tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56859491768633970562024-03-13T20:00:30.948-07:00Small Business PhilippinesAbout all the things you needed to know about having a small business in the Philippines: business ideas, business opportunities, business tips, small business communities, business books' reviews and many more, that will surely help you make your small business to a bigger one!!Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-73138276641587142462010-08-10T21:26:00.000-07:002012-02-08T21:53:13.662-08:00Above Aboard: Part 9 Start Your Small Business Now<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that we have a very effective business plan, a business plan that we promised to follow throughout our journey to our very own small business, it is now time to make everything legal. What's the first step? BUSINESS REGISTRATION!! Entrepreneur Magazine Philippines is generous enough to define what are the different types of business and the right government agency for each type of business. Read on. ^_^</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZvNQ5xQ09VqQqOOS7ZZGX3MBVIxyvtH1ku2OqX2F2cn4oHxWpaGne1E9fIy4I3_C25aiSNb1ZEYkDxE8b6KJOsGAvbP00t4DjB5DSHo9lWWTT1XMbOCFbob-84MwhBrBZPOyof2ZUC0R/s1600/small+business-agreement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZvNQ5xQ09VqQqOOS7ZZGX3MBVIxyvtH1ku2OqX2F2cn4oHxWpaGne1E9fIy4I3_C25aiSNb1ZEYkDxE8b6KJOsGAvbP00t4DjB5DSHo9lWWTT1XMbOCFbob-84MwhBrBZPOyof2ZUC0R/s400/small+business-agreement.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22177648@N06/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/22177648@N06/</a></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The first step to operating a business responsibly: REGISTERING YOUR BUSINESS.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br />
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</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ONE OF THE MOST important steps a person who plans to put up a business must take is to register the enterprise with the proper government authorities. Registration enables the business to be officially recognized by the government, and gain all the privileges and responsibilities associated with the registration.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In addition, registering your enterprise will let people know that they are patronizing or doing business with a reputable organization. In turn, your business will be able to claim benefits from government that would be unavailable to you if you did not register your business.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before actually registering the business, determine the type of business structure appropriate for your business.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are four main types of business structure: sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and cooperatives. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages. Most business startups initially register as sole proprietorships or partnerships.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Single or sole proprietorships are best for entrepreneurs who intend to run or manage the business alone. Single proprietorships derive its legal personality from the entrepreneur. This means that the entrepreneur has absolute control over the business, while at the same time shouldering all its financial obligations. This also means that anyone with a claim on the business can run after your personal assets to settle your debts. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To register as a sole proprietorship, one must go to the Department of Trade Industry (DTI), their branches or visit their website to register your business.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>PARTNERSHIP</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another common business structure for startups is the partnership. A partnership is composed of two or more people and has a legal personality separate from those of the partners. What are the benefits of a partnership? The business partners can open bank accounts under a partnership's name. Your liability as a business partner is limited to your share of ownership in the company.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In a partnership, any property that belongs to the company cannot be appropriated for personal use by the business owners. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Partnerships are governed by a document called the Articles of Partnership, a contract that spells out the terms and purpose of the partnership. This includes profit-sharing, exit clauses and other important concerns of the partners. There are two types of partnerships: general and limited partnerships. General partnerships are those where the decision of one partner is binding on all. A limited partnership on the other hand means that one or several partners are only liable for debts corresponding to their contribution.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Partnerships are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which must be furnished a copy of the Articles of Partnership. Partnerships must also be registered with the DTI. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The business partners must be prepared to pay one fifth of one percent of their capital as filing fee, and one percent of the filing fee as legal research fee.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Limited partnerships must have the suffix Ltd. to denote their status.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As sole proprietorships and partnerships grow, they often have to bring in more investors into the business. At this point, it would be wise to transform the business into a corporation.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CORPORATION</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like a partnership, a corporation has a distinct legal personality and a limited liability feature. This means that all of its debts are its own, separate and non-transferable to its shareholders.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like a partnership, a corporation must be registered with SEC. However registering a corporation is more complicated than listing it as partnership.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To form a corporation, there must be a minimum of five incorporators will also form its board of directors. The corporate power resides with the board although major decisions may require the permission of stockholders.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To register a corporation, one must submit quite a number of documents to the SEC stating the proposed corporate name, address of the corporation and the names of the incorporators, details on capital stock, details of subscribed stocks/paid up stocks and the name of the treasurer. You will also have to pay filing fees, legal research fees, and documentary stamp taxes.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A corporation is regulated by the SEC, and is required to submit yearly reports called the General Information Sheet to the SEC.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>COOPERATIVE</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A fourth corporate structure that is not often discussed is the cooperative. A cooperative is basically a group organized to obtain maximum economic benefit for its members, but it cannot be dominated by a single member or a group.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like a corporation, it also has a limited liability feature.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Its registration requirements are the same as those corporations; cooperatives however are registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA). </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aside from the registrations required by the DTI, SEC and CDA there are other registrations that are required at the local level, such as the barangay and city/municipal governments. These registrations would often just involve bringing copies of your DTI, SEC, CDA registrations along with your lease contract or land title as well as paying some fees. You may also need to register your business with other government bodies, depending on your line of business.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Continue on Part 10 of Start a Small Business Now: EVERYTHING IN PLACE</span></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Rewrite from Entrepreneur Philippines</span></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">January – February 2010 issue. All rights reserved.</span></span></div></div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-23159845074796782282010-08-10T01:32:00.000-07:002012-02-08T21:44:09.937-08:00CHECKLIST: Basic Parts of a Business Plan: Part 8 Start Your Small Business Now<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the previous post, you learned how to make your very own business plan. Detailed steps are discussed there and it's very helpful to small business enthusiasts like you. In this article, checklist will be given to you so that you will know if you missed something or you've had everything written. Entrepreneur Magazine Philippines shared you the checklist or what we call the basic parts of a business plan. Read on and learn.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPT7so_33hLXZsWXgpFxlnjvTJMBtw-5HkKlhFeMjRLcyYtDR-8A8cXUYRKF3iOAj9EPrNVQ4XOJzuoMQ3reGsQOjCNBeMFWnnqebd812Gihor5HUJ7Qhp9t0k7as-9WwsdWAUR3bgIh0/s1600/small+business-business+plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPT7so_33hLXZsWXgpFxlnjvTJMBtw-5HkKlhFeMjRLcyYtDR-8A8cXUYRKF3iOAj9EPrNVQ4XOJzuoMQ3reGsQOjCNBeMFWnnqebd812Gihor5HUJ7Qhp9t0k7as-9WwsdWAUR3bgIh0/s320/small+business-business+plan.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A basic business plan has the following parts:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1. Cover</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Right from the start, make sure that your business plan reflects your business. There is no need for a complicated or an overly decorative cover, but make sure that the cover is presentable and entices the reader to open the document and read on.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2. Executive Summary</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aside from summarizing the business plan, the executive summary should contain important contact information.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. Table of Contents</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While this might be optional, a TOC shows consideration for the reader.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4. Information on the Company</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This should contain factual and other background information on the company: year the company was established; whether the company is a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation; the names of the founders, owners, partners and incorporators; history of the company and company profile; and mission of the company.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>5. Information on the Industry and Business Environment</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This part of the business plan will allow potential investors and lenders to compare and analyze facts and figures. From these information, they will be able to determine your company's chances at success, which will in turn determine whether they would invest in your company or not. Remember that they have their own sources of information, so make sure that your information is solid. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>6. Information on the Management Team</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Build on the strengths of your people, but again do not make false claims in this part of the business plan.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>7. Marketing Plan</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After introducing your company and the people behind it, say how you intend to promote your product or service, the cost of promotion and how you intend to compete with your rivals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>8. Financial Statements</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is good to present your projected finances on a quarterly basis, until such time you foresee making a profit.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Continue on Part 9 of Start a Small Business Now: ABOVE ABOARD</span></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Rewrite from Entrepreneur Philippines</span></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">January – February 2010 issue. All rights reserved.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-16619212694464645112010-08-10T00:14:00.000-07:002012-02-08T21:45:36.946-08:007 Steps to Make Your Own Business Plan: Part 7 Start Your Small Business Now<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Entrepreneur Magazine Philippines shared the steps on making your very own business plan. Isn't that cool? Read on and learn. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujDmd2dTanmy9TY7q5vGMFDespXjUbPRiWDc_Fwq0Wfd8KiUf9qe-I4Gf_qWnoEMKAHAQ6UjLuoQWYWmwMHTL4XcklPTIbhRE8HF39Ea9GV8IifXHX0Hbm4tu_umeD9uOU7dbL18J-k6K/s1600/small+business-business+plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujDmd2dTanmy9TY7q5vGMFDespXjUbPRiWDc_Fwq0Wfd8KiUf9qe-I4Gf_qWnoEMKAHAQ6UjLuoQWYWmwMHTL4XcklPTIbhRE8HF39Ea9GV8IifXHX0Hbm4tu_umeD9uOU7dbL18J-k6K/s400/small+business-business+plan.jpg" width="359" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Step 1: Name your business.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most entrepreneurs consider their businesses as their babies; and just like naming babies, choosing a name for your business is not an easy task. It is however a very necessary step in making the business plan. After all, this is the name you will be referring to when you begin piecing your business plan together. The business name, to a great extent, reflects the character of your business, so be very deliberate when choosing a one.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aside from coming up with the company name, you may also come up with a separate name for your product or service, which could serve as your trademark. Again, be very careful when choosing product names, for very often, this will determine the brand image and brand experience of your product. As the Department of Trade and Industry puts it, a name is "extremely important because it distinguishes your products and services from those of your competitors, and helps to establish your identity in the marketplace."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do businesses get their names? A lot of Filipino businessmen name their businesses after themselves or their family and friends; some even use wordplay and puns in order to grab people's attention. In choosing names, always remember that the name should describe the nature of your business. You cannot use a name that has already been registered with the DTI or with other government agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Department of Labor and Employment. In addition, the law prohibits naming a business or its products using words that are illegal, scandalous and purely generic, and names and styles used by the government in its governmental functions.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Step 2: State your mission.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most people have life goals, and so should your business. Although it may be easy to say that your business's mission is simply to make money, putting up a business is in fact more complex than that. In the mission statement, spell out the purpose of your business and its goals, including the product or service concept that you plan to adopt.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like everything else, keep the business goals and targets realistic, so as not to put off the reader with fantastic fanciful claims. Always keep in mind that a potential investor or lender will base their decisions on your business plan.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Step 3: Introduce the business and its management team.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Make a clear and complete description of the business and how you plan to start and operate it. You need to state the rationale behind the business's establishment. Introduce the people -- the team -- who will run or invest in it. It is however not enough to say who they are -- include a brief look at their background including prior professional and business experience, educational attainment, leadership skills, and personal resources.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You need to convince the reader that your management team is capable of leading the business and steering it toward your goals. State any particular management strategy that you plan to adopt, along with identifiable results of this strategy.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Include in this part of the business plan an overview of the general economic environment in which the business will operate, along with an explanation of how the management team will perform under these conditions. Needless to say, economic indicators will be needed for an accurate depiction of this overview. These data can also be referred to in the other sections of the business plan.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Step 4: Elaborate on your product and marketing plan.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may have great people and a great concept, but how will you sell and market it? In this part of the business plan, discuss your products or service in detail, and how it would generate revenues for your business. This part will answer questions such as: Does your product have any unique characteristic? How big is its potential market, and how much of that potential market can you attract over a certain period of time? Enumerate your suppliers, their availability and reliability.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next, describe your market, and provide a detailed description of your potential customers, such as their demographic profile and recent trends in consumption patterns related to your products and services. Write down your sales projections as well, but do not make overly optimistic forecasts. Keep in mind that any perception of economic or political uncertainties are likely to influence consumer decisions, so try to factor in such possibilities.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Step 5: Illustrate your financial strategy.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is where you will need to focus on the bottom line of any business. This will attract the most interest from your readers -- show the flow of money into and out of the business, coming up with either a profit or loss for a particular period of time. Keep in mind that finance people will be looking at the numbers and analyze your projected performance ratios.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the best part of a business plan that is usually daunting to aspiring entrepreneurs; however there is help available. Seek assistance from an accountant or a financial planner in preparing this section of the plan.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If your business has been operating for some time, and you have made a business plan in order to seek additional funding, pay close attention to the cash flow portion of your financial report. The cash flow analysis shows how efficient the management team has been in making use of the cash that goes into the business. Most new businesses tend to end accounting periods with deficits; this is but normal. How this deficit will be turned around is an important point that the business plan should reflect. It may be useful to provide for contingencies for additional cash that can be plugged in by either your investors or your lenders.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Present a detailed budget for your business operations, reflecting all your departments' projected expenditures. The budget is an important guide when trying to raise revenues or when making capital investments. Usually the budget is broken down into monthly expenses to allow management to get a better grip of the business's activities, including problems that may arise from unexpected slumps in sales revenues.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Step 6: Write the executive summary. </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A business plan can be a very long document with hundreds of pages, so for the convenience of the reader you need to provide a concise brief of the plan's crucial contents. This section encapsulates your entire business plan for those who don't have time to go over the entire document -- these are often the decision-makers who should be informed about the business. The executive summary is usually written last, after the entire document is completed. The executive summary may appear at the start or at the end of the business plan.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Step 7: Go over the document.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whenever it is possible, use charts and graphs to illustrate cash flows and projected return on investment.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Continue on Part 8 of Start a Small Business Now: CHECKLIST: BASIC PARTS OF A BUSINESS PLAN.</span></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Rewrite from Entrepreneur Philippines</span></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">January – February 2010 issue. All rights reserved.</span></span></div><br />
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</span></div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-52010471890241469202010-08-09T23:22:00.000-07:002012-02-08T21:46:15.943-08:00According To Plan: Part 6 Start Your Small Business Now<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span><br />
