In the movie “You’ve Got Mail”, the sub-plot aside from the love angle is that the heroine (played by Meg Ryan) was forced out of business when the big-time bookstore owner (played by Tom Hanks) moved into town.

Meg’s character owned a quaint little bookstore which she inherited from her mother. Although the prices of her books were a little steep, she makes up for it in service. She packs the books in a specialized bag, and she knows all of her customers by name.

Tom’s character, on the other hand, moved into town to build a branch of a big chain-bookstore which offered discounted prices and a huge building, as compared to Meg’s little bookshop on one corner of the town’s streets.

In the end, Meg was forced out of business because her customers went to Tom’s monstrous bookshop.

Nowadays, this situation will not hold true anymore.

More and more small organizations are paving the way and giving big businesses a shot of their own medicine.

In the movie, the reason why Meg Ryan was forced out of business is because she cannot profit anymore. Her prices are steep as compared to the other big business’ discounted rates.

Her only edge is that she gives personal service, she knows her customers by name and she has a very small staff, about 2 or 3 employees.

As a small organization you may turn around and have these qualities as your edge to compete against the big sharks in business.

Here are some tips on how you can hold your own against a big business:

1. Small businesses have big competition.

This means that you need to know how to survive out there.

No matter what nature of business you have, it is better to learn about the competition so that you will be able to survive.

Here are some tips on how you can survive the big competition:

>Keep your business alive.

When it seems as if your cash flow is in a downward slope, keep a tight rein on your budget.

Do not spend on unnecessary business purchases and always balance your books.

If you are one to buy on impulse or if you are the type to listen to those who sweet-talk you into purchasing “necessary” items, control yourself.

Get a second and third opinion if possible, as these impulsive buys may lead to the end of your small organization.

>Do not be afraid to seek professional help.

The fall of most small businesses start with decisions on problems which are not carefully analyzed.

Although you think that you already have a contingency plan, make sure that you have foreseen the results of a certain business decision.

In the long run, it is better to seek professional help rather than embark on a plan that could start the downfall of your business.

>Keep your books straight.

The better option is for you to hire a professional outside accountant to figure the returns of your investment and handle the other financial aspects of your business.

>Take advantage of every free business counseling whenever available.

This does not just help widen your knowledge, but it will also give you an idea of how other businesses are ran by small-scale owners.

>Know exactly where your business is headed.

In your day-to-day operation, make sure that you know where you want your company to be 5 or 10 years from now.

Be always aware of the trends in the industry that you are in, practice good money management and learn how to recognize potential problems before they arise.

2. Learn how to market your small organization.

Marketing is not about trying to sell your products and services to everyone.

It is about knowing who to market your products to.

In marketing, it is good to remember these fast facts:

> Know about your customers.

>Communicate with your customers.

>Build a good and personalized relationship with your customers.

This will be a great edge for you to have against the bigger companies.

They might offer discounted prices but it is harder for them to keep track of customers on a more personal basis.

>Do not stop the marketing process.

As a small organization, you need to routinely review the markets that you need to pursue so that you can better reach out to your customers.

Remember, small organizations are big businesses these days so do not be afraid to work hard for the company that you have – not matter how small.

If you work hard, make wise business decisions, learn how to market your small business and personalize your customer interaction, your small-scale business is sure to rise to the top.

Do you remember when you first heard of Ebay. Online auction place. Who thought back then it would end up being so big and so many people would be using this auction site. Most of us are aware that you can auction off just about anything on Ebay. People are making serious money selling products online at Ebay. It is also a great resource to find those hard to find items.

Have you checked into the many possibilities on the web to making some serious cash? There are so many ways to work from home and run your own business. You can buy products wholesale and setup your own internet store. If you do not want to stock items you can find companies that will drop ship your products for you. There are even programs you can buy online that are a complete system that shows you how to do this. Did you ever think you could get your own business up and running for roughly under 100 pounds?

