Field kit for entrepreneurs e book

FIELD KIT
FOR

ENTREPRENEURS
Compilation of Tried and Tested Tricks for 
Intrepid Business Venturers  
(2012 Edition)

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS..................................................................................................................2 
FOREWORD ................................................................................................................................4 
The Business Conceptualization Process ...................................................................................6 
Choosing a Right Business Name ...............................................................................................7 
Branding: Laying the Foundation of a New Business .................................................................8 
Essentials of Starting an Online Business...................................................................................9 
Top 4 Loan Grant Tactics..........................................................................................................10 
How to Set Up Your Website ...................................................................................................12 
Importance of Creating a Corporate Business Profile..............................................................15 
Pitfalls Every Entrepreneur Should Avoid ................................................................................16 
Using Social Media to Boost Sales............................................................................................18 
Taking Advantage of the Best e‐Commerce Tools ...................................................................19 
4 Ways to Improve Your Website Ranking...............................................................................20 
Top 5 Apps for Your Business...................................................................................................22 
How to Make Your Brand Matter in Social Media ...................................................................24 
How to Keep Seasonal Businesses Afloat.................................................................................25 
How to Revive an Ailing Business.............................................................................................26 
Top Social Media Blunders to Avoid ........................................................................................27 
How to Quickly Gain Traction in the Sales Front......................................................................29 
Best 5 Online Lead Generation Techniques .............................................................................30 
Make Online Education Work for You......................................................................................32 
How to Make Financial Forecasts for Your Business................................................................34 
4 Winning Improvements for Your Collections Department ...................................................36 

FIELD KIT FOR ENTREPRENEURS                                                      2

Giving Your Online Store an Attractive Makeover ...................................................................38 
How Do I Close My First Sale?..................................................................................................39 
How to Inspire Staff to Perform Better ....................................................................................41 
Tactics for Marketing Services Overseas..................................................................................43 
How to Handle Office Whiners ................................................................................................45 
The Top Home‐Based Businesses for 2012 ..............................................................................47 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

www.writer‐shack.com 

 

 

 

All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2012 Joseph Mapue. This publication 
may not be transmitted, reproduced or stored in part or in whole by 
any means without the express written consent of the copyright 
owner except for brief quotations in articles and reviews. 


FOREWORD  
|| For Freelancers & Entrepreneurs |  
 
The world going global is the perfect reason why creative and business‐minded 
people should consider becoming entrepreneurs. The possibilities and market 
niches are endless and the tools for starting up a business are easily accessible via 
the Internet. If you are contemplating on being one yourself, here are some 
practical tips you should bear in mind if you're bent on treading the straight and 
narrow path of entrepreneurship.      
 
1. If you have a day job, wait for the right moment to quit. It wouldn't do 
you good to let go of a steady source of income if the business you are 
envisioning is yet to be financially stable.  
2. Never wait for approval before building something you are really 
passionate about.  Just build it and build it with love. 
3. Determine the best market niche to service. In all likelihood, wallowing 
in a crowded pool of providers will sap your energy without reining in 
the returns you are hoping for. 
4. Establish a strong online presence. Never scrimp on good website 
design, optimization, and social media integration. These will help your 
business in very tangible ways. 
5. When you already have a product or service, always evolve or diversify 
what you offer in order to improve your value to your target customers. 
6. Hire good people who are competent enough that you're willing to work 
for them.  
7. Demand excellence from your staff, and more importantly, from 
yourself. 
8. Socialize and build strong networks. 
9. Connect meaningfully with your customers. 


10. Never quit being an entrepreneur. Creativity, energy and motivation are 
core values that differ in intensity among successful entrepreneurs. 
However, they all have a strong repugnance to the word "quit." 
 
Entrepreneurs are the main drivers of global progress. They represent the 
intersection of dreamers and people of action. They innovate, introduce products 
and services, generate jobs, and make the world a much interesting place to live in. 
If you are one, it wouldn't hurt to consider the foregoing tips.  
 
Neither would it hurt to read the rest of this eBook. Much of the bits of wisdom that 
made their way here were adapted from the experiences and personal insights of 
successful people in the field.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


The Business Conceptualization Process  
 
Without human creativity and imagination, great ideas, technologies, and 
inventions that transform lives will not be possible. Profitable businesses are no 
exception. The conceptualization processes that help make new technological 
marvels work are the same processes that allow innovative ideas to become global 
businesses. After all, just about any thing of worth starts as an idea.  
 
Effective business conceptualizations entail a lot of brainstorming and planning. It 
also involves drawing up creative solutions to specific problems encountered by 
customers. Lastly, the resources 
required to make the business idea work should also be established, with the main 
goal of acquiring these resources communicated clearly.  
 
To leverage the business conceptualization process, the key people involved should 
own the process and gradually form a consensus about the business idea. To do 
this, the key people‐‐who can be a single entrepreneur or a small group of business 
partners‐‐should establish and agree among themselves what the business idea 
stands for (its core value and unique selling proposition) and for which purposes or 
goals it is being operated (its vision and mission). Strongly committing to the 
fundamental aspects of a business idea will provide the strong foundation 
necessary to explore and establish other important aspects of a business‐‐such as 
funding, resource management, daily operations and staffing.   
 
Another important element of the business conceptualization process is the 
business model, or how a business generates profit for the people who run and 
work for it as well as for the investors who provide funds for its inception and 
subsequent expansion. Conservative simulations should provide an objective 
background on how the business can deliver value to all stakeholders 


Choosing a Right Business Name  
 
Business names can make or break a fledgling company. This is why choosing the 
perfect business name for your start up is very important. While truly an enjoyable 
and exciting process, choosing your business name should result to a final output 
that conveys the core values of your business in a way that favorably engages your 
target market. Remember that for new companies, it is the business name from 
which potential customers first assess whether a company has what it takes to 
meet their product or service requirements. Hence, choosing one that has a positive 
connotation and generates the right impression is critical. 
 
