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  • Don’t Let Stress Run You Out Of Business
    Stress is business is a common phenomenon and every entrepreneur must know how to handle it and grow with it.
  • Like Books, Entrepreneurs Are Always Judged By Their Covers
    Enterpreneurship requires not just hard work and knowledge of business but also a number of other things that are many times not considered too important. Grooming yourself to look good is just one of these things that enterpreneurs need to focus on.
  • Entrepreneurs, Learn This Lesson: Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff
    Many enterpreneurs crubmle under the weight of pressure everyday business. Here are some great tips to tackle such pressures and focus on your business growth.
  • Is Business Ownership In Your Future?
    Anyone who wishes to start a business must first do a lot of self assessment and planning otherwise the business venture may flounder easily.
  • The Process For Becoming An Entrepreneur
    Many people want to start a new business but know little about what they are in for. This article can be a great resource for such people.
  • Never Say It Can’t Be Done
    In business one must never say or assume that something can't be done. With a little help from ingenuity and creativity any problem can be easily solved.
  • Use Email Marketing To Keep Customers Buzzing About Your Business
    Email marketing can be used as an effective tool for communicating with customers. Its is an effective medium of communication to boost sales by ensuring that your customers constantly remember you.
  • What’s Stopping You From Starting Your Own Small Business?
    Some people simply don't have what it takes to start your own business. Others just need a bit of kicking to jumpstart them.
  • Learn To Focus On What’s Important and Farm Out The Rest
    Outsourcing your mundane tasks to focus only on the essential tasks is the best way to organize your business. The results are great not just for you but also for your business.
  • Mastermind Your Way To Business Success
    While I’m a firm believer in goals, I’m not a big believer in New Year’s resolutions; mainly because it has been my experience that most resolutions are repeated year after year and forgotten by the time we sober up on January 2nd.
  • Are You Willing To Do Whatever It Takes To Succeed In Business?
    There is a very simple reason some entrepreneurs do amazingly well in business while others do not. It has nothing to do with product or location or backing or education or street smarts or dumb luck. It has more to do with people willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to succeed in business.
  • What The Heck Is Podcasting And What Can It Do For Your Business?
    Podcasting is the new hype these days with many claiming it to be the future of internet and communication business. However, for many this is at best a vague term that is difficult to understand and even more frightening to use. This article will certainly help to develop a basic understanding of what podcasting actually is and how it can be used to promote your business.
  • Conducting Market Research From The Back Of A Boat
    Market research is one of the most important but often overlooked part of business management. This article highlights many real life analogies to this important business function and provides some excellent advice to entrepreneurs.
  • Without Market Research You Could Find Yourself Fishing In An Empty Pond
    Market research is a key ingredient in today's business environment. In this article Tim Knox, an expert on business, gives some sound advice to entrepreneurs about market research that can help make better business decision and make the critical difference between business success and failure.
  • Entrepreneurs On The Inside
    This article highlights the core capabilities and features that are indicative of successful entrepreneurs. Knowledgeable, friendly, prefessional and supportive of customer needs are just some of the features of entrepreneurship that this article explores.
  • When It Comes To Marketing Your Business, Think Creatively
    If your business doesn’t stand out in today’s hyper-competitive market place there’s a good chance that you won’t be in business very long. There are countless others vying for the same slice of the pie that you are. There are dozens of competitors just up the road doing all they can to get the attention of your customers and take money out of your pockets. It’s called “marketing,” and some are probably doing a better job of it than you are and some probably worse.
  • Operator Error Is Why Most Businesses Fail
    This is the column that probably gets me kicked out of the entrepreneurial chapter of the Priory of Scion. I look silly in those long robes anyway, so here goes. A thousand apologies to my entrepreneurial brothers and sisters, but. I think the more important question is: do businesses fail or does the entrepreneur in charge of them fail? I have to be honest and tell you that I think most business failures must be laid at the feet of the person in charge.
  • Women Entrepreneurs Prove It’s Not Just A Man’s World
    Women are increasingly more active in starting new businesses. Top growth of their businesses indicates skills that are noteworthy for other women and men.
  • 6 Ways To Fund Your New Business
    Here are a few of the most common ways to finance a new business. All methods have pros and cons and some (or most) may not work for a specific situation. In any case one must always thoroughly investigate the ups and downs of any new venture before jumping in it with both feet.
