Welcome to Business Info Guide Monthly – April 2005
BIG Monthly provides entrepreneurs with ideas to make
your business more profitable, entrepreneur profiles,
hot tips and great articles written by industry experts.
We never send unsolicited emails or share your contact
information with anyone (we hate that too!).
***ARTICLE***
The First Step to
Creating Multiple Income Streams
By Marnie Pehrson
Over the last 15 years in
business, I’ve created dozens of income streams that
have bullet-proofed my business, bringing consistent
cash flow regardless of seasonal valleys or dips in the
economy. The first step in creating your own multiple
income streams is to assess your resources. What
talents, abilities, strengths and tools do you have? Are
you good at sales? Do you communicate well with people?
Can you write? Do you have a flair for the artistic? Do
you have a unique skill or ability that others do not?
Do you know how to sell things on eBay and Amazon? Write
down all your skills, knowledge and talents.
Then write
down all the physical resources you have. Do you own a
computer? Do you have a color printer, a scanner or a
digital camera? Can you burn CD’s or DVD’s? Do you have
an unlimited long distance plan? Do you have one of
those little gadgets that can record a phone call?
Perhaps you have a cell phone? A parcel of land? A van?
A pickup truck? Write it all down – write down anything
of value that you have that could be used as a resource.
Now, think
about your friends and family. What do they possess that
you have access to? Do you know someone who is a
fantastic marketer? Do you know someone who is a
copywriter? A lawyer? A mechanic? A
chef? Everyone you know is a resource to you. You
are not an island! You have access to the talents,
skills, knowledge and resources of everyone around you.
You may have to barter with them for their resources,
but what they have is available to you!
To read
the full article, visit:
http://www.businessinfoguide.com/article-multiplestreamsofincome.htm
***ENTREPRENEUR
PROFILE***
Barry Schmell and Joseph Costa - Owners of De La Sole
Footwear
San Francisco, CA
www.delasole.com
San Francisco’s famous Castro District is brimming with
shops and restaurants, art galleries, coffee shops and
people. But partners in business and in life, Barry
Schmell and Joe Costa, noticed something was missing: a
shoe store. So they set out to change a little part of
their favorite neighborhood.
With over 15 years of retail experience, Costa had
longed to start his own business for years. Schmell, a
long-time veteran of the Silicon Valley says, “I did not
always want to go into business for myself, but between
the volatility of the High-tech industry and the strong
desire of my business partner to start a business, I
decided to do it.”
Like most entrepreneurs, Costa and Schmell experienced
some nerves about starting their venture. “Our biggest
fear was not knowing what we needed to know. We lacked
confidence since neither of us had started a new
business, yet we both knew we could run and manage an
existing business,” says Costa.
To combat the fear factor, the pair enrolled in a
business start-up course through San Francisco’s
Renaissance Center. The intensive class lasted several
months and when it was over, the duo had a solid
business plan and a new level of confidence. They also
read numerous business books and interviewed other
business owners to learn from their experiences….
To read the full
story, visit:
http://www.businessinfoguide.com/article-shoestore.htm
***HOT MEDIA
RESOURCE***
Each month we give you contact information for a big
media outlet (television, radio or publication). One of
the best ways to promote your business is through media
exposure. Whether you send a press release or want to
pitch a story idea, we will are committed to bringing
you the hottest markets for getting the word out about
your product, service or book.
This Month’s Media Resource:
NPR
National Public Radio offers plenty of information for
those interested in pitching stories to their producers.
Visit this page on their website for details:
http://www.npr.org/about/pitch/
***ARTICLE***
Making the Most Out
of Google as a Research Tool
By Chuck Hudgins
Everyone knows how to use the basic features offered by
Google, but few make use of its advanced capabilities.
Understanding what you can do with Google can shave
hours off of your research time, especially when it
comes to web site promotion. In this article I will show
you how to use some of Google’s advanced features to
make your SEO research more precise and effective.
Preferences
First thing’s first. Google has a number of preferences
that you can set, which it remembers via a cookie. With
these settings, you can adjust the interface and search
languages, as well as search filters, number of results
displayed per page, and whether or not the results are
displayed in a new window.
