Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Writing a Business Plan

Now that you’ve decided that you’d like to open a small business, you should put your thoughts down on paper. This way, your business idea is expressed in a plan – a living document that outlines every critical aspect of its operation. This step might sound intimidating, but it’s important. So let’s get started!
  • Essential Elements of a Good Business Plan

    A business plan should be a work in progress. That's because your business will evolve over time, and be influenced by outside factors such as the economy and local conditions. Even successful business owners should maintai...
  • Trying to tackle a wide market is usually too broad of a scope for any but the largest companies to handle. As a smaller business, it's often a better strategy to try to divide potential demand for offerings into manageable...
  • What goes into a business plan? There is no single formula for developing a business plan, but some elements are consistent throughout all business plans. Your plan should include an executive summary, a description of the...
  • Do you really need to make a business plan? The short answer is yes. The importance of a comprehensive, thoughtful business plan cannot be overemphasized. Many factors critical to business success depend upon your plan: outside...
     
    Read more at  www.sba.gov 

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Smart phone users interested in starting or growing a small business

WASHINGTON - Smart phone users interested in starting or growing a small
business can now find helpful resources at their fingertips via a new SBA
mobile application from the U.S. Small Business Administration.


"Increasingly, smart phones are the vehicle through which Americans access
information.  This is certainly true of many entrepreneurs and small
business owners and this new application ensures they will have access to
SBA's resources and programs - literally at their fingertips," said SBA
Administrator Karen G. Mills.  "Greater mobility fits with the new
user-focused SBA.gov launched recently, and is another example of the steps
we are taking to do a better job of connecting entrepreneurs and small
business owners with the tools to help them start or grow their businesses
and create jobs."


Developed and donated as a gift by Palo Alto Software, Inc., the SBA mobile
app will make the search for extensive resources more efficient, whether
users are starting a new business or taking an existing business to a new
level.  The app will first be available for the Apple iPhoneR, with future
versions for other smart phone platforms.


"Palo Alto Software's mission is to help small businesses succeed.  We've
developed this mobile application for the SBA because we understand the
importance of having the right tools and resources when starting or growing
a business," said Sabrina Parsons, CEO of Palo Alto Software.  "Ideas can
strike entrepreneurs at any moment, and having useful resources available
through mobile devices could be the impetus that begins the next big
company."


The mobile app will help users connect with SBA district office staff and
SBA-affiliated counselors and mentors who can provide free, personalized
small business assistance.  The user-friendly format of the app will help
answer questions such as: How do I start a business? Where can I go in my
area to get free help with writing a business plan? And where do I begin
finding funding for my business?


The SBA mobile app also features a built-in startup cost calculator to help
estimate the costs associated with getting a business off the ground, plus
an SBA partner locator to help users find SBA offices, Small Business
Development Centers, Women's Business Centers and SCORE.


Users will also have mobile access to SBA video content and social media
alerts to provide them with tips on the go.  This will include live updates
from the SBA's YouTube channel and from SBA's Twitter feeds.  The free
mobile app can be downloaded from the SBA's website at
www.sba.gov/content/sba-mobile-app.

List Of Small Business Ideas

Are you so incredibly passionate to start a business and are looking for a list of small business ideas to answer the million dollar question, “What business should I start?” Well, you’ve come to the right place…
www.weda-atlanta.org helps thousands of people every day – people just like you – come up with profitable small business ideas and begin to learn how to start a small business.
Whether you’re looking for home business ideas, internet and online business ideas, or even looking for franchises to buy, we’re here to help.
If you’re like most of our visitors, you were born with an entrepreneurial flame. An unquenchable thirst to be in business for yourself. You’ve dreamed of learning how to start a small business forever…working for yourself…building something that matters…and making some money!
Small Business Ideas - What Business Should I Start?
But yet, something has kept you held back…
  • Maybe it’s a fear of failure. The fear of not succeeding has simply paralyzed you.  A lack of confidence  has “frozen” any chance of your getting started.
  • Or maybe it’s a lack of capital. Not having enough money to fund a startup or sustain one’s family during the beginning phases of the business are concerns that keep many of us locked behind our desk in a nine-to-five grind. Or worse.
  • Or maybe you just don’t know where to start – you have limited business ideas. Believe it or not, many potential business owners never get started because they have trouble coming up with a list of small business ideas.  They lack that special creative spark that ignites the entrepreneurial flame.
While all three of the above startup concerns are valid (and need to all be addressed), the purpose of this website is to help you with the last point – coming up with that elusive list of profitable small business ideas.
You see, once you find the right business idea, the rest of your fears – the obstacles standing in your way – become much easier to conquer.

The Right List Of Small Business Ideas

Learning how to start a small business and growing it into a sustainable venture isn’t easy. Sure, the scam artists out there (and there are thousands) want you to believe you can make money without the blink of an eye. That’s pure B.S. It’s hard work. But you’re absolutely up for it.
This is your vision and some honest elbow grease is a small price to pay for reaching your lifelong dream. You know that – and you’re up for it.
Okay – back to the list of small business ideas and what’s holding you back. Based on our experience and plenty of honest feedback from our visitors, it’s the business idea that serves as the fulcrum to help tilt your entrepreneurial teeter totter in the right direction.

Breaking Through – Achieving Business Success

Have you ever surprised yourself by accomplishing something you didn’t think you could? Maybe the success was the outcome of sheer effort. Or did it almost seem effortless – like you were guided to success by an invisible coach who calmed all of your fears and doubts and allowed you to focus on the one thing that mattered…your success.


What we’re trying to say is that if you’re passionate about your small business ideas, there’s very little that can stand in your way. It’s the passion you have for your business that will help you conquer your fears and finally learn how to start a small business that you always wanted.
This is where we can help. The MySmallBiz.com site lists hundreds of categorized small business ideas to help you brainstorm and research what business you want to start. That’s pretty much all we do here…write about the best small business ideas to help you brainstorm the concept that gets you excited and most importantly – gets you started.

Get started in small business today! Happy Capitalism!

By  MySmallBiz.com