After researching around on trade show exhibits (although the local fair won’t be as big as trade show), I have came out with some basic list of items that need to be prepared if I were to participate in such fair.

First I have to make sure that my allocated table is properly decorated. Wouldn’t it be nice if I have some kind of table covers with logo and name of my craft business brand. In a way it will catch the eye of passerby to stop at my booth and check out my craft items.

And then if I have extra budget, I should get a table top display. Usually the layout of tables and booth at a craft fair will be crowded. You have to have an extra edge to attract the attention of people who come to such fair to be interested to check your booth.

Lastly since I will be sitting at the booth for most of the time, it will be wiser for me to have a stool or chair that is comfortable to sit on. Directors chairs which are sturdy and could be printed with my craft business logo will be a good investment.

So what do you think? How soon should I get ready to participate in the coming craft fair..haha!

For me, the first impression of a website does really matter. If it is over-designed or looks too complicated, even though it has massive info, I might feel reluctant to visit the website again and again. User accessibility to the website plays important factor. Messed up content structure, absurd layout and unsuitable typography will negate the functionality of a website.

So if you are considering an online presence for your e commerce business, perhaps you should consider hiring professional instead of doing the design yourself.

Nowadays there are many options to be considered. The least expensive service might not be the best solution. Web design agency like Lilo for example understands what it takes to have a website design that is original and thought provoking.

With over ten years of design agency experience, this web design London is also competent in web development and internet marketing. So if you are willing to invest now to see the future rewards, have a look at their portfolio and let’s see how Lilo gives their unique approach to your company’s website design.

As they say, what you can’t say with words, we say with design!

Ever wish that you have an office full of well trained staffs who would impress your clients, a warm receptionist to answer the call and a decent meeting room instead of your usual meeting place at fast food joint or coffee shop? Perhaps it’s about time you consider renting virtual office space for your business.

With the virtual office, you can drop the home address on your business card and have the suite number to make it look more professional. You can get other services as well from mailing to pickup service, and not to forget great customer service to answer every potential clients. Now you don’t have to worry about missing any important call while you are on the road, or fighting the distraction of noisy children at home (especially for WAHM).

With Davinci virtual office, you can get a live person as your virtual assistant who will screen and forward the business call. By doing this, your client will never realize the difference that you are actually running the business at home or on the road. When the need arises, you can have access to conference rooms and other services.

Of course by having this virtual office, you can save a lot in terms of not having to pay for the staffs salary, HR issues and training. In a way, by having someone to take care of the menial tasks like answering calls and entertaining queries from clients, you can focus more on your business which in return will increase your productivity and work effectiveness.

From another point of view, having this kind of virtual office means not having to commute and drive through the hassle of traffic jam every day. You might only have to go to the meeting room once in a while to meet client and discuss the business proposal. The rest of the time can be spent working from the comfort of home with your laptop and WiFi connection. Imagine the hours you can save and more brilliant ideas you can come out with, not having to worry about small details in office that are so distracting.

If you are running a business and have credit card payment facility, you must be very familiar with terms like credit card processing and merchant account.

Merchant account is the very first step in accepting credit and debit cards like Visa/MasterCard and American Express as some form of payment for your products or services. With company like Merchant Advisors, you will get many benefits when you sign up for their merchant account such as great low rates, prompt payment of merchant funds within 48 hours, no equipment purchase required and a reliable 24/7 customer service for free.

Their merchant services credit card processing has no long term contracts. You are allowed to process month to month and cancel anytime unlike other merchant accounts that require you to sign an agreement for a minimum of 3 years.

Plus with their credit card processing service, you will get free terminal replacement program for life which is normally charged at $15/month. As a new business owner, they understand that it’s not easy for you to spend $700 to set up to accept credit cards and checks, therefore this is a good bargain for you to gain more profit from credit transactions.

If you are still on the look out for merchant account for your restaurant or retail business, check out their 30 day free trial and free merchant account programs.

