Often in my line of work, I have conversations with people who have thought of an idea for a product or service, and are looking to turn it into a business. The first barrier they need to cross, namely, having a GOOD idea, has been crossed via validation from potential customers of the product or [...]
A recent course which was titled “Starting a Business” and ended being better named “Writing a Business Plan” got me thinking about what kind of advice I would give to someone just starting out. I thought back to a few businesses which started out as a single person, and have grown, and realized that there [...]
I use Twitter as a source of interesting articles, sites, and other content. Unusual for Twitter readers, I actually read an incredibly high percentage of posts in my feed (currently about 80% of what’s posted is actually read by me), and that’s without using lists or any service other than the website itself. When I [...]
I was working on a business development plan for someone, and we discussed her business, what she envisioned being able to do for clients, and various approaches she could take to find new clients. This came, after some discussion, to the concept of unique value proposition – that is, what would set her business apart [...]
I attended a lecture recently in which the concept of boundaries came up, and how some people have a good understanding of other people’s boundaries, while some people do not. Naturally, when dealing with other people, knowing what boundaries exist is incredibly important, but unfortunately, finding those boundaries can be quite difficult. As an example [...]
I’m in the midst of attending a workshop that was titled “Starting a Business”, but which I’ve learned would be better titled “Writing a Business Plan” since that’s what is being focused on. This raises at least one question, which is how fundamental is writing a good business plan to starting a business? This came [...]
I placed an order a few days ago for an item listed as next day delivery. A few minutes after completing the order on the site, I got an email that read as follows: Thank you for ordering with Business X Delivery! Your order has been received and is being processed. Your order is scheduled [...]
One of the commonly misunderstood components of an investment in a growing business by people who have not been there before is the concept of paying back the founders. That is, the company has a value, and people sacrificed in some way to help the company get to where it is today. That might have [...]
Elie Kochman is the author of Advice for Small Business Owners and the founder of Optimal Upgrade Consulting. Using his experience working in the corporate world along with his exposure to the world of small businesses, he writes these articles to assist others avoiding common pitfalls of growing a business. His experience in the corporate world, building his own business, and working directly with other growing businesses has given him some perspective on the trials and pains of running a business.
