Nothing screams amateur more than a cluttered business card, or as I see it, a miniature billboard. Although effective business cards need to provide three key pieces of information:

1. What your business is about
2. Your position
3. Your contact information.

It's best to keep your card simple and focused while providing enough information about you, and your business.

With today's means of communication, there are too many to list on your business card. Listing all of them will clutter you business card and dilute the effectiveness of it.

Imagine listing the following on your card:

Facebook profile
LinkedIn profile
Websites
Blogs
E-mail addresses
Instant messenger
Cell phone number
Office number
Fax

All this information, on a business card would be a mess, and it wouldn't fit unless you put some information on the back of the card.

So here's a way to keep your business card clean and professional looking, while having the necessary contact information.

Print your phone number and a means of contact for example:

A special contact website e.g: www.yourname.com (domains are cheap enough that can have one for the purpose of someone contacting you. You don't want to uses a long URL like your main website's contact page e.g. http://www.YourSite.com/contact-us.hmtl because, typing in a log URL is tedious, and it looks awful on a business card.

So with your own contact page you can put all the contact information you need and you can update it anytime with needing to change your business cards.

If you don't want to register a domain name, and create a contact page then use your permanent e-mail address, and include all your contact information in your sig file.

Whatever you choose, you'll have provided all the information someone needs to contact you, and your business card is clean and professional.

One of my personal cards reads:

Acey Gaspard
www.aceygaspard.com

That's it, simple and unlclutterd

 

That's The Way I See It!
Acey Gaspard
A Touch of Business.com

 

More on Business cards

Free Business Cards Online - Get Them Here

Owning a home business has pro's and con's. It's meant for some people, while it's not for others.

If you're a person that needs to be around other people, like to meet around the water cooler, just to chat. Like putting in your eight hours and leaving your work behind, then a job is probably more suited for you.

 

On the other hand if you like calling your own shots and being in charge, if you like to take on a responsibility, build equity, and taking control in what you do, then running your own business might be the way for you.

Here are some pros and cons that may help you further identify if your own business is for you, or if a job is better suited for you. Keep in mind there are always exceptions and these are general observations.

Some Pro's To Owning Your Own

• You have no income limitations
• You have control
• You can work your own hours in some cases
• You build equity while running a successful business
• You can do what you enjoy

Some Con's To Owning Your Own Business

• You have no income guarantee
• You have a lot of responsibility
• You may have to work long hours, without extra pay
• You have extra liabilities
• When something goes wrong you are to blame
• It's tough getting financing when you're starting out

Some Pro's To Having A Job

• You have a fixed income you can depend on
• You can do your job and go home without worrying about tomorrow
• You have little responsibility outside your job

Some Con's To Having A Job

• You have income limitations - It's hard to get rich from a normal job
• You have little control
• You can't choose your own hours
• You always have a boss
• Getting time off can sometimes be a problem
• You could lose your job due to a number of circumstances

There are pro's and con's to each situation and everyone has different tastes. No choice is better than the other, but there is only one choice that's right for you.

That's The Way I See It!

Acey Gaspard

A Touch of Business.com

There are pro's and cons to every situation. These tips should shed some light on what's better for you, running your Business from home, or running your business from an office.

I'm sure you have heard how people dream to work at home. How you can have your own hours. How you don't need to commute. The freedom to work, when you want. How you can have time to yourself and how you can stay close to family.

I have worked in both environments, from home, and from the office. There are pro's and con's to both the office and the home environment.

Here's what I gained from my experiences.

The Pros of running a home business:

• I think the most important point, is you can stay close to your family.

• Depending on your business, you can work anytime you want. This is great if you have weird working hours like me. I like working late hours and early in the morning. I don't like working a lot during the day

• You don't have to worry about getting to the office on time, commuting, traffic, etc.

• Your expenses are lower than having a separate office.

• If you're up late and having nothing to do you can always spend a few hours working.

• You can easily have family members involved in the business.

• It's convenient working from home

• Everything in your life in centralized in one place, where you work, play sleep, and eat. It's like your own little world.

The Con's of Running Your business From Home.

• It's hard to balance work and play. Naps are tempting, the TV is tempting, as well as many other temptations while working at home.

