4 Reasons to be Ready to Sell Your Online Business Right Now | BusinessTips.com

December 11, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Having an online business is great. Not only are you your own boss and can dictate your own hours, but you can also sit in casual clothes at the computer during conference calls and filling orders. But even if your business is going smoothly, and the profits are rolling in, it is still absolutely essential that you prepare the business for sale. Even if you have no absolutely no intention of selling.

Confused? Read on and you won’t be.

In the excitement of running a new business and watching it succeed beyond your wildest expectations, selling the company is probably the last thing on your mind. But the fact is, most business owners eventually end up selling to an investor or an individual at some point in time, and usually when they aren’t expecting to do so. You may be lucky enough for someone to come to you with an acquisition offer, but more likely than not, you will be looking for a buyer, not the other way around.

So in preparation for that day possibly coming, it is essential to have an exit strategy ready, so you can sell quickly and easily, and move on to your next business idea. Even if you vow never to sell your business, it is still good to perform an exit strategy exercise on a regular basis. Here’s why:

9 Apps Entrepreneurs Love That You’ve Probably Never Heard Of | All Business

November 21, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Certain apps — from Mailbox to LinkedIn — are a given for entrepreneurs on the go. But with thousands of apps out there, it’s easy to overlook something that could make your life easier or, in some cases, just brighten your day.

With that in mind, we asked nine founders from YEC the following:

Q: What relatively unknown app do you open first thing in the morning to help you start your workday?

1. Slacker Radio

Slacker streams ABC News and is updated every 30 minutes to an hour. I love it; I’ve been using it to listen to news in the morning while getting ready and while walking or taking the bus to the office. NPR One is a new contender, but I still feel Slacker’s stream is more news than audio documentary or interview. – Chuck Reynolds, Levers

5 Intangibles Your Ecommerce Business Should Be Focusing On, But Isn’t | Getentrepreneurial.com

November 18, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

At any given time, there are thousands of small business entrepreneurs looking to create a meaningful presence on the web. As you read this, some traditional businesses are finding a new home online, some “purely online” ecommerce businesses are taking birth, and the mad rush for every website out there to go mobile is only intensifying.

If you are an entrepreneur just starting out, you’ll eventually face what is called “information paralysis” – the sheer weight of information that threatens to freeze you. You aren’t responsible for this information overload, but your best bet is to absorb what matters to you and stay committed to make your ecommerce business work.

Pulling out your new ecommerce site from the hidden corners of the web and taking to stupendous popularity and profits is sweat-inducing, scary hard work. Slap focus together with assiduousness and your ecommerce business will see new light.

How to improve your mailing list before everyone unsubscribes | Mashable

November 18, 2014November 18, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Reply-all disasters are so common, they have their own Wikipedia page.They’re so ubiquitous, even, that the bad manners of reply-all offenders overshadow the bad manners of those who make and distribute mailing lists in the first place. While the listservs that dominated the 2000s may not be as common anymore, mailing lists are still central to the operation and social functioning of companies, universities and other associations. For the record, “listserv” refers to a software used to send mass emails; “mailing list” is the colloquial term.

We’ve compiled 11 tips that will help you improve your mailing list etiquette — and maximize effectiveness, while you’re at it.

1. Repeat to yourself: Listservs are public.

Think about what you’re sending before you send it — if it belongs in a private email or makes more sense to send to an individual, you shouldn’t send it through a mailing list. Also check the recipient of the email before you send it. This year, the University of Virginia’s top-ranked law school sent admissions stats of more than 100 people who applied for clerkships to a listserv of all those applicants, and then sent another email with subject line “PLEAE DELETE IMMEDIATELY.” But we all know email doesn’t work like that.

What Entrepreneurs Should Know Before Starting a Business | Business News Daily

November 12, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When you’re getting ready to start a business, you may think all you need is a great idea and the cash to make it happen. This is a good place to start, but there are so many other elements to startup success that entrepreneurs tend to overlook when they’re caught up in the excitement of a launch. Ten successful startup founders and executives shared the best tips they believe every aspiring entrepreneur should know before starting a business.

