Saturday, February 21, 2009

Something You Need To Know About Solihull Businesses

The town centre consists of a thoughtful blend of indoor and outdoor retailers with its picturesque pedestrianised High Street, Mell Square Shopping Centre and Touchwood are Town Centre Shopping, Mell Square Shopping Centre has an attractive open air environment and most of which are open 7 days a week enviable blend of over 90 stores including major names, it is a specialist independent shops where you can buy exclusive designer labels. Our vision for Touchwood was to create an environment that not only extended the retail, commercial and leisure offer of Solihull but also integrated into the existing fabric of the town centre.

Another Shopping centre Touchwood is committed to providing Solihull with an attractive environment and vibrant range of stores. In recent years, our guest’s experience has been further enhanced with events such as seasonal fashion shows and music festivals in Solihull shopping centers. The regular markets both French goods and Farmers arefeaturing produce to take place in both Solihull Town Centre and in Shirley.

Touchwood comprises three naturally lit arcades with contemporary architecture and luxurious leather sofas. Home to the Midlands’ only John Lewis store there are over 80 stores, a multi-screen cinema complex and a host of bars and restaurants. Touchwood also provides family facilities, web services, a quiet room and chaplaincy service.

An attractive metropolitan borough with its own unique character was established by Solihull. A beautifully landscaped courtyard with easy wheelchair access set around is a wonderful selection of small businesses. Box Trees Farm Arts and Craft Centre, Stratford Road, Hockley Heath are Craft Centers. Not only these Craft centre with equestrian dressage facilities, 18 specialist craft and gift shops, the lakes emporium being the largest with gifts for the home and garden from around the world, play area for children, restaurant/tea rooms selling homemade produce and ice cream.

Meaning ’soily hill’, and at the edge of the beautiful countryside, it is just two miles away from has frequent train and bus services to Birmingham and the rest of the West Midlands. Solihull is a compact town with an accessible and modern shopping centre. Birmingham City Centre is a dynamic city has a fantastic abundance of shops and malls such as The Pallasades, Pavilion Central and The Mailbox. From early days Solihull businesses have been clearing a field of unknown size is known to history buffs.


Home Business Opportunity

People as a rule associate home based business residual income with the internet. It is sad though that the internet full of people who try to sell you false dreams. Perhaps the safest and most genuine home business opportunity for you is the one which you start on your own. Think of putting your talents to use and make money from home. You have to be passionate about something.

Of course besides being passionate about what you are doing, there has to be a demand for the product or service. And, many times people will hear having a love for what you are doing will make you money which is just not true. So make sure that what you are doing will be a money maker. Going strictly off of your interest alone is a recipe for failure.

If you are new to online marketing start off small in money terms. Think of it as a “learn while you earn” course. This will keep you focused and your wallet will not get light too fast. There are home based business residual income programs with established online companies to start off with and some as little as ten dollars a month.

You can not achieve success unless you are prepared to pay the price for achieving that success. In order to succeed there is a need to constantly upgrade your skill set and knowledge base with legitimate home based businesses. Luckily the internet can also be used for accessing information and advice on business opportunities. Here are some home business opportunity ideas which could be worth exploring.

Firstly, have you ever thought of becoming a domain name reseller? If you are comfortable with the search engines and like gathering information, this could be a lucrative home business idea. There are many companies which depend on the information from the net. The best part is that you could make good money from these companies if you provide the essential information.

Resume writing is another good legitimate home based businesses idea if your writing skills are good. Not many people have the time, inclination or the right writing skills to write a good CV. The start up costs for a part-time business should be low. Job seekers want to beat other contenders with a brilliant CV. The internet is the single largest reserve for finding information on CV writing and any other type of writing.

The answering service is the third home business opportunity idea which could be a possible option. While you help them save time, you could earn a half decent income from it! You know what I mean. There is hardly anything you need other than a new telephone line. It must be friendly and warm. The internet is giving us free access to enormous amounts of information. Learn to use the benefits of the internet instead of falling for the scams and you can be well on your way to a legitimate home based businesses.

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Friday, February 20, 2009

Drivers of Entrepreneurial Success

When you are thinking about starting a business it’s natural to ask yourself if you have what it takes to succeed. You see other successful business people and think “how did they get to where they are?”. Then you start comparing yourself against them, and your perceptions of what it takes to make it.

What Does it Take to Succeed as an Entrepreneur?

So what are the main factors in order to make it in business, or as an entrepreneur? Maybe you’ve thought that to hit the big time you need one, or all, of the following:

*MBA from an Ivy League School
*A great idea that nobody has thought of before
*Luck
*A “secret” weapon that guarantees success?
*Good looks
*All the above

There must be something right…I mean they are successful people, and if you haven’t even begun it can be pretty easy to assume they have something that you don’t. Keep reading.

