SCORE Tip of the Day

Keep it simple. Some things are complicated but not everything. Do one thing today that will simplify your life.

Evaluate your emotional IQ. Relationships have always been important in business, but are even more so now. Make sure you are skilled at positive interactions.

Take a walk. Refresh yourself.

Before doing something hard, take three slow breaths and center yourself.

To help deal with stress, learn some simple breathing techniques to help you calm and center yourself.

Place things in your office that remind you of the non-business parts of your life.

Volunteer to mentor a start-up entrepreneur. You will receive as much as you give.

Sponsor an event in your community or a little league team. It will create good will and get your company name before the public.

There are many ways to give back to the community besides giving money. Think about providing pro bono services, joining the planning committee, or giving a workshop.

Write a personal and a business vision statement. If you already have them, make sure they still reflect your current thinking and the current markets.

Have an exit strategy for your business long before you are ready to exercise it. Knowing what your end goal is will help keep you on track.

Be very thorough in your decision making process when hiring a lawyer or an accountant. Take as long as it takes for you to feel very comfortable with your interactions and confident that they understand your business needs and can provide what is needed.

Ask yourself only empowering questions, i.e., “How can I overcome this problem?” instead of, “Why am I so unlucky to have this problem?”

Consider releasing the beta version. Take a lesson from the computer companies. Release a product or service that is not quite finished and use the feedback to complete it in a way that most closely meets the needs of your customers.

Entrepreneurship is a challenge. Give yourself credit for accepting it.

The speed of the economy often makes partnering more efficient than developing and in-house capability.

Need help? Check out the U.S. Small Business web site at www.sba.gov.

Need a small loan? Check out the Small Business Administration micro loan program at www.sba.gov.

Need a loan? Check out the Small Business Administration loan programs at www.sba.gov.

Want some good yet inexpensive business skills training? Check out the Small Business Development Center near you. Find the most convenient location, call the local Small Business Administration office or check www.sba.gov.

Want to do business with the Federal Government? Every Department and agency has an Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization to help introduce you to the procurement process for that particular Department.

Ask successful business owners how they did it. People love to share their story and it may give you the encouragement or idea you need.

If you are thinking about doing business with the Federal Government, register for PRO-Net, the Procurement marketing and Access Network. It is free listing of businesses that is used by Federal and state governments to find small business contractors and subcontractors. Visit www.sba.gov.

A lot is being done to simplify doing business with Federal Government.  Explore possibilities in the largest single market in the United States.

Look for alternative ways to staff your company.  Full-time employees are not the only option.

Tell your staff the outcome you want and then get out of the way. They will find the way best suited to them to make it happen.

On a daily basis, practice giving positive feedback.

Include educational benefits in your benefit package.

Provide a flexible benefits package.

Offer flexible work hours if possible.

Ask your employees to give you input on the types of benefits they value.

When hiring people, value their attitude as well as their aptitude.  Are they positive people who see possibilities rather than problems?

Hold frequent staff meetings. Communicating is not a luxury; it is essential.

Deal promptly with problem employees. One person can poison the environment.

Write a personal and a business vision statement. If you have them—make sure they still reflect your current thinking and the current markets.

Everyone makes mistakes. They can be valuable if you learn from them.

Take a creativity break. Get some new and different input. The more ideas, images, knowledge your brain has to work with, the greater the possibility for creative combinations.

Make it a priority to communicate your company’s vision to your employees and your customers.

Make this your mantra: What is the most effective thing I can do RIGHT NOW to move my business forward?

In the speeded-up information age ideas supply the competitive edge. Examine your company’s commitment to creativity.

Don’t be afraid to have a very big vision.

Cultivate curiosity. The open and curious mind will be better able to cope with the constantly changing business landscape.

Have conversations of possibility.

Think of a time when something worked well and was deeply satisfying. What elements of that experience can you duplicate?

Develop your personal strategy for coping and thriving in a business environment of constant and rapid change.

Create a vision and make sure that everyone knows and understands it.

Set up an informal group of advisors that can provide skills and contacts you don’t have. Meet regularly.

