The Business Pod's Blog

For most folks, owning your own business is a dream come true.  The freedom of being your own boss and succeeding to the best of your ability are facts of life for the small business owner.  Sure, there's more stress than what you probably imagined when you were creating your grand plans, but with a little strategy and planning you can overcome any tough spot you get in.   There are 7 tactics developed by successful marketers that are sure to make your business as successful as theirs. 1. Create A One of a Kind Selling Point If you want to stand out from the crowd, create a unique selling proposition that stresses the benefits the customers will receive from doing business with you.  Will they get faster service?  Go ahead and dramatize it, but keep the customer at the focus..."Get free overnight delivery!"  Hey, it tells the customer...you get quick service and a discount on shipping.   Two definite benefits in one statement. Why should someone buy from you and

There’s a great line in Alice in Wonderland when the Queen says, “Sometimes I think of 6 impossible things before breakfast.” I think you’ll agree that this has to be creativity at its best! As a small business owner this is an ideal you really need to strive for … but how on earth can you open up your mind to get to the point where ideas just spill out? Small business owners are expected to be creative and inventive, otherwise how could they run their own firm? If you have a sneaky feeling that creativity is not one of your strong points what can you do to stimulate your brain and get it kicked-started? Too many people are ‘limited thinkers’. They have their world placed squarely in a box and nothing can exist outside of that. If the newspaper reports something then it must be right. If Joe next door says that something is impossible then he must be right. As a small business owner, you cannot afford to be a ‘limited thinker’. You have to be an ‘unlimited thinker’ . Get into th

Want to have great ideas? You could try waiting to see if they pop into your head someday, and they honestly might. However, if you want a more systematic method you can use today, here it is in three simple steps: 1. Get knowledge in the area in which you want the ideas. 2. Use idea-generating techniques. 3. Choose the best ideas from the results. You wouldn't expect to come up with a new theory of relativity if you had no knowledge in physics or mathematics. You need some degree of knowledge in the area in which you want new ideas. For truly great ideas, it helps to have a great deal of knowledge. To create a new transportation device, for example, you would want general knowledge in that field, as well as more specific knowledge. This might include knowing a little about all the current modes of transportation. You might add to that a list of things that have been tried and failed, and a list of all the things that people want in their transportation. Ideas an

Everyone I have ever talked to that is an entrepreneur has had to come face to face with their fears. I have had to as well. I want to share with you some of the techniques that I have used to face them. The first step is not to be in denial. You have fears even if you don’t readily acknowledge them. They sometimes take the form of that chatter in the back of your head that says you can’t do it. Fear is such a huge issue preventing people from becoming entrepreneurs. I have heard from the CEO of a property based network marketing company that even though he has people packing out company seminars, that maybe 2-5% of people will actually go out and apply the knowledge by putting offers on property. He is convinced that the rest are paralyzed by fear. Here are some of the techniques I have used as I learned them from the entrepreneurs I know: Think about what you do want. When you find yourself spinning the wheels in your mind over and again about your worst case scenario, turn i