There are five concrete steps you can take to position yourself to launch a new business. I've talked about Step 1 (Your Value Proposition), Step 2 (Your Contacts), Step 3 (Your Prospects) and Step 4 (Your Business Model). The final step is to create business...
Selecting the right business model is key. Your choice of business model is likely to be determined by how you've defined your value proposition and your universe of prospects. In the communications field, for example, you might want to set up as an independent...
Most people would never consider wearing old jeans and a tank top to a new business meeting. But have you ever noticed how lots of people have poor calling cards? Your business card is a reflection of your business. You want that prospective client or customer...
To do business, you need to know who you want to do business with. Chances are you have some idea about the organizations you think are a good fit. This is likely to change as you hone your value proposition--but having that first list of prospects offers comfort that...
Once you have defined your value proposition (Starting a Business: Step 1), the second step is to make a list of all your contacts. Most of us have a large stack of business cards and many more contacts in our Microsoft Outlook files. These should include people...
Interesting observation by John Tozzi in Business Week's New Entrepreneur blog about how start-up companies are engaging their fans to raise money. We've seen a number of companies set up online forums to tap into their customer base for product or marketing...
The trouble with some entrepreneurs is that they have great ideas but little business sense. Instead of importing talent to run their companies, people like Yahoo's Jerry Yang think they can do everything themselves. They can't. Kudos to Powerset co-founder...
I'm often asked by would-be independents how to go about starting a business. You can't have a business if you don't know what you're selling. So Step 1 is to define your value proposition. These three questions may help: what are you good at? what do you like to do?...
Independent Thinking is my column for IABC's CW Bulletin about entrepreneurship and the business of running a business. It's also my philosophy of business: a state of mind that's both the calm and the storm. To venture out on your own, you have to be great at your...