Sunday

Daily Twitter Meme's

Everybody knows about #followfriday and #FF on Twitter. You see the Tweets all day long, so I was thinking, why does everybody leave out the rest of the week? Monday's not my favorite but Wednesday is such a sweet reminder that Friday is just around the corner. I think it's time we stop ignoring all the other days of the week and show some Twitter love EVERY day. I did some looking around and found these some what forgotten Twitter meme's - at least one for every single day of the week.

Monday

#musicmonday - write song lyrics, link to videos or band sites

#followmonday - just like #FF, tweet out the names of tweeple you think others should follow

Tuesday

#followtuesday - same as #FF

#twittertuesday - same as #FF

Wednesday

#wonderfulwednesday - best wishes for the middle of the week

#followwednesday - like #FF

#healthyhumpday - like #FF, but only health related Twitterers

#wisdomwed - share wisdom and useful advice

#women2follow - recommend women that you think should be followed on Twitter

Thursday

#rtthursday - retweet and thank other retweeters

#followthursday - like #FF

#thankfulthursday - tweet about what you are thankful for

Friday

#FF - follow friday

#followfriday - the ever-so-popular follow friday, tweet out tweeple you think others should follow too

Saturday

#sexysaturday - sexy tweets

Sunday

#wkendthx - thank all of your friday followers and any other mentions you had through out the week

#sinnersunday - what are you doing instead of going to church?



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Saturday

Boosting Your Home Based Business with Blogging

In terms of personal necessity, blogs act as an avenue for you to express yourself. It can serve as a memory bank for articles you dragged from the internet. It functions like an organizer and thus keeps you updated on everything. A blog is nevertheless a personal website.
The functions of a blog don't stop there. In the field of business, a blog is also used as an instrument. There are thousands of companies that have adapted blogs to push their businesses at the summit. Focusing on the power of the internet, these companies manage to trust their blogs for the growth of their businesses. They have actually gambled in a sure win game. Knowing how many people surf the web everyday these companies are geniuses.

How about those smaller enterprises? Do blogs suit them? By all means, yes.

Home based businesses need a blog much more than any other types of businesses. Or shall we be more specific by saying that such type of businesses necessitate more promotion than that of the mainstream businesses. Since their business place is far off from the central marketplace, people need to be informed and be aware of the existence of these smaller enterprises through blogging. By means of blogging, these types of businesses are given a chance to be known and be noticed. They can gather an audience and later on customers by means of these super business channels, or Blogs.

Here are some advantages of  having a blog for a home based business:

» Blogs are an all-in-one package. HTML is hard to learn and a little time consuming. By using blogs you will not have a problem with the appearance since it is preset for convenience purposes. It is very simple to change fonts and colors, add images and links with no knowledge of HTML or CSS at all.

» You can post any thing on blogs without any hassle at all. Plus you can post any time. Nonetheless, posting is not a problem.

» Since blogs are not e-mail communication, spam has no place in it.

» Blogs are convenient because you can easily make as many as you need to cover your subjects or topics.

In order for your blog to be beneficial to your business, there are a few things that you will need to do.

1. You must update your blog, two to three times a week at least.. New updates leave something to look forward to on the side of your audience. It will leave your audience asking for more. Never overlook all current information and issues that will surely catch their attention.

2.  Your blog must have a place for comments, reactions and suggestions. It will help you reach the audiences tastes and desires through their own feedback. Criticism is an essential tool for growth. Just take every criticism positively.

3. Do not forget to link your blogs to other resources. It will help not just you and your business but also your customers.

4. Simplicity is not ugly. Complicated layout and color will attract customers easily and also can shoo them away easily too. Remember that content is more important than anything else on your blog.

5. Lastly, keep your good values intact. That will require you to have an ample amount of patience, a comforting aura, proper relationship through words, etc. You may not have a large audience at first, but it will grow with time.

More entrepreneur and business articles

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Advice for Starting Your Own Business

Are you thinking about setting up your own business? Have you an idea for a new business but are unsure about how to proceed? If you have answered yes to either of these questions, this article could be of benefit to you. I am going to write about how to plan and create a successful small business.

Many people are looking at ways in which they can become self-employed as they have had enough of being dictated to and  are fed up owith long and frustrating commutes to work. They want the freedom of being their own boss and to be able to choose their own hours of work.