You can make money selling ebooks, writing articles for websites, creating websites…
There are so many ways to make money on the internet today. It just takes a little research and then time on your part to really learn the best ways to promote your idea and become knowledgeable about all the different ways to advertise online.

Do you have what it takes to become an aspiring entrepreneur to start and manage a home based Internet Business? Do you have the Entrepreneur Bug?

Seems with the growth of the World Wide Web more people are becoming entrepreneurs. Just what is an Entrepreneur? There are many definitions the most simple is a person who owns, operates, and takes the risk of starting a business venture. An entrepreneur can also be known as an inventor.

Do you need to invent a product to be an ruthless entrepreneur? Absolutely not, just take an already existing product or idea and create a business and profit from it. Organize a business venture and assume the risks for it. Come up with your own niche to get clients, close deals and start making some serious money. What ever you decide to get involved with you should make sure you really know your product inside and out. What are you waiting for? Start brainstorming today and make your dream of being independently wealthy a reality.

The Internet is rife with opportunities in information and business. Entrepreneurs have utilised the relatively new medium to create businesses and earn themselves sizeable amounts of cash. For the regular user looking to earn money, there is seemingly no end of schemes to join. But few of these can match the potential earning power and ease of online sports betting affiliate programs. The online affiliate program offers all Internet users the opportunity to create their own demi-business from home. The simplicity is possibly the greatest thing about the affiliate program. There are only a few things that you need, a website, sign up to a sport betting affiliate program and then some space on your site to squeeze in a few advertisements. As with all simple business opportunities, it may appear too good to be true, but the fact is that affiliate programs produce result after result for hundreds of thousands of web users each and every year.

Affiliate programs are fundamentally a way for large websites to gain free advertising. Without having to pay any cash up front, the affiliate program works as a supply and demand enterprise. The demand is from the sport-betting site that requires new customers to keep generating new capital, and this is supplied by the thousands of affiliates. The affiliate program allows websites to spread their net to encompass a vast section of the Internet, without ever having to pay a penny. The affiliates are rewarded on delivery of a new fully paid up customer, as are the sports betting sites. The benefits for both parties speak for themselves. On the sports betting side, the site achieves a new customer and all of the profits and bonuses that arise from them. Whilst the affiliate generates between 20 and 35% of the players lifetime money generated for the betting site.

Affiliates with an entrepreneurial perspective cab easily generate a significant profit from their small business. With an affiliate earning up to 35% of a players total lifetime money, it does not take too long to amass a clientele that will generate a significant amount. Therefore if marketed right a site can start turning their revenue into extra revenue, by utilising profits and reinvesting in further advertising opportunities. Smaller businesses may not see the need to reinvest valuable revenue, but for those with a taste for entrepreneurial marketing the opportunities are there to make your site a big earner. It stands to reason that an affiliate stands a greater chance of attracting new customers to their clients external sites, if they can first attract more to their own site. The more people passing through the more likely somebody is to click on the advertising banners. Increasing a sites visibility is not always simple but there are a number of options available to website owners, with any budget. SEO documents, blog entries, forum posting and advertising through major search engines or other sites can all help lead valuable customers to your sites door. Then all you have to do is sit back and wait for them to click the links and earn your business some serious revenue.

First steps: choosing the business

When I was thinking about starting an internet business there were a few things that were must have requirements.

The first one was that I needed to be able to get the business to profitability for less than 1600 (100). In practice each site has cost more than that when you figure in the marketing costs needed to get it off the ground quickly. The silk tie retailing site was set up for less than 300 but when you factor in marketing spend, then I have spent almost 800 per month on marketing, mostly Google Adwords and Overture. It is only after month three that I have got close to breaking even. Anyway, near enough and if you are more patient and make less costly mistakes than me then you should be able to do it for less.

