This is the time of year that entrepreneurs reflect on the past year and pencil out the changes they want to put into effect for the New Year. Here are ten first quarter tips for cleaning up your business.

1. Do a Goal Check – Make a list of all your goals. Look at the ones that you had from last year and the new ones that you’ve made. Evaluate the goals that you have made. Make sure that they are practical goals and write down the steps that you will take to achieve them. Having goals is one thing but taking the necessary steps to achieve them is what is most important.

2. Clean your office or work space – Now is a good time to clear all the clutter that has built up overtime in your office. It is well known that one is more productive if they work in a space that is conducive to work. If you find that your filing cabinet is overflowing, go through the documents and shred those that are not important. Cleaning your office space may extend to your online activities as well, go through your company’s website and get rid of the excess widgets. Locate and fix any links that are broken and you can also use this opportunity to get a new theme. If you have the time you can revamp your website totally. This is a good way to keep your customers interested as they are seeing something new and refreshing.

3. Revamp your marketing plan – Some business owners stick to the motto “If it isn’t broke don’t fix it”. This can be considered a very safe way to run your business. The world is ever changing and as such you want to ensure that you keep your business fresh and cutting-edge. Look at your current marketing plan. Make additions where necessary to entice your old customers and attract new ones. Keep in mind. There is always room for improvement.

4. Update your database – Organize your business cards. Often times you have some contacts that over the years you have lost touch with. Some of these contacts can prove to be very beneficial to your company. You want to ensure that you build relationships with those who are beneficial to your business.

5. Redecorate – Have you ever been to an office and all you can see is clutter? This is a major turn off to potential customers. If you find yourself with too many furniture, it’s time to get rid of some. Now is not the time to be too sentimental. Consider some fresh paint on the walls and some new furniture. If you are unable to redecorate, by merely turning the desk to face the door it will automatically give the office a different feel.

6. Keep in touch – Follow up on referrals and leads in a timely manner. If you do not have a system in place for follow-ups, then create one.

7. Network – Business cards can do so much and no more. Start your new year by going to business mixers and other social events. Take any opportunity to market your business and sell the services that your company offers. Be active and aggressive.

8. Streamline your supplies – Toss any equipment that is not working or that hasn’t been used over the past year.

9. Handle your Employees – Take a look at the persons that you employ. Do they need to be retrained? Do they need to be fired? Do you need more workers? Ask yourself some of these simple questions and make changes where necessary.

10. Take action – It makes no sense planning all these activities and making plans for change if you do not follow through. Identify what are priorities and stick to the plan.

At some point or another you must have heard success stories of people being discovered on the internet. Many singers and actors have been discovered through online sharing sites such as YouTube. This seems to be the new trend that is quickly catching on as no longer do you have to sign up with an advertising agent and get a production team to make a video.

All that is required is for you have a decent recording device, make a video, and just upload it to the internet. After reading this you will learn how to make YouTube and Your Small Business work for you.

Creating a YouTube channel is not hard. The main purpose of the channel is to build your brand and keep your audience entertained. No one will watch your videos if what you are saying isn’t captivating. Here potential clients will be able to watch videos that you have posted. If you get them to subscribe to your channel they will be alerted instantaneously when you have uploaded a new video to the channel. Additionally, you can give background information about yourself and the company and provide a link to the company’s website.

If you make the decision to incorporate YouTube into your small business ensure that you always keep the camera rolling. What this means is that if you see an opportunity to make a video take it. You can make tutorials on how to use products that your company builds or even speak about the services that your small business offers. Similarly you can look at recorded customer testimonials. This is a key marketing strategy as here viewers will be able to get the opinion of someone who has used your product and has experienced firsthand what your small business has to offer.

When posting a video ensure that you display keywords. This is important as you want to ensure that what you are saying matters to the viewers and also that it stands out. In the video description and tags you can put the keywords so this will act as a form of reinforcement for the viewers. Also adding the keywords to the title of the video is extremely useful as viewers are able to search for your videos outside of your website and social media page.

When looking at YouTube and Your Small Business it is important to remember that there are other companies out there that are similar to yours. Keeping this in mind, one has to look at what exactly sets your small business apart from others. Get creative with your videos. It is extremely boring to just have someone sit and and read as if they are presenting the nightly news. Make sure that when you are uploading videos your company logo is at the beginning or end of the video. You can even have it displayed in the corner of your video as well. Prompt your viewers to visit your website or give them the address to your physical location if you have one.

YouTube can help you build recognition and awareness of your small company. You can increase your customer base enormously if you market your company the right way. The numbers of persons using YouTube is increasing on a daily basis so why not capitalize on this fantastic opportunity and watch your business grow.