Leaving a full time career can be quite a scary prospect however. The security of having a regular income and other benefits such as a pension and a share save scheme can seem hard to let go. I am sure many people whether rightly or wrongly have opted to stick with this security and to merely keep their business plan as an idea, which they never see through or use.

Other people are willing and happy to take the risk and see it as a way of getting out of the rat race.

When you have an idea for a new business you then need to think of a name to call it. I would keep this name quite short as it makes it easier to remember for people. It obviously needs to have something to do with the business sector you are entering.

You will now need to work out how much money you will need to set up the business. This can be quite daunting but is essential. In the short term I would advise to keep these start up costs as low as possible, you can always buy or rent better machinery in the future as an example.

Once you are aware of how much money you need, you then have to find it. You may have enough yourself via savings or a redundancy payout, however most people are not in this position. If you do not have enough money, you could try and raise money via the family, by seeking a partner or by releasing the equity from your house. There is also the option of a business loan.

The next stage is to market your product or service. There are many ways of doing this including:

The internet via a website

An advert in the newspaper

Direct marketing in the form of leaflets

An advert in the yellow pages

Exhibitions

Trade fairs

I would advise finding out where other people from your industry advertise as they will have tried and tested many of the above options.

You then need to work out how much to charge for your product or service. I always keep these charges fairly low at the outset in order to attract as many people as I can and to get some income in. I then hope that word of mouth will take over and the idea is that after a few months I will be in a position to increase my fees.

It is also important to realise that we will make mistakes along the way. When this happens we need to think positive and not beat ourselves up. It is an experience we can learn from.

Always have belief in yourself. At times any business will go through a rocky period, this is when we need to be strong. In my opinion the more work we put in, the more rewards we are likely to obtain.

Self-discipline is one of the keys to your success. Being able to choose your own hours of work may seem like a dream but it can prove to be many peoples downfall. We have to ensure that we work the required amount of hours. It is far too easy to stay in bed for that extra hour or to arrange yet another game of golf. These things are fine once you are established, but this is a long way off at this stage.

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Four Easy Steps to Building Your Business

Creating a successful and profitable business is no easy task. It’s reliant on many outside factors, including competition along with timing and demand, which you have very little to no control over at the beginning. Assuming all of these outside factors are in your favor, having a sound business plan can lead to having a successful business. Here are five steps to consider when you’re building your business from the ground up:


1. Determine your business. What are you selling?

This question isn’t as easy to answer as you may think. For example, Nike is in the sportswear business, but the truth is that when you buy a pair of Nike shoes and a t-shirt at the mall you’re buying a lot more than sportswear — you’re buying an image, a feeling. You're buying the Nike brand. Richard Thalheimer, the former CEO of The Sharper Image and the founder of RichardSolo.com, has worked in specialty retail for more than 30 years. When asked what business he’s in, he’ll tell you “convenience” or "innovation" before he specifies any particular industry, and he's built one of the most powerful brands in America. Keep in mind, there’s more to a product than, well, the product. Your brand is what sets your product apart from your competitor’s.


2. Select your market. Who are you selling to?

This step is a bit less interpretive as the first, though equally important. Who are you selling to - or more importantly, what do you know about this person? Understanding your consumer is a key to success. What do they do? Where do they hang out? What do they watch on television? These are just a few of the questions that you should be able to answer about your consumer. Knowing the answers to these questions can answer a lot of questions of your own when it comes to a devising a marketing strategy. Richard Thalheimer understood his market for The Sharper Image, probably as well as they understood themselves. From an article in the LA Times, Tracy Wan, who was president and chief operating officer under Thalheimer says "Richard has the amazing ability to figure out the things that people want to have." This ability to perceive your consumer's desire can only be a result of knowing them like your neighbor.


3. Create a marketing strategy. How do you speak to these people?

This is a culmination of understanding your brand and your consumer. As mentioned in number two, understanding your consumer can answer a lot of questions concerning your marketing strategy: Where should you advertise? What's the voice of your brand? What kind of prices are reasonable for this demographic? In order to engage your consumer, a.k.a. sell your product to them, you must know where your advertisements will be noticed, how to speak to them, and how much they will be able to spend, among many of things. Really, this step should have been combined with the last because who your market is dictates your marketing strategy entirely.


4. Learn by example. Seek advice from those who have done it.

There are ton's of books written by professionals who have already started their own business and have been successful in doing so. One that comes to mind immediately, as we've already mentioned him a couple of times, is Richard Thalheimer. "Creating Your Own Sharper Image" shares the story of how he grew his tiny office supply company, The Sharper Image, into the thriving enterprise that it has become today.


