The core premise of authentic self promotion is that showing up, serving, and thriving are interrelated. Promotion, or putting yourself forward, is part of showing up and is essential to having a successful business. Having a successful business is essential to being and sustaining an offer of service. In other words, you cannot serve if you do not take care of business.

Authenticity is the cornerstone of effective, sustainable self promotion because being authentic draws on a renewable resource, i.e., your core values and strengths. Put it all together, and you have authentic promotion.

Authentic self promotion is grounded in the conviction that you have something of unique value to offer the world and that you are willing to discover how to embody that offer, to show up and serve, and to thrive in the process.

Authentic self promotion reconciles values of service and integrity with the tools and practices of effective small business marketing. Authentic promotion of your small business rejects the easy dismissal of marketing and sales as shallow, manipulative, and inauthentic. Instead, authentic self promotion claims that marketing and sales are vehicles for creating enduring relationships and delivering substantial value. If you choose the path of authentic self promotion, you will learn that marketing your small business effectively will challenge you to evolve continually as a person and as a professional.

Authenticity is intimately involved with creativity, evolution, and change. It is closely allied with the notion of authorship, thus of owning and being accountable for one’s actions. Authenticity acknowledges that we are always creating or writing our life stories. Expressed in business, such authenticity will step up to the challenge of making strong, clear, valid offers to prospects who are likely to benefit from those offers.

When we do business in an authentic fashion, we understand that we will be affected and even changed by the processes of doing business. Authenticity is dynamic. When you extend yourself authentically in the world, you expect an authentic response — one that may touch you deeply and influence your future decisions. There are risks, then, in authenticity.

Egocentric business practices, on the other hand, declare, “I don’t need to answer to anyone. I have no intention of being changed or affected by you as we do business together. Either you like me or you don’t. You’ll either find me or you won’t.”

Often this egocentricity is masked by a pseudo-authenticity, one that pretends to stand for immutable values and unassailable principles but that is really a declaration of self-absorption, “My way or the highway.” A better test for authenticity is whether or not we are willing to be affected by our transactions. The authentic expression of our deepest values and most closely held principles will always open us to the risk and blessings of new possibilities.

Authentic marketing and self promotion says, “I’m here to connect with you. I expect that we will both be changed in the course of our relationship. I am willing to discover you and myself in new ways as we do business. Come on down, let’s see what we can create together.”

I propose that the very real excesses and evils of some business practices can be countered in a powerful way by independent professionals and artists who use their businesses as a vehicle for showing up, serving, and thriving. It’s about more than making a living. Though, unless you do make a living, you will not be able to express your gifts to the fullest.

Authentic self promotion is about trying on business and marketing practices and adapting them to fit your values, your resources, and your unique gifts. It’s about having enough integrity and courage to welcome the inevitable breakdowns as occasions for learning and platforms for future success. In order to be truly authentic — in other words, to authenticate our values and our standards — we must act in the world. We must show up to serve, and we must stop pretending that commerce is something the bad guys do. In this way, we will shine a light on unfamiliar or inadequate practices for the sake of devising better practices.

As a small business owner, you are a risk taker. There is excitement and challenge in such a venture, but to succeed you need good management information, an ability to be a good manager of people and the intelligence and inner strength to make the right decisions. From unnecessary risk taking, thousands of workers die each year and many suffer injury or illness from conditions at work.

How often does an owner or manager actually see work-related deaths, serious injuries or illnesses in the workplace? In some small businesses, the answer is rarely. For this reason, many owners or managers do not understand why there is controversy about the government having occupational safety and health agencies with enforceable laws. But others have learned why; unfortunately, they have experienced a loss. These ownermanagers will tell you that it is too late to do anything once a serious accident happens. They have learned that prevention is the only real way to avoid this loss and unnecessary risk taking.

Reducing losses and risks are goals that you as an owner or manager must set in assuring the safety and well being of all in the business. Small business owners and managers place a high value on the well-being of your employees. Family members and personal acquaintances may be part of the business and even hired employees will become almost like family as time goes by.
Investing in safety and health activity now will better enable you to avoid possible losses in the future.

Nobody wants accidents to happen in the workplace. A serious fire, a permanent injury, or the death of an employee or owner can cause the loss of profit or even an entire business. To prevent such losses, you dont have to turn your business upside down. You may not have to spend a lot of money, either. You do need to use good business sense and apply safety prevention policies. There are reasons why accidents happen. An accident always has a cause and a reason why. Once you know why an accident happened, it is possible to prevent future incidents.

