Creative Coach & Virtual Assistant

There are many different ways to get your business on the net. Blogging has become very popular and the number of blogs continues to grow. Having an internet presence for your business it an important marketing tool, even if you only offer your services locally. With all the different website and blogging tools, how do you choose which one to work with? It is important to have a clear idea of your business’s needs and yours. The platform you choose needs to fit your needs and skills.

Does your business need a blog or a static website? Blogs are normally updated weekly with posts or articles related to your business. A static website isn’t.

Do you have the time to keep a blog up? If you are super busy, you may not have the time to write blog posts. If your business continually has new things to share, you may want to hire someone to blog for you.

Do you know how to install or set up a website or blog? With all the different platforms and web, building tools and a little patients just about anyone can put up their own site. If you don’t have the time or desire to do it yourself, you can hire someone.

Over the years, I have tried blogger, wordpress, drupal, joomla, and a few others. My favorite is wordpress with drupal being my second favorite. It is easy for DIY site set up. Before you set up your site know what your needs are and research different platforms to find the best match. I can tell you from personal experience that it is very disappointing to take the time to set up a site only to discover after all your hard work that it doesn’t meet your needs.

A plan!
My email box is full of emails from people telling me about how they are ready to start their business. Then they ask me a ton of questions. I enjoy answering their questions. From what they ask I can tell that their minds are going in a million different directions and they have forgotten something important. They almost always make the mistake of skipping the first step.

Before you set up shop, even before you get any license or selling permits, you must have a plan. Some people get a little intimidated by the thought of writing a business plan. It really isn’t that difficult. If you don’t need to get a loan to start your business, no one but you ever needs to see it. Basically, your plan needs to state clearly what your goals are with your business, how you will accomplish those goals, who your target market is and how you will reach them. Of course you can add as much detail to your plan as you can. The more clearly you can envision your business the easier it will be to create it.

You can find free business plan templates on sites like SCORE and other places around the net. If you are only creating the plan for yourself, have a little fun with it. You may find it easier to see your plan as an art project. Once you have your plan and you know where you are going then you are ready to move on to the next step. A good business plan will help you keep your business moving in the right direction for you.

This is an article I have posted on Associated Content.

My clients are often at a loss of how to reach their goals. Some of them are even unsure of what their goals are. To help them get focused and on track, I have them create a goal or dream notebook. I have found that when people have a special place to keep their goals they are more likely to reach them. To quickly explain why everyone needs a goal/dream notebook I came up with my ‘ Top 5 Reasons’ list. Everyone needs a dream or goal notebook to clarify, organize, inspire, and motivate them.

Your goal or dream notebook can:

1. Give you a place to clearly express your goal.
The ability to clearly state what we want is key to getting what we want. When you know what you are after, you can see every opportunity. When you can share your dream with others, they will know how they can help you.

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