Establishing a business name that is aligned with your business strategy can be 
rewarding in the long term.  After all, your business name will form the basis of your 
brand/s and all the product lines you will be developing in the future.  A good 
business name is one that is both memorable and unique to your target market. 
Adopting only one trait will erode your brand, one way or another.  
 
A good business name should also have some aspect that will allow your potential 
customers to make easy visualizations. Think of Apple, Facebook and Puma. If 
creating easy visualizations is challenging for the business name you are 
considering, remember to employ the best artists to conceptualize your logo. Think 
of Google, Adidas, and Lacoste. While it is good to dream that your business will 
eventually attain the global status of these mega‐brands, it is a safe bet to use 
descriptive names that tell a lot about what your business is. For example, naming 
your taxi company "Griffin Ride" may not mean much at first to most people. 
Naming it Max's Taxis is better. 
 
 
 
 


Branding: Laying the Foundation of a New Business  
 
Branding is one of the most critical aspects of any business. For one thing, a brand 
sets your business apart from other entities that offer similar/identical products or 
services. Brands tell consumers whether your product or service is reliable, whether 
it's easy to use, or whether it demands quite a bit from your customer's budget. 
Remember that your brand should convey a unique value to your target audience 
and that this value (or set of values) should be consistently reflected in your brand 
name, logo, tagline, key phrases, and your particular mode of providing service.  
 
Any company or entrepreneur that conducts successful branding campaigns is sure 
to reap not only tangible but also lasting rewards eventually. There are a few 
essential factors that you need to consider if you are planning on establishing a 
brand for your business. One is to accurately identify your target market. 
Remember that each product or service should have a unique set of features that 
cater to a specific group of consumers. Once you have established which of these 
groups is the segment you will profitably enjoy serving, then you should start 
aligning your brand in a way that will make it resonate with the needs, preferences, 
and ideals of this niche market.    
 
The next step is to adopt a message that will strongly appeal to your market, using 
language that instinctively pique their interest, compelling them towards a deeper 
engagement with your products or services. Recall some of the greatest brand 
messages that have been conceptualized: Just do it (Nike), A diamond is forever (De 
Beers), Think small (Volkswagen), Impossible is nothing (Adidas), and Think 
Different (Apple). You should then conduct different marketing campaigns that 
consistently promote the core values of your brand. Finally, getting campaign 
feedbacks and establishing accurate analyses and conclusions from these feedbacks 
should help you hone your brand to truly capture your audience.  
 


Essentials of Starting an Online Business  
 
There are a lot of online businesses that have been sprouting lately. Not all have 
been successful, unfortunately. Many might have been ambitious and promising 
initially but still fell by the wayside. If you are keen on starting your own online 
business, then it's critical that you avoid the conceptualization or operating 
mistakes failed online businesses made that caused them to eventually fold up.  
 
Alternatively, knowing the winning formula of successful online businesses and 
applying these to your own enterprise would do wonders. That said, the first advice 
that any successful entrepreneur will tell you is that for an entrepreneur to succeed, 
his or her business must be closely related to an enduring passion. Making a 
business out of something you are passionate about is priceless and has the 
potential of changing the game or introducing a truly remarkable innovation.  
 
Another useful insight from veteran entrepreneurs is to focus on attaining carefully 
established objectives, not just on mechanically completing various tasks. The latter 
is a mindset characteristic of employees, the former of entrepreneurs. Make things 
happen not merely by diligently fulfilling a job but by reaching goals that you have 
set yourself.  
 
Establish a niche by identifying customer needs or wants that are underserviced or 
by providing clever solutions to problems that need to be solved. Focus your 
energies on providing services or products that are yet to be saturated instead of 
entering a playing field where there is just too much competition. Finally, you 
should evolve your online business based on changing market conditions or 
customer preferences. 
 
 
 


Top 4 Loan Grant Tactics  
 
For most businesses‐‐both big and small‐‐securing loans can be a major growth or 
operational aspect. However, not all business loan applications get approved by 
lending institutions. This is because while banks are just too happy to release 
business loans (they earn a lot from loans after all), doing so for entities with very 
low credit rating is simply impossible. In bank rationale, lending to entities with very 
risky credit credentials is tantamount to signing a check with no expectations of 
getting repaid in the future.  
 
This makes loan applications quite a challenge for some companies, especially those 
with no credit history or low credit ratings. If you are an entrepreneur and need 
financing to oil your operations or provide the infrastructure for growth, securing a 
loan is one of the fastest ways to do so. Here are some tips to significantly increase 
your chances of getting a loan.  
 
1. Be prepared. Knowing the requirements of specific lending institutions 
well before sending your application will greatly smoothen the process. 
Get all the loan information you need and prepare all the relevant 
documentation.  
 
2. Assess and present your cash flow projections and other financial 
activities in a way that will increase your chances of getting the loan.  
 
3. Choose the lending institution/s to engage carefully. Not all institutions 
are prefect for your business. Some have policies that are pro‐
entrepreneur and knowing which lending institutions are these in your 
area is very important. It will also help you significantly if you have a 
strong and long‐term relationship with the institution such as having 
healthy deposit accounts with a commercial bank. 


4. Acquire a third‐part credit rating report as much as possible. Having 
gained a good credit rating from other independent agencies will boost 
your chances of being perceived as credit‐worthy by the institution you 
wish to acquire a loan from.  
 
 
To conclude, credit and loans are good sources of business funds when managed 
diligently. They are also reasonably obtainable despite stricter restrictions that have 
been set up following the disastrous results of the lax lending regulations in the US 
home mortgage sector. The key is to align your cash flow, credit rating, and 
objectives with your loan application and to prepare all documentation in advance 
to obtain the loan. 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


How to Set Up Your Website  
 
So you've finally taken your business from the corridors of your imagination to the real 
world. The fact is,  getting it started is really all that is keeping you from taking a shot at your 
dreams. To do that, however, entails a lot more work on top of determining exactly what 
your business is about and how you intend to finance its operations. One of the things that 
can jumpstart your business is a dedicated website.  
 
