From Entrepreneur.com:

They may not have invented the popular gaming console, but that doesn’t mean these entrepreneurs can’t make a profit on it.

It’s a giant among video game consoles, a brand name like almost no other, an entertainment product that needs no introduction. Ladies and gentleman, give it up for Nintendo Wii.

Some products and services are so well known, they hardly need an introduction. Nintendo Wii may not have the name cache of McDonald’s or Wal-Mart. But it does have brand recognition that startups can only dream of.

That’s why there’s something to be said for the “aftermarket,” the concept of tailoring your business to the customers of a much bigger, famous or already-existing product or service. For instance, think of eBay and the drop-off centers that have cropped up, companies that make products out of recycled materials or even the books published that analyze the phenomenon of the Harry Potter series and TheDa Vinci Code.

Nintendo Wii is just one of the latest products to inspire entrepreneurs to start new businesses or adjust their current offerings. For instance, one component of the Wii is the Mii, which lets game players create their own characters by choosing from an assortment of facial characteristics. Many online retail outlets are selling T-shirts, mugs and statuettes with Miis on them…..Full Article Here

From Entrepreneur.com:

In just a few years, blogs have become a phenomenon. Every day, an estimated 175,000 new blogs and more than 1.6 million blog updates go online, according to Technorati, a blog tracking firm. As of late January 2007, Technorati was tracking 63.2 million blogs.

This explosive growth raises the question: Should your small business start a blog? I believe you should, if for no other reason than to take advantage of an effective marketing tool. In a recent survey of business technology marketing executives by research firm MarketingSherpa, blogs were voted the No. 4 tool for generating sales leads.

Like any other marketing tool, blogs are most effective when used properly. Here are some suggestions for successful blogging, plus some background for those who aren’t familiar with blogs….

Full Article Here

Excerpt from Rockford Register Start:

Question: I would like to start my own small business from home. What’s a good idea for such a business?

Answer: As you have stated your question, that can be a tough question and in any case we really need more information. Such as, first we should establish the “Why” of your purpose in wanting that business. It might be a part-time business, and those part-timers can be the “hobby” type or maybe just a supplemental income type. Maybe you are unhappy with your job and think this will be a good way out of that situation. Or maybe it’s full-time and for all the marbles, that’s is, to make your living expenses. So what’s your purpose? Why do you want to own a business? Is there timing a factor? And such initial questions can go on and on.

The most important things to consider include your experiences, any special education or specializing courses, all your business experiences, maybe your hobby (s), your interests, perhaps available mentors, and maybe last but not least your passion. Sometimes in business, all that carries you through to the next plateau is persistence and passion.

Some people have personalities that are more suited to a particular home business. For instance, some people fail at the selling part because of the difficulty in handling and accepting rejection. Some fail at the ability to cope with the variety and moods of their customers. Financial controls are difficult for others. So how does your personality fit with the foils of business? Not how would you like to have them fit but how will they fit?

Many small business opportunities are nothing more than get-rich-quick schemes that tend to not pay off in the long run. While it’s possible to start a small business with a relatively little financial investment, the time you invest is more precious … and you’ll never get it back. Be prepared to devote a lot of time to a new small business, and be wary of opportunities that gloss over this.

Ultimately, the best small business for you is one that incorporates your strengths and interests. Screaming banner ads may claim to know what the best opportunity for you is, but that’s just advertising. You will succeed in an investment that connects to your abilities and backgrounds; starting a business in a field you know nothing about (except that the ads looked good) is naive.

A little research goes a long way; so does consulting a business broker. Gathering as much information from trusted sources is the best preparation a prospective business owner can get. Opportunities that require large investments–of time or money–shouldn’t be jumped into hastily; take your time, inform yourself, and go in smartly.

Excerpt from Entrepreneur.com:

“More than anything else, what most prospective franchisees want to be sure of is that the franchise you are considering is a good all-around business opportunity. We can use other words like “great” or “solid” or “reputable” to illustrate what you’re looking for in a franchise, but the bottom line is you want to know that everything needed for success exists and that there are no major flaws with the franchise.