If you are running a business you should be concern about lead generation that could be turned into sales and generate revenue. If nobody is interested in your product or service or they never even heard about it, you can’t expect the money to be pouring in, right?

To get people to know your products and services means marketing it in every way effective – direct mail, Internet marketing, telemarketing. Of course there are ways to boost the marketing results. Some of them like if you have a good offer like free CD, discounted rate, make sure you place the offers at prominent places on the flyers, the campaign pamphlets, or on the front page of your website. Put your phone number and website address so that people who are interested will have the option to contact you and get more info about the services or products.

If possible, personalize all aspect of your direct marketing campaign. Get to know your marketing target audience and make them feel that you are talking to them about the products directly.

Or if you need help from the professional, check out company like LeadDogs.com. Since 1994, companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Shell and Orbitz have outsourced to The Lead Dogs to generate, manage and nurture sales leads that turn into revenue.

Whenever I go out for shopping or dining, I always check whether the shops or the retail stores do accept credit cards. Not that I love to spend my credit limit, it’s a matter of convenience to shop and pay with plastics. I usually buy a lot of things from different stores and with all the shopping bags hanging, I find it very hard to take out every little change and dollars in the wallet and later put in all back. But with card, it’s very convenient to just hold out the card, swipe and sign. And one thing I noticed that whenever a retail store accepts credit card as a form of payment, the customers usually will spend more than what they initially intend to do which in return will be good for the business..heh!

So if you have a store, or maybe an online business, consider having a merchant account so that you can accept credit card. The initial cost might be a little overwhelming but in the long run it will do good for your business. Imagine if you have a restaurant, yet you only accept cash (which I encountered during my last dining trip), majority of your clients especially those who are planning to have a party or company farewell dinner at your restaurant for example will find it very hard to pay all by cash.

On the other hand for those running online business, accepting credit cards for online purchase would require a secure server to process the payment. As online business is considered as high risk therefore you can expect to pay more for credit card processing compared to those with low risk – whereby they can swipe their customers’ credit cards through a card swipe machine like for stores and shops can, get the customers to sign and lower the risk of chargeback and fraud. Nevertheless having the ability to process credit card payment for those with online business will ensure more visibility in the market and a higher volume of sales for your business.

There is also a family based petition which means that the foreign spouse who get married to the US citizen can apply for the other family members to come to US. If you are not sure how all this immigration rules and petition work, make sure you consult a reliable immigration attorney to help.

For example, this Root Law Group (1-888-Root-Law) is a full service Spanish & Russian speaking immigration law firm located in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Bernardino, Ventura County, and the San Fernando Valley that offers free consultations.

Apart from family-based petition, they also handle employment-based petition for employers who would like to get foreign professional workers to come to US for work. They have enjoyed great reputation so far with tremendous success in their visa applications, employment-based and family-based petitions.

Good luck and may you get to chase the dream in the land of opportunities soon!

My answer would be you have to know what kind of person you actually are before you commit yourself to being a home business owner.

I found one article that kind of helpful for those starting out a home business. This is very important for those thinking and weighing the possibilities of quiting their daily job and start the business. I point this out because not all business will be successful and many times people feel upset and lose hope when their first attempt do not work out.

Check out this article: Starting a Home Business and do the checklist to find out whether you are cut for home business.

And if you are really into it, I wish you all the very best of luck in your foray to business world.

I’m sure for all car owners out there, you must have taken your car for service at least once out of your auto life time (unless you have someone else to take the burden out of your driving hand..hehe).

I am a driver myself and find it such a chore to get my car for service and everything. What I know every time my mileage is up for the next service, it’s going to create a big hole in my monthly budget.

The auto parts will cost a certain amount and the labor cost is not that cheap either. Sometimes I think those mechanics make more than I do per month looking from the number of cars going in and out from the repair shop. Wouldn’t it be great if I know how to service my own car and simply buy the auto parts online?

Check out this website, DriveWire.com that sells discount auto parts and accessories. With more than 2 million items on their shelves, the OEM and Genuine parts are sold at a 40-50% discount. Plus if you are in the US, the ground shipping is free.

