Before you inquire about consulting services, you need to ask yourself if you are actually an entrepreneur, or just someone trying to survive in a business. While the two may well seem to be the same thing, they are very different.
With the current economy, there are many people who find themselves starting business’s who are not entrepreneurs. There are some who have checked out how the companies they work for have been run and just felt that they had a better idea. Or they were convinced they could run a business better. While an individual in this situation might be an entrepreneur, the situations themselves don’t make you one.
Entrepreneurs are a different breed, they’re willing to try and do anything and everything it takes to succeed in their business’s. They do not know what the word “no” looks like, they study their markets as well as their competition and they’re extremely solution oriented. If you are a person who would like to start a company, but is just prepared to risk a small amount of funds, you may want to remain at your current job, or find one.
If you are a person who has tried different things, but given up following adversity, you may not be ready to be an entrepreneur. Regardless of whether you’re thinking that this time it’s going to be different, you actually need to try and do some soul searching before you make the decision to leap. You may think I’m attempting to turn you off to becoming an entrepreneur and you would be correct. Unless you are actually ready for that battle, don’t jump in, there is a lot of risk here.
Remember nearly all business’s fail in the first few years. If you don’t like the odds, you have to really re-assess where you are.
How To Make Consulting Simple
If you are still reading and haven’t decided that I am a pain in the rear, then you may really have what it takes to become an entrepreneur. Keep in mind, just because you are in business, does not imply you are one.
So let’s take this to the next step. I can’t answer all your questions with this short article, but what I can do would be to start to steer you in the right direction. There are three types of consulting situations:
1) You are anticipating starting a company and need help with the decision, or how to get started.
2) You are in business and want to work out how to grow your business to the next level, or maybe just get it growing period.
3) You’re in deep trouble with your small business and you are desperate for information on how to save it.
I will speak to each of these different types of situations in my next three blog posts. But recognize, that in every one of these steps you still have to ask yourself, “Am I An Entrepreneur”?
Deciding If You Really Need A Consultant?
There are lots of ways to find the answers to your questions. I was once advised by one of my mentors to find someone who actually knew what they were doing and do the same thing. I firmly believe in that philosophy. So, I will pass on to you, that you can find the right person in the form of a consultant, or you can also find tools and methods that can help you get there without a direct relationship.
There are trade offs with both options. A consultant will charge you a lot more money, but will tend to get pretty deep into your company. If they’re good, then you will get a return on your money. Using tools will teach you how to resolve the issues yourself and will typically cost you a lot less up front. However the downside of tools and training are that they do not have a personal relationship with you and can’t deal with the unique variables which are faced on a regular basis.
What I find to be the best type of entrepreneur consulting relationship is a hybrid of both. I will clarify this in more detail in the final part of this series.
It’s becoming an online world. More consumers feel comfortable shopping on the Web; more buyers continue to browse each year at regular intervals. Of course, businesses are following the trend, making the online leap too, making brands recognizable to browsers. However, many businesses could use the help of SEO consulting. Why? To avoid mistakes. Making offline mistakes may temporarily hinder a business’ reputation. Making mistakes online, visible to any consumer, have disastrous consequences. Hence, SEO consulting is a useful resource for all businesses aspiring to make online impacts. Consider common mistakes made by online novices.
Content Construction
Content is king on the Web. The phrase highlights the connection between fresh, original, ongoing content and quality rankings on Internet search engines. Offering industry-related content facilitates search engine optimization and a good reputation. SEO consulting services encourage vendors to get writing performed by online marketing writers, those who understand how to implement keywords, write for the Web, and write towards a target market. Of course, those with a grammar school education and beyond can write, but writing intriguing marketing copy for the Web, copy with appropriate keyword usage, attracting attention from search engines and Web browsers, warrants experience and specialized training.
Social Networking
Facebook received more visits last year than Google. That is very impressive. Naturally, business executives are interested in engaging target markets on the platform and similar ones. SEO consulting services encourage the decision. However, SEO experts would advise proceeding with caution. As words can’t be taken back, nor can comments, posts, pictures, etc. It can be tempting to create an account and begin social networking, but many mistakes can be made by a novice. It’s best to seek the help of experienced, online marketing specialists.
Web Design
The popularity of the Web may force executives to make hasty decisions regarding Web design. Those desiring online presence may forgo patience and effective Web design implementations for a quick fix. Sites are virtual salespeople, making impressions on Web browsers. A great Web design increases brand reputation as well as facilitates search engine optimization. Be concerned with proper coding, sitemaps, the limitation or exclusion of Flash, meta information, appropriate URL structure, and more. Save your company time in the future; get the process done correctly from the start.
