Ideas Archives - Page 6 of 7 - BOLLYWOOD SURKHIYAN

Small Business Ideas for Entrepreneurs

Introduction

Many people envision the day they start their own business. They know with hard work they will achieve success. That is the easy part. The hard part is coming up with the best idea of what industry it will be in. There are so many potential fields to choose from. Yet somehow, when it comes to deciding on one, their mind goes blank. Here are some potentially successful business ideas for you to ponder.

An Electronics Installation Business

There are a lot of folks who do not know how to install and/or set up the new electronic item they just bought. Either that or they do know how but lack the time to do it themselves. That is where this kind of business can come in handy. You hire skilled installation specialists to go out and perform these services for customers. Everybody wins with this one.

Software Teaching Business

What you would be doing in this case is hiring people who have a vast knowledge of different software programs. Then you connect them with customers whom they can teach to use the programs. This can be done locally on an in-person basis or over the Internet on a remote basis. The more programs one person can teach, the better. You should also seek people with a lot of patience. The prospective students will likely have lots of questions.

Create a Writing Business

Here is another industry that is full of potential customers. For a variety or reasons, scores of individuals are not able to do their own writing. It could be lack of skills, or lack of time, or whatever. Maybe they need a quick article on a specific topic, or a resume or a simple business letter. You can recruit experienced freelance writers to be a remote staff for your business. Then you are ready to seek clients. There is such a huge need for this these days, you are sure to succeed.

Personal Care Associates

What are they? They are individuals who can either care for children, care for special needs patients, or care for elderly patients. Of course, for this type of business, you ought to require that the candidates be properly trained and, at least, certified. Possessing a license is even better. With that said, there are plenty of qualified persons who are not currently employed. There are also oodles of people who need personal care. If you had a business in any of these industries, you could match them up. One more thing to be sure of is that they have the proper personality to assist patients on a regular basis. Someone with a short temper, or who is not a “people person,” would not be a good choice.

Begin a Yard Care Business

It goes without saying that there are already many landscaping businesses out there. That is not what we are talking about here. Full-service landscaping companies can be expensive. You would fill a big need by finding local workers who can mow lawns, take care of plants, rake leaves, shovel snow, etc. Your clients would be residents who cannot afford a large landscaping firm.

Wrap-Up Thoughts

For everybody’s sake, anybody you hire for any of these types of businesses should have an extensive background check done on them with a printable report available. Once that is taken care of, you can hire them and send them out to work.

People, these are merely a few ideas. If you give it plenty of thought, you are bound to think of something your community needs. Remember, the worst idea is the one you have never given a shot. Good luck!

Top 5 Ideas For Starting a Small Business

Are you thinking about starting your own business? Perhaps you’re still employed but would like to start a business on the side. Or maybe you’re a homemaker whose children spend the day in school and you would like to earn some extra dough. Whatever your motivation, your mind must be full of questions about business plans, ideas and startup costs.

There are plenty of decisions you have to make, from broadband plans to business card printing. But for most potential entrepreneurs, the most difficult part of this process is coming up with business ideas. The truth of the matter is many potential business owners never get started because they have trouble coming up with business ideas. If you are lacking that creative spark then this article, which examines 5 ideas for starting a small business may be of some help to you.

If you love cooking then catering is a fun way to combine business with your hobby. Catering can be done on a small scale if you already have a well-equipped kitchen.

Start a consulting business online. Business consulting is one industry that performs well during recessions and if you have the skills and the know-how to help organisations improve their performance, this may be an ideal business for you. The key to success in this business is networking, so pick up the phone and call everyone you know!

Having an online business is the quickest way to the global market from your sofa. But just how do you succeed as a webpreneur? First and foremost, do your research and find out what’s worth chasing and what’s not. By being well informed, you can take educated and calculated risks. You also need to know your market. You will have many competitors so the best way for you to stay ahead is to add value in your service, be it in pricing, quality, quantity or aftercare. A little extra service goes a long way. It pays to learn about search engine optimisation or SEO because this will help you promote your website, which should look fantastic and provide accurate and adequate information. Finally, constantly check the results you are getting and if the business needs to be tweaked, don’t be afraid to do it.