The world we live in today is technologically advanced. No longer are we relying on the radio and television stations as the only means of marketing goods and services for companies. Many companies have made use of social media to market their products. Instagram is one such media that many small businesses have capitalized on.

Instagram is a social network that is used to share photos. Instagram has become extremely popular in recent times as persons not only see it as a cool way to share and edit photos but companies have used to market their company and increase their fan base or following. If you are having a sale at your store you can take a picture of the flyer in which the possible viewership of the flyer could be endless. The number of persons that will see a flyer posted in your store versus the number of persons seeing it virtually is beyond comparison. If you want to entice your customers you can always give an incentive to Instagram persons. This way your customers can feel special.

Hashtags are used to mark topics on social networks. They are usually indicated by the symbol # followed by the keyword. For small businesses creating a special hashtag is a unique way of building a fan base on Instagram. Once you have created your unique hashtag ensure that you promote it to your followers across all of the social networks that you are currently subscribed to. Instagram makes it easy for you to check the use of the hashtag and that way you can monitor those persons who actively follow your business.

Instagram now gives users the option of tagging their location to their pictures. This is called geo-tagging. This feature is ideal for small businesses who may be participating in a fair or other outdoor event. You can take a photo, tag your location and your followers are able know exactly where you are located.

The relationship between Instagram and your small business is very important one. The purpose of Instagram just like any other social network is sharing. For business purposes, you want to make your followers not only like and view your photos but also in turn become customers. You can opt to not only share photos of your products but you can give your followers a more in depth peek into the daily running of your business. By taking photos of your employees or upcoming products or projects your followers will feel more connected to your business, seeing the daily operations of the business as well as the behind-the-scene footage.

Everyone wants to be a winner. With that in mind from time to time you can put on contests to entice your followers and users. You can have giveaways to new followers similarly you can ask followers to send in a photo of themselves using your product. Get creative. Whatever the contest is, ensure that it is something that is geared towards promoting your business and getting new followers. Remember that the idea behind Instagram and your small business is to make it work for you.

It’s a new year and you have a new plan. You are going to grow your small business! You have always dreamt of being a successful entrepreneur and now is your chance to prove it to yourself.

Just like with any other venture, growing your business comes with various challenges. By understanding and surmounting the top 4 challenges facing small business in 2013 you will be well on your way to having a thriving small business this year.

Cash Flow
One of the major challenges that small businesses are faced with is the issue of working capital. Especially in a recessionary economy, it is most important to have enough money to cover the bills; this is a basic requirement. If you find yourself unable to pay your bills then, believe it or not, your company cannot sustain itself. Effective money management is also a key component to the survival of a business as you want to ensure that you allocate the correct amount of capital to different areas of your business.

Ineffective Leadership
A good leader is one who has a clear vision, is able to lead and is able to motivate his team to excel. Being hands-on is a good thing; however you don’t want to be in a situation where your business is totally dependent on you in order to survive. You want to ensure that if something was to happen to you, your business would still be able to function. A number of small businesses suffer from owner dependence and it is as a direct result of the owner not being able to delegate responsibilities to different members of the management team within the establishment. Learn to delegate responsibility and manage effectively.

Lack of internal control
Another challenge facing small businesses in 2013 is the lack of internal control. A properly run business always has a proper record keeping system. Most small businesses tend to not have such system in place. Companies that do not have proper record keeping controls, are unable to keep abreast of expenditures and therefore are unable to fully understand whether they are operating at a loss or making a profit. Once you have a proper system implemented it is easier to track the progress of the company. Also, new employees are able to better fit into an organized system, and start working cohesively for the benefit of the company.

Incompetent Staff
Your employees are a direct representation of your company. Highly trained and professional workers will result in high productivity and profit for the company. Where there is a lack of professionalism and workers are not equipped with sufficient knowledge, the business will falter. Ensure that workers that you employ are able to effectively perform the tasks at hand.

If you can surmount these 4 challenges, you will be well on your way to successfully growing your small business in 2013.

If you own a small business or if you are thinking about starting one there are certain must do’s that are key to being successful. Here are the 5 critical tips to become successful in 2013:


1. Have a Business Plan – Simply put, failing to plan is planning to fail. Write down your company’s primary goals for 2013, your target audience(s) or target markets, and the cost to open your doors and also to keep the business running on a monthly basis. You cannot afford to run your business with a “flying by the seat of your pants” attitude. You need to understand and get the true picture of the daily operations of your company, whether you are operating at a loss or making a profit and whether your cash flow is positive. If you are unable to develop and write a business plan, seek help. Once you have done so you will be well on your way to a successful start In 2013.

