Small business owners have to think long term.

Now that you are a small business owner - what next? Think of the long haul, remember all the planning and research that went into starting your small business. Hopefully your expectations are being met by all that effort you put into the planning stage of your new business. If so, it has paid off with positive results that are satisfying and uplifting at the very least. Now, you need to maintain that momentum in investment in research and analysis and sustain your short-term success as you anticipate the future.

Now we will show you how to develop a strategy for managing the long-term growth of your business.

First: Take Another Look At Your Business Plan

Don\’t set your business plan aside just because everything is looking good now that your start-up phase is over. Use your business plan as a point of reference that you refer to often to make accurate estimates that reflect present realities. Even small changes in the marketplace may require you to adjust your plan to include existing conditions. Like a football game, each new play is a consideration of the last play.

Second: Keep An Eye On Those Numbers

Keep a close eye on your financial statements because it provides you with insights into the health of your business. You can project future cash flow by several months based on current activity, expectations for sales and income, demand for your product and services, set overhead (e.g. loan payments utilities, and rent) and other factors. By comparing actual cash flow to projections, you can spot changes that will help improve performance.

Third: Reach Out And Develop Relationships

Even though you may be gaining a reputation for good service, it may be a little premature to consider bringing aboard additional resources. Broaden how much you can do by developing friendships with other businesses in your field. Assist your competition and in most cases they will return the favor by referring overflow work to you. Be honest and don\’t try to steal your competitor\’s customer when you are assisting them. If they trust you, they will call on you to back them up when they need help-perhaps at a time when you could use the work.

Fourth: Delegate Time-robbing Tasks

As your business grows it will place more demand on your time. It is important to identify trusted employees who are capable and can accept routine and managerial responsibilities. They\’ll welcome the opportunity for personal and professional growth and it will free you up to focus on matters of more importance.

Fifth: Watch the Big Picture

What are the issues or trends which affect your business? No matter if your business is small or large you must be vigilant in all aspects that can change your business environment. Stay current with your community and conditions, study your sales records and talk to customers, suppliers and colleagues. Being aware of possibilities will make you less susceptible to surprises and better prepared to anticipate and capitalize on current conditions.

Sixth: Never Stop Learning

One of the biggest assets you have and what brands you as an authority is your knowledge. Make sure to acquire as much knowledge and instincts as possibly as your business experience grows. Even open minded, veteran entrepreneurs can benefit from the perspectives of others. That\’s what makes experienced, retired veteran business people so valuable to the novice. Experienced volunteer counselors serve as idea evaluators for new ventures as well as provide advice on issues both routine and unexpected. There is a free service called SCORE that is made up of experienced retired business people who volunteer in assisting new business owners.

Seventh: Be Innovative

Be willing to investigate new ideas and concepts. Where does innovation come from? Listen to unsatisfied customers. Your customers are a sounding board for problems that may exist and new concepts for change.

Demographic changes in society. As the population gets older how is it going to effect your business? The new generation is more adapt to electronic games and devices, how will it effect your business?

Luck: Business is a collection of predetermined issues. Luck is not a factor because it is random in nature and therefore unpredictable.

Imagination: Every business owner must have some imagination to be able to see the big picture. Figures and facts are good but it take imagination to put it all together.

Vision: A person without vision will become stagnate and die. Having a vision for tomorrow produces dreams, desire and motivation. It is the visionaries who are the backbone of business and government.

Problem-solving: Business owners must become adapt to problem solving. Every day is made up of problems and solutions in which the business thrives. A good problem solver will drive the business forward without unresolved crises.

Remember:

Always be on the lookout for new innovations. There is always room for freshness.

Keep it simple, there\’s no need to be complicated, it only serves frustration.

Start small, take it one step at a time. Plan each step and execute with diligence.

Try, try, try again, never give up. If one thing doesn\’t work, adjust your tactic and try again.

Even though there are a lot of givens and trials when starting a new business; most problems can be overcome with a little thought. Make sure your business plan is solid and you have the desire to see it through by paying the price and being true to your convictions. We wish you success in your venture and future.

Donald Yates, Former Director of Business and Leadership Development for Imperial Research, is now retired but continues to assist young people in engaging life through self discovery, Life course planning, intuitiveness and fulfillment. Learn how you can build a powerful organization of your own. Go to http://www.clean4profit.com and learn how to build a heartfelt business for life.

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I was walking home from breakfast yesterday when I saw two burly city pigeons pecking the heck out of each other on the sidewalk in front of me. The fight was fast and brutal. I recoiled at the *fwoop, fwoop* sounds as these two (forgive me) feather-weights battered each other with their wings and stabbed at each other\’s jugulars with their sharp pigeon beaks. If I were a small, pigeon-loving child I\’m sure it would have made me cry.

