Who Needs What You Have to Offer?

Greetings in this wonderful week in May!

If a satisfied client is the goal, how can you get more (some) clients?

The big question you must find the answer to is:
Who Needs What You Have To Offer?

If you have a wonderful product or an outstanding service that clients have found beneficial but you're still not as busy as you like to be, then you haven't found all of the people (or businesses) that need what you have to offer.

You may be saying, "I've looked and I can't seem to find any more clients."

Clients are out there, but they might not be visible or obvious at first glance. And you may be comfortable (but unsuccessful) looking in places where most of the current demand for your product or service has been fulfilled.

That said, there's still plenty of business out there for you and your business.

On Thursday morning at 8:00am, at Updike's Cafe (on Post Road, across from the main post office in North Kingstown), we'll talk about how to get more creative about re-thinking your client base, identifying future clients, and making small adjustments to your product or service to reach a wider clientele without making new investments.

Come for our Coffee Conversation and get your business revved up for a great second half of 2010.

See you Thursday at 8am-

Ann Marie

YOUR BUSINESS PLAN 1-2-3

Summer Weather Greetings!

Summer weather is finally here and since the real-life unemployment rate in Rhode Island is over 20%, I'll bet you've been thinking about finally starting your own business.

You've got a great idea. You think it will work. But everyone says you need to write a business plan first.

I know what you'll say---you don't have time or energy (or time) to write it.

I say---Why wait till you have a business plan written to start developing your business?

The business professors and the SBA people will argue with me about this advice, but most of them (almost ALL of them) have never ever started their own successful business!!

Let's press on!!

Here's a quick and easy way to figure out---in 3 easy steps---if your new business idea has a chance of succeeding without spending any money:

Get an answer to the following three questions:

1- What problem(s) will your business solve?
2- Who needs to have the problem solved (and can pay for the solution)?
[This can be people or a business or a combination of both.]
3- Find three people/businesses that will agree to pay you to solve the
problem you have proposed solving.

Get positive answers to these questions and you will be on your way to having a successful business before you spend any money [or lose any money]. If you can't answer the preceding three questions to your satisfaction, either change your idea, find another problem to solve, or keep looking for buyers.

We'll discuss these strategies and more at our weekly Coffee Conversation meeting at Updike's Coffee Shop in North Kingstown this Thursday morning at 8am.

If you need some ideas or help in the meantime, please call me at 401-667-0971.

See you soon-

Ann Marie