Posted by kboon on September 1, 2010 under Business Building Strategies, General | 
I’m excited to announce my first workshop for solo entrepreneurs and small business owners.
This workshop came about as an idea back in the spring of 2010 when I began networking with some of the small business groups where I live (Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge & Guelph, Ontario). Originally I was planning to start my own consulting business and provide services for medium to large fortune 500 companies.
But as I talked to entrepreneurs, something inspired me. I was blown away by their stories. Small business owners tend to have a larger purpose and vision for their life. They see having their own business as a way to create more freedom and live a much fuller and richer life. They usually have a great deal of passion and love for what they do. Over the past 8 or 9 months I have been so impressed with the stories that I wanted to find a way to help.
As I asked more questions I learned about the challenges faced by entrepreneurs. How do I find more customers is a big one. When I brought up social media, most would have interest, but they knew very little about how to make it work successfully for their business.
The other challenge facing business owners is time. Time to be able to commit resources to explore new technologies, learn new business building skills, new networking approaches and use social media effectively.
Hence the workshop.
IS YOUR BUSINESS FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS?
A workshop for solo entrepreneurs and small business owners…
Owning a small business can be challenging at the best of times. Often we have great skills with our service or product offering, but we may lack technical knowledge or business or marketing experience. Social Media has added a whole new dimension to the skill set required to run a successful business.
Today millions of people are adapting technology and social media strategies to reach customers directly. Firing on all Cylinders is a workshop designed to help solo entrepreneurs and small business owners navigate the waters of technology, sales, marketing and social media.
In this workshop you will learn how to…
- Establish your image and learn how to create a successful web presence.
- Evaluate social media technologies like Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter and learn how to successfully create relationships and build community.
- Network more effectively, both online and in-person.
- Overcome your own personal fears and obstacles that hinder your success.
- Manage time more effectively and leverage technology for maximum impact.
- Develop an outline to move your business towards future growth.
Date: Sunday September 19th 2010
Location: Whispering Willows – 76 Regina Street North, Waterloo, Ontario
Time: 10am to 2pm (Lunch will be provided)
Cost: $80.00 (Pre-Registration Required)
Cash or Cheque Payments or Questions please contact:
Email: kevin@kevinboon.ca or call 519-569-9281
I’m looking forward to working with this first group and also will have a Facebook page soon.
Posted by kboon on March 17, 2010 under Business Building Strategies |
For the better part of March, my focus has been on the Art of Listening. Chris Brogan defines listening as one of the key ingredients for any business committed to success. He recommends companies set up listening posts on the web. The purpose is to find ways to interact and talk directly to customers and build better relationships, establish trust and increase sales.
In the last two weeks I have interviewed a number of entrepreneurs and small business owners from a variety of professions. I have asked a lot of questions. My goal has been to get to know the individual, learn about their business and understand as much as I can about the opportunities and challenges they face.
Here are some of the lessons I have learned.
1. Every entrepreneur and business owner has unique challenges and opportunities
Like the business consultant I recently started working with, who wants to rebuild his network after a few years off.
His challenge: to find new clients in a world that has changed radically in the last 5 years.
Another contact, a financial consultant who has a great website, a newsletter with over 5000 subscribers, does workshops around the country, and has no problems finding consulting work.
His challenge: time management, prioritization and finding the time to create a subscription based website that will add a new revenue stream for his business.
Or here is another contact, a bookstore owner who wants to expand her business and add new services, but her top priority is to focus on the parts of her business that generate income.
Her challenge: Although she knows networking, social media and newsletters are important, she finds it difficult to find the time for these projects.
2. Solutions must fit the business, the person and their customers
Like the old saying, you can’t push a square peg into a round hole. Many times you hear a large chorus chanting “TWITTER!! FACEBOOK!! BLOGS!!” Unfortunately, if you jump in without understanding the value, how to use the technologies, or worse yet, if you can’t find your customers, then your efforts can be a big waste of time.
When working with small businesses it’s critical to step back and understand their day-to-day priorities. Look for opportunities to teach and have the patience to integrate new technologies if and when the company is ready.
This takes me to the next lesson.
3. Change for any small business must be managable
There might be 100 things a business can do to improve, but the real question becomes, where do you start? How do you prioritize and introduce change without jeopardizing the current business or revenue streams?
Change must be managable for the owner, gradual if resources are limited, have agreed objectives and the ability to test results.
4. Trust, Integrity and a focus on the clients needs are essential for success
Trust and integrity require listening, understanding a clients needs and delivering solutions that show you were listening. Results are good too! They both take time to build and are worth the effort for building long-term client relationships.
Posted by kboon on February 10, 2010 under Business Building Strategies |
Imagine you have an important business meeting. You worked hard to get this appointment and you know this person would be a great partner for your business. You want to make a good impression. You take extra time to prepare for your meeting and you make sure you dress professionally and appropriately.
Chances are you wouldn’t dress in a pair of sweat pants, an old t-shirt and running shoes.
Yet many businesses dress their website this way. Their website is an afterthought.
Website as a Central Source
Social media strategists often say, the first step to creating a social presence is to have a good website. The main purpose of social tools like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and other forums is to drive people to your website. According to the Edelman Report Barack Obama’s election team used 15 social networking sites to get the word out. They created a central website at BarackObama.com and that had videos, blogs, calls to action, and resources that people could use and share. (I’ll include a link to the report at the end of this post)
There are 3 components to a good website.
- Graphics Design & Layout
- Programming & Development
- Usability
It can be difficult to find website design companies who have mastered all 3 of these skills. If you do, you’re likely to pay big bucks! IT companies will tend to hire in-house, but small businesses usually have limited budgets.
