When I first started my career as a solo entrepreneur, I hired a web designer to create my website for me. He was awesome, and I loved his work. When I received my first bill, it included a contact email address for his "support department" and "billing department". I was a little curious about ... Views: 1078
Search engine optimization can seem like a big black hole to solo entrepreneurs. On the one hand, the cost of most professional SEO services are beyond our budgets; and it’s difficult to assess the effectiveness of these services before you buy. On the other hand, if we try to do it ourselves, ... Views: 1103
People buy from those they know and trust. Nowhere is this more true than on the Internet, where you may never even meet anyone in person. Establishing a trust relationship with your potential online clients takes time, but it is well worth the effort!
Think about the last time you bought a ... Views: 1036
You've put a lot of investment into your website, and perhaps even more into various marketing activities to drive traffic to your site. And it's working -- your traffic numbers are up. You are halfway there -- now you need to turn those visitors into subscribers. Building a list of potential ... Views: 1098
No one can ever say that having a home based business is boring! Between quieting barking dogs, refereeing your children's fights, and answering the phone and the doorbell, it can sometimes be hard to get anything done -- no matter how well you visualize, set goals, and plan your day.
And it can ... Views: 1020
One of the best ways to generate more income is to stop selling your expertise by the hour. Your expertise -- knowledge, skills, methods -- are your most valuable assets. By taking your expertise and packaging it in various forms, you can sell your expertise 24/7/365.
So if your knowledge, ... Views: 1243
Four years ago this month, Solo-E hired its first contractors: 3 fabulous VAs. Between them they handled the details of hundreds of items of content for the website, scores of newsletters and uncounted correspondence with subscribers and clients. Two of them still work for me (the third took ... Views: 1013
It takes a long time for a self employed business owner to build up a reputation for great customer service. I am a caring person, and putting customer service first is something I hold very dear as an important aspect of how I do business. And recently, I almost blew it. In a fit of irritation ... Views: 1098
Before you can have clients, you need to have prospects -- that's what marketing is all about. If your marketing isn't attracting the kind of people you'd like to be working with, it's like pushing a rope -- you are trying to sell them something they don't need, and they are looking for ... Views: 1328
The US Tax Code can be pretty rough on the self employed. It often seems to be written to favor big corporations over small and solo businesses. The rules are often complex and confusing for the average self employed individual to grasp, even with the help of an accountant. And that first ... Views: 1381
Technology gives us all kinds of wonderful tools to enhance virtual classes for solo entrepreneurs. Teleconferences, audio and video recordings, both streaming and downloadable, interactive multimedia, online learning environments, automated learning tools - all great options. But while the ... Views: 918
Challenge: Growing Your Opt-In Ezine List
The "best practice" in
business to business email marketing is to use a double opt-in* process to build your newsletter/ezine list. There are several advantages:
less subscribers who don't remember opting in -- so less chances someone will report you ... Views: 1183
Envision the scenario: You’ve just been asked at the last minute by Chris, the organizer of your local networking group, to replace the scheduled speaker at next month's meeting. You already have too many commitments on your plate. Imagine your response:
You: “Well, I ... Views: 1020
Are you ever frustrated or hesitant when you talk to prospective customers because you can’t readily explain why they should come to you rather than go to your competitors? Sure, you might have your 30-second elevator speech, but then they ask you that dreaded question, “So what makes you ... Views: 1076
"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure
is trying to please everybody."--Bill Cosby
Have you ever had a client/customer that was more trouble than they were worth? Maybe they were always late to pay, or didn't do what they said they'd do. Maybe you just had a personality clash, ... Views: 1186