  • Companies Stifle Intrapreneurs At Their Own Risk
    I've noticed an interesting trend lately. Usually the e-mail I receive in response to this column comes from rookie entrepreneurs or established business owners seeking my input on startup matters, financing, employee relations, general management and leadership issues, policy matters, etc. Lately, however, many of the messages are coming from employees of medium-size and large companies who are growing frustrated at working in an environment that they deem (to quote one e-mail) "Intellectually
  • 11 Ways To Find Products To Sell On eBay
    I was part of an eBay Roundtable discussion recently with six other experts and we all agreed that the number one question most new (and even old) eBay sellers ask is: "Where do I find things to sell on eBay??" To help answer that question I have compiled 10 ways that anyone can use to find products to sell on eBay.
  • Is Bad Customer Service Killing Your Business?
    It’s time to beat the old bad customer service drum again. I know, I’m sick of beating the drum, too, but as long as bad customer service runs rampant through so many businesses I feel it is my entrepreneurial duty to bring it to your attention. So grab a pew and prepare to listen to the sermon I’ve preached before: bad customer service is the bane of business. If the Almighty smote down every business that dispenses bad customer service the world would be a much friendlier, albeit much sparser
  • The Business Failed, But Did You?
    Q: After years of dreaming about starting my own business, I finally took the plunge a little over a year ago. To say the least, my dream quickly became a nightmare. The business didn't do nearly as well as I had hoped. I ran out of money within six months and had to take out a second mortgage on my house just to keep things going. I have now closed the business and am left with a pile of bills that will probably put me in personal bankru
  • What Does Your Website Say About Your Business?
    Even on the best of days running a business can be incredibly stressful, not to mention overwhelming and exhausting. It's only natural that there will be times when you wonder if it's really worth it. Asking yourself the "should I just get a real job" question simply means that your human side is showing. And as a human you have a limited tolerance for things you can not control. And that's really where the stress of being an entrepreneur comes from
  • Beware Of Spam Withdrawals
    Q: I am so sick of all the spam that is sent to my business email address. I spend an hour every morning just trying to sort out the good email from the bad. I know I could just delete it all, but I'm afraid I'll accidentally delete email that might be important to my business. Short of unplugging my computer, what's the best solution for dealing with spam?
    A: I feel your pain. I, too, miss the good old days when the only time you'
  • The Big Website Question: If You Build It, They Will Come?
    When it comes to attracting customers, opening an online business (or an online branch of an existing business) is no different from opening a traditional brick and mortar shop. Without a little fanfare and a well-devised marketing plan, chances are your website will become just another spot of roadkill on the Information Superhighway.
  • Protect Your Ideas With Copyrights and Patents
    A patent is a form of protection granted to an inventor that protects his invention in the United States for up to 20 years from the date of application. Patent law states that, "whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, or any new and useful improvements thereof may obtain a patent." Owning a patent gives you the legal right to stop someone else from making, using or selling your invention (or one that's very close to it) without your
  • Choosing A Business That's Right For You
    Many successful businesses have been built by taking a traditional business and making it better. Domino's Pizza was certainly not the first to offer home delivery of pizza, but they were the first to guarantee it would be delivered piping hot to your door in 30 minutes or less. Amazon.com was not the first company to sell books, but they were one of the first that would let you buy books from the comfort of your own home while sitting in your underwear
  • How To Handle The Occasional Oop-See!
    First off, it's important that you understand that the magnitude of your mistake will determine the course of action you take to make amends. If your company's error was such that it caused your customer a significant amount of lost time or revenue, embarrassed them publicly, caused damage to their reputation, or otherwise negatively affected their bottom line, you may face legal repercussions that saying "I'm sorry" will not deter.
  • If It Was Easy Everybody Would Do It
    Even on the best of days running a business can be incredibly stressful, not to mention overwhelming and exhausting. It's only natural that there will
  • Navigating The Internet Sales Tax Laws
    Internet sales taxation has always been a hot topic for those of us who make our living selling goods and services online. One of the more controversial points is that no one, including our own government, has a clue how to implement a fair and logical Internet taxation process.
  • Starting Your Business By The Book
    To begin, here's the best legal advice I can give you as a new business person: find yourself a good lawyer and make him or her your very best friend. Granted, your new best friend will charge you an hourly fee for chatting on the phone or talking business over lunch, but you'll find it to be money well spent. A good attorney can save you far more than the cost of his services. I rarely make any decision that has the potential to impact my business without first consulting my attorney.
  • Turnkey Dropship Websites Save You Time, Trouble and Money
    Lucky for you and me there are now a number of companies on the Web that can help folks like us set up a turnkey dropship website without ever breaking a sweat
  • Website Design Considerations
    If you want to be a web designer, be a web designer. However, if the key focus of your business is building widgets, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that your time would be better spent building widgets, not Web sites.