People love working from home and if you have the skills to be a web designer, you can do just that in the comfort of your own home. Although there are many web designers in the market, demand for their services is high and if you market yourself well, you will have a large clientele in no time. One way to get your name out there is to work with complementary businesses. For example, if you’re good at designing brochures, speak to a brochure printing company and come up with a package deal for potential clients.

Are you an avid photographer? With the right equipment this can be a fantastic job for you. Although camera equipment costs a fair bit, you can make a killing at weddings and corporate events.

Catering
Consulting
Webpreneur
Freelance web designer
Photographer

These ideas may or may not work for you so before you start any business, ask yourself these questions,

Is there a demand for your product of service?
How much money do you need to start your business?
How will you differentiate your business from your competition?

Ideas for Financing a New Embroidery Company

Because the area of financing can be confusing, yet crucial to the success of any business endeavor, let’s look at some do’s and don’ts of financing as pertains to the embroidery industry.

The “Do’s and Don’ts”

Do your homework.
Do a market research study for your area.
Do all of the work necessary to create a comprehensive business plan.
Do decide which equipment best serves your needs to complete the business plan.
Do spend about 1,500 hours preparing projections and proposals.
Do contact every financial institution within a 2,000-mile radius.
Do send up offerings to whichever heaven you prefer.
Don’t let the seemingly endless process deter you from your goal of owning your selected equipment.
Don’t take it personally when, after reviewing all of your thoughtfully prepared work, they hand you your hat and coat and boot you through the door.
Don’t take no for an answer!

Welcome to the wonderful world of financing. Once you have decided on the type of embroidery equipment, the direction of your new venture and the location for your shop, then comes the how. The how is the money part.

There are three ways to purchase equipment:

Cash
Finance
Lease

Even if you are in a position to pay cash, sometimes it’s more prudent to hang onto as much cash as possible and finance anyway. This provides more back-up capital for the start-up period. What lenders are really looking for is as much stability as possible in a prospective loan customer.

Here’s another reason to consider holding back some cash: You may need an operating loan a few months down the road, and if everything. you have was already applied toward the machine, there won’t be any cash reserve to reassure the bank.

Unless the financial institution has a lot of experience dealing in the embroidery business, it will know nothing about re-sale values, and will discount your equipment’s worth severely upon consideration for a loan.

So, if you can’t-or choose not to-pay cash, you still have two possibilities: finance or lease. These options also have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s start with the advantages of financing. First, you own the equipment (or at least that portion of the equipment that the bank doesn’t own.)

You create an equity interest in the machine and therefore add to the asset column on your balance sheet. With each payment, that equity increases. You also create a liability on the balance sheet, but with each payment the liability decreases. At the end of a three- or four-year period, you own the equipment outright, so 100 percent of its value goes to the asset column. Naturally, there has been some depreciation on the equipment, but it rarely approaches its value at the end of the finance term. In our business, equipment maintains an extremely high value over the years. So do try to own the equipment whenever possible and practical.

Another advantage of financing is that generally you can find lower interest rates from banks and credit unions than from leasing companies. In many cases, leasing companies borrow money from the same lending institutions that you might approach. In order for the leasing company to make money, it adds a percentage to the interest rate of the transaction. Even in cases where the leasing company is so large that it is using its own money, the interest rate is often about the same as that charged by smaller leasing companies. It is possible to shop around for more favorable interest rates on leases if you currently own a business, and have operated it for at least two years. If you have sterling business credit, you may be able to obtain a fairly good rate from a company that does its own funding, rather than one that brokers funds on your behalf.

