics, more than 100 thousand people become millionaires each year in the United States alone! Overwhelming majority out of them is self-made and owners of business. This means, if you would like to pursue your goal of becoming rich, you have to start your own venture.

Becoming an entrepreneur is not an easy task! There are certain qualities that are absolutely necessary if you would like to become successful in your business ventures. Some of these qualities are built-in parts of your inherent personality, and some of them get developed over time. Knowing these characteristics and identifying your weak ones - those, which need strengthening - will, eventually, help you become a successful entrepreneur.

1. Common Sense

Studies show that most successful businessmen consider common sense as the foundation of their success. Common sense is defined as an ability to make sound judgments on the issues, which you encounter in everyday situations.

Good judgment depends on acquired knowledge and past experience. The combination of these two creates necessary prerequisites in developing common sense in a person. Common sense allows you to understand complex issues in simpler terms and get into the core of a problem.

2. Specialized Knowledge of your field

It is easier to start a successful business, if you have deep knowledge of the business field that you decide to pursue. About half of all home-based start-ups are launched by people who decide to use the knowledge, which they gained from their previous work experience of a particular niche area.

Philip Green, a billionaire, who made his fortune in garments retailing, claims that corner stone of his success is his knowledge of rag trade. He, presumably, can price a fabric simply by rubbing it between his fingers. Just by looking at a rack of coats he can predict which ones won't sell next season. That's the kind of knowledge required in order to become successful in entrepreneurship.

Around 45 percent of all start-ups fail to survive more than two years. One of the main reasons is many entrepreneurs do not accumulate needed industry knowledge before jumping into business world.

3. Self-confidence

Self confidence is a key entrepreneurial skill for success. It is easy to become demoralized, frustrated and resentful if you lack self-confidence.

Self-confidence is concerned with how a person feels about his ability. "A successful entrepreneur believes in his abilities. He is not scared to explore un-chartered territories, take risk and take difficult decisions."

Self-confidence, however, is not a personal trait that either you have or you don't. A person can have high self-confidence in one situation and totally lack in another. This is one of those skills that can be developed by training.

4. Ability to get things done

Successful entrepreneurs are persistent and hardworking. They master self-discipline to such extent that if a work is important and related to their goals, they will, eventually, complete it. Getting things done is the vital link between motivations and their outcome. At times, entrepreneurs force themselves to choose work over fun, a boring job against a pleasant one, working on tax papers rather than reading a glamour magazine. This requires a self-control that many people simply fail to develop in them.

5. Creativity

Creativity is the ability to use your insights and come up with new solutions to old problems, get things done in a different way or find a totally different approach for conventional things to work together. Entrepreneurs need creative thinking ability virtually in everything. Each new product, each new marketing method, each business decision - all these are fertile ground for creative thinking.

Often, entrepreneurs become immensely successful thanks to one single creative idea!

6. Ability to lead

Successful entrepreneurs are capable of leading people and get work done by them. They use a combination of various methods - effective motivation, planning, coaching and evaluation – to lead people. They are concerned about the wellbeing of others and easily get along with people.

7. Self reliance

Successful entrepreneurs try to take full responsibility for their actions. They know that what they are today, and what they are going to be tomorrow, depend solely on themselves, as it is the outcome of their own choices and decisions. They are proactive people, who set goals, walk an extra mile to achieve them and rely, primarily, on their own resources and abilities.

Article Source: www.ezinearticles.com
Executive summary by Nowshade Kabir

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"There is nothing like the spirit of an entrepreneur".

Major corporations may be the ones who deal with millions upon millions of dollars, but that does not mean we should forget about the value of small businesses. The truth is that local business and tiny companies bring a lot of value and a unique character to their communities. "You will not find the same kind of attention to detail and quality service that you get with a small business if you go to a big chain provider". If you are thinking about starting up a business venture, then you have a lot to consider.

Although it might seem like a relatively easy process, small business planning can be fairly complicated. "Do not underestimate the importance of strategic planning in the early stages of your company. A solid foundation will pave the road to success, while a sloppy and careless approach will ultimately lead to the ruin of your business".

Considering what a big investment you are making, it should be obvious that you need to address all aspects of the venture. Working out your ideas with a template is the best approach. You do not want to lose tongs of money by learning on a trial and error basis.

Test out your concepts with a quality small business template. This will be far cheaper in the long run. All you have to do is complete the template using the information that it indicates. You will have a clear picture of the viability of your business in a matter of hours.

You have to lay out your personal budget, your star up costs, your cash flow forecasts, your profit and loss estimates, and your balance sheets. A template will help you condense this information into a succinct business plan. This is the kind of plan you need if you are going to take out a loan or get investors to contribute to the venture.

Small business always involves a certain level of risk. It is hard to predict exactly what will happen. You have to wait to see how things play out in the long run. However, you can invest with much more confidence and purpose if you have a quality business plan established. Make sure you know what you are doing. With a good plan, you can focus on putting all your efforts towards the realization of your goals.

Executive summary by Todd Capper
Resource from: articlesbase.com

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