News By Anthony Ricigliano – Going Green with a Small Business

  • May 15, 2011 6:55 PM

Author Anthony Ricigliano – News by Anthony Ricigliano: Many small businesses are taking the opportunity to go green for a variety of reasons including social responsibility and the approval of customers. There is also the potential for company-wide green initiatives to cut costs and improve the bottom line. Prior to deciding on what types of actions are to be taken, there are steps that management should take to optimize the initiative. They are:

* The initiative to go green must come from the top of the company. This lets everyone know that the issue is going to be taken seriously as a bona fide direction for the business.

* The initiative has to engage all employees across the company. This is a great opportunity for a discussion on the benefits of going green.
* Green activities must both relate to the business’ mission and further its objectives.

* The initiative must be integrated into the culture of the company. It’s the difference between being a green company and being a company that works off of a green checklist.

Once the initiative has been introduced, it is advisable to start with simpler tasks and activities to get everyone in the company on the same page. Go with actions that are easy to incorporate and follow. Here are ten actions that any company can undertake while wading into its go green initiative:

1) Start a recycling program where cans, bottles, and paper are disposed of in separate containers.

2) Go as paperless as possible. Do in-house presentations on power point instead of printing out meeting materials. File and save documents electronically.  

3) Reduce marketing collateral to only the necessities. This action alone can save a lot of money over the long term.

4)  Commit to buying ENERGY STAR-certified products.

5) Reduce energy consumption by programming computers and other equipment to go on standby after a period of sitting idle.

6) Turn off computers at the end of the work day. One caveat, if older computer screens are in use which have never been turned off, the cooling down process can harm them. Leave them on until they can be replaced.

7) Switch out incandescent bulbs for fluorescent ones.

8) Incentivize employees who carpool, ride a bike, or walk to work.

9) Eliminate plastic and Styrofoam cups.

10) Use the front and back when printing or copying.

Starting with these activities will help to build the foundation for bigger green initiatives down the line. Get everybody on board and these actions will get you on the way to being a green business, much to the delight of your employees and customers.

Anthony Ricigliano -
About the Author:
Anthony Ricigliano’s background in information technology, distribution, purchasing and regulatory affairs then gives him an edge with integrating that infrastructure with areas in the company that generate revenues.

Your MLM Business and Its 3 Pillars

  • May 15, 2011 8:27 AM

If we were to separate your MLM business into its more basic components we could divide it into three different areas that have a unique function. Those three areas are the prospecting or lead generation part where you are trying to generate leads for your network marketing opportunity. The closing part, where you follow up with your prospects and try to close them turning them into distributors in your downline or customers for you multilevel marketing products. And the management part where you try to manage your network in order to help it grow further.

Those are the three pillars that consist your MLM home business and you have to become good at every one of them if you want to succeed in network marketing and start making the income that you desire. If in one of those parts you are not sufficient your whole business would stall and would not grow. Your business, if we use an analogy, is like a machine that needs all its three essential parts to work well and in synchronization in order to perform.

So in order to become successful in the multilevel marketing business model, like the top distributors in this industry, you have to become if not excellent at least very good in all the three different parts. Or at least outsource the parts of the business that you are not good at to others that can do it for you.

But let’s examine those pillars one by one.

First we have the prospecting – lead generation part, where you try to generate leads for your autoresponder, or simply get the contact information of people you meet if you are recruiting offline, with the purpose to follow up with them later. If you are using the Internet that would mean advertising or other free promotional methods like article writing; blogs or websites and capturing pages. And of course an autoresponder. Your job here is leading someone from you advertising message to your MLM website or capturing page and give him incentives to opt-in to your email list. Once in your autoresponder you can follow up with him.

If you are recruiting offline while the process may differ the concept is the same, try to get his contact information in order to follow up with him whether in person or through the phone if the first is not possible.

If you prefer to outsource that part of the business you can buy directly MLM leads or you can pay people to build your website, blog, capture pages and organize the advertising for you.

Second comes the closing part. Here you follow up with the leads you generated trying to turn them into distributors in your multilevel marketing opportunity or customers for the products of your network marketing company. If you work offline you need to have great people skills in order to convince them to do that. Although it takes time to develop that skills it is not impossible to acquire them. It just takes work and time.