Some advantages of leasing are lower entry costs, tax benefits (ask your accountant), and the fact that it is sometimes easier to qualify for a lease program than to qualify for conventional financing for such a large amount. The disadvantages are higher interest rates and, sometimes higher payments. Also, at the end of the lease period, you don’t automatically own the equipment. Let’s look at these factors more in-depth.

One of the biggest advantages of leasing is lower entry costs. Whereas a bank is typically looking for a 20% or 30% down payment, a leasing company is usually looking for the first and last payments, and maybe one additional month’s payment as a security deposit.

In some cases, a deal with which a leasing company is not comfortable can be strengthened by an additional capital deposit. For example, what if instead of providing first and last payments, plus an additional month’s payment as security, you offer a security deposit equivalent to six monthly payments? Or maybe one year’s payments? An easy way to provide such a security deposit is to post a certificate of deposit from your bank. If you have such an investment, you can pledge it to the leasing company as security on your lease, and still earn and receive the interest. The leasing company is covered, your security requirement is minimal, and you still receive the interest.

One concern here is that in some cases, when pledging a large amount of money on a lease, the transaction becomes a purchase rather than a lease and may be treated differently from a tax standpoint. The primary reason that you would want the lease to be viewed by the IRS as a true lease, rather than a financed arrangement, is that monthly lease payments are deductible as a business expense. Loan payments are not deductible-only the interest paid each year is deductible. Of course, on an outright purchase, there are different tax benefits, such as investment tax credits. These can be significant, however they must be repaid when the equipment is sold because the sale results in a capital gain. This is a complex area, and each situation is different. Talk with your accountant about which avenue best suits your situation. If you don’t have an accountant, consider consulting one on such major issues as this.

At the end of the lease term, you have the option of turning the equipment back to the leasing company, or paying from $1 to 10 percent of the original cost of the equipment (or its fair market value) to purchase it. Be careful here, because if the purchase residual is too low, the IRS may look at the transaction as a financed arrangement or purchase, rather than as a lease.

Another point to remember is that we are talking about leasing embroidery equipment-not automobiles or farm equipment. Some leasing companies specialize in certain types of business and know the resale value of equipment.

You are going into business with every expectation of succeeding, but the bank or leasing company is looking at it from the viewpoint that if you should fail, it must limit its exposure on the downside. How much can it get for the machines if you can no longer make the payments? A leasing company that doesn’t know embroidery equipment might assess a re-sale value on a machine at 10 cents on the dollar, whereas a company experienced in this business would use a valuation of 50 cents on the dollar.

If your proposed equipment package includes digitizing equipment, you should ask about the prospective leasing company’s policy regarding software. Most leasing companies place a limit on the dollar amount of software value in a deal. This varies widely, but software value is usually limited to between 20 and 50 percent of the total lease package.

No matter what you do, make sure that you are well prepared when you approach a financial institution about a loan for your machine. Be sure you can confidently answer all questions. Those questions will undoubtedly include some of the following: Do you have a business plan? What experience do you have in owning a business? Why do you think your business will be successful?

There must be some sort of general rule in the banking or leasing business that no matter how many documents the customer brings to a first and second meeting, a loan cannot be transacted until the customer has been to the office at least three times! Kidding aside, there is no alternative to being prepared, and it may take a lot of legwork to find the deal that works for you.

Other sources that are emerging in the world of finance are government programs and the economic development council (EDC) programs. Do not overlook these possible sources of machine financing. Small Business Administration loans administered through the banks can be difficult to qualify for, but those who qualify are rewarded with low interest rates and favorable terms.

There are other programs available in some areas from regional or municipal economic development councils that are referred to as Revolving loan Funds. Here’s how they work: The borrower is required to provide from his own funds in the amount of 15 percent of the transaction total. The balance of the deal is split between the EDC and a participating bank. The bank usually loans its half at 2 percent over the prime interest rate, while the EDC provides its funds at 2 percent under prime. Here, you just may have the ultimate deal. Your down payment responsibility is only 15 percent, and you are borrowing at prime. (Donald Trump can’t borrow at prime!) Terms are usually 4 or 5 years and there is no prepayment penalty for early payoff.

