Small business owners are always looking for ways to market their business. However, many struggle with the issue of being on a tight budget without realizing that there are several no-cost marketing avenues available.

Identifying those resources will help you focus and develop an action plan to make the most out of your marketing efforts.

1. Referrals: Just ask!
   Even though this source is often neglected, word-of-mouth is probably one of the most productive ways to get new clients. A satisfied client will be happy to recommend you… if you just ask them to do so. (Be sure and let them know who makes a great referral for you–they’ll be more likely to send referrals your way, more often, when they have a specific idea of who you’re looking for.)
2. Articles: Just write!
   Never before has article marketing been an easier way to promote your business. There are tons of article directories in which you can publish your articles. Writing articles will not only increase your exposure, but also present you as an expert in your field.
3. Press Releases: Just submit!
   Gaining brand recognition and communicating your products Read the rest of this entry »

I know you’ve heard this before: “To get your business to the next level, you must delegate some things.” Yes, you do need to get rid of at least one or two hats. But how? Even though you know in your heart how right this advice is, you’ve grown accustomed to going it alone.

Even delegating basic clerical tasks makes you realize there are many aspects involved in each tiny part of your puzzle. And you are right! Each and every part of your business is important. You don’t want to delegate tasks to a person who doesn’t care the same way you do about your business, do you?

Of course not. You don’t just need clerical or secretarial assistance. You need real, professional administrative assistance from someone who has been there and knows what it’s like being a solopreneur and small business owner. That someone is a Virtual Assistant.

Virtual Assistants are in the business of caring about your business and proactively supporting your needs by not only performing tasks, but also adding value to your business — the things they are expert in, they can do better than you!

Letting go — is this a “dealing with change” issue? Read the rest of this entry »

As a solopreneur, unpredicable economic conditions might make you feel uneasy. You are steadily climbing, acting proactively to reach your goals, but you definitely need a shelter or base camp to ensure you’ll reach the summit.

So what would that shelter be for solopreneurs? I strongly believe the answer is organization. There are many methods and tools that will help you reach the summit. As a solopreneur, I regularly stop by my own “Basecamp.”

Basecamp is a project collaboration tool that will make a huge difference in how you organize your projects and communicate with team members or other people working with you. They make it easy to test out the service–just go online and create your no-cost trial account so you can try this great tool out for one project. Basecamp walks you through the entire process step-by-step with video tutorials to show you how to get the most out of the service. You’ll also be able to create to-do lists within the project, define milestones, assign tasks, send email reminders and a host of other capabilities.

I use this tool with several clients. Some just Read the rest of this entry »

As a small business owner, you might (as I am) be sometimes challenged by the transition from employee to entrepreneur.

If so, you might find this month’s VACOC Monthly Guest Expert Teleseminar interesting: Breaking Out of the Employee Mindset

Presented by Author Suzanne Mulvehill

DATE: Thursday, November 15, 2007
TIME: 5pm PST / 6pm MST / 7pm CST / 8pm EST
LENGTH: 60 minutes (please call in 10 min. early)
COST: FREE!

REGISTER NOW

This class is open to all Virtual Assistants and business owners.

“The mindset is everything; if an entrepreneur thinks wrong, the business won’t succeed,” says Suzanne Mulvehill, founder of the Emotional Endurance® Institute and author of “Employee to Entrepreneur: A Mind, Body and Spirit Transition.”

If you find yourself still thinking and acting like an employee, even though you are running your own business, you don’t want to miss this event. “Thoughts like ‘Am I going to make it?’ and ‘I don’t think I can do this anymore,’ have to go,” says Mulvehill.
New thoughts like “I’m giving it my all, no matter what,” and “If I’m making mistakes, I’m making progress” need to become automatic and be programmed into the entrepreneurial mind so success can flow.

Break out of your employee mindset, and increase your business success rate immediately! This will teleseminar will help you:

• Learn the secrets to change your employee thoughts into entrepreneurial thoughts; 
• Learn strategies for having your thoughts work for you vs. against you; 
• Understand the 7 employee mindset shifts that must take place in order to embrace entrepreneurial success.

And much more!