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</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">You already know what you want right? Then it is time for you to get going. First, MAKE A PLAN! In business, it's making a BUSINESS PLAN. If you wanted to succeed in your small business then make a plan. Don't know how will you make a plan? Then continue reading this series of Start Your Small Business Now by Entrepreneur Magazine Philippines.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8A1MccTmoKwtRg2DIOh6hkUD7ZIZ5uFxWAfct1rsZdtpreRlx5cXCn-bpiPCeTDeDTKmKwZbzYdxpKEu1gbhr4aiO1-kckZ8XtDrFf_eUNlYnl9Gl-nqsPFkBaHSlLlejaKzyXDlfhk5w/s1600/small+business-research.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8A1MccTmoKwtRg2DIOh6hkUD7ZIZ5uFxWAfct1rsZdtpreRlx5cXCn-bpiPCeTDeDTKmKwZbzYdxpKEu1gbhr4aiO1-kckZ8XtDrFf_eUNlYnl9Gl-nqsPFkBaHSlLlejaKzyXDlfhk5w/s400/small+business-research.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ACCORDING TO PLAN</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Make and stick to a business plan, to keep operations focused on your goals and targets.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>THE BUSINESS PLAN</b>, together with solid market research, is the foundation of any business. The business plan outlines your company's direction, brand values, identity, and how it would operate in order for the business to become a success. A business plan also helps keep you focused and centered on your business goals and targets as your business develops and grows.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having a business plan is an ideal way to start a business, for it ensures that you're not leaving anything to chance. This makes your business attractive to investors and lenders, who look at this document to see how viable your business would be in the long run, before sinking their investment pesos into your venture.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Undertaking and actually writing a business plan could be intimidating to some entrepreneurs, especially those who have no business background. However, one should not be daunted by the task, since the language of a business plan does not need to be technical. Remember that a business plan is basically a list of your business strategies and objectives, assets and resources at hand, and the best methods for your company to become viable and generate your desired profits.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your plan can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be, but for your investors' sake, do keep it understandable and not too wordy. It should include the name and description of your business, a vision statement, business profile, your products and services and key people; a description of the economic environment and how you intend to steer your operations through possible turbulence; a marketing plan and evaluation of competition; and a budget, including a cash flow projection.</span></div><div><br />
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</span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Continue on Part 7 of Start a Small Business Now: STEPS TO MAKE YOUR OWN BUSINESS PLAN.</span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Rewrite from Entrepreneur Philippines</span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">January – February 2010 issue. All rights reserved.</span></div></div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-11206362970380248532010-08-01T23:00:00.000-07:002010-08-01T23:00:24.402-07:00Know What You Want: Part 5 Start Your Small Business Now<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that you already know how to do the research and you already found out what's your market going to be, then it is time to know what you want. It means you need to know exactly what you are looking for. So if you are really interested to know how to set up a small business in a right way, then it is advisable for you to keep continue reading this series of articles from Entrepreneur Philippines magazine. Remember, the more you know what you want, the greater chance of success you will have in the world of business.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoDhybpNT6hQCigmkl3akS9lvVTzHXett8KteRmJz4jdF_IMuiTpGpO8Ml7WfyPuQ2pESVQBlamamcDhjuSFOmP6fMMWwAY0prKba5RhqbVl3hG7xr66jlnJ7Cd-cSlF0DVsNUh75QQDu/s1600/small+business-know.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoDhybpNT6hQCigmkl3akS9lvVTzHXett8KteRmJz4jdF_IMuiTpGpO8Ml7WfyPuQ2pESVQBlamamcDhjuSFOmP6fMMWwAY0prKba5RhqbVl3hG7xr66jlnJ7Cd-cSlF0DVsNUh75QQDu/s400/small+business-know.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/55476234@N00/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/55476234@N00/</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although there are many ways to conduct market research, what's important is that you know exactly what you're looking for. Being clear about what you want to learn, says Perez of Satisfind, will not only lead you to ask the right questions but will also show you the best way to gather the answers from the best possible survey respondents. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Market research can be classified into qualitative, says Kai Salvino, Satisfind's director for customer research. The former explores the "whys" and "hows" and the latter gets the numbers and other measurable results like age, income bracket, and educational attainment.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Qualitative research methods include focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews, while quantitative research counts the usage, attitude and image (UAI) study; product, concept and brand name tests; and pricing studies among others.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, it's important to define the market you would like to penetrate, says Paulo Lao, a strategic marketing lecturer at the University of the Philippines Institute for Small Scale Industries (UP-ISSI). "What market is involved? What are the customers' unmet needs and wants? Is the product or service you're going to offer better than the one existing in the market? That's really the source of business opportunity," Lao says.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Continue on Part 6 of Start a Small Business Now: ACCORDING TO PLAN.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Rewrite from Entrepreneur Philippines</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">January – February 2010 issue. All rights reserved.</span></div></span>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-40243953956043214162010-08-01T21:18:00.000-07:002010-08-01T21:28:36.890-07:00Research Basics: Part 4 Start a Small Business Now<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The previous post discussed that you need to find the market first before you create the product. That means you need to research. This part will give you the basics of researching in the most simple terms that everybody can understand. Enjoy reading this part from Entrepreneur Philippines magazine and I hope that it will help you expand your knowledge about researching.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQjMY-7Gqu_vzLXkvLlck9XnkSA03UEpe00mQg-4l3lD9TRiRikVqb8ikYFzW5X2U1J9C3tz8VSwrXf_xVJBnsLeGgjYsgNKcaHUtU-_OEB9yqI0EMOAjV4MP2BusP-n-b21hEUJ_goJw/s1600/small+business-research2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQjMY-7Gqu_vzLXkvLlck9XnkSA03UEpe00mQg-4l3lD9TRiRikVqb8ikYFzW5X2U1J9C3tz8VSwrXf_xVJBnsLeGgjYsgNKcaHUtU-_OEB9yqI0EMOAjV4MP2BusP-n-b21hEUJ_goJw/s400/small+business-research2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most start-ups think that market research is expensive, and so entrepreneurs forego doing it. But in fact it can be done for free, it pays off in the long term, and can be considered "an investment for the entire business," says Perez of Satisfind.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What's the simplest way to research your market? Ask or interview people, even just your immediate network of relatives, friends and neighbors. Brad Geiser, director for strategics, creatives and market research at Geiser-Maclang Marketing Communications, says:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"As you interview people, your body of knowledge increases. When you're new in a business, it allows you to accumulate facts, and it's cheaper."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Personal interviews are one of the five basic methods of market research; the others are surveys, focus groups, observation and field trials. Most businesses use one or a combination of them based on the data that they need and how much money they're willing to spend to get it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Interviews, like focus groups, include unstructured and open-ended questions and provide more subjective data than surveys. Although their results aren't statistically reliable, they also yield insights into the attitudes of your target customers and usually uncover issues related to new products or services.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Surveys, meanwhile, have five kinds: In-person or one-on-one, telephone, mail, and online. All of them are relatively inexpensive. In general, you can analyze a sample group that represents your target market with concise, straightforward market with concise, straightforward questionnaires. The larger the survey sample, the more reliable the results will be.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Observation research removes the inconsistencies between people's response to a survey or focus group and their actual behavior, because when you observe customers in action at stores, at work or at home, you can see how they buy or use a product or service -- thus giving you a more accurate picture of customers' usage habits and shopping patterns.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lastly, field trials work by placing new products in selected stores to test a customer's response in real-life selling conditions, which can help you modify your product, adjust your prices or improve your packaging. Usually, startup business owners should establish a rapport with local store owners and websites that can help test their products.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If after your research you realize your business probably won't work out, "it's not death sentence for your idea," says Geiser, who was also interviewed in <i>The Ultimate Guide </i>bookazine. "A real entrepreneur will figure out a way to make it work. What people really look for in market research are new ideas, new beliefs, and new directions -- an edge. Not just what is, but what could be."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Continue on Part 5 of Start a Small Business Now: KNOW WHAT YOU WANT</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Rewrite from Entrepreneur Philippines</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">January – February 2010 issue. All rights reserved.</span></div></span><br />
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</span>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-44250377711643008662010-08-01T20:37:00.000-07:002010-08-01T20:37:16.745-07:00Get Off On The Right Foot:Part 3 Start a Small Business Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBh9l2nRHPCKq-45xHOoTYbaHolPe2Fa8ULc9T_vn6Veqk5y-pBTjX2jAQKsbksjFEXoydjAtaxHD0PlIeVbNn9x69QDxEfoHxfybQewloemRXsg3xwGWgFMl13YlcELb2nJPAI6TYMiTB/s1600/small+business-step.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBh9l2nRHPCKq-45xHOoTYbaHolPe2Fa8ULc9T_vn6Veqk5y-pBTjX2jAQKsbksjFEXoydjAtaxHD0PlIeVbNn9x69QDxEfoHxfybQewloemRXsg3xwGWgFMl13YlcELb2nJPAI6TYMiTB/s320/small+business-step.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22714323@N06/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/22714323@N06/</a></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that you know that you are meant to build an empire starting from being a small business owner, you need to make one step towards creating your business NOW. Go ahead and read this article from Entrepreneur Philippines magazine and you will learn a lot.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>GET OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Make sound business decisions -- even before you start your enterprise -- based on solid market research.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>IT IS ALWAYS </b>wise to exercise caution, or as the saying goes, "look before you leap." New entrepreneurs taking the leap into a new business, therefore, would be prudent to scope out or research their market even before they put their first peso into their pet ventures. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Market research means collecting the information you need to make decisions about your business. It is the systematic gathering, recording, and analyzing of data relevant to selling the goods or services you produce.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why research your market? As small business expert Susan Ward of About.com puts it, "Trying to start a small business without researching your potential market is as sensible as setting out for the North Pole with a surfboard."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or, as noted Internet business expert Ian del Carmen of the Fireball Group of Companies says: "Do your research. Your amazing idea might not be the perfect business for you. What I always teach my students through my Internet-business coaching program is to find a market first before creating a product, not the other way around.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"If you think your beloved product would sell without extensive research -- if there is a ready market craving for that product -- you're one the wrong track," adds del Carmen, who has recently moved his growing business to the United States after years of operating locally.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Market research not only gets you on the right track, it is "a way of collecting information you can use to solve or avoid marketing problems," according to the <i>Start Your Own Business </i>book published by Entrepreneur Press USA (2004). The book adds: "It enables you to identify specific segments within a market that you want to target, and to create an identity for your product or service that separates it from your competition."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ward stresses that market research isn't something you shelve when you're working on your business plan; in fact, it should come before a business plan, and then "needs to be an integral, ongoing part of your business' development," she says.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although it is likewise true that many businesses have succeeded without researching their markets -- the old "build it and they will come" tactic does work -- the wise entrepreneur knows that market research will help minimize the risks that must be taken.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It is about finding the answers to a particular question," Michelle Perez, president of the marketing communications first Satisfind, says in the ENTREPRENEUR Philippines bookazine <i>The Ultimate Guide to Starting Your Own Business </i>(2007). "Understanding customers, how they look at the product or service, and what kind of impact that product or service has on them [is the heart of market research]."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Continue on Part 4 of Start a Small Business Now: RESEARCH BASICS</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Rewrite from Entrepreneur Philippines</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">January – February 2010 issue. All rights reserved.</span></div></span>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-91428578510117380762010-08-01T19:33:00.000-07:002010-08-01T19:41:03.207-07:0010 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Before Sailing On With Your Own Entreprise: Part 2 of Start a Small Business Now<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let me continue rewriting one of the most important issues of Entrepreneur Philippines magazine, my favorite business mentor. This part will discuss self assessment towards setting up your own business. Enjoy reading and continue asking yourself NOW!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXT7qcHSq7kQ2hw92VAIuopsNxXEUlYFeZd2zrx8VquqkUtR5MvngnUboVofFVyBVdTKX4iGd8EFn5Lnp99izfoqr56n3Hdq59yLEQuIdHuZMRl4GDDzrnQ1vHrzs_LToyqIpF95KCw3G5/s1600/small+business-self+assessment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXT7qcHSq7kQ2hw92VAIuopsNxXEUlYFeZd2zrx8VquqkUtR5MvngnUboVofFVyBVdTKX4iGd8EFn5Lnp99izfoqr56n3Hdq59yLEQuIdHuZMRl4GDDzrnQ1vHrzs_LToyqIpF95KCw3G5/s320/small+business-self+assessment.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_731383976">h</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/79336750@N00/">ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/79336750@N00/</a></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ian del Carmen, president of the Internet marketing firm Fireball Group of Companies, takes a more cautious tone. "I agree that any time is the perfect time to start a business BUT it is not right to say any person is the perfect person to start a business," he says. "Anyone can start any business in 2010 as long as he/she is emotionally, intellectually, financially, and most of all, strategically ready."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are 10 questions -- as advised by the entrepreneurs we interviewed -- you need to ask yourself before sailing on with your own enterprise:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Do you enjoy making decisions and being in charge?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Do you have the willingness to take initiative?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Do you have enough money saved up to start your business?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Do you have a good credit rating?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Do you have strong people skills?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Are you flexible, and can you adapt to changing circumstances?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. Are you good at short-range and long-term planning?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8. Are you willing to take calculated risks?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. Are you good at following through on your ideas, plans and projects?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10. You don't expect your household income to rise within a year of starting your business?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you can answer "yes" to all of them, then you probably are ready to be an entrepreneur. But to learn about the other details of starting a business, turn to the next several pages. Your time is now.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Continue on Part 3 of Start a Small Business Now: GET OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Rewrite from Entrepreneur Philippines</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">January – February 2010 issue. All rights reserved.</span></div></span>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-81646259852929697612010-08-01T18:54:00.000-07:002010-08-01T18:54:08.907-07:00START A SMALL BUSINESS – NOW! PART 1: INTRODUCTION<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipP_Z2hdelgaN8J-245xucprLnNU5HH0oMMAcdCO0tYfOn3Pp38LAqqbyMbMdWq3NwDETwNE3TVJ6A5IBrnrimK4N7XTOEBvmw2jy-dsc1e2_kQWizOGoOtEJ1x0Wx9JSpp3T1KKLZnr-I/s1600/small+business-businessman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipP_Z2hdelgaN8J-245xucprLnNU5HH0oMMAcdCO0tYfOn3Pp38LAqqbyMbMdWq3NwDETwNE3TVJ6A5IBrnrimK4N7XTOEBvmw2jy-dsc1e2_kQWizOGoOtEJ1x0Wx9JSpp3T1KKLZnr-I/s400/small+business-businessman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23912576@N05/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/23912576@N05/</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">While we were strolling in the mall, we bumped into a magazine stand that sells back copies. I rushed through it and while others are getting magazines about fashion and foods, I went to the business and finance section. For sure, I looked immediately for my favorite magazine, my inspirational and motivational partner in business, Entrepreneur Philippines. I was shocked to see that I missed a very important issue this year. My God, it was titled as NEW BUSINESS STARTER GUIDE! That’s actually why this blog was established! It is for small business enthusiasts especially for those who are just starting. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">I will rewrite here straight from the magazine, yes I’m gonna type it manually, all the articles that I think will be useful to the small business enthusiasts who are reading this blog especially those who were not able to get a copy of this magazine. Since I really love this issue, I think I will type almost everything that’s in the magazine and it needs to be divided into several posts. Well, Entrepreneur magazine is an angel, a business partner, and a business mentor to all of small business enthusiasts in the Philippines.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ok, let me begin the first article that I saw which is entitled “<b>START A BUSINESS – NOW!</b>”</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>There’s not better time than the present to begin your own entrepreneurial journey. We tell you why.</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The time is now – to start a business, that is.</b> Why is that? Well, there’s no better time to start anything that the present moment. And we’re not just saying that because it’s the New Year, which always lends itself to thoughts about beginnings. But while these musings may just be fancies, forgotten as soon as February steps in, starting a new business is an entirely more serious and committed undertaking.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">And because we at ENTREPRENEUR don’t want you wasting your Christmas bonuses, savings or retirement fund on a venture that won’t last three months – leaving your would-be employees grumbling the rest of the year – here’s our effort to help you along the road of entrepreneurship: a concise business starter guide that you can turn to when you feel you are ready to take the plunge.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Again, we assert that now is the time to be your own boss, whether of a small enterprise or, if your resources allow it, a big-capital undertaking. Besides the fact that you can only dilly-dally for so long before you decide it’s the right time to start, here are some macroeconomic facts to support our stand:</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">• The Asian Development Bank forecasts the Philippine economy to grow by 3.3% this year – meaning it has weathered global financial crisis. “Economic recovery is under way and is likely to strengthen in 2010,” ADB assistant chief economist Joseph E. Zveglich Jr. Said in a recent BusinessWorld report. “The prospects are looking up. We are seeing some improved business and consumer sentiment in recent months. And there are some signs that trade has bottomed out.”</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VHBdyVRcyc8y7qtCf6AEfgYmR6_d2_WlMISrloWKsm3y2YdDTpaMkLqCU1uK5MDZYoiN6Q6jilE3gVByqCCLOfDtXfAn4FlzAQAUZ7n_gBuRXQLgIdKG43l80W4BGRy5X2juvwynL9mE/s1600/small+business-graph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VHBdyVRcyc8y7qtCf6AEfgYmR6_d2_WlMISrloWKsm3y2YdDTpaMkLqCU1uK5MDZYoiN6Q6jilE3gVByqCCLOfDtXfAn4FlzAQAUZ7n_gBuRXQLgIdKG43l80W4BGRy5X2juvwynL9mE/s400/small+business-graph.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31796655@N07/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/31796655@N07/</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">• Personal consumption and government consumption, which are measures of private and public spending, are also on the rise, indicating that people are starting to let their money loose.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">• The number of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) – which make up 99.6% of all businesses in the country – continues to rise, according to the Department of Trade and Industry.