Are You Focusing?
By | January 25, 2010
Is it difficult for you to get focused on one business idea for any period of time? Guess what? I understand.
Getting focused has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn to do. After a life of multi-tasking, choosing just one thing to do at a time has been close to pure torture. But getting focused and sticking with a business project is an imperative skill if you want to see success in your efforts.
Entrepreneurs are creative people. And creativity means coming up with multiple ideas, often at the same time. In fact, ideas can come on a daily basis. You might watch one television commercial or see something in a store and think of a slew of new ideas you want to start. But hold yourself back. Instead, stick with what you’ve already started.
You know that you have to focus and take time to really go deep into the project already on our plate. In order to let your customers find what you’re offering, stay focused.
Focus is assisted by developing an action plan to follow. Put done the specific steps you intend to take to market your idea. Give yourself timelines to follow and definitely set a budget of how much you’ll invest to get your project completed.
As the New Year unfolds, make the decision to stay focused on your plans and projects. Stop trying to juggle multiple ideas at once that end up not bringing in success. Stick with the plan and start creating the income you desire.
Topics: Build Your Business, How-To's | No Comments »
Leaving the Past Behind
By | January 25, 2010
Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service
in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62
Recently I needed to quickly get rid of many items that had been in my life for a long time. Some were very precious and very difficult to part with and left a feeling of loss in my life. As a result I’ve found that I have a type of ache in my heart for some of these things and often feel regret for making the decision to part with them.
What helps is remembering the reason I discarded these things. It was time and the situation that called for drastic action. Yet, I have to keep remembering to look forward and not back for what is no longer in my life.
It helped that I read a passage in a book that stated nothing that really belongs in your life will ever be discarded. This related to not only physical and material items but the memories of what is yours that will remain with you forever.
Christian business women often face situations something needs to be changed, discarded or dropped. You might be facing a situation that means having to drop something that no longer works so you can move forward to the future.
For instance,
- Are you working on an idea that isn’t getting anywhere?
- Are you dealing with a product that consumers don’t want or won’t pay for?
- Do you offer a service that isn’t bringing in the profits?
- Are you stuck in a lease or financially draining situation that needs to be changed?
As a business woman, you will face times when you have to make a decision to discard a current situation. There’s no reason to look back once the decision has been made. Instead, push ahead and experience what’s new, exciting and important in your present situation.
Make your decisions based on prayer and good information. Then look ahead and not back. That’s how you’ll experience the good that’s in store for you and for those you serve.
Topics: Bible & Business | No Comments »
More Ezine Article Tips
By | December 30, 2009
Writing a Ezine is so important that we’re going to review several tips to writing articles that get your subscribers to read the content. Here’s a few more ideas and tips.
Keep up with what’ going on in your industry including what’s causing a controvery. Your niche can be fashion, gossip and entertainment or business related such as accounting and finance.
The topic doesn’t matter as you will always find some sort of controversy happening. Carefully select something about that controversy to write an article that brings attention to your ezine and motivates your subscribers to open and read your articles.
To find a topic check out forums, blogs, and social networking sites that relate to your topic to see what people are talking about. What common questions or comments do people have and how can you spin that into an exciting article?
One of the most popular type of artiles is a list article. People enjoy reading lists. They’re easy to read and always provide some value. List are also easy to print out and use as a resource for the future.
Consider writing a list type article for your next ezine and evaluating the results. Does your open rate increase? You might even find that people forward the article to others and you get a new subscriber.
Topics: Build Your Business, How-To's, Marketing Your Business | No Comments »
Write Exciting Ezine Articles
By | December 30, 2009
An online Ezine is a basic internet marketing strategy that lets you stay in contact with subscribers on your mailing list. If you’re using your website correctly to build your business, you’re building an opt-in mailing list.
If any of you are receiving NACWIB mailings through your email account you’re on the NACWIB opt-in list. Once you build your list, start creating your Ezine.
The trick is to continually come up with content that provides value and inspires your subscribers to open the email newsletter and read the content.
That means coming up with exciting ezine topics. Here are a few suggestions to inspire and motivate you.
First of all, find ways to get people to respond to your ezine articles by asking them questions and telling them to write you. This lets you test and track to see which of your newsletter articles have the highest open rates.
See if there are any common things in the articles in each of those popular newsletters. Perhaps your audience enjoys product reviews or list articles because they respond to those the most. Then you know that those types of content are exciting to your prospects and you can repeat that content in future ezines.
That’s just one way to find out what type of articles to write as you get started with your ezine.
Topics: Build Your Business, How-To's, Marketing Your Business | 2 Comments »
Business Planning Still a Priority
By | October 30, 2009
Today at my women’s networking group there was a lot of talk about the importance of having a business plan that lets a business respond to the need of the changing economy. When the business women around the table were asked if they had a working business plan or not, the majority had to admit they didn’t.
I can’t say this was a surprise. After 30 years of working with business planning and development, it no longer surprises me when small business women admit to working without the basic road map of a business plan.
Many women go into business to meet an immediate need. Others decide to use their unique talents in a way that also brings in an income and find they are in business. The idea of business planning may not become an issue until a major roadblock is met head on. Today, that looming roadblock is a down economy that is playing havoc with the small business woman.
Perhaps the need isn’t always apparent when things are going well. According to a special 2009 research study on The Economic Impact of Women’s Businesses in the United States conducted by the Center for Women’s Business Research “women-owned firms have an economic impact of $3 trillion annually that translates into the creation of and/or maintenance of more than 23 million jobs – 16 percent of all US jobs.”
Even with this type of success, planning for the long term is a priority step every business woman should take. Consider developing your business plan if you haven’t and updating it if you have to meet with the needs of the changing market economy.
Topics: Build Your Business, Business Planning | No Comments »