Business Plans Do's and Dont's

Everyday people come up to me and ask me questions on how to make their business a success.  I noticed that when I ask them to put it in writing that’s when the conversation stops.  A business plan for your company, service or idea is imperative if you want to own your business. I find it wise to follow some of the individuals that have been successful and see what they have to say about business, planning.

Mark Cuban is noted as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world.  A self made billionaire, he is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and has sold businesses worth millions of dollars to companies like Yahoo and Compuserve. One of his blog posts goes over what you should NOT to do in a business plan.

            For starters you should always show some sort of investment in your company. It can be as simple as building a website and buying a $10 domain so that when you submit your business plan to investors it shows that you invested in your business. Of course, It’s understood that you don’t have funds, but when you build a business you have to show that you invested ALL that you could possibly could.

             Dave Lavensky is known for his expertise in business plans worldwide. Although he is known for his business plan help blog growthink.com , he has successfully practiced what he preached by starting many internet-based businesses.

In one of his blogs he suggest that we should:

1.)     Plan- Planning is an essential key to any business plan.  Sticking to a game plan will  save you time, money, and possibly a headache or two.

 2.)     Get better information- Especially if your business plan has a lot of competition. Investing in great information sources can set your business plan to a higher parallel than the rest. And it may possibly make your business plan more successful overall.

 

 3.)     Using the right tools-  This is self-explanatory. Using the correct tools can polish you business plan and help your time management capacity.

In the next blog posts we will go over how these tactics work in action. Be sure to follow this blog. Until next time.

Blackberry = The Better Phone for Marketing?

I’ve had recent discussions with my peers in regards to my Blackberry. Be advised that my good coworkers and friends have jumped on the iphone 4G bandwagon. Everyday I get the business about why they think the iphone is better.  However, the Blackberry series by Research In Motion has been a staple when it comes to the business smartphone. So, I decided to do a study and compare the two best phones that Apple and RIM makes and take a opinionated approach on which is better.

The iphone boast the following key features:

• A full touch screen keypad.
• 5 megapixel camera.
• Integration with other apple products (MacBook, ipad, etc.) through the use of their cloud system (available next year).
• Two versions available 16 and 32 Gigabyte version.
• Only available with two carriers (Verizon and AT&T).
• One serious App System.

The Blackberry Torch carries these features:

• Full “qwerty” keyboard both touch screen and physical.
• 5 megapixel camera.
• Superior e-mail integration.
• 4  Gigabytes of device memory with a Micro SD slot that can hold up to 32 gigabytes of memory
• Only available for AT&T. (other Blackberry models are available for all carriers).
• Detachable battery with extended battery life.

Now I’m not a professional when it comes to these two phones so I decided to check out Technobuffalo’s You Tube page to compare and contrast options.

The iphone is known for its Internet speed, higher resolution screen, call quality, and great apps. The Torch is known for its great battery life, text and e-mail functionality, and reception. The Blackberry is a better phone for marketing and business, but Apple did a better job of marketing their phone. It’ still comes down to what you’re using the phone for in my opinion.

 If you’re looking for a phone that is made for fun, internet browsing, and functionality with your other apple products then iphone is for you. If you’re looking for a phone that give you traditional business marketing feel, longer battery life, and great e-mail and navigation capabilities then the Torch is phone. Leave comments and tell me what do you think? 

Picture sources:

http://www.redmondpie.com/iphone-4-hd-aluminum-unibody-9140590/

http://blogs.blackberry.com/2010/08/blackberry-torch-interview/

Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z68o1a5zlc&NR=1&feature=fvwp

http://us.blackberry.com/smartphones/blackberrytorch/

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

The True Power of Search Engine Optimization

I love to hear news when the underdog beats the big guys at their own game by using marketing techniques and technology. Recently, a small Swedish record company known as X5 Music Group has been leading the charts in classical music distribution. This company has defeated giants like Universal Music Group in this genre of music. So how does a 43-employee company bring shame to one the biggest names in the music industry?

      Typically, music is re-mastered and distributed on CD’s and maybe even sold iTunes. X5 music group redefined the way that the music was marketed and they did this with no new artists and no CD sales.

   

      The company did the following:

·       Landed distribution deals with the record companies that own the rights to the classical music (Mozart, Beethoven, etc.).

·       Started making digital compilations of the classical music.  These practices may seem normal but it’s the way the company marketed the music that set them apart from the competition. 

·       Titled their compilations to attract certain mini target audiences by using titles like “Top Ten Classical Pieces to Brighten Your Day”. 

·       The company utilized the technology of search engine optimization to sell the music on Amazon.com and iTunes. Keywords like  “Classical” were in every title. This helped X5 reach clients who really doesn’t have a clue or inquires about classical music on the web.

X5 beats the big distribution competitors by using search engine optimization to their advantage. Other companies are using SEO to boost their company up on the search engines so that they have the opportunity to be close to the top of a search engine website (like Google, Yahoo, Bing) when their keywords are searched for on the sites. This kind of technology is a cost effective key component for small businesses that are trying to be discovered on the Internet.  It also may give your business the opportunity to achieve your marketing and company goals.