How To Guide

Example 1

Brandon

Muffins, cakes and scones…are mouth-watering, indeed. Running a bakery can be exciting especially if your baked items taste as sweet as they look.

Brandon is a successful baker who simply loves baking and creating new recipes all the time. He loves to experiment and test the taste buds of his customers. May be that’s the reason why people flock to his bakery.

His venture started after he received professional advice from a business development agency that provided him with all the technical support like business analysis and financial projection etc.

Brandon’s strength lies in choosing quality ingredients to prepare the delicacies. He believes that customers will always come back if they appreciate the taste of his cakes and pastries.

He has carefully selected his staff and has infused quality awareness in them. He is a great motivator and works with his team to increase production and ensure timely delivery of orders.

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Example 1

Paul Lamb

People who are sceptical about setting up a new business are worried about the risks involved. The first thing that comes to their mind is: ‘how much money do I need to invest?’ To set up an online business you don’t need millions or thousands of pounds, a few hundred will do.

Paul Lamb, a young entrepreneur, who isn’t computer savvy set up an internet business that sells household products for families. His start-up cost was less than £300, as he used mostly online tools that are freely available to everybody.

Paul used Google’s free website creator to host and design his site. He set up blogs and social media to promote his business. He even integrated free telephone system using VOIP. He sourced all the delivery and shipping of items through a third party vendor for a small fee. He regularly updates his website with new content that he writes and sends out newsletters to a database of potential customers to increase conversion rates.

The secret to his success can be attributed to passionately surfing… Read More

Example 1

Martin and Andrea

Running a retail business is a challenge in itself. Martin and Andrea have been operating their antique store quite successfully and working in partnership by utilising their skills and expertise to achieve great results. Martin, an avid traveller and an antiques enthusiast pushes sales of the product while Andrea, an arts graduate, is in charge of administration and marketing. Together they work as a team and pool in their talents to promote the business.

With experience in antiques, Martin sources antiques from experienced vendors, but selling them hasn’t been an easy journey.

Martin has often employed creative ideas to spread word about his antique store. Initially, he worked with the community and organised street parties to raise awareness of the business. He often sends press releases to local magazines and newspapers to increase publicity. His effort to promote the business on television was successful in generating new leads. He intends to go online and sell antiques on his website or promote them on retail e-commerce sites such as EBay.

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Example 1

Janice Byer

Janice Byer’s Docu-Type provides various administrative services from bookkeeping and payroll to designing your business cards and website. A one-woman show, Janice is a meticulous planner who juggles around and delivers all services to perfection. She maintains a diary with a list of things-to-do and accomplishes her workload on time, every time.

Janice owes her success to getting involved with business associations in the virtual assistance sector and attending courses and conferences to improve her existing skills. She also does voluntary work for a community organisation and helps them in web design services to gain more varied experience.

So, if you wish to start a virtual assistance services business, it would be great idea to follow some of Janice’s work ethics that revolve around meticulous time management, proper planning and dedication mixed with a passion to get the job done.

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Example 1

Drew and Wendy Fraser

Imagine if you could control all processes in your home like switching off lights, starting your washing machine and turning off your computer and so on from a remote location, wouldn’t that be great?

Drew Fraser and his wife Wendy have developed just that – a unique piece of software called HAL that allows you to control and schedule lights and temperature of your home with your own voice!

They had a great product but the difficult part was making people aware of their grand idea. To market their product and effectively demonstrate how it works, they automated their own house using the HAL technology and invited people to see it for themselves. They used innovative advertising in the local press and gave presentations in schools and public platforms.

Drew identified a niche market. He targeted people with disabilities in order to make a difference and improve their quality of life. This not only benefited their business but also made Drew’s family happy.

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Example 1

Beverly Morgan

Kitz 4-U Inc is a Canadian home-based business that sells kits ranging from First Aid to Travel. The business was started by Beverly Morgan, who initiated interest in her business by selling First Aid kits to fundraising organisations and then expanded her range to promotional gift items like bowling kits, golf kits and travel kits.