  • Writing The Book On Great Customer Service
    You probably can't compete with the superstore on volume of inventory or on price, but there are other things you can do to help keep the customers coming in your door. One of the best ways to ensure customer loyalty is to offer superior customer service.
  • The Great American Customer Service Unawareness Campaign
    I'm so sick of you so-called business experts always saying the customer is always right. This is my business, not the customer's, so I'm the one who's always right. Sure, they can have an opinion, but in the end it's up to me to decide who's right and who's not. And if the customer doesn't like it they can take their business elsewhere.
  • What's The Best Product To Sell Online?
    I wish I had a dime for every time I've been asked, "Tim, what's the best product to sell online?" I also wish I had a nickel for every blank stare I received when I answered: "That's simple: information." I'd have enough money to finance another startup or two.
  • Is The eBay Fee Increase Actually Good For Business?
    This will be the fifth rate hike in as many years for the auction giant and should really come as no surprise. Price hikes are a normal course of business. It was the size of the hike that has many sellers upset.
  • Is Selling On eBay Just A Hobby Or A Real Business?
    With so many people selling on eBay these days this is a question I get all the time. To many eBay sellers the thought of running an actual business is about as appealing as getting negative feedback, so they go out of their way to convince themselves that selling on eBay is really "just a hobby" and therefore, should not be susceptible to income tax laws
  • How To Create Your Own Info Product
    In the last article we talked about why informational products are the best type of products to sell online. An informational product can be a digital book (known as an e-book), a digital report or a white paper, a piece of software, audio or video files, a web site, an ezine (electronic magazine), or a newsletter.
  • Does Your Website Induce Seizures?
    If visitor's are not clicking past your fancy Flash intro page, you don't have to be a genius to figure out that therein lies your problem. Remove the Flash intro page for a few weeks to see if your website's click-through rate improves and the number of page views increase. "Click-through rate" refers to the number of visitors who click links on your homepage to go deeper into your site. "Page views" refers to the overall number of web pages that were viewed by visitors. If click-through and pa
  • Don't Fall For The Latest Internet Identity Theft Scam
    The shear number of PayPal customers is one reason it has become a popular target of scam artists trying to steal personal information from individuals and businesses alike. Identify theft is on the rise. Thanks to the Internet stealing someone's identity has never been easier. At any given moment, there are any number of Internet thieves using all manner of high tech wizardry to steal personal and business information from unsuspecting souls, and many times they can gain access to this informat
  • When It Comes To eBay, Don't Follow The Herd
    While it's true that selling products on eBay can be a quick, low cost way to launch an online business, following the herd by selling the "hot product" of the moment, is not a great idea. To the contrary, chances are you will be stomped in the ground by the herd and left lying in the dust with your unsold inventory in hand.
  • How To Tell If Your Amazing New Product Idea Is Really Worth Gambling On
    I'm a lousy poker player, mainly because I can't help grinning like the village idiot when blessed with a winning hand or frowning like a sad clown when dealt a dud. I also never make odds on the success of "amazing new products" because more often than not the only thing that's amazing is the way the product is totally ignored by the buying public.
  • Perceived Value Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
    Pricing is an important aspect of every business because price is used to create financial projections, establish a break even point, and calculate profit and loss. It's also important to establish a good price point from the beginning because it is much easier to lower prices than to raise them.
  • The Business Autopsy: A Fact Of Life
    Last week we discussed the importance of performing an autopsy on a dead business. No, I haven't been watching too many of those wonderfully graphic, TV forensic investigation shows. The reason I recommend you do a business autopsy is to uncover the exact reasons why the business died
  • There Are No Dumb Business Questions, Not!
    I've gotten a few head-scratchers in response to this column. You know who you are, but don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I have a confession to make. Writing an advice column, whether it be advice for love or money or business, is often hard to do with a straight face. Occasionally a question comes over the digital transom that just makes me go, "Huh?"
  • What's The Customer Service Buzz About Your Business?
    If you're a regular reader of this column you know that my number one pet peeve is bad customer service. Nothing chaps my backside more than paying hard-earned money for a product or service only to have the provider of said product or service become apathetic, obnoxious or just downright rude after the transactional smoke has cleared.
  • Entrepreneurs Just Get Better With Age
    According to recent studies 22 percent of men and 14 percent of women over 65 are self-employed. That's compared to just 7 percent for other age groups. According to a Vanderbilt University study the number of entrepreneurs age 45 to 64 will grow by 15 million by 2006.
