Economic crisis is not the cause of business collapse

Many businesses today have been brought down not only by the global recession but also by mismanagement. It is not in order to assume that the global economic crisis should only be working against your business. Many managers who are failing today are blaming the bad economic conditions for their poor performance. A good business manager should be able to look for effective ways of handling a bad situation and getting the best out of it.

One of the most deceiving business ideas is that by putting your eggs indifferent baskets, you are going to be successful. Most of the managerial trainings include what is commonly called ‘portfolio management’. This theory supports the idea of investment diversification. This is why managers think that during bad financial moments for the business, they need to diversify their investments in order to reduce the risk of losses. This may not be a solution if the management style is wrong. A poor manager will still fail even in a diversified portfolio.

Many are left wondering about what they should do if diversification is not working. The truth is that diversification should only be left for those who are not sure of making it in one line. Instead of diversifying your investments, you should be thinking of specialization.

You should be looking for the best business strategies that can make you a king in your line of operation. Unfortunately, many business managers view success as only retaining some profits for the business. Very few people are endeavoring to be the most outstanding businessmen.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Tips to do basic counseling


Sometimes we can insensitively perceive situations according to personal interest. This will inevitably invoke all manner of reactions, and whether in the workplace or the family, the way a hurting person is handled can have a bearing on time management and stress levels and hence lower productivity. Sometimes when you are least affected, you may tend to display a ‘I do not care’ attitude, which could injure the hurting person especially if he/she in handling family wrangles, disjointed relatives and confusing friends.


Shock, denial, anger, guilt and sadness must be dealt with when counseling a hurting person. Of course, these must be dealt with before acceptance and growth can occur. The way stress is managed makes a difference, in the person, in family and the workplace. On the other hand, companies tend to discourage showing stress openly in office because this may cause disorganization, negativity, and apathy at work which is passed to the customers.

Indeed, stress bring with it confusion and most people may not know what to do or say, or maybe they do but still find themselves saying the wrong things. Helping a hurting person should not be in form of mini ceremonies, but simply simple advices. This is because giving extra attention may be more confusing to the person. A hurting person will appreciate your concern of picking up one of his responsibilities temporarily. This means that you must be able to understand the signs of a person who need help which include marked changes in personalities or detachment to emotions.

Simple Guidelines on writing a workable business plan


Have you ever considered putting down a business plan? Many people have considered it a hard task and left it in the hands of experts. What you do not understand is that there is nobody who can correctly put down the plan as you can for yourself. Everyone who intends to engage him/herself or is already in business must learn how to write a workable business plan.

The author of this article therefore intends to demystify the issues of planning for your business. To begin, you must ask yourself what kind of business you want to engage in. I simple terms, a business plan is what you are visualizing to be your business, the way it will be run and the expected results.

This clearly suggests that you must begin by putting down your vision, mission and the objectives of your business. The vision is how far you want you business to go while the mission means the strategies that will be put in place to achieve your vision.

Next your must think about the financial aspects of your business. This is simply known as the financial plan. Here, one considers how the business will be funded and the ways in which such funds will be used.

The operations plan comes next. This is where you clearly state how you will run your business. Others call it the organizational structure. Organize your company in a way that it will work best.

The marketing aspects of the company cannot be ignored. This calls for a marketing plan. Here, think on the ways of marketing the products you produce.

Friday, October 2, 2009

How to develop and achieve your dreams

Many people will die with their potentials. No wonder it is said that the graves are the wealthiest places on the planet simply because many people have died without reaching their destinies. But what makes people unsuccessful? This is a critical question that should run across each mind that has a dream of impacting generations. I have discovered that it many young people dream a lot about how they want to become great and change the world.

Unfortunately, not many people achieve their dreams. The main reason why dreams are unaccomplished or aborted is because people do nothing about them. It is one thing to dream and quite another to work towards achieving them. If you develop a desire to do something, you must begin working on it today. Young people relax and wait to accomplish them later in life, only to discover that time is gone and they are already old to achieve anything.

To develop achievable dreams, begin by thinking about what you want to achieve in life or where you want to be when you lie on your death bed. Do not be afraid to dream big. There is nothing like being over-ambitious when it comes to dreams. After these imaginations, you must put them down on paper. This shows that you believe in and have already internalized them.

Birds of the same feather flock together. This is to mean that you must be in the company of dreamers. You must understand that there also dream-killers. Dream killers are those people who do not believe that you could possibly achieve it.