As I watched these gray-mottled warriors lunge at each other for round 2, I wondered, what was it that could have caused such an epic pigeon prize fight? An abandoned piece of rustic artesian bread? The affections of a particularly comely female pigeon? The sad realization that these pigeons were, err, pigeons, doomed to live short and meaningless pigeon lives?

I mean, there had to be a good reason that these pigeons were suddenly going for the throat. . .didn\’t there? Didn\’t there?

Finally the fight broke off and both pigeons (the gray one on the left and the . . .err . . .gray one on the right) launched themselves back up into the air and settled onto the awning of the supermarket. I caught the eye of one of them as he flapped his way up and what I saw there explained everything.

*Because in the eyes of that pigeon I saw nothing but simple, frustrated confusion.*

That pigeon had *no idea* why it had just been in a fight. It had *no idea* what it had just put its life on the line for. And it had *no idea* what it was going to do to make sure it never got into a situation like that again.

*Which is sort of like what a lot of businesses do with their marketing.*

They go hard charging into a market and peck at their competitors throats, fighting to the death over a few scraps of business. Money\’s spent. Blood is drawn and when all is said and done, all you\’ve got is two beat up and confused pigeons struggling to stay in business.

*Which to my way of thinking, is kind of dumb.*

In another article I wrote that \”Competition is an old myth made up by old men with old ideas and no imagination. There\’s work out there-big gobs of it-plenty to make all of us fat and happy and (if we eat too much) probably a little tired.\”

Which I really feel like extends out to business in general. I mean, sure, Coke and Pepsi go to war on the airwaves every night, spending huge gobs of money in a desperate fight for market share.

But smart business folks, agile business folks and successful business folks who don\’t have million dollar ad budgets know that if you want to *win* a pigeon fight, you\’ve got to find a way to avoid getting into that pigeon fight in the first place.

How?

By doing the not-so-hard work of positioning your business, finding a broad niche to explore and realizing that the next guy down the power line isn\’t a *threat* to your business, he\’s a potential partner who can help you get your fill of all the day old bread you can eat.

(And if that\’s not a weirdly stretched metaphor, I don\’t know what is.)

Chris \”Mr. Moneyfingers\” Haddad is a strategic marketing consultant and direct response copywriter in Seattle, WA. He spends his days helping his clients make ridiculous amounts of money with well chosen words and his nights out on the dance floor looking for love. You can learn more at http://www.haddadink.com

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One of the most difficult things for an employer is to interview for new employees and with many legal requirements there are a lot of things to remember not to do as well as trying to remember everything you have to do. Several questions may be taboo when it comes to the Americans with Disabilities Act and Equal Employment Opportunities laws, keeping the questions focused on the requirements of the job will keep you safe from liability if the person does not get the job.

Prior to interviewing for any position, devise a list of questions pertaining to the job duties and the person\’s experience and education level that will help determine their suitability to perform the job. Consistency in job interviews will not only keep you within the law, it will allow you to accurately compare candidates based on the same information. Use the same list of questions for all applicants and immediately after the interview write down their answers and keep them on file.

It may also be a good idea to make comments on your interview sheet about why the person may or may not be a good fit for the position. If the applicant has provided a resume along with an application if there are any discrepancies that are explained during the interview, have the applicant make the necessary notations on the paperwork they provided.

You will expect the applicant to dress and act professionally during the interview and they should be afforded the same respect. Do not keep them waiting. If the interview is scheduled for 10, then be ready to meet with them at 10. Many good prospects can be lost by making them hang around for an hour or so before meeting the interviewer.

Remember, they are going to be nervous and making them feel comfortable at the beginning of the meeting is important. Try not to place obstacles between you and the applicant such as a table or half of a wall. Try to sit on the same side of the table as it will show the applicant you are taking an interest in them, just as they are taking an interest in working for you.

Be honest about the job and the duties that will be expected. Do not make the position seem more than it really is, but it\’s OK to explain how promotions work and what is expected of a person to be considered for advancement. If you have any time constraints that may hold a person back from promotion be up front with the information. Most applicants will consider a position as long as they have complete information. Finding out you were not completely honest about what was expected of them after they are hired may make them a short-term worker.