“Commit to mastery, to becoming a learning machine.You don’t need only one tool or skill to build a house or building. You don’t need to be the best at all of them, but you need to understand them.” — Ney Torres, CEO of CarFootprints.com

How Can Small Businesses Afford to Grow? | All Business

November 11, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Growth is a very important part of any business. In order to keep the business going and reach all the goals that the business is capable of, business owners need to supply the tools that their business needs to grow and succeed. Necessary growth for businesses can range from adding on more staff to the payroll or buying a new piece of equipment to make their production process go faster. No matter what is needed for the growth that the business needs, it is never an inexpensive investment.

This dilemma causes an all too common issue for many businesses, especially for small businesses. The business owners need to invest in something in order to grow and keep their business going, but they cannot afford to make the investments that they need with the business’s current revenue. This is a problem that seems impossible to overcome, but with a little assistance and the right planning, any business can overcome this obstacle and grow enough to achieve all the goals that the business owner has set for it. Here are some ways that small businesses can afford to grow and how any business owner can make it happen for their business.

How to Respond to Customers Who Want Your Work for Free | All business

October 30, 2014October 31, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Do you want to sell your products or your work for free? I’m sure you don’t. But it happens all the time. Customers want what you have to sell and pay you nothing for it. What should you do when customers want your work for free?

Be ready with a response. This recently happened to a client of mine. My client prepares very well for prospect meetings. He uses some expensive business analytic tools to generate reports about their business. Prospects are very impressed to learn the breadth of his knowledge about their business.

Freelancers, Here’s How To Set Your Rates | Forbes

October 27, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Freelancers often wonder how much they should charge. It’s a thorny dilemma: Quote too high a price, and the potential client may decide to hire someone else. Go with a lower number, and you may end up earning less than you could have.

That’s why you’ll see freelancer forums and discussion boards peppered with questions about how much the poster should quote for a potential gig.

But they’re going about it all wrong. While, yes, it helps to know the general price range for certain types of work, the reality is that the range can be quite wide.

For instance, writers for content mills may earn as little as $15 a post, writers for esteemed magazines could earn $20,000 for a lengthy story, and some authors can receive millions for a book advance. Even for articles of the same length — say, 1,000 words — some outlets pay as little as $100 and others pay as much as $2,000 or more.

Branding Made Simple | Businessweek

October 16, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Why did Google GOOG whip Yahoo! YHOO so decisively? How did Apple AAPL become the world’s most valuable company? Why have we all heard of Intel INTC? The answer is simple. Or, to be more precise, simplicity.

The ability to distill highly complex business concepts into simple consumer propositions is one reason why Google, Apple, and Intel are three of the most valuable brands in the world. Google’s breakthrough insight was to make everything about its brand and user experience clean and simple, unlike Yahoo and other search engine companies that thought a busier page somehow communicated more value. Apple rejected complexity in everything from its operating system to product design to advertising. And Intel created a five-note musical signature and two-word catchphrase to make us all believe that a computer was better if it had “Intel Inside.”

The 3 Most Important Questions Every Entrepreneur Must Answer | Entrepreneur.com

October 10, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The ultimate goal of every entrepreneur is to succeed – and to be happy doing it. But not every entrepreneur gets to achieve it. Indeed, hundreds of new businesses are launched every year but success eludes most of them.

One reason is that entrepreneurs are faced with some of the most difficult questions on a daily basis – and how they answer them could depend on if the startup sinks or swims.

To ensure success, here are the three most important questions entrepreneurs must answer.

1. What are my goals as an entrepreneur? Most entrepreneurs find it difficult to separate their personal goals from their business goals. And that makes sense. Think about it, entrepreneurs are often trying to turn their personal passion into a business – and just need to find others to help achieve their goals. While I get that sometimes they are linked, the ability to separate your goals can help you focus your personal growth and the success of your business at the same time. So set goals.