1. No focus This is a very common mistake among first time entrepreneurs. They try 100s of things without trying to focus on one thing at a time. Many entrepreneurs start more than one business at the same time. This is a big mistake. Focus on one business at a time. 2. Failure of the entrepreneur to understand financial statements Accounting is the language of business. If you can’t speak it, you’ve... 

You may have a Business Marketing Plan, but do you have a Personal Marketing Plan? How does your market perceive your business?  How does your market perceive you?  How would you like them to perceive your business, and you? What are you doing about it? Keep in mind that your market is what makes your living. You have to react to their needs and desires. So how are you positioned in your market? ... 

Sales is the Life Line to Your Bottom Line in Today’s New Economy of Buyers? You must appreciate that sales revenue is the life line to your bottom line.  Without buyers, there are no sales. Without sales, there are no revenues. The world revolves around sales, but more importantly, it now needs to revolve around buyers.  Buyers are everywhere.  What are you doing to help them buy? The economy... 

When striking out on your own as an entrepreneur there are many different ways to learn things. The most common way that an entrepreneur learns things is quite frankly, “learning as they go along”. “Learning along the way” is not necessarily a bad thing as one of the key characteristics that almost any successful entrepreneur must have is the ability to be proactive and stay... 

As your small business grows and more employees are hired, it becomes increasingly critical that your organizational policies and procedures are clearly defined and communicated.  Without policies and procedures it is difficult for new employees to understand your organization’s culture, expectations and requirements. New employees need to know their specific roles and responsibilities, as well... 

If somebody were to ask you “what is the most important document in your business?” What would be your answer? Most business owners just don’t have an answer to this question. In fact, in many businesses this document just doesn’t exist. Even if it does, it’s not taken as seriously as it should. Some of you might think it is a business plan or a policies and procedures document or your legal... 

This is something most small business owners don’t really think about. When I first started in business, I thought businesses go out of business because they run out of money. Little did I realize that businesses actually run out of money because they don’t have enough sales. The reality of business is that if you don’t sell then you are out of business. So, according to me selling and marketing... 

Everybody knows there’s been a strong bond between golf and salesmen, probably since the outset of the game, and most of the top sales professionals are extremely good golfers. A lot of business is conducted on the links, but this article isn’t about how to sell on the golf course, rather it’s about the many similarities between selling and playing the perfect round of golf. Arnold Palmer once... 

Starting and growing a business is not just about the concept or the business idea. It is about your skills. You need to have the extraordinary skills to build an extraordinary business. Find below some of the skills that I think are important in entrepreneurship. 1. Goal setting I rate goal setting as one of the top skills to success in anything not just entrepreneurship. If you do not set goals,... 

It’s simple – surprise and delight them. When leading a rapidly-growing company, many entrepreneurs fail to be hyper-focused on their customers’ feedback.  Immediate sales opportunities and scalability issues often take precedence. However, putting customers front and center of your product development process can be the single largest contributor to repeat business — ensuring you’re...