Since most of their products come from manufacturers from around the world, the pricing online are updated on weekly basis. This pricing is done to meet the change in the value of the US dollar. So I think it’s quite fun to constantly check the revised pricing in case I need to buy parts like Eibach Springs which for me is not urgent but would be cool for my car. Who knows with the the valuation of the dollar I could save some money to pay for more replacement parts and accessories..haha!

I wonder when will I get the chance to buy BMW part..wink!

Ever since I started blogging, I have received many emails and comments from women out there who ask how to start a business to get income while staying at home.

Some of them are currently working full time and would like to have the chance to stay at home yet still get income. One or two even asked me whether this is what I really want in life, to stay at home and manage my home based business. One person even asked me whether she could really survive if she starts a business.

My answer would be I don’t know. For me, not everyone is cut out to run a business. And running a home based business is not as easy as you might think, either. And no person could guarantee you that it will work or not. Just like any life decision, getting in a relationship, being married, grow a family, no one knows what lies ahead but we strive to make the best out of the situation.

Same goes with business. I found one article on Are You Geared for a Home-Based Business? Try to see whether you have what it takes to be a home based business owner then later you can email or leave a comment in my blog, OK!

If you ask me, I personally feel that the branding process is crucial. I know some people who start a business with the hope to earn more income without any plan to grow the business further.

But wouldn’t it nice if someday your side income business would lead to high-end products or excellent services that bring long term effective result to the world.

I was reading a lot of business articles today and found a good article titled Should You Brand Yourself or Your Business?

I think what the author is trying to say that it’s OK to brand yourself first if you are the owner of the business, but sooner or later you need to build a brand for the business as whole.

Another article titled How Strong Is Your Brand? explains this more clearly. You need to develop a personal brand and employer brand because both type of brands are crucial in a business.

A brand is more than a promise or reputation. It can uphold or break what you are trying to build and achieve.

It’s like they know you more than your spouse or the next door shopkeeper know your taste. Check out this article which I found to be really interesting. It’s like playing psychiatrist..haha! Let’s read how these people try to Google you out.

For example, if you like to listen to Catch Me If You Can, by Coldplay you would love to buy a Motorola Q smartphone. Have you realized that whenever you browse and buy any book online, later at the bottom of the site it will recommend you something else which unbelievably suits your taste of books.

That’s my friend is the power of recommender algorithm. Now what kind of things are you?

If you have been employed before, you would understand the important of your boss’s review. I had 3 different bosses before I decided to quit my full time job and run my own SOHO.

The first boss was quite all right because she seemed to be on track when it comes to doing the every 2 months review and the twice a year appraisals.

I was quite happy with her comments and recommendation for me that gave me the chance to get the yearly bonus worth of 2 months salary and increment..haha!

Then when she got promoted and handed over her job to another lady boss, I was not quite happy because this new one was not sure what was going on with my team and instead of leading us to improve, we in return had to train her to understand her job..huhu!

My last experience having a boss was even worse. She came in late, she never bothered what was happening and she even fought with upper level management and shouted to people under her wing in the team meeting.

I couldn’t bear staying to work and in the same time trying to be sane with such person and decided rather than I hope she would get fired, might as well I packed my things and leave. I didn’t even get the chance the read any review from that crazy boss.

If you are running a company with you as the responsible manager to write reviews and do the yearly appraisal, this ManagerAssistant employee appraisal software could really help you lessen your burden.

If you are still not convince how it could help you enhance your productivity as manager, simplify your workforce management tasks and improve the way you manage your people, try the ManagerAssistant version 3.0 demo for 14 days, risk free.

With the help of ManagerAssistant, you wouldn’t need to shout at your people just because you are so nervous about doing the yearly appraisals.

*This information is meant for people interested to register their business in Malaysia. Similar procedures might be found on the Internet for other country’s business registration procedures.

When I decided to register my IT business about 2 years ago, I found it very hard to find necessary information. I have to ask people who has set up their business around since such local information was not found on the Internet. At that time there were few agents online doing business registration.