The following checklist for determining whether a franchise is solid is subjective, but it’s based on many years of experience. If you want to know that you’re looking at a solid franchise opportunity, make sure to check the following factors carefully:

1. Responsiveness during the investigation process….
2. Direct operational training….
3. Other training….
4. Marketing programs….
5. Real estate and construction assistance….
6. Financing assistance….
7. Litigation history….
8. Financial strength of the franchise company….
9. Financial strength of the unit operations….
10. The attitude of the existing franchisees….

Read Full Article Here

Article Excerpt from Entrepreneur.com:

“I love talking about choosing a great home business idea because it’s one of the most exciting and fundamental parts of starting a work at home business. But thinking up a great idea is just the first step–it’s critical that you take the time to thoroughly examine the idea that’s to become your future livelihood. As most business owners eventually learn, it’s not the person running the business, the marketing or the employees that make or break a company’s success–it’s the quality and profitability of the idea behind the company.

When you go into business, you have to look at the idea or business opportunity driving it from a different angle than you might assume. Most people wrongly choose a business based on one of two personal biases:

It’s a business they already know. The hairdresser opens a salon, the lawyer his or her own practice and so on. Generally, a huge mistake. They’re thinking about the job–not the business. Just because you’re a good chef doesn’t mean you know how to run a restaurant. More important, it doesn’t mean a restaurant would be successful in your market.

It’s a product or service they’ve fallen in love with. Again, just because you love something doesn’t mean a profitable business will come of it. This is especially true for first-time entrepreneurs. Learning to run a business is hard enough; you don’t need to make it any harder by doing something you love rather than something customers love paying you a good profit for.
How can you be sure your intriguing idea is also something from which you can truly make a profit? Read Full Article Here.

Below is another great article excerpt from Entrepreneur.com:

“Starting a low-cost home business on the weekend is one of the easiest and most risk-free ways to dip your toe into the waters of entrepreneurship. It only takes your free time, a small investment in marketing materials and business supplies, and some hard work.

Michelle Anton and Jennifer Basye Sander interviewed more than 100 people living their dreams through weekend home businesses when they wrote Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash (Entrepreneur Press). Here, we excerpt four great ideas for people who love to work around the house. If you’re already spending your evenings and weekends cleaning, organizing and improving your home, why not put those skills to work in a part-time business?

Holistic Housecleaning With Allergy-Free Products
Did you know that approximately 50 percent of Americans suffer from some kind of chemical sensitivity? Or that nationwide, every single day, 32 million pounds of household cleaning products are poured down the drain? Kind of makes you stop and think, doesn’t it?

Christmas Light Installer
This is a great seasonal business that specializes in providing the labor for holiday decorations. Once a year an opportunity to make excellent extra money arrives–installing and then later removing decorative outdoor Christmas lights for people who just don’t have the time or the energy to do it for themselves. Jennifer recently went to a spring dinner party at the home of a distinguished couple in their late 70s. Although it was May, the house was still hung with colored Christmas lights outside. These folks and others like them, busy or not quite in physical shape to remove their own lights, are your target audience.

House Staging
Have you ever been inside a house for sale, and although you liked the house itself, the furnishing and decorating gave you the willies? Some real estate agents insist that empty houses sell better; it allows a prospective buyer to “see” themselves living in the space when it isn’t all cluttered with the current owner’s things. “Less is more” when it comes to staging a house for sale, and an objective eye can help cut through the clutter that the longtime owner can’t see anymore.”

Read More from Entreprenuer.com

Entrepreneur.com

5 Home Design Businesses to Start

There’s a good reason why cable TV networks like HGTV, The Learning Channel and DIY Network have such a huge following from coast to coast: The home design and improvement industry is hot, hot, hot and is showing no signs of cooling off. There may be no better time than the present to tool up your skills and fire up your enthusiasm for a career in this creative and fulfilling field.

But while Americans are keenly interested in home improvement and home design and have made household names out of “Extreme Makeover: Home Editions” Ty Pennington, professional organizer Peter Walsh from “Clean Sweep” and other home design show hosts, the fact is many don’t have the time, talent or inclination to undertake such projects themselves. Or they enthusiastically take up a paintbrush, rearrange the furniture or make a stab at organizing their lives, then toss up their hands in defeat when they realize it’s not as easy as it looks.

