Life Can Be Tweet For All Or How I Found The Art Of Social Mirco-Blogging

Since my life changing experience at the Excel Business Start Up Show in London, or what has been loosely titled "The day I found the overground route from Monument to Bank without getting lost," I have been introduced by some jolly new and interesting friends of mine to social micro-blogging or to those of you who are a bit less familiar to me, (and that may not be very many) TWITTER.


The Art of 115 words (or there about's)

To many, who first dip their toes in the cool waters of Twitter, they will be forgiven in thinking that it could be a load of old twit, but, for those who have not yet jumped into the deep end - it's addictive.

I find myself now telling complete and utter strangers about my day, my thoughts, feelings, even what I had for breakfast and yet to my amazement - I have followers.



Followers are people who can literally follow everything you say. You add yourself to the network, find yourself a password and username, add a little about yourself and you're away - and, what's more, you don't even have to go and log in to your email account to retrieve a confirmation link to start tweeting (and for those of you who have Hotmail, including my good self, that's a real pain to have to do.)



It does take some time to actually get into the swing of it. You may ponder several hours over your first tweet, not really thinking that's going to make a spot of difference to your business - yes, I bet you had thought I had totally forgotten myself and starting rambling on about social networking with the emphasis on the word 'social.' You're okay. It has all been planned. I found the key to good twittering is to apply your thoughts to whatever you wish to receive back. In other words, if you want to plaster the world with silly messages and jokes, you will attract like minded people back (we will get on to the Law of Attraction in another blog, set you be hitting an Internet connection near you in around 12 years time.) If, on the other hand you want to attract business minded people like you, add your thoughts and apply them to your subject. If your business is about catering, add catering based thoughts an so on. Don't forget, you only really have to write a sentence - a few words really will go a long way.

Go on and tweet yourself today...

http://twitter.com/

Find me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/OneMumbusinesss


or BT Tradespace - http://onemum.bttradespace.com/





onemum 2009

ExCel Yourself on a day in May...

Careful: Construction Area - Businesses On Day Release

Thursday 28th of May was an extraordinary day. Not only did I anger at my local BBC Surrey radio station at the shere fact that they had got the travel news on the Tube so wrong, but it happened to be the first day of the Business Start Up Show at Excel in London's glittering docklands, (well, perhaps only a mile away from Billingsgate Market in fact, but docklands sounds better...)

Once strolling in, after being laden with carrier bags of stuff just like the Ideal Home Exhibition, one was catapulted into a sea of suits, stern faces and very few women. The latter I found challenging, yet at the same time - interesting - why weren't there many women there? I spoke to three perhaps - all very nice and to be honest, I wished I had longer to chat, but it proves the old thing - business is still very much a man's world (answers on a postcard please.)

I found working my way round the giant event somewhat daunting, only because I felt that it was one of those occasions when one should have done one's homework first - it was great if you knew who exactly you wanted to speak to. The thinking behind this suddenly came to light when I had realised that the glossy show guide had come through my door two weeks prior to the event - had I looked at it? I have to be honest and say no. What would have been really good is that you could look at the brochure, walk around the place for a day to familiarise yourself and then go back for a jolly good look on another day and really get down to talking to a lot of people.

I also found that as much as there was a complete array of companies and businesses all waiting eagerly to help your fledgling business, it was difficult to actually pinpoint which stand was the best to go and queue up to speak to. For instance, the marketing technoids, Telecare (http://www.telcare.co.uk/) maybe fantastic and innovative when it comes to maintain telephone systems, but if you are a little one man clashing band like me, you are not going to get any real joy out of them, so, I found that the next time to such an occasion, I shall have a look at websites first.

The problem is, is that you don't know things until you either try/get there/go somewhere/open your gob. It's a huge learning curve, and one I am gonna keep on learning from...

One thing I did have to stop myself from doing is being in awe of all my business hero's. I was quite shaky when sitting in the same makeshift plaster board cubicle with Jonathan Jay and Brad Rosser, both names who simply earn money just by being. If you are new in the business world, it was a buzzing occasion. If put in a more familiar light, it was like a motor racing fan turning up at Goodwood's Festival of Speed in seeing Eddie Irvine and Damien Hill strolling passed you to get a coffee - for a business wannbe person like me - it was the Oscars....