Financing your own equipment may not be fun, but it is a necessary part of getting into the embroidery business. Be resourceful, and investigate all of the avenues available before jumping into a deal that might not be right for you. The long-term financial wellbeing of your new business is at stake. Take some time to find a arrangement that works best for you, so that the equipment you eventually buy will be a true pleasure to own.

Ideation – Where Business Ideas Come From

Ideation is the creative process of generating, developing, and communicating new business ideas. When we plan to launch a new business, we either leverage an existing concept or we develop our own unique idea. The same applies to growing an existing business. I have always struggled with determining which is harder – finding the idea or executing on it.

Sometimes ideas are easy enough to conjure, and the hard part is deciding if it’s good enough as the basis for developing a profitable business. If you have what you believe is a “great idea”, the next challenge is to prove or test that it will translate into a successful venture.

Then there are times when a viable idea is the hardest thing to find. It may seem like all the good ideas are taken, and you are left on the sidelines with the resources and desire to start or grow a business but without a great idea. The ideation process can take a day or it can take years, and as with the creative process, it’s usually unproductive to rush it. Aside from the other typical barriers of resources (money and people), the lack of a “good idea” is often what keeps people from taking action on their dream of becoming their own boss.

Creating a new business starts with the idea. The process of developing that idea, and your business concept, may perhaps include some level of testing through prototyping and iteration. During these early phases your idea will undoubtedly evolve and may even morph into something entirely different. There are three basic categories for business ideas, and considering these categories can help with sparking that next great brainchild or validating your existing one:

New – a new invention or business idea. Examples may include the Segway, Virtual Reality and other product inventions. This is the most difficult category for new business ideas. There are very few truly and completely new ideas. By “new” I mean something that absolutely does not currently nor in the past exist in any way. It’s easy to confuse a new idea with what is really an improvement or disruption of an existing or traditional way of doing something. Truly new and unique ideas are hard to come by, so don’t get paralyzed by thinking this is the only source of viable new ideas.

Improvement – this is the proverbial better mouse trap. Examples include exterior-express car washes (where you stay in the car), Virgin Airlines, LED lighting, and Disney Land. Most small businesses probably fall into this category. You take an existing service or product and you make or deliver it in a better way, either directly or indirectly. You may make it of better quality raw materials, for example, or you may add value to the product or service by including additional services or add-ons.

Disruption – a new and revolutionary way of doing something. Examples include Uber, AirBnB, and Amazon. Our modern interconnected world – supported and made possible by the internet – now allows us to completely reinvent, transform and disrupt entire industries. The internet and other technologies are not the only way to execute on a disruptive business idea, but it has certainly accelerated our ability to do so.

Where do great ideas come from? Sources of ideas can include reading, podcasts, art, architecture, personal experiences, travel, conversations, hobbies, borrowing from others, crowd creativity, crowd sourcing, and attempting to solve existing problems in our world. For existing businesses, the best source of ideas is usually your customers. Yet it takes a bit more than just experiencing or reading something to spark your next great idea.

In the article “How to Generate Good Ideas” by Belle Cooper, Steve Jobs is quoted as sharing that creative people are able to “connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.” In his observation, creative people consistently have “had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.”

Consciously and objectively experiencing new things will definitely influence and feed your creative abilities, and it’s one of the most productive ways we can continue to develop our ability to generate great ideas.

Does this mean that you have to be creative to generate good business ideas? I believe creativity is certainly one of the main ingredients required for ideation, along with ingenuity and vision. The challenge for many people, however, is that they either have little confidence in their inherent creative abilities or don’t have the courage to express and tap into it. The idea generation process is much like the creative process in that we are putting forth something personal to be judged by others. You must have the courage and confidence to submit ideas that others might think are frivolous or ridiculous. It’s appropriate to remember what George Bernard Shaw wrote: “all great truths begin as blasphemies.”