Remember, building a successful business in not all about the dollars and cents. Equally as valuable is your brand equity and your ability to engage your consumer, which is only attainable by understanding them. Assuming there is a demand for your product, and you can compete with the other brands, following these four steps will guide you in the right direction.

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Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur

Studies have shown that successful entrepreneurs possess these characteristics:


1. Self-confidence

This is that magical power of having confidence in oneself and in one's powers and abilities.

2. Achievement Oriented

Results are gained by focused and sustained effort. They concentrate on achieving a specific goal, not just accomplishing a string of unrelated tasks.

3. Risk Taker

They realize that there is a chance of loss inherent in achieving their goals, yet they have the confidence necessary to take calculated risks to achieve their goals.

Entrepreneurs are people who will make decisions, take action, and think that they can control their own destinies. They are often motivated by a spirit of independence which leads them to believe that their success depends on raw effort and hard work, not luck.

So which of these three main characteristics is the most important? Believe it or not, it has to be self-confidence. Without self-confidence, nothing else is possible. If you don't believe in your abilities, then the first challenge that arises may knock you off the path to achieving your goals. Here are a few things to keep in mind for maintaining a higher level of self-confidence.

Positive Thinking

Well, it all starts with a positive attitude, doesn't it? Believing that something good will happen is the first step. Negative thinking simply is not allowed. You must truly believe that there are no circumstances strong enough to deter you from reaching your goals. Remember too, that positive thinking can be contagious. When positive thinking spreads, it can open doors to new ideas, customers, friends, etc.

Persistent Action

Now all of the positive thinking and believing in the world is useless if it is not applied towards a goal. You have to take action, no excuses are allowed. This action must also be persistent. Trying once and then giving up is not going to be enough. Keep at it one step at a time. If you can't get by a certain step, then find a creative way to try again or just go around it.

At the beginning of this article I identified a few traits that are common among successful entrepreneurs. You should be able to look ahead and see yourself where you want to be. Now, just maintain a strong belief in yourself and your skills, stick with it, and don't give up. If you can do that, you're already half way there!

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Business Plan Outline - The 5 W's

Business plan outlines are all unique. The one common thread is that all business plan outlines help the business owner answer the five W questions: who, what, when, where and why.


If any of you ever worked in journalism or as reporters, then you know that what you want to do when you investigate anything is answer the 5 W's. A business plan outline is a concrete method for investigating a business idea, so answering the 5 W's just makes sense.

Business Plan Outline of the 5 W's

Who are you?
Your business plan outline should detail your certifications, industry experience, and credentials. List the business credential that you've already received or those that you're planning on getting in the early stages. This part of the business plan outline also lists the staff you project needing and what their qualifications will be.

What do you plan to sell?
In your business plan outline you need to include a discussion of what it is you are selling. Are you selling products, services or both? Once you know what you are selling you then need to discuss the revenue and profit associated with your products and/or services.

This part of the business plan outline also includes your preliminary sales and marketing plan. What will you be doing to gain your clients and how much time and money will you spend doing so?

When did you launch or when do you plan on launching?
 This information is critical to outside investors and it will also help to keep you on track.

Where are you located?
Here you will indicate the types of facilities needed to run your business. Will you work out of your home or rent office space?

Why is your approach unique?
This is a critical question that your business plan outline must address. You need to explain your number one differentiator. Somewhere in your business plan outline you must make space for detailing the proposition that sets you apart from everyone else in the market.


Business plan outlines help you structure your answers to the most important business planning questions. These questions can are summarized as the 5 W's. By answering these questions, your business plan outline will lead you to discover and detail the exact "how" of your overall business operations.


How To Write A Business Plan… Made Easy
The Help You Need With Writing Your Business Plan that is broken down so that anyone can do it. Find Out More...







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Friday

Four Steps to More Blog Traffic and Increased Sales

If you own an online store you  probably already know that a blog is a very important source to promote your product or service. They are easy to install, administer and update, plus, search engines love them. Really though, what  good is a blog without traffic? It doesn't matter how amazing your blog is if no one is reading it. Here are five quick ways to boost traffic to your blog and hopefully start seeing those big sales for your business.


1.Build a list of blog services to ping every time you post new content.