Daniel Blask is owner of AsSeenOnNews.com and writes on a variety of subjects. To learn more about this topic and others like it Daniel recommends you visit:

http://www.BigMoneyCentral.com

http://www.AsSeenOnNews.com

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Hiring: so vital but so often neglected. One of the most neglected aspects of hiring is honesty. After you have amassed a huge pile of applications, selected a few to interview and initiated contact - do not feed them a line. It is called a realistic job preview and there is evidence that using them helps reduce unmet expectations after someone accepts the job. It is a nice hedge against turnover. The \”job preview\” part is not a problem for most firms. They are accurate in describing the specific duties the person will be asked to complete on a regular basis. It\’s the \”realistic\” part that causes some fumbles. Assuming that no workplace is perfect - I am sure you will agree that is true - you need to tell them not just about the job, but life in general inside the organization. Including some of the warts. I recall an internship I took during my time in business school. I was interviewing with the President of a small software firm. He was trying to impress upon me how frugal the firm was in an effort to manage their cash flow. At one point he told me to follow him out of his office and into the men\’s restroom. As the door opened and a foul odor smacked me in the face he said, \”See, the floors are dirty and the urinal stinks. You sure you want to work here?\” I did, and thanks to his honesty and candor, there were no big surprises. I knew exactly what I was getting into. Do the same for your candidates.

Down to decision time. Several people have been interviewed and it is time to choose a new colleague. Who do you pick? I like to think about the Safe One, the Superstar and the Rabble-Rouser. If there are enough people involved in the decision making process, my experience tells me that the Safe One usually wins. This is the person who is qualified, though not necessarily the most qualified. He has a nice demeanor and is not obviously a jerk. He likely ranked second or third for many of the people voting in the process. Safe play, but not likely a superstar. This guy often wins because the Superstar scares people. We won\’t be able to afford him. We won\’t be able to make him happy and keep him. Secretly, a few think to themselves, \”He\’ll make me look bad.\” Assuming he is also not an obvious jerk, he often loses for these very reasons. Nice job embracing mediocrity. Without a few superstars your organization will not be a superstar. It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all - at least I believe that. If you get burned one too many times by a Superstar, fine, revisit the issue - until then go for the very best one you can get and enjoy the ride.

Finally, we have the Rabble-Rouser. This is a guy with sufficient, if not strong, credentials who is most unlike the prototypical employee currently in the group. He looks different, has a very different educational or professional background, communicates with a different style, dresses differently, who knows. Most people flee from the Rabble-Rouser as someone who simply \”will not fit in.\” People think they will somehow upset the group\’s dynamic. This must be true since they did not fit the norms that were expected during the interview! The simple point is that sometimes the group\’s dynamic needs to be upset. Unlike the Superstar, the Rabble-Rouser has a shot to really improve the place, not due to his wealth of relevant experience, but due to his novel perspectives. At least 5% of your new hires should be Rabble-Rousers. They are an investment in new thinking, an insurance policy against the status quo getting to far out of hand.

Here is a challenge. Do a little analysis of the folks you have hired recently in your organization. Classify each as a Superstar, Safe One or Rabble-Rouser. If you come up with no Superstars and no Rabble-Rousers is it any surprise you have not hit the homeruns you have been dreaming about? Having a lot of Safe Ones is just fine (and often unavoidable, talent is difficult to find). They are good people with good skills - maybe even great personalities that add positively to the group\’s culture. But they should not be a dominant majority. No amount of Safe Ones ever radically changed a company for the better. That is a job for Superstars and Rabble-Rousers. So next time you are lamenting the high price of the Superstar or the ambiguity and risk associated with the Rabble-Rouser, consider this: hiring someone is easy, getting rid of them is often far more difficult. Sadly, we do not have a crystal ball so we cannot predict perfectly how things will turn out. Some Safe Ones and Rabble-Rousers, and possibly some Superstars, might not work out. Assuming they do not leave or get fired, they can turn into the highly undesirable Dead Weight employee. That is the employee who for whatever reason is an underperformer, for whom no amount of coaching or training will ever help. I do not like to admit it, but pressed, I will. Dead Weight is not completely avoidable, but you can hedge your bet by striving for a few Superstars and Rabble-Rousers.

Dr. Dewett is a business professor, author, consultant and speaker specializing in leadership and organizational life. As quoted in the New York Times, BusinessWeek, the Chicago Tribune, MSNBC and elsewhere. His new book is Leadership Redefined. Find out more at http://www.drdewett.com

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Training Difficulty Level Depending On The Position Held

It is said that any organization that is thinking about starting a Six Sigma initiative will have to get their employees trained for the purpose. This is one of the most crucial factors for the success of implementation. Every employee will receive a benefit out of this training, from senior management to middle-level employees. The types of training however, differ significantly depending upon the position held by trainees. For instance, senior management-training syllabi may include a general overview, the advantages of deployment and some real case studies and examples to a particular business or industry along with other tools that are required for a successful implementation.

