The Silent Avatar Speaks

Before you can go about starting a business, no matter what it is, it goes without saying you would have to know a little something about the business you were going into wouldn’t you?

Don’t be under the illusion that just because you are good at something, you feel you can translate that to a viable business.  Of course prior knowledge on the subject is a must, or at the very least a sound understanding of what it takes to operate the sort of business you want to start.

You can begin your endeavor of starting a business by studying other similar business models that are successful.

I’m continually amazed at the number of people who want to start a business online, yet they have done very little, (or even no research) to back up the viability of their business.

Starting any business means knowing what your potential customers want, and the best ways to find out if what you propose to offer is what is needed. Successful businesses always fulfil a need (and people are willing to pay).

A quick way to gauge your perception about your proposed business is to ask your friends, family and their contacts to complete a survey.

You can set up a simple survey at Tiger Survey.com (and its free).

Simply write a series of questions you would like to know the answer to, and then circulate the survey link to your contacts for them to complete the survey. Don’t short cut this process! You are fact finding before you invest your hard earned savings into your business idea!

Put some time and effort into the questions and don’t make the survey too long, or you will find that your survey will be abandoned.

If you want to ensure a good strike rate for your survey, offer something in exchange for completing the survey. It can be as simple as a lottery or art union ticket to those who complete the survey. Whatever it costs, it’s well worth the investment to find out if you are on the right track.

Also consider what resources you need to operate your business effectively. If you need a printer to print invoices, or brochures, or to print business reports (and you don’t have one),  consider if you have the money to purchase one because it may be a ‘must have’ to operate your business successfully.

Other resources can be things like:

• people – how many?
• premises – where? lease? buy?
• stock area – or maybe drop ship?
• capital – reserves for the unexpected?
• equipment – must haves to operate your business successfully?
• advertising – got a budget?
• child minding -  you can’t focus on the kids and a business at the same time.

There are hundreds of other details that you must see to when starting a business. If you don’t have the time or the ideas that you need to start from the ground up, you can always see about a franchise. You may need to invest a bit more when starting a business this way, but that name you get comes with advertising and reputation that you would not have when starting a business on your own.

Remember… THINK FIRST! Don’t become another number in the statistics of failed businesses.

I’m the Silent Avatar.. and I have spoken

Tags: Business Tips, Business and Management by the silent avatar
No Comments »

Ever since I got into business for myself I have come to know this one thing. The key to success is to find someone who is spectacular at business and then become their best friend.

That doesn’t mean that you want to become exactly like them, but it does mean that you want to see a similar form of success to what they have.

So why stick to them like glue? Because there is one thing that they have which you are likely still seeking – and that is… Vision.

Establishing a vision for your life and especially for your business is easier said than done! That is why getting to know people who have already achieved a measure of success will give you a much better chance at finding your own calling in the world today. Ultimately, they will make you successful.

Excellent candidates for this are Small Business Mentors. There are four different things to look for in a Small Business Mentor.

1) They need to show that they can achieve results.
Since a Small Business Mentor has the JOB of being your mentor they need to show that they can achieve some form of success on their own. I was made painfully aware of this fact when I put myself under the mentorship of a bad business husband/wife team who ultimately ended our relationship yelling at me on the phone because I had called them out for damaging my reputation to a third party for no reason at all.
Hey, that kind of stuff happens. But I have since recovered and have been made the wiser for it. So you’ll need to be weary of a Small Business Mentor because they can really cause things to go downhill for your business.

So bottom line: do your homework before you approach any kind of Small Business Mentor and make sure that they have had similar results in their own business that you would like them to help you achieve in your own business.

2) They should be helping their clients establish a vision
As I said above, one of the major keys to success is vision. If your Small Business Mentor doesn’t have some kind of emphasis on helping you to set up a vision then you are going to have to think twice before becoming their protege.

3) They should freely give of their information to grow your business.
Part of working with a mentor is the ability for them to give freely to you information which will help you grow your business and make it successful. Unfortunately, there is a saying “you can’t know what you don’t know“, and this means you are only going to get the information you need if you ask the right questions – unless of course they freely give over their information.

4) Find a mentor who has been there and done that.
Good mentors have been through the mill, made mistakes, (and plenty of them) and are now willing to not only advise you what to do, but also what NOT to do.

They can offer you a shortcut to success, based on what they know works.

If you are looking to find a mentor, you don’t have to go and pay someone. Forums abound with people who are willing to impart their knowledge for the good of all. Of course, don;t take up their valuable time with questions which have already been answered. Search the forums for answers to your question first.

If you would like a mentor which is a bit more personalised, I recommend The Internet Entrepreneur Club run by Derek Gehl. This is a membership site where you can post any questions,  include links to your site for feedback, and generally make good use of someone who knows what they are talking about.

I’ve included a banner link below for you to check out.

Until next time,

I’m the Silent Avatar… and I have spoken

Tags: Business and Management, Marketing and Advertising, Online Business, Promotion and Marketing by the silent avatar
No Comments »

Small Business Web Development Service

One of the main responsibilities of a small business web development service it to make sure the client has a website that sells. A website that can convince prospects to purchase their product or service. Sometimes it is can be tricky getting a client to do what is best for their bottom line. But a small business web development service is like a doctor or lawyer. A small business web development services can not help a client if the client does not take the advice of the small business web development services.

The number one responsibility of a small business web development services is to educate the client. It is better to not make a business deal then to make a business deal when you know the client is not going to be happy, or get good results.

There are some that want a very “pretty” website, but fails to convince their prospects to purchase from them. Not only that but they make it almost impossible. The prospects arrives at the website, but don’t know how to buy from you.

First, you will want to check that people can find your order form easily and hassle-free. You can write a clear, concise paragraph to direct your prospects to your order form so that you can minimize the chances of them getting lost. You can also reduce the chances of losing prospects by putting a prominent link to your order page from every other page on your site.

Also some people may feel comfortable paying via Paypal, some may only want to pay with their credit card and others might want to send a cheque. The more options you offer, the better your chances of covering your prospects’ desired payment method.

On the other hand, you will want to prove that you are a credible merchant. Is your order form secured using encryption technology? You would want to look into SSL for this. You can also offer a money back guarantee so that people will feel confident about buying from you. How about after sales support? Who do they contact when they have problems after purchasing?

Alternatively, you can add customer testimonials, your contact information, address, and so on to boost your prospects’ confidence. Make them feel safe about buying something from you, a total stranger to them on the other end of the Internet.

As a conclusion, it would be very pitiful if you sold hard and sold well to a prospect and something goes wrong when he or she is ready to pay. Eliminate any chances of that to maximize your profits!

At Silent Avatar Web Solutions you can rest assured that all of your website need for your business will be taken care of in a very professional manner.

I’m the Silent Avatar.. and i’ve just spoken

Tags: Internet, Online Business, Promotion and Marketing by the silent avatar
No Comments »