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Ten Commandments for Business Growth

April 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Action Steps for Startup BusinessWhile signs of economic recovery flirt with news headlines, unemployment staggers at nearly 9 percent and millions of Americans reluctantly accept early retirement severance without a desire to leave the workforce.  Seasoned, energetic professionals often desire to turn unemployment into self-employment.  However they get stuck hunting for the perfect first move.

During the April 2011 StartUp Weekend Kansas City, keynote speaker Ben Milne, founder of Iowa-based Dwolla, told participants that the key to a successful million dollar startup is to “Simply start, then hustle.”  He challenged all “to be really naïve; do what you think you cannot do.”  Likewise, Infegy President Adam Coomes told the more than 60 attendees: “It starts with an idea.  But in the end, it’s about just doing it!”

So, leave the starting block, dive in and just do it.  No matter where you begin, enjoy the journey.  Let these Ten Commandments motivate you to launch or grow your business. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Development, Planning, Small Business, Start Up

Influencer Circle Builds Business

March 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Word of Mouth MarketingAnne Cull of ThinkViralKC,advises small business executives to begin growing their marketing buzz by identifying 10 top influencers.  These are people who know you, who will refer you and whom you trust.  It’s the current trend in word-of-mouth strategies.

Word of mouth marketing, as defined by the Word of Mouth Association, is “motivating people to talk about your service or cause and making it easy for that conversation to take place.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Development, Business Strategy, Sales Strategy

Forget The Bank – Grow From Within

March 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Generate business capital without a bankFrequently new clients ask me how to obtain financing in order to grow.  In response I ask:  “Have you explored growing from within?”  Surprisingly, many small businesses don’t realize they can generate investment capital through internal operations rather than go into debt through bank financing. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Development, Business Strategy

Not Sure How To Grow Your Business?

February 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Data-driven business decisionsSmall business owners often grapple with defining how to increase profit margins. Intuitively entrepreneurs generate ideas for business growth.  Sometimes they work.  Sometimes they don’t.

Rather than trial and error, try data-driven methods for business growth decision making. Here are seven tips for transitioning from a gut-feel business model to proactive planning processes. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Development, Business Strategy, Planning, Small Business