The implementation group that included lower-level and process managers receive more training which not only details about the benefits of the methodology, but also in-depth knowledge about more specific views into the tools and requirements that are mandatory for the successful application of Six Sigma. However, the main people on whose shoulders the success lies are quality leaders - and to ensure that they are equipped fully to succeed, their training is the most vigorous. Not only are they given detailed knowledge on concepts and methodologies, but also insightful training on statistics and use of necessary software analytical tools. Project managers are also given almost the same level of training, barring small details that are otherwise well explained in detail to the quality leaders.

Training The Six Sigma Team

Six Sigma can be even implemented on an individual employee level, but in such cases the level of complication will vary according to the position that the person holds. A properly trained Six Sigma team is an asset to the organization because they help in successfully increasing the overall quality of service. With the help of constant reviews and feedback processes, the effectiveness of the performance increases and reduces the variation in the processes. And all this results in steady quality outputs at the same time. Training is also essential for the team so that they can evaluate the processes - because sometimes it is almost impossible to revive and fine-tune an old defective process to upgrade it to the level demanded by Six Sigma. Instead, it is suggested that they design a new one according to the requirements using fundamental Six Sigma principles and designs for Six Sigma (DFSS). This will help in reduction of the defect level and increasing the organization\’s profit, as well as customer satisfaction. Both are very important for the success of the organization in the long term and earning profits in the short term.

6 Sigma is not a profit vending machine that will start yielding money as soon as it is implemented. To achieving lasting success, proper training has to be imparted and for proper training a lot money, as well as time, has to be spent. However, if you opt for fine-tuning an old system rather than deploying Six Sigma, it may cost more and the result will still be the same. Therefore, proper control of right type of methodology is absolutely essential for the success of any organization.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online (http://www.sixsigmaonline.org) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

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The Human Resources team being a \”Strategic Business Partner\” with the Operations team is not a new notion.

HR should not be considered a \”partner\” because HR is part of the organization making it whole not a separate organization with similar goals as term partnership implies. Maybe the view of being a \”partner\” contributes to ongoing battle that HR can be viewed quite often as a separate identity from other departments in the company.

I often hear things like \”How do we get HR a seat at the table?\” HR professional often view themselves as an individual entity from the other teams in the organization if they want to admit it or not. \”What are WE (HR) going to do to get THEM (everyone else) to understand?\”

Human Resources team is often viewed by people inside HR and out as \”HR against everyone else.\” So for instance, if the strategy of the HR team is to \”break down the walls between departments\” How can this effectively occur when HR is viewed as an outsider? Trying to break the walls down before they are ready to can inadvertently create higher ones and can continue the cycle.

So what do WE (The organization as a WHOLE) do? There as so many concepts, theories, practices and models out there it can make your head spin. Which one is the best?

Almost anything I delve into has HR/Business concepts or elements that are in common. Most things that I personally agree with are integrated in one way or another with the next and it is not because I am being one sided in my research. It is because the books, articles, and website and blogs I research are by people that have proven success in HR and Business and are sharing their knowledge, successes and failures.

So what do WE (The organization as a WHOLE) do join all forces inside the company?

REALLY be people oriented.

1-Listen to your people.

Many companies like the idea of saying they have an open door to all employee\’s ideas. BUT do they really? Many companies like to say they are \”focused on the people\” and I am sure they would really like to be. If you dissect the actual facts, they are not. If you look at the \”Best Places to Work\” in the USA they have one thing in common, no matter what the product, it is people focused first.

It is amazing what you can learn about your organization when people are truly encouraged to speak up.

2- Foster a work environment that truly embraces a \”Bias for Action\” atmosphere at all levels. In many organizations if you just act in the best interest of your customer, client, subordinates and then ask for permission, you get in trouble.

More often I see organizations that are inconsistent with this philosophy. In reality it is more of a \”some people can be take action, and others can take action sometimes but only if those actions are nominal.\”

Other companies will claim to encourage employees to be to take action but in reality they are really \”if you are part of upper management or in HR you can bias for action but if you are lower on the totem pole, there will be career consequences for your actions.\”

Pretending to take action is not taking action.

3- Challenge The Same Old to Change the Status Quo

How can an organization move forward if no one scrutinizes what they are doing today to make it better?

Staying the same doesn\’t grow an organization. Not ever being complacent with status quo does. The biggest hero\’s in the business world are never referred to as the man/women that just showed up each day and did the same thing over and over day in and day out. Personally, I would be uncomfortable to be known as someone who is just consistent. I prefer to be known as someone who is consistent, BUT consistently passionate about growing the business, taking action and inspiring others to do the same!

