You started your own business because you have a burning passion for what you do. You are also - we hope -- good what you do and have a desire to help others. Little do you know that running a business includes, well...running a business. This little bombshell can throw many a new business owner for a loop.
I receive numerous phone calls every week asking me how to start a business as a professional organizer. The first thing I say is that the organizing part is easy because it is a natural gift (sometimes a curse); it's running the business that can trap you. This is not to scare a potential entrepreneur away, but to help them realize that it's not all fun and games doing what you do best. You have to:
Find an accountant
Buy insurance
Get legal advice on how to set up your business
File for the company name with the state
Find working capital if necessary
File all the proper tax forms
Open up a checking account
Get office supplies
Market the business
Build a network
And the list goes on and on...
In the initial start-up stage, entrepreneurs are often so excited about starting a new business that they pay little or no attention to what is happening with all the paperwork and electronic data you are generating. That is typical and expected. However, around the six to twelve month mark, entrepreneurs start calling people like me - a professional organizer - begging for help in setting up a system to help them be organized. I envision a hand protruding from mounds of papers reaching for help.
The sad news is that many small businesses have never taken the time to set up systems once they've built up paper and electronic backlogs. They just keep generating documents without stopping to assess what is being created.
I firmly believe that the healthiest small business is the one that visits and reviews their organizational systems every six to twelve months. The small business that keeps doing the "same old, same old" is losing money. So where do you stand?
Something that has really hit home in the past year or so is that you don't GET organized and have long lasting success. You have to BE organized. Getting organized is a quick fix of cleaning up and putting things away - usually a Band-aid (r) approach - that doesn't last for more than a few days.
Being organized is recognizing that organization is an ongoing journey. Life doesn't stop happening the minute you GET organized. You have to have systems in place that will help the daily flow; a lack of systems will cause clogs. These clogs come in many forms:
Piles of papers
Lost documents
Misplaced items - glasses, phone, pens, keys
Running late
Stress and frustration...
You get the picture.
When it becomes clear to you that you are running through your day feeling like you've accomplished nothing, you may need to reassess your organizational skills and systems.
Your small business must overcome many hurdles to be successful. Fortunately, being organized is one hurdle that you can learn to overcome. Or you can work with a professional organizer to set up customized systems that make you functional, productive, and more pleasant to be around.
I challenge you take a deep look at the state of your small business? organization. If you see your passion being overrun by disorganization, it's time to take some action.
Here's to simplifying your life!
(c) 2006, Kreamer Connect, Inc. Permission granted to reprint this article so long as the text and by-line are not changed and reprinted intact with all links made live.
Server For Small Business
And you wait, and wait and wait.
We've all been there at that stage wondering, "Alright, now what do I do? How do I get people to come my site?"
Rest easy--you don't have to be an internet mastermind or SEO genius to have a successful website.
Even website owners who have little knowledge of how the internet technically works are able to transform their website from a deserted island to a bustling metropolis by simply writing and submitting educational articles with article marketing.
Here are the 3 big reason why small business owners choose article marketing as a main marketing tool for their websites:
1) Article marketing drives traffic to a website by increasing the inbound links.
Links are at the heart of driving traffic to a website.
Links are basically doorways to your website that your potential customers can walk through. Technically, a link is a piece of text or a URL that a reader can click to reach your website.
When you're submitting articles for article marketing, you will also include an author resource box, which has a brief author bio and a link back to your website. Each time your article is picked up for publication, your resource box is published also.
The more publishers pick up your article for publication, the more precious inbound links you garner. These links send a message to Google that your website has value, and this impacts Google's ranking of your website in search engine results.
So, an increase in inbound links to your website helps your website appear higher in the search results, which is what you're going for!
Additionally, people may reach your website without even doing a Google search, by finding your article on a website and clicking the link in your resource box.
So you build traffic in two ways--directly through folks who find your article on a website, and indirectly, by finding your website or articles via a Google search.
2) To bring worldwide exposure to their website and business while building up long term targeted traffic.
Article marketing is widely known for having a long term impact on targeted traffic when done consistently.
What is targeted traffic?
Targeted traffic is when the people who visit your website are in your target market and are likely to be interested in whatever services or products you're offering on your website.
So, you don't want just any type of random traffic to your site--you want targeted traffic.
By writing articles on your area of expertise and then having these articles appear on bunches of websites all over the internet, your articles are increasing the reach of your marketing efforts, because they are being seen by more people on more websites.
Every time your article is seen on a website, there is the chance of that person clicking through to your website, which increases your chances of making sales and gaining new customers.
3) To establish themselves as an expert in their niche.
Remember, your articles are like virtual sales representatives that you send out into the big wide world of the internet to introduce potential customers to your business.
The way you lure readers in is by providing them with helpful information in your article (your resource box is the only place where you can talk about your website and products). If the reader found your article helpful, then they will likely click through to your website to see what else you have to offer.
Also, sometimes a potential customer will Google your name or your business name before deciding to work with you. If you've been doing article marketing, a list of your articles will pop up in the search results.
As the person reads your articles and sees that you know your stuff, they start to think, "He really helped me understand some things I was unsure of--I think he can help me." By demonstrating your expertise in your articles, you're building customer confidence in yourself and your business, which goes a long way toward increasing sales.
If you've heard about article marketing before, but weren't quite sure why you should be doing it or how it could benefit your business, now you know!
It isn't enough to have a website--you need a web presence.
Small business owners use article marketing to demonstrate expertise in their field and build customer confidence, increase their search engine rankings, and generate targeted traffic to their website.
These 3 objectives are HUGE when it comes to marketing a small business online.
Both Patty Kreamer & Steve Shaw are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Patty Kreamer has sinced written about articles on various topics from Business Intelligence. Patty Kreamer, owner of Kreamer Connect, Inc., is a professional organizer, speaker, and author of ...But I Might Need It Someday! and The Power of Simplicity, now available at. Patty Kreamer's top article generates over 12100 views. Bookmark Patty Kreamer to your Favourites.
Steve Shaw has sinced written about articles on various topics from Article Writing, SEO Articles and Build Online Business. Small business owners who want to save time and increase their article exposure submit their articles automatically for maximum impact and results. Steve Shaw created the web's first ever 100% automated. Steve Shaw's top article generates over 14800 views. Bookmark Steve Shaw to your Favourites.
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