Jun 26 2016

More Brains Than Budget? Steal These $0 Marketing Strategies.

Ten years ago, Chris Dingman launched his company on the flimsiest of grounds. It’s called The Dingman Group, and it relocates professional athletes — so, say, if a guy is traded from the Miami Heat to the Cleveland Cavaliers, The Dingman Group would arrange to sell the house in Miami, pack it up, move the stuff and find a new home in Cleveland. It’s a clever, one-of-a-kind service, but there was a hitch: The “Group” was just Dingman, and he had no experience in real estate or professional sports. Also, he was damn near broke — and it took him almost a year and a half to find his first client. “It was gnarly,” he says. “No matter how much you’re struggling as an entrepreneur, you have to put a face on.”

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Nov 19 2015

5 Traits That Distinguish Serial Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are a rarity. Just over 1-in-10 adults within the U.S.. engage in entrepreneurial activities.

That low number is not a surprise in light of the complex array of challenges that entrepreneurs face. According to a joint study last year by the University of Michigan and Stanford University, more than 70 percent of entrepreneurs who launch a failed venture do not try again. The vast majority of entrepreneurs researched adopted a “one-and-done” mentality in the face of failure.

However, the same study identified an elite subset of entrepreneurs — serial entrepreneurs — comprising 29 percent of those researched who went on to launch other ventures with great success.

Marc Preston is just such an entrepreneur.

He’s had dozens of money-making ventures over the past two decades and seven stand-alone companies ranging from web design, mobile apps, hardware and software development to retail storefronts.

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Nov 19 2015

‘Accidental Entrepreneurs’ — When a Personal Mission Morphs into a Big Business

Some of the most successful and inspirational entrepreneurs never set out with the goal of running a large company or employing scores of people. Many are simply men and women motivated to develop solutions to a problem they’re facing.

Related: Need a Business Idea? Here are 55

Then they discover that they’re not the only ones with that need — and, lo, a successful business is born.

Sometimes dubbed “accidental entrepreneurs,” these business owners have other names, as well. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, for instance, calls them “user entrepreneurs” in its research, which has found that this group has launched more than 46 percent of startups lasting five or more years — even though they’re responsible for just 10.7 percent of U.S. startups overall.

That’s an impressive success rate.

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Nov 17 2015

Why the Bloomingdale’s Ad Was an Inexcusable Marketing Mistake

In a recent Christmas advertisement, Bloomingdale’s startled the world and sparked a slew of complaints on social media.

A woman is laughing, with her head tossed back at a holiday party. The man on her right, however, is strategizing, and even has a creepy look on his face. The caption?

“Spike your best friend’s eggnog when they’re not looking.”

As a direct-response marketing copywriter, my first response was, “Who the HECK allowed this to be green-lighted?” Any project of this size has to go through four to six people to even go to print. So I’m wondering where the managers were on this case. I’m wondering where anyone was.

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Nov 16 2015

The Most Important 20 Minutes of the Day

What are the most important moments of the day? The 20 minutes you commit to planning.

You’re thinking, Planning? Yuck.

I know for some people it’s a dreaded word, but don’t worry. I’m not talking about writing a business plan or setting annual goals. I’m simply talking about dedicating 20 minutes to prioritizing and organizing your day.

The 20 minutes you spend today can save hours tomorrow and turn a good day into a great day.

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Oct 6 2015

Warren Buffett Tells You How to Turn $40 Into $10 Million

By Patrick Morris

Warren Buffett is perhaps the greatest investor of all time, and he has a simple solution that could help an individual turn $40 into $10 million.

A few years ago, Berkshire Hathaway CEO and Chairman Warren Buffett spoke about one of his favorite companies, Coca-Cola, and how after dividends, stock splits, and patient reinvestment, someone who bought just $40 worth of the company’s stock when it went public in 1919 would now have more than $5 million.


Source: Coca-Cola.

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Apr 7 2011

Do’s and Don’ts of Securing a Domain Name

Consider these six tips from small-business owners and experts before deciding on a website name.

Navigating the world of domain names can be a daunting task if you’re not up to speed on how to get one. With countless caveats and hosting companies out there, it’s easy to be overwhelmed or worse, make a mistake that could ultimately cripple your business.

Consider these do’s and don’ts from small-business owners and experts to help secure your company’s domain name.

Do: Include a location or keywords in your domain name, if you can.

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Mar 19 2011

Five Common Startup Money Mistakes

It’s easy to go wrong when mapping out financials for a new venture. Here’s how to avoid some typical potholes.

Figuring out the financial details of a new venture can seem a mix of aspiration (How much I’d like to make. . .) and folly (I need borrow how much?). But writing down numbers on paper and as accurately as possible is important. It can provide a map to show where you are trying to go and what it will take to get there. It can also reassure investors, employees and yourself that you thought things through, did your research and have a realistic view of what your business needs.

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Mar 15 2011

6 Sure Ways to Increase Sales

Shift Your Sales Focus for Increased Sales

Want to increase sales dramatically? Then shift your sales focus from attracting new customers to enticing your proven customers to buy again. The best sales prospect is a prospect that’s already converted – in other words, one of your current customers.

Think of it this way; if your business is located in a small town with a population of 1000 people and you sell a sprocket to everyone in that town, man, woman, and child, you’ve sold 1000 sprockets – and saturated your market. Your sprocket selling days are over. Is it time to pack up and move on?

No! If you start focusing your sales efforts on your proven customers, you’ll be able to increase your sprocket sales

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Mar 15 2011

Marketing or Selling – – Which is more important?

Sales Leads Only Matter if They Convert Into Sales

A question I often get from clients and students goes something like this: “I’ve been collecting marketing ideas… and I have a drawer full! I also have a stack of promising sales leads I’ve accumulated. And I know it’s important to stay visible, so I do a lot of networking, but then I just end up with more names in the stack. How do I prioritize all this?”

If you’ve ever wondered something similar,

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