Archive for March, 2010

Creating Blissness From Your Business: Living In Rhythm With Your Heart And Soul

The word blissness came to me as a result of a challenge issued to me by my creativity coach. She was praising me on the progress Id made in my fledgling business. I actually shuddered when she said the word “business,” as it conjured up images of women in austere dark suits clutching heavy briefcases, sitting in endless boring meetings and never having time to do what they really wanted to do.

My coach suggested that if I didnt like the word business, to think of a different word to call it. I accepted the challenge. A few weeks later, the word “blissness” blossomed in my mind and I gleefully chose it for my own. I know that teaching SoulCollage workshops and building my website, KaleidoSoul, is a business, but I choose to call it my “blissness” because it is giving me something that I never had before: an opportunity to share my passion for SoulCollage with the world in a way that creates money and spreads joy at the same time.

SoulCollage is a personal growth tool (created by Seena Frost) that is a mystical, magical blend of self-discovery and the fun of collage. Each participant creates hisher own deck of collaged cards using magazine images that speak to the subconscious mind. A SoulCollage deck has four suits that represent our personality parts, persons who have influenced our lives, animal energies that assist us as allies, and archetypes who resonate with and inform our lifes direction and purpose. Inner surprises abound as we interpret our cards and do soul readings with our decks.

I knew immediately on making my first SoulCollage card that I wanted to create a business revolving around it, but I had no idea what this would involve. However, I was so passionate about SoulCollage that I dove right in. I had no business plan, and my only goal was to share the wonders of SoulCollage with as many people as possible.

The key to creating a blissness as opposed to a business springs directly from ones passion (heart) and intuition (soul). Theres no way to create work that sings to you unless you are living that work from your own heart and soul. And in order to allow the flow of universal abundance, you need to be in touch with your own inner wisdom (intuition).

I began by avidly continuing work on my own SoulCollage deck. The deeper I went with the process, the more excited I became about sharing it with others. I set up a few local workshops in eastern Massachusetts, and began teaching.

It soon became clear to me that I needed a website, so I did a lot of research and found SiteSells Site Build It (SBI), which not only has helped me build KaleidoSoul.com, but is helping me to market it as well. Getting KaleidoSoul up and running was a crash course in web design, internet marketing, keywords selection, and the basics of HTML, but I thrilled to the challenge.

After that, each step Ive taken has come from following my intuition. This has been a real lesson for me in being open, aware, and listening at all times. As I have continued on this path, I have found myself led to take the next step, and the next

I trust my inner hunches and follow where they lead. In this fashion I have created a monthly ezine called Soul Songs, found other websites interested in helping me promote KaleidoSoul, developed an active community of SoulCollagers on the Yahoo Groups board, written e-courses about SoulCollage, and am now getting ready for our first KaleidoSoul Kindred Spirits Members-Only Tele-Class as well as our first annual SoulCollage Weekend Retreat this August.

There are plenty of things about this blissness that are tedious, of course- photocopying flyers for my workshops, writing press releases and website updates, to name a few. Yet when I remind myself that this is all a part of my blissness, I am reminded of why I began it in the first place- to live in rhythm with my heart and soul. And then the monotonous tasks carry me forward to the next creative step.

I wish you blissness in the daily rhythms of YOUR life and work.

Setting up a display at a trade show is expensive business. You have to rent the space, create a display, promote it, stock it, and staff it. Before you decide to get involved, take a serious look at the costs of all of these components.

Start planning well ahead. You already know this, right? Keep yourself as organized as possible right from the beginning — even before you book your space. You know how carefully today’s brides plan their weddings. Months, even years ahead, they start thinking about the church, the reception, the dresses, the flowers, the cake. And of course, the cost. Well, you’re the bride. Grab your planning book and start writing down everything you must do to get yourself ready for a successful trade show season — next year’s.

Even before you decide to go into a show or two, you should have a hard look at the costs and expected returns. This is why you create a trade show budget. Whether you admit it or not, everything has a cost, and trade shows are no exception. Remember that your objective is to make sales, or at least generate opportunities to make sales. So you have to view your costs in that light. Everything should be done with an eye on its potential return.

