Tag: small business owner

Investment Pitch Mistakes

Posted by WFG – August 31, 2011

During your investment pitch the chances are you will make some mistakes. This is normal and errors such as dropping your pen will be largely ignored. But there are other glaring problems that need to be addressed. The only problem is, you probably don’t know you’re making them.

Overselling Your Investment Pitch

You may think you’ve made it big when you pitch your business to investors. But the truth is you’re not even close. Some small business owners are overly confident when they believe their business to be in a great position. But be warned, investors can see through this. Read the rest of this article

Pitch Your Business with Three Simple Rules

Posted by WFG – August 30, 2011

berlin 196

Image courtesy of Klara.Kristina

If you have the chance to pitch your business for funding, there are three simple rules. These rules are for those of you that already have a basic outline and a business plan, but need that something special to help you stand out. Without it, you’re just another small business owner with an average idea.

Pitch Your Business in a Circle

Not physically in a circle, that would be silly, but make sure that the start and the end match up. Think of it like a Simpsons episode. At the beginning everything is normal, Homer works in the factory and the family live at the same house they always have. There is an introduction, much like your investment pitch, until the storyline starts and the core of the show unravels. This is the moment to reveal your business plan and company outlook. As the program goes on, the cartoon characters are built up and more often than not, the loose ends will be tied up, with the family back to sitting on the couch. It’s in this part that you summarize your pitch, much like you started, but with a broader outlook. Read the rest of this article

Small Business Funds

Posted by WFG – August 30, 2011

money roll

Image courtesy of zzzack

Small business funds are the life source of a startup company. They not only help you progress as an organization, but as a small business owner. These funds though, can be hard to come by and while you can try pitching your business to investors, you can also look to government grants.

Government Grants

The first approach to finding small business funds is the government grant. But before you rush to your nearest government office, you’ll need to consider a few requirements.

  • Make sure you’re eligible, which sounds obvious, but true. A wide selection of applications get turned down simply because company owners don’t read the criteria.
  • Keep your finances in order. When going through the application process, authorities will need to make sure your finances are professionally maintained. This means invoices, receipts and any documents to support your application.
  • Have enough time. Many small business owners don’t understand that government grants can take time to complete. Give yourself roughly three to four weeks.
  • Seek professional help. You may find that completing the application process is getting in the way of other tasks. By getting professional help you can complete a good government grant application, and work at the same time. Read the rest of this article

Small Business Hiring Slows

Posted by WFG – August 29, 2011

Small businesses hiring slowed in August and many employees were given less hours. This news comes from an independent survey which suggested that recent economy turmoil may have decreased job creation. The survey was taken by around 66,000 small business owners around the dates of July 24th and August 23rd.

For more news on this story visit Reuters.

E-Business Risk

Posted by WFG – August 24, 2011

E-business risk is everywhere and it can severely damage your company reputation. But in this day and age not using internet technology would leave you falling behind the competition. So how do you get by and manage the potential e-business risks?

What Is E-Business?

Computer Keyboard - stock photo

Image courtesy of espensorvik

In the most basic terms, e-business is using internet technology for your business. By using this, companies can reach out to more customers, speed up their services and create a better product. It’s an ever changing part of the industry, but learning how to use it isn’t the hardest part of e-business. One of the toughest aspects is keeping up with the progression. One of the e-business risks is being left behind, but by staying one step ahead of the industry you can use it to your advantage. Some of the examples of e-business are:

  • E-mail
  • Online Banking
  • Customer Relationship Management
  • Business to Business Data Exchange
  • Commercial Transactions Read the rest of this article

Symantic Survey Reveals Alarming News

Posted by WFG – August 24, 2011

A recent Symantec survey reveals that many small businesses are putting themselves at risk while learning to implement server visualization. The survey, which examined the introduction of visualization to small companies, suggested that many small business owners aren’t taking the correct steps to secure their virtual environments.

For more on the story visit MarketWatch.

Small Business iPhone Apps

Posted by WFG – August 23, 2011

As technology evolves it’s important to find the best small business IPhone apps. It can keep you up to date with current events, can help you monitor your website and will also push you to be creative. So what are the best small business IPhone apps?

iPhone 4's Retina Display v.s. iPhone 3G

Image courtesy of Yutaka Tsutano

Communication With Your Small Business IPhone Apps

Every business person needs to communicate. So you’ll need something that can help you contact whoever you want, whenever you want. Though you can pretty much do this already, some IPhone apps enable you to make conference calls to more than one person. Read the rest of this article

Onepager Launches To Help Small Businesses

Posted by WFG – August 23, 2011

A do-it-yourself website titled Onepager has launched today to provide a new way for creating a customer facing website. Onepager offers an opportunity for small business owners to effortlessly build appealing business platforms.

For more new on the story visit The Sacramento Bee.

Lack of Help for Entrepreneurs in Washington

Posted by WFG – August 18, 2011

Small business owner, Neil Blumenthal, was invited to a talk on young entrepreneurs but came out with a mixed reaction. While some areas of the economy are heading in the right direction, others don’t understand the severity of the current problems.

Read more from the interesting interview at the NY Times.

How do you Prepare Your Small Business in a Recession?

Posted by WFG – August 4, 2011

The current news suggests we could be heading towards another economic downtown. And despite many of us feeling like we hadn’t left the last one, there are still concerns for startup company owners. So how do you prepare your small business in a recession?

Even when there aren’t any economic problems almost a third of new companies fail in the first three years. This can be due to a lack of commitment, or the company product not fulfilling its potential. But either way, you can turn this around with a few simple steps in the right direction. Read the rest of this article