Secondly. The business had to need as little manual work as possible. I am after a business that I can start working part time and as am a management consultant and sell my time by the hour, for me time really is money. I am also not keen on hiring people if I can avoid it. The internet has the potential to offer some really virtual businesses and I wanted to use this. For this reason as well as start-up costs this means that I do not want to stock or handle any products. I do a lot of supply chain consulting work so it was obvious to me that I could have a business that used other companies to buy, store and deliver the products. The easiest way to do this is by using dropshipping. Dropshippers are wholesalers that ship individual customer orders direct to your customers.

There is a lot of information on dropshipping online, however it has to be said that there are some terrible dropshipping companies where prices are too high or products too common to successful. Typical of these is thSelect which charges a fee to join, but once you join you find that the prices are often higher than they are being sold for on eBay and are widely sold with lots of competition. It is very hard to make good money from these sort of dropshippers. There are however some good companies out there with niche products where achievable margins are good.

The third requirement was that the business needed to have the potential to generate at least 1k per month in profit. That way with a few web businesses it could become my full time job. I decided that I was not trying to start the next Amazon, instead I was after a good profitable niche. Something not too competitive and with no house-hold names as competitors. This means that I have not gone into electronics even though it is the area I know the best, it is a very competitive market online and were competition includes Amazon and Dixons. To be successful in electronics you either need to find a niche not served by the big boys or spend serious money to get established.

I then started searching for business ideas. I read the get rich quick newsletters, internet marketing newsletters, internet business forums and drop shipping websites. I searched for dropship suppliers then when I found a product that I thought might be promising, did a search for it and checked out the competition. If after that it still looked interesting then I did a keyword search on Google AdWords to find out how many clicks I could get and at what cost.

While doing this I came across some sites selling ready-made business websites. Essentially they provide a shop template, a catalogue and a supplier of stock and off you go. These sell for between 50 (80) and 500 (800). I wasted a fair bit of money with a couple of false starts. I bid on a lingerie web business template on eBay with a starting price of 99; my wife was a lingerie merchandiser for Marks & Spencers and so I though she could help, then I saw a gadgets website from the same people and thought I would get that and see if I could find a gadgets niche and bid for that too. Trouble was I then did some more research and found that lingerie was very competitive online and that the supplier I would be getting had a limited selection of very tarty undies at rather high prices. I also found that the gadget supplier was the Select and as I have already said they are overpriced. I then found the tie web business and decided this was a better niche where margins really are 60% and bought that one from DpbUK who have been very good. Unfortunately no one else bid on the two on eBay and I ended up winning them although I no longer wanted them. 300 wasted. Oops. So do your homework carefully before buying; look carefully at the sample sites and try and find some clues to the suppliers, check the competition out and make sure the margins are high enough.

Are you a small business owner who runs an online business? If you are, are you currently satisfied with your businesss profits? Even if you are happy with the money that you are currently making, you may be looking to make even more. If you are, you may want to examine the marketing tactics that you are using, if you are even marketing your business at all.

When it comes to marketing an online business, you will often find that it is easier to market an online business than it is a storefront business. One of the reasons for that is because of the internet. There are a number of different ways that the internet can help you with the marketing of your online business. A few of those ways are briefly touched on below.

One of the many ways that you can go about marketing your business online is by using online message boards, which are also commonly referred to as online forums. Online message boards or online forums are communities where internet users are able to come together and discuss activities or interests they may share. There are many online message boards or forums that allow participating members to have what is referred to as a signature. A signature is a block of print that always appears at the end of a members posts. It is not uncommon for an online message board moderator to allow signatures to include business links, like a link to your online store or online website. With using online message boards or forums, the more you post the more exposure your online store gets.

Another way that you can market your small online business is by joining a pay per click advertising program, like Google Adwords. What is nice about pay per click advertising programs is that, just as the name sounds, you only have to pay when one of your advertisements gets clicked on. This type of advertising arrangement may be able to save you a considerable about of money, when compared to paying a flat rate fee for an advertisement that may never even be seen, let alone clicked on. Also, by doing business with a well-known pay per click advertising program, like Google Adwords, you are less likely to experience problems associated with malicious clicks, as the programs tend to be carefully monitored, to ensure that you don t end up wasting money on the marketing for your small business.

