One of my business goals this year is to form strategic partnerships with other small businesses. I believe that the overall experience has the potential to be a win-win in every case -- thats waht makes them strategic.
Lynne Meredith Schreiber recently wrote an interesting article about such partnerships on Startup Nation on this subject; particularly how to form a productive partnership. He admonished business owners to "do [their] research and identify a handful of good companies that might make great partners; have a clear understanding of goals, make sure the corporate culture matches yours, then meet to talk about it."
In working with a start up business owner recently on a potential partnership, I realized that we did not have the same goals. Although this did not stop the partnership and we continued negotiations to make it a win/win situation for both us, it is important that the goals of the individual business are at least understood and respected before forming a partnership. If this cannot be worked out, perhaps that is not the best partnership for either party.
Showing posts with label grow your business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grow your business. Show all posts
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Happy Holidays!!
Remember to take time out to share with family and friends the Holiday season. Happy holidays and I look forward to working with all business owners looking to grow their businesses in the coming year.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Showing Your Business Skills on the Job
Intrapreneurship is the opportunity to exercise your entrepreneurial skills within a company or organization. It is a great way to gain corporate independence as well as increase your profile within the company and the industry. Robert Wallace, author and CEO of Bithgroup Technologies Inc. in Baltimore, shares what it takes to become a successful intrapreneur.
Understand that an intrapreneurial venture requires many of the same skills as starting your own business. Is there a need for this separate business unit? Will you be able to manage the budget and resources required for success? How will you increase value over time?
Develop a business plan. Plan for development, sustainability, and growth with provisions made for change and innovations. Wallace also suggests that as you develop your plan, consider your professional goals and how the structure of your business plan will address them.
Know the rules of engagement in your company. "Every organization has a culture, and the culture defines the rules about how success is attained," Wallace explains. How receptive is your organization to new ideas or business concepts? What have been the channels of completion for other projects? "A lot of minority professionals don't understand that it's not just about the credentials and how hard you work."
Build strategic alliances that advance you. To move any idea forward, an employee needs the advice and support of mentors and advocates, senior level executives who will advise you on how to manage the political climate.
Taken from Black Enterprise Magazine (Kingsley Kanu, Jr.)
Understand that an intrapreneurial venture requires many of the same skills as starting your own business. Is there a need for this separate business unit? Will you be able to manage the budget and resources required for success? How will you increase value over time?
Develop a business plan. Plan for development, sustainability, and growth with provisions made for change and innovations. Wallace also suggests that as you develop your plan, consider your professional goals and how the structure of your business plan will address them.
Know the rules of engagement in your company. "Every organization has a culture, and the culture defines the rules about how success is attained," Wallace explains. How receptive is your organization to new ideas or business concepts? What have been the channels of completion for other projects? "A lot of minority professionals don't understand that it's not just about the credentials and how hard you work."
Build strategic alliances that advance you. To move any idea forward, an employee needs the advice and support of mentors and advocates, senior level executives who will advise you on how to manage the political climate.
Taken from Black Enterprise Magazine (Kingsley Kanu, Jr.)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Taking a Break Can Help Grow Your Business
One of the strategies of business growth highlighted on the popular website startupnation.com, suggested that a business growth strategy was “taking a break”. With the holidays just around the corner, this might just be the encouragement you need to take a break and spend time with your family and plan for the coming year’s business opportunities.
The article mentioned that there is too much of a good thing. The same things that give you a mental buzz can also stress you out if you don’t take a breath and relax now and then. This will also ensure that you don’t’ lose the fun factor in your work or the passion for what you do. This is why mental time outs are an important part of business.
This mental break may not come in the form of a physical vacation, but perhaps just taking a few minutes away for the madness during the day to take a walk around the block. You must give yourself permission to stop. Some ways to deal with this mentioned were:
1. 1. Keep a time log. This will help you keep track of the time you wasted and you can use this time to do something that will help you relax.