The business needs a plan to prevent accidents. Not all dangers at the workplace depend on an accident to cause harm, of course. Worker exposure to toxic chemicals or harmful levels of noise or even radiation may cause gradual illness over a long period of time. There needs to be a plan that includes prevention of these unseen health hazard exposures. There needs to have a safety and health management system. It is not difficult to develop such a plan. Basically, the plan should address the types of accidents and health hazard exposures that could happen in the workplace. Because each workplace is different, the program should address the specific needs and requirements for the business.

There are four basic elements to all good safety and health programs. These are as follows:

1) The manager needs to lead the way, by setting policy, assigning and supporting responsibility, setting an example and involving employees.
2) The workplace needs to be continually analyzed to identify all existing and potential hazards.
3) Methods to prevent or control existing or potential hazards are put in place, maintained, and updated.
4) Managers, supervisors and employees need to be trained to understand and deal with worksite hazards.

Regardless of the size of the business, the plan should use each of these points to prevent workplace accidents and possible injuries and illnesses. Developing a workplace program following these four points is a key step in protecting you and your workers safety and health. If you already have a program, reviewing it in relation to these points should help you improve what you have.

Following this four-point approach to safety and health in your business may also improve efficiency. It may help you reduce insurance claims and other costs. The plan will certainly give you a way to express and document your good faith and commitment to protecting your workers health and safety.

This approach usually does not involve large costs. Developing a health and safety protection plan does not have to be expensive and generally does not require additional employees, especially in smaller businesses. Safety and health can be integrated into your other business functions with modest effort on your part and will become part of the daily routine.

The key to the success of a safety and health plan and program is to see it as a part of the business operation and to see it reflected in the day-to-day operations. Once implemented, the safety program will become second natured to the owner as well as the employees.

Whether you are starting a manufacturing company or opening up a coffee shop, SBA loans are the way to finance your small business. Small business loans are loans that are guaranteed by the Small Business Administration, which was started to assist entrepreneurs in forming successful small businesses. According to federal government research, small businesses employ fully one-half of Americas private sector workforce and over 99 percent of all employers in the U.S. are small business owners.

There are several benefits to SBA loans, including the many licensed lending partners nationwide. The SBA establishes guidelines, reasonable loan terms, and is able to offer better interest rates and options to businesses in the early stages of development.

There are some difficulties in obtaining a small business loan, however, beginning with the requirements for potential borrowers. Lenders will consider the size of your business, including number of employees, and your companys average revenue in certain industries, such as construction or wholesale.

When you call your lender to be considered for a loan, plan on answering a lot of questions about your business. Some information they might ask you for is a business profile (type of business, sales revenue, number of people you employ, and how long you have been in business), a description of the money you need and how you plan to spend it. Also be prepared to provide collateral and explain how you plan to secure the loan.

There are several different types of SBA loan options available, including:
Basic 7(a) Loan Guaranty
Certified Development Company (CDC), a 504 Loan Program
Microloan, a 7(m) Loan Program

More information about these types of loans can found through your private lender, or the Small Business Administration.

To learn more about the www.sncloans.comsmall-business-loan.html SBA Loans offered and to see if you qualify for one, visit www.sncloans.comSecurity National Capital today.

Mail Forwarding Service: Great for Small Business Owners Working from Home

Mail Forwarding Service: Great for Small Business Owners Working from Home

Each day there are multiple individuals who think about developing their own small business. A small business can include selling merchandise or offering personal services. With a goal and a great business plan it is possible to develop a small business, but due to financial reasons may business owners make the decision to work from home. Owing and operating a small business from home has its advantages, but there are disadvantages as well.

One of the biggest disadvantages to developing a small business from home is how it looks to other people. It is hard to explain why, but there are some people in the world who have a difficult time understanding that it is possible to work from home. A common myth associated with home workers is that they dont always work when they should be. Of course this myth is untrue, but it could have a negative impact on your business.

There are many cases where a customer will not be able to tell whether or not a small business is being operated out of a home. If items are being mailed to and from a small business then the mailing address might give the business location away. Before going any farther it is important to note that not all people have a problem doing business with a company that is home operated, but there are some who do. To prevent your home business address from becoming a problem you could use a mail forwarding service.