In addition to paying for advertising, you may also be able to get free advertising by doing what is known as a link exchange. A link exchange is when one website owner, like you, agrees to display the online website link or banner for another website owner, free of charge, as long as they do the same for you. If you are looking for free or low-cost ways to market your small online business, a link exchange may be the perfect option for you. The only thing that you want to make sure you do is not exchange links with your competition. You want to try and make sure that all links can be connected or related to each other, in one way or another, but you dont want to end up generating income for your competition.

When it comes to running a small online business, standard internet searches may also pay a large role in the traffic that you and your website receives. That is why it is important that your website, whether it is used to sell products or services, is optimized for the search engines. This process is commonly referred to as search engine optimization. When it comes to search engine optimization, content is important. Your website needs to be filled with content that the search engines will pick up, as well as content that your visitors can read. If you need assistance with this, you may want to think about hiring the services of a SEO specialist or a professional content writer.

The above mentioned marketing approaches are just a few of the many that you may want to use to help increase your small online businesss profits. For the best chance of success, you are advised to implement more than just one of the above mentioned approaches.

October 2, 2007. Its a typical day at SEOhaus in the largest office located within the companys 1400sqft. space, employees sit in a semi-circle around a cordless speaker phone.

“We need to really focus on improving our PR,” a client says, his voice on speaker phone audible throughout the room.

“We can do that,” one of the employees says, glancing down at the yellow legal pad on her lap. “Lets come up with a solution.”

Ten minutes later, when the meeting ends, the employees disperse to their respective offices, and the companys owners, William Senn, 26, and William Canu, 25, take a short break from their hectic work schedules to share what its like being an entrepreneur under 30.

“Were growing so fast,” Canu says, leaning back in his office chair and glancing over his shoulder at the busy traffic below on Kettner Blvd. “Its amazing.”

The two Williams, who started SEOhaus from the proceeds of their last business venture’s mail-order DVD rental service, have seen their company grow from a single room with two employees (themselves) to a small business with approximately ten full-time employees and growing. Next week, the company will move to a much larger office suite down the hall.

“Were excited,” says Senn, a former Google employee.” The walls of the new office are being painted right now, and it (the move) is starting to feel official.”

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is all about the art of achieving increased traffic, presence, and page rankings (i.e. higher search results) for a website, and this is achieved by a variety of different methods, including, but not limited to: building links, writing and marketing SEO content articles, social bookmarking, and web design.

“SEOhaus is a boutique firm,” Senn explains, “We specialize in customized services, and our employees are very good at what they do.”

SEOhaus and its twenty-something owners, represent a growing trend in American business: young entrepreneurs making an impact in their respective industries and developing successful businesses before their 30th birthday.

Their generation, known as Generation Y (1981-1995) is a generation of young entrepreneurs. The online publication Inc.com recently released the list of the “thirty coolest entrepreneurs under thirty,” profiling individuals who began their own companies—some while still living in their parents houses, and have seen them grow exponentially in only a few short years.

How To Avoid Double Taxation Of Your Small Business Profits

Have you been thinking about incorporating your small business or self-employment activity? The advantages are many!

For starters, you’ll be protecting yourself and your family from the possibility of a business ending lawsuit. Forming a corporation is Step One on the path known as “Asset Protection” — you are moving from the world of unlimited liability to the world of limited liability.

(NOTE: For further insight into the legal advantages of incorporating, check out the article: “It Can Happen To You: Why Any Sole Proprietorship Is A Risky Business” at http:www.YouSaveOnTaxes.comhappen-to-you.html)

From a tax standpoint, there are both advantages and disadvantages to incorporating. Yes, forming a corporation can either reduce your taxes or increase your taxes, depending on what type of corporation you create.

