You only get one chance to make a first impression. Yes, we’ve all heard it. That’s why we buy expensive clothing, pay top-dollar for fabulous shoes, exercise religiously on low-carb diets and only let stylists at the hottest salons touch our contemporary “doos.” And yes, it matters. You, as a business owner—regardless of whether you [...]

Regardless of what your company does, you must provide some service in order to sustain an existence. And where there’s a service, there’s a price. So how do you know what to charge your customers? In my field (freelance writing), there are always bidding wars. Most customers discern equally talented writers by comparing the price [...]

Now that you’ve gotten your business cards printed, your website designed and hosted, your location rented and set-up, how do you get the word out about your brand-new company? I have been faced with this question, repeatedly, for the last six months. I started my company for less than $5000, and don’t have the money [...]

I wish I had more time to read, nowadays. Lately, I only get a chance when I’m on an airplane or taking a much-needed relaxation trip to the beach. Even then, it’s usually just the dog-eared paperback that I’ve read at least 10 times. That’s the entrepreneur’s life, I suppose, although it is my goal [...]

Competition. It exists—no doubt about it. As a freelance writer, I have the daunting task of “cruising” Craigslist ads every day—sometimes three or four times a day. So far, I have found all my gigs through Craigslist, and definitely owe homage to both Craig and his developers. So easy to use—yet so functional! However, every [...]

At 25 years old, and two years out of college, my net worth wasn’t especially “high” when I decided to start my own home-based business. Inevitably, cutting start-up costs would become one of my biggest concerns. How do I create a website, print business cards and purchase necessary business supplies (laptop, cell phone, etc.) for [...]

It makes me laugh when I hear people say, “Oh, I have so much to do today–I need to really make time to finish everything!!” Or, “I really don’t have time management skills, that’s why I’m always late!” Okay, so, A) Please explain to me how to make time. Is there a special pot that [...]

So, you’re thinking about taking the plunge, and starting your own business. Or, maybe you have already started your own business, and are now working full-steam-ahead to make your company profitable and distinctly different from your competitors. Perhaps you’ve read a book or two on the subject of entrepreneurialism. Possibly you have descended from a [...]