Business

Self-employed has many different meanings to many different people. Usually, people say they are self-employed when they are free lancers or run a very small company (usually with 1 or 2 full-time equivalent employees).

If you are a small business owner, I want you to think for a moment how you define yourself. Think for a moment about the question, “What do you do to earn a living?”

How do you answer that questions? Do you tell people that you are a freelancer, that you are self-employed or that the company you run employs you?

Does it really matter? I think it does.

Let’s first define the terms. I am going to over simplify them because the full definition isn’t what is important, but the marketing message behind them. continue reading...

I am very excited to announce the launch of Altek Business Systems' new website. I am really pleased with how the design turned out. It is proudly built in Drupal.

I just posted a news release over at OfficeProductNews.net.

Here is an excerpt from the press release:

“We have made substantial investments in new areas to enhance the services we provide to our clients,” commented Ray Derstine, President. “We wanted to make sure that our website communicated the value that we were able to provide.”

Over the past few years, the company has expanded its capabilities in offering document management solutions. This allows clients to create secure, searchable repositories of information scanned from multifunction systems. The new website explains the benefits of these solutions and features Altek’s primary software partner, DocuWare. continue reading...

I know that it is rough out there for a lot of people. I am fortunate to be in a profession that is growing very fast. Our business is increasing and I am happy to say that we are able to employ more people… it only seems to be growing for the foreseeable future… unless congress does something stupid (which is bound to happen in one form or another).

To be honest, I am not really concerned about the economy. I, like many entrepreneurs, make my own rain and I want to bring as many people along for the ride.

I received an email today on barstool economics. This is attributed to David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. Profession of Economics at University of Georgia. I have seen in in various formats around the web, so I don’t know if the author is attributed properly, but I like it. It is the primary reason why I want to bring a lot of people to wealth with me… so I don’t have to pay all the taxes. continue reading...

Sometimes, it is a difficult thing to decide to determine what the most important thing you should be doing right now. Setting priorities is a critical thing in order to get things done.

What is your method for setting priorities and getting things done?

You’d think with all the technology that encompasses my life, that I would use Outlook tasks or electronic reminders. If you thought that, you’d be wrong.

I use a simple notebook to list all of my tasks. I simply write down my tasks that I need to do for any given day so that I have all of my tasks in one place. continue reading...

I have had some interesting conversations with some members of my business organization about the name of my company. We are getting ready to do some rebranding of our business and expand some of our services (I’ll announce that as soon as we are complete) and it sparked a great conversation on what the name of a company should be.

There were a few that I work with that felt that the name of a company should reflect very specifically what you do for your business. I really struggled with this concept. Although I think that a name shouldn’t distract from what you do, I think that if you build your business right, your brand will help others to see what it is that you do.

Your name, in my opinion, doesn’t define you. Your name, in my opinion, doesn’t define your brand. continue reading...

I was doing some research on the web tonight ('cuz that is what I do). I found a website whose internet marketing indicates that she teaches people how to use HTML. Her goal is to teach people how to use HTML because HTML is so important for the average person to know.

Her site says,

I get so frustrated when I read about some software package that claims you don't have to learn HTML.  HTML is the foundation of website building.  The more you understand the basics, the more productive and effective you are going to be in your Internet business. continue reading...

I have run this blog for more than a year now.

I must say, it has been a fun thing for me. I would guess that I have learned a lot more than anybody who has read this blog. It certainly makes me think a little more about business and technology. When ever I go anywhere, I always think about the blog that I can write.

I am sure that I have come up with some bad posts, but I thought I would share a few of my favorites from the last year. continue reading...

For years, I found that I was always looking for the right business opportunity that would allow me to make money. I looked at different jobs and things that I could sell that would get me financially independent as quickly as possible. I never made the jump to be fully independent in my career because I didn't really know what it was that I wanted to do. I did freelance design work. I sold printing services to some of my freelance clients. I wrote my blog to earn a few extra dollars... but never could find that one thing that would allow me to quit my day job and get me rich. As you may already know, I am now gainfully self-employed. The question, of course is, have I finally found the career that will make me rich? I don't know. What I do know is that I really enjoy what I do. Because I enjoy what I do, I am not spending my time one something that bores me. I am not working for the money. I am having fun in the hours I spend rather than dreading the next day. I see the possibility of being financially successful at something I enjoy. What I have found is that it is not always a successful prospect to simply work for money. There has to be more to life than work and money. You should enjoy what you do... it will make you far more successful. So, what does this mean? Find what you love then figure out how to monetize it. You will enjoy your life much more than if you just look for the next job that might make you wealthy. Corey Smith Co-founder of Resumango where you can build a better resume for free.

I get a phone call from a friend. "I have a great business opportunity for you!" She says. "People can make up to $40,000 per month!" She says. It is a business opportunity that "you can't pass up!" Well, it made me think a little. How many times do people actually get rich on these "business opportunities?" I would say there are plenty of people who do, but not the masses... not the majority. Making real money takes work... hard work. It may be mental work. It may be physical work. It may be that you need to be smart enough to allocate the right people to do the work for you. But the fact is, the odds are that you will only get rich quick if you work really quick. Work hard and you will be rewarded. Expect it to be easy and you will be surprised how unsuccessful you will be. Corey Smith Co-founder of Resumango where you can build a better resume for free.

Are you adaptable? Are you willing to change? Is your model based on customer service? Do you rely on new business or continuing business to grow? Very often, service organizations will rely on new sales to drive the residual side of the business. For example, car dealership service departments hope that new car owners will return their vehicles for service. Copier dealers want to sell recurring service contracts on copiers and printers they sell. What is your business model? Do you have more than one like the examples above? Now, if you have more than one business model, do your models support each other. Does your poor quality of service affect new sales? Do your sales people receive compensation on the service side of the business so that you can drive more business on the recurring side? If your different business models don't support each other, then you should take a good look at your inefficiencies and make some changes.  Corey Smith Co-founder of Resumango where you can build a better resume for free.