The Real Drivers to Entrepreneurial Success

In a recent survey conducted by SurePayroll of small business owners and entrepreneurs, when asked “What are the drivers of entrepreneurial success?” they answered:.

1. Person’s drive and ambition 27.2%
2. Person’s passion for a specific business venture 14.9%
3. Hands-on experience in the industry 13.5%
4. Easy access to capital to start a business 13.1%
5. Personal connections 11.5%
6. Family members who are entrepreneurs 10.0%
7. Formal education 9.9%

If you’ve been sitting on that great business idea because you were second guessing whether or not you have what it takes to succeed, this survey should give you reason to rejoice.

I don’t doubt for a second that anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis doesn’t have drive, ambition, and passion.

If you’re thinking about starting a business – those top three should come naturally. And look how important they are in the minds of all those “successful” people that you have been comparing yourself too.

Does that change your outlook at all on what it takes to make it?

Let’s hear from you. Do you think the survey responses reflect the true drivers to entrepreneurial success?

Business Plan Basics

1. Create a vision.

It’s tempting to roll up your sleeves and plunge right into the details of your business: evaluating products, studying market segments, and sizing up your competition. Yet it’s possible to get so caught up in the process of planning a business that you lose sight of what you’re planning for.

Before you get lost in the details, take a step back. Outline a clear vision and a coherent set of values for your company. Develop a mission statement and use it to define short-term goals and priorities. Once you have a clear road map for your business, you can plan your journey with more confidence.

2. A budget isn’t the same thing as a plan.

You can’t create a solid business plan without a budget and a financial forecast. But a budget should be the product of all the other elements in your plan. If you don’t have a clear picture of your industry, customers, competitors, and market conditions before you develop a budget, your numbers aren’t likely to reflect reality.

3. Don’t ignore your customers.

This may sound obvious, but too many entrepreneurs assume they know exactly what their customers need without bothering to ask. Take the time to learn about your customers and build your business plan around their needs and desires.

4. Don’t shortchange the competition.

If you assume your firm will be the only game in town or if you fail to take existing competitors seriously, you’re asking for trouble. Your competitors can be a great source of information about what works and what doesn’t.

5. Be prepared to take risks.

Creating a business plan isn’t about avoiding risk; it’s about understanding and managing risk. That’s why a good business plan anticipates possible challenges and includes a variety of scenarios for meeting those challenges. There’s a difference between a calculated risk and recklessness, and your plan can help you make that distinction.

6. Get a second (or third) opinion.

The most experienced entrepreneur can still benefit from a different point of view. Even if you’re the only person involved in your business, find someone who can study your plan objectively and point out possible weaknesses you might have missed.

7. Expect the unexpected.

Every business plan needs some wiggle room to allow for unexpected changes. Part of this involves creating budgets and marketing plans with some built-in flexibility; but adapting to change also requires you to accept that you might have to modify or even abandon business practices that worked well in the past.

8. Don’t forget what makes you unique.

A cookie-cutter business plan might help you get started, but it won’t help you succeed. And while it helps to look at your competitors, don’t model your business after them. After all, you’re in business to beat the competition. Learn from your competitors’ strengths, but also learn how to spot their weaknesses and use them to improve your own business plan.

9. What’s the point?

Building a business involves hard work and struggle. But it should also include a clear set of rewards, both for you and your employees. When you set goals in your business plan, include some concrete motivation that goes beyond the satisfaction of a job well done.

10. Don’t skip the plan!

Of course, the biggest mistake of all is failing to create a business plan in the first place. Planning is hard work, and there’s no guarantee it will make your business succeed. But a good plan is still the best way to turn your vision into a realistic, coherent business.

Business Plans That Get The Money

The development of a business plan is a key component to getting your small business off the ground.

A business plan wears many hats in the world of an entrepreneur.

It helps validate the potential of a business idea, lays the groundwork for the management structure, details a marketing plan and budget, describes the types of customers the business will attract, assesses the competition, and is the single most important document when approaching investors or creditors who may provide your business with financial support.

So, how do you write a business plan that gets the money?

Write the business plan from the investors perspective

In your business plan you should be able to see your business through the investors eyes, and address any concerns of a would be investor. Your business plan should demonstrate you are an expert in your field, and that you have clear goals and a clear mission with your business. Give the investors a reason to lay their hard earned money on your idea, your business, and you.

Have a detailed management plan

Investors invest in management, not just concepts or ideas. Expressing your knowledge, passion, and dedication to your business, as well as the competence of those working around you, will go a long way in establishing the trust necessary to secure investors.

Show the investors you know you customers

Communicate in your business plan an understanding of your target customers. Who are your customers, how you will reach them, how will they reach you, and why do you think your business is fit to serve this market are all questions you will need to answer.