The ideal process is to identify one or more business ideas, test them, and then continue with developing the idea that has the best possibility for success. Of course, always remember that the true test of an idea’s business viability ultimately rests entirely with the customer. Also remember that if your concept was easy, it would probably have already been done by someone else.

Some questions to ask yourself to help qualify your business idea:

What need does my product or service fill? What problem does it solve
What are the features and benefits of my offering?
What is my competitive advantage? What makes this idea truly unique in my market?
How do my skills and experience fit with my idea?
How will I be able to test and demonstrate it?
What resources will I need to build this idea into a viable business?
Does my idea solve a billion-person problem, or the problem of just a few?
Can I envision myself executing on this concept for the next 5 to 10 years?

Van Storage Ideas to Start a Mobile Locksmith Business

Starting your own mobile locksmith business is a great opportunity as an entrepreneur, and protecting your inventory and equipment with proper van storage will improve the overall return on your investment as you begin your business.

Outfit your van properly, and you will be more organized, efficient, and committed to your work. It’s frustrating trying to accomplish a task when you have to search around a haphazardly arranged van arrangement to find the right tools or supplies.

You don’t need to buy a brand new van to start your mobile locksmith business; however, it would be a wise investment to spend some time and money on the storage ideas that will help you do your job more efficiently. Some of the higher vans allow you to actually move around inside and sit at a workbench while cutting keys, without the risk of banging your head whenever you need to locate a tool.

Here are three things to consider when selecting van storage systems for your locksmith business.

Plan Van Storage Space for a Workbench

Since you are a mobile locksmith business, plan your storage space with a workbench in mind. Don’t settle for standing outside, at the rear doors of your van. Put yourself inside your mobile office and get yourself out of the weather to do your work in comfort. Take time to measure out your space and find the best location for a workbench and a step stool for comfort. A good mobile workbench allows for six or seven feet of space to spread out and accomplish your tasks.

A full-length workbench can accommodate a key machine as well as file storage and the locking drawers necessary for your keys and other supplies. Maximize the storage space at your workbench by including catalog organizers, hooks, safety equipment and other accessories that will make your job easier.

Van Storage Should Include Locking Drawers

There is nothing more annoying than listening to hundreds of key blanks jangling like loud wind chimes while you are driving down the road. Storing your product in well-cushioned, locking drawers is a wise use of your cargo area. The keys will be protected from “road rash” marks from rubbing against each other or other items.

Locking drawers as part of your storage space will also protect you from flying objects if you need to stop or swerve suddenly. Plus, it looks very professional to have drawers full of your product, categorized and ready to use.

Van Storage is Best Organized with Adequate Shelving

One of the most important storage concepts is to determine your shelving needs. What tools and equipment will you need for your mobile locksmith business? What storage location of these tools will make your work most efficient?

Look at your van as a mobile work cell, and set it up as efficiently as possible. You will accomplish your service calls faster, and will be able to make more service calls throughout the day because your van storage plan has helped you become efficient.

Marketing Ideas: 7 Simple Marketing Tips to Boost Your Business Now

Marketing is the life-blood of your business; yet, for many, marketing is a complex beast that they do not want to deal with. When you break it down to a simpler process, marketing can become your new favorite practices! Here are 7 marketing tips that you can use right now to boost your business:

1. Understand Your Target

No matter what business you are in, whether offline or online, you MUST know your target market. When you understand exactly who you are selling to, you know exactly where to advertise, what to say and even what to sell. Researching your target market will help you understand where they are in life right now and where they hang out which makes advertising a whole lot easier!