There are two main types of corporations: “C” Corporations and “S” Corporations — and which type you choose can make all the difference in the world of taxes.

NOTE: The question of “C” Corp vs. “S” Corp has no effect on the asset protection provided by your corporation. This is a tax issue, not a legal issue.

A “C” Corporation can lead you into a Tax Trap known as “double taxation”. Yes, income from a “C” Corporation can actually be taxed twice — once when it’s earned on the corporate level and again when it’s paid to you, the shareholder, in dividends.

There are several ways to avoid double taxation. Often the easiest way is to tell the IRS that you choose to be an “S” Corp instead of a “C” Corp. The profits of an “S” Corp are not taxable to the corporation; instead, those profits are reported directly on the shareholder’s personal income tax return and are therefore only taxed once.

And once is enough, don’t you think!

Of course, any article on Choice of Entity must contain the old disclaimer, “Consult your tax professional” — I am not prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach to this issue. But for many small biz owners and self-employed folks, the “S” Corporation is a good fit because it provides protection from personal liability and avoids the nasty tax trap of double taxation — two great benefits worth checking into.

Should you incoporate your sole proprietorship and then decide that the “S” Corporation is the right fit, you must inform the IRS that your corporation is choosing “S” Corporation status by filing Form 2553, which is, in effect, an application to become an “S” Corporation.

IMPORTANT:

If you incorporate and do not file Form 2553, you are automatically considered to be a “C” Corporation by the IRS. In other words, to be a “C” Corporation, you just incorporate; there is nothing you have to do to inform the IRS you want to be a “C” Corporation.

There are critical rules regarding how and when to file Form 2553, so be sure to read the instructions carefully, or check with your tax pro.

Failure to file Form 2553 on time or filing Form 2553 incorrectly results in a rejection of your corporation’s “S” Corp application, and the corporation is then by default treated as a “C” Corp, subject to double taxation, the very trap you were trying to avoid.

To download a copy of Form 2553, go to: http:www.irs.govpubirs-pdff2553.pdf

The instructions for filing Form 2553 are found here: http:www.irs.govpubirs-pdfi2553.pdf

If youre frustrated by the conflicting and inaccurate information youve found regarding grant money for a small business, then dont worry. This article is your best source for the most accurate and up to date data. Read on and find out why!

Many people today searching for small business grant money to start their own for profit business assume that grants are nothing more than free money. Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but small business grant money is hardly free money at all. In fact, these grants are more like contracts with their own set of obligations and restrictions that you must comply with or risk suffering sanctions imposed by your funding resource.

In the case of government grants, the rules are even stricter. One of the first places that people often turn to is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, which is where all listings of government grants approved by Congress are announced. The problem with this resource is that there are very few programs available for small businesses.

These grants are usually awarded to deserving individuals or nonprofit organizations having some community-based project in mind. Rarely will you find a government grant awarded to help set up a for profit business. That is why when searching for a small business grant you should not turn only to the government for funding resources.

A good source of grant money is the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). The AFP is considered the chief professional association for fundraisers. The association was formerly known as the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (NSFRE). Their website at AFPnet.org offers sections on ethics, public policy, publications (including AFPs online bookstore), professional advancement, local chapters, jobs, and youth in philanthropy (along with a member gatewaydashboard).

Besides that, the AFP also provides a list of organizations (including their websites) that are among the top basic resources of grant money. Foremost on their list is the Foundation Center at FDNCenter.org, which publishes the revered Foundation Directory.

Consider contracts. Government money can sometimes come in the form of contracts. If you can demonstrate that your company can execute a budget line item, if you can shape part of your idea to what the government wants done for a particular project say something educational or construction-oriented if you can fill a need, you can compete, says Francie Ward, CEO of the Business Owners Idea Caf at BusinessOwnersIdeaCafe.com.

