My Business Launch

Start Your Small Business Workshop August 28, 2010

Rusty — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:13:29 +0000

Have you dreamed of starting your own business? Do any of these statements sound like you?

You have a strong desire to “Be Your Own Boss”.
You are underemployed or unemployed because of the economy.
You’ve ever said: “I can do better, I should have my own business!”
You have been preparing to retire, but can’t for financial reasons.
You are retired but haven’t pursued your dream business idea.
You have a great business idea, but you don’t have a lot of money to start it.
You have a business already but it isn’t doing as well as you would like.

If any of these strike a chord and you are near Southwest Washington or Portland, Oregon, then this is for you! The workshop is based on our 11 session, 22 hour, live business launch program: “So, You Want to Start Your Own Business?” We’ll share some of our best material to get your business off the launching pad.

What: Start Your Small Business Workshop
When: Saturday morning August 28th, 2010. 8 am to Noon.
Where: Courtyard Village, 4555 NE 66th Ave, Vancouver, WA 98661
How Much: $50 includes four hours of interactive training. Breakfast also provided.
Bonus: Group Coaching Session from Noon to 3 pm for $25 additional. Lunch included. Must attend the morning program to register for the afternoon session.

You’ll Learn Tools To:

Find Your Passion and Entrepreneurial Style
Determine if There’s a Market for Your Idea
Manage Your Time, Set Goals and Keep Business Records
Be Professional in Person and Online
Name your business and Create a Tagline
Build Your Brand
Get Your Domain and Host Your Site
Setup Business and Personal Email

Learn how to get your business idea off the launching pad. Work on your business, not on meaningless exercises. Learn how to launch your business without hiring expensive consultants. Get real world tools you can use immediately. Not a sales pitch.

Special Bonus Coaching session from Noon to 3 pm to work specifically on your business. Includes lunch for an additional $25. Special discounts will also be available for future programs.

Prerequisites: Enroll by August 27th to ensure meal availability. Bring your completed pre-assessment survey to the workshop. It will be provided when you enroll.

Mark Twain said: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” We’ll help you avoid the awful regret that comes from not pursuing your dreams! Enroll now. Take that important first step towards the successful launch of your own dream business!

Click on the following links and register today! Space is limited.

Start Your Business Workshop Morning Session
8 AM to Noon, Includes Breakfast, $5o

Start Your Business Workshop Bonus Session
Noon to 3, Includes Lunch, $25

Seven Tips for Business Networking Events

Rusty — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:50:43 +0000

How you present yourself at business events becomes part of your personal and business branding effort. Making a good first impression will help your business to grow. It will help to establish your credibility and position you as an expert in your field.

Dress appropriately for the occasion

To feel comfortable at a business event, dress for business. For women, that means a high enough neckline and a low enough hemline to be perceived as professional. For men, that generally means a tie, jacket, dress pants and dress shoes. Even if the event is listed as business casual, business dress is appropriate. If you saw the Casual Friday commercial on the Super Bowl, you probably laughed, said “ouch” and got the message.

Be punctual

Be on time for the event. It is no longer considered professional to be “fashionably late”. It can be perceived as showing a lack of respect when you are late. That does not mean that you need to be the first in line to get in. Put yourself in the shoes of the host and imagine when you want people to show up. Additionally, if you are a bit earlier than the bulk of the group, you can offer to assist with any last minute details, be the unofficial greeter as others enter, and be visible. That’s why you’re there, isn’t it?

Get organized before you arrive at an event

Have everything you need to take in with you close at hand. If someone is looking out the window as you arrive, it probably would not give a professional first impression to be digging around in the trunk of your car or even in the back seat. As you step out of your car, walk around to the other side to get your briefcase or other materials out of the front seat, use good posture, walk with confidence and have a pleasant expression on your face. If you have been on the phone as you arrived, conclude your call before you step out of the car. Someone may be watching.