A mail forwarding service is a service that is typically offered by an individual or company that specializes in promoting a healthy link between businesses and clients. Each mail forwarding service is likely to differ; however, many mail forwarding services are able to give a home based small business owner a new business address. This address will likely to be an address for a large city, which is something that may appeal to many clients. Having an address in a large city may allow you shed the working from home image.

Providing a new address is not the only aspect of a mail forwarding service. Since you are using an address that you are not located at you may wonder how your mail will get to you. This is where the forwarding part comes in. The individual or company running the mail forwarding service will forward your mail to your real address where you will be able to receive it with only a day few days delay. The exact amount of delay it will take for you to get your mail will all depend on how far away you are located from the mail forwarding service.

As a small business owner you must take the appropriate steps to protect your business and its assets. That is why it is important to considering using a mail forwarding service, especially if you are a small business owner who works from home.

Many people think operating an online business is good idea to make some extra money or to provide them with a way to work anywhere they want. An online business can be a very lucrative way to make money. A online business can provide you with more income and more freedom with your time.

The key to having a successful online business is to find one that you believe in and that suits your style. For instance, if you don’t like selling things or contacting people face to face or by phone, then you probably need to choose a online business that does not require these things. If the online business is selling a product that you, yourself would not use, or don’t believe in, then it makes it very difficult to make a believable presentation to others.

A online business is not going to run by itself, either. Most successful online business entrepreneurs would tell you that their online business got to be successful by working at it, putting in the time and the energy to make it a success. There is no online business that does not require some work. There are, however, some that do not require a large financial investment by you.

The best way to find the perfect online business for you is to do some research about the many different online businesses out there. This way, you can feel confident that you have chosen a online business that you will be good at and will generate the income you are hoping for.

Many people have what they think is a great idea and would love to set up their own small business. The problem many of these people face is how to fund this idea, to get the business off the ground. Unfortunately many of these ideas never come to fruition because of these lack of funds, where in reality there are many avenues people could take to find this initial start-up capital.

I run a small business and have been doing so for about ten years. I remember at the outset worrying about how I would be able to afford to advertise the services that I offer. I would also need a certain amount of money to pay for marketing, such as producing brochures and leaflets, money to have a prescence online via a website and many other initial costs.

I would also need to be able to pay my bills and to basically live while the business was in its infancy, as I realised business would be slow to start with.

I have to say that I am extremely lucky as I have a superb family who are in a position, and are happy to back me financially from time to time. This was my first port of call. I did not just go to see my parents looking for a hand-out, I also went to tell them about what I thought was a brilliant idea.

I discussed with them my plans and about where I believed the business could get to within a few years. They both seemed impressed with not only my idea but also in the belief that I had in it. I also spoke about my short term fear of not having enough money to start the business and to pay the rent etc.

I asked them if they would like to invest in the idea by giving me a short term loan. I planned to pay this loan back in the future when the business would be in a position to make a profit. Luckily for myself, my parents agreed to do this and I have never looked back since. They also gave me the loan interest free, which was a real bonus.

My father also suggested that I might benefit by having a partner. This person could not only bear half of the initial start-up costs but could also help with even more ideas. He stated that he knew somebody who might well be interested. The person in question had been in business a long time and could also teach me a thing or two.

I agreed that the idea was a good one and my father then approached his friend who eventually agreed to become my business partner.

I am aware that I was extremely lucky and that not everyone is as fortunate as myself. There are other areas people can try to get funding however. One of these is to go to the bank to attempt to obtain a business loan, this would probably be a better idea than loading up debt on things such as your credit cards.

Approaching friends could be the next place to look. I have a couple of friends who are not my business partners but are in a way a form of shareholder.

If you have any investments you could dip into these to fund the business at the outset. In my eyes this is the whole point of investing in the first place and the business is also another form of investment.

These are a few of many avenues which people can try. Give it a go you may be surprised at the response people give you. At the end of the day if you do not attempt these avenues you will always be left thinking of what might have been.

If you try all of the options that are available to you but are still not successful in obtaining help, at least you gave it your best shot. Good luck.