Give yourself time to have some new ideas.

Keep moving. Don’t let anything keep you from acting. Learn from the mistakes, the losses and the hard times, and keep going.

Speed makes it necessary to improvise.  Do what you can to learn about the creative process.

Stick to your core competencies and let your partner stick to his or hers.

Regularly revisit your vision statement to make sure it still holds true.  Engage your employees in the process.

Make sure the money you have is always earning you interest or dividends.

Make sure you have all the different kinds of insurance you need such as disability, health, liability, key employee insurance.

Watch the cash. Even if you delegate that responsibility, knowing how your company is doing financially is a key indicator of its health.

Get disability insurance.

Cultivate your relationship with your banker. A gift basket at the holidays or friendly connections when you don’t need money, help when you do.

When marketing, remember that “Maybe” can be the worst answer. It keeps you hanging. A “No” lets you move on.

Try innovative marketing techniques. Homemade cheesecakes have been used effectively.

Always, ALWAYS, have your business cards with you.

Networking is serious business. You and your company need to be known before someone can do business with you.

Join industry and business organizations. Even if you don’t have time to attend meetings, you are able to keep in touch by reading organization newsletters and being alerted about special events.

Marketing tip—volunteer to give a presentation at an organization meeting whose members are potential customers.

Review your marketing materials. Do they really describe your product and service and address why people should do business with you?

Be proactive in generating free publicity. Let the media know when your company wins an award or does something newsworthy.

Think about how you can become known as an expert that the media calls upon for comments about developments in your industry or community.

Use the full potential of your Letterhead stationery. Include information that will help market your business.

When choosing a telephone number, consider having it spell something. This will make it more memorable.

Toll-free numbers are not that expensive and provide a sense of longevity and success, as well as encourage customers to call.

Ask your current prospect to give you the name of three other prospects.

Get organized. There are many different techniques out there, even for visual people who need to see what they are working on.

Decide how you are going to organize your electronic files, and stick to it.

Think of a time when something worked well and was deeply satisfying. What elements of that experience can you duplicate?

Make a schedule for regularly backing up your computer files.

End the day with checking or making your to-do list for the next day.

Clean up first. Create order before you begin, things will go more smoothly.

Develop a useable system to file and retrieve the business cards you collect.

Have a backup set of disks outside the office in case a disaster destroys your office.

If you are not computer savvy, find someone who can teach you not only the how-to but also the possibilities of the computer and the Internet.

Don’t give up until you find office systems that really work for you.

Remember your time is your most precious commodity. Guard it carefully.

Make sure your work environment supports creativity. Knowing how to tap the creativity of your workforce provides a valuable competitive edge.

Getting your customers’ attention is going to be increasingly difficult. Everything is moving so fast that you have to have an attention-grabbing hook.

To help close a sale, make it easy to say “Yes.”

On a regular basis, ask your customers how you can better serve them.

Are you giving your customers something that they really want?

Call a customer today and thank them for their loyalty.

In the Old Economy it was location, location, location. In the New Economy its relationships, relationships, relationships.

Ask new customers how they heard about your company. This will help you hone your marketing strategy.

Trade missions are a very efficient way of generating business opportunities. Check with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Office of International Trade and the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Services, both within the Commerce Department, for information about how to participate in a trade mission.

Keep on the look out for potential partners for future joint ventures.

Explore global opportunities. Even before the Internet, small companies were able to do business in the global market. Now it is even easier.

When doing business abroad, make sure you are well briefed on the etiquette of doing business in that particular country.

Always keep learning. An open and curious mind is a must in today’s fast economy.

Read widely in your industry and the general business press. You will be able to track emerging trends.

Don’t be afraid to ask dumb questions. Asking any question demonstrates that you are involved and trying to understand.

Study the leading edge of your industry? Keep an eye on that line if you want to improve the bottom line.

Get regular briefings on recent developments in interconnectivity. The ways of doing business are changing as rapidly as technology.

Try to keep current by reading business books and magazines. Set a goal of reading at least two magazines month. If possible, set a book reading goal as well.

Get the necessary training to get the most out of your technology.