Step out of the way when you enter the room

Step to one side as soon as possible when you enter the room. If there is a table there for you to make a nametag, you can still step to the end or to the other side of it as you write your nametag. Ideally, you already are wearing one that people can easily read from a handshake distance. If not, you still don’t want to be in the way. Conclude your stay at an entry table as soon as possible. If someone engages you in conversation right away, delay your participation in the conversation until after you are away from the entrance. You might say something like, “Let’s step over here where we won’t hinder someone else coming in.” You may have seen people bent over the table, interrupted in their process of creating a nametag, talking away with someone. That’s not a particularly good look anyway. Don’t be that person.

Hold any beverage in your left hand

If beverages are available during a mingling time, try to hold it in your left hand. That frees up your right hand to shake hands with someone else, and it also offers the other person a warm, dry hand. I’ve shaken a lot of cold, clammy hands and you probably have, too. I’ve also seen people try quickly to shift a beverage to their left hand and accidentally spill some of it. Holding it in your left hand in the first place avoids both of those problems.

Find a place to sit to eat

It is extremely difficult to balance a briefcase or purse, a beverage, food, and handshakes. If at all possible find a place to set down your food and/or beverage. If you can, sit. If there are tall bar tables, use them. If you are sitting, try to stand to shake hands. Refer to a previous article of mine about effective business introductions for more information on this.

Practice good networking skills

This includes recognizing when someone else wants to move on, moving on yourself, monitoring your volume, listening more than you speak, courteously presenting and receiving business cards, making polite conversation, not being too salesy or pushy, and following up after the event. It also includes finding and thanking the host. After all, if you host an event, you want them to attend, knowing that they will experience an event hosted by someone (you) that demonstrates professionalism.

What have you learned about making a good first impression at networking events? Do you have tips we could add to the list? How about something you’ve seen at an event that wasn’t so good? Let us know in the comments area.

Cordially,

Alexis Mason

Find Your Passion ~ Launch Your Business ~ End Your Job

Rusty — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:27:21 +0000

We hope this finds you and your family enjoying some beautiful Spring weather. It’s been a while since we last posted to our blog but that doesn’t mean things have been quiet. Alexis and I have completed our first two live sessions of the program: So, You Want to Start Your Own Business?

That’s a total of 22 weekly sessions at two hours each–live and in person, plus lots of homework for all of us. As we look back at this program, we are very pleased to announce that 100% of our students have successfully started their own business. Please join us in giving each of them a big round of applause! They have earned it!!

Today we have some exciting new webinars to tell you about. As always, we value your feedback. These webinars are designed to help you, and we need your input.

Our first webinar was about Finding your Passion and Making it a Viable Business. For those of you who already own a business, you’ll learn how to use your passion to diversify your business model.

We’ll also discuss the importance of your business name and tagline. Learn what it takes to create a memorable package that will bring prospects to you. Future webinars will explore branding and how that ties into your business name and tagline.

Here’s how you can help. If you could ask us any question about Finding Your Passion and Making it a Viable Business, what would that be? What do you need to learn about naming your business or developing a great tagline? What are your big questions we can answer in the webinar?

Please either comment to this blog post or visit our contact page to submit your question. We’ll be ready to answer your questions during future webinars. Thanks so much for your participation.

We’ll be looking for Your Questions and answering them during the webinars. Hope to see you there!

Have a Great Day,

Rusty Lee & Alexis Mason

3 Must Haves for Every Client: How to Get Them On-line

Rusty — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:39:11 +0000

Most of us have heard the phrase: “People do business with people that they know, like and trust”. There are countless resources available to help you build relationships and network for your business. You might read: “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. We’ve learned how to build relationships during our business and personal lives. We know naturally how to make friends, how to develop relationships in person. We have many people who know us, who like us and who trust us. Stop and think: Who do you know that falls into all three categories? How did you develop those relationships?

How can you build these three critical factors into your business online? In today’s world we are very dependent on technology for our basic communication needs. Email has replaced all written correspondence. Websites are the new phone books and catalogs used by our businesses. Social media sites help us to maintain and develop our relationships, to connect with hundreds if not thousands of people. Many people go directly to the web for their research and make most buying decisions without ever talking with anyone. How in the world do you get people to know you, to like you and to trust you when they are on the other side of the computer screen? When they will never talk with you on the phone, when they will never see you in person? How can they come to trust you? If they don’t know you, like you and trust you — then getting them to purchase your goods and services can be nearly impossible.