People toy with the idea of starting a small business at various stages of their lifes. Some think of starting a small business after their educational career is over. Some think of starting a small business because of unpleasant or unhappy situations they have encountered in their work places. There are also others who think of starting a small business, because that is the only way they will be able to work again following a break from work for reasons such as health or redundancy.

Toying with the idea is one thing, but if you are taking positive steps to get started, then certain myths associated with starting and running a small business should be dispelled from your mind.

1. Starting a small business might appear to be an easy option to many who are desperate to get out of a situation but running a business is not as easy as it appears to be.

2. The general impression created in the minds of many people is that you can make a lot of money by running a small business. A few people do make a lot of money by running a small business. On the other hand there are many people who loose a lot of money unfortunately due to lack of proper research and planning.

3. Another myth is that you are the Boss, so you can work when you want, relax when you want and go on holidays when you want. You are the Boss that is all to it. The rest simply does not happen because of other factors that come into play which will need your presence and attention most of the time.

One major blunder made by many small business entrepreneurs is that they never made any self assessment before starting. It is absolutely important that you do a self assessment to find out whether you possess the following qualities and capabilities that are necessary to operate a successful small business.

1. You must be of sound health.

2. You should be able to work on your own most of the time.

3. You should be self motivated and dedicated.

4. You should possess an outgoing personality and have the ability to get along with other people.

5. You should have the ability to work under pressure.

6. You should preferably have some knowledge about your business.

7. Failure is no option to you.

In addition to the above the following factors have a very important and significant impact in the success of your small business.

A good support system such as your spouse or members of your family.

Contacts in the business world who could help you with advice and help you promote your small business.

Good financial assets to help you start and develop your small business and sustain you during the early months.

Conclusion:

Since they are popularly known as small businesses, many would be entrepreneurs are under the impression that it could be run in a slip shod manner. Most of the inputs necessary to operate a large business successfuly are also necessary in the small business venture too.

Success does not come overnight. There could be disappointments and failures during the early months.Those who cannot withstand these pressures should not contemplate starting a small business.The ability to withstand all these pressures and remain motivated is absolutely necessary to succeed.

Gone: Customers, sales, profits. Following is a simple little tale about how it happens.

“Jones was a typical entrepreneur who worked long hours and wore many hats.

“The problem was that all the hats screamed for attention. Jones solved the problem by wearing the hat that screamed the loudest.

“Unfortunately, this was only a temporary solution since all the hats kept screaming until they were worn.

“There was, however, one hat that never screamed. It never complained, whined or whimpered, even though it was lonely. It knew it was important, whether or not it was worn. That hat was right.

“One day the customers quit coming. The other hats became quiet; they no longer were needed. It was then that Jones noticed the hat named Marketing and how little it had been worn.

“‘Why didn’t I wear the Marketing hat?’ thought Jones.

“For one thing, Marketing hadn’t screamed for attention like the other hats. The other reason was that Jones was afraid the Marketing hat was too expensive to wear and would drain profits.

“But now there were no profits; the customers were gone.

“Jones put on the Marketing hat. It was time to get the old customers back, and to get new customers, too. It was time to wear the Marketing hat regularly.

“Even the other hats perked up.”

(c) 2005 Neil Sagebiel

The rapid growth of the internet commerce in recent years presents established small businesses with a serious dilemma. On the one hand, they can stick with the business model that has worked for them for the last number of years. On the other hand, they can make the shift to serious eBusiness.

Choosing to stand pat is usually much easier in the short term. But in the longer term this almost certainly means they will be left behind by technology, and lose many of their most important clients to more aggressive competitors.

But shifting to eBusiness may involve committing substantial resources to developing a new game plan. That usually means refining product lines to make them easier to sell online, upgrading computer systems and websites, and training personnel at all levels to be more web savvy. It also means developing or hiring staff to handle the administration of new marketing, sales, and delivery systems, and working with outside consultants and service providers to handle the technical aspects of the new program that cannot be handled by your own people.

Is adopting an eBusiness Solution worth the effort?

Are the short term difficulties involved in making the transition to eBusiness worth the effort?

In virtually all cases, Yes.

It is like any other investment in your business. Some businesses look at the cost of upgrading production equipment or of renovating their office or retail space and decide it is simply not worth the cost. They decide the future is too uncertain to risk moving ahead, so they opt to tread water until either circumstances change, or they simply cannot continue any longer in business.