2. A Solid Online Presence – The business world today is highly dependent on the internet. Everything your customers need must be a mouse click away. As a business owner in 2013 you want to ensure that your company has a strong online presence. Create an attractive website to meet the needs of your target market and make sure that you have an aggressive social media strategy. Start by creating let’ s say, a Facebook page that your customers are able to like and also share with their friends and colleagues. Create a YouTube channel to display your video presentations, create a Twitter and Instagram account and look into using Pinterest boards. Using all of this media, you can show upcoming events or introduce customers to new products that you are carrying. You can have contests to encourage your followers to use your products and they can win prizes and/or discounts. The possibilities are endless if you just get creative.

3. Accept Credit Card Payments – Due to their size, small businesses sometimes tend to shy away from accepting credit card payments. The reality is, the world we live in today runs on credit. You want to offer your customers a variety of ways to pay for their purchases. It would be crippling to your business if you had a customer who has received such wonderful customer service, who is impressed with the quality of your work and is interested in purchasing all this merchandise, just to be told that you do not accept credit cards. By accepting credit cards you will not only be satisfying your existing customers but opening your small business to more customers

4. Advertise and Use PR – The idea behind advertising and Public Relations (PR) is to create a strong brand name that is easily recognizable. For a small business getting your name out there is important. So develop an advertising strategy centered around both classical media like newspapers and the web. Whenever an opportunity arises to get in front of the public, seize it. Design at6tractive business cards that carry your logo and tag line so you can hand out to people that you meet. Effective advertising will help you gain more customers and quickly increase your business.

5. Record Keeping – Make sure you have a system in place to keep track of your financials. You need to keep track of sales and accounts receivable as well as your accounts payable Having a properly managed inventory is also one of the most important needs of a successful small business. It saves a lot of time and energy if you have your financial record keeping set up properly

Get these five tips working and you’ll be well on your way to starting or growing a successful small business in 2013.

It’s a new year and you are looking to fulfill that long held dream of yours, starting up your own business. Here are the top thirteen small business opportunities you should look at jump-starting in 2013. All of these could be up and running in a short amount of time.

1. Health Tourism Services
2. Wellness Clubs
3. Zumba Studios
4. Child Care Services
5. Martial Arts Studios
6. Elder Care Services
7. Yarn & Knitting Store
8. Pet Salon Services
9. Mobile Applications Development
10. Yoga Services
11. Vintage Clothing Stores
12. Food Cart Vending
13. Ethnic Hair Care

Many of these businesses can be started with minimal investment and will generate a profit in a minimal amount of time. Most can also be run out of a home office. If you are planning to start a business here are Ten Points to Ponder Before Starting a Small Business.

Many small business owners leave the design and composition of their web site to a third party who is generally unfamiliar with the needs of their customer base. They also fail to incorporate a web marketing strategy that integrates social media with their web site and their overall marketing plan.

For you to avoid this trap, you need to completely understand your favorite customers, and how well you are treating them when they are accessing your web site and how well your web presence is meeting your business goals.

There are 5 key questions which must be answered to ensure a quality web site experience for your customers:

1. How well is your web site serving the needs of your customer base?
Are they getting timely responses to their queries or submissions? Are your online functions like order taking and invoicing integrated with your back-end financials, your inventory control and your customer database.

2. Are your clients experiencing performance issues and if so where?
Can they easily look up product displays and are the prices up-to-date? Are some pages loading faster than others. Do they have to wait for certain types of information.

3. Are these problems occurring in specific areas of your site?
Is the site content structured in a way that makes sense for the customers? Can they easily navigate the site and is there a site map. Is there a search function for the entire site?

4. Are your social media sites smoothly linked to your web site?
Is your Facebook page easily accessible from your web site and vice versa. Does the same hold for Twitter and Pinterest and do you use videos to explain how certain products work or give demonstrations and are these videos running on your site and is there a link to your YouTube channel?

5. Does your email strategy include your web site and your social media sites?
When you send out email does it have links to your social media sites. Do you make use of squeeze pages or Landing pages on your site and tie these to specific campaigns. Are you able to see the performance of these pages by marketing campaign.

In today’s world, your web site plays a very important role in your small business whether you are a bricks and mortar outfit or a clicks and mortar one. To build an effective web presence, it is essential that you fully understand your target market and your favorite customers. You need not only to know there geographics and demographics, you must also understand how they think and behave and most importantly the key words and phrases that they use. Only then can you fashion a site that services them correctly.