Having an online presence is a critical requirement for just about any brand or business that 
intends to stay competitive. You need a website to communicate what value you offer to 
clients and an easy way to get their feedback, have them sign up for a service or to purchase 
a product. Websites are one of the best business resources that can get all those things 
accomplished.   
 
But for a person who is just learning how to be an entrepreneur, getting your own site online 
could be very challenging indeed.  The first thing to consider is to determine and secure your 
domain name. This is the internet address (also called url) feature that sets your company 
apart and gives visitors a hint about what your business is about. Having a unique and catchy 
domain name is priceless in the long term so invest enough time deciding on the best one for 
your enterprise. Remember that you need to register your domain name to protect it from 
being replicated by another entity.  
 
The next step is to build and host the website. Never scrimp on website design and copy as 
these provides the initial impression potential customers will harbor about your business. All 
things equal, a professionally designed website will outperform a mediocre one any time. 
There are hundreds of free, easy‐to‐use website creation services on the net if you have a 
penchant for it. Otherwise, it wouldn't hurt to hire professional website designers and 
copywriters to help you set up a very attractive website. Once built, you can have the 
website hosted by a reliable provider.  
 
Finally, you need to get people (a lot of them) to visit your website. You can do this through social 
media and various marketing campaigns. Remember also to regularly update your website so that 
people will have something fresh to experience from your site every once in a while.   


The Most Critical Product Pricing Principles  

 
Establishing the perfect prices for your products or services is one of the key inputs 
to a successful business. Discovering that sweet spot that will deliver optimum 
value for your customers and your operations is like discovering a vein of gold.  
 
There are basically three methods in formulating prices: cost‐based pricing, 
competition‐based pricing, and customer‐based pricing. Cost‐based pricing 
considers the total cost of producing or delivering a product plus a markup or profit 
for the business. Competition‐based pricing considers how a product under a 
particular brand compares with an identical product from a competitor. Customer‐
based pricing is based on how much value a customer imputes ion a particular 
product or service.  
 
Furthermore, here are some tips that can help you set your product or service 
prices right. 
 
1. Establish at the onset that your pricing is intended to make money for 
your business and that an ineffective pricing can do just the opposite of 
making money. 
 
2. Never set a price too high or too low in an attempt to gain a competitive 
edge in the market. Both can eventually lead to cash flow problems later 
on. 
 
3. Align your prices with how much value it delivers to your customers. To 
do so, you need to really know how your customers perceive your 
products or services and how important these are to them.  
 


4. Always set a competitive price that avoids radical differences (i.e., too 
high or too low) from those set by your competitors.  
 
5. Implement consumer‐friendly pricing cuts such as sales, discounts, 
coupons, bulk deals and other marketing techniques. 
  
6. Recognize that while product pricing is a critical business input, it is not 
the only thing that helps businesses achieve success. 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Importance of Creating a Corporate Business Profile  
 
A company profile is a quick look into a company, allowing different groups of 
people to get a general idea of what a company does or offers, its target market, its 
unique strengths, its track record, and whether it is a good entity to do business 
with. However, company profiles should go beyond stating facts about a company. 
Well‐written company profiles deftly convey the predominant values and corporate 
culture that lends the organization its distinct character. Good company profiles 
should also demonstrate how effective a company is at meeting its customers' 
needs. 
 
In addition to existing and potential customers, corporate profiles are also viewed 
and assessed by investors, service providers, business partners, and job applicants. 
For this reason, company profiles should be optimized in corporate websites, staff 
recruitment portals, media kits and other external documents, press releases, 
brochures, and official online profile pages on social and professional networks such 
as LinkedIn and Facebook.     
 
 A good corporate business profile should contain the basic information about the 
company. These include the year when the company was established, where it is 
headquartered, the products and services it offers, its target customers, its unique 
strengths, and the values it is committed to. If a company has been around for a 
considerable time, a brief discussion of the awards it gained, its achievements, or 
the successes it accomplished would help establish a solid case for the company's 
dependability and suitability for business engagement. Lastly, contact information 
should be included in the profile in order to facilitate correspondence and feedback 
from customers as well as potential partners and investors. 
 
 
 


Pitfalls Every Entrepreneur Should Avoid  
 
Entrepreneurs are good at creating value but it doesn't follow that all entrepreneurs 
have redoubtable business sense. They are not exempt from committing serious 
mistakes and some entrepreneurs fail at business.  
 
If you are setting up or are currently managing your own business, knowing the 
common pitfalls that cause even formidable innovators to fail is a priceless business 
resource. Here are some of the pitfalls any entrepreneur should avoid at all costs: 
 
 
1. Embarking on a business full blast with limited capitalization and unclear 
sources of funding. Taking calculated risks is an integral part of any business 
operation and is a known motive force that fueled many remarkable 
business successes in the past. However, taking unreasonable risks‐‐such as 
plunging head‐on into a highly competitive industry without clear revenue 
or funding streams is a formula for disaster. Leaving too much to chance is 
never a prudent business tactic. 
 
2. Joining the battle as a one‐man army. Nobody said to do your business 
alone even if you somehow can. There are people who can help you 
improve your business and getting their help will allow you to learn as well 
as allocate more time to grow your business. 
 
3. Establishing unreasonable expectations. Having lofty ambitions is good in 
the long run since when coupled with action, well‐motivated ambitions are 
the key inputs to change. However, establishing unreasonably high targets 
often result to failure and resentment. There's nothing wrong with wishing 
your business to perform outstandingly and be a major player in your sector 


within a few months. Establishing that goal with inadequate or unreliable 
resources is simply stupid. 
 
4.  Hinging happiness on the success of the business venture. Happiness 
should be a predominant state of mind instead of being an event‐driven 
emotion. Otherwise, there's bound to be a lot of unhappiness sprouting in 
your office that is sure to erode your prospects for success. The key is to 
develop a cheerful personality that's independent of the fortunes of your 
business.   
 