In this sense, choosing to stay abreast of technological changes is a business necessity. And these days, deciding to get involved with eBusiness is the most important technological decision many current businesses will ever make.

Advantages of eBusiness

Here are some of the more important advantages of moving to eBusiness.

You can develop a more cost-effective Communication and Marketing Strategy – The most obvious advantage of “upgrading” to eBusiness is that it gives you a vital web presence. In an upgraded “eBusiness environment” your company web site becomes the focal point of your communications and marketing strategy. And in an era when an increasingly large number of people are using the web as their first source of product and service information, “being there” 247 is extremely important.

You can reach New Markets World Wide – The internet offers exciting ways of reaching new markets that could only be dreamed of in the past. There are methods of promoting your products online that allow you to precisely target the customers you are after whether they are in your town or on the other side of the world.

You can reach Local Customers and Prospects more effectively – Until recently, companies offering a product or service to local customers could not see the benefits of having an online presence. But as more and more people become comfortable with using the internet instead of traditional advertising sources like classified ads or yellow pages, having an aggressive web presence makes better business sense even for local companies. This may also offer a springboard to developing new markets further afield.

You can cut Advertising and Marketing Costs – Online advertising is not only more efficient, but it is often less expensive than traditional advertising. After sales training expenses can also be reduced by utilizing online seminars, training videos and tutorials.

You can streamline the Ordering Process by taking orders online – Implementing an online ordering system allows you to eliminate manual paper work or telephone order taking. It also offers the possibility of integrating your sales order system with order fullfillment and delivery so customers can be up to speed on the progress of their orders at all times.

You can cut Communications and Telephone Costs – While the costs of voice communications using long distance telephone services have been coming down rapidly over the last few years, switching to an eBusiness model offers the possibility of totally eliminating many of these costs. Of course there is traditional email. But beyond that, there are systems like “Live Help” where customers can chat live with support or sales staff. And the most recent development is VoIP (Voice Over Internet) which promises to completely revolutionize telephone service.

Finding the right eBusiness Solution

Every business is unique, so every business will require a unique eBusiness solution. Chances are most small businesses will not have the resources inhouse to make the move. In that case they should find an eBusiness solution provider that takes a comprehensive approach to each situation. Rather than offering a pre-packaged program, they should be able to look carefully at a business and make recommendations based on its specific needs. That includes the ability to provide staff training and ongoing support long after the initial system is put in place.

To be a successful entrepreneur you are going to have to learn to deal with failure. There is no way around it. Thomas Edison tried over ten thousand different experiments before he finally demonstrated the first incandescent light bulb on October 21, 1879. Bill Gates’ first company, Traf-O-Data, was a failure. Michael Jordan was once quoted as saying: “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot; And missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

In my short stint as an entrepreneur I’ve failed more times than I can count. I have also had my share of success, but its not even close to equal. The failures far outweigh the successes, and Im sure I have a lot more failure ahead of me. Im OK with that because I know that as soon as I stop failing, I have stopped trying to innovate. It’s the nature of the business of being an entrepreneur, and of success in general.

If it were easy, everyone would do it. It is naive to think that every good idea that you have will result in a successful business venture. I have yet to hear an entrepreneur say “every single idea I come up with seems to work.” More likely, you hear something like “I failed at my first five businesses before this one took off.”

Think about that for a second. Five businesses. Sometimes the number is three, sometimes it’s 20, but the important point is that most entrepreneurs don’t hit a home-run with their first company. It really does amaze me – how many people have the stones to fail five times and still start a sixth business? You have to be supremely confident and treat those previous five times as a learning experience for the sixth. And if number six fails, you have to do the same and move on to number seven.

In my opinion, the most important thing is how you deal with failure. Once you accept that it’s inevitable, you are able to learn from your mistakes and move on. It’s easy to let the failure consume you – not so much because you are pessimistic, but more so because it is hard to see something that you poured your heart and soul into be ignored or rejected. As soon as possible you need to come to the realization that your business is what they are ignoring or rejecting, NOT you. The sooner you do that, the sooner you can objectively analyze why you failed and learn the things necessary for improvement in the future.

Failure isn’t easy and is extremely frustrating, but it’s a necessary part of success. Don’t believe me? Ask Thomas Edison, Bill Gates or Michael Jordan! Ok, asking Thomas Edison might be a little tough, but you get the idea