Entries Tagged 'Business Planning' ↓

“I’m sorry, I can’t chat right now…I’m still getting last year’s taxes done!”

Don’t laugh…we’ve all been there, done that!   Hopefully it wasn’t your taxes…but there are definitely moments when life’s duties get a little overwhelming.

When running a business, sometimes it seems like there are so many things to do that we don’t know where to start.  Setting priorities is essential.  But sometimes that’s easier said than done.

Here are Some Tips to Help Prioritize Your Business Tasks:

* Many people find that prioritizing is much easier when they start each day with a written “To Do” list.  You can also use a computer program if it works for you.  The key is to have a list in writing where you can analyze and adjust it as needed.

* See if there are any tasks that can be delegated to someone else.  If you don’t have employees, outsourcing could be an option if needed.

* Large tasks can often be handled more effectively when broken up into smaller tasks.  Once you’ve done that, you may find that there are portions of the larger tasks that can be outsourced.  And if doing an entire project in one sitting will monopolize your time for the day, breaking it up into smaller tasks may allow you to postpone the less urgent parts until another day.

* Once you’ve determined which tasks need to be handled by you, it’s time to prioritize them.  Tasks that already have deadlines are a good place to start.  In most cases, it pays to get them out of the way first.

* For tasks that don’t have deadlines, think about how they affect the big picture.  If they’re not terribly important, they can be moved to the bottom of your list.  You may even be able to drop some of them altogether.

* Some tasks could be handled in a few different ways.  For these, it pays to consider which way is the most efficient or least expensive.  Some face-to-face meetings could be replaced with phone calls, for example, and an email might be an acceptable substitute for a long-distance fax.

* If your list is too long to handle in one day, look it over one more time to see if there is anything you can delegate or outsource.  If not, you may have to postpone some of the less important items.  That’s the beauty of prioritizing.  It helps you get the most important things done first, and anything that’s left over can usually wait anyway.

When it comes to time management, prioritizing our tasks should be a top priority.  Making a list of the things we need to do in the order that they need to be done can help us use our time much more wisely.  And that will lead to greater productivity.

Worried About Start-Up Costs for a Membership Site?

Starting a business is never free, but thankfully you can start a membership site on a small budget.

Here is a rough list of things you will need to budget for when setting up your site:

Domain Registration: Your domain name is the web address of your site. Domain names must be paid for on a yearly basis. Your cost here will range around $3 - $10, depending on what domain name registrar you work with and what domain type you buy (.com, .net, .biz etc.).

*Keep in mind that it may be worth spending the extra money to get a .com, as most people will automatically input a .com address. If your address ends in a .net, you could lose some visitors. You can pay for your domain name a year at a time, but many registrars will give you a discount if you purchase your domain for two or more years at a time.

Web Hosting: Your web host is the company you pay to have your site up on the web. This can be paid for on a monthly basis. It’s always a good idea to do some research and compare several providers before deciding on a hosting company. Monthly fees can vary widely and some sites will offer you a month or two free if you pay by the year. Depending on what host you go with and what additional services you utilize, you could spend from $40 - $250 per year.

Membership Manager: In order to keep your content exclusive to members, you will need membership managing software. This type of software will require members to enter a username and password in order to access your private member’s area.

Automation Tools: Automation tools make it easy to manage your membership site, and will definitely come in handy as your site grows. These tools include things such as an autoresponder and credit card processing service. The prices on these services will vary, and it is a good idea to compare several companies before you purchase any of these tools.

It is possible to find some of these tools for free, but be wary of them. When you subscribe to a free autoresponder service, the service will display ads from other companies on your messages. Some of your readers may not mind this, but some readers may feel that this looks unprofessional or cheap.

Marketing and Advertising: As you develop your membership site, take some time to think about what type of marketing you will participate in. There are lots of things you can do to market your business for free, but in order to achieve the fastest growth, you may want to buy some ad space on other people’s websites or ezines, or purchase pay per click advertising, such as Google Adwords. These things can be done on any budget. Keep an eye out for affordable advertising options and you will definitely find some.

Affiliate Program Manager: Although you certainly don’t have to have an affiliate program for your membership site, it certainly will help to bring in more visitors. Many membership sites even offer their members residual income on each new member they refer. Recurring monthly income is certainly an enticing incentive to help spread the word of your new membership site.

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A Few Worthy Home Business Resources:

Web hosting especially for moms in biz: 
 http://mommyrevenue.com/momwebhosting/

Online business automation center:
http://mommyrevenue.com/ebizcenter/

Two Small Business Experts Share a Gift that Keeps on Giving…

Well, as I was reading a business article online this morning entitled, “Your Natural Marketing Style,” I decided to visit the author’s website.   I was impressed enough to share my discoveries with the women business owners here:

Kelly LeFevre and Molly Luffy have a  goal to help 1,000 Small Business Owners
write their Marketing Plan ~ and can you believe it at NO Cost!  Easy on the budget wouldn’t you say?  (:

Kelly & Molly plan to meet four consecutive Wednesdays in January, from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m. Eastern time to gather around a virtual table to talk and walk through the steps of creating a business marketing plan that will support your business goals. 

Here’s the Link: http://www.businessbuildingroundtable.com/

 P.S. ~ When you sign up you’ll receive a FREE 45-minute audio recording revealing “The 3 Keys to Creating a Powerful Marketing Plan.”