6 Ideas for Building a Website on a Budget
My website is about 3 weeks old and has been created on a small budget. This is still a work in progress but here are some resources that I use today:
- Wordpress – Wordpress is easy to use, includes great themes, and it’s free.
- Netfirms – URL Registration & Hosting – Hosting is generally inexpensive
- IstockPhoto – For low-cost images – or Flickr for free images
- Website Grader – from Hubspot – this is a free tool that lets me grade my website for design, web usuability and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Technical & Design Support – I am not a techie so I have a friend who helps me with any coding or technical work. Usually all it takes is an email and he can create something quickly for me.
- Access to Communities – Accessing web communities is one of the most powerful resources I use. With Twitter, Linkedin and a new community called Third Tribe Marketing, I can get answers to most questions, business, marketing, sales or web related.
Developing a good website is worth the time investment.
At the end of the day your website can make your day-to-day sales efforts a lot easier.
Resources:
- Barack Obama’s Social Media Toolkit. Here is the Edelman website.
- Website Grader is free. Hubspot has other free graders for Twitter, Facebook and Press Releases.
Posted by kboon on February 8, 2010 under Business Building Strategies |
In my last post I talked about how challenging it can be when we don’t take the time to listen or get to know our customers.
This is usually the biggest challenge we face in our businesses or jobs. Why? Because it takes time and planning.
If we are a small business the task can seem daunting. Marketing and business schools provide some simple methods to help us get started.
Market Segmentation
First to understand our target audience we need to segment into categories like age, gender, education, income, marital status, etc. Then we segment by interests, social class, attitudes, beliefs, etc. We begin to get a picture of our what our typical customer might look like. (there is a resource link I’ll provide at the end of this post)
When we start this process it can feel a little like guess work. But as we talk to people, get to know our audience it becomes more real and believable.
Well.ca (Canada’s Online Health and Beauty Store) has the ability to create a real picture of their customer, because they gather data when customers order. They can segment by age, gender or marital status and see trends in buying habits. They also identify new customer segments as they emerge. They can adapt and direct their messaging towards these new markets.
Vertical Markets
Corporations will tend to split their markets into what is called “ verticals or vertical markets”. The best companies treat this work like a science. They create products or services specifically for a target market. They design all web and marketing materials to talk directly to these customers. Sales people learn the language of their target audience. Good sales people create buyer personas. They know what magazines, newspapers and communities their customer belongs. They listen and talk the language of their clients.
So the lesson. Regardless of the size of your business, get to know your customers. Think about their needs, interests and how your product or service might fit for them. Ask questions. When a customer buys from you, ask them, “why did you buy from me?” If someone doesn’t buy your product, keep a relationship and ask them, “why didn’t you buy from me?” Make your business a learning ground, get to know your customers and be adaptable.
Resources:
How to Find and Sell to Your Target Market - Marilyn Guille
Vertical Markets – Definitions from Wikipedia
Posted by kboon on February 3, 2010 under Business Building Strategies |
A while back I was at a large business gathering. These events are usually designed for people to meet, share ideas, network and find more business. I met about 20 people and had some great conversations, asked a lot of questions and exchanged business cards.
There was one woman who approached me and before I could even tell her what I do, she started selling me. “You need these marketing and print materials and let me tell you we also offer design services …. Blah, blah, blah” I tuned out. She was determined to sell me. We talked for a little longer but she did 99% of the talking. After a few minutes I found a convenient excuse to get away (my beer glass was empty) and I left the conversation.
By 8am the next morning there was an email (from her) in my inbox telling me how her great products would save me money and be just what I needed to get more customers.
She assumed that I needed to save money or get more customers?
She never even asked me a question?
This is a challenge for many business entrepreneurs and sales people. We get locked into a mindset that we need to sell. I have done this myself. I’ll tell a prospect what I do (an elevator pitch) and then they will comment back, “we don’t do it that way”. And then I find myself back peddling and saying, “oh no but we can also do this… blah, blah, blah”. Damn! I’ve lost them and I lost my credibility because I was trying to sell when I should have been listening and developing a relationship.
When I work with clients I ask three questions:
- Who is your typical customer?
- Could you describe them to me (buyer persona)?
- What is your target market?
These questions can be difficult to answer. I also believe they change as you get know your business, your customer and as market conditions change. Often a client will say, “well everybody could use what I offer?” I’ll say, “Hang on! Let’s step back! Everyone? Does your product cost money?” ”Yes?” “Oh! So you need people with money?” Yes!
That’s a target market! At least it’s a start. I’ll then work with them to find ways to narrow it down even further.
In a future post I will give some examples of how to define your target market and identify your buyer persona. Or better yet, if you have a business where you would like to run through this exercise, then connect here in the comments area, on Twitter or Linkedin.
Posted by kboon on February 2, 2010 under Business Building Strategies |
In the last few weeks I have made some great new connections within the business community, both online and in-person. I generally like to ask a lot of questions because I want to get to know the person and understand their business.
There is usually a common theme that evolves.
Most businesses are looking for answers to the following questions:
- What are my target market and who is my customer?
- What is the right product or service for my business?
- How do I create an effective website?
- How do I monetize my business?
- What are the best ways for reaching customers?
- How do I tap into new markets and grow my business?
- How do I manage my time?
Over the next few weeks I plan to go into more depth with each of these topics.
If there are other questions let me know by commenting or connecting with me on Twitter or Linkedin.
This workshop came about as an idea back in the spring of 2010 when I began networking with some of the small business groups where I live (Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge & Guelph, Ontario). Originally I was planning to start my own consulting business and provide services for medium to large fortune 500 companies.
