Do you enjoy reading about cutting edge ideas?  Do you like to see trends in the making?  Do you consistently ask yourself if your business practices are curent?  If so, then check out this resource.  I find it a fascinating read on a monthly basis.

From the www.trendwatching.com site:  trendwatching.com is an independent and opinionated trend firm, scanning the globe for the most promising consumer trends, insights and related hands-on business ideas. For the latest and greatest, we rely on our network of 8,000+ spotters in more than 70 countries worldwide.

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Are you interested in your perception of what it really takes to make your business succeed?

My good friend and mentor, Faye Hobbs, shared this Entrepreneurial Assessment with me.  I took the time to complete it and although I found the final feedback lacking in depth, the explanations of each topic were excellent, high level overviews.

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By now you may have figured out that I love anything that saves time, energy or money.  No longer having to deal with the reams of junk that we are bombarded with on a daily basis saves me a ton of time.  Interested in taking some of your time back?  Read on…
I have used three out of four of the services listed below so when I read Joe’s e-zine it was a good check-in for me.  This will take a few minutes of your time, but the rewards are great when you realize how much time these offers (intrusions) are making on your day.

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Add a greeting to your voice mail, which will market your business. “Hi, this is Alicia Smith, the DISC Ninja. Please leave your name, phone number, date, and the location you are calling from. I will return your call within 24 hours. I invite you to visit me on my website at http://www.discninja.com/ or e-mail me at info@aliciasmith.com. Thank-you so much for calling, and have a fantastic day!”

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Check out http://www.visuwords.com/

From their site: Visuwords™ online graphical dictionary — Look up words to find their meanings and associations with other words and concepts. Produce diagrams reminiscent of a neural net. Learn how words associate.

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As a wrap up to this series on hiring help I thought I would share with you some of my favorite resources.

I always start a search for help by asking people I know who they would recommend. When I’m looking for someone to work for me locally then I let everyone I know what type of person I’m looking for and the tasks I need done. Every time I’ve done this I’ve had good success. I’ve never run a “Help Wanted Ad.”

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When I started building one of my early businesses - a review course to prepare people for the Texas Real Estate exam - I knew I had a great idea, but I wasn’t sure how to reach prospective students. The easiest group to identify were licensed salesmen who might be interested in getting their broker’s license. Active salespeople are required to work under a licensed broker. So I contacted the broker/manager of the largest real estate offices and offered my services to speak to their agents.

I created a flyer with descriptions of 5 topics that were of interest to active agents. The brokers chose the topic and dates were set to speak to their agents at regularly scheduled sales meetings. Timely topics made being invited in easier than I imagined.

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The type of tasks you should delegate will become obvious quickly. Below is a list of commonly delegated tasks. I bet you can add a few to this list!

Necessary Tasks You May Want to Delegate
1. Secretarial services
2. Research
3. Word processing
4. Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentations
5. Data processing/database management
6. Desktop publishing
7. Web design and maintenance

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1. You can focus on building your business and making money

2. You can find someone who complements your style and actually helps you generate energy

3. You can work from any location. Contact is maintained through phone, fax and/or e-mail

4. You can delegate time-consuming responsibilities that are necessary but don’t necessarily generate income

5. You can find highly trained personnel to meet your specific needs and who know how to do the work (webmaster, bookkeeper, graphic artist, desk-top publisher)

6. You hire someone only for what you need or want done, whether it is personal or professional, as you need it or want it done

7. You can hire someone whose strengths can be used to balance your limitations

8. You have more time to pursue activities that energize you and feed your spirit, as well as your pocketbook

9. You don’t have to do it all or do it all alone

10. You’ll be glad you did!

To your continued success!

Boring is one thing you can’t afford to be when it comes to marketing your business. With more than 3000+ marketing messages pummeling consumers on a daily basis, you need to be more, and do more, if you want to be heard above the racket.Your marketing message is how you communicate with the public; it needs to be appealing and memorable. In order to do that, consider the concept of the meme. A meme is a thought, idea or belief that replicates over time. What that means in terms of your marketing is creating a marketing message that is strong, bold,
and exciting so that it stays with the customer and becomes a part of their thinking. A good example of this is Nike’s “Just Do It”. This phrase is used in a lot of different contexts outside of talking about Nike’s products. People get what it means because it has permeated our culture. Below are some ways that you can avoid being boring by adding extra marketing appeal to your message. Read the rest of this post »