You have heard the saying- \”If you do what you always do, you will get what you have always got\” It doesn\’t even fit anymore. It should now be \”The companies that do what they always do, get a bankruptcy attorney.\”

4- Discover underutilized and underdeveloped talent in your organization. To put it plainly and simply \”Use um\’ or Lose um\’!\” To quote Marcus Buckingham author of First Break all the Rules and Go put your Strengths to Work, \”People are not an organizations best asset, peoples strengths are.\” This is actually one of my all time favorite quotes.

How many times have you heard variations of \”It is too bad he left us for them, he has so much potential.\” Potential!? Potential!? The definition of potential is the capable of being or becoming possible. Is it possible? DEVELOP HIM! Don\’t lose HIM!

I speak to hundreds of talented candidates in a year. Of course I often ask the obvious question. \”Why do you want to leave your present position? All to often I hear \”I am looking for a better opportunity\” This can mean so many things but can it be I am just speaking with someone that is under developed or underutilized? Am I speaking to a person that may work for you?

Often employers are under utilizing talent. I am not saying everyone can be promoted to CEO I am saying if you have people that unmistakably stand above the rest as consistent, high performers and/or leaders, you better pay attention, these are the companies future. Many companies like to refer to these people as \”High Potential.\” If you know they stand out, often they know they do as well and are in waiting for you to notice. NOTICE! If you aren\’t in a position to promote this person, or if that is not an option in your company, show appreciation, provide them with ability to lead, develop others and themselves. Do something! Make sure they do know that you notice! Because if you don\’t, I promise you, other companies will.

Strategic Business? How about aligning the talent you have. Now that\’s a Strategy! Move your company forward by utilizing current talent, these people already work for the organization, and they are invested in to the future of the organization that is why they are there. Stop over analyzing the past, learn from it, and use this talent to move forward, discover future goals and future threats.

5- Continued Training and Development in all areas.

Never, never stop training and developing talent.

All too often programs come and go with no real impact on the organization. What a waste of time and money. Often promising programs are developed and implemented. They come out of the gate full force, EVERYONE is trained and energized! Then, that it. No continued support or development of the program and the developers want to know where they went wrong. Often they didn\’t do anything wrong, they did exactly what they were to do but take the blame when it fails. It was a failure after the initial implementation when it was out of the hands of the developers and trainers. The program gets passed over to the people it was designed to benefit and they are trained and then sent out to put it into practice and they don\’t.

Why? Did the program stink? Probably not. How about this for a concept; Are the people that should be executing the plan, actually trained on executing the plan or was the \”training\” just understanding what the plan is designed to do?

HR is part of the organization making it whole. As a HR professional stop trying to get a seat at the table in which you sit. Just be a rational, influential, motivating part of the business strategic plans moving forward. Acknowledge past good and bad patterns make informed suggestions and decisions to move the organization forward.

Human Resources professionals tend to be the first to embrace change. This is your opportunity to be influential and inspiring to those reluctant to embrace the strategic change.

If you view yourself as an individual entity apart from the other teams in the organization you will be an individual identity. This practice will not be effective when bringing your expertise forward when Human Resources changes are necessary. Be part of the organizations solutions, not part of the barriers.

If companies do not grow and change they do not move forward. In reality change is much less threatening then having to look for a job when your company becomes extinct because it didn\’t keep up. So if that is the case how come often when we see a \”major\” change to processes you see a negative vibe to follow? To me, it is clear. Too much all at once, it is reactive to the company\’s lack of continued ongoing incremental growth changes.

Personally, I not only embrace any change in my organization, I actually thrive on it! It invigorates me even it if can threaten my very existence in the organization. I have heard comments like \”If you don\’t like this plan, process, policy, don\’t worry, just hold on, it will change. All I can say is, \”I hope so.\”

http://recruitnik.net

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Business owners sometimes make the mistake of jumping into business opportunities too impulsively, without doing the appropriate amount of due diligence.

This observation is not as obvious as it may seem, because many entrepreneurs fail to separate facts from myths about their business.

Here are two examples:

First, what do you conclude when you see a business featured in Entreprenuer, Inc. or Fast Company magazines? Our instant reaction is that the business must be profitable. However, this turns out to be untrue. Most businesses featured in media have a certain glamor factor to them, or are backed by huge publicity efforts. The media features stories on businesses that are interesting first, and profitable second. For instance, one company that specialized in promoting extreme sporting events for 18-34 year olds appeared in many publications as a highly successful venture. However, on looking at the numbers (not published in the media), this company was sucking up cash and mainly feeding the ego of the owner rather than having any chance of being profitable.