All this means there are plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs like you to start what we are broadly calling a home design business. In our startup guide Home Design Services, we’ve outlined the information you need to start five different home design services: interior design, interior redesign, professional organizing, building preservation/restoration, and faux painting. Here’s a closer look at each of those businesses so you can get feel for the opportunities available in this industry, and what will fit your personality and creativity the best.

Click Here to Read Full Article from Entrepreneur.com

(FSB Magazine) — When a new product from Microsoft debuts, it doesn’t arrive quietly. Instead it gets tracked through the R&D pipeline by trade magazines, bloggers and carefully controlled announcements from the marketing department.

Small-business innovations don’t work that way. They tiptoe into the market, heralded by minimal PR (if any) and propelled instead by the inventor’s enthusiasm.

What makes that more ironic is that small businesses these days come up with better ideas more consistently than their corporate competitors. “Rates of R&D growth among small firms tend to have been higher than among large R&D-performing firms,” says John Jankowski, director of the R&D Statistics Program at the National Science Foundation.

To find these innovative companies you need a field guide, and that’s were FSB comes in. Exploring everything from ocean-generated electricity to six-foot roses to an ATM for books, the stories on the following pages offer a preview of the companies, products, people, trends and ideas likely to make news in 2007 - all from the world of small business.

Read 10 big ideas for 2007 from Fortune Small Business

Falling fuel prices may seem like good news for entrepreneurs. But a properly designed gas tax could be even better.

(FSB Magazine) — Like many entrepreneurs, Tedd Saunders finds most taxes annoying. He co-owns seven East Coast hotels, including the Lenox in Boston, and would love to see the estate tax gutted. He also rankles at a hotel room tax levied by lawmakers in his home state, dubbed “Taxachusetts.”

Yet Saunders supports a higher tax on gasoline - even though it would raise costs for his employees who commute to work by car and might boost prices charged by his suppliers.

Says the hotelier: “We need to make tough choices to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and to recognize this looming crisis of climate change and what it will do to our lives and our businesses.”

As FSB went to press, the cost of gas had plummeted 26 percent since July, to a national average of $2.21 a gallon. In the past that would have been considered good news, but the reaction today is decidedly mixed. In a recent New York Times/CBS News poll, 59 percent of respondents nationwide said they would support a gas tax if it would result in less fuel consumption and less global warming.

Read Full Article from Fortune Small Business

Writing for a living is the career choice of many creative professionals - whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, technical, trade, online or other specialist area. Writing markets and mediums are wide and offer numerous business opportunities for freelancers, consultants and telecommuters.

A sizable proportion of the writing community work as freelancers. Many work from home offices or laptops from locations around the country and the globe. Writing is a job that has few physical boundaries, as long as you have access to a computer, the Internet and a phone - and of course, the talent. Freelance writers enjoy flexible hours and freedom of movement, even though the work is deadline driven. For many writers, their work is a labor of love. But it’s also reassuring to learn that writing skills are in high demand across all industries. According to labor market research, job opportunities for writers are on the rise and demand from newspapers, magazines, websites, business and non-profit organizations and book publishers is expected to be strong. So, with the right mix of skill, experience, qualifications, effective networking and marketing, you can combine a rewarding career with the benefits of a free agent lifestyle.

The markets for freelance writers are numerous and diverse. Print and online publishers, business of all sizes, public relations firms, advertising agencies, professional, non-profit and religious organizations, educational institutions and government agencies use the services of freelancers and consultants. You might be commissioned to write a book, article, newsletter or marketing copy. Or you might be contracted on a project-basis or for a set timeframe. A good source of work are the rapidly growing special interest publications (online and print) aimed at ‘niche’ markets.

So, how do you kick-start your freelance career? A proven track record or evidence that demonstrates your talent is vital. Show potential clients that you can express ideas clearly and logically and that you can work to a brief. A relevant college degree (journalism, communications or even liberal arts) is highly regarded, as is some on-the-job training. Technical or business writers require qualifications and/or professional experience in a specialized field like IT, law or engineering. Online writers often need to be familiar with web technology and electronic publishing software software. Learn more below:

BusinessWeek

The taxmen have stepped up their audits on small businesses, and that has many entrepreneurs crying foul
by Jeffrey Gangemi

The tax gap in the U.S., which the IRS defines as the missing amount from taxpayers who don’t file their tax returns and pay the correct tax on time, currently stands at around $345 billion. Mark Everson, the IRS commissioner, has been working to reduce the gap since he took office in March, 2003.