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you’re not the kind that’s swayed by big number and official forecasts, then maybe advice from fellow entrepreneurs will. Asked if it’s wise to start a business in 2010, Armando Bartolome, a noted franchising consultant and president of GMB Franchise Developers, says: “Starting a business does not depend on having a perfect time; what is required is for an entrepreneur to have established a business concept and written down a business plan.”</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“I see that next year (2010) things will be much better (for business) yes full of challenges,” Bartolome adds.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ditto with Lex Ledesma, a serial entrepreneur who is part owner of the iconic Whistlestop restaurant and one of the founders of The One School. He says: “I don’t believe that timing or the general state of the economy has anything to do with the timing of starting a business. The big question is, what is the business? The specific business should serve the needs of the present market. Plus this should be differentiated. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Also, the nature of enterprise should be aligned with the passion and skills of the entrepreneur. If these criteria are met, then the time doesn’t matter, “Ledesma adds.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Continue on Part 2 of Start a Small Business Now: 10 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Before Sailing On With Your Own Entrerprise. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rewrite from Entrepreneur Philippines</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">January – February 2010 issue. All rights reserved.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-40155035870191682312010-07-31T08:11:00.000-07:002010-07-31T08:11:36.373-07:00Small Business Marketing Strategies - 3 Key Strategies For Maximum Visibility of Your Site<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Let's get into the detail. What are the marketing strategies for a small business' site to have a maximum visibility? I found an article and what the author said is very true and very effective.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">There are several small business marketing strategies that can provide optimal success when choosing the web as your marketing venue. Small businesses today are at a great advantage with the internet providing several tools and resources for internet marketing and traffic generation. Knowing what these small business marketing strategies are and how to use them in order to locally market your business properly is very important before you get started.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1- Business Marketing Strategies: Start with the Site</strong></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItEn5bzfeE1DrF829fkvaqkmLVM1eMvcw6NQTFRfWjm7pVfE7fr_P9-1g8_x2BFSYKsyQdT5wFh5X2LG3HzYW8jIGTRZNoDqQzOWRniIEuuOOT2psqWJ1TF2Cx9nVovGdUzxFdFlcpvrV/s1600/small+business-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItEn5bzfeE1DrF829fkvaqkmLVM1eMvcw6NQTFRfWjm7pVfE7fr_P9-1g8_x2BFSYKsyQdT5wFh5X2LG3HzYW8jIGTRZNoDqQzOWRniIEuuOOT2psqWJ1TF2Cx9nVovGdUzxFdFlcpvrV/s400/small+business-web.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/56315780@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/56315780@N00/</span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">When you want to employ top small business marketing strategies online, you want to start with the site because you just cannot get anywhere without your base. This site will be where you are directing your target audience in order to find out more about your business or purchase goods and services from you online. This site should consist of several elements to ensure that there will be a high search engine ranking such as:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">Appropriate Locality Related Keywords</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Keyword Rich Content</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Use of Meta Tags and Descriptors</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">High Quality Graphics</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-size: small;">You want the page to which you refer your target audience to consist of a landing page with the necessary information and elements to ensure they are able to catch the scope of your offering and get right to where you need them to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>2- Business Marketing Strategies: Build an Email List</strong></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Tl13XUtiCSAnGou0xZiseA7yda20jD7EoY8dLjHZ5SGw-R8wBsurIm4v6urrTjWW8dJq2xykgrWEGSeIBTbWBZERu7TqPLP86Q0n6KBGWZeoB_EkOhd4Z5K6v5zVyrGCrs4F99IsWMLI/s1600/small+business-email.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Tl13XUtiCSAnGou0xZiseA7yda20jD7EoY8dLjHZ5SGw-R8wBsurIm4v6urrTjWW8dJq2xykgrWEGSeIBTbWBZERu7TqPLP86Q0n6KBGWZeoB_EkOhd4Z5K6v5zVyrGCrs4F99IsWMLI/s400/small+business-email.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29647247@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/29647247@N00/</span></a></strong></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Once the site is in motion, you want to build an email list of subscribers to which you can email information to direct them to your site, to your business and what you offer. Building the list can be quite simple with some key business marketing strategies. There are several ways you can capture an audience to build your email list such as:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">Adding sign-ups to home page of site</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Blogging sites</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Opt-ins upon site entry</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-size: small;">Building the email list allows you to share pertinent information with your audience, thereby getting them to be part of your business dealings and, as a result, more likely to convert to customers and ongoing loyalty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>3- Business Marketing Strategies: Blogging and Article Writing</strong></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBvI8RJwOovMeR0S8GA9rkXJs8wLNP47e3NnWMJ854sVkHjDccf4QHRXi1m1Fer6vLouBgsTLhzqf0Di4N3njzSl9cyZIQJGLkfioEIP6AmHD8kZR2-sGzvumulXd1DAtQUCYcvfEytd3/s1600/small+business-blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBvI8RJwOovMeR0S8GA9rkXJs8wLNP47e3NnWMJ854sVkHjDccf4QHRXi1m1Fer6vLouBgsTLhzqf0Di4N3njzSl9cyZIQJGLkfioEIP6AmHD8kZR2-sGzvumulXd1DAtQUCYcvfEytd3/s400/small+business-blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21309047@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/21309047@N00/</span></a> </strong></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">There is a strong force behind blogging and article writing that many business owners have found to be extremely beneficial to employ in their small business marketing strategies. The key picture here is getting extreme exposure so you are found by the search engines, target consumers, and everyone else who inquires within your niche. Starting up a couple blogging sites can greatly increase your visibility, as well as traffic generation to your site.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">As you provide relevant information that is sought out, you are building a special relationship with your readers, allowing them to trust your services and products. When it comes to small business marketing strategies, writing articles and posting on your site or on third party sites can also greatly enhance your visibility online and are therefor proven traffic builders.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">There are various strategies that can be combined with others to offer high volume traffic generation, allowing your community and all that you wish to become your consumers to see and be well aware of your business and all you offer. Using the right <em>small business marketing strategies</em> means understanding what it takes to get the exposure that is needed exceed expectations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">(c) Copyright - Darren Brunson. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Article Source: <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Darren_Brunson"> http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darren_Brunson </a></span> </div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-51874673357935792932010-07-31T07:17:00.000-07:002010-07-31T07:17:24.070-07:00Small Business Marketing Ideas - How to Make the Most Out of Your Marketing Efforts<div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwWh21HF-noV9M3hYJgwmDhXQA3Q0HWBZGc_koAkockUWa7PV1QeY3UkcCH2XQYmBkUOtJdVISHyg3LCyGUF4dyKi73GMyYg4OcIQadMQljNyRqPqAmGGRGRtPtYXO1AHDRisbGSSPnt7/s1600/small+business-marketing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwWh21HF-noV9M3hYJgwmDhXQA3Q0HWBZGc_koAkockUWa7PV1QeY3UkcCH2XQYmBkUOtJdVISHyg3LCyGUF4dyKi73GMyYg4OcIQadMQljNyRqPqAmGGRGRtPtYXO1AHDRisbGSSPnt7/s400/small+business-marketing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Hey small business owners, check this out! I'm practicing this one and then I found this article! Very effective :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The internet is a crucial tool in the arsenal of small business marketing ideas. Even though the internet can reach people across the globe, a new trend is focusing locally with advertisements and promotions. One of many small business marketing ideas is using banner ads with a local emphasis. Some ways of bringing traffic to a small business website is to offer free promotional items or considerable discounts. An important way of following up with your ideas is to make sure your site has web presence beyond its own URL. The best way to ensure this is to register with search engines and make sure the content is optimized for higher rankings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">A website must stand out. One way to make sure of this is to use one of the small business marketing ideas. A prominent idea that will bring customers is to offer free or heavily discounted services or products. Some things to consider when building a website with small business marketing ideas in mind are creating an E-zine and including SEO (Search Engine Optimization) content.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">An Ezine, like EzineArticles for example, is a place to write articles on the products or services being offered. It can be very helpful in taking advantage of many of the other small business marketing ideas. A business would benefit by expanding its coverage to trends in the target market. As a business owner you should be commenting on blog posts. When writing articles or blog posts choose keywords that will bring up a site in search engines. A common rule of thumb is to have keywords placed at two to three percent density. That means if a post has 250 words, a keyword and possibly a variant should show up between five times and seven times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Another very important aspect of small business marketing ideas is to comment on blog posts and in chat rooms related to its offerings. This can also work well for setting up affiliates, which could be a very valuable method in small business marketing ideas. Affiliate marketing follows the old adage of "You rub my back and I will rub yours". Businesses that have similar offerings or focus on the same market might advertise the other one and each gets a residual payment each time someone clicks on the ad or buys something from the other business.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">A new trend in small business marketing ideas involves online advertising. The advertising should be based on a users local area and demographic information. Business owners may balk expenses associated with such a campaign. However, the way online advertising works is currently in a state of change. Rather than the old method of Pay-Per-Click advertising (PPC), the latest fad is using Cost-Per-Action (CPA) advertising. The difference is that a publisher does not need to be paid unless a purchase is made. With pay-per-click, a publisher had to be paid even if someone did not sign up for a site or service or purchase a product. But please be aware that even the best small business marketing ideas are useless until someone puts them into action!</span><br />
</div><div> </div><div class="sig" id="sig" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(c) Copyright - Darren Brunson. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Article Source: <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Darren_Brunson"> http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darren_Brunson </a></span> </div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-3817871905835808242010-07-29T21:03:00.000-07:002010-07-29T21:03:19.106-07:00Starting a Business Without Leaving Your Full Time Job<span style="font-size: small;"></span><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, you see it right! You can do it! I am doing it! My friends are doing it! You can really do it! Why would you leave a job just to put up a business if you can do both? Actually, it has even an advantage! You have a constant customers!!! Who? Your colleagues! So do not give me a reason that you cannot set up a business because you are the breadwinner and you cannot leave your job, because again you can do both things!!! Amazing isn't it? Read on the article below to check how.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cOzpSm8fyNDXb2MnEAeoFsfikC65QqLPlZLdYArvaHrZz5McsOeMp_yIl-_RAY_oqrgKNDEZYPLkYYY1VlDnypSaGwTJqZ-uSO-9udAJ9xz5t6F2AHPhv0PopcutHb2HfsCe4FPRrUrF/s1600/small+business-work.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cOzpSm8fyNDXb2MnEAeoFsfikC65QqLPlZLdYArvaHrZz5McsOeMp_yIl-_RAY_oqrgKNDEZYPLkYYY1VlDnypSaGwTJqZ-uSO-9udAJ9xz5t6F2AHPhv0PopcutHb2HfsCe4FPRrUrF/s400/small+business-work.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/</a></div><div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Starting a business in a bad economy, accounts for a very smart move. It provides as a backup option and can prove to be a strong money generator. For example, a small home business or internet business is easy to set up and requires minimal capital.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">There are many benefits of working full-time and running a business. A regular job provides family benefits and the side business allows you to follow your dreams, thereby maximizing tax deductions and earning extra income.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">There is a wealth of information available on the internet, book stores and libraries that provide guidelines for starting a business. However, before you jump into it, it is always good to chalk out a plan on the time and effort you are ready to invest in starting and running a business.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Analyze your Available Time</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">In a given week there are 168 hours. Of that sleeping, eating, personal care, family time, and social life could roughly demand 94 hours. If you have a 40-50 hour regular job 5 days a week, you would have a surplus of 30+ hours and weekends to work on your business. But planning is crucial as you do not want to go on a work overdrive, the work done should be enjoyable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Choose the Right Business</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The next important step is to choose the right business based on your passions, skills and time availability. A good side business is one that does not compromise your regular work, family and social responsibilities, but lets you realize your dreams of becoming financially strong.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Plan the Structure</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">After you have identified the kind of business that interests you, make a work flow or work chart of the business process. Find all the help and resources you need to start and run the business. List your goals, "spread the word" on the internet through family and friends about the products and services your business offers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Use the Internet</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">There are two ways to run your business: "online" and "offline". Traditional offline businesses have been there for centuries where the focus is to expand the business by word of mouth alone. The power of the World Wide Web is now known to one and all. It has the ability to cross all known physical and geographical boundaries to connect people all over the globe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">It is the online business that gives many advantages in terms of marketing your products online and the convenience of working from home after your full time job. Harness the power of starting your business online to reach out to prospective customers and clients and expand your business on a global scale.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">It is vital to set your expectations on a realistic level when starting a business. Staying grounded and following the rules of business, you can make inevitable progress. The journey of preparing yourself and your mind to undertake a business venture on the whole is the best investment one can make. It makes one strong enough to survive any kind of economy and not fear the fluctuations of the job market.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Get a great head start and start your business!</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Article Source: <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Maryjean_Howe"> http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maryjean_Howe </a></span> </div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-48503117579140706212010-07-29T20:44:00.000-07:002010-07-29T20:44:27.200-07:00Owning Your Own Business Now<span style="font-size: small;"></span><div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Well, I'm a person who is not financially stable. I just graduated college because of scholarship. I was expected to just work as a normal employee then earn then help my family. That is the normal thing that they want to see me doing. BUT I took a step. I decided I do not want to be an employee forever. I do not want to be stuck in the rat race. I need to do something. Then that is what I did! I took the risks, use my little amount of savings, then enter the world of business! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">What I'm saying is you do not need to be rich to own a business. You do not need to be supported by everyone because there will be times that they will not agree with your idea. Trust your guts, research more, and be determined of what you want to do, and that is OWNING A BUSINESS! This is the right time to take a single step and own a small business.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmyQGzjqSO8e2lL9lV0mNho7O_z-Q65kWYfTUHCsE6SD0KEQnUvXubw4WGWkFQiFaRNKdvPHAb6OWY0iNpP6PCf5mXZr23rRPKgVAbg8jhtfV0tRkE03S_GeMiggwVFj9eCL-8RyUFean/s1600/small+business-step.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmyQGzjqSO8e2lL9lV0mNho7O_z-Q65kWYfTUHCsE6SD0KEQnUvXubw4WGWkFQiFaRNKdvPHAb6OWY0iNpP6PCf5mXZr23rRPKgVAbg8jhtfV0tRkE03S_GeMiggwVFj9eCL-8RyUFean/s400/small+business-step.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22177648@N06/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/22177648@N06/</span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This article will help you realize you should act now. NOW IS THE TIME. GO ON AND READ.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">You can own your own business now. Just find something you do well and like to do and act on this passion. Although the possibilities are endless, you can make choices through a trial and error process. If you have been working for others your entire life and have had it up to your eye brows, a move into something of your own may be your best move. I know--but what? This was my story many moons ago, so you may have to go through a similar process to mine to narrow your choices.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you do not know exactly what to do, start by going to the local library and walking the aisles noticing categories. Go to the mall and peruse the stores and make note of things you like. Talk to owners of businesses you may enjoy and get their reactions. Look at the nonfiction books in a bookstore to see what trips your trigger. Make sure you have a pocket recorder or pad and pen or pencil so no ideas or thoughts get away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If the above leaves you doubtful, the next step should be the personal approach. Attend chambers of commerce meetings and talk to various business people and discuss the ins and outs of what they do. Call on your local small business administration and pick up their business literature and possibly speak with a counselor about what you may be qualified for. You may come up with a business idea you never heard of or did not know existed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you would consider buying a business, pick up a local newspaper and check the classifieds for active business brokers. Visit one or two or three and discuss different businesses that they have for sale. They can explain each one to see if one appeals to you. This worked for me and it may work for you. But you have to find an agent who will take the time to understand and analyze your desires and capabilities. I wound up buying one and eventually had 3 very successful locations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you decide to be an independent contractor like a handyman, carpet cleaner, landscaper or start a website business, you can work from home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you want to be in business where everything is set up for you including all products and procedures, you may want to investigate franchises. Just make sure you do your homework and due diligence before signing up. You should definitely visit several franchise owners to make sure the whole thing is viable. A good franchise can be expensive. Also, make sure you get a lawyer who specializes in franchise law before you sign anything.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">After you examine and analyze yourself and do your networking, many more ideas will come to the surface. You may have to go with your gut and just pick one. Then you can pump your fists and pat yourself on the back for making a great life-changing decision.