One kind of hoped that some of that money magnet style would rub off as we were all sharing the same atmosphere. I hung on every word I heard that day, wishing for the first time in my life that I had a Dictaphone. Yet the day went quickly and on the buss/DLR/Tube/train home (all in that order) I found myself both deflated and buzzing, not being able to wait until I got home to start doing all the things that I learned that day I was doing completely wrong... all these I shall try to remember to tell you later on today....

In the meantime, it's back to normality and the cat needs to go to the vet.....

onemum 2009

Getting Through The Days Of Endless Silence

There will be times, unfortunately, at the start when you're sitting there, all geared up for business and ready to go, with your flash new computer, desk, new suit and phone but it fails to ring.

There will be dark days when you feel that there is a witch casting a spell on you and your business, but please fear not, it happens and as they say, you have to be in the game three months before most start up businesses start actually making any money.

The finance rule

Money - after all, amongst the reasons for ditching the boss and going mono, we do it not because we think we're going to make lots of money, but we do it for financial freedom which is an entirely different thing altogether. It is the way we make money in this world that bears down on our shoulders.

When you make money for your employer, you will no doubt feel as though you are not appreciated. You know that for the money you earn, your employer will take a vast amount of the credit and at the same time, probably earn twice as much as you. When you work for yourself you take the money (well, the taxman will have a shared at the end of the year too, but that's not the point) you know that you are earning and no one else is going to take the credit of take a bigger share of the profits than you.

Another thing which happens to us in the world of the self employed, is that we work more effectively and productively. Gone are the days of seeing how much time you can spend each day going to the toilet or making coffee just to make the day go quicker. When you're working for yourself, you will find yourself working harder, for longer and then suddenly realising that you've spent 14 hours that day working - now, you wouldn't have worked like that for a boss would you?

When the merchant of silence comes knocking at the door (well, muffled...)

How do you react when you spend day after day waiting for the phone to ring? It's a difficult to answer and to be honest, the reality of it is going to be down to the sort of character you are.

• There are the resilient of us who will take literally everything is their stride, even a band of thugs wailing how bad they are, will not stop these entrepreneurs reaching for the top.
  

• Then there are the ones who are a little bit more down to Earth who will worry about bills and the mortgage and how much longer they can survive on the market before giving in to the job section in the local paper.

Let's face it, we are all human and to succeed in this game you have to be a little bit of both. Be the entrepreneur and reach for the stars, but at the same time, stay with that head in the sky, with both feet firmly on the ground. Don't let yourself down. Be the greatest employer you've ever had, you know the type; the one who would never put his staff and his business on the brink of destruction.

Remember, you need to be half a dozen people to run a good business...

Sometimes I think the best entrepreneurs are secret schizophrenics...

onemum 2009.

Quivvering Wrecks or Mr Confidence?

Confidence. Even the word congers up an element of fear. We sweat, we go red, we wobble and perhaps the worst of all, we stutter and the words come out wrong - not quite the image you want to portray to your future customers when trying to present to them your wares.

The nature of the Beast

Take for instance old Grandma here. Would you say she was confident? Perhaps. Scary? Possibly. Angry? Definitely. So what then is the difference between assertive and aggressive (women have been presenting this argument for years,) do you think? For us females it is simple - in business we either smile sweetly which gets us no where or we tell it like it is and then run the risk of getting pushed out, ignored or just plan told it must be the time of the month. Business is what it says. We get busy on being confident. That way we win customers, they trust us and what's more, we trust ourselves, so you can tell where this little nugget is going today, can't you? Yes, we are going to take a good long and hard look in the mirror...

Be nice your Yourself

Stand in front of the mirror and smile. You feel silly don't you? Yet this is the way your customers and potential business associates will see you. When you smile, objectively, would you trust yourself? Would you trust this person to get the job done/give you the service you are paying handsomely for? Ask yourself. I bet the answer is no.

Okay so we can't do much with the smile. We need to get back to basics. Remember the last time you went to a job interview? You may have felt that you got the job before they even hired you two weeks later. Can you remember how you felt at the time of the interview? Capture that feeling again and apply it to your business now. It's all fairly simply stuff if you can look back at the achievements you have made in your life and relate that feeling to your business once again. When you shook hands on something which you were going to benefit from immensely, did you shake hands firmly and look that person straight in the eye? No? I bet you did! It works, it distills confidence in you. They can see it - you can feel it. No one has to be an old Granny when it comes to business. Someone who is aggressive in any way is soon out of business. Generate a feeling in yourself that you KNOW you are on the right track, that your business CAN'T fail and you are doing the RIGHT thing by being in business.

