Search Results for: blog expect business cycles

Ask Yourself—How Secure is Your Business?

Balancing risk and security is the challenge of any business owner. We do not want to be so focused on keeping things stable that we avoid taking the risks necessary to actually grow a business. But, at the same time, we can’t be jumping and leaping about with such abandon that we put our livelihood at risk… So, what constitutes security? Well, one business-owner’s security is going to be different from another’s. Having a cushion of savings, knowing how and where your customer base will grow, having a steady relationship with your suppliers—these are all some of the ways that … Continue reading →

Expect Business Cycles

Business is not linear; it is not a matter of marching steps from A to B to C. I know that it may seem like the business world should be all about numbers and charts and spreadsheets, but the fact is, your business and your industry has cycles and a tendency to be up and down and unpredictable—just like other aspects of this human life! We can get lulled into expecting a perpetual upward trajectory for our business because it tends to seem that way in the beginning of starting a business. After all, we are starting from zero and … Continue reading →

It Pays to Think Like a Thief

Especially when you are traveling abroad. Millions of Americans will be jetting off on summer vacations to foreign countries in the coming weeks. Europe is expected to be an especially hot travel destination as it hosts the Summer Olympic Games this July. Whether you are traveling to London, Hong Kong, Rome or South America this summer (or any time of year) you don’t want your vacation to be spoiled by a thief. Unsavory characters prey on vulnerable tourists, but there are ways you can avoid becoming a target. Some safety tips to consider include: Pickpocket Prevention: Don’t underestimate a petty … Continue reading →

Author Interview — Karin Abarbanel

Today we are joined by author Karin Abarbanel, who has just released a wonderful new how-to book. Karin, thank you for joining us. Your new book, “Birthing the Elephant,” is targeted to women who want to start their own businesses. I’m curious why you wrote a book specifically geared to women. What are the hurdles a woman will face as opposed to a man who wants to start his own business? Great question! Actually, some of the very positive reviews we’ve received for Birthing the Elephant are from men launchers who are finding it very helpful. I think this underscores … Continue reading →

Expanding Your Market? Is it a Good “Fit”?

Recently I was working with a client who wanted to expand their existing market and reach out to what they saw as “compatible” markets. Other fields and areas of interest that they thought would be in the same “general interest area” as their existing market base. One of the things we needed to examine and consider was whether or not those new individuals were really a good and compatible fit with the existing ones? It may seem like a no-brainer—you might be thinking if our customers all like X, and there are other people over there who like Y and … Continue reading →

Surviving and Weathering a Slump

Things cannot always go our way. Sometimes we will be buzzing along full of positive vibes and good energy, the customers are coming to us and the money is flowing–other times, well, we find that we are in a slump. Things are bumpy–they aren’t going our way and we find we have to tighten our business belts. We can get through this, we can survive and weather the typical slump… The first thing to realize is that the slump will pass–whether you are lacking in productivity, energy, contacts, or if you’ve lost some customers or clients or your business is … Continue reading →

Stay in the Present

Looking back, looking forward, budgeting, planning for the future, setting goals, learning from our mistakes–okay, all of this is good advice for the small, home business owner and it all has a time and place. But, at some point, we just have to settle ourselves down and stay current. We have to find a way to keep an eye on the future all the while keeping ourselves grounded in the present. The truth is that what we do today is the foundation for reaching out goals tomorrow. In business, planning IS important. Establishing a budget and taking the steps to … Continue reading →