Conclusion
Increased interest in online marketing is encouraged by SEO consulting services, but hasty decisions to get things done without complete understanding or direction is not. You want things done right by your brand, ensuring that’s how your brand is perceived by the public. Consultants want to help you.
Social Media has immense benefit for small businesses. Just have a look at these statistics to understand how pervasive the reach and importance of social media is:
• More than a quarter of time spent on the internet is done on various social network
• 70% of active social networkers shop online
• 70% of social networkers rely on reviews before making purchase decisions
• 80% of people in US, Canada, Europe and Australia browse the internet
That is a massive audience out there. To tap this market effectively, your small business requires a Social Media Consultant.
Top Reasons to be on Social Media:
• Create an online presence for your business: Through your profiles, you are directly reaching out to your buyers and potential buyers. You are having a two-way interaction with people who matter, those who purchase your products. You also ensure that you are in a space where your competitors already are. In other words, you are not lagging behind.
• Know the buzz around your business: Through various social networking platforms, blogs and forums, you will know what people perceive of your products and services. You get first-hand feedback and an opportunity to improve upon the negatives. It is also a great place to pick up ideas and actual needs of your target group.
• Provide Value: You can end up providing valuable tips, discounts, promotional offers etc. through your profiles. Your followers will have something interesting and valuable to look forward to. You can also reach out to a relevant talent pool through a LinkedIn profile.
• Exploit a business opportunity: Your competition is there on the social networking sites. You know that most people are moving towards online purchases, and you are certainly not reaching them if you are not utilizing the media platform. Thus, you have to get on to the bandwagon if you want your small business to thrive and achieve real growth.
A Social Media Consultant can help you achieve your goals. Here is what they can do for you:
• Plan: A Consultant can help you plan your goals and objectives, set targets and implementation schedules.
• Professional Setup: The profiles you set up on various social media platforms will be meaningful with lively and relevant content, updates and interlinking to enable maximum number of followers and adequate results.
• Monitoring and ROI: You require constantly tracking of your efforts and fine-tuning various profiles to ensure that your social media campaign is on the right track. A Consultant can help establish systems for monitoring both the campaign and the ROI.
• Saves: You can save a lot of time, effort and money in hiring a professional and experienced Consultant with an able team that can leverage their expertise and own networking skills to aid your objectives.
A Social Media Consultant is crucial to the success of social media campaigns for small businesses. Make sure that you find a good one!
Ava Millicent is an Social Media Marketing Enthusiast that is writing about how Social Media Methods can be effectively used in Internet Marketing.
Starting a business and running a business are difficult tasks. There are many different things to worry about, and financial issues are one of the main ones. Without a full understanding of all the financial aspects of a business, owners could potentially lose money or face even more dire consequences. A CPA can help with financial consulting and ensure that the business is on track to succeed.
Defining Business Structures
One of the most important small business consulting roles a CPA can play happens when you are starting your business. You will need to decide on the best structure, and the structure you choose will affect several different things. This includes taxes and what you will owe to the state you live in, and much more. A CPA can ensure that you choose the correct structure for your personal situation and the correct structure from a financial and tax standpoint.
Creating a Legal Tax Strategy
CPAs understand tax laws in-depth, meaning that they can help you create a legal tax strategy that accomplishes two things: keeps you in compliance with state and local laws and allows your business to keep as much money as possible. With financial consulting from a professional CPA, you will understand exactly what taxes your business must pay, when they must be paid, and what deductions your business can claim as well. This will allow you to keep every cent possible in a legal manner, so you are covered without paying in unnecessary money.
Determining Investments
Another important thing a CPA can do during small business consulting is help you determine what kinds of investments your company needs to make and can afford to make. From marketing to other business ventures that can eventually help the growth and success of your business, a CPA can help advise you on what the best choices are while staying within your investment budget.
Annual Tax Return Preparation
One of the things a CPA is most known for is preparing the annual tax returns. This is especially important for businesses, because there are certain forms that must be filed and certain types of taxes that must be paid. Your CPA can also set up different types of tax payment plans and ensure that you are fulfilling all of your legal obligations and that you do not owe the IRS anything.
For small business consulting, a fresh pair of eyes will equal a lot of savings and can make sure your business is stable and financially secure.
Reno CPA Tim Nelson has been helping individuals and businesses with their tax preparation and financial planning for years. Tim has a passion for numbers, so that you don’t have to. Visit Tim Nelson’s Website to download the FREE Business and Tax Preparation Organizer.