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Archive for November, 2009

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Web Presence Is A Must For Small Business Owners

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

It is considered that small business companies adapt web technologies very slowly. The reason is both money and the conviction! There is nothing wrong with the point. While considering creating a company’s web page, one would be impressed by the number of benefits it grants. Distinguish yourself from thousands of small companies being online. The benefits and growth of your company will refund all expenses related to creating web site and SEO web design as well. About 60% of small businesses don’t have a web site and you should stand on the side of remaining 60% – with the side of development and prosperity. Get more exposure in your branch and attract new clients – all of that is possible with a professional company website. If you are not a professional in the area of computer science, it’s recommended to find the best web design company that would create you an impressive web site for you.

Nowadays almost every company has a web page. If you still advertise your small business only in the newspapers, you are just out of the game. A professional web presence is just a must for a small business.

Your company’s web page should be clear, professional and useful. Remember about containing all the most important information about company profile and the offers your company grants! With the help of a reliable web design company it would not be hard to accomplish this factor. They would advise you not only on the graphic design and the structure of a web site but also advise which information will add credit to your domain. Another thing that would help your business to prosper is being active on social networking like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. You can create a positive image of your company without big efforts.

With your company’s web page you would certainly improve your chances to develop, but still it isn’t enough. There is no point of having a web page if no one knows about it. That is why you should consider SEO web design. Promoting your website means promoting your business, so it’s worth both effort and money. The highest traffic on your company’s page will result with more clients and more money. That is why SEO web design is just a must nowadays. Ask your web design company if they offer such services and do not hesitate. Improve the traffic of your web page and gain incredible popularity in the World Wide Web. If your company web displays top on the list of search engines results, you have better chances of being noticed.

The last but not least advice – always remembers to keep your web page fresh and dynamic with up-to-date information. There is nothing worse than out of date price list or previous address of the company on your web page. That makes you unreliable and unprofessional too. With fresh and full of resourceful up-to-date web page, you have better chances to make impression on potential clients without even talking with them. Ethos 360 offers these services and more.  Click on this link for more info- www.Ethos360.com/branding/.

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Posted in branding, graphic design, small business marketing, web design | No Comments »

Lonny Magazine: Merging Innovation And Tradition

Friday, November 20th, 2009

We know that the print industry is suffering these days. Advertisers are pulling out of print and even with a devoted reader base, long-standing magazines like Blueprint, Domino, House & Garden and Vogue Living have folded.

In the December edition of Vanity Fair, former Domino magazine exec Patrick Cline and Michelle Adams combined their vision for a web based magazine that integrated ads into editorial content for Lonny Magazine, a word made from the fusion of London and New York.  Here, the web magazine mimics the reader experience of hard print, even the ability to flip pages. How many times have you jumped pages in a magazine to get to the editorial content?  Readers can mouse over articles or pictures of interest and can connect with a click to the retailer. See an idea you’d like to try in the editorial? Click on it to find out where you can get it.

Financing a new magazine was no easy feat given the status of the many big names that have folded. Lonny Magazine raised their money through the most traditional methods: their team worked for free, borrowed money from family, kept their day jobs and because they had no money for marketing, relied on the internet buzz generated by bloggers, facebook and twitter to spread the word of their launch.  Their first edition cost $11,000 to produce, 10K of photography, processing, and equipment was donated by friends and companies; 1K for various out of pocket expenses; even the car was borrowed from Adam’s parents. Now that’s what I call bootstrapping.

No calls or pleas for hundreds of thousands of dollars,  they got their noses to the grind stone and just ‘did it’, making their product, proving that it was feasible and profitable,  believe in their product, and paid their dues. Now they’re in Vanity Fair and in a much better position to receive financing than if they did nothing at all but brainstorm on a piece of paper.

Lonny’s next issue comes out in December, check them out at www.lonnymag.com.

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Posted in business start-up, entrepreneurism, entrepreneurs, raising capital, sales and selling, web design, women in business | No Comments »

True Religion Jeans- An Entrepreneurial Success Story

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Jeff Lubell, founder of True Religion jeans, enjoyed a 25 year career in the textile industry before he decided to pursue his dream. After committing to pursue his dream, the first action he took was to approach industry leaders like Mickey Drexler, who was then at the Gap, to seek financial backing. He couldn’t find private investment capital but he did find a jean’s manufacturer to partner with to get his business off the ground. What was unusual and notable about this success story is that he didn’t even have a prototype at the time.