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Article Source: <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Bill_Hackenberger"> http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Hackenberger </a></span> </div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-58926030222647996132010-07-29T20:29:00.000-07:002010-07-29T20:29:03.113-07:00Start Small When Starting a Business<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">OK, let's say you inherited millions and millions of money? What if you suddenly became a multimillionaire man because you won the lottery? Then suddenly you are wise enough to decide that you will use your tons of money to start a business and not spend it into gadgets, cars, and houses! Wow! That's very lucky of you!</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sPIVYKZyqMwjkQ5MNJB_xffm-ctdW4D99d5lZsPPMjhK6vnH5LKkRFdXXHWth3LQqTnbq5ilKuiHxgOWky2fD63KVcZxBDb_-urWpLtSp7uHJILRHHA7dkQ2JuWmGJFdyH4f-bVZi9qL/s1600/small+business-businessman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sPIVYKZyqMwjkQ5MNJB_xffm-ctdW4D99d5lZsPPMjhK6vnH5LKkRFdXXHWth3LQqTnbq5ilKuiHxgOWky2fD63KVcZxBDb_-urWpLtSp7uHJILRHHA7dkQ2JuWmGJFdyH4f-bVZi9qL/s400/small+business-businessman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23912576@N05/"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/23912576@N05/</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">But let's say you have no experience in handling a business? Will you put up a very big business because you have tons of money to invest on it? Well, sounds like a bad idea! If you are a beginner, no matter how rich you are, you need to start small.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why? Well, I found an article that best explains this.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;">When starting a business it is best to start small. This advice is popularly given to people who had no experience on handling any type of business. But why start small when you have enough capital to start with? There are so many reason, first is to know the playing field.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Like when learning how to ride a bike, a learner has two small wheels on the side on the back wheel of the bike. These small wheels serve as a guide and protection so that the learner won't fall off when riding a bike. In due time, the learner will get use to balancing the bike and can now remove the two small wheels. The two small wheels have served its purpose but now it is not needed anymore. The learner knows how to ride a bike.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">That also applies in business; the business owner or incoming entrepreneur must first learn how to manage the business with proper care. Just like the two small wheels of the bike, the entrepreneur needs it to make their business prosper. But in business it is not wheels, it is experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The business owner must know what is like to lose money, to earn money, to deal with customers, to properly manage employees, to handle taxes, and to keep inventory. All of this is critical to make the entrepreneur a well rounded and experience business owner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you started your business with a huge capital and somehow did not make its returns, it will not only lose your money but also demoralize your morale and confidence in starting a new business again. But keeping your business with a small capital and somehow did not reach its financial target; the business owner can count their losses and move on the next one - another new business venture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">It doesn't matter if the business owner loses 10 businesses as long as they learn something from their mistakes. This is what you call credit to experience. One day this particular business owner will gain knowledge from their past mistakes by not doing it again and making it perfect the next time around.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">So when starting a business, start small. Remember the two small wheels and don't be afraid of losing and committing mistakes. One of these days your small business will be a big business enterprise.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Article Source: <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Q._Power"> http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Q._Power </a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em;"> </div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-35760343817240710412010-07-29T20:03:00.000-07:002010-07-29T20:04:44.766-07:00Small Business Online Advertising Solutions<div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Everyday there are millions of people using search engines online. The days of the big phone book are over and the keyboard has taken its place. If you are a small business owner, advertising online can be a great way to boost customer sales and get your business out there right in front of the people that want to see it.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIVANwvfsIQNG65_1Oxd_04piby_gwnDec-_2aKn_Ol9MO0Zco5Gj07U8UHbLfMHZ_QXafxsN-MPZ32Jv8fqmy9svQuxx2osj-ZUNxTClcpcnbP_SZlbH65MELHz7pgzVutqJhYrXnTws/s1600/small+business-online+ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIVANwvfsIQNG65_1Oxd_04piby_gwnDec-_2aKn_Ol9MO0Zco5Gj07U8UHbLfMHZ_QXafxsN-MPZ32Jv8fqmy9svQuxx2osj-ZUNxTClcpcnbP_SZlbH65MELHz7pgzVutqJhYrXnTws/s400/small+business-online+ad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27858535@N03/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/27858535@N03/</span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">With online advertising, you get to see instant results. There is no waiting for your advertisement to be printed, or even in most cases, any advertising costs. The internet is the best free advertising that you can possibly get plus anything you put online will be there 24 hours a day, seven days a week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Many small business owners have one thing in common, they all want more customers, which in turn makes them more money. Now the best way to do this is to make it as easy as possible for potential customers to find your business, look at what you are offering or selling, and make a purchase. What easier way for a customer to do this than from the comfort of their own home? With online advertising, this is what you are doing, you are putting your business right in front of their eyes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Now there are many different ways to advertise your small business online depending on what type of business you own. If you are a local business and want customers to come to your store, you would want to first let the people know what type of business you are, and second where you are located. The easiest way to do this is by using online directories. These are the yellow books of the new age. Here you can make a whole profile for your business, and most online directories have places for customer reviews and feedback. Being listed in many different directories gives you more opportunities for potential customers to find you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you are a small business that sells different products or services, you might want to use a different online advertising approach. You would want to have a website that your customers could easily find. The website should have enough information on your products that people would have no further questions and be ready to purchase your product right away. Your web page should be easy to find which usually requires some sort of optimization of your website which allows for a higher rank in search results.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">No matter what type of small business you own, online advertising is a great way to boost sales and really get your business seen. Whether you decide to have someone do your online advertising for you or do it yourself, online small business advertising is guaranteed to give you the boost your business needs.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Article Source: <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Justin_A_Wright"> http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Justin_A_Wright </a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em;"></div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-28875249427878095122010-07-29T19:30:00.000-07:002010-07-29T19:30:43.219-07:008 Ways to Generate New Ideas For Your Business<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You've got your own business but how will you market it? You need some new ideas to put into your business so that customers will keep on coming. Customers will always look forward to check on what's new to your business and they keep on enjoying the new things they found on your business. BEING CREATIVE! That's the right term. All successful businesses, even though they are stable, keep on being creative to stay on top. As a small business owner, you also need to work on your mind and think, think, think of something new. </span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqExEFtuNJBRO4EWZlOmhYevuACzrIuhUm8npVpX0500tXsFKJDNp8cEOX6IPuEgPJ00s36aooHwfxpAp1F4b5z_r7M0utBw2_c6Q4RKF72eJ50F-92O4pXYtsmPsxhOzl_9sK5GulhP6G/s1600/small+business-idea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqExEFtuNJBRO4EWZlOmhYevuACzrIuhUm8npVpX0500tXsFKJDNp8cEOX6IPuEgPJ00s36aooHwfxpAp1F4b5z_r7M0utBw2_c6Q4RKF72eJ50F-92O4pXYtsmPsxhOzl_9sK5GulhP6G/s400/small+business-idea.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22177648@N06/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/22177648@N06/</span></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have an article here that I found that I will share to you about 8 ways how to generate new ideas for your business. This is so important in a small business enthusiasts like you. <b>So enjoy reading!!</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></div><div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;">The only purpose of a business is to bring in a customer; and there are really only two ways to do it - through marketing or innovation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">New ideas are the lifeblood of any business so it is important to encourage creativity among employees and to be truly innovative.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">But creativity and innovation are not the same. Creativity is all about coming up with new ideas, whereas innovation involves putting new ideas into action.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">New ideas can be very difficult to find. When you do find them and put them into action, they can provide a powerful marketing edge and become a license to print money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Here are 8 ways to help generate new ideas for your business success:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>1. Ask for Opinions</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvLJyzgOsQX7PtfA1PfWpjWfmwfUlzwdCpyyDXaaqdly-GlG1yYVps7d5G9rO9dOwsPjYNGS4zv6arFo6axTCsd3Biz2khXZUrpsITOxJpH5zadAB82WDrTy00ZeafJOdPsv82Gdjmmhk/s1600/small+business-ask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvLJyzgOsQX7PtfA1PfWpjWfmwfUlzwdCpyyDXaaqdly-GlG1yYVps7d5G9rO9dOwsPjYNGS4zv6arFo6axTCsd3Biz2khXZUrpsITOxJpH5zadAB82WDrTy00ZeafJOdPsv82Gdjmmhk/s400/small+business-ask.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/59973195@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/59973195@N00/</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div><span style="font-size: small;">You could hire consultants or you could simply seek opinions from someone who knows absolutely nothing about your business. We often get so close to what we are doing, that we cannot see another way of doing things. There are times when we need to step outside our own environment because sometimes ideas used in one trade can be adapted to another.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">For example, which came first the ball-point pen or the roll-on deodorant? They both use the same ingenious principle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>2. Encourage Staff Creativity</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrw_XhMGUVPQEkBpN7udAg-uzaxXdYmubPQWBEea1qs6hcYxbviKcyWJGomkks8McVuHOd0TDdtDOWReiu5ZhNv4gOQ095Qh2pfoUIhqXl9DNM5HkbMbUOtldPJe9tNAzVIWc-4-Lu-958/s1600/small+business-staff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrw_XhMGUVPQEkBpN7udAg-uzaxXdYmubPQWBEea1qs6hcYxbviKcyWJGomkks8McVuHOd0TDdtDOWReiu5ZhNv4gOQ095Qh2pfoUIhqXl9DNM5HkbMbUOtldPJe9tNAzVIWc-4-Lu-958/s400/small+business-staff.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/97285730@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/97285730@N00/</span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">If you employ staff, encourage them to think up new ideas and get them to suggest changes. You will need to be open-minded and encourage their input. You will need to be tolerant when their ideas do not work. And you will need to reward them in some way for good ideas, although you will probably find that the satisfaction of "seeing their ideas in action" may be reward enough.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>3. Brain Storm</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPvxg7GnU7eubsUsXShHPcbVcdmAolIAw2IgeP-C9QApz9AIyU_xTrzfzcD1waRX_8fsLZU_HEHW65jeHSHjSGXjLk3WoRZZbRSqOSWUB_w3Ysl_Ci5r5QHraQX1OfWOu-oiod3gsEE3-/s1600/small+business-brainstorm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPvxg7GnU7eubsUsXShHPcbVcdmAolIAw2IgeP-C9QApz9AIyU_xTrzfzcD1waRX_8fsLZU_HEHW65jeHSHjSGXjLk3WoRZZbRSqOSWUB_w3Ysl_Ci5r5QHraQX1OfWOu-oiod3gsEE3-/s400/small+business-brainstorm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/47854931@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/47854931@N00/</span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">One of the best ways to tap into new ideas is through brainstorming. This could involve family, friends, staff, customers and even other business owners. The key with any brainstorming session is to disallow any negative comments and to only analyse or develop ideas once the session is over.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The purpose of a brainstorming session is to produce a quantity of ideas. It is quantity not quality. Refining the ideas comes later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>4. Re-educate the Mind</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxh3JS8wv1FsdYtya0ghGZO7mkIXO8DBZa14j5rA-wu5AUiPdBYWpr9_33AHRSbASohcAO4Qi35w1Cco_WCN37U054oEr90CQDTaQRROrZS3VXDIztUyWUHz-k9fnX56KdrkdHntQvdkzl/s1600/small+business-mind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxh3JS8wv1FsdYtya0ghGZO7mkIXO8DBZa14j5rA-wu5AUiPdBYWpr9_33AHRSbASohcAO4Qi35w1Cco_WCN37U054oEr90CQDTaQRROrZS3VXDIztUyWUHz-k9fnX56KdrkdHntQvdkzl/s400/small+business-mind.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/82312837@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/82312837@N00/</span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">There is an old saying, "you never stop learning" and it is true. If you are willing to make a personal commitment to perpetual re-education you will reap the rewards. Allocate an annual budget (maybe 1% of your turnover) for personal and staff re-education. Consider training courses, seminars, workshops, audiotape programs etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>5. Become a Case Study</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3or86C5SD7hw3n0vh5YV531Iz12lcC4rHlhFoYNKrGhW-9UP4VRzonudfe93aWC8x2PIIaRmA-mEVImC-HupBxbTVMWI8_ZbiZgjbxqIXa7yq-0dlqGFIC3d573-lmoOm_x5LsBoFazFo/s1600/small+business-case+study.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3or86C5SD7hw3n0vh5YV531Iz12lcC4rHlhFoYNKrGhW-9UP4VRzonudfe93aWC8x2PIIaRmA-mEVImC-HupBxbTVMWI8_ZbiZgjbxqIXa7yq-0dlqGFIC3d573-lmoOm_x5LsBoFazFo/s400/small+business-case+study.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38869431@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/38869431@N00/</span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Consider approaching a local high school, college, or polytechnic that runs business courses. Offer your business as a case study in return for feedback from the students.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>6. Become a Surfer</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbOPMdp7gjRosEsQz4bVQ63Xlb-8HO1MSlrb1_qc62n0Y61pIv3nv2ICxhrb0zRRlsil6dEBLaSB4NuHaqiIZSIF7En0EO2wLItJqVsd5mK_7Xui0PwgQtzcQAZu4q83vKe9foQ-z7Dgw/s1600/small+business+-+surf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbOPMdp7gjRosEsQz4bVQ63Xlb-8HO1MSlrb1_qc62n0Y61pIv3nv2ICxhrb0zRRlsil6dEBLaSB4NuHaqiIZSIF7En0EO2wLItJqVsd5mK_7Xui0PwgQtzcQAZu4q83vKe9foQ-z7Dgw/s400/small+business+-+surf.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22128291@N07/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/22128291@N07/</span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">There is a wealth of information on the Internet and most of it is free. Search other areas of business rather than just your own as you might be able to adapt a totally unrelated idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>7. Read and Subscribe</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-Ag0Y2WXotw6SdpsffSC6kQ4ibmYDno7N1fcnDlXcF7_agZWX67iaCoSuKkigFT4WZUlL-JABOJNLJuhy1m-n_o2pYaQ5RTuVK0fot3Es5pMqwxbiAWpP7ndz9StLrdA7Dr9OTAtQfgh/s1600/small+business-read.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-Ag0Y2WXotw6SdpsffSC6kQ4ibmYDno7N1fcnDlXcF7_agZWX67iaCoSuKkigFT4WZUlL-JABOJNLJuhy1m-n_o2pYaQ5RTuVK0fot3Es5pMqwxbiAWpP7ndz9StLrdA7Dr9OTAtQfgh/s400/small+business-read.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21257461@N05/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/21257461@N05/</span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">You can often find ideas in the most unlikely places. Business, fashion and trade magazines are all worth a browse. These days it is easy to subscribe to any number of overseas publications.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>8. Travel Opens Your Eyes</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsbgqovx_6mq-qsbeiXeEdTofBVcvL4VlWDtUDXgSy-WkuDJIhS7O_OEYCLFelS7BSk1eaTvD_qv7vt8UvTDRp41pofWlPTZRedyaOqTKe6pG6_t0ZqhK2H5bpBJvfeBjZlU5c5KirRgX/s1600/small+business-travel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsbgqovx_6mq-qsbeiXeEdTofBVcvL4VlWDtUDXgSy-WkuDJIhS7O_OEYCLFelS7BSk1eaTvD_qv7vt8UvTDRp41pofWlPTZRedyaOqTKe6pG6_t0ZqhK2H5bpBJvfeBjZlU5c5KirRgX/s320/small+business-travel.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51194339@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/51194339@N00/</span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Visit similar (or even unrelated) businesses overseas. You will be surprised at how freely many of them share their knowledge; after all you are not a threat to them. In my travels I have made it a point to visit factories that make the strangest things, huge shopping malls, numerous small businesses and international marketing companies. It must work, because each time I seem to come home buzzing with ideas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I would like to finish by repeating what I said earlier. The only purpose of a business is to bring in a customer; and there are really only two ways to do it - through marketing or innovation. So, there you have an important key to success in business. What you do with this information will depend on you. I wish you every success!</span><br />
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</div><div> </div><div class="sig" id="sig" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Article Source: <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Noel_Peebles">http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Noel_Peebles</a> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em;"> </div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-28102610224676696722010-07-27T19:39:00.000-07:002010-07-29T18:46:51.675-07:00Small Business Success Tips - Dependability<div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">When we are setting up our first small business, we need suppliers so that we can make our products. We are really looking for trustworthy suppliers. This time, we are the customers. There are two suppliers. The first supplier promotes very well. It seems that his business was very well planned especially his marketing method, it was very impressive. That is why I chose the first supplier. I came to his shop and he gave me a very good product presentation. I left his shop with a lot of supplies that was bought from him and a decision that I will do business with him as long as I am still in the business.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">What happened?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">After a couple of weeks from the purchase of the products from the first supplier, I began asking questions and found some glitches in the products I bought. Unfortunately, this very well promoted supplier does not know one important term in the business industry: after sales service. His shop is not accessible enough for me to visit everytime I will find glitches on the supplies that I bought from him. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vBfbV0XLZ3kMHNujuIyTPImWPZ-hjd7VlvXiSOuGQu4KksOwvcS-0Lg_DhH2mJO_Yas_RAy8WJx2kznheQ_S8B6pdy_ZQvsBY_oeE70uFo4D1otQ9HhaXVvGmutcNQvp-5puRJOV366z/s1600/small+business-disappointed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vBfbV0XLZ3kMHNujuIyTPImWPZ-hjd7VlvXiSOuGQu4KksOwvcS-0Lg_DhH2mJO_Yas_RAy8WJx2kznheQ_S8B6pdy_ZQvsBY_oeE70uFo4D1otQ9HhaXVvGmutcNQvp-5puRJOV366z/s400/small+business-disappointed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/91485322@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/91485322@N00/</span></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Even if he delivers very good quality products, even if the products are well promoted, and even if he is very good in presenting the products, I ended up not being my lifetime supplier. Yes, I bought a few supplies. But will I go to him again? Of course not! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">What's my point?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If your business is not a necessity and you are not the only one catering that business, you should be really dependable to your customers. You should create this magic between you and your customer that your customers will always depend on you and you alone! </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_532436138"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5685949176863397056&postID=2810261022467669672" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qx48pblrcNAyrG8ck8Qe77kD-K-nnjKYACg4h759w00fgiHWbKwsJLM984Fv5LriEGdbln5oEYFKVUDEbS2zLfbtUNX28tU6_hQDYv_6TxBkHQ0rMxKIf-eeGfxZj-oACwyyAwGeael5/s400/small+business-successful.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38307206@N02/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/38307206@N02/</a></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Who's my supplier?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I found a supplier that assists me everytime I am having trouble with my business. He is always there to answer all of my questions. He gives me discount in everything I buy. I can reach him if I have problems with the products I bought from him and he is very much willing to replace them. He will apologize sincerely and will give you a smile that you will really forgive him easily. He keeps a record of our business so that we can reserve items we wanted to buy so he makes a way to save our time. Our supplier is doing business with us for more than a year now and will continue doing business in years to come.