Depending on the nature of your work very much depends on the way you are going to approach your clients/customers/marketplace. Remember we talked once about defining your market and shaping the way you market your product/service will attract similar like minded customers? The principles here are pretty much the same. You look at the way you are conducting your own manner/your own being and it will attract 'like' back. Getting a particular group of people or section of the community to trust you and have faith in you is a tough process and one that needs patience, above anything else. In my business, I aim to provide services to sections of the community who have certain social challenges. Perhaps they can't get around as easily as you or I, maybe they can't read too well or even quite like talking to other people that much. Enabling trust in me from these people when, up until now, they have felt that there is very little to trust in the world has been the hardest job in my life. Getting authorities to hear what I have to say about how I would like to change certain systems put in place in this country has been even harder, but I have learned this much - trust never came at once, or especially overnight. If you wish to communicate with your customers/clients who may feel threatened by you, for want of a better term, keep a continuous momentum with them. Try, try and try again and keep your marketing regular, unaggressive and friendly, but not over friendly.

Adding your name to the Volunteer list

It might not feel like your cup of tea but it is worth considering especially if your market is going to be your local community. Put your name down for the local CAB, if a fair or some description is happening locally, get involved. Even if it is making fairy cakes for the afternoon. It will get your face recognised around town and people will start to get to know you. Hiding yourself away in the shadows never did anyone any favours, not unless you're a ghost in your spare time. Be brave - make the step - besides, it all looks good on the CV at the end of the day and it even makes you good friends, and that can't be bad!

onemum 2009

Hit Me With Your Best Email Shot...

In search of the perfect marketing shot

Years ago, when a business wanted to reach it's customers, it would first pick up the local newspaper (if it was on a tight budget) and scan the available advertising formats the particular paper would have to offer. Someone in marketing would then call the paper, place the ad and pay a small fee for that ad to appear over several weeks or so - thus raking in the profits of a successful advertising campaign due to the customers now queuing around the block..

If, on the other hand you had a few more pennies in the bank, you would make a deal with a TV advertising firm who would produce an ad for television for a few thousand quid, or do a similar sort of thing with a local radio station for a couple of hundred. Such advertising ploys do well with regard to percentage of return custom from these campaigns, yet today things are very different; now you don't have to have money to advertise your business. You don't even have to pick up the phone...

That perfect email shot: The suited virtual company rep

Think of him as the perfect employee, and create an image as to what you would like that employee to look like, behave and market your company. If your virtual marketing manager is going to be flashy and loud, because that's the sort of advertising your product or service requires (if you were running a nightclub or a fancy dress shop, perhaps) then think the way that person would think and market your campaign that way. If your company deserves someone a little more sensible, informative but quite conservative, then again, think the way that employee would think and market your business to suit. It all sounds a tad confusing but if you think about your own business and how you would see others working for you then it should make sense (even if you are alone in the 'you' trade) after all, particularly if you are a sole trader, you have to be many people anyway from company director to the tea lady, so this exercise shouldn't be too difficult. Simply think how you would want customers to see your business. Don't forget, people know nothing about your business so educate them.

There are four rules you must apply to your basic email shot to create the right impression. They can be set out in four paragraphs formatting the way your email shot should look like, they are:

• Introduction: Explain your business and talk a little bit about yourself; You must be careful not to ramble on in this first paragraph. Remember that potential customers are only going to read the first two or three lines before either reading further or hitting the delete button. It is like telesales; you need to make that first impression brilliant or they will hang up. Email shots are no different, so keep it brief but keep them wanting to know more. Don't give it all away in this first paragraph.
• Why chose you?: Your customers are going to want to know why should they come to you when they probably already have a supplier they are happy with? Here you can add special offers and tell them why your business stands out from the crowd.
• Rates and services: If it is a product you are selling, tell them why you should buy from you, explain your prices, give them a guide price but don't list and itemise - you want them to get in contact with you and they won't if they have all the information they need from an email shot.
• Contact: Round up you business shot with how your customers can get in contact with you. Give them emails, and at least one telephone number, and website address.

