Vision2Biz.Comhttp://www.vision2biz.com/home/en-US2010-03-18T21:17:19ZSquarespace Site Server v5.9.3 (http://www.squarespace.com/)How to create your unique value propositionhttp://www.vision2biz.com/home/2010/1/21/how-to-create-your-unique-value-proposition.htmlDavid Samuel2010-01-21T13:16:42ZHow-to Marketing What it takesDo you remember life before FedEx? If you wanted to get a document or small package from Point "A" to Point "B" you had a few choices. You could engage a shipping company such as UPS, or you could do what most did, and engage the Post Office. Sending  a letter by the Post Office cost less than a dollar. Along comes this new company who offers to transport your parcel for $15! But the catch is that they will guarantee that the parcel arrives at it's Point "B" by the next day, regardless of where the Point "A" may be. 

Their promise to the customer, articulated in their catch-phrase "when it absolutely positively has to be there by 10am the next day", is the best example I know of a strong value proposition.

]]>Great advice for start-ups - in 3 words!http://www.vision2biz.com/home/2010/1/13/great-advice-for-start-ups-in-3-words.htmlDavid Samuel2010-01-13T13:11:31ZI encountered this great list of advice to early-stage entrepreneurs produced by Dharmesh Shah, co-author of one of the best new books on the market: Inbound Marketing.

Early-stage entrepreneurs tend to get lots of advice from lots of people, some good advice, some harmful advice. It's important to weigh these inputs carefully, but be open to new ideas and insights from credible sources who are interested in your success.

In the pages of this blog, we've talked a lot about the important priorities in starting your business. Things like:

]]>The 5 things you can do THIS MONTH to help your business start-uphttp://www.vision2biz.com/home/2010/1/8/the-5-things-you-can-do-this-month-to-help-your-business-sta.htmlDavid Samuel2010-01-09T03:03:34ZAction plan How-to What it takes
If you've been thinking about starting your business, here are 5 things that you can/should do THIS MONTH, that have nothing to do with the specifics of the business, but have everything to do with helping the vision2biz launch succeed:
]]>10 critical questions to answer BEFORE writing the comprehensive business planhttp://www.vision2biz.com/home/2009/12/9/10-critical-questions-to-answer-before-writing-the-comprehen.htmlDavid Samuel2009-12-09T12:26:16ZAction plan How-to What it takesthe business and about their own fitness and readiness for entrepreneurship. I'd suggest that there are some basic challenges and thoughts that need to be addressed BEFORE you are ready to construct your detailed, investor-ready business plan. The following are 10 questions to guide your thinking about these ideas.]]>More women over 55 are starting businesses. Here's why they succeedhttp://www.vision2biz.com/home/2009/12/7/more-women-over-55-are-starting-businesses-heres-why-they-su.htmlDavid Samuel2009-12-07T12:19:47ZNew rulesIn my previous post, Accidental Entrepreneur?, I talked about the success path for late-in-life entrepreneurs. Well here is further validation of those ideas with a specific focus on women 55 and older.

Blogger Kaya Singer (Silver Vixens: For Women of a Certain Age), describes why these women are succeeding, and why you can succeed.

http://www.silvervixens.com/articles/awakening/no!+you%E2%80%99re+not+crazy!

This is a must-read for my female readers! Let me know what you think of these ideas!

 

]]>Accidental Entrepreneur? - Here's why (and how) you can succeed!http://www.vision2biz.com/home/2009/11/25/accidental-entrepreneur-heres-why-and-how-you-can-succeed.htmlDavid Samuel2009-11-26T02:13:37ZHow-to New rules StrategicIf you are an Accidental Entrepreneur, you can succeed. It will be different, and there are some things you probably need to do first. We'll talk about those below. But You can indeed succeed.

In fact, after succeeding in the workplace for 30+ years, you likely have just what it takes to win as a new entrepreneur. Now is the time to go for it.

A recent Businessweek article profiling the best and brightest young (25 and under) entrepreneurs began with a fascinating finding: in the U.S. over the past decade, the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity belongs to the 55-64 age group. Many of these are Accidental Entrepreneurs.

 

]]>How to use social media for successful B2B marketinghttp://www.vision2biz.com/home/2009/11/19/how-to-use-social-media-for-successful-b2b-marketing.htmlDavid Samuel2009-11-19T11:29:47ZHow-to Marketing New rulesHere is a great article from the folks at HubSpot that talks about why social media (FB, Twitter, LinkedIn) can work really well if you have business customers.

Building success in a B2B business requires a slightly different value proposition. Although consumer buyers are looking for Faster Better Cheaper in their solutions, business buyers need even more. Business buyers need to have a very clear and quantified picture of the business impact of your solution. In other words: How much faster? How much better? How much cheaper?

]]>Great industries right now for business start-upshttp://www.vision2biz.com/home/2009/11/12/great-industries-right-now-for-business-start-ups.htmlDavid Samuel2009-11-13T03:41:55ZAction plan Marketing New rules StrategicStep 2 in my 10 Steps from Vision to Real Business program is focused on how to assess and understand the business environment. As conditions change throughout the market, opportunity profiles change, and it is crucial for early-stage entrepreneurs observe that market and quickly assess gaps in real and latent demand.  Successful entrepreneurs are risk takers with strong visioning power who execute well. 

When you think about the current market conditions, you'll want to consider

]]>Top 5 reasons you might be an entrepreneur!http://www.vision2biz.com/home/2009/11/6/top-5-reasons-you-might-be-an-entrepreneur.htmlDavid Samuel2009-11-07T04:19:46ZNew rules What it takesThis is good. Blogger Ethan Lyon in the blog Sparxoo does a good riff on the Jeff Foxworthy bit, except his is a bit more serious!

Here are the Top 5 reasons: You might be an entrepreneur if:

]]>How to Start a Successful Internet Businesshttp://www.vision2biz.com/home/2009/11/6/how-to-start-a-successful-internet-business.htmlDavid Samuel2009-11-06T12:54:47ZDigital Economy How-to Internet business Marketing Solutions customer-centric how-to marketing