“To make sure that there’s an impression of fairness…,” Everson says he first focused on high-income individuals and larger corporations, but now the IRS is stepping up its audits of small businesses.

In fact, the IRS enforcement increase has already begun in earnest. In 2005, audits of the roughly 5.7 million small businesses the IRS recognizes to be organized as corporations increased significantly, with 17,867 audits, up from 7,294 a year earlier.

Unfair Targeting?
Audits of corporations with assets over $10 million also increased in 2005, but by a much smaller percentage: up 14% from the previous year, to 10,878. Everson says he expects 2006 to reach an even greater rate of small-business enforcement.

Both the IRS and business taxpayers agree that some fraud exists for small businesses and individuals reporting their taxable income. But in response to the IRS crackdown, small-business owners and advocacy groups are crying foul, claiming smaller firms are being targeted with unfair audits that could penalize them for small or unintentional transgressions…..”

Read Full Article from BusinessWeek.com

“If you work from home, you know the importance of having a space that’s just for work. Allowing your job to spill into your house - especially when you have paperwork and files spread across the kitchen table - can make it harder to create a distinct line between work and home.

For most work-at-home professionals, the solution is to set aside a part of their house that’s exclusively designated for work related tasks. In many cases, this is a home office. A work at home office allows you to “close the door” on your job and focus on your family once the workday is over.

But what should you do if you don’t have an extra room to dedicate to office space? With a little creativity, even those with limited space can set aside an area for their work. Try one of these options.

The National Small Business Association is seeking nominations for its 2007 Small Business Advocate of the Year.

Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to small business advocacy, a proven history of voluntary efforts and endeavors to advance small business and improve the conditions for small business owners, success and growth as a small business owner and any other accomplishments demonstrating merit as an effective advocate for small business interests.

Applicants also must be a small business owner and are permitted to nominate themselves. An application form is available at nsba.biz/ award.

The deadline to apply is Nov. 17.

Learn More Here

Starting and managing a business takes motivation, desire and talent. It also takes research and planning.

Like a chess game, success in small business starts with decisive and correct opening moves. And, although initial mistakes are not fatal, it takes skill, discipline and hard work to regain the advantage.

To increase your chance for success, take the time up front to explore and evaluate your business and personal goals. Then use this information to build a comprehensive and well­thought­out business plan that will help you reach these goals.

The process of developing a business plan will help you think through some important issues that you may not have considered yet. Your plan will become a valuable tool as you set out to raise money for your business. It should also provide milestones to gauge your success.

Before starting out, list your reasons for wanting to go into business. Some of the most common reasons for starting a business are:

* You want to be your own boss.

* You want financial independence.

* You want creative freedom.

* You want to fully use your skills and knowledge.

Next you need to determine what home business is “right for you.” Ask yourself these questions: [Go to SBA.gov]

Objects moving by themselves, disembodied voices, ghostly apparitions — who you gonna call? Forget the ‘Ghostbusters.’ We called a paranormal investigator and a marketing expert to find out how these haunted small businesses can put their ghosts to work.

Just one look at new network TV shows of the past few years, and it should come as no surprise that all things paranormal are haunting our collective unconscious. From cable reality shows that follow real life ghost-hunters to the fictional mediums, night stalkers, and ghost whisperers that haunt the big three broadcast networks, all things otherworldly have seen their stock rise.

Ghosts? Give Me a Break!
While there are no easily obtainable statistics on the number of “authentically” haunted businesses out there, a quick online search will put you in touch with hundreds of businesses – mostly “destination businesses” like hotels and bed & breakfasts — that claim to have a haunted history, and use this fact front-and-center in their marketing. One well known example is the RMS Queen Mary, the fabled Art Deco era liner permanently docked as a hotel in Long Beach, CA. Her several on-board ghost tours are a year-round draw.

Read Full Article from AOL Small Business

Entrepreneur.com

“There’s a good reason why cable TV networks like HGTV, The Learning Channel and DIY Network have such a huge following from coast to coast: The home design and improvement industry is hot, hot, hot and is showing no signs of cooling off. There may be no better time than the present to tool up your skills and fire up your enthusiasm for a career in this creative and fulfilling field.