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Lesson learned: BE DEPENDABLE!! MAKE IT A WAY THAT PEOPLE WILL GO TO YOU AND YOU ALONE!!</span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh20yQv3WYJWkZqbw70DTog263jHYYfrPakOP5Idf2xfDO42O2W83_vVMie366YBtkdOFeedWIVbqWXIwNvttW5k0sNF3XGiR24QwuJ8phEA7iUbON8pouls3lU9xeM0EuwbZHVMlcDHTK/s1600/small+business-dependability.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh20yQv3WYJWkZqbw70DTog263jHYYfrPakOP5Idf2xfDO42O2W83_vVMie366YBtkdOFeedWIVbqWXIwNvttW5k0sNF3XGiR24QwuJ8phEA7iUbON8pouls3lU9xeM0EuwbZHVMlcDHTK/s400/small+business-dependability.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_266490431"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/73645804@N00/ </span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;">The article below I found in Ezine is a broad description of why dependability is very important.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Small business owners looking for a way to distinguish their business from their competition have many ways to do so. They can charge less, or advertise more, or fly a huge red weather balloon over their store. None of these choices lead to small business success.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Yes, short-term campaigns can lead to short-term success. The secret to long-term success, however, has two parts and two parts only: retaining customers, and generating customer referrals (also known as word-of-mouth). And the way to do both of those parts is to give the customer what he wants and needs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If a customer only sometimes gets what he wants and needs, he will look elsewhere. If he gets it late, or it's not quite right, he will look elsewhere. If you miss an appointment, or a deadline, he will look elsewhere. Customers need dependability.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">This is a fast-moving world, and people work hard to keep up and get ahead. They come to you because you say you can help them: you can provide a product or service they need. You can fix their car, or paint their wall, or balance their books, or train them to succeed in business. They don't have time to waste waiting for you, or even worse, waiting for your errors to be fixed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lack of dependability will destroy your small business success faster than high prices, or mediocre quality, or slow work. Customers will spend more for dependability. They will put up with mediocre (but sufficient) quality if they can count on you. They will allow for the extra day or week if they are confident you will deliver at that time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Dependability is a rare quality. It is valuable because it is rare. Think of all the times you have been disappointed by lack of dependability, and you will find they are very frequent. Every time you have had to wait in a waiting room; every checkout clerk who has needed to call for a price check; every check that wasn't in the mail; all these and more have made you wish you had a choice. Or when you have had a choice, you have taken it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Your customers feel the same way about your business when the transaction is not smooth and easy and what they were expecting (or better). You can almost build your whole business on dependability! McDonald's did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">A survey the author did in 1990 of his clients, with over 600 respondents, asked them to place speed, quality, price, and dependability in order of importance. Over fifty percent named dependability as most important. Quality came in second, then speed, then price. There is no reason to think that the responses would be any different today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Do whatever it takes, is the lesson here. Be on time, meet your deadlines, keep your word, even if it means working all night, paying overtime, losing money on the job, or missing your golf tournament. Be dependable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If your customers can count on you, they will.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Small business success depends on dependability.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="sig" id="sig" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Article Source: <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Don_Dewsnap"> http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_Dewsnap </a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em;"></div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-22190085431991628112010-07-27T18:58:00.000-07:002010-07-29T18:04:42.490-07:00Small Business Success Tips - Planning<div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">What's the most important thing in putting up a small business? Planning! We even have the saying that: "If you want to be a failure, just fail to plan!" That easy! But of course we don't want to be a failure right? We don't wanna waste our effort, time, and money for nothing right? So what do we wanna do? <b>PLAN!</b></div><div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrucr-1V6wNOF6-aOOnttDKwAQ6zzjpTXUvDccjztp6p4MmTx0P5vPdhcM1pOIYd3cLd-Bb2W7DHZNjKBRUMYjxABDb5OXmJWKC6zXUZnROtVA08wz17qd8sYBkk3Wbn_06l1ttGUonZ9u/s1600/small+business-business+plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrucr-1V6wNOF6-aOOnttDKwAQ6zzjpTXUvDccjztp6p4MmTx0P5vPdhcM1pOIYd3cLd-Bb2W7DHZNjKBRUMYjxABDb5OXmJWKC6zXUZnROtVA08wz17qd8sYBkk3Wbn_06l1ttGUonZ9u/s400/small+business-business+plan.jpg" width="358" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10883933@N07/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/10883933@N07/</span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>BUSINESS PLAN is very important before setting up a small business. All of businesses, small or big, need BUSINESS PLAN.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Don't know how to make a business plan? Well, lucky you, I found guidelines on how to make a powerful business plan. Just click on the links.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Below is an article I found which is very helpful to small business enthusiasts. Read on. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Some small business owners plan to the smallest detail, sometimes planning themselves into a nervous breakdown from long hours and stress. Others are completely impulsive, shouting orders madly and cursing the dolts who didn't order enough whatchamacallits. Neither extreme results in smooth production in all areas of the business.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The first trick to planning is to plan for the positive. Trying to anticipate and prepare for every possible obstacle is a negative approach, and self-limiting. The only necessary plans are those that will lead to success. If you want 200 attendees at your next event, plan how to bring in 400, even if your hall will only hold 250. Don't let your production capacity keep you from bidding on jobs that will strain that capacity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The second trick to planning is to identify the essential elements of success. For your event, you need a sound system, refreshments, and your printed materials. Sure, other items will come up, but set up the essentials, and you will have a framework for any other needs to fit into.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The third trick to planning is allowing lead time. "Too little, too late" should never apply to your business. Being "too busy" is never a valid excuse. "Too busy" comes from an earlier lack of planning. If you are in this vicious cycle, the only way out is to discover what is essential and do only that until you are caught up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The fourth trick to planning is thoroughness, which is different from obsessing over details. Whether you are planning for a major client project or a minor office rearrangement, make a list of the essential actions. Always, always make a master written list of essential actions when planning. The list can change over time, but the list is absolutely necessary, or guaranteed, something will slip through the cracks and lead to a crisis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The fifth trick to planning is to plan with a purpose. Plans can encompass any time period from minutes to years. Merely planning how to use your time, however, will not move you forward at any great pace. You can get a lot done and still not accomplish much of what you need and want to accomplish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Example: you plan to meet with the mayor from 3:00 to 4:00 to talk about parking ordinances. If that is the whole of your plan, you may not accomplish much. A real plan would be meet with the mayor in order to show him how changes in the parking ordinances would benefit the city. With that plan, you can gather your data, practice your arguments, build your Powerpoint presentation, all with a single end in mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Similarly, planning to double your landscaping equipment sales in the next year does not give you much of a framework to hang actual actions on. Instead, plan to quadruple your client base by expanding your sales area and establishing the superiority of your equipment through dramatic demonstrations throughout the year. That plan will get you where you want to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Finally, be sure to include others in your business plans, especially your staff. They have to plan their own actions and decisions to fit in smoothly with your plans. Key staff should have a complete picture, and lower-totem-pole staff need to know about anything that will affect their decisions and actions in that department. After all, your staff will be the ones who will help you bring your plans to life, even if your staff is only one part-time bookkeeper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">In summary: no planning means constant fires to be put out and bridges collapsing; too intensive and painstaking planning means projects take too long and cost too much. Just enough planning means the company grows through a series of successful actions that always contain some element of surprise. Some level of occasional challenge keeps life interesting. Plan on it.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="sig" id="sig" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Article Source: <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Don_Dewsnap"> http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_Dewsnap </a></span> </div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-3155173370059054372010-07-27T18:15:00.000-07:002010-07-29T18:03:23.052-07:00Small Business Success Tips - Promotion<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Promotion is one of the challenging steps in building up a small business. One secret to promote your product? TRUST YOUR OWN PRODUCTS! With you having high confidence in your own products will be very confident in promoting it. For me, what I do is that I acquire more knowledge first. I am actually an ebook fan. Oh well, thanks to this software that gives an unlimited download of ebooks. Small business owners and enthusiasts will appreciate this.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://008f7vkhikpobva96am9obp3ng.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_top">Click Here!</a></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5M36Xo2m3qKmxUMvwVvRrLz784YEoprCdWfmEYyWLtCwFAGxEbuW2R-_tzdXsFeYP5srij1XXaspgPr9uDv5eDDsqwbK7sajyCBpu2dWRfXFIDdOQLy_EW-rZx3yyolAVQvH8IHWlvAsx/s1600/small+business-internet+promotion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5M36Xo2m3qKmxUMvwVvRrLz784YEoprCdWfmEYyWLtCwFAGxEbuW2R-_tzdXsFeYP5srij1XXaspgPr9uDv5eDDsqwbK7sajyCBpu2dWRfXFIDdOQLy_EW-rZx3yyolAVQvH8IHWlvAsx/s400/small+business-internet+promotion.jpg" width="365" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I found an article in Ezine which will definitely help small business owners out there on determining why promotion is very important in succeeding in a small business.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Promotion is not the same as marketing. Promotion of a small business encompasses all methods of getting the word about your small business out into the community. Marketing, public relations, networking, advertising, press releases, and many more actions all are forms of promotion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The purpose of promotion is name recognition, without negative association. Famous criminals are not sought out for business relationships. Positive association is best, but even neutral or no opinion association is valuable. The objective is to get the most people possible saying "I've heard of them" when your business name comes up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The reason name recognition is important to your success is because people are more likely to approach something they are familiar with. When they need the product or service you offer, and are looking at their alternatives, they are most likely to call the business whose name they recognize (unless they have heard bad things about it).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Part of promotion has to do with presentation. Negative association is more likely to come from poor presentation than from enemies whispering unflattering things about you. Therefore, a great deal of your promotional energy should be devoted to the quality of your promotion. Amateurish, error-ridden promotional work will turn people off, and once they are turned off, it is very hard to again make them receptive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Presentation reaches beyond the quality of your printing or advertising. Every single contact your business name makes with anyone reflects on their impression of your business. Every email, every conversation, how you dress, how quickly your website loads, and any other interaction between you or your business and people are all promotional actions, and are affected by the quality of their presentation. So be professional at all times, and project competence and other positive qualities to the best of your ability.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Books have been written full of promotional ideas, and many can be found for free on the internet, by searching for "inexpensive promotion" or "promotional ideas" or the like. Many of them are impractical or inappropriate to your business, but some of them will make sense to you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">A fifteen-dollar table at a church flea market might result in 500 new people hearing of you or seeing your name. High school event programs are seen by hundreds of parents and are cheap to put a small ad in. Always having a business card to hand to anyone who will take it is a basic of promotion. There are hundreds of ways to promote a local business, including on the internet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If your business is not local, but internet-based, promotion follows the same rules: keep the quality of presentation high, and seek out ideas with a search for "internet promotional ideas" and similar words. Beware anything that says "free" except downloadable ebooks. There are ways to effectively promote for free on the internet, but most of them are not advertised.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Look for bloggers with many followers, and make intelligent comments about their blogs. Get your website included in specialized directories (not the huge directories that no one uses or even sees). Offer a free ebook on free ebook sites. Probably the best inexpensive way to promote on the internet is with an ezine that you email out regularly, but that route is time-intensive and requires a firm commitment. You will find many more ways if you look for them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">You can measure the success of your promotional efforts in a local setting fairly easily: each month, ask 30 or more strangers if they have heard of your business, and keep track on a graph of the percentage who have. If the graph line isn't going up, you need to promote more or with better presentation or both.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">On the internet, promotional success is clearcut: keep track of the number of unique visitors to your site.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">One final warning: promotion is not marketing. Do not neglect actual marketing actions, as they are what will produce actual leads and actual sales. Promotion plows the field; marketing sows the seeds; salesmanship tends the crop and reaps the harvest.</span></div><div></div><div class="sig" id="sig" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Article Source: <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Don_Dewsnap"> http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_Dewsnap </a></span> </div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-53843849074138362072010-07-26T17:59:00.000-07:002010-07-29T18:02:21.792-07:00The Top 7 Mistakes Why Second Generation Small Business Owners Fail at Business Success<div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why do small businesses fail? Well most of the time because a lot of small business owners especially the beginners pattern their way of handling their business</span> which makes them imitate what the first batch of entrepreneurs did. They copy EVERYTHING, "everything" means including the mistakes. New batch of small business owners need to analyze things. It is good idea to have someone to look up to but you also need to know if you are copying the right thing. It is good to know the mistakes but for them to be avoided not to be copied.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>DO NOT BE A</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2Oc0tsoE9cMNGhziGpLICXQnYVhEevFYQsDz7On27an1AnIvgUzYPYNICRto7OiyCCEceAexXnGpcWxt5RuVPmvZLpynj7psX1-QibrsUchJnIXLWkqnmvLSaybR5B3IHhWTRwu9tpiC/s1600/small+business-fail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2Oc0tsoE9cMNGhziGpLICXQnYVhEevFYQsDz7On27an1AnIvgUzYPYNICRto7OiyCCEceAexXnGpcWxt5RuVPmvZLpynj7psX1-QibrsUchJnIXLWkqnmvLSaybR5B3IHhWTRwu9tpiC/s400/small+business-fail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/83429360@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>http://www.flickr.com/photos/83429360@N00/ </b></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I found an article written by a business coach in United States which gives a list of WHY DO THE SECOND GENERATION SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS FAIL. And there are seven of them!! Yes, that means 7 things to avoid! Read on and learn.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><span style="font-size: small;">Many small businesses successes today are the result of the actions of the previous generation. Yet, many second generation businesses owners fail to capitalize on the efforts of their ancestors. According to the US Small Business Administration, small business failure for family owned businesses is two out of three.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">From my experiences as a business coach and an employee of a first generation business owner, this failure is probably much more about people failure than knowledge failure. These 7 mistakes may help you avoid the failure that many second business owners experience and achieve the business success that you desire.</span><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-size: small;">Ivory Tower Mentality - Knowledge Failure</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">External Customers Relationships transfer - People Failure</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Source of Employee Loyalty - People Failure</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">No Plan - Knowledge and People Failure</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Performance Savvy - People Failure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> Since businesses are comprised of people, managing people takes an understanding of what motivates people to do their very best. For example, when the current management team cries poverty and can't afford raises for the employees, but then purchases brand new expensive cars, their actions have a negative impact on the employees. Employees don't mind new cars, but do mind luxury cars. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Assumptions - Knowledge and People Failure</span></li>
</ol><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">Market place</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">What motivates employees</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">How much time the business demands</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Owner entitlements</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">Values - People Failure</span></li><br />
