I’ve seen both sides of the spectrum and neither is pretty.
On one hand you have the entrepreneur who wants to do it all.  They run one kind of business, handle a business of a different type on the side, all the while they are also standing on a giant rubber ball trying to balance multiple items at once.  Or was that the Cat in the Hat?  It’s hard to tell the difference between those do it all entrepreneurs and that silly Dr. Seuss character.  It might be the fear of …

Besides the obvious message, there is an added message that many people don’t think about.  Your signature.  The email signature is an important tool for entrepreneurs.  That signature will remind the person you are emailing about your business, how to find you, and alternative ways to contact you.  Even if you only recruit one new customer, you have done yourself a service by simply making sure every person you contact has the information they need to learn more about you and your business.
Email signatures do much more than just generate …

Businesses network because they want to be found.  Unless they keep their presence up-to-date regularly they might also be sharing false information with potential customers!
Just having your profile out there on dozens of networks is not good enough.  You have to be active on each network too.  That is why it is important for all businesses to network smart instead of in bulk.  Smart networking will bring in new customers.  Bulk networking, while it will offer a lot of search hits for your business name, will only become outdated with …

You can’t really calculate the potential success of… oh wait, I guess you can.
A post on Entrepreneur Daily Dose brings to light a new calculator that may actually calculate the odds of whether your business will or will not succeed.
The Odds Of Success calculator, which was created by StartupNation.com, is said to be able to tell you how likely you are (or are not) to succeed by using 8 factors: the investment, difficulty obtaining funds, quality of the financial management, the degree of business planning used, the annual growth rate, …

Unfortunately I only ever wrote one article for the American Chronicle after I joined in October of last year.  I was unable to find the time to write something new, until recently.  Yesterday I published a new article on their website and it is called, “Why You’re On Twitter (& What You Can Do About It!)” for businesses.
Articles talking about the success businesses have had on the networking site are everywhere. While they make it seem like sales will increase just by joining, I know better.  In my article …

If starting a business is your area of interest then you should know that now is the time to get started.
While it is no surprise to me, a recent study from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation shows that the negative impact on business startups during a recession is slim.  Furthermore, many of the businesses featured in the 2009 Fortune 500 and 2008 Inc. lists are businesses that launched during a recession.
For those of you that launched your business when times were good and find yourself trying to stay afloat, …

I don’t officially have a logo but what I do have has some color, that happens to match my theme, and offers a little tagline that describes what I do.  Because AngelaShupe.com is a collection of articles and blog postings by me, it works well with what the website is about.
My logo tells people, quite literally, that I am a work-at-home mom, a freelance writer, and a virtual assistant.  That is exactly what I want it to say.  However, this article isn’t about me.  We’re here to talk about you.
 
What …

A good LiveJournal friend of mine recently joined Twitter, that handy social networking website which allows you to learn what others are doing in 140 characters or less.  I happen to know she makes and sells jewelry.  While I think she joined Twitter to update and keep up with friends, I’ve already learned the potential here is so much greater.  If she really wanted to, I know she could effectively market her jewelry, using twitter to spread the word about her business.  I know she could because I have been …

Photo by: suchitra prints
Valentines day might be over but it is not too late to put a little love into your business. After all, if you don’t love what you do how can you expect it to thrive?
Listen.
You should always listen to your customers. Without them, your business wouldn’t exist.
Observe.
Keep your eye on what is going on around you. If something is lacking within your niche, go the extra mile to offer it. You’ll stand out from the rest if you do. If your competition …

As more women look for a way to work out of their home, opportunities are trying to find new and inventive ways to target them. What are they looking for?
Without getting into the age old question, “What are women thinking”, I can tell you a few aspects that would make your business opportunity just a little more mom-friendly.
1. How flexible is your opportunity as a business?
Let’s face it, mom’s spend a lot of time working around our children and their schedule. Unless your opportunity is just as …