Normally in this column I dispense highly-intelligent small
business advice in response to thought-provoking questions
submitted by future and fellow entrepreneurs. This week,
however, I have a couple of questions for myself, one of which
makes me wonder how truly intelligent I really am.
Q: Dear Me, I recently took my teenage daughter shopping at the
mall. The experience raised two questions. (1) What business
lessons might be learned from such a foray into teen commerce;
and (2) What the heck ...
Read the rest of this entry »
September 3rd, 2010 in
Business
What a wonderful invention it is, this thing we call the
Internet!
If you would just take your time to know your way around, you
could discover a lot of premium products and services being
offered for free. What's best is that there is a seemingly
endless number of these wonderful finds, what with the Internet
being a vast network of constantly evolving ideas and all!
Among these magnificent benefits is the chance to be able to
promote your business, any business, online, free of charge! ...
Read the rest of this entry »
September 2nd, 2010 in
Advertising
Though there are a number of e-commerce web solutions in the
market, what makes your e-commerce venture stand out from the
thousands of other such ventures on the Internet and fetch you a
high Return on Investment is your e-business strategy. If you
have your e-business strategy neatly defined, it would be easier
for you to choose your customized e-commerce solution.
Depending upon your ebusiness strategy, website developers
develop for you
e-commerce web solutions that suit
your business ...
Read the rest of this entry »
September 1st, 2010 in
Shopping
Most people think that e-commerce is about people buying and
selling stuff online with their credits card. This is wrong.
There is another method of buying and selling online which is
surprisingly common, and this second method is likely to become
increasingly common in the times to come. In this second method
you execute a purchase an order through a 'digital' currency
rather than a credit card.
The E-Currency Payment Process
Let's suppose some guy in Taiwan is selling table sets over ...
Read the rest of this entry »
August 31st, 2010 in
Shopping
/p>
In recent years, Internet virtually has become major driving
force of economic and technological growth in many industries.
It is fundamentally changing the way companies operate, do their
trade and interact with each other and it is giving birth to new
processes and business models that were previously
unimaginable.
First type of the Internet business models that created a
different business method was Business to Consumer (B2C)
eCommerce. Business to Business eProcurement systems ...
Read the rest of this entry »
August 30th, 2010 in
Shopping
Q: I started my business about a year ago and everything is
going fine. We're growing and making a profit, but the stress of
running the business is really starting to get to me. I spend
more time worrying than working. Sometimes the pressure is
almost more than I can take. I'm starting to think that I'm not
cut out to run my own business. Do you have any advice that
might help me decide what to do? -- Steven S.
A: I'm full of advice, Steven, and it's totally free. Just
remember, you get what ...
Read the rest of this entry »
August 29th, 2010 in
Business
An eCommerce merchant account can be likened to the cashier of
an actual, physical store. They process payments, and eCommerce
merchant accounts do the same, albeit, with added flair and
whole lot more features.
Much like how an actual, physical store cannot do business with
a cashier, an online business would falter without a reliable
eCommerce merchant account, sales can be lost and credibility
lost.
But what is an eCommerce merchant account, exactly?
An Ecommerce Merchant Account Is The ...
Read the rest of this entry »
August 28th, 2010 in
Shopping
Building a web site isn't something that is really cut and dry.
There's a huge variety of products and services that can either
help you get your web site where you want it or simply confuse
you. It's also important that you make the right choices upfront
so that you don't end up having to restructure your whole web
site because of some problem in your design layout. The level of
time investment neccessary for mastery in a lot of these
software packages can range from little to a VERY ...
Read the rest of this entry »
August 27th, 2010 in
Shopping
1) Write down your objective before creating any marketing or
advertising. What do you want to achieve with this marketing
piece? Who is the target audience?
What action do you want the prospect to take after reading it?
Have you made it clear and easy for the prospect to take the
next step in the sales process? With a clear objective, you'll
be able to create more focused marketing material.
2) Make it a habit to ask customers how they heard about your
company. Keep track of their responses ...
Read the rest of this entry »
August 26th, 2010 in
Advertising
Q: One of the big chain bookstores recently opened up near my
small book store. Already I can see my business starting to
decline. Is there anything I can do to compete with the bigger
store or should I just accept the inevitable? -- Peter Q.
A: A wise man once said, "The inevitable is never a sure thing."
Don't be so quick to close the book on your business, Peter. You
probably can't compete with the superstore on volume of
inventory or on price, but there are other things you can do to
help ...
Read the rest of this entry »
August 25th, 2010 in
Business