Don't forget also that when other businesses put an ad in the newspaper, they tend to run it over a period of time. Customers like to see continuity. It is here when ads stick in their mind. You can remember ads from the television simply because they are on all the time, yet a 'one week ad' won't be memorable at all. Make it continuous but not so much that they will filter you into their junk/spam box. Run the ad, then leave it about 10 days and then run it again. Don't be disheartened if your ad returns nothing on the first go, on the second and third run, people will start to respond.

A word for the Junkies

The secret to running an email shot but not one that will annoy rather than attract is be respectful. There is a fine line between running an email shot and sending out spam. Don't send any shot to personal email addresses unless you know you are okay to do so. If you approaching old contacts from previous employments then be tactful and ask them if they don't mind being on your mailing list. If you are sending out to companies then that's not so bad, but be careful, address your 'sales letter' in a manner that is non-threatening and obtrusive. You are trying to win customers, not frighten them away.

As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink...

onemum 2009

Jobs Fairs Or Help, I'm A Small Business Owner, Get Me Out Of Here!!!

I would like to share with you today the delights of the Job Fair.





Whilst aimlessly wandering around the pages of the local rag, I came across a full colour spread on the local careers and jobs fair at the local leisure centre - why not I thought, after I had spotted that Business Link were going to there in the flesh, so I went along...

It is not often I picture myself standing in full suit and polished boots, in the middle of a basketball court. Not only was I inappropriately dressed for such a pounding match, but I also found myself surrounded by a maze of haphazardly erected plastered boards, not that dissimilar to an episode of Crossroads.


Standing alongside poor examples of personal hygiene

At the fair, which as you can imagine, was fairly popular (might have had something to do with the 2 million unemployed we now have roaming the streets) I was astounded by the examples of people looking for work, or at least I think that's what they were attempting to do - very few had actually made an effort with their dress. If there is one thing I have learned about business and that is this: If you want to be in business, dress like it.

This may be strange to swallow but I sit at my desk every day, albeit in the makeshift spare room in my house, in suit and waistcoat. Nothing odd about that, but consider this. If you were taking your company seriously, can you honestly say you would be able to conduct your business in your PJ's or something worse? If you could then great. Keep the Deputy Dog pyjamas on, but if not, then by all means put on what you would wear to the office normally. You can then find it easy, if nothing else, to separate work from home. When you finished work - you get changed.

The three elements of the Job Fair ranger

Whilst standing in the queue for the Business Link guru, I noticed that there were indeed three types of people who were trailing the aisles looking at all the various stands. They were:

• The white collar: There were only a mere handful of these and your heart went out to them. They obviously were not used to the cattle market approach to the Job Fair, and appeared to be fearful of diving into the middle like standing at a crowded bar waiting to be served. These people simply didn't look like they were actually going to come out of the fair with not even as much as an interview. If it were an ideal world, they would have been taking the Fair themselves and telling everyone all their wealth of experience and the working world.
• The faithful wife: These few ladies were a lot harder to spot. They were strong women, slightly down dressed but nevertheless serious about the day's conquest. They roamed each stand with a careful eye, sizing up the competition and standing patiently for a turn with the representative. They clutched their mountain of notes and CV writing info's and you know instinctively that they were going to be read and pondered with certainty, and why? Because behind each and every one of these working women, was a nervously looking man, who looked too frightened to find a job himself.
• The student: I use this term loosely because it covers a multitude of sins. They were the easiest to spot out of all of the groups, even the white collars. They were the unemployed and happy to remain so. Badly dressed, badly washed and not at all pleased to be there. I had never seen so many pairs of unkempt flip flops in the middle of May before, and not even a matching pair of socks. These people were ones you would not employ, even if you were eventually going to be an employer yourself.

All in all, these events are simply what you make of them. You can flit like a social butterfly from one business card to another, weaving a tightly knitted web of networking so tight that even your victims won't be able to get away from you, or you can drift in like the others, half interested and half not, stay for ten minutes then complain that there was nothing there. I would suggest in future that if for any reason you feel tempted to jump back into employment then go - they will make you feel better about yourself and when walking in a sea of helplessness, you'll find each rep on each stand trying to trip you up as you pass because they will want to employ you there and then. If, on the other hand, go if you find Business Link are going to be there. To be honest, I can't praise them enough, but the principle stays the same - they will help you as much as you are willing to help yourself. Step into the game halfheartedly and your return will be equalled...

onemum 2009

Advertising Sales, Hot Sweats And Night Terrors

When you start a new business, you will feel that one of the first good things you can do is make full use of the wonderful free directories you can add your sweet and humble company to. Now, remember I said the word 'free.'