If you are working online you need copy-writing skills in order to write the follow up emails in such a way that entice your reader’s interest about your MLM opportunity and gradually convince them that it can offer to them what they are seeking into a business opportunity. Copy-writing can be taught like everything else and there are good books and courses on the subject that can help someone become good at it.

If you want to outsource that part it can be done more easier in online MLM as all you have to do is hire a copywriter for writing your emails. Offline things are much more difficult as you would have to hire a professional salesman to meet or call them in order to close them.

Third comes the management part, which is a euphemism since has little to do with management and more with training and mentoring. At that stage you are basically teaching your downline how to follow your steps in order to build their own MLM downlines, something that would help your network to expand even further and faster.

Of course you can argue that the network marketing company is already offering training to its distributors, but from my experience I haven’t seen a company yet that its MLM training stand alone is sufficient to produce leaders and network builders. Don’t get me wrong, some of the companies are really offering very good education that can be of great use to the distributor but clearly it is not enough.

As you understand it is your job to fulfill that role and after all who is better to do that part than yourself. You have already gone through the first two stages either by becoming good at it or outsourcing them and consequently you can tell them exactly what they have to do in order to master the first two pillars of their home based business.

Now the tricky question is, can you outsource that third part of your MLM business?

Well, that’s a tough question. Clearly it is the most difficult part to outsource and if you manage to do that you could have a fully automated business which I haven’t seen yet. But of course that doesn’t mean that you cannot outsource parts of it. Instead of teaching them one by one you can as well point them to courses, books, and other materials that would help them improve their personal and business skills. Or you can hire people to write tutorials for you.

But no matter what you do, there is a part that you can never omit. That is the mentorship and personal relationships you build with the people in your network. They are your partners and associates so a personal touch should always be there. After all we are human beings and not robots and some emotional connection and relationship building with the people in your network can help the whole organization over-perform. After all they may be building their own home businesses but they are also building your own MLM business too. That’s the magic of network marketing.

Chris Kosman -
About the Author:
We teach you how to succeed in MLM and make the money you want from it. We give you knowledge, training, and information that can set you apart from the masses of ignorant distributors who never make any money in multilevel marketing. Selling your network marketing opportunity may not be easy but we can show you how to do it. Become good at all the Pillars of MLM Business now.

Sample Small Business Grant Proposals

  • May 15, 2011 6:53 AM

Any successful business plan for grant funding needs to highlight the barriers and risks involved with a project as well as the expectation of great success. Many times potential grant seekers are too optimistic with their business plans and they omit, not intentionally, the downside to their proposal.

It is important for any business plan for grant funding to include any unexpected cost in materials, labor, marketing, and loss of revenue due to delays. Whether you are seeking funding from the SBA, venture capitalist, or a government grant, the committees that review these plans are very knowledgeable about what the numbers mean.

Underestimating the true cost of a business start up will not impress those who are determining whether to fund the project and will ultimately lead to rejection.

Another common mistake with business plans for grant funding is the unrealistic overestimation of first year gross revenue and yearly revenue growth. A business that starts with little allocation for marketing cannot expect to be flooded with business as soon as they open their doors. The same is true with projecting a 100 percent revenue increase every year for the first 5 years. It is important to do the research necessary to determine the real expectations of revenue growth.

Real risks are involved with any business venture and any oversights to these factors could put a projects funding at risk. Not disclosing potential and obvious cost overruns or inflating expected gross revenue will not only doom the business in the long term, but will also jeopardize the opportunity of any grant funding to begin the project.

There have been many individuals in the food and beverage industry, arts and entertainment, and inventors who were very knowledgeable about what would make a good business or new product, but were not necessarily good business plan writers. However many of these businesses have received the grant funding needed for their projects because they sought out help with writing their business plans and grant proposals.

Small Business Grant Source:
Learn the application procedures, various funding sources for specific types of businesses and eligibility criteria for small business grants. You can find the most comprehensive information on availing of small business grants by visiting this online guide on grants

David Hensley -
About the Author:
Apart from the Government, there are several foundations that liberally offer grants for several purposes. Visit the Grant Foundation Guide to know how to avail of free grants from private foundations. Also, check out the Education Grants Guide to find the best sources for all types of education grants.

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Media Bias: Can Small Business Survive?

  • May 14, 2011 6:41 PM


Media/Government Agenda Forcing A Broader Portfolio


by Michael D. Hume, M.S.