Beverly’s business has been successful mainly due to her persistent effort to be more creative in a challenging business environment and making sure she understood the rules of the game, especially when dealing with the international market.

She took great pains to ensure her product met exact specifications in terms of packaging and design. She conducted sample surveys, studied the list of suppliers who could meet her expectations, and chose a designs that were customised to suit each of her international clients. She researched into export laws of the countries that her kits were being exported and amalgamated different business cultures into hers and improved her business acumen. All this helped her to become a successful exporter.

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Example 1

Setting up a jewellery business is a sparkling idea. You need to understand the basics of starting a business and marketing your jewellery effectively. Firstly, ask yourself – what is the USP of your products and how superior or different they are from your competitors?

If you are a jewellery designer, you can use your creativity and design your own ornaments, earrings, necklaces, rings, chains and other fashion accessories. The other option is to source them from reputable wholesale suppliers, who can be found on the internet or your phone directory. Remember to ask for a quote before you stick with your chosen supplier.

There are legal issues to consider too. You need to register your business with Companies House, and if it’s an online business, you need to choose a creative and catchy name and get a domain registered and hosted for your website.

You need to find avenues to market your jewellery. A good place to start is your friends and family circle, who can help you make that first sale. Crafts & art fairs and… Read More

Example 1

Ciara Donnelly

Ciara Donnelly, founder of The Donnelly Partnership, offers her story of starting a business under the age of 30 on the NIBusinessInfo.co.uk website. At the age of 19, she set up the business in the horse training industry and has managed to establish it successfully, thus providing excellent advice as to how to start your own business.

Ciara knew she wanted to work with horses and set up her own business but took the time to complete the relevant training first, learning how to train horses under one of the leaders of the industry in the UK as well as taking a HNC in business studies. She made the most of all of the support available to her and did not set up the business until she was ready. She did not give up when she faced difficulties, such as employing people, and actively made use of the skillset she has. As a result, she highly recommends that other budding young entrepreneurs do the same.

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Example 2

Lee Brough

Lee Brough… Read More

Example 1

Adam Willner

The Zao Noodle Bar is a new restaurant concept founded by Adam Willner in 2001.  The restaurant serves an assortment of Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese cuisines, and it is highly appreciated by gourmands who like Asian dishes.  Willner worked hard to find the right locations for his restaurants, but the biggest challenge was to find the best chefs.  He invested almost a year in planning all the details of his Zao Noodle Bar restaurant, and he tried to anticipate every possible issue that could affect his business’ start.  Adam Willner considers that the success of any restaurant business is equal to the quality of the ‘last meal’. Therefore, he always makes sure the ingredients are fresh.  The vegetables, the meat variety, the original noodles and the well-known Asian spices recreate the tastiest Asian dishes with accuracy.  As in all Asian restaurants, servings are quite generous and the service is very fast.  Adam Willner managed to build a niche restaurant and ten years later, he is still on top of the Asian restaurants.

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Example 1

William S.

Years ago, acknowledging you have a different sexual orientation was an act of courage.  People reacted differently back then and gay persons were isolated and had few chances to build a career. Thus is why many gay people had to hide in order to reach success.

Today, there is no need to hide, because people have become more open to the idea. Gay people can express their orientation freely and they can build successful businesses or careers without any barriers.  William S. decided it is time to make control over his professional life.  He joined a well-known website that connects international gay/lesbian entrepreneurs. The website features a direct sales business system that allows anyone, including gay entrepreneurs, to reach success in today’s competitive market.