**How to Start your Trade Show Budget Planning**

The normal starting point for your campaign is the trade show budget. If you work from a budget, you have an outside chance of keeping your costs under control. Of course there is a certain amount of hocus pocus involved in budgeting for things like trade show marketing — especially if you’ve never seriously done it before and have no track record to go on. Still, you should give it your best shot. This is not rocket science, and any research or analysis you do will be better than just “winging it”. Try using a “brainstorming” process similar to the following.

First, ask yourself some BIG questions:

Question 1. Do I really believe I can recover my costs within a short enough period of time to make it “profitable” (make more than it costs)?

Answer 1. Like most promotion and advertising, until you’ve done it, you have little idea how successful it will be. First you will have to summarize all the costs, and then try to figure out how many sales you’re likely to get from this sort of exposure.

Question 2. Do I have any idea which trade shows are more likely to be “profitable”.

Answer 2. There are trade show directories and reports that can tell you about industry-specific shows. Usually they will tell you the number of attendees, and hopefully something about their buying habits. Find the relevant directories, and figure out some method of choosing between shows.

Question 3. Are there obvious ways to enhance my “Conversion Rate” — the number of attendees who buy from me?

Answer 3. Yes, of course. Having an attractive, eye-catching display is a good start. Getting a good location on the floor will help. Setting up your booth properly will help you “process” the attendees more efficiently. Having a lead-gathering system will help you do more profitable follow up. Giving out memorable hand-outs will enhance your chances of being recognized later on. Training your booth staff could make an important difference.

Ask yourself a few more questions like this to get yourself in the right frame of mind. Then you’ll be ready to start preparing your trade show budget.

**Let the Planning Begin – Selecting Appropriate Shows**

Begin by assembling the following information (and anything else that seems relevant as you go along):

Find a trade show directory for your industry (online is the best source), or check out the major trade show venues or exhibition companies. They will put you on the right track very quickly.

Select the 10 most promising looking shows based on your “gut feeling” about their potential for your campaign.

Make a chart and list the five or six most relevant bits of information for each of your most promising venues:

- Location
- Date
- Number of attendees
- Geographic area served
- Target market (who will be attending)

Calculate Your Costs for Each Show

Now add some columns to your chart where you can list the costs that are specific to each show:

- Booth space cost
- Other space-related costs
- Travel costs to and from the show
- Things to rent or buy at the show (tables, power, etc.)
- Accommodation costs for booth staff
- Shipping costs for booth display(s) and materials
- Vehicle rentals required

**Campaign Costs when Entering a Number of Shows**

Now think about the actual “sales process” and make a list of what you will need in order to have a successful trade show experience. These will usually be things that will be used for several shows, so think of them as “campaign costs” that will be amortized over a number shows:

- Display booth design and production
- Product literature
- Hand outs
- Staff training
- Show promotion (free passes to clients, etc.)

If you estimate that your campaign costs will service 4 shows, then take these costs and add 25% of the total campaign costs to the cost of each show. That should give you a realistic estimate of the total cost of each show:

Cost to to Attend Show = Specific Show Costs + pro-rated Campaign Costs

**Calculating Your Break Even Point**

Now that you have a fairly clear idea of your costs, it should be possible to arrive at an accurate estimate of your Break Even Point for each show — the number of sales you have to make to cover your costs.

For instance, let’s say you calculate that your costs for Show A are 3,000 (including a pro-rated amount for the one-time costs such as the booth). And let’s say you can relatively easily calculate your “gross profit” on each sale (gross sale amount minus out-of-pocket). For example, in the case of the wedding photographer let’s say his gross profit margin is 50%, and the average sale is 1,000. That would give him a Gross Profit of 500 per sale.

In order to recover his 3,000 he will have to get 6 sales (6 x 500 Gross Profit on each sale)

**Factors Affecting Conversion Rate**

What are his chances of getting 6 sales from a specific show?

Well that depends. If our photographer goes to a wedding show with 1000 warm and willing blushing-brides-to-be battering down the doors of the show, then perhaps 6 is a conservative estimate. However, if the show has only 200 attendees, it might be much more difficult to get 6 sales.

But that also depends. A smaller show may have fewer exhibitors (less competition), will have a more intimate feel about it, will give you more time with each prospective client. And, of course it will cost considerably less than a bigger show — so his break even sales point may be considerably less.