I just heard a radio-show caller talk about how she’s closing her 32-year-old successful business in the northeast U.S. because, for the first time, she and her husband have not been granted extensions for their immigration paperwork. They are not illegals, she said, but have become victims of a “crackdown on legal immigration” while a constant flow of illegal immigrants continue to cross our country’s southern border unabated.

This is one of hundreds of sad stories about someone whose small business has been laid to waste by America’s current media/government agenda. If you’re an entrepreneur, you don’t need anyone to tell you the economy’s tough right now, and you probably have done more than a little thinking about what the possible causes of the downturn could be. It started with a mortgage bubble the government and media either ignored or assured us was not a threat. Soon we were awash in bailouts and “stimulus,” driving government debt into the stratosphere. These days, the gulf oil spill and debate over Arizona’s immigration law have been put before us by a government/media complex that probably would prefer we not spend too much time thinking about a tax-and-spend progressivism that is eating our nation’s businesses like cancer.

What does all this have to do with your business? Maybe you are not facing expulsion from the country, like the radio-caller mentioned above, but the tax burden we will all soon carry is a clear and present danger to all businesses, and especially to small businesses. Nanny-state burdens like the so-called “health care reform,” wrong-directed immigration policies that expel hard-working entrepreneurs while inviting thousands of illegals into the country (for whom there will be no hard-working entrepreneurs to provide jobs), shut-downs and takeovers of entire industries (with the accompanying chilling effects on the small businesses downstream), and the like… these are all pieces of a larger agenda that has been imposed upon us by our government and their partners in the mainstream media. So, as a business owner, you might feel like you have no time for “politics,” but none of us will be able to escape these calamities.

Wasn’t running a business hard enough already?

If you even have time to watch TV or listen to the radio, see if you don’t pick up on a biased presentation that borders on malicious propaganda. To hear most mainstream pundits, you’d think everything is going great, and the agenda is finally pulling us out of the wreckage of the “former administration” (which has been our current leadership’s favorite target all along). And if you buy into that thinking, you might wonder why your business is struggling. Is it just you? No, look around: things are not getting better yet, and your neighbors are struggling in their businesses, too.

When I went to journalism school decades ago, we were taught that the media is supposed to be objective. In fact, the true hard-core journalists I knew refused even to vote in elections, just as a precaution against forming an unwanted bias. Wow! What a difference from that day to this. Now we are fed a steady diet by the media, not of the news and facts, but of the “direction” and agenda. Dissent is unwelcome on good days and openly fought on most. Not that it matters, but it’s hard to figure out whether we have a state-run media in the U.S. or a media-run state!

Let me leave you with a more uplifiting thought: all of this does not have to drag your business down. What’s needed now is even more entrepreneurial ingenuity than ever, a broader portfolio of revenue streams, new products, new services, new channels to reach your customers. I heard a happier story the other day about a guy who runs a small boat-accessory business. I would be worried about a boat accessory business these days: who’s got the money for a boat, let alone accessories? But this guy, undeterred, decided to broaden his portfolio through the internet. He already had a presence in cyberspace, garnering something like 10,000 clicks in a three-year period. He took the time to get smart about a more professional platform for his business, and got another 10,000 visits in only three months. Now, he says he’s busier than ever.

Food for thought. Think about how you can broaden your business to make it more resilient to the challenges our media/government leadership are throwing your way. Eventually, the broader economy will be more small-business friendly, and if you can survive until then, the rewards will be more than worthwhile.

 

Michael Hume -
About the Author:
 
Michael Hume is a speaker, writer, and consultant specializing in helping people maximize their potential and enjoy inspiring lives. As part of his inspirational leadership mission, he coaches executives and leaders in growing their personal sense of well-being through wealth creation and management, along with personal vitality.
Those with an entrepreneurial spirit who want to make money “one less thing to worry about” can learn more about working with Michael at http://oneyearplan.net/michaeldhume
Anyone wanting to jump-start their vitality can browse through the best (and most travel-friendly) nutraceuticals on the market at http://shop.enivausa.com/239824
Michael and his wife, Kathryn, divide their time between homes in California and Colorado. They are very proud of their offspring, who grew up to include a homemaker, a rock star, a service talent, and a television expert. Two grandchildren also warm their hearts! Visit Michael’s web site at http://michaelhume.net

Home Based Business Opportunities Lead the Way

  • May 14, 2011 6:38 AM

Home based business opportunities and financial freedom are becoming more and more of a reality for folks everywhere, everyday. Who among us hasn’t dreamed at one point or another of being your own boss and setting your own hours, while having time to live life to the fullest? Those are some of the benefits that come with home based business opportunities.