• Privacy is an issue. If you have a client, you have other family members that are affected and you want your meeting to go undisturbed by family members. While at the same time you don't want your family members to be restricted because of clients.

 Even though running working from home is becoming more popular, a home business is still perceived as less professional than running your business from an office or separate facility.

• If you have employees, it may be a headache for them and your family working from home.

• You may need more space once you business expands, and extra space in the home is not always easy to find.

• Because you're at home it's hard to get motivated sometimes, and you get moving.

Now with all the above, the factor is this. Keep in mind some people like to commute, they like, the office environment, they like being around people. Others like to work alone, like the quiet and enjoy being alone. The type of person you are will affect your decision on weather to work from home or get a separate office.

That's The Way I See It!
Acey Gaspard
A Touch of Business.com

If you want to increase your chances of succeeding in your business, you need to be in the right field. When you're doing what you love, it's much easier to overcome problems. It's easier to stay motivated, and you have an automatic drive that keeps you moving.

 

If you're in the wrong field, then every little bump becomes a problem, you have doubts, you struggle to keep going, and you feel worn down easily.

 

The good news is, you can make a choice today to shift your direction. Starting right now, you can change your understanding of what's right for you.

 

Take this small exercise seriously and take the time needed to complete it. Play along with an open mind and feel as if it's really true. Be honest, and don't give in to any restrictions. After going through this exercise, you'll know what you should be doing.

 

Step 1:
Imagine you just won the lottery. After taxes you have one hundred million dollars remaining.

 

Step 2:
After you have given to charity, taken care of immediate family, distant family, friends, given to causes you believe in, purchased your dream home, your cars, boats, and all the toys of hearts desire, and taken the vacations you've always wanted. You have set up your finances for life and you have taken time off to enjoy life as it is now.

You have 60 million remaining and you're not allowed to give anymore away!

 

Step 3:
What do you want to do with your life now? Take your time to think about this. You're free to do what you want, not what other people want you to do. What makes you feel good? Everyone has something they enjoy.

You we born with something that's just for you.

Money is not an issue, you can get into whatever you want, but only you can decide.

 

Once you're clear about what you want, then you see how it feels inside.

If you feel great, feel a relief, feel energetic or feel happy, you have found your bliss. You have found what you were meant to do! If you don't feel any of the above then you have not yet pinpointed your true desire. Go back to step 2.

 

Now that you know what you want, you need to work towards making a living at it.

 

That's The Way I See It!
Acey Gaspard 

A Touch of Business.com - Tips For Small business Onwers

For getting into the right business check out:
http://www.atouchofbusiness.com/guides/start-up/5-ways-to-find-the-right-business-for-you.html

 

Why a business plan is important.

"If you don't know where you're going, how can you get there?" 

A business plan is like a road map. Even though your business plan isn't, and shouldn't be written in stone, it is a guide to keep you moving in the right direction, and keep you from wandering, and getting off track. 

A Business Plan is especially important when starting a business, and it's important to update your business plan as you gain more experience in running your business.

Benefits to having a business plan include:
 

• Applying for, and getting approved for a business loan is easier. If you walk into your bank for a business loan, the first thing they'll want is a business plan. If you don't have one, then you're better off getting a personal loan and using it for your business.

 

• It helps you to describe, and advertise your business clearly and effectively

 

• A business plan helps keep you and your employees focused

 

• It's easier to make adjustments to your business when you have a business plan, because you can see more of the whole picture.

 

• Your business plan allows you to free up your thoughts so you don't have to keep your plan in your mind.

 

• A business plan gives you a reference to look back on.

 

A business plan is a good investment of your time. And the best thing about it is it doesn't have to be difficult, or be a professional business plan unless you're looking for investors or financing.

 

Your business plan can be as simple as you make it. The purpose of a business plan is to keep you on track. So whatever works for you, will be the best business plan you can have.

 

That's The Way I See It!
Acey Gaspard
A Touch of Business.com

Live Mesh and Small Business

Live Mesh Can be useful for the small business owners as well as the seasoned computer user. It allows you to content different devices and share data over the web.

The good news is you can synchronize your data from the web. At this point I have to connect me Pocket PC to my notebook to synchronize my data.

