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Feb 4, 2010
Posted by admin on Feb 4, 2010 in Entrepreneur | 0 comments
Creating a successful and profitable business is no easy task. It’s reliant on many outside factors, including competition, timing and demand, which you have very little to no control over at the beginning. Assuming all of these outside factors are in your favor, having a sound business plan can lead to having a successful business. Here are five steps to consider when you’re building your business from the ground up:
1. Determine your business. What are you selling?<br>
This question isn’t as easy to answer as you may think. For example, Nike is in the sportswear business, but the truth is that when you buy a pair of Nike shoes and a t-shirt at the mall you’re buying a lot more than sportswear — you’re buying an image, a feeling. You’re buying the Nike brand. Richard Thalheimer, the former CEO of The Sharper Image and the founder of RichardSolo.com, has worked in specialty retail for more than 30 years. When asked what business he’s in, he’ll tell you “convenience” or “innovation” before he specifies any particular industry, and he’s built one of the most powerful brands in America. Keep in mind, there’s more to a product than, well, the product. Your brand is what sets your product apart from your competitor’s.
2. Select your market. Who are you selling to?<br>
This step is a bit less interpretive as the first, though equally important. Who are you selling to? or more importantly, what do you know about this person? Understanding your consumer is a key to success. What do they do? Where do they hang out? What do they watch on television? These are just a few of the questions that you should be able to answer about your consumer. Knowing the answers to these questions can answer a lot of questions of your own when it comes to a devising a marketing strategy. Richard Thalheimer understood his market for The Sharper Image, probably as well as they understood themselves. From an article in the LA Times, Tracy Wan, who was president and chief operating officer under Thalheimer says “Richard has the amazing ability to figure out the things that people want to have.” This ability to perceive your consumer’s desire can only be a result of knowing them like your neighbor.
3. Create a marketing strategy. How do you speak to these people?<br>
This is a culmination of understanding your brand and your consumer. As mentioned in number two, understanding your consumer can answer a lot of questions concerning your marketing strategy: Where should you advertise? What’s the voice of your brand? What kind of prices are reasonable for this demographic? In order to engage your consumer, a.k.a. sell your product to them, you must know where your advertisements will be noticed, how to speak to them, and how much they will be able to spend, among many of things. Really, this step should have been combined with the last because who your market is dictates your marketing strategy entirely.
4. Learn by example. Seek advice from those who have done it.<br>
There are many books written by professionals who have already started their own business and have been successful in doing so. One that comes to mind immediately, as we’ve already mentioned him a couple of times, is Richard Thalheimer. “Creating Your Own Sharper Image” shares the story of how he grew his tiny office supply company, The Sharper Image, into the thriving enterprise that it has become today.
Remember, building a successful business in not all about the dollars and cents. Equally as valuable is you brand equity and your ability to engage your consumer, which is only attainable by understanding them. Assuming there is a demand for your product, and you can compete with the other brands, following these four steps shall guide you in the right direction.
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Jan 1, 2010
Posted by admin on Jan 1, 2010 in Entrepreneur | 0 comments
One of the hardest presentations to make is the entrepreneurial pitch. You have a great idea for a business and you want someone to give you money to make it happen. The problem is that venture capitalists, angel investors, and even rich uncles are heavily predisposed against you. Why? Because 99% of the pitches they hear sound like sure-fire prescriptions to lose money!
If you are pitching investors to give you money for a new venture, you should subscribe to the following rules:
1. Explain exactly what your business is within the first thirty seconds. Many entrepreneurs waste valuable time giving loads of data, background and other info—all the while investors are left scratching their heads thinking “What does this business actually DO?”
2. Tell your audience who your customers will be. Paint a vivid, specific picture of these people.
3. Explain why your customers going to give you there hard-earned money.
4. Explain who your competitors are. (And if you say you have no competitors, that is a certain sign you are unsophisticated and deserve no investment money!)
5. Explain why you are the ONE to make this happen.
6. Give your presentation with confidence and enthusiasm. Investors want a founder/CEO to be a chief salesperson; they want to see that you can convince the world of your dream—not just them.
7. Explain what star you can hitch a ride to. Has Best Buy or Radio Shack agreed to distribute your new product? Investors feel much more comfortable knowing you have an established player willing to distribute your wares.