I would suggest that you try these free directories - Touch Local is a good start and worth checking out particularly if you want to keep your business in your own community and surrounding areas. However, I need to add here a word of warning: These directories are overseen by call centres who in turn double up in the in the middle of the night in a full moon, as sales people.

Many of these websites will let you add only a handful of details, but really not a great deal if you want to actually generate business from it. You can add the absolute basics and that's all they will let you try. You can put a phone number, a name and perhaps a postcode and if you're lucky you might even get a few hundred words in which you can describe exactly what it is that your business does, (a note here; this isn't as easy as it sounds, only because in those first few weeks, you won't be sure what exactly what it is you do either!) As stated, not alot which is going to make customers want to get in touch with you, and this will infuriate you somewhat, so the simple piece of advice here is don't let this be your only avenue for advertising your business. Spread yourself around and add your business to as many free directories as possible and there are plenty to chose from on the net, but remember: nothing beats newspaper advertising, not unless you plan to go global immediately.

So, you add yourself on to the list with only a number and a postcode, but still, you are happy. You relax. Unwind and take a deep breath when two hours later the phone rings: It's a sales call, and you can sniff one out in the first sentence of "Hi, my name is Someone and I'm ringing from..." You heart sinks...

I have no doubt in the back of my mind that these poor young chaps have nothing else more gruelling to do that call small business owners, who, during this economic package deal (thanks Mr Brown because you are the only man who is making money out of this global scam) are in no fit state to part with wads of cash, no matter how small. However, as the smaller than small voice on the end of the phone who is suddenly discussing, fighting to remain calm and sweating at the thought of having to justify one's own business, belongs to you and here you are, bouncing off the walls that this oink is trying to get you to 'upgrade.'

There is however, one positive aspect that can come from the first hot flushed telesales call; you will subconsciously find yourself over blowing your business like you are chairman of ICI, and for that moment; it will make you feel good. It doesn't sound too much like a good thing, but the main reason for this point is that you now have to maintain that level of importance.

You have fought off the telesales oink, you can handle anything.

And you live to do business another day. Thank you little telesales man!

onemum 2009

Self Employed And Staying So, Or How I Managed To Run Away From The Love Of An Employer

Maintaining the equal Librium is probably about the most difficult thing to do in the first early stages of running a small business, far above anything else. It may well be said that it also outweighs the finances, the toils over what marketing strategy and even down to the bare essentials of "to invoice or not to invoice?"

The idea of juggling work, home, family and kids and just about everything else including the shopping doesn't sound that much of a big deal and until it is put into practice. The big sigh here in this posting today is that something DOES have to give and the real hard decision is, what. No one is super human and with starting a new business, comes sacrifices. All you have to do is figure out what in your life, you can do without.

Many entrepreneurs will argue that they didn't have to do this. The real story behind these guys is actually they are lying, because, and you will love me for saying this, the best business men and women of this world are cold, hard and calculating - they have thrown away perfectly good relationships, friendships and business partners in the hunt of a dream - they pursue what they know will work and they stick to it. All you have to do is the same.

With this business we find ourselves in, we would all agree on one thing: this business chooses us, and not, as we would think, the other way around. We are about as driven into this game as a Antelope is to the death by a tiger at top speed. We are guided into it, albeit, unwillingly at times.

So, the real lesson of today is all about focus. You have done the glamorous dreaming. You've thought up a name, written a business plan, even thought about how you are going to sign your business Christmas cards at the end of the year, but none of this means a dime if you 'ain't got that self drive.' You're in the game now, you have to show the world you are capable of playing along with it.

There will come a time when a certain employer will come knocking at your door and tempt you back into the world of your National Insurance and Income Tax being done for you. The vortex will open up and dancing girls will entice you back into the safety of paid holidays and office bonuses, and it will be here that you will find yourself at the first of several big crossroads (we'll come to the other 942 later) and you will ask yourself, 'Shall I go back to the safety zone of bosses, sleep and nightly dry sheets, or shall I march purposefully on through the black abyss on the road to nowhere, just me and my small business?'

