|
Thanks to all of
you who participated in our first Home-Based Business Roundtable on
June 25th. From your participation and feedback, our first Home
Business Hotline was born! This bi-monthly newsletter was created to
help address the concerns and challenges you face as home-based
business owners.
In this issue and future
issues, we will focus on concerns and topics that arise from the
Home Business Roundtable. Our goal is to provide information to
assist you in growing and managing your business. Based on the June
25th Roundtable, the top areas of concern that arose from the
Roundtable and the survey were:
- Time
Management and Organization
- Marketing
- Operations
- Generating
New Business
Explore the
issues and concerns unique to Home Business!
Participate
in the next Home Business Roundtable on Sept. 24, 2003 from
4:00-5:30 p.m. at Residence Inn—Tanasbourne, Sunset Room.
Topic: "Your Time is Your Business—Issues
and Concerns Around Time
Management"
Facilitator: T.J. Helm, founder of
Galileo Life Support and Certified Professional Coach, is a speaker,
trainer, and coach. As an experienced home business owner, she has
assisted individuals, companies and not-for-profit organizations
through her time management, organization, project management,
communications, goal setting and relationship programs and support.
This diversity enables her to respond to a broad range of
organization development projects.
| |
| Be
Productive—Today! |
|
Working at home…a
comfortable environment, your own hours, and also a huge
distraction. Even with all the pros to having your own home
office, many distractions can eat into your "work day,"
leaving you wondering where the time disappeared. So what can
you do to help keep you productive? Have a distinct
workspace.
Whether it's a bedroom designated as an
office or a small space set up in the corner of your dining
room, any time spent in your "office" should be designated
as "work time." Make this clear to family members and
enforce it.
Plan your
day.
Having a structured day will help you keep on
schedule. Put all appointments, breaks, and even tasks, on
your calendar to help designate when you will do them. This
will aid you in keeping track of time, while allowing you to
accomplish what you need to do.
Use technology
to your advantage.
While in-person meetings are always
important, make sure they are appropriate. Do as much business
as you can via phone, email, and fax. Keep a separate phone
line for your business—no one likes busy signals or the
inability to leave a message.
Outsource when
necessary.
While doing a lot
of the work yourself will save you money, keep in mind the
time it takes to do it. Do you really need to run across town
to drop off something for your client, or can a courier do it?
Should you design your own logo when you have no idea how to
use that graphics software or have no design background? There
are lots of other businesses available to help you with the
small stuff. Use them.
Group outside
appointments and errands.
If you have
appointments with clients and errands to run, try to arrange
to do both on a single trip. You will save time and gas by
making just one trip rather than leaving the house 2 or 3
times.
|
| |
| Stretch Your Marketing
Dollars |
|
Looking for cost-effective
ways to market your business? Stretch your marketing budget
by using creative ways to promote your business:
Gifts
"Free" is a word that attracts buyers. Offer free gifts
with your regularly priced items or services—a free
item if a buyer purchases a particular product or even a
free t-shirt if a customer purchases a certain dollar amount
of services.
Giveaways
Maybe you have a product or service that customers will
love if they just give it a try. Give out free samples.
If you have a service business, offer a free consultation.
New Customer Offers
A way to attract new customers is to offer incentive pricing
(e.g. 10% discount on your first purchase). If a customer
likes what you have to offer, they may be back for more—at
your regular prices.
NEXT ROUNDTABLE:
Sept. 24, 2003 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. at Residence Inn—Tanasbourne,
Sunset Room.
"Your Time is Your Business—Issues and Concerns Around
Time Management"
Facilitator: T.J. Helm, Galileo Life Support
|
|
| Get It In Writing |
|
A key tool for
service businesses is a contract. Contracts show your
professionalism by ensuring that you and your client agree to
the services that will be delivered, what timeframe to expect
the services, and outlines payment policies. Contracts don't
need to be complex or long. It can be a simple letter of
agreement that outlines the specifics of the project. Most
contracts include the following elements:
- Parties
in the agreement (you or your business name and the
client)
- Description of the deliverables
- Pricing
(specify if it is a flat fee, per diem, hourly, etc.)
- How and
when payments are to be made
- Timeframe (when the project will be completed, what
are the milestones)
- Additional terms (changes, disputes, etc.)
- Signatures (from both parties)
This newsletter was produced, presented, and sponsored
by Cyrano
Marketing Solutions: Helping You Communicate Your
Business. Visit us at www.cyranomarketing.com.
|
 | | |