2. Plan for each activity. Pad extra time around meetings and task to account for time-killers such as traffic.
3.3. Evaluate the quality of your clients. Only do business with clients who don’t take advantage of you, who pay you on time and who are pleasant.
www.startupnation.com
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Virtual Assistants in the News - Entrepreneur.com
Virtual Help for Real Entrepreneurs
Learn the many roles a virtual staff can fill to help grow your business. By Pattie Simone | October 14, 2008
If you're like most entrepreneurs, you've got piles of paper cluttering your office and to-do lists that seem to be multiplying like rabbits. The good news is that many of the tasks that keep you from being as productive (and profitable) as you could be can be outsourced. You may not think you can afford to hire help, especially in these economically turbulent times. But the fact is you can't afford not to.
Today's Profit Formula
The internet lets you access scads of talented folks with a click of your mouse. And while some tasks, such as filing or greeting clients, might require on-site work, many administrative, marketing and sales functions can be handily accomplished using the services of one or more Virtual Assistants (VAs).
Having a VA frees you up to do what you do best. The smart profit formula for lots of successful entrepreneurs (whether they're a firm of one or many) involves a little front-end investment for maximum returns.
For example, Danny Bradbury, a Canadian freelance writer with clients in his home country, the UK and the Middle East, has seen his workload decrease by 25 percent and business increase 30 percent since using a VA for administrative tasks, such as scheduling interviews, transcribing interviews, tracking down contacts, doing back research and registering him for webinars. Sounds like a darn good deal, right?
Three More Takes Regarding VA's
Laurie Macomber, president of Colo.-based Blue Skies Marketing, an SEO company serving clients across the country, uses a team of virtual workers from different areas (including Canada) to handle diverse functions. Her VA, Melissa Silva, [works] out of her Georgia home. She accomplishes an impressive list of tasks for Macomber, including:
According the Macomber, aka the Google Guru, along with the benefit of having time to run her business, she loves that she doesn't have to deal with any personnel or HR issues typically associated with a part-time or full-time employee.
Katz found his VA through a friend's recommendation. Katz says his VA experience has been purely positive. "She allows me to be more effective. I know that there's a direct connection between the increased income I see coming in," Katz says, adding it covers the expense of paying his VA.
Kim Beasley is the owner and senior developer of several businesses, including CustomizeWordPress and Agape3 Business Services, a five-year-old web design and business consulting firm in St. Louis. She has clients all over the world, including Australia and Canada, due in no small part to her team of VAs. Unlike Katz, who prefers to utilize his VA for back-end tasks, Beasley assembled a VA team of professionals with specific skill sets that directly handle many of the services she offers. Her three VAs take care of graphic design, content management, audio and video editing, as well as a range of internal administrative work like managing Beasley's calendar, scheduling webinars and training, putting networking information on Facebook, etc.
"I believe in using the strengths of my VAs, and those things I feel I can outsource, I do," Beasley says.
Because of the web and the various business-related portals and programs (such as Basecamp, GotoMeeting, Twitter
and Facebook) these entrepreneurs can do everything a traditional brick-and-mortar does, and more; including client prospecting, account management, selling products and providing services. Effective VAs are worth their weight in gold.
Learn the many roles a virtual staff can fill to help grow your business. By Pattie Simone | October 14, 2008
If you're like most entrepreneurs, you've got piles of paper cluttering your office and to-do lists that seem to be multiplying like rabbits. The good news is that many of the tasks that keep you from being as productive (and profitable) as you could be can be outsourced. You may not think you can afford to hire help, especially in these economically turbulent times. But the fact is you can't afford not to.
Today's Profit Formula
The internet lets you access scads of talented folks with a click of your mouse. And while some tasks, such as filing or greeting clients, might require on-site work, many administrative, marketing and sales functions can be handily accomplished using the services of one or more Virtual Assistants (VAs).
Having a VA frees you up to do what you do best. The smart profit formula for lots of successful entrepreneurs (whether they're a firm of one or many) involves a little front-end investment for maximum returns.