Now, I suspect many of you will fall by the wayside, crying in a ditch wailing wildly in the arms of an employer who will pat out rhythmical 'there, there's' on your shoulder, but the other small number of brave souls will carry on until the next crossroads, determined to move the business along and live to fight another day.

So, the thought for the day is which path should you take? Of course you can pick up your ideas eventually later on in life, or you can stride on now and worry about everything in due course. I guess it is a time when you have to ask yourself, who important is this and is this the right time for me to be doing the things I am doing. If this all sounds too therapeutic then you're right. It just might the right time to put permanent feet on the small business ground and leave the employer for ever...

Roll Up Your Sleeves, It's Time To Get To Work

There will come a time in the great expanse of your infant business when you will realise that as much as you are ploughing away at your ideas for what seems like 24 hours a day, you will not be making any money.

Now I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but unless you are fortunate to have a substantial income from another means, you will find yourself slightly short of cash. I know that in the humble beginnings of a business, you tend to lose sight of all that's real and suddenly find yourself surrounded by these magnificent ideas but yet with no profit for show for them. Even entrepreneurs have to start somewhere and it usually at the bottom. After all, we don't tread daintily into this business blinkered, we usually come striding in or in full gallop, fuelled with either anger or some some of loathing from the employment we have recently left behind.

The true lesson of today is (and here now comes the reason why yesterday's date showed a lack of blog posting) to put your wildly passionate business aside and think of ways to fuel it with finance. There are a number of ways you can put yourself to good temporary employment which won't need too much hard effort, however, these ways tend to be scams or the like and are best avoided at all costs. To find oneself a small temporary job which does not include the handing over of P45's to yet more dissatisfied employers, is, as they say, not bloomin' easy...

Nevertheless, please feel free to browse the tried and tested forms of employment which you might like to consider for earning the odd bit of cash during the darker, younger days of your business...

1. Cleaning: Not every one's cup of tea and judging by the foul looks on your faces, I see this first example hasn't gone down too well. There are worse jobs, and please don't shake your head like that. You have to remember one thing - stay focused on your business and whilst you scrub, think hard about your business and use the brain 'down time' to mentally exercise your plans, ideas and goals. After all, cleaning is not rocket science and if you think about it, you will be getting paid for just that - thinking, so consider it. You need a job you can drop at the drop of a hat when your business picks up, and trust me, that will happen, so cleaning offices or homes might just be ideal. The pay is usually quick good and far greater than the minimum wage.


2. Paper Round: It's thinking time again and it will get you away from your stuffy office/kitchen worktop. The pay will be pretty naff since you might only be doing a couple of streets once or twice a week. If you just want some pin money, it might be good for you. Have a look on the notice boards at your local newsagent or ask inside if you are feeling bold and want to elbow the rest of the students away to get the job.


3. Leaflet Dropping: This is a challenge and must be approached with some caution. The money can be good, particularly if you get a town to cover and a mountain of leaflets or brochures to get rid of to the local residents. Mailbox Nationwide are a good place to start. They can ring you within a hour and offer you work for the following day. You will get your leaflets delivered to you in boxes and your paperwork can be emailed for speed. However, a word of warning, when they call you and offer a drop to do, ask how many leaflets will needed to be dropped from door to door. If you are going to work on your own, be careful about the size of the job they want you to take on. Be realistic if you can, but unfortunately this wisdom will only come after to have had some experience of doing this sort of work. but here are a few do's and don't's: DO ask how many leaflets the client wants dropped. DON'T take more than around 1300, particularly if they want the job turned around in 2 days. 2600 should take you 6 days depending on the area you are asked to cover. DO make sure you have your paperwork and be clear as to when they need the filled in paperwork back. DON'T leave it to chance and deliver at the last minute before the paperwork needs to go back to the office. These companies are firm and usually hundreds of miles away from you. If they don't think you have done the job properly or you're late, they won't pay you a penny so watch out and make sure you get the job done. DO enlist the help of friends and family if you think you have taken on a job that's too big. Better to get it done on time than to panic and not get paid. DO keep in touch with your company. They will have given you a list of their own rules and regulations so please stick to them and DON'T cheat and dump the stuff in a bin or drop a load at a block of flats in order to get rid of them quickly. You will be found out and won't be paid.