William S. was working as a color graphics sales representative for the past ten years.  One day, he realized he was spending too much time at work after his four year-old daughter took a picture of the entire family, except him.  He decided to look for another opportunity that would allow him… Read More

Example 1

Donald G. Fisher and Doris

The Gap is today one of the biggest clothing retailers in the US. Founded in 1969 as a single store by Donald G. Fisher and his wife Doris, the Gap, Inc. has grown over the years into a major retail business that features reputable brands such as Banana Republic or Old Navy.  With over 4,250 stores across the world (France, Germany, UK, Canada or Japan), The Gap sells casual style clothing for men, women and kids.  Fisher came up with the idea of creating The Gap store when he was not able to find a fit pair of jeans in a local department store.  He realized that jeans could be a strong product on the local market back in 1969.  The store was a big hit, since it was selling a large variety of jeans at affordable prices. Two years later, The Gap became a public corporation with profits that went over $2, 5 million per year. Since then, The Gap developed into a multi-million corporations with over 200,000 employees. Although the company… Read More

Example 1

J.

Woodworking can be a rewarding business.  Started from passion, hobby or skills, this kind of business is never outdated. There are two types of woodworking businesses: the traditional woodworking business that uses traditional techniques of crafting the wood and the modern woodworking businesses that make use of the latest technology for obtaining high quality wood products.  J. chose to work individually and make a living from woodworking.  He makes his own furniture and runs a custom shop.

He works as a self-employed full time since 1979, and he is very happy with his progress since. Working individually allowed him to establish his priorities in life: family, church, business and personal time.  J. learned how to work with wood from his father, and he understands what it takes to produce quality wood products/furniture.

His success story is the results of a thorough evaluation of his own work and constant improvement of the final product.  J. does not like to settle with something good, he needs to be the best in order to attract clients.  This is why his… Read More

Adam G.

Few people are fortunate enough to find their true vocation from the first trial. The career path is complicated and often leads to other roads. In the end, if you really know what you want, you will find the right path. Adam G. is one of the people who found his career goal. In 2003, he founded a business and in the next two years, he managed to reach a certain level of success.

However, in 2006, Adam was forced to meet the other side of the coin – failure. The money he earned was spent recklessly. On top of that, his wife filed for divorce. He worked with Philip Moss, a life and business counselor to put his life in order. The program included a daily routine of scripture, praying, scheduling and personal development.

The main goals were saving the marriage and the business, while Adam was taught how to grow personally. Adam solved the problems in his life gradually. The new approach helped him get back with his wife in the first place. Secondly, the business… Read More

Richard Connelly

The Goody, Goody restaurant is a family-owned and family-run business for over 44 years. Located in St’ Louis, Missouri, the 3,200 square feet restaurant operates six days a week from 6 am to 2.30 pm. In April 1997, Richard Connelly, the owner of Goody, Goody decided it is time to make his restaurant energy efficient.

Helping the environment and getting something is return seemed like an excellent idea. Connelly opted for improving the lighting system in his restaurant for making it look brighter and saving on the energy bill. Therefore, he signed up for an energy audit for receiving professional advice on how to improve the energy usage in the restaurant.

The recommendations made by Union Electric revealed a number of weak points. For example, changing 20 100-W incandescent lamps to lower wattage compact fluorescent lamps saved Connelly $446 per year in energy costs. The changes Connelly made after the audit will save him $1,323 in annual cash savings. In addition, he will save 17,196 kWh each year after implementing energy efficient solutions.

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Lane Nemeth

Lane Nemeth is a very successful businesswoman. In 1978, she founded Discovery Toys in her back garage and managed to grow it into an astonishing business venture worth $100,000,000. Few years later, she sold it to Avon, but she made an exceptional profit. Lane has won a series of prestigious business awards but never slowed down.

Therefore, in 2004, she did not retire; instead, she launched Petline, a company committed to improving pets’ lives. Petline was mainly a pet advisory business, but it also launched a variety of specialty pet products and direct sales opportunities. Pets are part of the family, and Lana was well aware that pets are treated like loyalty. Therefore, her business was exactly what pet owners were looking for. The great part of Petline was that anyone interested in earning an extra income could join the network. People could join Petline and start a pet advisor business.