2. Build a Database

One of the most important aspects of online business is building a solid database by collecting information from your visitors. Building a database allows you to market to your visitors and customers over and over again for little or no extra cost. I highly recommend Aweber for your email marketing and database building needs. Most online business owners collect names and email addresses while others collect names, email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses. When making your decision about what to collect think about your marketing plans. If you will be including physical mailings then add home addresses.

3. Give Customers a Preview of Your Work

A great way to build your database is by offering visitors a preview or free offer for joining. This free offer can be a report, audio interview, video, or even a CD or DVD that you mail directly to their home. This offer gives your customers a great preview of who you are and what you can do to help them achieve their goals. Put the time and effort into helping them understand your business in a way that will benefit them.

4. Branding

Branding is a term that is often thrown around in marketing circles. Building a cohesive message from your logo to your website to your blog to your email messages to your twitter account and to the products that you sell is branding. You want your customers to hear your name and think a power word or phrase. For example, when you hear “like a rock” do you think Chevy? Or “MMM MMM Good” did you think of Campbell’s Soup? It doesn’t matter if your business doesn’t have the advertising budget like these two companies, always include your name, logo and slogan on all of your marketing materials, emails, products, etc.

5. SWOT Analysis

During my undergraduate degree at Penn State, every single project, assignment or paper that I had to complete for my advertising and marketing courses needed a SWOT analysis. What is a SWOT analysis? SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. For every client that I work with and every online business that I’ve built, I take the time to work through each one of these steps because often I uncover information and opportunities that I’ve never thought of including for my business. For Strengths, I work through the strengths or advantages that I have over my competition. For instance, I have a very strong background in the marketing and advertising area, so I know how to market my business and bring more targeted traffic to my website. For Weaknesses, I work through the weaknesses or advantages that my competition has over me. For example, when starting out, my competition has a larger market share and more individuals recognize another’s name or work over mine. For Opportunities, I prepare a list of opportunities or possibilities that I have with my business like the new markets that I can penetrate or the new products that I can offer an existing marketing because of my background. Finally for Threats, I look at environmental or outside threats to my business. For example, if you work in a medical niche, you must be aware of laws and regulations surrounding your business. Many online business owners fail to plan their businesses and often fail because they didn’t plan. A SWOT analysis allows you to carefully analyze your business or idea without spending days writing a full-fledged business plan.

6. Be Enthusiastic

Did you ever have that monotone professor in high school or college that put you to sleep every time they started talking? They never showed excitement or enthusiasm and you probably never cared for what they were teaching, right? To attract attention and customers, you need to be enthusiastic about what you sell and what you do! Your enthusiasm will transfer excitement to your products and services for your customers.

7. Be Persistent

This is probably the biggest mistakes most business owners make in marketing and advertising. Many think that marketing is the magic pill. One advertisement is going to solve all of their problems. Yet, it couldn’t be further from the truth! The average consumer needs to see a message about seven times for it to be effective and for them to take action. You can’t simply run one newsletter advertisement and expect it to explode your mailing list; many times you need to run it multiple times for it to be effective.

Marketing is truly the key to being successful in business both online and offline. It is a necessity to share your products and services with your target market. If you are on a limited budget, choose one method and make a commitment to running your advertisement at least three times then analyze your results.

Starting a Business by Getting Business Ideas

For most people, working for a company is just simply not enough. People are natural entrepreneurs who would want to start their own business and be their own boss. It is something that you, as a budding entrepreneur would really want.

Of course, to start a business, you will have to think of a business idea that will really sell. Lots of people have ideas on what kind of business they would want and a lot of them have made it into a reality. Now, the question is, what kind of business you would want to start?

Answering this question may seem easy, but a lot of people would have no idea at all on what kind of business they plan to put up or have second thoughts about it. This is why you need to assess everything before you start thinking of different businesses.

To get an idea on what kind of business you want and what kind of business that you will likely be good at is by first figuring out what your interests are. Your interests will play an important role when starting your own business. This is because you have an idea on how you want your business to be and will be much easier for you to make it grow.