In Closing

If you develop your business plan to address the above you will be well on your way to obtaining outside capital, and having a business plan that will get you the money! This is a good exercise even if you don’t think you will be requesting outside capital…you’re still writing the business plan for an investor -YOU!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Easy Online Home Jobs

The largest search engine in the world today is Google, and they run one of the most successful affiliate marketing programs known as Google Adsense. You can join their programming and actually get paid every time someone clicks on an ad that you place on your website.
The reason that this is the easiest way to make money online is because you do not actually sell anything and you get paid strictly by the click. You may be thinking okay, what is the catch!There really is no catch other then there is a skill to making money with Google Adsense. It all starts with how you lay the ads out on the page.You'll be pasting JavaScript code into your file and then Google will automatically display various advertisers based on what they feel the content of that particular page is about. The nice thing is that they display the advertisers for you.

The skill comes in how to choose the right sized ads, how to blend them into the page, and these sorts of things. Google does offer training on this and this is not something that is rocket science to do.You will not get rich on a single click but you can over a period of time make a very good income just on Adsense clicks. Of course, like anything on the Internet, how much money you make will be in direct proportion to the amount of traffic that you are able to get to your website.Google is not the only ppc advertising program available to you to make money with. Other very good pay per click companies that offer affiliate programs include Bidvertiser, Searchfeed, 7search, and many others.

To summarize this is an easy way to make money because you're asking very little from your visitor. Many people make anywhere from a little bit of extra money month to full-time incomes just with Google Adsense alone. So it's worth your time to learn a little bit more about it and see if you too can make money online this easy way.

Essential Characteristics When You Work From Home

here is tremendous growth and excitement occurring right now for people who are looking to become a wealthy marketer and work from home. So why is there such a surge in this industry?

We hear it in the news everyday about corporate layoffs, foreclosures, companies shutting down, rising gas prices, etc. Unfortunately, people are feeling insecure with their jobs more than ever. There are many occupations on thin ice with employees having no idea where the path may lead in the end with such a failing economy. Many are concerned and are now looking to take control of their own lives and especially their futures. This is the motivating force behind the tremendous growth in the work from home industry.

An economist recently predicted that in the next 10 years, the two occupations where millionaires will be created are in the wellness and network marketing/work from home industry. This growth will have many households producing a net worth that will reach well into the seven digits. How will this be achieved? Much of this will be achieved by utilizing the internet and the wealth of opportunities it has to offer. As a result, there are many individuals and families reaping great rewards and benefits from this work from home industry. In addition, it is changing their lives for the better and will never again be concerned with job lay offs, foreclosures, debt and more.

Many are still missing out on this tremendous growth in the work from home industry. This is not due to the lack of effort or desire. It is occurring because many have the mindset that they are only capable of what their minds believe they can accomplish.

There are many and almost uncountable work from home opportunities to choose from utilizing the internet. This includes most MLM businesses that can take a few months and even a few years to sufficiently develop a network that enables a person to make a significant income with what we call in the industry 1-up and 2-up businesses. These require you to pass up your first few sales to your upline sponsor before you are actually qualified to earn a commission. This also doesn’t include the initial start up cost to even join.

The start up costs in the work from home industry can run anywhere from $100 to thousands of dollars. I’ve seen costs as high as $20,000. You also need to be knowledgeable in marketing your business with your work from home opportunity. This knowledge is required in order for you to be successful. Most never acquire this knowledge correctly, are unwilling to learn and eventually give up. Then, in turn blame the industry. In addition, by spending more money on generating leads to get people interested in your business, you compound the problem before you even get started.

When you are choosing a work from home opportunity, there are important characteristics to consider. Keep in mind that it is not if you want to start a work from home opportunity, but which one you should choose. Here are some key characteristics to follow:

1. Offer a service or product that your customers want and can relate to. Believe in the product yourself!

2. Choose a business that has an automated business system in place. These automated systems are designed to provide the initial contact and selling for you. As a result, the automated system will make efficient use of your time.

3. The most important characteristic in choosing your business is having a successful mentor that includes a strong support and training system. Without this, you will be treading water and going nowhere.

Finding a work from home opportunity that includes these essential characteristics is the key to your success. Once you have located one, you will need to develop a business plan that has start up and ongoing costs which will fit into your budget. It’s a business. You need to invest money to make money. You can’t start a work from home opportunity for free. But how much you initially invest is important. Start small and allow for growth.

By having a work from home opportunity that allows you to make income efficiently, it will yield you a quick return on your initial investment. So make sure your work from home business has these essential characteristics in place. Your whole experience will be much more fun and lucrative. In addition, you will acquire knowledge that will serve you well in the future.

Many people, both men and women are earning a significant income while they work from home. It is easy for you to become one of them. Simply apply these characteristics and research the work from home opportunities that are there. Find one that best suits your needs, set your goals and run with it. You’ll like the results.