The same goes for much larger shows: more attendees (prospective sales), but higher costs, and much more (and more intense) competition. So the “conversion rate” (number of sales per 1000 attendees) will be lower. There will be more people, but they may be harder to sell.

Once you have a feeling for the idea of “conversion rate” you can start to see how other factors have an important bearing on it: the price of your service, the attractiveness of your presentation, the quality of your samples and handouts, and so on.

Every show and every product will have its “conversion rates”, and the only way you can establish the numbers for your own business is to research, experiment, and constantly “tweak” your presentation.

It certainly wouldn’t hurt to talk to friends and acquaintances who have trade show experience. Ask them about their own success rates. Ask them how many actual sales they get from a good show. Ask them which shows have been most successful for them, and how often they have broken even.

**Putting it together…**

The only way you can arrive at hard conclusions is by trying. That will allow you to establish a track record. If you think the numbers for a particular show almost add up, then take a stab. Go to a show or two, and when it is over do a careful analysis of your costs and returns. Then you can establish a reliable “Target Conversion Rate” — a number you can seriously shoot for and expect to reach — and then you’re in business. Preparing a trade show budget for next year will be a piece of cake.

And of course, once you do commit to a show or two, your focus has to immediately shift to hitting (and smashing through) that Target Conversion Rate. Design a better display, have more impressive samples and portfolio books, fine tune your product, get some memorable handouts, memorize your sales pitch, take voice lessons, get a hair cut…

On a scale of one to ten, having a good business strategy rates about a fifteen!

No matter what kind of business you have — whether you sell products or a service, as the saying goes, “if you fail to plan, then you’re really planning to fail.”

Creating a strategy can mean the difference between you working 60 to 80 hours a week all year long — and then breaking even, or worse, losing money.

On the other hand, many successful entrepreneurs who have a strategy work fewer hours and make piles of money — and they usually attribute their success to having a strategic plan and following it.

So what is strategic business management? Very simply, it’s the process of defining the goals and objectives for your business, creating an action plan so you can reach them and then following the plan.

How do you create a strategic plan for you business?

1. First, know what your vision for your company is. If there were no barriers, nothing stopping you from taking your company as far as you could — what would that look like?

2. Next, what are your company’s core operating values? What are its guiding principles? In other words, why are you in business and how do you do business?

3. Now create a 3 to 5 year plan. Your long-term plan is based on the broad objectives that will help you get from where you are now, to where you want to be.

4. Develop a plan for this year. These are the specific objectives you plan to accomplish this year that will lead you closer to your long-term goals. Remember to be “SMART” when setting your annual goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-oriented). Include a list of the barriers that are stopping you from getting where you want to go. Figure out what resources you’ve already got, and what resources you need to get you past those barriers. And then create an action plan that clearly lays out how you will achieve your goals. Involve key employees with this part of the planning process.

5. Create a set of milestones or benchmarks. This is very important, so that you can measure your progress.

6. Share the plan with your employees, and anyone else who will be involved in the process. Your annual strategy is the roadmap that will make sure everyone ends up at the same destination — but to be effective, everyone needs the same map!

7. Put the plan into action. Now that you have the roadmap, it’s time to begin the journey.

8. Check your progress. Just like any trip, you need to check the map every now and then; to be sure you’re still on the right road. If something isn’t working, the sooner you figure it out and make the necessary adjustments, the sooner you’ll be back on track.

9. Follow the same cycle next year. (Dream, Plan, Act, Check).

Creating a business strategy and following it will ensure that you enjoy the journey as much as getting to your final destination.

There’s no disputing that the Internet has enabled hundreds of thousands of people to launch their own home based business. And, with the economy on the brink of recession, more people than ever before are looking for ways to supplement their existing income, to recover from a job loss, or to hedge against uncertain times. An Internet home based business offers a multitude of benefits. You can make your own hours, so you can work while the kids are in school or after they’ve gone to bed at night. You can avoid the time wasted by a daily commute and don’t have to pour money into your gas tank going to and from work everyday. Best of all, you don’t have to answer to a boss, because you are the boss!

Because the amount of money consumers spend online is at an all-time high, one of the best businesses you can launch is an online shopping mall. While this seems counterintuitive – after all, where are you going to store all of the inventory? – many people are finding extraordinary success in selling online.