For example, Danny Bradbury, a Canadian freelance writer with clients in his home country, the UK and the Middle East, has seen his workload decrease by 25 percent and business increase 30 percent since using a VA for administrative tasks, such as scheduling interviews, transcribing interviews, tracking down contacts, doing back research and registering him for webinars. Sounds like a darn good deal, right?
Three More Takes Regarding VA's
Laurie Macomber, president of Colo.-based Blue Skies Marketing, an SEO company serving clients across the country, uses a team of virtual workers from different areas (including Canada) to handle diverse functions. Her VA, Melissa Silva, [works] out of her Georgia home. She accomplishes an impressive list of tasks for Macomber, including:
- Team management and communications
- Scheduling and tracking jobs
- Setting up virtual password protected communications and file sharing system
- Sending presents to clients for referrals, writing and sending out handwritten thank you notes
- Research
According the Macomber, aka the Google Guru, along with the benefit of having time to run her business, she loves that she doesn't have to deal with any personnel or HR issues typically associated with a part-time or full-time employee.
"At first I thought it was outrageous when I discovered the cost would range from $30 to $35 an hour, but their hour is so efficient," Macomber says. "Their 15 minutes is another person's hour."
Michael Katz, chief penguin of Blue Penguin Development, an electronic newsletter relationship marketing firm in Massachusetts) concurs. He went back to work with a VA after a three-month stint with a less productive employee. His L.A.-based VA, who works for Ohio-based Coaches Marketing Source, handles behind-the-scenes tasks that include the mail server and shopping cart, as well as projects related to spell checking and what Katz calls "important detail work."Katz found his VA through a friend's recommendation. Katz says his VA experience has been purely positive. "She allows me to be more effective. I know that there's a direct connection between the increased income I see coming in," Katz says, adding it covers the expense of paying his VA.
Kim Beasley is the owner and senior developer of several businesses, including CustomizeWordPress and Agape3 Business Services, a five-year-old web design and business consulting firm in St. Louis. She has clients all over the world, including Australia and Canada, due in no small part to her team of VAs. Unlike Katz, who prefers to utilize his VA for back-end tasks, Beasley assembled a VA team of professionals with specific skill sets that directly handle many of the services she offers. Her three VAs take care of graphic design, content management, audio and video editing, as well as a range of internal administrative work like managing Beasley's calendar, scheduling webinars and training, putting networking information on Facebook, etc.
"I believe in using the strengths of my VAs, and those things I feel I can outsource, I do," Beasley says.
Because of the web and the various business-related portals and programs (such as Basecamp, GotoMeeting, Twitter
and Facebook) these entrepreneurs can do everything a traditional brick-and-mortar does, and more; including client prospecting, account management, selling products and providing services. Effective VAs are worth their weight in gold.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
10 Tasks a Virtual Assistant Can Do That Would Make Your Life Easier
1. Check phone messages
2. Check emails
3. Follow up - on phone messages and emails
4. Prepare Newsletter (either online or print)
5. Manage your contact list (keeping it current/accurate)
6. Introduce you to products in the marketplace to help you run your business more effectively.
7. Manage calendar/appointments
8. Research opportunities for you to showcase your business.
9. Customer invoicing
10. Prepare marketing and advertising.
These rules are not set in stone, but rather just an example of how a Virtual Assistant can give the busy business owner time back so that they can focus on growing the business.
2. Check emails
3. Follow up - on phone messages and emails
4. Prepare Newsletter (either online or print)
5. Manage your contact list (keeping it current/accurate)
6. Introduce you to products in the marketplace to help you run your business more effectively.
7. Manage calendar/appointments
8. Research opportunities for you to showcase your business.
9. Customer invoicing
10. Prepare marketing and advertising.
These rules are not set in stone, but rather just an example of how a Virtual Assistant can give the busy business owner time back so that they can focus on growing the business.
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