It’s more than just a dream, though, if you want it to be. Did you know that by using the power of the Internet to effectively market your products, it is possible to make this dream a reality while being able to spend more time on things or with the people that are most important to you? Isn’t it time that progress actually helped you to work smarter, not harder?

You’re Talking About Some MLM Scheme, Right?

While you might think so, the reality is that sort of approach is rapidly becoming one of the dinosaurs of the online business model. It didn’t take long for folks to figure out that unless you were one of the people in on such a business in the very earliest stages, you were basically doing what you’ve always done…working for someone else.

Obviously, that is not what you’re looking for when choosing to follow your dreams, taking complete control over your business and time while building a full-time income that can lead you to that coveted financial freedom that we entrepreneurs so desire. What is needed is a new approach that most effectively allows you to achieve job security at home.

I Know That People Are Making A Good Living From the Internet, But How?

There is no one single answer here, obviously, as there are numerous ways to make money online. What all of these opportunities have in common, though, is that they require you to take a chance, to display your entrepreneurial mindset while pursuing your dream. Of course, where they differ is in how you work, and how hard you work to make all this come true.

From answering emails to taking surveys and many things in between, people are able to eke out a living busting their tails for relatively small amounts of money that are never going to really set them free. Another level would be having some truly marketable skills that would allow you to write, or be someone’s virtual assistant, and possibly make some decent money.

But, if you want to do really well the answer is going to have to be something that lets you build significant income that is free from the ongoing disastrous economic conditions. When Internet marketing is working for you at its full potential, what you have is one of the most powerful tools for building wealth and attaining independence that you can imagine!

It’s Time To Take Control of the Freedom That You’ve Been Thinking About

When you go about this correctly, you will see the results of your labor in the form of a very comfortable lifestyle, and one that is the envy of many people. It is possible to be your own boss and live the dream, and the sooner that you get started, the sooner you will start reaping these benefits!

Calvin Hotchkiss -
About the Author:
If you’re ready to learn about the most exciting Home Based Business Opportunities available today, then please visit www.calhotchkiss.com.

New Business Opportunities India

  • May 13, 2011 6:16 PM

Local aspiring entrepreneurs are, of course, interested in the continuously growing online commerce industry in their countries. This also proves true with the announcements about the new business opportunities India.

You see, unlike most other developing countries, India shows the big potential in conquering the internet business world. How so? Being competitive and fluent in the English language, a lot of citizens from this country can easily participate in the global market. Using their linguistic skills and capabilities, they can now be qualified to work for a wide industry.

If you’re one of the people looking forward to this, you have a good number of different options. Some examples are the following:

1. Customer support services. Round up a couple of people around the country who are fluent in spoken English and you can already have your own call center. Finding clients are very easy for stints like these nowadays, so you don’t have to worry about that. The only thing you need to focus on right now is how to train your people to be effective. You need your customer support agents to be efficient, so you don’t have to risk yourself with unprecedented contract terminations and other problems of the sort.

2. An online business franchise. Bringing a foreign concept to one’s local shores is also an excellent way to start earning off the web. These things can also be the best new business opportunities India that will ever be available, with all of the variety you can go for. However, make sure to clarify everything when you sign up for the contract of agreement, so you won’t have issues later on.

3. Offer your expertise to others. If you’re quite a whiz at something, why not offer your services to your online fellowmen? This might just be the solution most busy people need but can’t find (since there is not a lot of it on the web), so why not tap this line, right? You may just be the pioneer of something in the country.

4. Open an online retail store. Almost 80 percent of the people who go online have already bought a thing or two off the web. This is a very promising figure for a target market, so maybe you want to benefit from it as well? You can start small, by selling a couple of things on eBay India or go full scale by having your own retail store in a blog or website.

Whichever new business opportunities India you fancy, you’ll surely find success if you know the right tricks to working online. So make sure to also try to learn more about it, so you can further improve your chances at making it big in this industry.

Simon Stepsys -
About the Author:
To learn more new business opportunities India
Visit
www.SimonStepsys.com