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Brainstorming on Starting Any Business

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Is there a new business. part-time or full-time, in your future? Come and ask questions about what you need to do to start almost any kind of business from A to Z, an accounting firm to a zoo — we have experience with almost everything (product, service, B-B, B-Gov, B-C, B to nonprofit, high tech to no tech). This is a Brainstorming Entrepreneurs & Solopreneurs Joint Meetup hosted by the Business Success Center. Non-members are always welcome.

Mentors: Profit Mover Adivsory Team™ and special guests

Guest hosts: Jan Triplett, Ph.D., CEO, Business Success Center, and Lindsey Allen, Exploring New Media.

•••••The building locks at 7pm. Please arrive a little before 7pm or you will not be able to gain entrance••••

Small Businesses New Favorite Target of Cyber Terrorism

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Is bank robber Willie Sutton the inspiration of cyber criminals who are targeting small businesses?

Is bank robber Willie Sutton the inspiration of cyber criminals who are targeting small businesses?

If you thought only big business and infrastructure were at risk from cyber terrorism and cyber criminals, think again.

Small and medium-sized businesses are the new favorite targets of cyber criminals. This is according to Verizon’s 2011 Data Breach Investigations Report. That makes it  something that affects every company of every size. It causes destruction and disruption and it has to be stopped. [Read more…]

IRS Tax Calendar: Protection for Small Business

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Get the IRS Tax Calendar for the safety and protection if you're a small business owner or self-employed.

Get the IRS Tax Calendar for the safety and protection if you’re a small business owner or self-employed.

Protect your small business with this year’s IRS Tax Calendar. This is also known as “The Tax Calendar for Small Businesses and Self-Employed” (Pub. 1518, Catalog Number 12350Z). It’s a scary world out there!

It’s back in print. Hurrah! We’ve missed having them. We used to give these out each year to our clients because they are really valuable. They have also been known to cause nail-biting and hair-pulling. Unfortunately, all the Spanish language wall calendar print versions are gone and will not be re-printed. Maybe next year they will print more since Hispanic businesses are one of the fastest growing startup groups. [Read more…]

Being Able to Visualize is a Mixed Blessing

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Posts can be very personal. This one is.

Visualizing the needs & concerns Egyptian small business owners, their families and their employees like this man. Photo by Julie Gomoll.

Visualizing the needs & concerns Egyptian small business owners, their families and their employees like this man. Photo by Julie Gomoll.

I have a friend, Rasha, who is from Egypt and who has family there. My thoughts are with her and the wonderful people I met through the eyes, words, and pictures of another friend, Julie Gomoll.

Sometimes we say, “I can’t imagine” what it’s like. But I think business owners and other creatives can imagine in huge detail. [Read more…]

State of Texas Small Business Survey

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No ivory tower wanted here. Instead let’s tell them like it is!

I have been asked to testify before the Texas Senate’s Economic Development Committee about our small business climate. I have my own observations from my clients but I would like input from other business owners and hope you will make sure I have the best information to give them about what we want and need.

I have put together a 10 question survey. Click here to take survey. This is your chance to be heard.

Thank you and please respond before Sept. 15. I will post what happens at the hearing so check back.

Special thanks to Jules Says and Julie Gomoll for helping me with the technology to do this. And I want to thank Will Newton, Executive Director of National Federation of Independent Business in Texas for asking me to do this and Senator Mike Jackson (District 11) for requesting this information for his committee.

Here’s to our success!

Adequate Government Brings Neighbors & Businesses Together

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There must be a better way to bring neighbors and businesses together. And, I went tonight to see if I could find someone to lead the way and what an adequate government could do.

Former Houston Mayor Bill White is running for TX Governor.

Former Houston Mayor Bill White is running for TX Governor.

I was invited by Bijoy Goswami of Bootstrap Austin to attend an event sponsored by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) in Austin that was billed as an “Intimate Conversation with Bill White”. Bill White, former mayor of Houston, is running against Rick Perry for Texas Governor this fall. It turns out that White is an honorary EO member.

It was intimate as promised. I was about two feet away from the man who started by saying that he was pleased to be here for this “job interview” which brought some chuckles. In his prepared remarks, he said if he were “hired”, he would run the state like a customer-centered business. He would focus on what people want, not what the state wanted to “sell”. Sounds pretty good.

When Q&A time came, I asked Mayor White a question about how he viewed the state’s role in something that is near and dear to my heart: the role of government especially in hard economic times when there are tough decisions to be made. [Read more…]

Why Go for Platinum Profile Customers™

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Proud to be green. Here’s my paperless slide presentation, “Does Your Business Need Glasses”,  from RISE Austin 2010. It presents what we believe is a better way to get better sales by using niche marketing that focuses on Platinum Profile Customers™. The goal of this system is to  make positioning, pricing, and sales procedures more approachable for independent businesses.

The slide presentation also includes details on the Business Success Center’s sales process that all customers go through, the “Buyer’s Purchasing Continuum™”. The Continuum starts with their decision to look for something to meet their needs and desires.  After a few steps, they buy. But, it doesn’t end there. The last step occurs after they buy when they either rejoice about their decision or experience buyer’s remorse. Knowing exactly how your Platinum Profile Customers™ do this allows you to focus your sales and marketing efforts.

Small business owners and entrepreneurs will want to follow the prioritized action items suggested. These will help avoid mistakes and expand sales opportunities. This is primarily of value to those already in business although it has ideas that startups can incorporate.

Using these ideas results in:

  • Better sales and lower costs
  • Collateral is more effective
  • Shorter sales cycle [Read more…]

22+ Reasons Your Small Business Is Keeping You Up at Night

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Owners are often insomniac. Photo by Olivia Townsend.

Owners are often insomniac. Photo by Olivia Townsend.

News 8 reporter Harlan Schmidt interviewed me about why Austin is a good place to start a business. I told him it was Austin’s “can do & it’s ok to fail” culture. And it is also about the fact that we have a highly educated population which means we can learn from our mistakes.

Then he asked me what needs to be done to improve our ability to sustain businesses. After all, it is not about starting — anyone can start one. It is about keeping it going — although not necessarily growing as large as, say Dell. [Read more…]

7 Small Business Recommendations to the President & Congress

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2577.presidential_2D00_sealMr. President, as a small business owner for over 25 years it was very encouraging to hear you acknowledge some of our contributions to the economy.

According to the Small Business Administration  (SBA) Office of Advocacy, small businesses have been responsible for all the net new jobs since the 1970’s. We are the ones that hire and train most first time job seekers or retrain returning workers.

We are also credited with inventing: the airplane, audio tape recorder, fiber optic examining equipment, heart valve, optical scanner, Pacemaker®, personal computer, soft contact lenses and the one thing none of us can live without, the lowly zipper. SBA research indicates that small businesses produce 13 to 14 times more patents per employee than large firms. My own father was one of those inventors. [Read more…]

Podcast: State of Texas Business Today

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The Texas Tribune talks to small businesses.

The Texas Tribune talks to small businesses.

Podcast with Jan Triplett, one of the Texans giving their perspective on the State of the State

How are we doing? Since there is no legislature in session, the Governor will not give a state of the state address this January. So Ben Philpott of KUT radio (90.5FM) and the Texas Tribune asked some of us who are living through it to give our perceptions.

The interview, entitled “Their State of the State”,  is worth a listen. You’ll hear what I, the Comptroller’s representative R J Desilva, and others have to say about how well Texas business is doing. [Read more…]