Business, Marketing, and New Technology
Posts tagged entrepreneurs
Considering Becoming an Entrepreneur? Ask Yourself These 7 Questions
Jul 20th
Working for yourself sounds rosey, doesn’t it? No boss, no set hours, no boss, freedom to make your own decisions, did I mention no boss?
But it’s not as easy as it looks. Often the entrepreneur/business owner is the one who never gets a break, has all the responsibility, and works almost 24/7. Still, if you’re successful, it has its perks. Before taking that leap from the corporate world to one of your own making, consider these 7 questions.
1- What is your motivation? Make no mistake, you will hit rough times. Your motivation must be strong enough to carry you through.
2- What is your experience? You will probably have to acquire some new skills to make this work. How are your going to do this? Are you willing to put in the effort to learn?
3- How are you going to find customers? You must have a plan in mind for making contact, or a plan to find out how to do this.
4- Do you have the capital to carry you for the first year? The main reason for start-up failure is lack of cash flow. It takes time to get a business running, and you’ll need to be prepared with some means of support outside of the business itself.
5- What is your action plan? Do you have a map of where you are going and how to get there? Do you know what you are willing to do, and what you are not willing to do?
6- What resources are available to you for mentoring yourself? Make no mistake- you will need advice.
7- How dedicated are you? Do you have the will and determination to hang in there until success is at hand?
With a little planning, determination, and true grit, you can get there- go for it!
Make Money with Photo Booth Rental
Mar 22nd
Entrepreneurship runs in my blood. I’ve considered having my own hot dog stand. It seems like such a good idea. Hot dogs are easy to make. The add-ons are standard, and no one expects gourmet food. Just set it up at a street corner, or a park, or a civic fair of some kind, and rake in the money.
Even easier is having a vending machine business of some sort. At least in theory. I know a bit about this, as I’ve tried it. At first, you are thinking that the vending machine does all the work. It just sits there, 24/7, and people come and put money in it. Then all you have to do is go around and collect the money. Well, the catch is, you have to put stuff IN the vending machines. That’s the rub. If you have enough machines to make much money, you’ll find yourself spending all your time driving from one place to another all day long just reloading the machines. My mistake was to put chocolate in the machines, and since I was in the car for hours delivering chocolate, it would melt. So, now you’re dealing with finding some method of keeping the goods cool, while you travel. In the end, it just was not worth it to me. It was just a hassle. Who starts a business expecting to have MORE work and less money? Scratch that one.
Now, here’s a small business with real potential, and I bet you’ve never thought of it: photo booth rental. You know those photo booths at the beach? Where you and 3 other kids crowded into the booth and made funny faces? Well, those booths are portable now. People will rent them for personal occasions like graduation parties, weddings, reunions and birthday parties. You can get one, and rent it out!
This is even better than a hot dog stand because you don’t have to man it.
It’s better than a vending machine because you don’t have to stock it. (well, just a little)
Just roll it in, and roll it out!
Way cool!
Copywriting From Your Personal Computer
Mar 15th
Working from home is one of my life goals, and over the years, I have tried many ways to achieve the personal freedom and flexibility that a home based job will give me. It was much more of a challenge before the new millennium, because, of course, there was no internet! I knew right away, when the world wide web began, that there was massive potential there for the tapping. Although I’m certainly not the geekiest of people, I do love finding out about all the varied ways people are using their own PCs and Macs to make a living.
If you google, “make money online”, you’re going to get a lot of stuff about affiliate marketing, and other “internet marketing” related things. But, there are different tacks to using your computer to make money. One I find most interesting is copywriting. Can you write? Can you think? Can you learn? Although copywriting per se is a skill, it is one that can be learned.
Then, the jobs you get can be done at home, on your own personal computer, on your own time. You can take a few, or your can take a lot. It gives you the flexibility to work hard some days, and not-so-hard on other days. You can even vacation when you want.
And here’s the best part- you can do it anywhere. This is one of my main criteria for “work”. It has to be able to be done on a tropical island, under the cabana, watching the clear blue waves rolling in. Oh yeah…..
Copywriting has been a learnable skill for over a hundred years now, and there are lots and lots of books written on how to do it. Not only will learning about it increase your own marketing skills, it will increase your social skills, too, as you find out what motivates people to do what they do.
So, I keep it on my list of very viable job opportunities via computer. Later, I’ll let you know about some of my other great ideas.
Later!
-Jana
Working From Home
Mar 14th
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be able to work from home. I guess I am a hopeless entrepreneur. I don’t like being told when to be somewhere, or that I have to sit in a certain place, for a certain amount of time. I resist with all my strength when someone trys to tell me when I can answer the call of Mother Nature, and when I cannot.
Perhaps it is in my blood. Great grandfathers on both sides of my family had their own businesses. My grandmother ran her own business, (she had a group of hair salons) both grandfathers ran their own businesses, (one was a carpenter, and the other was a Doctor) and my father had his own business (as a Doctor also). It might not be in me to do anything else. Anyway, needless to say, I have had a life goal of making sure that the 9-5 life was not mine. So I’ve spent quite a lot of time online and off, searching out ways to make a go of it on my own.
I have several businees started, and chugging along, but I’m interested I finding out what you guys are doing. Have you found any fairly simple, yet effective, ways to make income in unusual ways? How’s that working for you?
Good News At Last
Sep 14th
In these times of distress, one can pick up any newspaper or turn on any
TV and get bombarded with news of murders, economic failures, destruction and stories that can make your toes curl. Thank Heavens for one free-lance writer, Cutressa Williams, who vowed to fill the happy-gap by publishing her own magazine that carries only uplifting and positive news. The new mag is called Positively Alabama, and can be found online at PositivelyAlabama.com.
According to Williams, the magazine will include stories about positive things people are doing, as well as “places and venues that make Alabama the Beautiful.” The goal is to have one central place for people to share their experiences and uplifting stories. Content will include narratives about neighbors and friends, and their accomplishments.
Williams is naturally nervous about launching her new venture, but is, of course, positive about it’s success. It is not only a new approach to the news, but a desperately needed one as well. She draws on her 13 years of freelance writing experience to bring professionalism to the effort.