 
There are many other pitfalls that even excellent entrepreneurs commonly commit. 
However, the foregoing are the most common and steering clear of them will help 
you hurdle the major challenges small businesses encounter in their first year of 
operation. 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Using Social Media to Boost Sales  
 
These days, social media piques the interest of just about everyone: its users, top 
executives, marketers, and social scientists. The reason is that online social 
networks such Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube are redefining people's 
lifestyles as well as the way they conduct business on the Web.  
 
Almost a year ago, ComScore reported that social media was the pivotal input that 
buoyed 2010's eCommerce performance even within the dampening effects of a 
serious economic recession. According to the report, online transactions went up by 
a surprising 10 percent, following the strong participation of many brands in social 
media campaigns.  
 
But why is social media such a powerful tool for boosting your sales? The simple 
answer is that individual and organizational users of social networks have lot of 
ways for endorsing ideas and brands, sometimes triggering the so‐called "viral 
effect" that generates awareness about something across unusually broad 
demographics. In fact, social media campaigns have been demonstrated to yield 
significantly high ROI levels when executed properly.    
 
To leverage social media to boost your own sales, remember to understand your 
target customers and which social media tool can be used most effectively. Use 
different and fresh ways of interacting with your audience in order to keep them 
sufficiently excited to join different campaigns. Set up a viable and reward system 
that makes it easy for participants to win and claim practical, attractive prizes. 
Experiment with different types of content and engagements (videos, games, free 
downloads, coupons, catchy articles, etc) but make all these very compelling. Lastly, 
consistently build trust in your brand by addressing customer needs or issues that 
may be verbally or implicitly communicated during your social media campaigns. 
 


Taking Advantage of the Best e‐Commerce Tools  
 
The pervading effect of social media as well as online search has enhanced the role 
of online stores in facilitating global commerce. If you are an entrepreneur who 
intends to start a new or upgrade an existing online business, it is a competitive 
advantage if you know the exceptional ecommerce tools that are available in the 
market. Many of these tools are free to use although some require fees that you'll 
nevertheless eventually find reasonable after reaping pretty good returns on your 
investments. 
 
Foremost among the available tools you need to elevate your business are those 
related to social networks and search engine optimizations. Both are designed to 
draw in traffic to your online store and generate conversions. Some pretty good 
social media tools include blog publishing systems such as Blogger and WordPress 
which you can seamlessly integrate into your business' Facebook page through an 
free app called Networked Blogs. Meantime, useful tools to use in search 
optimization include those for keyword and link management. Market Samurai is a 
complete SEO package that you may want to try out for your online store.  
 
In terms of optimizing your online store itself, Magento and Loaded Commerce are 
both pretty robust software that can transform your site into very stunning and 
easy to use ecommerce shop. Never scrimp on aesthetics, simplicity, and engaging 
content as these are sure draws in terms of user visits.  
 
If you need help in setting up your online store Shopify is also a very good option 
when it comes to attractive website designs. Outside social media chat rooms, there 
are also other software that allows your team to address customer issues in real 
time. On top of this list is the Click Desk application that easily sets up a Live Chat 
feature on your selling site.  
 


4 Ways to Improve Your Website Ranking  
 
Ranking high on search engine results pages is a critical factor to a business' success 
online. This is why many companies employ professional SEO (search engine 
optimization) practitioners. SEO experts help transform web pages into search‐
engine friendly documents using techniques that reduce code/content clutter and 
target higher page rankings. In addition, companies also employ social media 
managers to help drive user traffic into their sites. Here are some basic tips on how 
you can improve your website ranking. 
 
1. Optimize the metadata tag on your html. There is little guarantee that your site 
will eventually zoom up on search results page rankings just by merely tweaking 
your metadata. However, metadata allows search engine bots to index your pages 
better and enables you to control how you want your site to be perceived by your 
target audience. Being organized and targeted are two big plusses that will 
eventually drive traffic to your site. Strategically assigning your title, description, 
and keyword metadata will give a competitive edge to your web pages when it 
comes to online search.  
 
2. Optimize the use of relevant keywords. In the realm of online search, keywords 
are the virtual link between your potential customers and your site. Whenever 
possible, use relevant but unique and unsaturated keywords that target niche 
customers to help your site rank higher. For optimum effect, integrate the targeted 
keywords even on your url's and your metatags. Be sure that the keywords you are 
targeting are seamlessly incorporated into the new content that you are publishing. 
 
3. Integrate a blog on your site. Blogs are the best way to infuse fresh, relevant and 
compelling content into your site. Remember that search engines have a 
programmed bias in favor of sites that are regularly refreshed with new content. 
The more pages being published on your site means getting more attention from 


search engines.   
 
4. Use social media to drive traffic to your site. Social media sites like Facebook, 
Twitter, Digg, YouTube, and LinkedIn are great channels that can drive user traffic to 
your site. Getting to know the nooks and crannies of social media marketing can 
deliver huge benefits even in the short term.  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Top 5 Apps for Your Business  
 
Mobile Apps are increasingly becoming more sophisticated and are developed for 
different purposes. Among the emergent apps for any mobile platform are those 
used in businesses and other professional enterprises. Regardless of the scale of 
your business and the type of smart phone you use, the following mobile apps are 
sure to enhance your productivity, efficiency, and business network. 
 
1. Skype. Sans the apps, phones are basically tools for communicating with 
customers, partners, investors, staff, and other stakeholders, after all. However, 
calls‐‐especially of the variety that crosses international borders‐‐can be very 
expensive. The popular online communication platform, skype can be very helpful, 
indeed. Use Skype for video calling, instant messages, and chatting for free. 
 
2. Documents To Go. This app allows the creation, editing, storage, and sharing of 
various documents in the most popular formats such as .doc, .xls, .ppt, and pdf. 
Perfect for reviewing  presentations, reports and business plans on the go.  
 
3. Remember the Milk: This app is great for people who need to accomplish 
multiple tasks on a regular basis. In a nutshell, Remember the Milk is an online To 
Do List that is synched with a mobile computing device.  
 
4. Evernote. This app leverages the huge potential of cloud computing by allowing 
the user to upload just about any file: handwritten notes, text notes, video files, 
photos, and web pages to a personal account over the cloud. It then allows the user 
to sync the data with other computing devices such as any critical information 
uploaded by a smart phone can be accessed by a synced laptop or desktop 
computer.    
 