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Kurten Orichiro

Do you have a hard time cleaning the house? Don’t worry, people as Kurten Orichiro loves to do this kind of work, simply because he is paid for it. Orichiro moved with his entire family to Guam for building a better future for his children. As a new immigrant, the first couple of years were very hard. Orichiro had three jobs to support his family, and he only slept between shifts. Few months later, they moved into an apartments and Orichiro found a new job as a kitchen cabinet installer.

At the time, he had the opportunity to meet many homeowners that needed cleaning services after remodeling their homes. He thought that starting a cleaning business would be a good idea. His family had been previously involved in the cleaning industry, so he did not have to search for employees. In order to obtain the startup financing, he contacted the Guam Small Business Development Center and completed a two months training program. With the new certificate, he was able to obtain a micro loan to purchase the cleaning… Read More

David Wirtenberg

If you have something to sell, there is no better market than eBay. Any seller can virtually reach millions of customers or business opportunities, and this is the core of commerce. In the eBay world, some sellers have more success than others do. The situation may depend on their marketing approach, their products, or their prices.

For example, David Wirtenberg is one of the best power sellers on eBay. At only 28 years old, David wins over 10 million dollars annually. He sells jewelry, but some of his most popular products are Engagement rings, wedding bands or other jewelry. His strategy is very effective, as he practically uses eBay to generate new traffic. He is known as outrageousauctions. The majority of David’s auctions set out at only $0.99, but David is just trying to offer the best prices and quality. The competition is high, but David uses all his wise cards to outshine it.

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Ryan

Ryan is an ambitious young man who discovered you don’t need to be lucky in order to win thousands of dollars every month. The secret is to grab the opportunity when you find it. Ryan was a student when he first found out about the Hyper Responsive Paid Search Engine Marketing system created by Glenn Livingston. At the time, he was just launching his first online business and he decided to use Glenn’s marketing system.

Although he had zero experience as an online marketer, in about 18 months Ryan was enjoying up to $25,000 a month in revenues. Ryan admits he had to be patient and follow the process step by step. The results were better than expected, and today Ryan works from the comfort of his home running an additional couple of online businesses. He still uses the success formula delivered by Glenn Livingston. The best part of using systems such as the Hyper Responsive Paid Search Engine Marketing system created by Glenn Livingston is the financial freedom, along with the possibility to set your own… Read More

Jackie Ulmer

More and more people are interested in building a business from scratch, and there are many reasons why their desire is justified. In times of economical hardship, everyone is looking for means to supplement their income. The most convenient way to do this is to start a little business. About 2% manage to turn their home business into boosting successes, just like Jackie Ulmer.

Jackie was working in the airline-marketing field. Her career looked promising, but she considered she was spending too little time with her family. Jackie decoded to put her family on the top of her priorities. MLM marketing sounded a good idea, so she started learning more about it. She joined some MLM networks that provided good revenue and sixteen years later, she is a successful MLM entrepreneur. In fact, she became so versed in the field that she produced a number of books and instructional DVD’s. This is Jackie’s way to share her luck with millions of other women looking for a family-work balance.

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Lisa Rudes-Sandel

Lisa Rudes-Sandel managed to reach success on the niche jeans market. Although the jeans industry has many representatives, Lisa chose to produce jeans for a special category of customers. While the rest of the world was producing jeans for slim, perfectly balanced body shapes, Lisa focused on a niche market. The idea came from the fact that Lisa could not obtain a flat stomach no matter what she did. This is why she was forced to buy jeans that were three sizes bigger (in order to find one that suited her body). In 2003, together with her sister Leslie founded a company suggestively named ‘Not Your Daughter’s Jeans’. The company produced jeans for women over 40 with natural bodies. Lisa’s most known product is the Tummy Tuck Jeans, with 4% Lycra. This type of jeans is designed to flatten the belly without minimizing the comfort or the overall look. Today, her company generates over $50 million in sales.

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