LIVE LIFE UP HIGH

photo credit: aloshbennett

Recently I was looking in the blogosphere and found 4 very interesting posts for you my entrepreneurial friends. These bite-size posts help you as an entrepreneur to stay updated on important developments that can move you further towards success. As a fellow entrepreneur, I  want to share this information with you to help you be more successful and productive on your entrepreneurial journey. Please check out these informative posts and let me know what you think.

Small Business Success Index Highlights (Estimated time to read: 2 mins)
http://growsmartbusiness.com/small-business-success-index-highlights/

Small businesses are succeeding desipte the ecomonic downturn. According to the Small Business Success Index, small busineses are fairing quite well. For example, it shows that 69% of small businesses made a profit in 2008. This is good news.  Check out this article, get encouraged and get going.

Top 10 Business plan mistakes.(Esitmated time to read: 5 mins)
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/267696/Top-10-Business-Plan-Mistakes

The type is small on this post but this post addresses some important issues (right click and zoom in to enlarge the type). If you are planning to write a business plan for your business or if you are currently in the process of writing a business plan, read this first. It has some good points that many of us overlook when writing business plans.

Top 10 Social Networks for Entrepreneurs (Estimated Time to Read 3 mins)http://mashable.com/2009/03/12/entrepreneur-networks/

No one can deny the importance of social networks. Well in this post Dan provides a list of social networks designed with the entrepreneur in mind. No need to join all of these social networks. Find the one that best fits your needs and join. Spend some time there and then if you want to join another one go right ahead. You will get the best results if you take time to learn each network that you join.

The Best Entrepreneurs Fail Fast (Estimated tim to watch 4.5 min)
http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2009/04/the-best-entrepreneurs-know-how-to-fail-fast.html

In this post, Brad Feld, does a repost of Mark Pincus’s interview about lessons Mark has learned from his Tribe entrepreneurial endeavor. Very interesting information. The idea of failing fast is so critical for entrepreneurs to learn. I have learned this lesson from my business ventures as well. Don’t miss this 4.57 minute video.

As always I welcome your comments.

photo credit: Betsssssy

Do you want to grow your business quickly and have a ready base of customers? My fellow entrepreneurs and business owners, take the time to ask your customers these two questions and you may be surprised at the positive results that accrue to your business.

Is there something you want that we don’t carry?

No matter what kind of business you are in there are probably products and services that your customer wants that you don’t carry. Most customers won’t volunteer this information they will just go somewhere else to get it. Many times, the only way you will secure this information is to ask the customer directly.

Keep an open mind.
You may be surprised at what your customers say. They may suggest a simple extension of your current product or service, or they may suggest an entirely new product or service. Whatever is suggested,  keep an open mind. Take the ideas and do some research to determine if you can profitably supply this product or service.

Is there something that your friends or family would want that we don’t carry?

This is an extension of the first question, but it may give you additional information.  Sometimes the products and services you offer are just right for your customers but you may be missing products and services that their friends and families desire. Imagine being able to easily gain additional customers by having a whole family or group of friends shop together for your products and services.  This could make buying  your products and services a social experience.

Final note

These questions seem simple and the fact that a business owner should ask them is obvious right? I agree that the questions are simple but you would be surprised at the nubmer of business owners that don’t ask these questions. Just think back to your own experience in a small retail shop. How often are you asked these questions by a salesperson or by the owner? Almost never.  I believe a lot of potential business is missed because these questions aren’t asked.

Try asking your customers these questions and let me know the results. As always I look forward to your comments.