Here are a few brief points to help you develop the three critical factors with your contacts online. Without all three, your marketing and your business will probably struggle.

Developing the “Know You”:

Include your picture whenever possible. Use it in email, on websites, social media sites, wherever you might be found online.
Be consistent in your look. All of your online efforts should have a similar look and feel.
Build the Brand that is you. It will be with you forever regardless of your business.
Get a personalized domain email and use it everywhere. It’s branding. Brand yourself and your business.
You and your business should be quickly recognizable regardless of how or where they found you online.
Build the relationship first — without it you have nothing except a name on a list.
Use Video to help them get to know you.

Developing the “Like You”:

Be yourself – Write like you talk.
Be Professional. Remember once your online image has been tarnished–it will be difficult, if not impossible to repair.
Be Helpful. People will remember that you tried to help them.
Carry on a dialogue–have conversations online.
Listen and understand before you jump in. Remember that without the visual and audio clues you get in person, it’s very easy to get the wrong idea about something.
Proof read and double proof read everything you write online. A few spelling and grammar errors are all it takes to cross your name off their vendor list.
Be Friendly. Treat people online like you would like to be treated.
Make sure you say it in a positive and professional way. Consider how it will be received.
Your personal life and business life cannot be separated online. That party girl image on Facebook might not be appropriate for your business image.

Developing the “Trust You”:

They must “Know You” and “Like You” before they can “Trust You”.
Be true to your word. Remember the things you say online will be around forever! You can’t say I forgot.
If you wouldn’t say something directly to them in person – don’t say it online.
Don’t betray their trust. Keep their information private.
Position yourself as an expert. Establish your integrity through action.
Make sure you know what they expect from you and your business.
Always deliver what’s expected and a bit more.
Keep in touch consistently. It takes time and multiple, regular connections to build a relationship.
Follow up after any transaction to make sure they are happy with your work or product. If there’s a problem–make it right immediately!

Remember it’s a process. You’ll need to keep working on the development of all three points with as many people as possible. Continue even after they are your client! The power of the internet allows us to build relationships much more quickly. It allows us to work with many more people. It just takes a slightly different approach with some new tools.

Do you have an example of how you’ve built all three online? Have you met someone in person for the first time, and already had trust in them? Where do you struggle to build solid and trusting relationships online? Your comments here will help us all to build better relationships online.

Have a Great Day,
Rusty Lee

Do You Have All the Puzzle Pieces for Your Business?

Rusty — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:44:55 +0000

If you are like most people, you have had some experience solving or working a jigsaw puzzle. What did you do first? You probably dumped out all the pieces and propped up the picture on the box so you could use it as a reference. The second step for most of us was to separate all the edge pieces from the others. Next, you worked to complete the edge, or the framework of the puzzle. After that you probably sorted all the other pieces by color and worked to place every piece in the proper location without forcing any of the pieces into places they would not easily go.

Think about how well you would have done if all the pieces were given to you without a box or a picture to reference as you worked. Suppose all the edge pieces were removed so you couldn’t tell how big and what shape the finished product would be. Suppose further that all the pieces were the gray color that is typical of the back side of the pieces. No edge, no size, no color, no reference point. How easy would it be to complete the puzzle?

The second scenario is pretty much the way most people go about trying to build a business by themselves. If you work with a mentor or instructor, you will realize along the way that the first important bit of advice or support will give you the “picture on the box”. That picture can be altered as you develop your business. However, it is a crucial first step in determining how big you want to grow. Starting small, with just a few clients, is the most common means of business startup. You can refine as you go, offering more services, products, or processes. In some cases, working for client (or customer) share is more beneficial than working for market share until you have a loyal base who will refer you.

One crucial tip may provide the “edge pieces” that you need to determine the various revenue streams that are available to you. Will your business rely on 1:1 work with a client base? Will you primarily speak to live audiences? If you speak to live audiences, do you offer ancillary products, a follow up process, or online support? If you offer online subscription services, do you include video and pdf materials? If you are not a speaker, but you do work with teams or individuals, could you develop the necessary presentation skills to speak to other groups in your area of expertise? Sometimes people who regularly lead meetings at work and facilitate discussions during staff meetings are tapped to speak to other groups. Would you be ready to do that? If you don’t believe you will ever speak to live groups, you might be called upon to write articles in your area. Could you save those? Would there be an opportunity to develop a newsletter? Would there be enough newsletters to create an ebook?

