Posted in Management on February 9th, 2010 by Rieva Lesonsky – Be the first to comment
By Rieva Lesonsky
Nominations are now open for the 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award. The 24-year-old competition is one of the most prestigious awards out there. Past Ernst & Young winners have included Howard Schultz of Starbucks, Pierre Omidyar of eBay and Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com.
In 2009, some 250 entrepreneurs were chosen from over 1,500 nominees to receive this honor. Winners are chosen by a panel of judges that includes civic leaders, academics and small-business owners—including past winners.
Regional winners are announced in June; in November, the national winners are honored. The overall national US winner moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year title.
All regional honorees have a chance to attend the national Entrepreneur Of The Year gala in November in Palm Springs, California. The gala is the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, a prestigious gathering of high-growth companies. I was at last year’s event and it was truly educational, inspirational and spectacular.
What does it take to be Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year? According to Ernst & Young, winners must demonstrate “excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.”
You can nominate yourself or someone you know; there is no cost to nominate someone. The deadline for applying is March 19, 2010. For more details about criteria, visit Ernst & Young’s Web site.
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Posted in Starting a Business on February 8th, 2010 by Rieva Lesonsky – 1 Comment
By Rieva Lesonsky
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—there’s never been a better time to start your own business. If you’re looking for a great business to start, look no further than the newest e-book I wrote in collaboration with StartupNation.
23 Hot Businesses to Start Right Now! gives you the lowdown on today’s hottest market trends and ideas for specific businesses you can start to take advantage of them. Whether you’re looking to start a service business, sell products, get into e-commerce or use the skills you learned at your job, this book can help. You’ll learn what market segments are going to grow now and in the future (hint: seniors and kids are two of them) and what kinds of businesses those markets will demand.
Once you’ve got your new business up and running, check out StartupNation’s series of books on marketing your business with SEO. I’ve mentioned them before, but it bears repeating: This hands-on series will tell you everything you need to know to promote your new business online.
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Posted in Management, Money, Starting a Business on February 5th, 2010 by Rieva Lesonsky – Be the first to comment
By Rieva Lesonsky
Did you miss any of my blog posts from around the Web this week? Here’s a quick roundup:
In last week’s State of the Union address, President Obama proposed tax credits and other programs to aid small businesses in creating jobs, plus new steps to help with small business loans. Find out all the details in my post on Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends.
Maybe people aren’t hiring yet, but if you think that means you can treat your staff badly without worrying that they’ll bail, think again. Read my AllBusiness.com column to find out what smart entrepreneurs are doing now to ensure their key people stay loyal when hiring picks up.
It’s sad but true–in an effort to cut costs some franchisors have abandoned their diversity efforts. Find out why this is a big mistake—and what savvy franchisors are doing to ensure women and minorities equal access to business ownership—in my AllBusiness.com Franchise Blog.
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Posted in Sales & Marketing on February 4th, 2010 by Karen Axelton – Be the first to comment
By Karen Axelton
For years Starbucks was the company to watch and learn from. In recent years, it’s taken somewhat of a beating; sales dropped when the recession hit as customers cut back.
But now Starbucks may be bouncing back—and may be once again one to watch. This article from the New York Times examines how Starbucks is rebounding by “thinking entrepreneurially” once again.
When founder Howard Schultz returned as CEO two years ago, he told employees to “break the rules and do things for yourself.” Schultz’s goal is to take the giant chain back to its startup roots. “We went back to start-up mode…with the kind of discussion and focus that probably we had not had as a company since the early days — the fear of failure, the hunger to win,” the article quotes him as saying.
One result of the new attitude: The company is opening boutique coffeehouses that aren’t named Starbucks, such as Seattle’s 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea. It is also focusing on localizing its Starbucks locations—for example, more iced drinks in the Sun Belt and more espresso in the Pacific Northwest. In short, it’s making its stores more like independent coffeehouses.
Will the strategy work? Some customers feel “fooled” when it turns out that independent-(seeming) coffee house they liked is really a Starbucks. But last week Starbucks reported first-quarter sales more than triple those of a year ago.
Being responsive, individualistic and unique are advantages small businesses have traditionally held. Starbucks is smart to be copying them. Asking your employees to think creatively, think proactively and never rest on their laurels is a move that can’t help but pay off.
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Posted in Management, Sales & Marketing, Uncategorized on February 3rd, 2010 by Maria Valdez Haubrich – 1 Comment
By Maria Valdez Haubrich
Yes, I am a nag. I nag my husband, I nag my kids and I nag my business partners. But, they all know me and love me, so they know I nag with affection.
But how do you nag in business and not come off as a pest or pushy? My friend sent me this article she read recently on professional naggers. People actually PAY someone to nag them! Can you imagine? What a great profession, I thought at first.
The more I thought about it, the more stressful the job seemed. What if the person got mad at you or didn’t follow through with what they were supposed to do? Does that become the nagger’s responsibility? Did the nagger fail?
In my business, I am the liaison in business relationships, so nagging comes with the title. Here’s my methodology:
1. Prep for nagging: Send an email with a friendly notice that I look forward to receiving their response soon.
2. Gearing up for nag: Day or two before see if they have any questions or ask how it’s coming along (whatever the person owes me)
3. Official Nag Day: Re-email or call to see if I can expect it by end of the day
4. The-Day-After Nag: Send another friendly email, followed up by a phone call to see what the delay could be (again, very friendly).
5. Still-No-Answer Nag: Sigh. Unfortunately, this has happened way too often in my business life. At this point, I go around the person and contact someone else in the company to see what the problem is. Either a co-worker or boss usually works and lights a fire under the person.
What are your nagging tips? I’d love to know if you’ve tried something that works.
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