  • The Secrets Of Starting A Successful Ebay Business
    If Fred Sanford were alive today, Alex, I'm sure he'd be earning his ripple money by selling quality junk on eBay. While it's also true that one man's junk is another man's treasure (I have a garage full of treasure to prove this point), your chances of building a profitable business selling "junk" on eBay (or anywhere else, for that matter) are slim to none.
  • How To Create Multiple Streams of Online Income
    If Fred Sanford were alive today, Alex, I'm sure he'd be earning his ripple money by selling quality junk on eBay. While it's also true that one man's junk is another man's treasure (I have a garage full of treasure to prove this point), your chances of building a profitable business selling "junk" on eBay (or anywhere else, for that matter) are slim to none.
  • If You Build It, Will They Come?
    Assuming that a website will automatically attract customers is the single biggest mistake that many business owners make. It is this mistake that eventually leads them to dismiss their website as a failure and abandon their online sales efforts.
  • Online Payments Make It Easy For Your Customers To Buy
    I have helped many clients set up online credit card processing systems and more than once I've had to sit down with the bank issuing the merchant account and educate them on how online payment systems work. Don't believe me? This is a direct quote (here's the Bible, here's my hand) from the manager who was in charge of processing Internet merchant account applications at a local bank, "When someone pays online how do they swipe the credit card in their computer
  • The Business of Identity Theft
    The allure of PayPal is that it does not require the seller to have a bank merchant account through which to process credit cards. Anyone with a verifiable email address and bank account can use PayPal and the service can be implemented almost immediately after registering.
  • What's In A Name? When It Comes To Your Business, Plenty!
    In fact, deciding on a business name is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. The right business name can help you rise above the crowd while the wrong business name can leave you trampled in the rush.
  • Credit Cards, Merchant Accounts, and Your Bottomline
    The decision to accept credit cards is a wise one for any retailer. I agree with financial guru Dave Ramsey's teachings regarding the use and abuse of credit cards. Many people dig deep holes with credit cards that are hard to climb out of. But, from a practical business point of view, any retail business that does not accept credit cards is leaving money on the table.
  • Business Is No Guarantee of Riches
    We have all had customers who expected far more than was their due: customers who were unreasonable, overly-demanding, condescending, hard to please and sometimes, even dishonest in their dealings with you. When a customer's reasonable expectations become unreasonable demands you must decide whether or not that customer is doing more harm to your business than good.
  • Is Your Website Credit Card Friendly?
    If you think hooking up a brick-and-mortar location with a credit card system stymies most bankers, try asking them how to do it on your website.
  • Build A High Profit Business With Online Affiliate Programs
    An affiliate program simply means that you sign on as an affiliate marketer for someone else's product. It's your job to market the product, send the company customers, and get a cut each time a sale is made from your efforts. Affiliate program commissions can range from as little as 2% for high ticket items up to 50% for ebooks and informational type products. As an example, let's say you sign up with Amazon.com's affiliate program. You are assigned an affiliate code which you use to promote Am
  • Cut Start-Up Costs By Using a Dropshipper
    Dropshippers, as they're called
    --are an excellent way to start your e-business and, if done properly, don't have to be a costly endeavor. There are literally hundreds of companies out there that will dropship products for you, everything from gifts and housewares to power tools and furniture.
  • Don't Be Afraid To Give Problem Customers The Boot
    We have all had customers who expected far more than was their due: customers who were unreasonable, overly-demanding, condescending, hard to please and sometimes, even dishonest in their dealings with you. When a customer's reasonable expectations become unreasonable demands you must decide whether or not that customer is doing more harm to your business than good.
  • How Good Is Your Big Idea
    Every business idea, no matter how good it sounds while bouncing around inside your head, should be put to the test before you invest time and money into its execution. Success lies not in what you think of your idea, but what the buying public will think. Many entrepreneurs find out too late that the public’s opinion of their idea differs greatly from their own.
  • To Go or No Go, That Is The Question
    Many entrepreneurs would rather have their front teeth pulled without anesthetic than go to the time and trouble of creating a feasibility plan; often because they are afraid of what it will reveal
  • For Entrepreneurs A SIMPLE Plan May Be Best
    Let me give you a quick overview of a few of the retirement plans available to small businesses so you at least have an idea of what’s out there before you start your search for a good financial advisor.
  • Is Brick and Mortar A Passing Fad?
    During the dot-com boom the mantra was “Brick and mortar is dead!” Then when most of the dot-com’s crashed like an elephant sitting on a wicker chair, the mantra suddenly changed back to “The Internet is dead! Long live brick and mortar!”
  • The Latest Email Scam Is Nothing New
    The eBay scam is just the latest in a long line of sophisticated attempts to steal personal information through online means. Customers of PayPal, Amazon, Dell Computer, eTrade, Bank One, and many other online merchants have been the target of such scams in recent years
  • Are You Mentor Material?