There are a lot of different services and sites that you can use to ping your blog. If you didn't know, pinging means that you notify the service that you've updated your blog with new content. These services then list your new posts and you get the traffic from them. The more services that you use the better chance you will have of receiving the traffic that you are looking for. I've made a list of blog pinging services you can copy by clicking the link. That should be enough to give a nice boost to your traffic if you keep your site updated frequently.

2.Update your content regulary!

Both search engines and blog  ping services love, love, love regular updates! It's very likely that you will get targeted traffic from search engines if you update your blog regularly. You should try to make a new post to your blog at least once per day if possible. Be careful though because too many updates per day, say eight or more, can harm your search engine position and hits from traffic.

3.Post in forums

Post in forums, but do not spam them! Post something useful and interesting with a link to your blog in your signature. Don't just post  your messages in any forum, if you're selling cds, post in forums that are about music. Don't post in pet forums if you're selling beauty products. That will definetely get you tagged as a spammer and you don't want that. By posting your messages with a link in your signature in forums you will get one-way links back to your site. These are good for search engine position on sites like google, msn and yahoo.

4.Submit to blog search engines

There are tons of search engines available that list only blogs. Just google search  "blog search engines“ and you will find a nice lengthy list of them. These blog search engines will help you to receive targeted traffic. Be sure to write a  very good title and description for your blog when you submit your information to the site so that people will easily find it and want to click on your link.

Follow these four simple steps and you will begin to see an increase in traffic to your blog. Soon those long awaited sales will start coming in and adding up. Don't forget to update your blog with fresh, unused content that you write yourself everyday to acheive the best results.


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Blog Pinging Services

Here is a list of sevices that I use to ping my blog whenever I post new content to any of my sites. Some of them ping a few of the same services but you can manually pick the sites that are pinged in most cases so just remove the checks beside the services that you know have already been pinged.


http://www.pingomatic.com/
http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2
http://1470.net/api/ping
http://api.feedster.com/ping
http://api.moreover.com/RPC2
http://api.moreover.com/ping
http://api.my.yahoo.com/RPC2
http://api.my.yahoo.com/rss/ping
http://bblog.com/ping.php
http://bitacoras.net/ping
http://www.pingler.com/
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/XMLRPC
http://blogdb.jp/xmlrpc
http://blogmatcher.com/u.php
http://bulkfeeds.net/rpc
http://coreblog.org/ping/
http://mod-pubsub.org/kn_apps/blogchatt
http://www.lasermemory.com/lsrpc/
http://ping.amagle.com/
http://ping.bitacoras.com/
http://ping.blo.gs/
http://ping.bloggers.jp/rpc/
http://ping.cocolog-nifty.com/xmlrpc
http://ping.blogmura.jp/rpc/
http://ping.exblog.jp/xmlrpc
http://ping.feedburner.com/
http://ping.myblog.jp/
http://www.pingmyblog.com/
http://ping.rootblog.com/rpc.php
http://ping.syndic8.com/xmlrpc.php
http://ping.weblogalot.com/rpc.php
http://ping.weblogs.se/
http://pingoat.com/goat/RPC2
http://rcs.datashed.net/RPC2/
http://rpc.blogbuzzmachine.com/RPC2
http://rpc.blogrolling.com/pinger/
http://rpc.icerocket.com:10080/
http://rpc.newsgator.com/
http://rpc.pingomatic.com/
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping
http://www.autopinger.com/
http://rpc.weblogs.com/RPC2
http://topicexchange.com/RPC2
http://trackback.bakeinu.jp/bakeping.php
http://www.a2b.cc/setloc/bp.a2b
http://www.bitacoles.net/ping.php
http://www.blogdigger.com/RPC2
http://www.blogoole.com/ping/
http://www.blogoon.net/ping/
http://www.blogpeople.net/servlet/weblogUpdates
http://www.blogroots.com/tb_populi.blog?id=1
http://www.blogshares.com/rpc.php
http://www.blogsnow.com/ping
http://www.kping.com/
http://www.blogstreet.com/xrbin/xmlrpc.cgi
http://www.mod-pubsub.org/kn_apps/blogchatter/ping.php
http://www.newsisfree.com/RPCCloud
http://www.newsisfree.com/xmlrpctest.php
http://www.popdex.com/addsite.php
http://www.snipsnap.org/RPC2
http://www.ping4free.com/
http://www.weblogues.com/RPC/
http://xmlrpc.blogg.de/
http://xping.pubsub.com/ping/



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Kontera