The latest Shoestring Entrepreneur guidebook takes readers through what is and isn't working in the world of Internet ventures. Each chapter offers clear, easy-to-understand advice on selected the right niche market and securing start-up funding, plus guidelines for creating Web sites and affiliating with larger companies . Spiegel provides an insider's understanding of how to drive traffic to a particular site and turn visitors into repeat customers. He reveals tactics used by top Web sites for developing lasting customer relationships, and explains how to best utliize e-marketplace. An excellent addition to the Shoestring series and a must-have for all up-and-coming entrepreneuers, this book is a road map to a profitable Internet buidness models as well as a guide to avoiding models that have led companies into financial disaster.
Do you want to achieve top-of-mind awareness in the marketplace and have a steady stream of loyal, raving fans flocking to you? Are you frustrated because you think you have to spend a lot to get it? If you answered, "Yes," Debra Jason understands your concerns. It can be overwhelming to invest in your business and spend a lot to get yourself up and running, only to scratch your head wondering, "Why isn't anyone calling me?" The good news is that you can market yourself and your business--in more ways than one--without breaking the bank.This book is your road map to gaining exposure and achieving success using cost-effective, business-building strategies. Turn the pages and discover: * One simple step you can take that leads to referrals & new business (page 61). * The most fun way to market yourself--without a hard-core sales pitch (page 73). * One way to find prospects from the comfort of your home--in your PJs or sweats (page 177).* How to write headlines that go ka-ching (page 225). * And more. Are you ready to take your business to the next level? It's time to step outside your comfort zone and succeed in business — in YOUR business. Get ready for the journey as Debra guides you toward marketing success.
Two experts show entrepreneurs how to execute advertising campaigns and maintain a unified message when advertising and communicating with customers. Geared to the fast-changing media world of the 21st century, The Entrepreneur's Guide to Advertising was written to offer both basic advertising concepts and advanced, state-of-the-art information about the new advertising environment. In its pages, two expert authors walk the entrepreneur through each and every stage necessary to create an integrated and synergistic advertising and marketing communications program. This guide covers all of the many facets of advertising, as well as the variables that make up the Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) mix. Most notably, the book provides a framework entrepreneurs can use to develop a marketing communication (MARCOM) plan of their own. Readers will come away from The Entrepreneur's Guide to Advertising with an enhanced ability to make research-based judgments about their market and a new savvy about their approach to communications.
A Complete Guide to Starting and Growing Your Own Business On A Shoestring Budget The Cheat Sheet for Business. For the millions who start a new business every year on the barest of resources, Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible is like hiring a high-level consultant to deal with the bewildering maze of issues from finance to marketing to technology that all entrepreneurs face. Every business is nothing but a series of decisions which can make or break the business. You could say that, if there's a science of business, it's the science of making good decisions. And every bootstrap entrepreneur faces the daunting task of making ALL the business decisions, any one of which could either doom the enterprise or catapult it to stratospheric success. That meas that every entrepreneur has to quickly get up to speed on every issue their business faces. Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible is the most exhaustive set of practical resources collected to empower entrepreneurs to make the right decisions on a limited budget, from business concept to product development to Web marketing. We call a "consultant in a book," there to give considered and experienced answers to the infinite questions that come up. Shoestring Venture-The Start-up Bible All entrepreneurs - even the smallest operating on the tightest of budgets - have the opportunity to build powerful start-up organizations without ever really having to walk out the front door. Using global communications and data networks, even bootstrap entrepreneurs can staff an entire organization with every human resource and skill they need at rock-bottom prices. In short, anyone can run a virtual organization using only a desktop or laptop computer. Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible gives bootstrap entrepreneurs all the resources they need to build truly effective startups using the magic of outsourcing and offshoring. This is the century for small business . . . You have the tools to build a powerful start-up organization, from financing to product development to marketing, without ever really having to walk out your front door. Using global communications and data networks, you can staff an entire organization with every human resource and skill you need at rock-bottom prices. You are, in short, running a virtual organization using only a desktop or laptop computer. It's the magic of outsourcing. It means that you can be a pretty formidable player in the business world. Why? Because it permits you to focus your energies on what brings real value to your business-what you do best. That's what this book is all about. Shoestring Venture gives you the tools you need to start your new venture or take your current business several levels higher by exploiting the resources our interconnected world offers you. Chapters: Startup, Finance, Taxes, & Banking, Hardware and Software, Bringing Your Products to Market, Outsourcing Your Back Office, Information Technology, Web and Ecommerce, and Promoting Your Product: Marketing & Sales
Online education is experiencing a huge growth spurt. The number of students taking online classes increased 24 percent in the past year—and this growth is only expected to continue. Don’t let this lucrative opportunity pass you by. Take your teaching global by offering courses online. Learn everything you need to know to set up a successful online education business: • Find financing, write a business plan, choose a business structure and learn other business basics • Develop exciting courses in the four most popular areas—IT, health care, education and business—as well as niche markets • Promote your business and attract students through online newsletters, search engine optimization and other innovative techniques • Design a user-friendly website and provide high-quality tech support • Train instructors in this new education medium, or teach courses yourself • And more! Real-life stories from successful entrepreneurs show you exactly what you need to do to set up and run a profitable business. Now’s the perfect time to get started with an online education business—and with this book, you’re well on your way to success.