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</div><div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Many first generation business owners operated by core values where a man was as good as his or her word. Handshakes instead of formal contracts had much greater value. Today's business owners appear not to have the same deep seated values of their ancestors. The result of the lack of values can be summed up in one word - greed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">So if you truly want the efforts of the previous generation to be sustainable, then look to see if you as a second generation business owner are making any of these mistakes. Your small business success depends on the actions you take right now so that you are not 2 of those 3 family owned businesses that experience complete business failure.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="sig" id="sig" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Article Source: </span><a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Leanne_Hoagland-Smith"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leanne_Hoagland-Smith</span> </a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em;"></div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-18220592232554768192010-07-26T17:36:00.000-07:002010-07-29T18:01:37.246-07:00Small Business Owners - Want to Achieve Greatness in Your Business? Be Enthusiastic!<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div id="body" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">I grew up in a family that share the common belief that a stable job is a solution to avoid poverty. It is hard for me to prove my point to them that I wanted to start as a small business owner while I am having my daily job but I will not be an employee forever. For them, climbing the corporate ladder is the best goal in life. For me, creating my own ladder so that other people will climb my own ladder. I do not want to work for other but I want people work for me, for all of us. But why did I continue pursuing my dream of becoming an entrepreneur despite of criticisms I am receiving? Because I am ENTHUSIASTIC! Yes, I am enthusiastic in everything I do especially when I started to set up my small business together with a couple of friends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I learned that before you put up a small business, you need to be enthusiastic about it. You need to be so full of energy and be positive to everything. That is the key to be a successful business owner. When we are thinking of what business to put up, there are a lot of ideas that came, but when we think of our current business which is "personalized items," we suddenly became so positive! And right now, even all of us are full time employees, we can still manage our small business. You can even take a peek of our small business here: <a href="http://diversityclothing.multiply.com/">http://diversityclothing.multiply.com/</a> </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>BE ENTHUSIASTIC!!!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXipsf1qVdeJ4gXe7-cBvCZYJk-ovwpvUlp1_fz-jDRw9vWDw0pPaRXf44TyN7tJhS0TJyZrnlXd05I-fm1sHLlbRUvmxUjWI7cWXZp8u7mffDXHb0xYv6BGKeuG7MXiKreLsf7NSdT3q/s1600/small+business-enthusiastic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXipsf1qVdeJ4gXe7-cBvCZYJk-ovwpvUlp1_fz-jDRw9vWDw0pPaRXf44TyN7tJhS0TJyZrnlXd05I-fm1sHLlbRUvmxUjWI7cWXZp8u7mffDXHb0xYv6BGKeuG7MXiKreLsf7NSdT3q/s400/small+business-enthusiastic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/15923063@N00/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/15923063@N00/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I found an article here about this topic. I totally agree with the author of this article. Read on!!</span><i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. -Ralph Waldo Emerson</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Before you start groaning at the thought of another "article," just hear me out. Small business owners, you have to be enthusiastic about your business. You have to literally eat, breathe, drink and sleep your business. If you don't enjoy what you are doing it will show. It will show in your articles, your blog posts, everything you do. You have to love what it is you are doing to be successful in your own business. If you have started a business just because someone told you that you could make a lot of money doing it, stop right now and go get a job. You won't be successful because you are in business for the wrong reason. In order to start a business you can be enthusiastic about, think about something you do just for fun. Do you like to write? Do give unsolicited advice to strangers? Are you always making something? Do you sew, crochet or knit? Are you a techie that can create a website in 45 minutes flat? Just because something comes easy to you doesn't mean it comes easy to someone else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">You must do your research to determine if you can make money at what you have skills in. Nothing kills enthusiasm worse than not making any money in your business. Before you start a small business, join some forums related to what you think you might want to do. Look at what the members are posting. These people are looking for a solution to a problem. If you have skills related to a problem that you see over and over again on the forums, you may have a viable idea for a business. Don't just stop there with your research.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Next you want to see how much it will cost you market this business. The best gauge for this is to see what other people are paying in your niche. This will tell you how much you need to budget for advertising. You also need to see how many incoming links you will need on your website. The best way to do this is to go to Google, type in some keywords you may want to use for your business and observe the websites that are on the first page. Take the top ten and put them in Alexa. This will tell you how many incoming links they have. This is important to you because in order to get on the first page of Google you need to beat the people that are on the first page already. If the people that are already on the first page have thousands of links you may want to think about another niche.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Running a small business can be a rewarding experience. It does take hard work and enthusiasm to sustain a small business. There will be some challenges for you to face. With the right support system in place, you can run the successful small business you have been dreaming about.</span><br />
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</div><div></div><div class="sig" id="sig" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Article Source:<a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?Small-Business-Owners---Want-to-Achieve-Greatness-in-Your-Business?-Be-Enthusiastic&id=4735206">http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=DeAnna_Troupe </a></span> </div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-18117876795050143552010-07-25T22:30:00.000-07:002010-07-29T17:58:36.836-07:00Businesses you can start from P51,000 to P100,000<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Wanted to put up a small business and you've got at least P50,000 to P100,000 in savings. Then it's time to withdraw them from the bank that earns just 1% interest a year and start to grow it more and enjoy the life of a small business owner. </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My favorite magazine Entrepreneur helps a lot of small business enthusiasts including me and this article will give you list of small business ideas with your P50,000: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/starterkit/article/part-2-of-businesses-you-can-start-from-p1k-to-p100k/page/3">Part 2 of businesses you can start from P1k to P100k</a></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> ENJOY READING!!! </span></b></span></span></span><br />
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<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>P51,000 TO P100,000</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Organic Produce</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu5hyphenhyphenI_zLEKEOpK-T8O0IXDYyurh8AipPiPysAVs4BqPvjK0dTxJqQ-3nJ-c2s0EDica-8NlOhbcnTej-2kLSAUw2i4MTOtFZoi66Ht0OMd60_JCKWgkbUXNlGG_Sej4cXh1JJX_7NeBF/s1600/small+business-organic+produce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu5hyphenhyphenI_zLEKEOpK-T8O0IXDYyurh8AipPiPysAVs4BqPvjK0dTxJqQ-3nJ-c2s0EDica-8NlOhbcnTej-2kLSAUw2i4MTOtFZoi66Ht0OMd60_JCKWgkbUXNlGG_Sej4cXh1JJX_7NeBF/s400/small+business-organic+produce.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/97479012@N00/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/97479012@N00/</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Pharmacy</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UuKXMJ4QxsUB7Px-4Mg50bNTSZYrfdoU_Q263M5Lhs9zF5G6bM6Q1NWUAGLjeXEZlAGMt1eS5qgUV5hHvp8o1oFTcSsLx2dtJTyfjYfjhppRNxQSdOd8NRkjpv-PPOTxqUJTyiTpb2mx/s1600/small+business-pharmacy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UuKXMJ4QxsUB7Px-4Mg50bNTSZYrfdoU_Q263M5Lhs9zF5G6bM6Q1NWUAGLjeXEZlAGMt1eS5qgUV5hHvp8o1oFTcSsLx2dtJTyfjYfjhppRNxQSdOd8NRkjpv-PPOTxqUJTyiTpb2mx/s400/small+business-pharmacy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/94805433@N00/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/94805433@N00/</a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Travel Agency</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCYAvNHUPLuadu7B5-QQxe6Sz_2-jE_3c0aoJWHec3lYrCjD1K77aStVIQNYJCOPiuYLWh_P96DBotJmEnUEfC9Dlod9i75uJ86asjFosyGgqyDdcgAb4ztivPmBnu06M8Lp3zrF0onx5/s1600/small+business-travel+agency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCYAvNHUPLuadu7B5-QQxe6Sz_2-jE_3c0aoJWHec3lYrCjD1K77aStVIQNYJCOPiuYLWh_P96DBotJmEnUEfC9Dlod9i75uJ86asjFosyGgqyDdcgAb4ztivPmBnu06M8Lp3zrF0onx5/s400/small+business-travel+agency.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48889087714@N01/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/48889087714@N01/</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When entrepreneurs put in P51,000 to P100,000 of their own money to start a business, they had better be sure that they are passionate enough about it to learn as much as possible about the business from the very start and to run it hands-on afterwards if need be. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">This is the common thread in the experience of <b>Mara Pardo de Tavera of Mara's Organic Market</b> in Makati City, of <b>Carlos Granados of Farmacia Divina Gracia</b> in San Fernando City, La Union, and of <b>Pamela Alfaro of Ashta Holidays Travel & Tours</b> in Mandaluyong City.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">In 1995, at a time when the organic food movement was still at its infancy, Mara Pardo de Tavera <b>established one of Asia's first organic markets</b> with around P50,000 in initial capital. All that she wanted at first was an organic market where she could source food for her family's needs, but once she got her organic market started, it soon evolved into a personal advocacy for getting the public to know the benefits of going organic. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">To achieve her objective, Pardo de Tavera had gone around the country looking for suppliers. During her trips, however, she realized that although there was potential for organic producers, there was hardly any market for organic products. "Suppliers were even asking us why I was the only one asking them about organic production," she recalls. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">After a couple of years, however, she finally got enough reliable suppliers of organic products and started to look for space for her organic market. She asked the Zobel de Ayala family if they could spare one for her in what is now at Makati City's Greenbelt Mall, which was then a park. After some time, the Ayalas gave her and her husband Raymond a space at the park for free. They then put up a shop that was to become Mara's Organic Market today.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">For Carlos Granados, the love between him and his pharmacist wife provided the inspiration for putting up their own pharmacy, Farmacia Divina Gracia, in San Fernando City in 1990. "Since my wife was a pharmacist and I used to work as a manager for a pharmaceutical company, <b>we thought we would have good chemistry on a pharmaceutical business</b>," he recalls.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">He then borrowed P80,000 from his parents for capital and bought the small drug store of his mother-in-law, renaming it after his wife Divina Gracia (now deceased). He kept his regular job while his wife tended the store. "It was my wife who knew which items were fast-moving, so I took responsibility of buying them from bigger drugstores so we can stock and sell them in our own store," he recalls.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">In the case of Pamela Alfaro, putting up her own travel agency was a dream borne out of her passion for traveling. "I started traveling in 2001 when I was studying tourism," she recalls. "When I saw Hong Kong during one of those travels, I knew that running my own travel agency was what I wanted." But she decided to <b>work in related fields first to gain valuable experience</b>. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">She initially worked with the Department of Tourism to become familiar with the tourism business, and later took a job in the United Kingdom as a liaison officer of the Birmingham City Council's change management group. In 2006, she returned to the Philippines and trained herself in how to use travel-booking software and in the legal requirements of the business. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Confident that she had now forearmed herself, Alfaro then took a leap of faith and put up Ashta Holidays Travel & Tours, using P100,000 of her own savings as initial capital. To keep costs down, she put up her business office in her own condominium and used free booking software.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>Keys to success</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Often, one single decision becomes the key to the success of a business. This decision may seem minor at the time it's made, but it could have wide-reaching effects on the future of the business. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Pardo de Tavera's <b>naming her organic market after herself</b> and making herself its spokeswoman was one such decision. A very private person in the beginning, she recalls that she didn't like the idea of using her name for the business or of giving interviews to the media about it.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">What prompted her to name the store after herself was the fact that several organic markets were calling themselves as such although they were not actually selling any organic produce. To her, therefore, those organic markets had no credibility at all and she didn't want her own organic store to be identified with them. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Pardo de Tavera then thought of getting a celebrity to epitomize her organic market but couldn't find anyone suitable. Ultimately, with the encouragement of her husband and a friend who was a public relations professional, she realized and decided that she herself was perfect for the role. "<b>After all, I was both the owner and biggest customer </b>of the market that I had in mind," she says. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">For Granados, that pivotal decision was to manage his business hands-on: "I want to believe that I can be successful in any endeavor. <b>I don't want to entertain failures in life</b>. This is why I decided to practice hands-on management in my business from the very start."</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">And for Alfaro, that most important decision was not to be daunted by problems along the way and to pursue her passion relentlessly. "If you don't have passion, the business will fail," she says, "but <b>if you have passion, you will pursue the business no matter what</b>."</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>Roadblocks notwithstanding </b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Along the way, it is inevitable for every entrepreneur to encounter challenges, whether simple or complex. The first few years of the business usually prove most difficult, as reality sometimes dashes even the most carefully laid out plans. Indeed, among the most common problems encountered by startups are supply roadblocks and operational hitches arising from organizational weakness.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">For Pardo de Tavera, a major problem lay in <b>convincing the public of the benefits of organic food</b> at a time when it still wasn't a popular lifestyle choice among Filipinos. Another major drawback was the difficulty she was to encounter in finding suppliers for her organic market. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">In Alfaro's case, she had to deal with <b>government gridlock</b> and reluctance in giving business to her startup travel agency. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">And as to the fledgling pharmacy of Granados, it had to endure low sales during its first few months like any other business.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">In the face of these challenges to their businesses, the three entrepreneurs took decisive action in ways that other startup entrepreneurs can learn from. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Pardo de Tavera engaged the mass media to promote her business and <b>arranged for celebrities to visit her market,</b> creating public awareness and curiosity about her market in particular and about organic products in general.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">For both Alfaro and Granados, the key to success was <b>continuously improving their customer service</b>. In the case of Alfaro's travel agency, in particular, its efforts to customize travel packages helped differentiate it from other travel agencies and made its services more attractive to clients. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">She explains: "Your travel agency has become very personalized in its service if your clients can tell you, 'Pam, I want this and I want that.' This is precisely what my agency has become. I try to give them what they want and I tell them all their options. And I try to be available anytime to my clients, even if they have to call me at night or on Saturdays and Sundays."</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For Granados, it is obvious that customer service is top priority at Farmacia Divina Gracia by merely watching how the store attendants serve its customers, and that his hands-on management style is at play. "You have to be there to know what's going on in your business, and also to know what to do next. Focus and be there," he says. </span>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-25304711262953028142010-07-25T22:02:00.000-07:002012-02-10T17:28:16.168-08:00Businesses you can start from P26,000 to P50,000<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Got more money than P25,000 and wanted to put up a small business using that money? Well, Entrepreneur magazine official website is very generous enough to share this article: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/starterkit/article/part-2-of-businesses-you-can-start-from-p1k-to-p100k"></a></span></span><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/starterkit/article/part-2-of-businesses-you-can-start-from-p1k-to-p100k">Part 2 of businesses you can start from P1k to P100k<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left;"></span></span></a> I enjoyed reading it and I hope you will enjoy it as well. </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="text-align: justify;">Read this article too, you may find it helpful: </span><a href="http://smallbusinessphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-business-idea-10000-to-30000.html" style="text-align: justify;">http://smallbusinessphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-business-idea-10000-to-30000.html</a> </b></div><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">P26,000 TO P50,000</b><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Beauty Salon</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSEJP7kqX2t4MslctQNt6HOAcU8b7_nxWcuRzMZGP7vpIKqEklwD979l9DV-fAZj8ZLmM9SpPReZmPm1r3dz2vUsjEbaqO-fE_ZiDZPH04VQn-RE3YdhQd2azbYQ67QnTu1C9XlQB1Gxn/s1600/small+business-beauty+salon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSEJP7kqX2t4MslctQNt6HOAcU8b7_nxWcuRzMZGP7vpIKqEklwD979l9DV-fAZj8ZLmM9SpPReZmPm1r3dz2vUsjEbaqO-fE_ZiDZPH04VQn-RE3YdhQd2azbYQ67QnTu1C9XlQB1Gxn/s400/small+business-beauty+salon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70285332@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/70285332@N00/</b></span></a></div><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></b></div><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Footwear</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb-tswyMhEcG-9x7iXPA8VFRKf2Hs9jPUN5_nNbsumdociuTxM_9Uev3yDRt-57u6r44EdccsdYnd7GOB6kzJW2Oek_VceSnjKS2hbjrBzt038aO6qCGY3EJ_4LiR-yujfLn4XTuco8xh/s1600/small+business-footwear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb-tswyMhEcG-9x7iXPA8VFRKf2Hs9jPUN5_nNbsumdociuTxM_9Uev3yDRt-57u6r44EdccsdYnd7GOB6kzJW2Oek_VceSnjKS2hbjrBzt038aO6qCGY3EJ_4LiR-yujfLn4XTuco8xh/s400/small+business-footwear.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18161271@N00/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/18161271@N00/</b></span></a></div><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></b></div><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Creative Designs</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9PCCFJ8KTU3kEttG9_Yajzgtn3oZyCSesK_FPYgGU2qdtbOdFAe9IdaW-k-VBMWZrakm21DjwbZbC8-uie_u8ZcKuSVt-PQXwoWdUGc5PfzmJz5WVuRdt8Uvp10FVljOoA1D6wUEjbJ3/s1600/small+business-creative+designs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9PCCFJ8KTU3kEttG9_Yajzgtn3oZyCSesK_FPYgGU2qdtbOdFAe9IdaW-k-VBMWZrakm21DjwbZbC8-uie_u8ZcKuSVt-PQXwoWdUGc5PfzmJz5WVuRdt8Uvp10FVljOoA1D6wUEjbJ3/s400/small+business-creative+designs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/47264866@N00/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/47264866@N00/</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>Joby Linsangan-Moreno was supposed to study to become a doctor after graduating as a medical technologist. Oliver Rempillo was working in a government agency as an exhibitions designer and organizer but thought of setting his sights elsewhere. And Corazon "Baby" Coligado, a registered nurse, couldn't land the job she wanted abroad.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
The three then decided to take different paths to career success. With a little capital and a lot of effort, they have become successful entrepreneurs--proof that you don't need more than P50,000 to get started in business.<br />
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But each had a different reason for going into it. <br />
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"At that time, I wanted to do something different, something exciting and liberating," says Linsangan-Moreno, who, instead of pursuing a medical degree on top of her medical technology education, put up <b>Orange Blush Salon in June 2003</b> in her native Cabanatuan City.<br />
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The licensed medical technologist, who went into the salon business with just P30,000, recalls: "I come from a family of professionals, and my friends were either employed or were planning to go work abroad. None of them, except my boyfriend [Lawrence Moreno] who's now my husband, considered going into business." <br />
<b>Linsangan-Moreno has since grown her salon to seven branches</b>: six in Cabanatuan and its surrounding towns in Nueva Ecija, and another in Sta. Rosa in Laguna.<br />
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In the case of Rempillo, he decided to start a business along the same lines as his job of <b>designing and organizing booths for exhibitions</b> with CITEM (Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions), an agency under the Department of Trade and Industry.<br />
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"Basically, I set up <b>En Theos Creative</b> because it's what I'd been doing all along," he says of the business he and his wife Mira founded in September 2007, also with just P30,000. "It's been ingrained in me since 1999, so I stayed in the design field."<br />
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Rempillo says he saw an emerging market for the services of exhibitions companies after learning of the construction of SMX, a major exhibition hall beside the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. <br />