Later after going through all the hassle of trying to figure out it all by myself, a friend introduced me to eHomemakers which has many useful articles and tips for women starting out home-based business.

If you have any intention of registering your home-based business in Malaysia but don’t know where to start, then check the article on Registering Your Business As A Sole Proprietorship.

If you are planning to open up business with your spouse or friend, maybe a reading on Registering A Partnership will help. By having relevant information, at least it would enable you to see how things are going and what you should have readied before embarking on real world business.

Nobody says that doing a home-based business is easy but everyone can do it as long as they are fully equipped with knowledge and have great commitment to make it work.

Overall, I think having this kind of website which caters to local needs are really helpful. I hope more women these days will have the courage to start business on their own.

I was thinking of doing postcards for my business promotion effort. Apart from that, I’ve also surveyed around for woven and non woven bags for product packaging. Paper bag would be good but I think having a woven or non woven bag will be long lasting and more practical. Of course if I have extra budget then I will proceed to print desktop calendars for year end sales.

Why do I need to do all this? After all my business is mainly run on the Internet. Branding is one thing, but what is more important is for wider exposure. I want more people offline to know the existence of my business.

I agree with the article, Packaging Sells Products. First impression is one aspect to consider when investing in product packaging, yet another good view is when the customers who buy the items feel good, then they will become returning customers.

There is also one good article about how to market your business without advertising. I really like the idea of conducting workshop and class. In a way, you will be noticed as the expert in your field and clients will have great respect and trust in your products or services.

I was reading articles on entrepreneurship guides and strategy as part of my business development plan. Yes, from time to time every business owner needs to find ways to grow themselves and their business. Learning should never stop once you obtained your degree, especially if you are in the ever changing business world.

I like to delve more into branding and how it helps for business. Many people associate branding with marketing, in a way yes because you incorporate your branding in marketing effort. But actually branding is a different thing in business. Read about the basics of branding here.

I specifically agree with what the author wrote, ” Is your product the high-cost, high-quality option, or the low-cost, high-value option? You can’t be both, and you can’t be all things to all people.”

I wish more small business owners will realize this. From my observation, many small business owners never bother to put any effort in branding their product or service.

For them, it’s just how much sales and profits they can rip from the business. I think that is why few business actually survives within a year of its start up. When consumers find cheaper and better alternatives, they will grab the better deals and forget about your products or services. Your business has no brand and rings no bell in their head.

For those in the business and have not thought further into branding, perhaps this online lesson for developing your brand strategy could help. Read further about brand strategy here.

Now I need to weight the decision whether I should buy a laser printer. Should it be a black and white or the color one? How much would it cost to get a decent one and how great the advantages I have if I ever bought one?

I was googling and found this guide on printer buying on Amazon. I will continue searching until I find the best bargain and the perfect solution for my printing work. I like to read all the printer users comments because if I reviewed the products on its manufacturers’ main websites, definitely the comment and review wouldn’t be accurate as it will be biased for their product sales and marketing.

I have my eyes on one particular laser printer and now counting the money whether to buy it or not.

I think I need to have my own business cards. Read about why I need them here even though I’m doing most of my marketing online.

I am also contemplating on what to put on my card. Should I put all that I think is relevant or just put something and leave something behind so that my business sounds mysterious..nay..I don’t think it will work that way. The last thing I want to happen is for people less IT literate to think that I’m doing some illegal activities online..hehe..

Check also the business card basics. I like this part:

The most common mistake in business card design is overcrowding. Remember, the truly ESSENTIAL information on any card is your name, your company name, and your primary phone number (which should be in bold text, if other numbers are on the card.) Include your email address and website URL if you can, but remember, a card that’s too crowded won’t be kept or read.

Read here why small businesses need a proper logo and marketing materials. I really think all the 14 reasons really make sense.

It’s time to revamp my marketing strategy. All out to my business card in the making!

Many of us who just stepped out from college are eager to own our own house. After all you already have few credit cards and a nice car, so a house would be next in your wanted list.