The same principle applies to industry analysis in the media. When I worked for a Wall Street firm, the first thing the senior management taught us was, \”If it appears in the newspaper, it is already too late.\” Two years ago, every newspaper was featuring articles about real estate moguls who were speculating in hot markets like Southwest Florida. I know some of these moguls, and they are struggling to keep their own homes (and cars, in one case) today. Had you begun to invest in real estate after reading a newspaper article, you would have been way too late, and in worse shape than speculators who got in before the media frenzy.

If you are about to make a business decision and are not already independently wealthy, forget about the \”glamor factor,\” forget your ego, and forget about status. Focus on facts and on detailed due diligence.

Eight questions to ask include:

- How big can this opportunity get?
\r - What is the worst possible case?
\r - What are the relative probabilities of achieving a high, moderate, low, and loss rate of return?
\r - Given the probabilities, what is the expected outcome of this decision?
\r - Is my investment worthwhile given the expected outcome?
\r - Do I have the talent and resources in place to act quickly and take advantage of this opportunity?
\r - How do I exit?
\r - What reserves are available when it takes twice as long and twice as much money to achieve success?

Sound business leadership requires an emphasis on cold hard facts, not the temptations of status, glamor, and being in the newspaper.

Andrew Neitlich is the founder of the Institute for Business Growth, http://www.instituteforbusinessgrowth.com, which offers entrepreneurs, coaches, and consultants a turn key opportunity to help business leaders grow their business and succeed.

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Nobody decides to become an entrepreneur and then immediately starts asking, \”How can I successfully lose my money, family, and friends through this new venture?\” Everyone enjoys squandering their time and money… right? …of course not.

All of us start a new company believing that we\’re destined to be sitting atop the next Microsoft. To become a Microsoft, or even a modestly thriving company for that matter, you have to hold fast to two crucial components: 1- Be in business on purpose and 2- Be market driven.

Being in Business on Purpose

This idea of being in business on purpose is definitely extensive. It involves knowing what it is you want out of your business and understanding that everything you do in your company has a purpose. It entails understanding how your business works into your plan to obtain what you really wish for.

Defining the purpose for being in business is hard for the majority of people. Occasionally it\’s a matter of finances and sometimes it\’s merely plain necessity (for the psychologically unemployable). In every circumstance though, the greater motivation is the craving for freedom.

Nearly all small business owners get disoriented in the busyness of business and get so caught up in the chaos that they have lost their ability to perceive the walls that can so be brought down to effortlessly.

Frequently, an entrepreneur\’s attachment to the idea is more important than the true purpose. Fondness for \”my baby,\” can turn into your greatest problem. If you hope to become one of the top revenue producing behemoths, you have to be a market driven business. This is when you are dedicated to answering the needs of a targeted marketplace and not foisting your pet products on an unresponsive market.

Being Market Driven

Altering your business to a \”market driven\” business takes some effort. It requires you to modify not only your company\’s marketing strategy but also your own way of thinking. Now and then the transition involves changing the name of your company, providing new products, and possibly a whole new identity. It\’s all subject to what your target audience wants. Hitting the mark correctly will result in considerably boosted profits. Missing the mark results in missed opportunity costs.

Generating a market-driven approach for your business begins at the core. Excellent marketing is the product of your total organization, especially the owner, working like a market intelligent… market-driven machine. It\’s vital that you focus around 3 key parts of business: Promotion, Operation, and Product, or your \”POP.\” The view from your POP Dashboard is a simple, secure way to plan and monitor your growth Your Company\’s POP is Critical to the Security and Durability of Your Company

When you don\’t plan and budget across all 3 areas, your probability of having to close down your business is highly likely. We see numerous new companies that unload every existing resource into simply creating products.

Then again, if you sink all available resources into promoting your products, and you can\’t deliver, you\’ll lose all the new customers you\’ve attracted and your investment. Additionally, if your product is problematic and is not properly positioned to your market, it does not matter what kind of branding miracle you pull off, your customer base will be really limited and your business life expectancy will be in question. Great products that speak to and meet specific needs and wants in the marketplace, that can be delivered efficiently, are candidates to be a market phenomenon.

NOTE: Use of this article requires links to be intact.

Rod Alan Richardson is dedicated to teaching people to succeed in free enterprise through Business Training. If you wish to read the rest of this article or other articles like it check out Business Training Courses.