5. Dropbox. This is a very useful online file management and sharing application 


that uses cloud computing to allow easier access to authorized users and more 
storage space. Dropbox is perfect for sharing various documents and photos to 
friends, relatives, colleagues and business contacts.  
 
Quite a lot of mobile apps are now being developed for businesses and these are 
just the tip of the iceberg. Given the demonstrated indispensability of smart phones 
in conducting personal or organizational business, app stores will see the 
introduction of more advanced and specialized apps that are designed to perform 
business tasks ranging from the very simple to very complex ones that formerly 
required networked desktops to accomplish. 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


How to Make Your Brand Matter in Social Media  
 
There are very few companies that can ignore the power of social media. If you 
want your brand to succeed in today's extremely competitive landscape, then social 
media is one of the major arenas you need to excel in. The fact is, deploying brands 
in social media has become a necessity just to maintain a connection with an 
already captive audience. Without a meaningful presence in social media, many 
brands would lose the benefits of engaging hundreds of millions of existing and 
potential customers who regularly log on to their accounts on different social 
networks.  
 
And that is not mere hearsay. Time and again, it has been conclusively 
demonstrated that properly executed social media campaigns have measurable 
effects on the bottom line. Moreover, compared with other promotional methods, 
leveraging social media is also more attractive in terms of ROI. 
 
To effectively deploy your brand over social media, you need to assess just which 
channels your brand is appropriate for. There are at least three main channels you 
should actively participate in at all cost: Facebook, Twitter, and the blogosphere. 
Not only is Facebook, the second home for hundreds of millions of people who go 
online everyday, it also has robust mechanisms for brand building. Ignoring this 
space is virtually suicide specially for new companies. Meantime, Twitter is one of 
the best ways of leveraging the widespread use of mobile phones. Use Twitter as a 
platform for steering your audience towards deeper involvement with your brand. 
Lastly, having a blog is the most affordable way of keeping your brand current and 
fresh. Align your blog with the dynamics of online search and integrate it with your 
profiles on social media. This way, you help establish a viable, organic, and 
profitable online presence for your brand. 
 
 


How to Keep Seasonal Businesses Afloat  
 
Businesses whose core products or services are ski rentals, Christmas trees, 
fireworks, or summer vacation houses for rent are all seasonal businesses. Many 
ventures that belong to this category have been successful but others unfortunately 
fail. This is because handling seasonal businesses is radically different from 
managing conventional ones. In order to make your seasonal business successful, 
be sure to consider the following tips: 
 
1. Practice diligence in managing cash flows. In seasonal businesses, profits are 
reined in only during peak seasons and diligently spreading revenues to 
cover operational costs the whole year is of paramount importance. Always 
appropriate a comfortable budget for off‐season operations. For seasonal 
businesses wherein this is simply not possible, maintaining excellent 
relationships with banks and other sources of credit is also critical. Doing so 
will help cover operational expenses during the lean season. 
 
2. Allow reasonable flexibility in operations during peak seasons. Depending on 
consumer behavior, never scrimp on rendering extra hours to achieve (or 
exceed) targets. Seasonal businesses should be agile in order to convert 
every opportunity into a sale. Otherwise, it's not really a good tactic to hope 
for rain during dry season.   
 
3. Find ways of making profits even during the lean season. Be creative in 
diversifying your core business to generate modest revenues while waiting 
for the big break. Lean seasons can also be used for intensive strategizing 
and preparations for the peak season. Broaden your sales network, train 
your staff, or develop new product concepts. There are many productive 
things that can be accomplished than just merely waiting for the rain to 
come.  


How to Revive an Ailing Business  
 
Notwithstanding this article's title, not all ailing businesses can be revived. Some are 
just so messed up that reviving them will just be a waste of time and effort. For this 
type of situations, closing them up and starting a new business on a clean slate is 
infinitely better.  
 
However, all businesses encounter lean periods as well as critical periods wherein 
even soundly managed companies find themselves at risk of being dissolved. For 
these cases, there are methods that might be able to reorient ailing companies 
towards recovery and growth. If your company falls into this category, here are 
some tips that may be able to turn your enterprise around:   
 
An ailing business need to contend with company credit, delinquent receivables, 
staff morale, customer retention and other issues that require creative strategies in 
order to be addressed satisfactorily. One of the first thing on the recovery agenda is 
to form the recovery team. The recovery team must be a strong team of managers 
that are committed to salvage the most valuable assets of the company and use 
them for a calculated recovery later on. To turn an ailing business around, all 
stakeholders must be willing to take actions that could really hurt. An assessment of 
the situation is needed in order for the right impetus towards recovery is attained. 
In addition, immediate and decisive action is required to prevent further 
deterioration of the situation. This means that major problems need to be 
addressed immediately with carefully drawn solutions.  
 
Essentially, a turnaround is a sustained positive change in the performance of a 
business to obtain a desired result. It is the process by which a business with 
inadequate performance is analyzed and changed to achieve a desired result. In a 
turnaround, analysis and action are simultaneous. The immediate requirement is to 
find the major problems, analyze them and implement solutions. 


Top Social Media Blunders to Avoid  
 
Social media is the all buzz these days. And rightly so. Among all channels where 
companies can promote their brands, it is on social media where the potential for 
ROI is the highest. Often, doing great in social media is doing great in the sales 
arena. 
 
That said, building your brand on social media is great. There are very few 
businesses that can really afford to ignore social media and if your company is not 
one of these, then conducting social media campaigns early can do magic for your 
company. However, leveraging the advantages of social media can backfire if your 
campaigns are haphazardly conducted. Remember, just as a viral promotional 
campaign can have a huge positive impact, the other side of the coin applies just as 
much. A campaign gone wrong can generate a viral effect that can be terribly 
detrimental to the brand.  
 