What’s the secret? It’s actually pretty simple. You just need to find a supplier who will give you access to products that you can sell online, and then who will do the shipping for you. In other words, you don’t have to stock inventory, you don’t have to deal with packaging and shipping; you just need to sell the products. Ideally, the company you partner with should have 200,000 or more products from which you can choose. When you have access to that kind of inventory, you can become an eBay power seller or a star Amazon trader in no time at all.

When you’re looking for a company with which to partner, find one that has at least three different plans. One might be an auction plan, with a one-time set up charge and no monthly fees. You should have access to low wholesale prices and all of the company’s products, with no minimum order.

Another option might be a website plan where you get your own website pre-loaded with all of the products, where you can customize your website, and where no merchant account is required. A third option might be a website and auction plan where you can have the best of both worlds, and where you get a free domain and a free email account.

Beyond the plan options, you should look for a company with no monthly fees, that offers free order fulfillment, and that will dropship every product you sell directly to your customer. In other words, you should be able to have a turnkey shopping mall that you can administer from home. All you need is a computer.

As for the types of products you sell, there are virtually no limits. The best partnering companies offer hundreds of thousands of products in categories like apparel, computers, electronics, health and beauty, home and garden, jewelry, toys and games, and so forth. Typically, an online shopping mall that offers a wide variety of products is more successful than one that offers a small selection.

Starting a home based business can be incredibly satisfying, as well as financially rewarding. The secret lies in partnering with the right company.

Travel in the United States and to other parts of the world is growing by leaps and bounds. It’s easier than ever to travel by plane, cruise ship, bus, or car, and many people are taking advantage of modern-day travel conveniences.

Unfortunately, this 8.5 trillion industry is not without fault. Fuel costs and other factors have taken a toll on travel prices, but can actually benefit your business. If you’re already in the travel business or thinking of starting a travel venture, now may be the best time ever to cash in on what seems to be a disadvantage to many travelers. Since everyone loves travel (even when it is expensive), you can create unlimited cash while helping others take their dream vacation for fewer pounds.

Unlimited Travel Opportunities

If you’ve always loved to travel and want to help others plan their vacations, there are unlimited travel opportunities to help you start a travel business. With a travel business, you not only create unlimited cash for your own income, but you can also plan unlimited vacations of your own with a tremendous discount. Then, you can use your own travel experiences to help others find the perfect vacation. You can also offer the discounts to your family and friends.

With some travel business models, you can sign on to be a travel representative (not an agent) and offer the travel packages at a discount with huge commissions paid out directly to you. And the real advantage of these types of opportunities is you can usually sign others up to sell travel packages as well. You will receive instant profits when they sign on as well as when they sell vacation packages to others. It’s a great way to travel to exotic places while earning unlimited cash through your very own travel business.

How to Sell Travel Packages

There are a number of ways to realize your dreams with a travel business. You can use the Web, magazines, or classifieds to target niche markets in the travel industry. For example, target people who want to visit a certain country or city. You can target families or honeymooners. You can target business travelers. With a website, you can add unlimited travel articles to your website to attract readers who are interested in visiting certain places around the world. You can also create a travel newsletter or e-zine to capture the e-mails of your site visitors. The travel industry is broad, so the more targeted your marketing efforts, the faster your business will grow.

How to Offer the Opportunity to Others

You’d be surprised at how many people would love to start a travel business, but don’t know how or where to start. Once you gain some experience in your travel business, you’ll be able to offer tips and helpful resources for others who want to do the same. Also, don’t ignore those who are seeking “any” business opportunity. Many people want to work from home, but aren’t sure what type of business to try. You can educate them about starting a travel business, and build their confidence to try it out. Be a motivator and a helper, and you’ll soon see tremendous results!

Each time you travel, write down key points and attractions of the places you visit. Offer articles about first-hand travel experiences on your website along with photos. Detail how much the total trip cost (with your company’s discount) and the fun things you did while there. Putting together travel editorials such as these can become your own personal testimonial to those who are considering the opportunity.

When you sign on for a travel business opportunity, be sure to consider the amount of commission being offered, how much you will need to invest to get started, and how easy it will be to promote the business. Can you promote the business online? Does the company provide a website for you? Can you add content and photos to your website for your own marketing efforts? Does the company offer unlimited vacations at discounted prices? These are key factors in earning unlimited cash while doing something you enjoy!