But while Americans are keenly interested in home improvement and home design and have made household names out of “Extreme Makeover: Home Editions” Ty Pennington, professional organizer Peter Walsh from “Clean Sweep” and other home design show hosts, the fact is many don’t have the time, talent or inclination to undertake such projects themselves. Or they enthusiastically take up a paintbrush, rearrange the furniture or make a stab at organizing their lives, then toss up their hands in defeat when they realize it’s not as easy as it looks.

All this means there are plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs like you to start what we are broadly calling a home design business. In our startup guide Home Design Services, we’ve outlined the information you need to start five different home design services: interior design, interior redesign, professional organizing, building preservation/restoration, and faux painting. Here’s a closer look at each of those businesses so you can get feel for the opportunities available in this industry, and what will fit your personality and creativity the best.

Read Full Article

Experts urge small business owners to “brand” their businesses with a logo and a set of consistent marketing materials. But they rarely explain the reasons behind this advice. Below are some of some of the benefits of having a professionally designed logo and identity system.

1. To look “bigger.”

2. To increase your chance of getting venture capital or selling a business.

3. To attract more clients. Some clients look for a well-defined company, and “look and feel” may be one of their criteria in making a purchasing decision.

4. To brand yourself.

5. To convey that you are established.

6. To give clients a sense of stability.

7. To be more memorable.

8. To explain your company name.

9. To endear your company name to your clients.

10. To explain an unusual line of business.

11. To show what practices differentiate you from your competition.

12. To stand out in your field.

13. To comply with expectations.

14. To show your commitment and for the sense of personal pride it will add to your practice. In other words, do it for yourself.

These benefits will boost your business and your confidence, so start thinking about developing a logo and identity as soon as possible. [Read Details of each benefit from BusinessWeek]

Inc.com

Five years ago, Jim Poss, a 28-year-old environmental studies grad from Duke University, was determined to make a living in renewable energy — he had the science and the passion, and a vague idea about selling geothermal energy. What he didn’t have was the slightest clue about starting a business. So, he enrolled in Boston’s Babson College, taking a 12-month intensive program that puts students through the rigors of launching a new business venture.

This year, Seahorse Power Co., a business Poss started at Babson which manufactures and sells solar-powered trash compactors, is poised to break $1 million in sales with customers from New York to Sydney, Australia.

“My home business plan today really hasn’t changed from when I wrote it at Babson,” Poss said. “I totally owe it to that program for getting my feet solidly on the ground.”

That kind of success — on top of a surge in the number and size of endowments from wealthy entrepreneurs — is sparking a boom in entrepreneurial education at business schools from coast to coast. In the early 1980s, only 300 universities in the U.S. offered courses in small business and entrepreneurships, according to a survey released in June by the Indiana University’s Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Today, there are over 2,200 courses available at over 1,600 schools nationwide, complete with 277 endowed faculty positions, 44 academic journals, and nearly 150 research centers, the survey found.

Read More…

Why There’s Never Been a Better Time to Start Your Home Business… and the Top 5 Strategies and Cool Tools You Need to Know About.

I was surprised to hear at a recent seminar how many people think that the Internet is just too saturated for new online home business owners to be successful — and that if you didn’t get in on the ground floor, you’re out of luck.

Well, we did get in on the ground floor, and we’ve seen all the changes, so I can tell you this: Nothing could be further from the truth! That’s why I wanted to write this article to show you why NOW is probably the best time in Internet history to start a wildly profitable online business.

Sure, there’s more competition on the ‘Net these days. When we first opened our doors in 1998, there were only 130 million web pages in existence… now there are well over 313 billion (eMarketer)! But there are also a LOT more potential customers online, too — 1,022,863,307 of them in fact! (Neilson/Net ratings March 2006.)

And if online sales are any indication, the number of people who are actively shopping online is also on the rise. According to Forrester Research, online sales reached a staggering $172 billion in 2005 — a number they predict will rise to $329 billion by 2010!

Read More….

What YOU Would Have Learned in the Early 1900’s, Had You Been a Student of the Wealthiest Man in the World?