Guidelines on online marketing


The much anticipated fact that all businesses will one day turn online is almost a reality. This means that using the internet to do your business and earn while sitting at home has become much easier, reliable and hopefully cheaper. As a business person, you must therefore scale up your options to include interactive marketing online options. This will automatically catapult your business to the next level. In other worlds, a visionary business person should position him/herself in a way that he will enjoy the full benefits of online business.


One easy way that has proved to be an effective but affordable way of marketing is the use of e-newsletters. Such kind of letters should be linked to your website such that at a simple click your site opens. This is an extremely powerful strategy because it a relationship building tool which can turn strangers into friends and eventually into customers.


But you must understand that today, everyone is in a hurry especially when reading newsletters. This means that you must take into account the amount of time you expect a person to spend reading the letter. Therefore, try keeping it short and breaking each section into smaller, easy to read segments. This should also be accompanied by bold headlines which are eye catching and encouraging the reader to stop for a moment and think over it.

When doing online marketing, always remember to include a client who has achieved great results by using your products. Remember, it is more costly to lie. Try to be as realistic as possible.

Exchanging marketing strategies


Most of the times, when we hear of exchange programs, what quickly runs through our minds is how students and young professional in apprenticeship will visit each others countries and territories. This is mainly done to expose them to different environments and learn how things are done away from home. What never crosses our minds is that we could as well use this strategy to boost our customer base and hence expand our potential consumers.


In the real business environment, there are strategies that work for our competitors but just cannot work for you. Wise men say that one man’s meat is another man’s poison. But identifying a partnering business in the same industry you are in, can work well for you. Remember that the idea behind this is not who beats who but is focusing on the customer. Many businesses spend a lot of time trying to outdo each other instead of increasing their customer base.


Entering into a business partnership with one of your biggest competitors will ensure that you outdo all the others and consequently pushing them out of the market or else getting the lion’s share. As partners, you should concentrate on how to attract customers to your businesses. This calls for sincerity and sharing the tips that have worked and those which have not. Both of you are able to look at the possible marketing strategies that will guarantee your success and intensify your profit search.

Working in an environment where businesses work together means that the center of attention will definitely shift from the competitor.

Job applications- how to beat other applicants.


Many people who graduate from colleges and other tertiary institutions have one thing in mind, how to get a job. This is because many educational systems are designed to train young people on how to get employed. But seeking an employment has proved to be one of the most challenging affairs even after working hard in school. Every job seeker should put some important tips in mind when looking for a job.

A recruiting team puts into consideration various factors that results in a final successful candidate. First, work and deceit cannot go together. Research has shown that most applicants who lie during their applications are rejected by the managers, to be precise 93% of such are often disqualified. Ensure therefore that you remain truthful in all searches to increase your chances of success.

Secondly, you must follow the instructions issued in the vacancy to the latter. Many applicants fail to be short listed since they do not conform to the required basic instructions. Most managers will assume that if you cannot follow the requirements now, you will also give them a hard time when you get the job. They will be quick to get rid of you.

How good is your application? Did you know that 84% of managers would eliminate a candidate whose application contains a typing or printing error? This suggests that you must proofread your cover letter and resume more than once before releasing it for consideration. Do not be in a hurry to post your application before going over it thoroughly.

Excellence in business: must I be trained?

An insight into the current levels of business performance suggests that a significant number of business people are not satisfied with how they businesses are doing. The business industry in the world today has tremendously transformed. Unfortunately, many people have not repackaged themselves well to confront this dynamism. Business management and becoming a successful businessman/woman are two different things. Amazingly, there are many successful business managers that are not trained in the business field. Successful management depends on your personality, ability to co-ordinate; control your resources, and proper study of the market.


Have you not wondered why a person with no business training or prior experience finds him/herself behind a successful business, while others with certificates seem not to be finding their way out? There is absolutely no connection between business training and becoming a successful investor. However, the sudden growth in the business sector has come along with many challenges and competition from other business owners. Business owner are hence ready to do just about anything to attract the attention of potential customers. One of these strategies has been the recruitment of personalities perceived to be the top managers and influential policy makers.


Anyway, a consideration to engage in a business course before start a business is a prudent idea but not a prerequisite in starting a business. All you need to do is to do a critical assessment of what appeals to your target customers to more effectively start position yourself in the business world. Most of the many investors now little on management but have employed professional to do the work for them.