To read the full
article, visit:
http://www.businessinfoguide.com/article-googletips.htm
***BIG’S HOT WEBSITE
PICK OF THE MONTH***
Have you thought about adding affiliate links to your
website? Affiliate links pay you when visitors make a
purchase. Check out Commission Junction:
http://www.cj.com/ where you can sign up to be an
affiliate for some big companies including eBay and
Yahoo! Keep in mind that these work best when the
products you are offering meet the needs of your target
audience.
***ARTICLE***
The Triple A Way to
Spark Your Company's Profits
By Michael Brooks, Founder,
The Small Biz Games.
With the economy gaining steam, now is the perfect time
to introduce new money making ideas. Winning small and
home based businesses today must continually shake
things up to stay in the game. Whether it's adding new
marketing twists on existing products and services or
anticipating customer wants with compatible new items
you can add to your product mix, hatching new ideas and
concepts is vital to a profitable company.
AAA
Here is what
I call the "Triple A" way to plant seeds of idea
generation,
innovation and creativity: Anticipate, Ask, and Add.
Anticipate: Is there something your customers
want and don't realize
they need? Something compatible with your business that
you can provide. Take time to study trends and new
business ideas from around the world. When a product,
idea or strategy intrigues and inspires you, ask
yourself, "How can this be an opportunity for me?" You
can often easily borrow and tweak ideas from other
industries and regions with a little thought and
successfully apply them to your own micro small or home
business. Doing this on a regular basis will keep you
light years ahead of your competitors.
To read the
full article, visit:
http://www.businessinfoguide.com/article-tripleaway.htm
***HOT TIP OF THE
MONTH***
You Have Until April 24 to Apply:
The
Small Biz Games
Competition has extended its waiver of entry fees so now
you have until April 24, 2005. (After that, the normal
entry fees will be in effect until the final August 15
deadline for applications.) This is not a grant, but a
competition which will present 21 cash awards of $500 to
$2000 for micro and home-based small business owners,
judged by an esteemed panel of small & home business
experts, including Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the
best-selling marketing series in history,
“Guerrilla Marketing.” Several of our
Newsletter Subscribers have applied and are already
reaping the online publicity, so why don't you throw
your company's hat in the ring? Apply now for the
Small Biz Games.
***BONUS HOT TIP OF
THE MONTH***
Got a great product and think
it would sell well on TV? You can pitch your product to
QVC! Find out how:
http://www.qvcproductsearch.com/
***NEW ON BIG’S
WEBSITE***
The Business Start-up
Checklist and Planning Guide: Kick Start Your
Entrepreneurial Dreams
Do you need help understanding
the steps involved in starting a business? Would you
like an extensive list of resources to locate business
start-up information? This is more than just a
checklist, it is a comprehensive guide to make your
business dreams a reality! Learn more about The
Business Startup Checklist:
http://www.businessinfoguide.com/book.htm
Learn how to start a Non-profit or Charity:
http://www.businessinfoguide.com/nonprofit.htm
Locate Trade Shows and Business Expos for all fifty
states:
http://www.businessinfoguide.com/tradeshows.htm
----------------------------
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------------------------------
***NOTES FROM THE
TRENCHES***
Greetings Fellow Entrepreneurs,
First of all, thank you to all of you for subscribing
to our newsletter. I know you have a lot of choices when
it comes to finding small biz information, and I’m
working hard to make sure that our website and
newsletter provide you with the tools you need.
Speaking of the tools you need to succeed… I want
to hear from you! I hand-pick the information
provided by BusinessInfoGuide.com based on the tools
that I have needed to run my own businesses. The site
itself was born from my own frustration in locating the
information I needed to become a successful
entrepreneur. Now I want to hear from you. Please drop
me a note and let me know what you like on BIG’s websit,
and what information you would like to see added. Tell
me how we’re doing and how we can become your favorite
small business resource. Send your comments to:
Stephanie@BusinessInfoGuide.com. Thanks in advance
for your feedback!
Best of luck with your business ventures,
Stephanie Chandler
Founder of
www.BusinessInfoGuide.com and Book Lovers Bookstore
in Sacramento
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