For example, if you like cooking and think you have enough talent for it where people will really like what you cook, then why not start a business in the food industry? You can put up your own restaurant or you can even sell packaged food.

Now that you have an idea on what kind of business you like, the next thing you have to consider is the location on where you want your business to be. First of all, make sure that the product or services you plan on selling are in an area where it is needed. Besides, if you plan on selling winter coats, you don’t want to sell it in a tropical location where it doesn’t even snow. An ideal location would be in areas where it snows.

Another example is that if you plan on selling ice creams, you would want your business to be in hot locations, like in southern Florida beaches or maybe in California. Sell your ice cream where people would want to buy ice cream.

Thinking of the location on where you plan on putting up your business and relating it to the products and services you sell. If you do this, your business will really be a success.

The next and perhaps the most important thing you have to consider when starting a business or when thinking of a business idea is by determining if you have the money for it to make your business idea a reality. Getting the capital is probably one of the most common problems of people wanting to start their own business.

Try to consider a loan. There are financial institutions that can help you secure a loan. You can also try to convince a venture capitalist to provide you with the capital you need to start your business.

In every kind of business, there is a risk. If you don’t take this risk, you will end up not turning your business ideas into a reality. So, when starting a business, you need to consider all of the factors in order to make your business ideas turn into reality.

New Ideas For Small Business Holiday Marketing

2 seconds after Halloween it seems that all the retail stores put up their Christmas decorations – trying to capture as much of the Holiday market as possible. Typical ways that retail stores use to capitalize on the holidays include extended hours and sales. This is all well and good. Today I want to give you an early present by giving you some novel ways to think about holiday promotions.

Many people are fed up with holiday crowds, which is reflected in the growth of online sales and the decline of some traditional retailer’s sales. There also seems to be a trend towards buying fewer gifts, but those gifts tend to be higher-ticket luxury items.

In the type of marketing we all should be doing ,we start with the customer in mind. What do we know about people this time of year?

– Time is a commodity – there’s too much to do and too little time. – People have more shopping to do than they usually do. – People are under a tremendous amount of stress. – People tend to clean and decorate their houses.

These are just some of the factors affecting people during the holiday season. I’m sure you can think of many more. Take these things into consideration, and take the stance of being a giver.

Here’s an idea I’ve never seen (so I want credit if you use it). If you own a store, offer free gift wrap – nothing new there. While people are getting their gifts wrapped, they get a free chair massage? You could partner up with a local spa, or even a massage school who could also give every customer a promotional coupon. You save your customers time, take away their stress, and create a fusion marketing partnership with the spa.

If you are in a household service business, offer to do additional winterizing services for your customers to save them time. Offer a free holiday housecleaning. If you aren’t in the cleaning business – again team up with a cleaning service.

Give-aways are great. Give away free Christmas trees – depending on where you are you could buy a couple hundred for $10 a piece. The deal could be – spend $100 and take home a free tree. Give away turkeys, or complete turkey dinners – a lot of grocery stores have this promotion.

Everybody gives away calendars, aim for something different but still useful. How about ice-scrapers if you live in the north? Blankets, sweatshirts, caps – are all good promotional items when the weather turns cold.

Holiday cards are great. People enjoy getting them and displaying them. Hardly anybody sends Thanksgiving cards, definitely consider it. In this politically correct age (gasp) you have to be sensitive to people’s religious sensibilities. Send Happy Holidays cards and not Merry Christmas Cards – unless you are absolutely sure your customer celebrates Christmas.

If you have any kind of retail business, think about add-on gifts that might be used as a second gift. A florist might include a free gift-wrapped ornament with a certain level of purchase that can be sent to a different address. Two gifts for the price of one. Buy one get one free offers are great at holiday times.

Use your creativity this holiday season and think about how you can solve your customers’ problems.

What Are the Best Online Business Ideas to Start an Internet Business?