But do you know whether you can really afford to buy your first house? The down payment is one thing to remember, but what about other hidden cost? Check this article as it lists down all the hidden fees and cost that you will have to bear in order to purchase your dream house.

For first time buyer, make sure you find all the information you need before you sign that purchase agreement because there are many prevalent and potentially dangerous and expensive mistakes made by first time home buyers.

[NOTE: Some words in this article may have been disguised to avoid triggering sp*m filters.]

Ever sit with a single puzzle piece of clouds and wonder how you will ever put the entire sky together? Life as an entrepreneur is often just like that — lots of the little pieces; like creating products, taking care of clients, wrestling computers, etc. — and a whole lot of sky, the big open space that is creating a successful and enjoyable business. I had so many pieces of “puzzle sky”, I was drowning in an ocean of sky blue.

After over a decade of struggling with my own company to fit all the ‘pieces’ together, I have finally put together the big business puzzle — and it’s not what I thought it would look like.

As a sponge for knowledge, I would constantly search for new information to help me grow. Emblazoned in my mind was a quote that I stumbled upon by accident while researching William Shakespeare in the old, smelly, humid JFK junior high library, “Information is power,” by Sir Frances Bacon. At thirteen years old, I didn’t exactly know what power was but I knew I didn’t want to be a “dork” or a “druggie”, like so many people I knew. So naturally I wanted whatever power was… and knowledge… was the way there.

So, at the same time I entered puberty, I became a “knowledge” junkie and didn’t “know” it (how ironic is that?).

Anytime I wanted to tackle a new endeavor or go in a new direction, I would take a class or several — a habit that carried into adulthood, way past college. I even graduated from college with over twenty eight credits over what I needed because I kept taking classes. A class — the perfect place to get knowledge right?! But… for this knowledge I gave up so much. And I didn’t even know it.

For me, every pursuit of knowledge was a piece of “puzzle sky.” I was excited with the opportunity to learn something new, exhilarated by the threshold of my being expanded, enamored of the teacher teaching me. Yet at the end of each “learning” experience, something felt — wrong.

Yes, I had gained a piece of knowledge but was left empty and felt unattached. So, I would throw myself into another class, another learning opportunity — ever on my quest for power… to be filled. I had no idea that, with each learning experience, I was instead looking for permission to do the new undertaking — and got high off the experience of learning (gosh, I hope I’m not the only one).

With more and more people leaving their cushy corporate job, there’s an explosion of entrepreneurial workshops and seminars teaching you how to be more, make more, more more, etc. With all these portals of power I was ripe to become a seminar junkie. Each one of these workshops and the information they offer has the potential to benefit you — IF it fits into your larger picture.

To be successful as an entrepreneur, you need to surround yourself with knowledge, savor each individual learning experience, and hold it in relationship to your big picture — your success sky.

One of the first steps to developing your business as a brand is establishing your vision of the sky. It’s your sky. You get to establish if it’s blue or green. You get to establish is it’s clear or cloudy. You even get to establish if it’s up or down. The important thing is that you establish it and that you surround yourself with knowledge to support that vision. If you have a solid vision, you may want to turn it into a marketable brand.

The next time you are considering taking a course or workshop ask yourself these three simple questions:

Your answers to these questions will ensure you get actually what you’re looking for.

After all my years of knowledge hunting, I’m amazed to find I am now in the knowledge sharing business(of course, I learned it in an incredible workshop). You already have the knowledge and the power to accomplish whatever you want. It just takes a few select individuals to remind you. I’m honored at the opportunity to be one of them.

© Castle, Montone, Limited.

Brand Visioneer Kim Castle is an internationally known author, speaker and entrepreneur. Are you making one of the 15 MISTAKES THAT KILL BUSINESS SUCCESS? Find out and change it immediately for fr*ee .

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can. Simply include this blurb with it: Author and Brand Visioneer, Kim Castle teaches entrepreneurs and small business owners how to tap into the full power of their business – the power behind their brand. If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank ™ go to www.15mistakes.com.