Andrew Carnegie, one of the captains of Industry in 19th century America, passed away before most of our affiliates were even born. But is it possible to think that one of his little-known business philosophies could turn you into a multi-millionaire someday, possibly much sooner than you think?

Carnegie grew up poor, the son of a linen weaver, in Dunfermline, the medieval capital of Scotland. He was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps, as were most young men of his time. However, steam-powered looms and other industrial advancements soon came to Scotland and destroyed the weaver’s craft. People who had only one valuable skill became expendable overnight, and Carnegie had to witness firsthand what poverty was.

Read More…

You can’t have a successful eBay business without a way to ship your goods. Here are some tips and tools to help you do it right.

The first impression you make with your eBay listing is crucial to your online success, but the lasting impression you make with your packaging and shipping can help secure a continued customer relationship. Check out these tools and tips to help you keep the customers you work so hard to get.

Shipping Calculator: Use eBay’s free Shipping Calculator in the “Sell Your Item” form and Turbo Lister to help your customers determine the actual cost of shipping to their location for domestic or international, flat or calculated shipping rates. Always give your customers as many options as possible by choosing three speeds for domestic and three speeds for international shipping. The Shipping Calculator shows your buyer a total cost that includes handling. Bill Cobb, president of eBay North America, recently announced that sellers who charge excessive handling fees are no longer welcome on eBay. Charge enough for handling to reasonably cover your costs, supplies and time.

Read More…

10 Marketing Tactics Under $10 - Entrepreneur.com

Sometimes it only takes a few dollars to make a marketing idea go a long way. If you’re looking for some new ideas, here are a few to consider. If one of these works, do it again. If it works a little, fix it or adjust it, and then do it again. If it doesn’t work, just try another one of these low-cost ideas. What do you have to lose when your tactic costs just $10?

1. Instead of putting a 39-cent stamp on an envelope, put 39 1-cent stamps on the front of an envelope. One of the principles of direct mail is to stand out to get the attention of the receiver so your mail isn’t thrown away or ignored. Attention, interest, desire and action lead to a successful direct-mail program. And anything you can do to get attention increases the probability of action being taken. Best of all, in this case, you won’t even rack up any additional costs.

Read the Rest…

…and no business plan. A new survey shows three out of four businesses are funded from personal savings.

Small-business owners get their start with an average of just $10,000 in initial capital, according to the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index.

Close to three-quarter of businesses (73%) were primarily funded by the owner’s personal savings, while 37% were funded in part by loans and lines of credit.

“The survey results provide us with real insight into what it takes to start and run a small business, and what many small-business owners wish they had at the onset — more capital and more financial management education,” Rebecca Macieira-Kaufmann, executive vice president and head of the Wells Fargo’s small-business unit, said in a statement.

Read Full Article from Inc.com

Entrepreneur.com

This is a great article from entrepreneur.com revealing the journey of 5 successful entrepreneurs including lessons from CEO and Chairman of Cold Stone Creamery, the founder of monster.com, chairman and CEO of 1-800-FLOWERS and more.

“I’m what you would call an “accidental entrepreneur.” Not only did I not plan to be an entrepreneur, but I also don’t think I knew what the word meant when I was a young man. My college degree is in psychology, [and I spent 14 years as a social worker] at St. John’s Home for Boys in Queens, New York. Those 14 years were equal to my earning an MBA, and a lot more.

In my early days as a social worker, I was not good. I had to learn to stop treating [the boys] like a group. You can’t build a relationship with a group; you build relationships with individuals.

Slowly, I began to grow as a professional. But there was one kid I couldn’t reach—Norman, one of the tougher kids in the home.

One day, I was planting some tomato plants on one side of the group home, a hint of the florist to come. Norman came walking by and began to make fun of me. The same thing happened for several days in a row. I worked, and Norman stopped by to give me a hard time.

Slowly, the conversations began to change. We gradually moved from talking about how dumb I was for trying to make those tomatoes grow, to what we could do to make them grow.

Every day, Norman stopped by to help me with those tomato plants. We began to talk about sports, girls, school and whatever was going on in Norman’s life. The topics weren’t important, but the conversations sure were.

I had learned how to build a relationship. This lesson is one that I carry with me to this day at 1-800-FLOWERS. Establish a relationship first, then do business. Without the relationship, you have nothing.”

Read More…