The big picture concept was to create a unique line of jeans with colored stitching and lowered pockets in a plethora of styles. 14,000 pairs were produced before one was sold. Start-up gurus will preach that this method is backwards to what is typically accepted within the apparel business model. Ethos 360 echoes this sentiment- make a sample line, go to market, get orders and ship your production.

Next chapter of the story. Jeff made sales calls on the upscale hip purveyors of denim located in Los Angeles. The young fashionista working the “jeans bar” at Fred Segal on Melrose rejected him. After two hours he finally wore down the manager who accepted 24 pairs. Back in a month, Jeff discovered that only two pairs were sold. Was his dream crushed? Did he stop executing his business strategy? Heck no!

Then the “light bulb” moment hit. He walked the staff out to his car and GAVE them the jeans to wear. Customers loved the jeans the staff was wearing so much they asked where they could buy a pair. “Right here”, they said. The jeans flew off the shelves and the rest is history.

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Posted in branding, business start-up, entrepreneurism, entrepreneurs, small business marketing | 1 Comment »

Why A Start-Up Business Should Outsource Their Accounting Needs

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Accounting plays a very important role in every business, whether you are a giant billion dollar corporation or a small business start up.  Some can handle the accounting tasks on their own, however if you are starting up a new business, your time will be needed in many other places and trying to handle the bookkeeping work too may hurt the overall performance of your new company.  Accounting can be a very tedious job and needs someone to be dedicated to doing only that in order to keep accurate and up to date financial reports and records.  One of the ways to help accomplish this is to take part in outsource accounting.

Outsource accounting or outsource bookkeeping is a great way for a new business with limited funds to get someone to handle all of your company’s accounting needs. This will allow you, the business owner, to focus your attention on other crucial matters that will help keep your business healthy.  Outsourcing can also be a cost saving tool as it will cost significantly less than if you hired someone to do the job full time.  If your financial records aren’t done correctly it can become a huge liability to you and your business.

Outsourcing is a great way to free up time that you can spend on running the operation of your business by putting other key tasks in the hands of professionals who specialize in different areas.  Bookkeeping is a job that naturally involves a lot of paper work.  As a business that chooses to outsource bookkeeping to a certified public accountant (CPA), all you will need is to be able to fax the necessary documents to them and they will take care of the rest.  There is also specialized software that allows you to scan in documents on your end and an accountant from somewhere else can log in and update the bookkeeping records and they will be up to date when you come back in the next day.

You need to be sure to find a CPA to handle your books, as their job demands they keep your information safe and confidential.  When using the software approach to allow a CPA to access your books over a network, remember to use data encryption in order to keep unauthorized people from accessing your private information.  Privacy, especially of sensitive business data, is an important aspect of any business venture and should not be skipped over when you outsource accounting.

- Written by Mario Beckles C.P.A., Owner Beckles International Inc., www.becklescpa.com

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Posted in accounting, business start-up | No Comments »

Ethos 360 Sponsors The Ritz Group. Investors Unite To Support Entrepreneurs

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Ethos 360 will sponsor The Ritz Group’s November 5th event at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead, Georgia, an event that brings together entrepreneurs and investors from all over the country.

The Ritz Group, which has worked in the business industry for 25 years serving investors and entrepreneurs, has gained increased exposure and interest among new investors and entrepreneurs in recent days.  The invitees will include angel investors, private equity firms, investment banking, and merchant banking firms with individuals focused on acquisitions, start-ups, and refinancing. The upcoming event is by invite only.

Last month Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel spoke on the need to attract capital for entrepreneurial businesses and stimulate increased entrepreneurship. In 2009, ten companies who presented at The Ritz Group, www.theritzgroupatl.com, received investments ranging from $250,000 to $50,000,000.

“We recognize the importance and need for business owners and other executives to connect with investors, so we are excited to partner with The Ritz Group in their efforts to inspire entrepreneurship,” said Christian Brenneman of Ethos 360.

With more and more reports of gloom in the business world, firms that are committed to the success of entrepreneurs are essential.  Ethos 360’s Christian Brenneman states, “Our goal is to help establish partnerships where both parties profit, so supporting businesses like The Ritz Group in their endeavors to keep the entrepreneurial spirit alive, are key in this economy.”

Ethos 360’s support of The Ritz Group stemmed from its extensive work and consultations with entrepreneurs of all kinds seeking a platform to align themselves with investors.  The tools that Ethos 360 and The Ritz Group have to offer to business professionals are ones that are important in securing growth in a highly competitive, ever-changing business landscape.

Click to see photos of the conference

Click above to see photos of the conference

Posted in angel investors, entrepreneurism, ethos 360, raising capital, venture capital | No Comments »

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