    Typically, there are three things every good mentor should have: time, patience, and a genuine desire to help another person succeed without expecting anything in return. If you have an abundance of those things, then being a mentor can be a highly rewarding experience. If not, please see the rubber plant reference
  • How To Profit Using eBay's Saved Search Feature
    Did you know that eBay will help you locate products you can buy cheap, then flip for a quick profit? No? Then listen up, because I am about to let you in on a little known feature of eBay that can literally stuff wads of cash in your wallet in less than 24 hours.
  • How To Create Multiple Streams of Online Income E-course
    I love the E-course concept because it gives you the opportunity to learn from the comfort of home. There are no heavy books to lug around, no rushing off to class, no smelly dorm roommates :o)
  • How To Boost Your Bottom Line With Just Two Little Words
    I hate to sound like one of those cheesy get-rich-quick commercials, but this week I am going to let you in on a little secret that is so powerful that it will immediately change the way you do business. In fact, this little secret is so powerful that you will be amazed at its immediate effect on you, your employees, and your bottom line. This little secret is guaranteed to improve your relationship with current customers and if used wisely, can get you lots of new customers without spending a d
  • How To Make Money As A Self-Improvement Guru
    As you know, I'm always on the look out for new and exciting products that will make you and me money. That's partly what this newsletter is all about: when I find new opportunities that show tremendous promise, I feel obligated to share them with you.
  • Do I Really Need A Business License and Tax ID?
    I've gotten quite a few emails recently from ebusiness owners who seem to think that just because their business is conducted online or from the comfort of home that the rules and regulations that govern brick and mortar businesses do not apply to them. The ebusiness questions I get most often do not involve building websites or conducting ecommerce
  • How To Create Your Own eBay About Me Page
    Regular readers of this newsletter and my newspaper column know that I am a big fan of eBay's About Me Page feature. This is a special page you can create as part of your eBay account that is linked from your eBay ID (with a little About Me icon). You can use your eBay About Me Page as a sales tool. Customers can click on your About Me icon to get to your About Me page, which you can set up to include information about you, your interests, and
  • How To Make Big Money On eBay Selling Other People's Stuff
    Since eBay launched the Trading Assistant program last year, over 50,000 eBay sellers have registered as Trading Assistants to help other people sell their goods on eBay. As a result, eBay consignment businesses have sprung up all over the United States and are now starting to appear in Germany and the UK. This means opportunity for you...
  • Dropship Your Way To eBay Success
    Dropshipping has been around since Sears first started selling goods from its mail order catalogs over a hundred years ago. However, the idea of dropshipping still confuses many people who don't understand exactly how the process works.
  • The Bad Guys Are Phishing For Your Personal Information
    The latest attempt by phishers (identity thieves) to steal the personal information of eBay members hit my inbox earlier this week and I have to say, this one is pretty convincing. Even this old dog did a double-take before realizing that the identity thieves were phishing for my personal information again.
  • The 8 Things You Must Know To Build A Great Website
    Last week we talked about how a bad website can do your business more harm than good. That column brought several emails asking what is the key to building an effective business website. I replied with the same answer I always give: building an effective business website is a simple matter of definition
  • What Do Your Business Emails Reveal About You?
    Why should you worry about how your emails are reviewed by their recipients? Because in business, you are constantly being judged by your customers, your employees, your investors, your partners, and your peers.
  • Which Affiliate Programs Do I Personally Recommend?
    I personally receive over a dozen checks and commission payments every month from various affiliate programs that I promote. Last month, those checks totaled more than $10,000 and some months they have been as high as $25,000. Given my success as an affiliate marketer, I'm often asked what affiliate programs I personally recommend. The answer is easy because it's actually a pretty short list.
  • The Entrepreneur's Checklist
    I was asked the other day what personality traits I thought were important to entrepreneurial success. I immediately gave my preprogrammed reply about passion and dedication and hard work. After taking some time later to ponder the question a little deeper (I normally operate in shallow waters), I came up with a more detailed checklist for entrepreneurial success.
  • Santa: The Consummate Entrepreneur
    You've probably never considered the fact that Santa is the CEO of a large organization that not only distributes a vast assortment of products throughout the world, but does so in a single night with just a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. Sam Walton would have killed to have Santa's logistics manual.
  • It's All Up To YOU
    If you're waiting for Ed McMahon to show up on your doorstep and proclaim, "This is your lucky day!" you are going to have a long, miserable wait. Ed can't make you a success. I can't make you a success. It is all up to YOU.
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