8. Ask for a specific amount of money. If all you do is ask for money, then you can’t complain if an investor gives you $3.25 for a cup of Starbucks coffee.
9. Tell prospects exactly what you are going to spend the money on (hint:a trip to Maui for you and your friends will not impress)
10. Dress well, act confident, and put on the air that you don’t really need their money, but would be willing to accept it if they bring enough to the table to be a strategic partner for you. Sad but true regarding human nature, but people are much more likely to give you money if they feel you don’t really need it.
Finally, make each pitch presentation serve as a focus group for your next presentation. When one group of investors asks you a series of questions after you pitch, write down all of those questions and make sure most of them are answered in your next pitch so that the next group doesn’t have to ask them. Keep pitching and keep improving your pitch and eventually you may get funded.
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Dec 8, 2009
Posted by admin on Dec 8, 2009 in Entrepreneur | 0 comments
In the immortal words of Emmerson, “all I need is one idea” Overnight wealth has a certain stigma that “sensible” people seem to be resistant to. The idea of the get rich quick variety is an object of ridicule and derision in alot of peoples eyes. However, with a little focused action and the right knowledge, rapid wealth is not only possible for you, but inevitable for the determined.
The first thing I want to do is qualify the above by saying “quick” means several years…
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In the immortal words of Emmerson, “all I need is one idea” Overnight wealth has a certain stigma that “sensible” people seem to be resistant to. The idea of the get rich quick variety is an object of ridicule and derision in alot of peoples eyes. However, with a little focused action and the right knowledge, rapid wealth is not only possible for you, but inevitable for the determined.
The first thing I want to do is qualify the above by saying “quick” means several years not overnight. Sure, you could write a hit song or contemporary book but these have alot to do with chance. People with determination generally don’t like chance because control is a solid aspect of wealth generation.
Anyone can have an idea. By that I mean virtually any idea can become workable unless its just totally “out there” What matters is that you act. But more then that, before you act, you must know how to make it work. Thats really what most people with a good idea lack.
So knowledge again is where the central workability comes from. So let me give you some knowledge right now. The knowledge of the wealthy. There are many ways to get rich very rapidly but I offer you an example below and some insights about what the wealthy know and have known for centuries.
Arbitrage is a concept that you should learn more about. Its a word that circulates in financial circles and is therefore obscured to the average person as just some odd french word that the stock market people use.
The truth is that arbitrage is the single biggest idea about wealth that you should understand. Doing an arbitrage deal is literally this……..If I offered you 70 cents for your crisp clean dollar note would you take the deal? What if you had $100,000 and I had $75,000 and I said look, let me deposit this money into your account in exchange for your money? Straight swap. How would you feel about that?
Well I imagine you’d say no. I wouldn’t blame you, its hardly a fair deal. Arbitraguers do this all day long. But this is the difference.
We deal in value and perceptions not numerical currency like cash. Or we deal wholesale and sell retail. There are hundreds of ways that I can swap my 70 cents for somebody elses dollar.
The wealthy have practiced arbitrage for as long as currency existed because arbitrage is the secret road to wealth. A secret that will never be openly talked about because it is so tightly held. My little contribution here will do nothing to change that balance, but consider yourself fortunate to learn about this and maybe it will spurr you on to a new life.
Here is a real world example of arbitrage that I practiced many years ago, when I was starting out broke, dejected, but hopeful.
It wasnt long ago but seems like centuries ago. Its pre-history now. One form of arbitrage is the concept of economies of scale. This arbitrage strategy relies on a single fact. An irrefutable reality about fiscal life on the planet earth. Here it is. When you buy something (of anything) in bulk, you are entitled to and more often then not get a very large discount on your purchase. When this bulk amount is “split up” and re-sold in traditional more popular chunks, your investment will return a decent profit.
So here is a get rich quick idea. One you can use right now to establish an income stream to replace your daily job. It can be reproduced and systemized to manufacture a very healthy income indeed.
When you look at newspaper and local journal price lists, you will notice they are very yielding to this concept of economies of scale. Simply a small ad may cost $140 for example. But buy a full page and you only pay say $900. Why? because its less work for the publication. Well my idea was to start a weekly page called “Martins Market” I approached 200 business owners face to face and told them they can get a small ad in my one page spread “Martins Market” for just $90 a full $50 cheaper then if they bought their ad from the paper directly. Do you think this offer interested a good percentage of the business owners I approached? You bet! Not only that, but they got a further discount if they paid up 6 months in advance.
