Todays business environment has changed drastically from just a few years back. Rather than working exclusively with equipment, data, and systems, todays IT managers face issues such as cross training, personnel management, interdepartmental communication, and a widening job scope for all IT employees. This expansion of the IT job realm has left many IT managers juggling new challenges. While the problems, in and of themselves, might appear...more
In my audio program Book Yourself Solid, The 7 Keys To Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even If You Hate Marketing And Selling, I focus on the nitty gritty of what to do to get loads of clients but the real key and what I try to deep into is what you need to do for yourself to take action.I think there are only two reasons for most any business problem: You dont know what to do You know what to do but youre not doing itAnd, I also think...more
Having been in the personal care manufacturing business for a number of years I have some advise for those of you thinking about starting a manufacturing operation. First off some manufacturing basics. Manufacturing is essentially the same no mater what product you are producing. It is governed by supply and demand. The term "manufacture it and they will buy" does not always hold true. Manufacturing a product that was popular 25 years ago will not necessarily sell in todays market. You can however manufacture a product that no one has seen before and with some creative marketing create demand for that product. So what is required to manufacture a successful product? Start with the basics of any business, the business plan. This is essential to the success of any business be it a manufacturing or service based business. A business play will provide you with important information such as: What your costs are going to be Who are your suppliers How are you going to market your product What distribution channels will you use What customer support will you need to provideA good business plan is my no means cast in stone. There is always room for adjustment as you refine your...more
Learn more about these topics by subscribing to "Monday Morning Mindfulness" at http://www.schrift.com/monday.htmSandra's ezine 'Monday Morning Mindfulness' Sandra Schrift will help you grow and enlighten your soul with her bi-weekly ezine 'Monday Morning Mindfulness. Request a free subscription at www.schrift.com and start improving your speaking...more
Imagine paying your mortgage off in 15 years! Think of all the great things you could do with that extra money. What would you do? Retire early? Buy an R.V.? Travel around the world? If you could eliminate your mortgage in half the time, then your options would be wide open. Let's take a look at 3 benefits and 3 considerations when...more
It seems that every day I turn on the TV and find a Poker game. Texas No Limit seems to be all the rage these days. I love watching it. When I discuss this with others, their response is always the same, "You should play." Ah, but what they don't know is I stay out of the kitchen. As far as risk to reward ratio. That's a gamble I'm not willing to take. I prefer to invest my money. Sometimes I gamble in the stock market, but as long as I stay within my comfort zone (long term), I don't mind.Tolerable risk should be the goal of every investor. Know your limits! Here are my big three don'ts: Don't invest more than 30% of your portfolio in risky ventures; Don't let your broker/advisor talk you into an investment; Don't gamble with money you're not ready to loose.Here's a poem I wrote about a real person. There once was a man from the North East Who thought he could tame the great beast Money in hand, he headed to Wall Street A Bull market it was, an IPO investment he couldn't beat The morning bell rang and he started to buy Drug store, MP3, Martha Stewart, and Be Free, Flashnet, Redhat, Eloan, and Goldman Sachs, Foundry Networks, Agilent, NextCard, and JNI corp, Goto, PCOrder,...more
The main reason is to stop any potential lawsuits from happening! But do you know how many individuals I have talked to about this very thing? Many! Do you know what the majority have told me? They have locks and cameras, so they don't need anymore...more
"Joan, I'm working so hard and I'm not getting anything done!" I have heard some version of this cry of frustration by many an entrepreneur. It's a common complaint voiced by those of use who sought the freedom to have complete authority over our...more
Steps and tips on marketing your business to the government.Fact: Federal, state and local governments buy over $450 billion combined in goods and services each year.Part of that can be yours if you know how to get it.Fact: Federal procurements under...more
Outsourcing has become a controversial issue and a hot topic among presidential candidates this year. But have you stopped to think how your business can benefit from the efficiency, functionality and cost savings of outsourcing? If you have, you...more
There are four different ways that audience members assimilate information. They are: visual, auditory, auditory digital, and kinesthetic. While all members of the audience will process information utilizing all four of these approaches at...more
al debt load and ROI, whether the industry as a whole is in a slump, whether there are too many partner or legal problems, whether future demand will materialize and so on and so forth. While these questions are certainly relevant, the most...more