Category: Saving Money

The act or process by an individual, a family or small business, of taking a portion or percentage of weekly or monthly income and setting it aside by placing it in a savings account or other account such as a IRA to be used at some future date. Reasons for saving might include paying for unexpected events, medical expenses, child’s education, retirement lifestyle and other future purchases.

Your Articles in Article Directories: Income

Article directories are websites that house free articles. These articles are usually put there by whoever owns the copyright to them, and each serves its writer in a promotional capacity in the sense that it includes a byline which appears under the article so that visitors who eventually read it will know who wrote it (or at least who owns it) and will be able to get in contact with him/her or visit the owner’s website for further information.

Article directories are a great place to put your articles so that they will – potentially – make you money if they receive enough exposure and readership. By using this method, visitors to the directory who are interested in your product or service will see your article, acknowledge you as an expert on the subject and will probably visit your website.

Even if you don’t have a lot of confidence in ytour ability to write, or have little or no knowledge of the product/service you are promoting (for example, running an affiliate website), you can always hire a writer to do the work for you. It is important to point out here, however, that getting quality articles written could be expensive at first, but they will pay for themselves in little time – either through affiliate sales or selling your own services – and the income from then on will be all profit.

Let’s take a real life example. Imagine that you are an accountant working from home and you write an article on an accounting topic and place it on various article directories. Those who are looking for the subject you wrote about will read your article, see that you have the knowledge and skill necessary to do a job for them.

In this scenario there is really nothing to prevent them from visiting your website or contacting you by email to learn more about your product or service. Your article will have gained you a new client who may use your services regularly, but will definitely give you a nice profit at least once.

Furthermore, since you have posted it on a free article directory, others who have affiliate websites about accounting will most likely use your article for their website; and since they must attach your byline to it, this will bring you even more exposure for every website that re-posts your article thereby providing even more benefits to you from the traffic that they get to their website.

There are numerous article directories out there for you to utilize. Among them is iSnare, eZines and Go Articles. That having been said, your bet best might be to put a copy of each of your articles on every one the free article directories for maximum exposure. It will eventually help to bring more traffic and customers to your website, which will lead to new orders and even more profit.

 

Small Companies Can Pursue Big Business

Like the movie

In the movie “You’ve Got Mail”, if you put the love angle aside for a moment you’ll remember a sub-plot in which heroine Annie Reed (played by Meg Ryan) was forced out of business when big-time bookstore owner Sam Baldwin (played by Tom Hanks) moved into town.

You may recall that Annie owned a quaint little bookstore which she inherited from her mother, and although the prices of her books are a little more costly, she makes up for it with excellent service which included packing the books in a specialized bag and knowing all her customers by name.

Sam, on the other hand, moved into town to build a branch for a big chain-bookstore which offered discounted prices out of a huge building which housed the company’s operations, which made Annie’s little bookshop on one corner of the town’s street seem inconsequential.

As the movie went, Annie was forced out of business because her customers went to Sam’s monstrous bookshop, and although they did not get the kind of customized service offered by the small “mom and pop” store she operated they paid less and presumably benefitted from having a larger selection of books.

Thinking back to the movie, we’re told that Annie was forced out of business because she can no longer realize a profit due to her prices being too steep as compared to her competitor’s big business discounted rates; and therefore her only edge is to provide personal service and employ a very small staff (about 2 or 3 employees).

The movie aside, however, this situation no longer holds true in the modern-day business environment, as more and more small businesses are blazing the trail and giving big businesses a dose of their own medicine.

Competition

 

As a small organization you may consider incorporating these tools, resources and features in your daily operations as an edge in competing against the big business sharks. That having been said, here are a few 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 own or manage, it is better to learn about the competition so that you will be able to survive.

2. Keep your business alive – When it seems as if your cash flow is on a downward spiral, keep a tight rein on your budget. Do not spend on unnecessary business purchases, and always balance your books. If you are one who is prone to buying on impulse, or if you are the type who listens to those that 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.

3. 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 may think that you already have a contingency plan, make sure you have foreseen the results of a particular business decision; but in the long run, it is better to seek professional help than to embark on a plan that could lead to the downfall of your business.

4. Keep your books straight – The better option is for you to hire an outside accountant who is a professional to figure the returns of your investment and handle other financial aspects of your business.

5. Take advantage of every free business counseling whenever available – This not only helps to broaden your knowledge, but it will also give you an idea of how other businesses are managed by small-scale owners.

6. Know exactly where your business is headed – In your day-to-day operation, make sure you know where you want your company to be five or ten years down the road, and be always aware of the trends in your industry. Practice good money management and learn how to recognize potential problems before they arise.

7. Learn how to market your small organization – Marketing is not about trying to sell your products and services to everyone, but rather, 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.
The universal symbol of civil discourse

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Never stop marketing!

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 as personal a level as you can.

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 – no matter it’s size; because ultimately, 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.