For a long time, he says, companies only had the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), the World Trade Center (WTC), and the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) as major venues for exhibits. "In the mid-'90s, SM built the Megatrade Hall [at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City] but it used to only host small shows," he says.<br />
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For Coligado, the route to entrepreneurship took her away from her nursing career. She was working as a nurse at the Laguna Provincial Hospital when something happened in 2006 that prompted her to find a better-paying job in the United States--her husband Ferdinand, a seaman, stopped working after undergoing a gall-bladder operation. She was then only earning P13,000 a month as a government nurse, which was not enough to support a family of four. "But I wasn't lucky enough to get work abroad," she says.<br />
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At this point, a friend of Coligado suggested that she might as well go into the <b>business that their town of Liliw, Laguna, had long been noted for: handmade slippers and shoes</b>. She heeded the advice and, with an initial capital of P50,000 from her husband's previous earnings overseas, put up <b>Ai-She Footwear in March 2006</b> (the company's name is a composite of the first syllables of the names of their daughters Aira and Shelly).<br />
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Since then, the company has been making abaca-lined shoes and slippers, distributing them to department stores in Manila and to retail outlets in Southern Luzon.<br />
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<b>Savings to earnings</b><br />
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One thing in common among Linsangan-Moreno, Rempillo, and Coligado is that <b>they started a business using only their personal or family savings. </b><br />
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Linsangan-Moreno says she built her P30,000 capital by setting aside part of her salary as both medical technologist and instructor at the Good Samaritan Hospital and Colleges in Cabanatuan. <br />
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"Before I went into business, I figured out that I was quite OK with managing finances and budgeting," she says. "I first considered franchising a known salon but didn't have the money for it, so I decided to put up my own." <br />
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Rempillo likewise started En Theos Creative with only about P30,000 in initial capital, using the funds to buy a personal computer for doing his design work. "The money I needed wasn't big enough for me to get a loan from a bank," he explains.<br />
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For Coligado, her husband Ferdinand's monthly income of P60,000 as a seaman had enabled her to save enough money to get her footwear business started. Although she had set the funds aside not for business but simply as reserve, it came handy when Ferdinand had to quit his job due to illness. "Although he was earning that much at the time, we realized that he couldn't go on working on ships for life," she says.<br />
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Another thing in common among the three entrepreneurs is that they all believed in plowing back--and did consistently <b>plow back--their profits back into the business to make it grow.</b> None of them needed to put in additional investments from other sources afterwards.<br />
Recalls Linsangan-Moreno: "After establishing the name and clientele of our first Orange Blush salon, I put up our second branch eight months later using the revenues that the salon had made. Then I funded the putting up of all our other branches in the same way." <br />
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On top of this, she <b>pursued a no-borrowing philosophy</b> for growing the salons, putting more of her own money into them as needed. "The more the salons, the bigger the investment. There's definitely a need to increase your investment in your business as it grows. To keep up with the other salons and provide excellent service, you'll always need to provide funds for marketing, research and development, and for renovation and continuous innovation."<br />
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In Rempillo's case, being in a service industry requires him to put in more funds into the business only when he needs to hire freelancers for support when handling big projects. He explains: "In the past year and a half, we haven't acquired more equipment or materials to the business. We're cheap in the sense that we're not producing a product."<br />
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As to Coligado, just to be on the safe side, she decided to hang on to her nursing job at the provincial hospital until January 2008. That was when the business finally began receiving orders for export. "I realized then that I had to fully commit myself, my time, and my effort into our business," she explains.<br />
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<b>Rough, smooth starts </b><br />
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Unlike Rempillo and Coligado, Linsangan-Moreno had a rough start with her business. "The first six months of the business was a most trying time for me," she says. "This was because I was only starting to learn how to run the business, how to handle people, how to keep customers, and how to keep the cash flowing into the business."<br />
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She had bought her first salon from a friend who couldn't sustain its operational costs, so she admits that she did not know much about the business at the start. She compensated for this by taking a crash course in cosmetology and by attending seminars to learn all she could about how to run a salon.<br />
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Six months after opening Orange Blush, however, all of her hairstylists were pirated by another salon, leaving Linsangan-Moreno no choice but to find younger stylists willing to be trained. She then had them undergo all the necessary training to do professional hairstyling work. At the same time, she got busy promoting her salon, establishing joint-activity tie-ups with schools in Cabanatuan and sponsoring concerts to draw in her targeted clientele--the youth.<br />
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All of these moves paid off for Linsangan-Moreno. Two months after her original staff left Orange Blush, she was able to save enough money to open a second salon in Cabanatuan. From then on, the business became stable and profitable enough, allowing her to quit her job as a medical technologist and to run Orange Blush as a full-time entrepreneur.<br />
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In contrast to the rough start of Linsangan-Moreno's salon, the first six months of En Theos in its design business were, according to Rempillo, "very, very good. <b>Clients were coming in left and right, to the point that I had to turn down some of them</b> because I couldn't handle their projects anymore."<br />
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He recalls that during that time, his wife Mira, herself a graphic artist, also went into business. She joined the public relations firm BrandSpeak Asia as its co-owner, vice president, and creative director; BrandSpeak Asia, run by two of her friends, used to be a client of En Theos. <br />
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Rempillo says that Mira's move slowed En Theos somewhat because she had taken her creative jobs and clients in En Theos to BrandSpeak Asia, but that it was also a plus because they gained a stake in the PR firm. "It also allowed En Theos to focus on exhibits, showroom design, and store design," he explains.<br />
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In the case of the Coligados, they were able to recover their initial investment in Ai-She Footwear as early as by its sixth month in business. Ai-She had quickly developed a sizable clientele, resulting in brisk sales. Today,<b> the company sells over P100,000 worth of shoes and slippers weekly</b> and employs 18 workers in a factory just a few steps away from the Coligado residence in Liliw. <br />
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<b>Expansion, future plans</b><br />
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Growth is very much in the horizon for all the three entrepreneurs. Linsangan-Moreno says that <b>Orange Blush Salon began franchising this year</b>, and proudly reports that it opened its first franchised branch just last April at Daan Sarile in Cabanatuan. Her husband Lawrence, a certified public accountant and owner of several rice retail stores in Nueva Ecija, had helped her draft Orange Blush's franchise agreement; she married him in February 2008 or five years after she put up Orange Blush.<br />
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En Theos Creative, less than two years after going into business, is even more ambitious: <b>it now intends to incorporate the sole proprietorship.</b> Rempillo says he is now on the lookout for an architect, an interior designer, and experts in business development and finance to round out the minimum five incorporators needed to set up a company.<br />
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He says: "It's going to be a pay cut of sorts for me, but if my business group brings in more clients, and if I have two more people who can do the technical aspects of exhibit-booth or store designing, then I'd see a sudden expansion of our business."<br />
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On the other hand, Coligado continues to <b>expand the distribution network of Ai-She Footwear</b>. These days, she has also been making more and more frequent trips to Metro Manila, specifically Marikina, to get supplies for her footwear factory. <br />
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"My hands are full running our business, but with my husband's help, of course," she says. "We have to do this because it's still our only source of livelihood, and our workers also depend on it."<br />
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<b>Most important moves</b><br />
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<b>>Joby Linsangan-Moreno</b> considers her having taken control of her first Orange Blush Salon and staying on top of it as the most important decision she has made in her business. While learning all she could about how a salon should be run, she had allowed a friend--the salon's previous owner--to continue running the salon.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">She explains: "For me, setting your goals, realizing them, and staying focused is what will keep you in the business. No one should know more about your business than you do. When people see that you know what you want and where you are going, they will believe and trust you and your company."</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>></b><b>For En Theos Creative</b>, on the other hand, what made the big difference was Oliver Rempillo's decision to operate it home-based. "You don't have to pay rent for an expensive office space in, say, Makati, and it helps keep your costs low," he says, adding that he makes it a point to meet clients at coffee shops and restaurants that he can conveniently commute to.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">He says he gets a continuing flow of job orders from his network of regular clients, among them Dealo Koffee Klatsch, the popular bakery and coffee shop based in Lucban, Quezon; clients referred to him by his former colleagues at CITEM; and friends like Tony Gonzales, with whom he does subcontracting work for the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP).</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>></b><b>As to Corazon Coligado,</b> she attributes the expansion of her footwear business to her decision to give samples of Ai-She Footwear's newest and trendy creations to stores outside of Liliw in Laguna, and even to convenience stores in gas service stations along South Superhighway. This approach to the business rather than just doing it in a fixed location was of great help in attracting more clients and more retail outlets for her products, she says.<br />
<br />
Read this article too, you may find it helpful: <a href="http://smallbusinessphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-business-idea-10000-to-30000.html">http://smallbusinessphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-business-idea-10000-to-30000.html</a></div></div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-59172418073888070302010-07-25T20:55:00.000-07:002012-02-10T17:28:55.474-08:00Businesses you can start from P10,000 to P25,000<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Small business enthusiasts, here is another article for you. </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>In the previous post, I mentioned businesses that you can start in less than P10,000. Now, I will be giving you these businesses you can start from P10,000 to P15,000. I found this article based on the article posted in Entrepreneur magazine official website: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/starterkit/article/businesses-you-can-start-from-p1k-to-p100k-part-1/page/4"></a></span></span><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/starterkit/article/businesses-you-can-start-from-p1k-to-p100k-part-1/page/4">Businesses you can start from P1k to P100k (Part 1)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left;"></span></span></a></b></span><br />
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<b>Read this article too, you may find it helpful: <a href="http://smallbusinessphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-business-idea-10000-to-30000.html">http://smallbusinessphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-business-idea-10000-to-30000.html</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>P11,000 TO 25,000</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>T-shirts</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0-oneK9WXiDdNmQ9tflIQQTtzPeeAXipeDlQ5yil7B0Z42GERPShHomI-adZEvjqs7BxL6f2JLfaUQpjNOct1jrALLtVINB95n1zVHmw3Vj_lYJbRG_ONC0cJVFH0Y_nVESPDg9Ek44G/s1600/small+business-tshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0-oneK9WXiDdNmQ9tflIQQTtzPeeAXipeDlQ5yil7B0Z42GERPShHomI-adZEvjqs7BxL6f2JLfaUQpjNOct1jrALLtVINB95n1zVHmw3Vj_lYJbRG_ONC0cJVFH0Y_nVESPDg9Ek44G/s400/small+business-tshirt.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035767928@N01/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b> http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035767928@N01/</b></span></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>Specialty Sauces</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNo_oxX4SYJBB9621zTGJQO4SfYf8pTd3gKA0ZZRjGzPSBrzmxl1RjLDPqe6zeXT7JPkl-ilxr3g81Sq7ArCX5fXlq67qalqD1JiUNqIGNWHca-PMhYGe4wvSOeyThclgPupVepq4nJGMb/s1600/small+business-specialized+sauces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNo_oxX4SYJBB9621zTGJQO4SfYf8pTd3gKA0ZZRjGzPSBrzmxl1RjLDPqe6zeXT7JPkl-ilxr3g81Sq7ArCX5fXlq67qalqD1JiUNqIGNWHca-PMhYGe4wvSOeyThclgPupVepq4nJGMb/s400/small+business-specialized+sauces.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35034361412@N01/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.flickr.com/photos/35034361412@N01/</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>Bags and Cases</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ePZn9uDLQQJJKtvJAS3jg3iiv4AmBm3YQK00uRclgrlGmHNhKg50UuRreOEzI3CQoNqZzkp7NeG3bjZ7d6F6Fc8gGluGKoiBJEVL8rLNq1eh0PL5UL3Xmh4Q40QtGCgNu6wArJ3pRVzY/s1600/small+business-bags+and+cases.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ePZn9uDLQQJJKtvJAS3jg3iiv4AmBm3YQK00uRclgrlGmHNhKg50UuRreOEzI3CQoNqZzkp7NeG3bjZ7d6F6Fc8gGluGKoiBJEVL8rLNq1eh0PL5UL3Xmh4Q40QtGCgNu6wArJ3pRVzY/s400/small+business-bags+and+cases.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23912576@N05/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/23912576@N05/</a></span></div><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The impetus for becoming an entrepreneur is not always a compelling drive and immediate need to make money. Indeed, for these five entrepreneurs who made good on an initial capital of only P25,000 or less, the reasons for going into business varied from fulfilling a class requirement, filling a personal need for a particular product, and simply taking the cue from one's innate business sense.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>Darkuscase founders and artists Ace del Mundo and Lui Cornelio</b> both loved bags, and so they were disappointed when they couldn?t find in the market suitable and acceptable gig bags for musical instruments. The two had in mind soft, colorful, and hip cases to go better with their artistic inclinations, but what were available then were only the typical hard, bulky, and unattractive cases. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">This prompted del Mundo, guitarist of the pop-rock band Kenyo, to make designs for his own bags. Since he hails from Bulacan, which is considered the country's bag-making capital, he didn't find it hard to find people to execute his designs. Thus, in September 2006, he and Cornelio put up Darkuscase, with him as chief designer and in charge of production and with Cornelio in charge of marketing.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">"It was more than just money," says Cornelio. "When you come up with an idea for a product and really believe in its worth, you just have to make things happen using whatever resources you have at the moment."</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The name Darkuscase had a simple enough origin. Cornelio explains: "Darkus is Ace's name-handle on the Net, a name he came across in a comic book while still in college. Since he was known to friends online as Darkus, it made sense for us to carry the name. We felt it sounded unique and cool and had the potential for great brand-name recall."</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I<b>nitially investing P15,000 of their own money</b> in the business, they bought bag-making materials and second-hand equipment to get started. Sales of their products was brisk, so they recovered their investment in as little as three months. Today, <b>from having only one subcontractor at the start, they now have three</b> to cope with the increasing orders for their bags.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">After almost three years in operation, Darkuscase is still in its growth phase. It doesn't have a physical store for its products as yet, but its online store, <a href="http://www.darkuscase.com/" target="_blank">www.darkuscase.com</a>, has been doing good business. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Aside from bags for musical instruments, it now also sells guitar and camera straps; guitar picks; pedal cases; messenger, belt and travel bags; and so-called <b>flag bags</b> (messenger bags with flaps decorated boldly with a country's flag). The initial buyers of these products came from the partners' immediate circle of friends, but now anybody can order them through their online store.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Darkuscase is taking its business slowly but surely. "The first few months, we had the usual hits and misses since we both had no business background to back us up," says Cornelio. "We then received valuable inputs from our first wave of clients, and that helped us a lot especially in the production process for our bags."</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">All bags that Darkuscase makes are made-to-order and customized according to the size of the musical instrument. It takes 10 to 34 days for an order to be filled, depending on the quantity of the order. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Explains Cornelio: "Every order we receive goes through a unique production process because every client has his or her own unique set of requirements. Early on in the business, we were already aware of this challenge so we focused on working closely with different groups or communities of sewers and material suppliers for our bags. After our first year, each group now has its own skills and resources to manufacture particular bag lines for us."</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>Spoofs Limited Inc.,</b> maker of the highly popular t-shirts with tongue-in-cheek and in-your-face lines, is another niche player that started its business on very limited capital. Some of the phrases used in its shirts border on copyright infringement and on the vulgar, but the company's 17 years of existence is proof that there is a substantial market for offbeat products.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>Charlie Dobles and Drew Marcelo came up with the idea</b> for Spoofs Limited as part of the requirements of their Ateneo de Manila class in entrepreneurial management. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Together with four other classmates, the two raised P18,000 to jumpstart a business with real-world potential. Then, within the prescribed 21 days of selling for products proposed in their class, they sold at various school venues t-shirts emblazoned with spoofs of popular clothing labels, among them <i>Bolo</i> (Tagalog for machete, and a take on the Polo brand), United Couples of <i>Banatan</i> (a take on the Benetton brand), and <i>Timberlang</i> labels (a take on the Timberland brand).</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">"The best way to test your market is to sell to actual customers," says Dobles, and they did just that. At the end of the selling period, they sold 1,200 units and their project garnered for them a grade of 'A.'</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">After college, in 1992, Dobles and Marce lo decided to pursue the business in earnest, producing up to 30,000 t-shirts initially. But there was one major roadblock to their enterprise: clothing retailers refused to carry their t-shirts because of the provocative and legally questionable lines printed on them.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">This was highly problematic to the partners because in those years when online marketing was still alien territory, you had to have shelf space in the shopping centers if you wanted to sell anything. Indeed, it was only when an unlikely retailer, Gift Gate (licensee of Hello Kitty products), agreed to carry the Spoofs Limited products that other retailers relented and started carrying the products as well.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Today, Spoofs Limited now <b>has expanded to almost 30 outlets</b>, seven t-shirt lines, and two support companies.<br />