One of the worst things social media marketers can commit is to start something on 
social media without a plan. Doing so is a hanging disaster waiting to fall heavily on 
the brand. Not knowing the basics (the brand's target audience, the best team to 
manage social media campaign, the metrics to be used when assessing campaign 
success) can be very costly indeed.  
 
Another common social media blunder is to execute a good campaign at the wrong 
time. Tweeting just about any time you want can be very wasteful, for example. 
Understanding the best time to deliver tweets to your target audience is a priceless 
market information.  
 
Lastly, inaccurately assessing the results of your social media campaigns will never 
allow your team to appreciate the real impact of your campaign. Subsequent 
campaigns may then be executed without the benefits of precise market 


information and your team will remain perpetually at a loss on how your social 
efforts are really impacting your business. 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


How to Quickly Gain Traction in the Sales Front  
 
Being good in sales is both a science and an art and no two gurus will completely be 
identical in their list of the best tactics to help you gain traction in the sales front. 
Sales is more than just a numbers game. It's not just meeting quotas. At the end of 
the day, successful sales people are concerned more about how they can deliver 
value to their customers than just meeting targets. 
 
To be successful often requires unmatched, sometimes insanely dogged 
persistence. It's odd but obstacles abound in the world of sales and successful 
veterans will tell you that their professional journeys are anything but easy. Giving 
up simply is not an option. 
 
Being passionate about the product you are selling is perhaps the greatest booster 
to your sales performance. It is also the fuel that can drive your persistence. Once in 
a company, make it a daily commitment to be really intimate with your products 
and services so that your passion carries over to the techniques and attitudes you 
adapt in selling.  
 
Allocating time to listen to your customers will help your team realign your brands 
according to the needs of your audience. Knowing your customers' language and 
their goals will help you articulate how your products and services solve their 
problems. 
 
Lastly, establishing your own goals is critical to your success in sales. Remember, 
without clearly established goals, you can never accurately assess your 
performance. Setting benchmarks for success is will give your team the proper 
orientation to effectively execute your sales strategies. 
 
 


Best 5 Online Lead Generation Techniques  
 
Keeping existing customers interested while getting new ones to discover and use 
your products or services is a persistent target of all businesses. After all, customers 
constitute the major revenue source of most businesses. The more customers you 
have, the healthier your business. This is the reason why led generation is a critical 
component of any enterprise.  
 
Simply put, lead generation refers to a marketing tool that aims to promote 
consumer awareness and interest about a particular product or service. Lead 
generation is conducted for a variety of purposes such as building an email list or a 
subscriber base. There are many ways of conducting lead generation campaigns, 
most of which use the methodologies and conventional advertising channels. There 
are also ways that leverage emergent systems or technologies such as online 
search.  The following are some of the most common ways leads are generated. 
 
1. Traditional advertising. This is the umbrella term encompassing the dissemination 
or broadcast of commercial advertisements over traditional channels such as 
television, radio, and print (broadsheets, tabloids, magazines, and other 
periodicals).  
 
2. Online lead generation techniques. This is the umbrella term covering the 
different methodologies for promoting brands over the Internet. By far, this is a 
cost‐efficient method compared to traditional advertising in that it can easily be 
targeted to specific consumer demographics and it can also be subjected to very 
precise metrics.   
 
The best online lead generation techniques include 1) pay per click (PPC) advertising 
that can be implemented through the robust ad engines of Google or Yahoo/MSN; 
2) Social media marketing that can be conducted over popular social networks and 


tools such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube; 3) Social media advertising 
which is now possible through services offered by Facebook and other social media 
sites; 4) online advertising (media acquisitions) on selected sites; and, 5) search 
engine optimization (SEO) that aims to raise the ranking of particle websites in 
search engine results pages (SERPs).  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Make Online Education Work for You  
 
Following advances in relevant technology and its growing widespread popularity, 
the global e‐learning industry is nearing the USD 48 billion benchmark based on 
conservative approximations. Contributing substantially to its growth are the 
dramatic developments in Internet technologies and multimedia platforms.  
 
Formal online education, an integral component of e‐Learning has similarly 
experienced steep growth, with several millions of students enrolled in online 
courses in the US alone. A 2011 survey conducted by the Sloan Consortium reveals 
that more than 30 percent of American students are already enrolled in at least one 
online course. Based on the similar reports from other independent observers, 
online education is slated to become the most dominant form of post‐secondary 
education in the US. 
 
If you are an entrepreneur, student, or somebody who intends to learn more about 
a subject or obtain relevant certifications for the field you are engaged in, going for 
online education is a very attractive option. Its flexible arrangements can become 
very critical especially when you are engaged in business, work, or other studies 
that take a fair amount of your schedule. But how do you make online education 
work for you?  
 
The first and most important step is to seek out the most appropriate online 
program and institution for your needs. Assess costs and time issues carefully in 
order to optimize the experience. There are courses and programs for just about 
any subject or career training that are also offered in traditional universities.  
 
Secondly, You need to establish the minimum amount of time you can regularly 
allocate for the program and practice discipline and diligence in meeting your 
targets. There is always a sweet spot between online learning and other aspects of 


your life such as work, recreation and family. Lastly, participate in relevant forums 
to get and provide solutions to common online education issues. 
 
Online education is a boon to many people who desire a convenient and accessible 
way of upgrading their skills for the job market or for their own entrepreneurial 
ventures. The key is to determine which online education package is the most 
appropriate for your needs, budget, lifestyle and time.  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


How to Make Financial Forecasts for Your Business  
 
Businesses need to make financial forecasts in order to be on the right track to 
success. Otherwise, conducting a business without reasonably drawn financial 
forecasts is like navigating an unknown terrain without a map.   
 
In the parlance of the finance sector, forecasts are called Pro Forma Financial 
Statements. Pro Forma Financial Statements represent the business owner's 
financial plan. Particularly, a Pro Forma Financial Income statement is a document 
relating projected expenses and income for a given future period. It helps business 
owners, business analysts, creditors, and investors assess the profitability of a 
particular business. To prepare a carefully and reasonably drawn Pro Forma Income 
Statement, you should establish the sales projection for your business, impute all 
production, sales and other expenses, and determine profit margins.  
 