Thank you for reading this article. I hope that it has helped you and that you were able to find, through our research, the answers you were seeking.

you are contemplating setting up a small online business you should realise it is simply to down to a numbers game.

The difference between businesses that succeeded and ones that do not is down to their conversion ratios, meaning the ratio of visitors who actually become paying customers.

If one in 50 of your visitors become a paying customer, then you will have a conversion ration of 2%. All businesses should aim to increase this ratio, simple things like using enticing tactics such as a sale can help.
The trouble is nowadays people seem desperate for visitors, they panic and pay for batches of visitors. Unfortunately these systems rarely increase your conversation ratio at all; in fact all they do is give you a false perception of your business.

A lot of online small business owners make 3 mistakes:

1.They put Google Adsenseaffiliates everywhere, in my opinion these are good systems but they do detract from your core business.
2.They make their websites too complicated, when marketing to a worldwide audience; keep your website simple and easy to follow.
3.They get greedy, their prices are too high.

These points may seem obvious but it is often the most obvious things that people miss.

Here are some general guidelines for small business owners.

1.Spend time researching your website development.
2.Have an understanding of Keywords and how they benefit your site.
3.List with the main search engines and directories.
4.Have patience, especially in the first year.
5.Be imaginative
6.Dont be greedy, dont scare potential customers away.

Remember do not get carried away by the amount of visitors to your site, simply work on improving your conversation ratio, by doing this year on year you will be well on your way to running a successful business.

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Looking for a serious investment opportunity? You may want to consider buying a small business in the United Kingdom. There are several ways to turn a good profit in small business, but there are some important things to keep in mind if you are looking for an investment opportunity, especially if you are an investor from the United States, Canada, and elsewhere.

Any investment opportunity naturally comes with some risk. Foreign investors will need to calculate an additional variable when figuring up the possible amount of profit margin, loss ,and potential for both, as well as the exchange rate. How well is your currency doing against the British Pound? Be sure to include some wiggle room in your budgeting for fluctuations in the exchange rate.

For those already living in the UK, concerns such as taxation and local regulation are familiar topics. To those in overseas locations, its important to look up the laws of the land pertaining to your type of business, the taxes for which you will be liable, and how to properly account for them. This may seem elementary to those with experience in putting money into an overseas investment opportunity, but for the first-time investor in a UK small business, there are many laws and policies that might surprise you. The key is to do your homework, get the advice of a good UK legal expert, and be prepared for a new and different way of doing business.

If you want to buy a small business in the UK, its good to do a bit of research into the type of business you want to use as an investment opportunity. Are there ways that you can expand the business onto the Internet? Can the Internet be a help to you in increasing sales, market visibility, or media awareness? All of these factors are important to keep in mind. The most successful small businesses are the ones whose owners know how to take advantage of the Internet, while still meeting local needs and demands with speed and precision. Its not so different than doing business anywhere else in the Western world. Its important to understand how the buyers in your area of the UK respond to and utilize the Internet when it comes to commerce.

Youll also want to give your competing businesses a good hard look to see how they are using the Internet. Are you thinking of investing in an already crowded market? If so, youll need some fresh ideas to give your version of the business a new approach so that you can set it apart from the competition.

A UK investment opportunity in small business may bring some unexpected surprises if you are considering investing in a rising star business. For example, twenty years ago, nobody had ever heard of a cyber caf. Today, cities are full of places that offer Internet services, games, coffee, and more for a price. This concept has become a very important part of many communities. Those who took the initial risk a few years ago, putting money in what they saw as a good investment opportunity, are reaping their rewards today.

Those who buy a small business in the UK often find that the investment opportunity is well worth the risks. With some research, a bit of financial planning, and the expert advice of a UK legal advisor, you can turn a potential opportunity into a major success. If you are living in America, Canada, or elsewhere, you owe it to yourself to pay a visit to the United Kingdom to see for yourself just what kinds of investment opportunities await you there.

http:www.bizseller4u.com