Using Live Mesh, I could synchronize my data from any web connection. It's like having a Mini Network accessible from any web browser.

That's the Way I See It!

Acey Gaspard

Here a link to a video presentation of Live Mesh

 

What to look for when considering a business for sale.

There are advantages and disadvantages to purchasing a business for sale.

The advantages of purchasing a business for sale

• With careful investigation, you know what you're getting into

 

• You'll know what to expect

 

• You can start making money the day you take over

 

• You already have a running business and don't need to until the business builds momentum to get started

The disadvantages of purchasing a business for sale

• The business for sale is already moving in a set direction. If you want to make a lot of changes, it may not be a good idea because the customers may already be used to the way the business has been operated. A change may disrupt the flow of business.

 

• You may take on more liability than you think; the previous owner may have liabilities that could come back to haunt you.

 

• You could pay a lot for "good will," that is the customer base the business has acquired. You have to be sure it's worth it.

What to do when looking at a business for sale

1. Why is the owner selling?

2. Look at the books and previous tax returns

3. How long will it take to recoup your investment?

4. Once you're satisfied and willing to make the purchase, make sure you have a good lawyer to search for liabilities the business for sale may have, and create a contact that keeps you free from all past liabilities.

That's The Way I See It!
Acey Gaspard

That may seem trivial, but I live in a small town near the Windsor-Detroit Border. I was driving my kids home from school, and we noticed the sign on the new construction site in town. It read Staples Opening Soon! I was ecstatic! So were my kids. Finally, a staples, right here in town. The nearest Staples is in the city, about 50 km from here.  I love Staples. It's one of my favorite stores.

Even though I was happy to see a Staples opening in town I couldn't help wondering what would happen to the other businesses in town. We have two department stores, Wal-Mart and Zellers (it's like target). They both have a stationary department, but nothing like Staples. I'm sure their departments will do less business. But because they are department stores, they have other means of revenue to fall back on. And if someone finds an item while shopping, convenience plays a role in the purchase.

There is one specialty store in town called Bateman Stationery. They have been around for a long time in our town. But I can't help thinking, how will they survive now? I'm sure they must have a customer base, but will that be enough? As far as I know, they don't specialise in anything that Staples can't match. So how will they survive? I see the chances being slim.

If you have a small business and you don't have a specialty, when will the big fish sallow the small fish? The way I see it, your small business must have a specialty that the larger corporations can't or won't cater to. 

This story demonstrates the need to have a specialty, something that makes your business desirable.  What can you do today to ensure your business has its own specialty?

That's The Way I See It!
Acey Gaspard
A Touch of Business.com

For more on this topic have a look at this business article
How You Can Beat the Giants in Your Industry with Your Price

There are many steps in starting a business. Although you learn a lot from experience, it's important that you have the right information and get on the right track, save a lot of time, heartache, and headaches!

Starting the right business is more important than starting any business. It takes just as much effort running a business that you care little about than it does running a business you love.

With that said here is an important step to starting a business. This exercise in starting a business will help you identify a business opportunity that's right for you. Keep in mind it's a starting point, and it's an important point.

1. Make a list of all the things you could do all-day long, be happy about, and for free.

2. Once you have your list, think of a business idea that is related to the each of the items on your list.

For example, if you are a racing fan, one of the items on your list may be NASCAR racing. Then think of a business that involves NASCAR. You may be thinking, "What are you talking about? How can I get into NASCAR?" It takes money, sponsors, skill, etc. This is a good example because it shows you how to expand your thoughts. You don't have to race, or even be on the track to get into a NASCAR related business.

You could sell memorabilia. Create an information based website about NASCAR and sell advertising. You could have NASCAR Kiosks in malls. You could create NASCAR tours. You could create a restaurant with big screen TV's broadcasting live and previous races. You could even create a NASCAR arcade.
The possibilities are endless, and it goes to show that you have to list more than the common ideas, and dig a little deeper.

Starting a business on the right tack involves doing something you like.

Starting a business you like helps you get through the bumps of running a business.

Starting a business you like, keeps you moving forward rather than look for a way out, when business troubles appear.

There are big steps in life, and starting a business is one of them. So get on the right track to starting your business, and get into one you like!

That's The Way I See It!
Acey Gaspard

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