Have you ever felt like making money online is for everyone but you? This is not true. You can make money online. It is a matter of finding a business model that fits you – something that you will work at and take action on. If you think making money online is as easy as pushing a button – you need to stop reading right now. The best online business ideas to start an internet business will take work.

BUT, once you have a business model in place, it just gets easier and easier to do that work. And, if you’ve set up the right kind of business model, you can make money in your sleep.

Finding a fit to your personality and work methodology is a sure-fire key to success. It is something you will be passionate about and you will follow through with massive action. These two things are critical for you to make money online.

There are several business models available to make money online. You can sell things on Craigslist easy enough. Find something that you already have or can obtain reasonably inexpensively, maybe tweak it a little or fix it up and you can sell it on Craigslist (for free) or on eBay (for a fee).

Several people make good money Blogging. The key here is to write things people want to read, add some ads to your blog relative to your topic and you are off and running. It’s not that hard. The key to blogging is to being real, being yourself. There are several free websites that you can do this on and monetize your website in the process.

Some folks are using affiliate marketing to make a massive income on line. They find a product people are hungry for and they divert traffic to their site, convert that traffic to sales for the product, and earn a hefty commission in the process. Some product commissions can be as high as 50% to 80% of the total product value.

Affiliate marketing is a great business model for those who would rather promote products created by other people and companies. This model allows you to make commissions without the hassle of dealing directly with consumers. It takes research, though, to find the best products to promote and once you find them, promote the heck out of them.

To work in the field of affiliate marketing, takes some learning and I suggest that you download a program and learn what to do. Most people, when they start affiliate marketing, think they have to re-invent the wheel. You don’t. Take advantage of those who know what they are doing and follow along with the easy to download E-book and/or videos. In some cases, if you pick the right system to learn from, you can be making money within a week or two.

If you’re looking for a business model that involves article marketing and uses all free methods to make money online, other than the cost of the how-to program itself, you can find that right here. I have purchased many moneymaking schemes online and for the person just starting out, without a lot of money to spend, you want to find something that is going to work right out of the gate.

How to Start a Cake Business – Some Tips and Ideas to Make a Good Start

A cake business is a great opportunity to make money with your baking and decorating skills and of course, if you love decorating or it has become one of your hobbies, it is indeed great to make money out of something that you enjoy doing. You can start by finding some tips and basics of learning how to start a cake business, learn from those who have been there and avoid mistakes in putting up your own business.

Here are some things that you might want to keep in mind in learning how to start a cake business. Considering that you already have your baking skills honed and your love for cake decorating unparalleled, then here are other things you have to keep in mind.

Start with a business plan. We tend to make plans in mind and eventually end up with so many ideas that you do not know where it would lead you, but it is important that you put your business plan in writing so you will know where to start. It will also help guide you on your business goals and in how to achieve them.

Plan your investment. Determine how much you will invest including the things and equipment you need to have. Prioritize your investment. Plan everything out from the equipment that you will need to the skills and personnel you need. You may also need to take care of some business fees too.

Of course, you should include your marketing plan as well. With the many bakery and cake business already existing, you have to come up with a unique idea or concept that would make your products sell and, of course, you have to be into the competition. Even if you are still starting, find ways to be competitive as well.

Don’t just settle with your existing skills. Find ways to upgrade and improve our baking skills as well as your cake decorating ideas. When it comes to cake designs, especially when you re dealing with wedding cakes, people are always looking for something unique and you should be able to cater to that needs of your clients.

Explore and take advantage of the internet. In learning how to start a cake business, you don’t have to focus only on putting up your physical store, you can also explore the great advantage of the internet. Put up a website and display your creations online. A lot of people are turning on to the internet to find ideas and cake designs and you can take advantage of that one too.

Start with these tips on how to start a cake business. In fact, you can start everything online if you still don’t have the resources to put up a physical store. You can make it a small home business, market it in the internet and provide delivery services. This way you will be able to start with just little investment than putting up your physical store.