Another lesson may fill in “the color” to help you sort through all the options there are. Online research into your desired market will help you determine if there really is a market for what you want to do. If nobody is offering what you want to offer, either there is no market for it or you are the first to think of it. On the other hand, if lots of people are doing what you want to do, there must be a market. The next step for you would be to find out how many of them are local. Check out the competition. Can you be just a little bit different? Can you offer just a bit more service or a slightly different product or process?

I realize that there are more questions here than there are answers. That is intentional. I believe that the answers are within you. Go. Work a jigsaw puzzle and apply what you are doing to your business.

Cordially,

Alexis Mason

3 New Preview Sessions Week of November 30th

Rusty — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:52:05 +0000

We hope this message finds you enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We are now in full swing with the first program and are launching a second one in January.

In our current economy, more people are thinking about starting a business than ever before. Many who have started a business are thinking about kicking things up a notch to make their business more profitable. But where to start? How do you get things rolling? How to spread the word and get it going? How to do that on a tight or non existent budget?

Alexis Mason and Rusty Lee have scheduled three new preview sessions to demonstrate the power of the program. These one hour previews will provide valuable tools to help launch your business. Even though they are free–we’ve packed plenty of value into the time. We are also seeking candidates for the next program starting on January 15th.

For detailed information on the previews — click on the links for the date and time below.

Monday, November 30, 2009, from 5 to 6 pm
http://bit.ly/7Upw0l

Tuesday, December 1, 2009, from Noon to 1 pm
http://bit.ly/8LAMS6

Friday, December 4, 2009, from 4:30 to 5:30 pm
http://bit.ly/5YaN5k

All three workshops will be at Courtyard Village, 4555 NE 66th Ave, Vancouver 98661 in the theater room on the first floor. Please don’t worry about a hard sell at the workshops—because it won’t happen!! If you are unable to attend a preview class, let us know and we’ll send what’s needed to make the right decision for you and your business. You can also get more detailed information about the full program at: http://MyBusinessLaunch.com

We hope you’ll take the first step towards your brighter future by catching at least one of the free workshops. You can either sign up through Biznik at the links above, or contact us directly. We stand ready to help launch Your Business!

Cordially,

Alexis Mason & Rusty Lee

Launching Our 2nd Session January 15th

Rusty — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:38:18 +0000

So, You Want To Start Your Own Business? Perhaps, you weren’t able to join us for the inaugural class that started back in October. Perhaps, you didn’t know where you could get help with launching that new business. Or, perhaps you have an existing business that needs help to get you on the road to success.

We are pleased to announce our 2nd six month business course starting in January on the 15th. Live classes begin Friday afternoon at Courtyard Village in Vancouver, WA at 4 PM.

You’ll also have several opportunities to get a free one hour preview right after Thanksgiving. Check back here or visit the contact page to request more information. And please don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter! There you’ll learn how we can help you to get started and about coming events.

We are looking forward to helping you Launch Your Business!

Have a Great Day,

Alexis & Rusty

We Have Launched!!

Rusty — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:34:32 +0000

Last Friday, October 9th, we held our first session in the program. Attendance was good and interest was high! Thanks to all involved for your support and kind words.

For those who aren’t yet on board, the course is geared towards anyone who is starting a small business or for those who aren’t satisfied with their existing business.

Please let us know if you would like to know more about the program and how we might able to help you Launch Your Business!!

Cordially, Rusty Lee & Alexis Mason

So, You Want to Start Your Own Business??

Rusty — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:46:21 +0000

Alexis Mason and Rusty Lee have teamed up again.

So, You Want To Start Your Own Business? But how do you that? Where do you start?

We are offering a new series of educational workshops and six month program to help you launch your business.

You aren’t alone now!

So – You Want To Start Your Own Business?

Cordially,

Alexis Mason & Rusty Lee