I could fit 40 ads of that size onto my page. Being filled up, I made $3600 every week for an outlay of $900 for the page. I added value with nice graphics and the page got quite well recieved as my clients reported good returns from their ads. This was reproduced 20 times around the country, with 2 sales staff for every “Martins Market” I was netting close to $20,000 per week for a fairly lengthy period.
You will need a few dollars to try this, but its inevitable that if you do your research properly you can make this work and get exactly the same results.
My very best to you
Martin Thomas CEO opportunity investor.com
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Oct 8, 2009
Posted by admin on Oct 8, 2009 in Entrepreneur | 0 comments
Franchises – a French word meaning “freedom from servitude” – implies that the dream of being financially independent can come true. Just pay a fee and sign the papers and you become the proud owner of your very own business. Yes, you are the boss, you make the decisions, and you get the earnings. Someone else has done all the ground work, solved the anticipated problems, and is sharing their knowledge and experience with you.
However, thousands of franchisees have lost their life savings and their companies. The innocent purchaser realizes after-the-fact that he has no real choices about how the business will be run.
The rules and procedures that go with the “Name Brand” dictates every tiny aspect of how the business is to be run – color schemes, what is sold and who you buy it from, hours to be open, type of employees to hire and exactly how to train the employees. The innocent purchaser now has a new boss who is a hard task-master. This new boss comes in the form of detailed manuals that must be followed.
Do franchises ever provide true success? Of course they do! There are thousands of happy, successful franchise owners. However, if they are happy it is because they ‘did their homework’ before signing on the dotted line or putting money out. During the 1980s there were hundreds of fraudulent get- rich-quick franchise dreams available, which, because they weren’t all legitimate, gave franchises a bad name. By 1979 the Federal Trade Commission began requiring complete disclosure of all pertinent information pertaining to a franchise business.
Then the public began to have confidence once again in acquiring a dream business which could not fail. Observing McDonald stores opening up around the globe is proof that, even though the product isn’t the healthiest in the world, it still sells and people still head for the golden arches. And someone is making money!
How can one best analyze a potential franchise business? How can people know it’s right for them, even if the paperwork and finances appear intellectually perfect? After asking every conceivable question, and getting the answers that sound right, here’s the best way to really, really know if that business is for you. Go sit in an identical franchise business that is already in operation.
Sit there and watch and listen — from early morning till they close at night. Learn all you can by watching every aspect. Do this for at least ten days straight. If, at the end of ten days you still ‘feel’ excited and ‘really like being there’ then that particular franchise just might be perfect for you.
If by the tenth day you are making excuses for not going that day,or begin showing up later and later, or just downright begrudge being there, then that is a good indication of how you might feel if you own it. If that’s the case, find a different franchise product to invest in.
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Oct 4, 2009
Posted by admin on Oct 4, 2009 in Entrepreneur | 0 comments
A potential business owner that has an interest in purchasing and running a franchise would benefit from the services of a franchise consultant. A franchise consultant can provide expertise and guidance throughout the entire process. Listed below are 12 reasons that it is advantageous to use this service.
1. The service is free to the franchisee, with the franchiser covering the consulting fees.
2. The service is personal and confidential.
3. The consultant guides the potential franchisee through the entire process of deciding whether to become a franchisee, and how to go about it.
4. A detailed profile including an evaluation of the potential owner’s experience, interests, and goals is complied in order to match the new franchisee with the most suitable opportunity.
5. Education is provided on the various types of ownership and investment options.
6. Investigation into the most suitable opportunities that are available is done by the consultant.
7. Initiation of contact with company representatives is part of the service.
8. The consultant helps to verify each company’s success and track record.
9. The potential business owner saves time and money by having the experts perform research on various opportunities.
10. The consultant acts as the one-stop shop, answering questions and referring the potential owner to other resources as necessary, such as financial or legal advisors.
11. The consultant works with all types of franchises, including full-time, part-time, new units, and re-sale franchises.
12. Complications and confusion are virtually eliminated by having an expert perform these services.
Overall, a franchise consultant will help you determine if franchising is right for you and if so, what type of franchise opportunities you are most likely to succeed in.
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