How To Start A Business With Almost No Money

It's almost 2018 and if anyone truly wanted to start a business, there's absolutely nothing holding you back, not even lack of money. Jayson Demers wrote this article about how to start a business even if you're dead broke yet you have a decent business plan...


You’re excited to start a business. Maybe you have an idea, or you’re just fascinated with the idea of launching and growing your own enterprise. You’re willing to take some risks, like leaving your current job or going without personal revenue for a while. But there’s one logistical hurdle stopping you: You don’t have much money.

On the surface, this seems like a major problem, but a lack of personal capital shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your dreams. In fact, it’s entirely possible to start and grow a business with almost no personal financial investment whatsoever -- if you know what you’re doing.

First, let’s take a look at why a business needs money in the first place. There’s no uniform “startup” fee for building a business, so different businesses will have different needs. It’s important to first estimate how much you need before you start finding alternative methods to fund your company.

Source: Entrepreneur.com

Are You a Generalist or a Specialist???

How you manage your career depends on whether you are a generalist or specialist.

Generalists are typically more valued in smaller organizations. Small organizations typically cannot afford to hire a lot of specialists. I have a client who is a marketing generalist. She likes to write press releases, e-mail marketing, social media, direct mail, creation of collateral… You will be more valued in smaller organizations who need their employees to wear a lot of hats.

Specialists need to stay on top of their areas of expertise and be willing to move when their expertise becomes a commodity or obsolete. This requires vigilance and the willingness to move with industry trends. You must be aware of disruptive trends in your industry.

Source: Entrepreneur.com

Happy Holidays 2015

How Word Vomit Can Ruin Your Career

Whether you run your own startup or manage an office of people, the art of filtering is one you will have to master in order to keep your career afloat. Here are some of the top ways word vomit can affect your ability to manage effectively:

Character Reflection

Your actions do speak louder than words, but your words can be pretty damaging if you’re screaming to the point you are red in the face and spitting venom. Every time you lose your head with an employee, the office will take notice. Your reaction to something an employee or co-worker does says more about you than the person you’re attempting to admonish. Good managers have a plethora of traits that contribute to their success, but saying whatever is on their mind is not one of them.
It’s important to note that not all word vomit has to stem from anger. Sometimes, a joke that pops into your head can be enough to affect someone you work with, and you may not even realize it.
As a manager or business owner, you’ll have to assess your team and learn what can be said and shouldn’t be said. Always air on the side of caution.

Morale Buster

If you’re prone to saying things you shouldn’t, chances are, there have been signs that have jumped up and slapped you in the face, telling you your filtering abilities need to be improved. You may have just been too engrossed in your work to notice them. Your words can have a dire impact on the performance of workers. If you see some of the above happening in your business, it’s time to enact some changes.

Vent It Out … or Maybe Not

You close the door to your office after getting off the phone with Bill in IT. The conversation wasn’t as productive as you hoped, and you need to vent to someone. Who better than the people of Facebook, right? Wrong. Being canned because of a social media post is on the rise – which is perfectly legal – and more and more employers are keeping tabs on their staff. You may be thinking: “That doesn’t matter because I’m the boss where I work.” That is the wrong thought process. In a way, it matters even more. Your business or company functions because you have great employees working for you. If you begin to undermine your credibility with them by bad-mouthing part of your staff, the whole team may find out and you’ll have to suffer the consequences. Honestly, if you’re taking to social media to complain about anyone you manage, you are probably in the wrong type of job. Just don’t do it. While there’s a laundry list of things people do that are unprofessional in the workplace, as a manager, social media venting is probably among the top. It may seem harmless in the moment, but down the road, it could turn ugly. If you’ve been reading the above in a cold sweat as you recognize some of your bad habits, good. You’re finally recognizing the effects your word vomit can have on your workforce. Don’t lose your cool – isn’t that what got you into this mess in the first place? – there are a few simple ways you can stop the word vomit. Click here to read more.


Source: Business.com

happy holidays 2014

AMA Playbook: Explaining the Complicated So Anyone Can Understand

Source: American Management Association

Rom Bronfman: So You Think You're a LinkedIn Profile Expert?

You added a profile photo to your LinkedIn Profile on day one — and your experience from the past ten years is fully represented on your LinkedIn Profile. Your time with the local Boys and Girls Club is covered under Volunteer Experience & Causes and you’re feeling like a LinkedIn pro.

When I joined LinkedIn more than a year ago, I fancied myself a LinkedIn expert. I’d checked all the boxes, shared content with my network and made sure my profile was always a true representation of where I was in my professional journey. What I’ve since learned is that as we as professionals grow and evolve, so do the ways we need to think about and express our achievements and aspirations so that we can be found and recognized for the things that matter most to us. Over the past year, our team has been working hard to expand the profile experience – exploring and introducing new tools to help you manage and build your professional identity to help ensure the right people and opportunities are finding you. The result? The LinkedIn Profile has become a treasure chest of options and controls – just waiting for you to explore them. Read more here...



Source: LinkedIn