For both expenses and sales, align your projections by answering key questions such 
as how much revenue can be realistically generated next year and how much it will 
cost to produce the product or service. Taxes, salaries, and bank borrowings should 
also be considered.  
 
The easiest way to go about it without the constant help of a certified public 
accountant is to simply create a budget and sales forecast. A budget forecast is a list 
of costs related to items and resources that you need in order to keep your business 
operating normally. If you have been operating a business for a while, that should 
be easy to accomplish. Just review your previous records and determine which 
items utilized your operational funds.  
 
On the other hand, forecasting sales is a bit more complicated. To be safe, prepare 
two sets of sales forecasts‐‐one extremely conservative and another portraying a 
robust market scenario. One is necessary to keep you grounded in reality and the 


other for fuelling your path towards phenomenal success. Doing both is a healthy 
practice that can lead to actual growth.   
 
To conclude, every business of any scale needs to establish reasonable financial 
forecasts as a means of assessing its performance in the market. Not doing so is like 
embarking on a voyage without a compass. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


4 Winning Improvements for Your Collections Department  
 
Cash flow is the one aspect of a business that keeps it in operation. It is an indicator 
of customer acceptance as well as the business' potential for growth. For most 
businesses, cash flow is a function of billing and collection. The more efficient 
collections is, the more cash is being infused into the business to fuel its operations 
and help build the infrastructure for growth. 
 
If a company's collections department is somehow handicapped, everything else 
suffers. In fact, an inefficient collections system is a sure way of gnawing at 
company revenues that can cause the company to plummet irretrievably in the long 
run. Based on data garnered by the US Small Businesses Administration, around 70 
percent to 80 percent of small businesses close each year, with cash flow issues as 
one of the most cited reasons for closure. To keep a business afloat and 
competitive, ample cash inflow must be ensured. If you manage or own a business, 
here are four ways of improving your collections practices. 
 
1. Establish a viable credit and risk management policy that should be strictly 
applied to all your customers. Identify and manage potentially delinquent accounts 
to reduce risks of defaults.  
 
2. Use creative ways of collecting receivables over the short term and long term 
scenarios. Be familiar with legal ways of recovering bad debts. 
 
3. Implement clear and concise billing forms. This will help customers easily 
understand how much they owe and the value they have received. Questionable 
billing items often lead to resentment and clarifications, and delays in payment. 
Send an invoice immediately each time a job has been finished.  
 
4. Be cordial‐‐cheerful, if possible‐‐and very persistent. Most people become 


impatient and irritable when billed and keeping a positive, cordial demeanor makes 
customers more susceptible to settle their bills promptly. 
 
Following these fundamental cash flow tips can help you steer your business clear 
of the common financial pitfalls many startups experience. Remember, you deliver 
value to your customers for which you deserve an appropriate increment in your 
collectibles. However, actually reining in revenues is hardly automatic. That's what a 
diligently managed collections system is for. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Giving Your Online Store an Attractive Makeover  
     
 
Making your online store attractive is critical to your business' success. Remember 
that all things being equal, the thing that is prettiest to look at and easiest to use 
will certainly win in the end. That is Steve Jobs' legacy as reflected in the various 
Apple products that garnered not only commercial success but also critical acclaim 
for their user‐friendly interfaces and elegant aesthetics.   
 
The hard fact is, unless your online store is attractive and easy to navigate, visitors 
won't linger, much less make online purchases or sign subscriptions. Even if you 
have shelled out quite an investment for search engine optimization and your store 
ranks pretty high on search results, people tend to stay on pages that have an 
attractive visual appeal even when those pages ranked lower than yours. It will be 
such a waste if you have managed to draw in site in site visitors only to have them 
leave shortly after they see what your site offers. On the other hand, making a good 
impression on visitors early on tends to convert many of them to become paying 
customers.  
 
Remember to hire the best online store design team your budget allows. Establish 
easy navigation as the top priority in your store design. Your online store should 
also be designed in a way that significantly reduces waiting time before pages are 
completely downloaded. Implementing the fastest page downloads possible 
without compromising aesthetics is the sweetest spot. Optimize your graphics and 
multimedia to allow for faster downloads. Avoid implementing too many pop‐ups 
since these can be quite annoying.  
 
Use the best color scheme on your store that clearly reflects your branding. This will 
make things consistent and will help customers remember your products better. 
 


How Do I Close My First Sale?  
 
Closing your first sale, whether as a sales professional or for a particular firm or 
product, is always a momentous event. Aside from the biggest sale closed, the fist 
sale‐‐regardless of its scale‐‐is almost always a memorable milestone for all people 
engaged in the art of selling.  
 
There are widely recommended steps that everyone‐‐including sales greenhorns 
and veterans‐‐should follow to make your first sale go smoothly, allowing you to 
move forward with more confidence and efficiency. Here are some stuff that you 
need to consider when embarking on a sales meeting for the first time in your 
career or for a particular company. 
 
1. Know every relevant thing about the organization you represent. This will do 
wonders for you as well as your customers. On one hand, it affirms your 
affinity with the organization. On the other, it will make customers perceive 
you as a true professional who strongly believes in the products and services 
he or she is selling. 
  
2. Prepare well. Nothing impresses favorably on customers more than smooth 
transitions from pleasant conversation to presentation and feedback. Know 
the product well and be an expert in all its features. Anticipate questions 
and be ready to address unexpected queries.  
  
3. Be presentable. Make your organization proud of having you represent them 
to their clientele. Make your clients develop a healthy respect for 
professionalism. 
 
 


4. Empathize with and listen to what your customers have to say. Consider 
their feedback and criticisms as opportunities to really showcasing the 
unique value your product or service has to offer.  
 