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There\’s so much talk about the need for creativity in business. What does this mean? We\’ve largely recognized that old systems and solutions break down when faced with many of our 21st century issues. What can be the answers, not only to global concerns such as over population and terrorism, but to the individual American business person fighting incredible odds to carve a profitable niche? We\’ve come to suspect these answers lie in new approaches, and the search for solutions can no longer ignore intuitive processes.

Such is the stuff of creativity. Closely aligned with our intuition, creativity transcends success and failure, and disregards mistakes and impossible risks. Creativity stirs at the core of our humanity and offers the hope that we can achieve our dreams despite enormous threats.

So what is creativity? Since we can\’t develop a skill we can\’t define, the following list offers a few common characteristics of businesses that value creativity. Any of these may be adopted and studied by you and your business as a way of working through issues and stimulating growth.

Maximizing uses of materials you have at hand - There are no special things to buy. Being creative is applying your natural self to what is around you. Dane Rudhyar said \”…to create is only to reveal what essentially is.\” Your business need not invest in new equipment or expensive consultations. All that is required is strong dedication to solutions.

Superimposing or synthesizing or combining any two or more things in new ways - You have heard it said, there\’s nothing new under the sun. Creativity is not so much making something totally new as it is manifesting new uses of things.

Noticing - One of the very first practices in strengthening your creativity is sharpening your perceptions. A profound and lifelong effort, this is nonetheless something that will begin to pay off almost immediately. How to become more perceptive? Here\’s one way: Regularly place your attention on one of your senses - hearing, looking, smelling, touching, or tasting. Decide which of these to focus on for a day, and continuously remind yourself to ask, what am I hearing/seeing/smelling, etc.? Objectively experience the sensations; this is about noticing, not judging.

The creative business adapts its product regularly in response to consumer needs and wants. It identifies these client preferences by remaining constantly alert to the world around them.

Welcoming problems and facing issues squarely - To be creative is to be courageous, to thrive on opportunities for growth. Problems most often indicate that growth is knocking at the door. The creative person or business sees problems as ways to progress. Problems are seen as opportunities in the creative environment, and they are enthusiastically embraced as worthy challenges. When an issue arises, the creative business appreciates the chance to interface its core value with everyday realities, refine its operations, and continuously strengthen its relationship to its market.

Allowing thought - The most unforgiving critic in our life dwells in our own mind. Another early practice in developing creativity is consciously exiling the critic and saying \’yes\’ to your own thinking. Carefully track your mental processes: do you almost never allow your first choice? Do you apply all sorts of derogatory labels to your ideas? While careful choice-making is appropriate in many instances of life, we need not think all impulsive thought is bad. At selected times, it\’s healthy to dwell exclusively on impulses, as a way of understanding our core selves and creative potential.

In the same way, in business, the full blown brainstorming session in which all ideas from all quarters are equally valid must precede any strategic planning, or else the proverbial Box is never opened and no one dreams of going outside.

Allowing expression - This means being open to the expressions of others to the fullest extent possible. It also means allowing yourself to express. How often do you permit yourself to express with abandon? Such behavior is inappropriate in many instances, but never allowing yourself to completely let it out is unhealthy in the extreme. Whether it be in your business marketing, on the dance floor, or singing in the shower, turning loose your creative expression with a no-holds-barred approach at least once a month will ensure increased mental flexibility and self confidence.

Expression is a monster with at least two heads nowadays. On one hand, we are a repressed America, ruled by fads, money, and national paranoia. On the other hand, in the digital age we enjoy a vastly expanded range of vehicles for expression, and we love to utilize them. How best and most effectively to express is a serious issue for any business.

Generosity - So much of creativity has to do with getting over yourself, but that\’s another article. For now, suffice it to say that generosity is in the eye of the beholder, while the agent that is being generous has only stayed passionately committed to a creative solution.

Awareness - Akin to Noticing, awareness is noticing on a more general plane, or coming to realizations based on things you have noticed. Awareness is the sum of what you know. The more you know, the more raw material you have with which to create. Social entrepreneurship is probably the best example we have of business awareness, though any business that evidences a care for the common good is practicing awareness and thereby maximizing their creativity.

Openness to the dark side - You\’ve known for months there\’s a problem, something\’s gone awry. But the strength of institutions is such that your business rolls on as if the problem can\’t affect it. You\’re beginning to think it\’s possible to get by on a broken vehicle. And then suddenly everything falls apart, the new widget offered by the competition catches on, and you\’re bankrupt. The creative business, as an entity committed to solving problems, knows how to turn adversity to advantage before it defeats them.