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"By starting small, I was able to build an identity for my product," says <b>Tina Vitas, owner of the Sarsarap line of bottled Filipino-style food sauces.</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Vitas started Sarsarap in April 2008 on a budget of about P20,000 of her personal money. The Vitas family has a restaurant called Mama V in Malate, Manila, and her mother, Tita, would make special sauces for the dishes served at the restaurant. Among these sauces were chili cheese, sweet mustard, chili vinegar, and <i>siling labuyo</i> (hot chili). Vitas saw the potential of those sauces for reaching a larger market if sold on their own.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">She then started to develop her mother's sauces, testing the market for them by at first joining small bazaars and later the big food expositions. "Majority of what I spent initially was for the rent of the booths at the bazaars and food expos, which wasn't cheap," Vitas says. In less than half a year, she was able to recover her initial investment.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Vitas, who describes herself as someone "who thinks 40, looks 30, and feels 20," had spent the first year of her business feeling the market's reaction to Sarsarap. She explains: "I didn't really want to venture into growth until my production volumes were already in place. I'm just beginning, a year later, to go into expansion mode."</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Her <b>one year of market testing</b> led Vitas to repackage, rebrand and relaunch her products, a process that she says required her to put in more working capital into the business. By the third quarter of 2009, she intends to launch still another brand, one that she says is "new and improved, but with the same taste that our customers have grown to love."</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Starting small and on a tight budget gives the entrepreneur the advantage of pursuing an idea without the worry of losing millions in investments, and as these five entrepreneurs have discovered, doing so with pluck and persistence has a better than good chance of being rewarded with success.<br />
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KEYS TO BUSINESS SUCCESS</b></div><ul style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><li>Tina Vitas of Sarsarap: "Aggressive guerilla marketing, hands-on sales and customer service, and empowerment training of our sales team. These really spelled the difference for our brand despite limited distribution."</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lui Cornelio of Darkuscase: "Joining music festivals and music-centric events, and making our products accessible to the market via the Internet. Overall, however, it boils down to the tried-and-tested formula of </span><i style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">sipag at tiyaga</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> [industriousness and patience].?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Read this article too, you may find it helpful: </span><a href="http://smallbusinessphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-business-idea-10000-to-30000.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://smallbusinessphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-business-idea-10000-to-30000.html</a> </div>Sestravelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03791470691049706207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685949176863397056.post-23675982537734005362010-07-25T20:44:00.000-07:002013-07-31T00:23:56.706-07:00Businesses you can start less than P10,000<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">For business in the Philippines using small capital, click here: <a href="http://smallcapitalbusinessphilippines.com/" target="_blank">http://smallcapitalbusinessphilippines.com/</a></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Putting up a small business is a challenging thing to do. It requires patience doing the research about your market, your product and your marketing method. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">But we cannot deny that putting up small business requires capital, funds, or simply we call it MONEY. We may have the ability to be patient in doing everything but we do not have the resources when it comes to raising funds to get our small business started. </span></b><br />
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<b>Read this article too, you may find it helpful: <a href="http://smallbusinessphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-business-idea-10000-to-30000.html">http://smallbusinessphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-business-idea-10000-to-30000.html</a></b> </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">I researched some more and found an article in the Entrepreneur magazine official website which gives you an idea on businesses that you can put up that requires small capital. The title of the article </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/starterkit/article/businesses-you-can-start-from-p1k-to-p100k-part-1/page/1"></a></span></span><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/starterkit/article/businesses-you-can-start-from-p1k-to-p100k-part-1/page/1">Businesses you can start from P1k to P100k (Part 1)</a></span><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/starterkit/article/businesses-you-can-start-from-p1k-to-p100k-part-1/page/1"></a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/starterkit/article/businesses-you-can-start-from-p1k-to-p100k-part-1/page/1"><b><span style="font-size: small;"></span></b></a><b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">ENJOY READING!!</span></b></span></span></div>
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Yes, there are business you can start from P1,000 to P100,000!</div>
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For less than P10,000, one can start a spiced-ham or bottled-food business, a t-shirt company can get off the ground with under P25,000 in capital, about P50,000 should be enough to get a shoe factory up and running, and one can start a travel and tours agency for just P100,000.</div>
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No matter what business the aspiring entrepreneur has in mind, it's been proven that <b>a little cash can go a long way</b>, and most Filipino business owners know this by heart. </div>
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Indeed, according to the latest statistics from the Department of Trade and Industry, 97 percent of all registered businesses in the country are micro enterprises, or those with under P3 million in assets. And this obviously doesn't take into account the thousands of other businesses in the "underground economy"--those that operate without government licenses and don't pay taxes on their incomes. </div>
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Most of these "micro-biz" doubtless had started with an initial capital way below P3 million, which is a princely sum particularly in these tough times. Of course, these funds for business startups can come from anywhere, but the most common sources are personal savings, pensions, loans from banks or pawnshops, and cash gifts from relatives and friends. </div>
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How to raise startup capital can be a challenge in itself, but the much greater challenge to the would-be entrepreneur is <b>how to parlay these resources into a viable and profitable enterprise</b>. </div>
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As demonstrated by the men and women whose stories appear in the succeeding pages, these dream businesses can become a reality even with an initial capital of just P100,000 or less. And the opportunities are to be found in areas as diverse as home-service massage, bag-making, creative work for exhibits, and food-cart franchises, to name just a few. </div>
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The only limits to the prospective entrepreneur's choices are his or her passion for the business and the available startup funds. And, of course, <b>there's an advantage in starting small</b>, for it allows the entrepreneur to learn the ropes of the business with minimal risk before going into costlier ventures in the future.</div>
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So, whether you only have P5,000 as a graduation gift from your parents or as much as P95,000 saved from your days of working from 9:00 to 5:00, now is the best time to explore your entrepreneurial options. You can become an entrepreneur no matter what stage or station of life you are in. Just let these stories help guide you on your way. </div>
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<b>P10,000 AND BELOW</b><br />
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<b> Thai Massage</b><b> </b><br />
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Meat Processing</b><br />
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Gift-Wrapping</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A lot of people want to put up a business of their own but are deterred by the thought that it would need a huge investment. Well, they are wrong. There are so many businesses that could be started with P10,000 or less, like the gift-wrapping service, home-service spa and massage, meat processing venture, and eatery that were put up by the seven entrepreneurs we are featuring in this story. </span><br />
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In fact, <b>Chiqui Barretto got started with her first Wrap It Up! gift-wrapping shop</b> in Calamba, Laguna, in 2000 by simply spending on transportation to Divisoria to get her initial supplies. <b>Preeyada Saengpradab and her husband Roland Saenz de Tejada opened Preeyada's Real Thai Massage</b> in 2008 in Bacoor, Cavite, with only two dozens of towels they had purchased from Divisoria. </div>
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<b>Ruby Sauza-Limbaña and sister Roselita Sauza invested only P200 in 1983 to start Rosa Foods</b>, their Kalibo, Aklan-based meat processing business. And <b>Mary Maranan and husband Aristeo put up only P450 in 1980 to start a small restaurant, Mary's Eatery</b>, in San Fernando, La Union.</div>
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How each of these three entrepreneurs grew their business from such humble beginnings offers valuable lessons in real-life entrepreneurship. </div>
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<b>FATEFUL BEGINNINGS</b></div>
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In the case of the Maranan couple, the P450 they used to start an eatery in San Fernando, La Union, 29 years ago was actually money they had borrowed from a friend. They were in such dire straits at the time after sustaining heavy losses as <i>biyaheros</i> or traveling buy-and-sell agents.</div>
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Maranan recalls: "We really had a hard time as <i>biyaheros</i>, peddling our wares in a bamboo tray all over the town. We would do it the whole day under the heat of the sun--a very exhausting task that gave us no assurance at all of selling anything." </div>
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Indeed, the <i>biyahero</i> couple went bankrupt before long, so they decided to venture into what they thought was a more reliable business. They saw a captive market of jeepney drivers from a nearby terminal and put up their eatery beside it. This was how they got Mary's Eatery started, and <b>the business did well during its first year. </b>It served the usual carinderia fare in the morning, and beer and grilled street foods like "<i>adidas</i>" (chicken feet) in the evening.</div>
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The Sauza sisters went into the processed meat business in Kalibo, Aklan, to augment the family's income. In 1983, while on vacation in their hometown, Roselita had asked her sister Ruby to think of a sideline business so they could stretch her vacation money. Roselita was working at the time as a government employee at the Region IV office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Manila.</div>
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Both of them knew how to make longanisa, so the sisters decided to use P200 of Roselita's money to buy 5 kg of meat and the needed spices. They then started making longanisa and Ruby sold it to the various government offices in town. Roselita returned to Manila to get back to work after two weeks, but Ruby continued the business because of the <b>growing demand for their product</b>.</div>
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In the case of Chiqui Barretto, she went into the gift-wrapping business without really intending to. She had a desktop printing shop at Waltermart in Calamba, Laguna, a franchised business called Personalized Greeting that she has been running since 1998. Her shop is right beside the Abenson appliance store, and it just so happened that customers buying appliances for gift-giving got into the habit of buying rolled gift-wrapping paper from Barretto's shop.</div>
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In time the Abenson customers started asking Barretto to gift-wrap their appliances as well. Although it was not her shop's line of business, Barretto would agree to personally wrap the appliances so as not to disappoint the people asking for the service. <b>The volume of the gift-wrapping orders then grew</b> to a point that Barretto decided to make gift-wrapping a regular business.</div>
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In November 2000, she asked the Waltermart management for permission to offer gift-wrapping as a regular service. She explained that Christmas was already approaching and there was no shop offering the service anyway. Waltermart approved her request and allowed her to set up a gift-wrapping table for 35 days at a very reasonable rental rate. </div>
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Recalls Barretto: "I started this with only my credibility as capital. I got the materials I needed on a 30-day term from local suppliers. The table I used was remodeled scrap from my cousin's shop, for which I later paid P8,500."</div>
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The business, which she initially called the Gift Wrap Company, did so well that she was able to pay the suppliers and the rental even before the due dates.</div>
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Preeyada and her husband Roland, who are used to getting a massage every week, got into the Thai massage business because they could not get the real Thai massage from the local parlors. "I was very disappointed with the Thai massage that we were getting," she recalls. "I'm a Thai and I love Thai massage, so I know what a real Thai massage is." </div>
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At that time Preeyada was commuting from Barangay Molino in Bacoor, Cavite, to Makati City where she worked with a golf-tour and travel company. She found all that traveling so tiring so she decided she might as well put up a business of her own offering real Thai massage. </div>
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Not having enough capital to put up a massage parlor, though, she started with a home spa/massage service in 2008. She would call potential clients using her personal mobile phone, and her husband Roland would provide her with flyers to be distributed to the nearby villages. She has since trained <b>six people as therapists to help her handle her growing clientele. </b></div>
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<b>EXPANDING THE VENTURES</b></div>
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For these seven entrepreneurs, growing their respective businesses has not been easy considering that they were all started with small capitalizations. </div>
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At least in the case of Barretto, however, she was able to expand her Gift Wrap Company by just <b>plowing back its profits into the business.</b> In 2002, after putting up an improved storefront for her original Calamba gift-wrapping outlet, she put up another branch at Sta. Rosa, Laguna, and registered the business under a new name, <b>Wrap it Up! The company now has 11 branches</b> and will be opening three more this year. </div>
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"I was able to put up one branch after another from the profits of every branch," she says. "I eventually opened the business for franchising, improved each of the stores and their merchandising, and trained my employees using the profits generated by the business." </div>
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In the case of the Sauza sisters, they recovered their initial investment in Rosa Foods in less than a month. They were able to increase weekly production from 5 kg to 10 kg, then to 15kg and on to 20 kg because <b>a meat supplier had agreed to give them a daily credit term</b>--too short actually, but still a great help to the fledgling Rosa Foods. </div>
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Later, the Sauza sisters chipped in money to buy a meat grinder. This enabled them to increase their daily production to 100 kg by the end of their first year in the business. </div>
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After paying back the P450 they owed from their friend, the Maranan couple decided to expand and move their eatery to make it bigger. <b>Every now and then they borrowed small sums of money</b> from their friends to finance their expansion. </div>
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Even as the business grew, however, the couple maintained their strategy of catering primarily to the masses. In 2002, after further renovating and expanding it as well as improving its menu, they changed the name of the eatery from Mary's Eatery to R&M Canteen, Catering & Videoke. </div>
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In 1994, the Maranan couple <b>diversified by opening City Image Salon</b>, which offers hair and makeup services as well as gown rentals. They will soon be <b>also opening</b> <b>a resort with 20 cottages </b>at Cabaraoan in San Fernando City, La Union.</div>
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As to Preeyada and her husband Roland, they were able to <b>eventually put up a shop of their own</b>, Preeyada's Real Thai Massage Center, in August 2008 despite not having enough capital. </div>
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What Preeyada did was to save the profits from their home-massage service to fund the establishment of the center, and to negotiate as a low a rent as possible from the owner of the shop space. To further economize, the couple used the furniture in their house to furnish the center and asked Preeyada's friends and family members from Thailand to bring oils, ointments, and herbs to the center in exchange for getting a massage. </div>
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Preeyada used the business's profit to buy more equipment, furniture, oil containers, service boxes, beds, and beddings. After six months, the couple was <b>able to open another branch in Tagaytay City</b>, again furnishing the new center with some used equipment and furniture from their first branch. "<b>To expand, we would literally reuse our resources</b>," Roland says, "What we don't need, we don't buy; what we could save, we save." </div>
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In the case of Rosa Foods, it now has a separate <b>HACCP-accredited factory that produces 300 kg of processed meat daily.</b> It has consistently pursued a strategy of not stocking up on inventory, producing only according to the demand. This has made the business more cost-efficient, and with its inventories always moving very fast, there is very little wastage or none at all.</div>
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Rosa Foods currently supplies various outlets in Western Visayas and in Manila. It now also has a store in Boracay and a warehouse-outlet in Iloilo to cater to their Bacolod and Iloilo customers. </div>
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What these seven entrepreneurs have proven is that it is entirely possible to grow a business from scratch--literally with only P10,000 or even much less. And what they have done, any entrepreneur worth his or her salt certainly can do, too.</div>
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<b>ROAD TO SUCCESS</b></div>
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<b>For Chiqui Barretto of Wrap It Up!</b>,<b> the key to success</b> in business is having a good grasp of the customers' motivation, behavior, and taste and being able to communicate it to the employees. </div>
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She calls her employees "wrap artists" and expects them to know precisely why they are in the business. She explains: "We make every gift a masterpiece. No matter how simple the gift is, it must always exude the 'specialness' of the recipient."</div>
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Barretto adds that you also need to cultivate good relationships with your suppliers. This way, she says, they will be willing to help you in any way they can when you want to expand your business.<br />
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<b>For Mary Maranan of R&M Canteen, success</b> <b>was made</b> possible by her having the courage to pursue the business despite the difficulties and by making every effort to keep the trust of her suppliers and creditors. </div>
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Her advice to would-be entrepreneurs: "To earn the trust of your creditors, make it a point to pay whatever you borrowed from them."<br />
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<b>For Preeyada and Roland of Preeyada's Real Thai Massage, success was the result</b> of investing in the training of their therapists and of incorporating the Thai culture in their services. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Preeyada explains: "Our business is healing. Thai massage is not just a simple massage but is all about healing; it's a combination of reflex and yoga. So we make our therapists study the Thai culture and its connection with the massage. They must understand that they're not just offering a service but are actually healing their clients."</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For Roselita Sauza of Rosa Foods, success came largely</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> from her decision to go full-time in the business to better manage it. By doing so, she says, she and her sister Ruby were able to standardize the system of the whole business, including accounting, inventory, and production. This enabled the company to expand and capture a larger market.</span><br />
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Read this article too, you may find it helpful: <a href="http://smallbusinessphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-business-idea-10000-to-30000.html">http://smallbusinessphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-business-idea-10000-to-30000.html</a> </div>
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