5. Close cordially and cheerfully by opening all channels of communication, 
regardless of whether the customer is buying the product, indicated interest 
about it, is unsure at the moment, or has indicated dissatisfaction. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


How to Inspire Staff to Perform Better  
Freelancers & || For Entrepreneurs |  
 
Any manager worth her cap will tell you that nothing elevates a company more than 
competent and properly motivated staff. Great products and ground‐breaking 
innovations are often products of a few motivated individuals. Meantime, good 
products that are represented by inspired sales teams are certain to dominate the 
market. On the other hand, even an ingenious idea or a potentially profitable 
business will regularly encounter stumbling blocks when the people that make it 
run are uninspired or have very low motivation to succeed.  
 
Senior executives are aware that staff motivation enhances individual and team 
performance and makes the work environment highly conducive to success. But not 
all managers fin it easy to motivate their teams. Here are some sure‐fire techniques 
that will help you inspire your staff. 
 
1. Give them a tangible model to emulate. By setting a good example yourself, 
employees will have a work pattern to copy. When managers come to work 
on time, communicate and collaborate intensively, respect their peers and 
staff, and deliver exceptional outputs, staff will have no choice but perform 
in the same way.      
  
2. Share the company's successes. Nothing makes employees feel they belong 
to the company more than sharing the rewards it receives. Profit sharing, 
bonuses, and perks can be excellent motivating factors when implemented 
smartly. Be wary, however, of using monetary rewards as your main 
motivating factor. 
 
3. Never clamp dissent. Allow employees to safely air complaint and feedback 
and encourage discussions to formulate relevant and effective solutions. 
  


4. Integrate fun and happiness in your corporate culture. Happy employees are 
easy to motivate and creating a fun work environment usually results to 
surprisingly exceptional outcomes. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Tactics for Marketing Services Overseas  
 
Whether your business is performing as well as you intend at the home front or not, 
marketing your products or services in other countries may be a lucrative 
proposition. The global market can be complicated but it offers home‐grown 
companies a lot of opportunities for growth.   
 
However, before embarking on opening your doors for servicing demand overseas, 
it is important to determine which foreign markets are the best fit for your products 
and services. You should also objectively assess how prepared your company is in 
dealing with overseas operation. Have you started building relationships with your 
partners overseas? How committed are they in orchestrating a successful entry for 
your brand?  
 
Another critical step is to assess the adaptability of the product or service itself. Will 
local consumers readily identify with your brand? Do you need some product 
realignments to cater to local consumer preferences? Which local brands will you 
be competing with and how will your team build product differentiation and unique 
value? 
 
Your local support group is also an important component of your overseas venture. 
Have you formed a team with the right people on the job?   
 
Assess how much funds you need to allocate for the expansion and whether the 
costs won't compromise your operations at home. Do you just operate an online 
store that also caters to foreign consumers? Or do you need working with local 
dealers or distributors to bring your products to local customers? 
 
Once you have adequately addressed these questions, you can have your team 
draw up a strategic entry plan to the foreign markets you want to participate in. 


remember to consider the local culture and language in addition to the market 
conditions. Some symbols, messages, and other branding paraphernalia may be 
offensive to local tastes and these should be re‐packaged appropriately.  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


How to Handle Office Whiners  
 
Discontent occurs naturally wherever people converge. In sports stadiums, in 
classrooms, in shopping malls, and even in churches. With the intense dynamics of a 
workplace, it is not surprising that management, staff, and just about anybody at 
work will complain from time to time. Regardless of whether their complaints have 
solidly reasonable basis, it is in people's nature to observe and to give feedbacks 
based on our observations.  
 
That said, it is not a bad thing to complain. Complaints can range from minor 
discomfort to outright rage and letting our emotions get the best of us will cause 
very unfortunate circumstances. Sometimes, being uncomfortable or inconvenient 
and doing something positive about it drives the process we now call as 
"innovation". After all, if every one is complacent or content, nothing new will come 
about.  
 
However, not all complaints are of the positive kind and there are people who 
whine all the time. These people sap other people's energies, create discomfort, 
disrupt productivity, and can ironically make the place worthy of being whined 
about if left to their own devices. Instead of being productive and positive, these 
people waste their time poisoning other people's minds. These are the people that 
need to be controlled intelligently.  
  
To do that, managers and colleagues should establish an official system for filing 
complaints so that legitimate ones are addressed as promptly, professionally and 
effectively as possible. Listen to all complaints even those raised by whiners and 
create solutions for valid ones. Encourage whiners to create the solutions 
themselves to instill a habit of acting positively when a negative situation arises.  In 
addition, make everyone busy at his or her work or doing something good for the 


company. Whiners need idle ears and if everyone is busy working on a particularly 
rewarding goal, whiners won't have anyone to talk to and spread their negativity. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Top Home‐Based Businesses for 2012  
 
Home businesses are sprouting everywhere as more people are taking the strange 
and daunting route of entrepreneurship. With the recession and subsequent 
layoffs, starting a home business is starting to look very attractive to a lot of people.  
 
If you intend to start your home‐based business, remember that not every one is 
well suited for it and that most home businesses close up within the first year of 
operation. Managing your expectations will be critical for the long term health of 
your business. Recognize that home‐based businesses follow the same basic 
principles and cycles of traditional businesses. Targeting unreasonable ROI in the 
short term will only sap your energy and breed resentment. Extremely few people 
and ventures become overnight successes after all. The secret is to make adequate 
preparations and acquire all the necessary skills, training and market knowledge to 
succeed in the business you will be establishing. Most importantly, never dampen 
the enthusiasm and passion that drove you to entrepreneurship in the first place.   
 
While many home‐based businesses fall along the way, others thrive and become 
phenomenal successes such that the number and output of home‐based businesses 
are expected to significantly increase in 2012. According to analysts, most of the 
best performing home‐based businesses in 2011 have an associated blog or website 
and it is critical to establish one for your business. For 2012, home‐based businesses 
that are expected to experience a jump in consumer demand include home 
renovation services, catering services, wedding consultancies, cleaning services, 
eCommerce, home beauty services, pet‐based services, and business coaching 
services. 
 
 
 
 


Field kit for entrepreneurs e book

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Similar to Field kit for entrepreneurs e book

Recently uploaded

Field kit for entrepreneurs e book