You may find a quick chat with your local Job Centre or Citizens Advice Bureau might also be of help. Tell them exactly the sort of work you are looking for. Don't worry and think that what you are doing is taking a step backwards or even failing at your business.

Your business is like a small child: it needs to be looked after and fed if it is to grow tall and strong - by doing some odd job, you are doing just that - you are giving it the air to breathe and grow...

onemum 2009

The Importance Of Being Earnest... On The Web.

A website these days is essential whether you are planning to start your business on the Internet or on the shop floor. Nowadays, you can use the web as your virtual shopping centre. If you are a complete novice at the the art of websites, don't be alarmed - no doubt you have come across the mountainous range which is fondly remembered as free hosting, and even when you signed up to your own ISP (Internet Service Provider) you would have probably come across a tab which offered you a chance to have your very own webspace.

A word of warning however, before you start playing Bill Gates and running away with yourself and your creative ideas for a business website, there are some pretty obvious drawbacks on taking something which is free, or at least claims to be free...

Finding The Best Host

Most ISP's will give, as we have said an amount of webspace. For free, you will get a pretty basic template or templates to chose from - normally in fairly dull colours and perhaps not looking at all business like. You will, of course have the option to 'up grade' if you wish, and this, of course, will be for a fee. Naturally if you pay for it, you will get the best templates, HTML/Java Script options and other gadgets, but like most things in life, you get what you paid for.

There are, however, if you are prepared to do some ground work, there are some good hosts around which will cost nothing, but you do have to look for them. I think http://www.webs.com/ is a good place to start. You can upgrade at a price but the free hosting is just as good for a business to start. Also try http://www.zymic.com/free-web-hosting/ the website is easy to navigate around and you'll find some fairly professional templates to chose from. Yahoo and Freeserve also have good basic templates, but please be warned - if this site is going to be strictly for business, make sure that you have something that looks good. If the website looks sloppy, your potential customers are going to think the same about you.

It might be worth thinking about having a blog to compliment your website. Some hosts such as http://www.webs.com/, will allow you to have a blog attached to your site. Another good site for a blog is here at blogger. With blogger in particular, you will get great ranking in a google search automatically if you ask for it. The templates are simple yet not too childish. Another thing to bear in mind is also to keep an eye on your visitors. If you use Feedburner which is now a part of Google, you can see how many visitors to your blog to get on an average day. By way of this, you can shift your blog's postings around accordingly. If you feel that the blog is not getting sufficient readership, change the layout or move the content. Many readers to such sites are only passing through so you need to grab their attention with a catchy title or something amusing in the content.

The Fine Art Of Surfing Or How I Won The Web Over

There is firstly a dive you must take into the world of the web - starting a business these days needs to take a firm grip on the Internet, whether the business actually will use the www or not. The purpose of the net to many companies starting out is that wonderful word which can make or break a business - advertising.


The web must be seen as a tool. Thank goodness, gone are the days of small businesses trailing around the streets of a looming trading estate, idly flipping leaflets through each door of each prospective customer (besides, did you know that this sort of door drop marketing only ever brings back 1 or even 2 per cent of trade? Not worth it is it?) in the pouring rain only to find that virtually next to none of these leaflets grow into actual custom. I must admit, door dropping is worthless for most businesses, particularly ones who are just getting off the ground. So, therefore, take some advice from these well constructed bullet points (and we all know how much we love these!)

• Don't door drop unless you are starting up a pizza delivery firm - in other words, if your business is going to primarily deal with going actually to a customer's own front door, why should they take a business offer in this way? Think about it.



• Do, if you are set on door dropping, make sure you are talking to your customers in a language they will understand - in other words, if they are to a certain age group, then talk to them in their 'lingo.'



• Don't door drop in the pouring rain - this one might sound silly but think about it for a moment - your leaflets will be soggy, and very uninviting, but most of all, you will not feel in particularly great about what you are doing, whilst your doing it!



• Do research your target market first before door dropping - this means simply that you won't waste valuable time, energy and ink on a load of leaflets in a neighbour of people who are never in a millions years going to want your service.

So there you have it - in a nutshell, it has to be said that door dropping is very unappealing and not worth it, unless you are the pizza company we mentioned. The days are gone when this would have been a viable intention, but in the recent light of junk mail, many folks will find this type of marketing an intrusion.