Cultivating delight - More than just a positive attitude, delight is a more ecstatic appreciation for all the little things. While this may be impossible to achieve in every waking moment (and clearly disingenuous when faked), allowing the little thrills in life to give you momentous pleasure will develop your capacity to identify key opportunities. Next time a passing scene out your car window captures your attention, give it more than a nod! Think about it, draw a little sketch, tell a friend about it or make up a ditty. Let this inspiration enter you and let it delight. Such activity has limitless potential for enlivening your business.

Holism - Creative businesses may be highly focused or specialized, but they maintain a global perspective. They recognize that their work is dependent upon many others, and that many others in turn are dependent on their product. They understand themselves as a link in a complex and never-ending helix. They grow and progress by increasing specialization within a global awareness.

Willingness to play - Not many adults are willing to play. Ever. Isn\’t this strange? We play with such unselfconscious dedication when young, and then simply never go back there after we\’re 20 or so. Aren\’t you impressed whenever you see an adult who can truly play with kids? It\’s a rare thing. Shouldn\’t we grown-ups be humble enough to re-discover the benefits of play? Those who do are that much more liberated as creative beings and successful businesspeople. Very often, their businesses are cutting-edge leaders in their fields.

Mary H. Ruth
\r Virtual Writing & Communications Solutions
\r http://www.asthemoonclimbs.com

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It\’s not uncommon to hear the similar phrases quality control and quality assurance1 used interchangeably. This tendency, though a seemingly benign blunder, is actually a revealing reflection of an unhealthy quality management system.

What is quality control?
\r First of all, quality control is the \”check\” or the \”end-of-the-immediate-task-at-hand\” record or analysis that determines the acceptability or unacceptability of a product, a product plan, a product part, etc. Tasks related to quality control may include documented reviews, calibration, or additional types of measurable testing (sampling, etc.). Tasks related to quality control will reoccur more often than activities associated with quality assurance.

The Final Determination
\r Essentially, quality control is determined by the comparison of a product against the original specifications that were created before the product existed.

Who is involved with quality control?
\r Tasks related to quality control will usually require the involvement of those directly associated with the research, design or production of a product. An employee in charge of quality control related tasks is likely to report to his \”local\” department head and no further.

Quality Control Software: What functions should it perform?
\r Quality control software should be able to automate electronic \”checks\” and \”tests\” (best if done via a web-based system).

These checks may include the following quality control tasks:

Customer complaints documentation.
\r The record keeping of electronic forms or documents associated with step-by-step quality control processes.
\r Forms routing.
\r Automatic distribution and grading of training exams.
\r Collaborative tasks.

What is quality assurance?
\r Quality assurance is more or less the determination of the processes that will determine the template and pattern of quality control tasks. Quality assurance assignments do not have to be measurable, although quality assurance evaluators will often use past experience or regulation as a guide for process determination.

The Final Determination
\r Essentially, quality assurance is determined by top-level policies, procedures, work instructions and governmental regulations.

Who is involved with quality assurance?
\r As opposed to quality control checks, quality assurance reports are more likely to be performed by managers, by corporate level administrators or 3rd party auditors.

Quality Assurance Software: What functions should it perform?
\r A quality assurance software solution should provide tracking and analytics (i.e. plus reporting features). A complete CAPA digital management solution is also a plus.

The most important function a quality assurance software solution however is flexibility and capability to be customized. After all, every quality assurance process determination will vary from company to company and a software solution should ideally be molded to the various needs of those companies.

The Importance of Distinguishing Quality Control from Quality Assurance Activities
\r It is important to treat the quality control tasks as separate from the quality assurance activities for the following reasons:

1) A product with continuous quality control checks may be entirely successful but the processes that govern those checks may still prove faulty (take too much time, too much revenue, etc.)

2) One person should not be performing both quality control and quality assurance assignments. Since quality assurance essentially controls the ebb and flow of quality control, having one person over both types of tasks is inherently a conflict of interest.

3) The two types of tasks are different. Why think about quality control and quality assurance as the same sort of process when quality control tasks are measured by specific details (i.e. numbers, specifications, etc.) and quality assurance activities are measured more by written policies, higher level work instructions or even by the opinions of management?

4) Some companies devote too much energy to quality control and some to quality assurance. Both processes must receive evaluation and management.

Conclusion
\r For life science and high-tech professionals an understanding of why quality control and quality assurance are important and how quality control and quality assurance tasks can best be accomplished are foundational building blocks for a strong regulated company.

1. www.builderau.com.au/strategy/projectmanagement/soa/Quality-control-vs-quality-assurance/0,339028292,339191784,00.htm

Marci Crane is a copywriter for MasterControl in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information regarding quality control and quality assurance solutions, please feel free to contact a MasterControl representative.

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