Home
>
Small Business
>
Are You Ready to Own and Operate a Business?

Are You Ready to Own and Operate a Business?

How often has someone thought of starting a business based solely on the fact they think it will be easier than working for someone else. Fact is, owning and operating a business can be one of the most grueling experiences you will have. Granted, there are many advantages, but unless someone has actually run a business there is much to consider before you make that decision.

The following information will help you operate a business more professionally. With today's technology there is no reason you cannot have the look of a large company even if you are working off your kitchen table. If you have a home based business it is suggested you have a room dedicated to your business. This helps you to stay focused and there are some major tax benefits in doing this.

PROFESSIONALISM

-Choose voicemail rather than an answering machine. There is a major difference in the perception to the caller.

-Toll free number. Check with your local telephone company to find out if this is available to you if you will have a lot of clients/customers from outside your calling area.

-Have a separate business phone line. You do not appear very professional if your children answer the phone.

-Email. Avoid using free services due to limitations and perceptions. -Dedicated fax line. A small business will appear as such if the fax number and phone number are the same.

RUNNING AN OFFICE

-Stay organized. The more you can keep yourself organized the easier it will be to respond to customer's requests in a timely fashion.

-Color file folders. A great way to organize your file system. Each color indicates a category.

-Dedicated file cabinets. Separate personal papers from business.

-Form letters. Don't reinvent the wheel with every letter you write. Keep form letters on a disc or your hard drive.

FINANCIAL END of running the business. There will be many costs to running a business. The following are some of the investments you will need to consider.

-Medical insurance
-Separate phone lines
-Taxes
-Marketing material
-Office supplies
-Products
-Service fees
-Accountant
-Financial Planner
-Bookkeeper
-Keep excellent records
-Keep all receipts
-Advertising

THINGS YOU WILL NEED IF YOU WANT TO STAY COMPETATIVE

-Business license
-Incorporate
-Bookkeeper
-Financial planner
-Marketing material
-Business cards
-Letterhead
-Envelopes
-Folders
-Letters of referral
-Bio sheet
-Product or service sheet
-Web site

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

-Which ones are most beneficial for you to join? To get the biggest benefit from any organizations you need to get involved. Use the monthly meetings to network.

-Dues and fees. How much are the annual dues and cost for monthly meetings?. Figure that in your budget.

-Conventions. Are there any conventions you need to go to? What is the time and cost investment? Talk to others who have gone to find out if it will be worth the investment.

-Network. Most of your business will come from referrals.

QUALIFYING THE BUYER

-Who is my customer?

-Do they have a budget for my product or service their budget?

-Do I want to work with them?

PAPERWORK

-Invoices

-Contracts

-Service agreements

-Letters

MANAGE PROFESSIONAL IMAGE

-Responding to requests by providing what the customer needs. If you are not the person for the job, who can you refer (that's why networking is so important)

-Follow-up. Do your follow-up in a timely fashion

-Develop a good relationship with the client

-Return calls as soon as possible

-Send information in a timely fashion

-Priority mail is often less expensive than first class. And it can be more impressive to your client.

-Keep in touch after the fact. A mistake a lot of people make in doing business is they do a job for a client and then seem to forget the client. It is easier to get repeat business than it is to find new business, and yet, so often business owners and salespeople (which is what you are if you own a business) will look for the new customer and forget about their existing clientele.

Kathleen Gage is a keynote speaker, author and business advisor specializing in marketing and promotions. Access Gage's's FREE eBook about how to gain visibility on the Internet with Street Smarts Internet Marketing at http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/free-ebook.htm

cleaning help near Mundelein ..

In The News:

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

Are You Ready to Own and Operate a Business?

Small Business