Get caught in the Web

The spider should not be something feared. There is literally an entire planet right there at the click of a mouse. Without sounding too much like a cliche, the world of marketing has been tipped upside-down since the introduction of the Internet - suddenly you can do business with anyone in the world, so it's best to consider this. Now, this may be a daunting prospect for those of you who simply want to play it safe and only deal with your own neighbourhood in the meantime, but as a clever entrepreneur once said, 'don't fear success' in other words, don't be afraid of pushing out towards a global market, particularly if much of your business can be conducted via the Internet and email.



Taking Advantage of Free Experience

Like many things in life, experience says far more than education and with the Internet improving and expanding everyday, we all need to stay on top of the game. Even if you are a PC whizkid, you still need to keep up to date with the way everyone else is doing business online, especially your customers. So, it might be worth considering the following (oh goodie, here comes those bullets again...)

• Join an agency - if your business is already being conducted by an online agency full of other hopefuls, join up - especially if they might be able to find customers for you - it is a good chance to get into online networking and also check out the competition.



• Take advantage of online courses - there are plenty out there in what ever field is going to help you market your company online. Yes, there are many who will take off your hands vast sums of money for courses via email, but if you haven't got much money, then it is best to avoid these. Got to http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/ for more information. Also check out learn direct if you are in the UK as well as your local council website who will have details on how they can support you in starting your business. You may also find that some online agencies will have courses, or other documents you can download, (mostly in PDF so make sure your PC can read these once you have saved them,) so you can read them later.



• If you are fairly confident with the keyboard, go to Microsoft home page (http://www.microsoft.com/) and click on the training and events tab at the top - here to will find a mass of tutorials which are easy to follow and short as well as offering a short test at the end so you know how much you have taken in. If you need to brush up on Word, Excel, Access and all the other weird and wonderful MS packages you will find all you need here. It is best to get a good idea on how these packages work from 2000, 2003 and 2007 - they are all quite different so it's worth making sure you know how each one works as not all companies are up to date yet.

Don't also underestimate the importance of a website and all the ways you can advertise via this - well will cover this in the next entry....

Taking The Dive - With Or Without Armbands And A Float

So now the open ocean is in front of you - for miles around, you squint for a minute sighting of land, but as much as you strain your eyes, you see nothing, just a big expanse of water, deep and waiting to watch you sink.....


This might be the thought running at a fast pace through your mind, the prospect of setting up a business to call your own has it's excitement at first, you can't wait to get off the ground, show the world what you're made of, envisage yourself in an Armani suit, shaking hands with politicians, smiling at small children as working class families push themselves out of each other's way to kiss your feet.... hold it right there, we can save the daydreaming til last for today, let's see where you really are for now....

The bowler hat may have to stay on extended order for now, the real hard work is about to start, and I'm afraid without out that, the ship will see the bottom of the blue ocean quickly, but let's try to keep this as 'glass half full' as we possibly can - so, let's recap, you've done your marketing, you've got a name and you are all set, but on the day of your launch, the phone doesn't ring... why? Well, let's see what might be happening...

1. For a start, ask yourself if you had done enough marketing in the first place - did you advertise in the right place? Had you pinpointed your market? Do you think, the customers you want to attract would have used the same resources whee you have advertised? Think of it as a two way street and your customers are trying to cross a busy road - if they only look one way, they are not going to see the truck coming the other way, are they? What happens? Squish.

In a nut shell, you have to think the same way your potential customers think. If you were new in the neighbourhood and weren't sure where to look for a particular service, you would start either with the local paper or the council. Ask yourself now, are you in the paper? Do the council know about your service? Are there any core community groups who might be interested as to where to find you, especially if your business is for customers rather than for other businesses?

It is the same with anything, and especially business, if something doesn't work, go back to the start and trace your steps and make sure you truly have everything covered. However, what you must remember that no business happened overnight - if you look back into the archives of many of the big giants in commerce today, you will see that it took them a heck of a while to get off the ground, so give yourself a break. If you want to swim in the big pond, you will need to paddle around with some armbands first...

Don't forget either that many people have taken a good eyeful at your advertising and have remembered it - they may not necessarily want your business now, but they might do in the future. It will take time, but you have to ask yourself, if you want to earn now, go to the job centre, as starting a business won't pay you a good wage for a long time. Be prepared to go and do the odd temporary job here and there to steady yourself in those first bleak months, but the secret really is, is not to give up.....

onemum 2009