Lead a life of adventure, meaning and purpose—and earn a good living. “Thoughtful, funny, and compulsively readable, this guide shows how ordinary people can build solid livings, with independence and purpose, on their own terms.”—Gretchen Rubin, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Happiness Project Still in his early thirties, Chris Guillebeau completed a tour of every country on earth and yet he’s never held a “real job” or earned a regular paycheck. Rather, he has a special genius for turning ideas into income, and he uses what he earns both to support his life of adventure and to give back. Chris identified 1,500 individuals who have built businesses earning $50,000 or more from a modest investment (in many cases, $100 or less), and focused on the 50 most intriguing case studies. In nearly all cases, people with no special skills discovered aspects of their personal passions that could be monetized, and were able to restructure their lives in ways that gave them greater freedom and fulfillment. Here, finally, distilled into one easy-to-use guide, are the most valuable lessons from those who’ve learned how to turn what they do into a gateway to self-fulfillment. It’s all about finding the intersection between your “expertise”—even if you don’t consider it such—and what other people will pay for. You don’t need an MBA, a business plan or even employees. All you need is a product or service that springs from what you love to do anyway, people willing to pay, and a way to get paid. Not content to talk in generalities, Chris tells you exactly how many dollars his group of unexpected entrepreneurs required to get their projects up and running; what these individuals did in the first weeks and months to generate significant cash; some of the key mistakes they made along the way, and the crucial insights that made the business stick. Among Chris’s key principles: If you’re good at one thing, you’re probably good at something else; never teach a man to fish—sell him the fish instead; and in the battle between planning and action, action wins. In ancient times, people who were dissatisfied with their lives dreamed of finding magic lamps, buried treasure, or streets paved with gold. Today, we know that it’s up to us to change our lives. And the best part is, if we change our own life, we can help others change theirs. This remarkable book will start you on your way.
Can I be a stay-at-home mom and still earn extra income? Which home business is best for me? Where can I find expert advice on launching my own business? How much will it cost to get started? For nearly two decades, bestselling author and home-based business guru Priscilla Y. Huff has run a successful writing business out of her home while balancing her family life. In fact, this book, now in its third edition, is proof of her success. Her valuable advice on what works—and what doesn't—is available to you. From start-up costs to potential income, this book shows you how to: ·Choose the perfect home-based business from 101 of the best: customer service, arts and crafts, entertainment, computer and high tech, mail order, home-based distributorships and franchises, and many others ·Take the first steps to starting any business ·Find and use valuable resources, including local, state, and federal government sources; business and professional associations; books, Web sites, and other publications ·And much, much more! You'll also find inspiring stories from businesswomen who have achieved success and financial reward. If you've ever dreamed of owning your own business, this book should be your first investment.
Cash in, One Load at a Time The problem with most high-profit businesses is that you spend so much time on the job that you have little free time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. But coin-operated laundries are different. They're low-maintenance, recession-proof, and you can make as much as $200,000 a year working only part-time hours. But you have to know what you're doing. And with our guide, you will. You'll get an in-depth overview of the industry (where its been and where it's likely to go) and learn everything you need to know before launching your own self-serve laundry business including: New ideas for marketing your laundry An expanded section on hiring and training attendants Updated information on card systems Recent advances in laundry equipmen The latest on laws and regulations concerning laundries More ways to combine a laundry with other businesses You'll also get first-hand advice from successful coin-op laundry owners on how to create an inviting atmosphere that will draw customers in and keep them coming back. Clean clothes are a necessity, not a luxury. People are going to use laundromats no matter how the stock market is performing. So if you're looking for an easy-to-run business that will keep the cash flowing no matter how the rest of the economy is doing, you've found it. And while you're at it, why not order our Vending Business guide, too? It makes an ideal companion business and it's a great way to augment your income. This kit includes: • Essential industry and business-specific startup steps with worksheets, calculators, checklists and more. • Entrepreneur Editors’ Start Your Own Business, a guide to starting any business and surviving the first three years. • Downloadable, customizable business letters, sales letters, and other sample documents. • Entrepreneur’s Small Business Legal Toolkit.
Most businesses that close their doors have one thing in common: They ran out of money. Don’t let this happen to you. This indispensable book, part of Allworth’s popular Pocket Small Business Owner’s Guide series, will help you to save money on every aspect of your business, from advertising to overhead. With invaluable cost-cutting tips for all types of businesses, from e-commerce and home-based operations to services and retail, this guide will help you create a blueprint that will allow your business to survive and thrive. You’ll save on: Advertising Marketing Purchasing Transportation and shipping Labor Financing Facilities Operations Taxes And more! In today’s economy, small business owners must seize every opportunity to keep costs down, and every penny saved goes to your bottom line. Follow this street-smart advice to lay the foundation for a business that will be profitable for years to come.
Shoestring Business Guides: Starting a Web Design Business will show you everything you need to know to start your own web design and hosting business. Written by a serial entrepreneur, veteran web designer, and all-around "computer geek", this book will cover the most important information you need to consider when starting your own web design business. Starting a Web Design Business is filled with practical, useful information sure to get your new business off to a good start.Starting a Web Design Business does not cover the specifics of coding in HTML, CSS, or scripting languages. There are many good books that cover these particular topics. Starting a Web Design Business focuses instead on the specifics or starting and running the business from the perspective of someone who has done exactly this.In the time since the first edition of this book was originally published (2009), some of the material has become dated - particularly some of the references to software. Nonetheless, there is still a lot of valid and useful material in this little book. The price of this first edition has been discounted as much as possible in an effort to be fair to readers.
