Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Do Some Analysis Before You Leap



By: Stan Washington
Date: April 27, 2015

 Add value to your business!!
A business owner asked me if I knew if her business was viable. This is one many questions people ask when they go into business. My answer is "Look before you leap." Gut and intuition are the norms for many entrepreneurs. They sometimes guess their way to a place that is not so good. Before you spend a huge amount look into the viability of your product or service.

Do Some Home Grown Research
Mom, dad, siblings and friends are not the place to start when you desire to get an opinion about your business. Chances are they cannot offer the unbiased opinion about your product or service that you seek. You can ask their opinion but only to receive anecdotal feedback which is valuable, but can be biased. Crawl out of a shell and meet people. Find strangers who are willing to give an unbiased opinion.

Look for Statistics
Check out business and government databases. Get your head out of the sand of building your product or service for one minute and research your customer.  Check out http://fedstats.sites.usa.gov/data-releases/ which has various databases of information to comb through and help you figure out the size of your audience. Be careful, data can be old (for example census information is not timely). 

Prototype if you can
Create your product or service and have it tested by a company who specializes in prototyping. If you cannot afford a company like this then create it on a small scale and be meticulous about collecting metrics about your product or service. This will help you in the long run.

 



Thursday, April 23, 2015

Admitting When Your Book Needs Life


Date: April 23, 2015
By: Stan Washington

It was around midnight and my excitement reached a crescendo as the final words of our book made their way onto the pages from my speedily typing hands. Done! I yelled as I danced around the room. I was so busy writing that I forgot to read the content. To my dismay, the content wasn't flowing. I mean I had a lot of words, but it seemed to be missing something. I had no idea what to add.

We Cried Out For HELP
We sent our information to LMarie and she took it from there. Shocked was the look on my face as the first few pages came back with what seemed like an infinite number of corrections! Taking a deep breath, I reviewed her comments and made or accepted the corrections. When I reread the information she corrected, the book finally flowed. Every sentence was reviewed and every word scrutinized.

Changes were made
She told us when to elaborate and when to be quiet. The book turned out wonderful with her help. She leveraged her 30 years of writing and editing and applied it to our concept. She also gave vital suggestions she pulled from her vast background of writing. She has worked on a very diverse set of books ranging from children's books to adult fiction, to the crane operators test of some state.

Her advice was invaluable!

LMarie can be reached at lwashin301@comcast.net



Purchase our books on Amazon.com
 Do-it-Yourself Resources for Entrepreneurs

Women Veteran and Military Spouse - Must Go Events

Pictures from Whitman School of Management

 Do it Yourself ToolsWomen Veterans who desire to meet the right people to grow their business should be at this event. You can only attend once so make sure you are ready when you are selected to go. Military spouses are welcome. Just apply and send your DD-214 to register.

To register visit: http://whitman.syr.edu/vwise/

What is VWISE?


V-WISE enables women Veterans to find their passion and to learn the business-savvy skills to turn their ideas or businesses into a growth ventures. V-WISE recognizes entrepreneurship an important part of economic growth across the country and this program is the key for women Veterans to truly pursue their dreams and to make them a reality.

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Can't Go? 
For those who are Do-it-Yourselfer's Please visit: http://www.careercoachoffice.com/mdiy.php

Monday, April 20, 2015

2015 Business Pitch Contest Winner


By: Stan Washington
Date: April 20,2015

Keep 'em happy with your great service!My day began at five something in the morning as I loaded up a van with goodies for the event. Not knowing what to expect, I was extremely excited! When the crowd arrived I was even more elated because I was now in "my crowd!" I asked the crowd "Are you ready?" and they all yelled "YES!"

We started with ten contestants, but many more jumped in as they did not want to be shown up! This was a business pitch competition and the contestants only had 30 seconds to wow the crowd. We heard business pitches about dress making to bath products, to preserving historical music to technology.

When the smoke cleared one winner emerged, Scott Stewart of Project Tech Teens filled every last second with eloquence. He was able to excite us about his service while letting us know how to get in contact with him. He explained the benefits and we were excited. All of this in 30 seconds? Absolutely!

He took home the grand prize of a trip to the Cincinnati Jazz Festival, Mike Epps concert tickets and a Marketing Plan from Honor Services Office!  He was elated! Tickets were compliments of Chicago's R & B 106.3.

Shelby Moore was there along with Victoria Cook and Dan Duster.

Our winners for small business awards for 2015 are:

Rod Thomas of Cajun Fryer and Grill

Rod supplied the tasty morsels we had during the event!












Dr. Porter was there helping people understand how to have healthy hair through science.


What does hair have to do with this event? She is part of our community and we bring a community of people together to help.










For those who are interested in writing a book, L Marie was there. She was / is the editor of our book series and is available to those who NEED to write a book to put in words their expertise. She is tough but passionate!




Evie Burke served with me on the board of ICF. I am proud to see where she is going!

Great event full of great people. Remember to take GOD with your business!









Friday, April 17, 2015

Honor Services Office - Business Pitch Contest 2015




Why did we choose to have a Business Pitch contest?
We wanted to develop a contest that would actually benefit your business. By entering this contest, it brings fresh eyes to your business and you can couple telling people about the contest with any special offerings you may have.

What is a *Business Pitch?
You have 30 seconds to tell a compelling story about your business that the audience can clearly understand. Be careful what you say because the audience will be your judge!

What should I say?
When writing a business pitch, consider the nine C's:
  • Concise. Keep the pitch succinct with as few words as possible.
  • Clear. The pitch should be easily understood by a layman, rather than filled with acronyms and industry terminology.
  • Compelling. What problem does your business solve, and what can you do for your target audience?
  • Credible. Spell out what makes you qualified to do what you do without using buzzwords like outside the box or synergy. Using credibility-driven words like certified will help sell your business.
  • Conceptual. Keep your pitch broad; don't go into too many details.
  • Concrete. The pitch should be tangible and easily grasped by your audience.
  • Customized. Each target audience is different. The pitch should be tailored to the listeners.
  • Consistent. No matter how many versions of your pitch you have, they should all convey the same basic message.
  • Conversational. Start the conversation, and hook your target. Keep it casual. Don't try to close a deal in the pitch
After I enter the contest what should I do?
When you enter the contest, most of the work has been done for you!
  •             Purchase any one of the books for sale during the event on April 18th 2015 at Chicago State University.
  •            Deliver your business pitch within the allotted time and within rules.
  •           Get the crowd involved for they will be your judges!

How will I be judged?
The entrant with the most votes by audience applause wins. 

What are the prizes?

The contestant with the most votes wins up to $1000 in prizes and cash. Cash availability is subject to book sales and will not be finalized until up to four (4) weeks after the event. All cash prizes are subject to cancellation at the discretion of Honor Services. See Rules for more details.


Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Tell what you Sell - The Catch, You only have 30 Seconds!


Some call a pitch an ELEVATOR SPEECH, others call it a MEANINGFUL INTRODUCTION. Whatever you call it, this is your chance to tell people about your company and what you offer!

The goal is to get the audience to understand what the business is about and what it can do for them. The purpose of an elevator pitch is not to close a deal or a sale; rather, it's to make the audience want to continue the conversation. Your pitch should contain salient, intriguing details about your company rather than dry figures.


When writing an elevator pitch, consider the nine C's:

     Small Business Deserves BIG Dollars!
  • Concise. Keep the pitch succinct with as few words as possible.
  • Clear. The pitch should be easily understood by a layman, rather than filled with acronyms and industry terminology.
  • Compelling. What problem does your business solve, and what can you do for your target audience?
  • Credible. Spell out what makes you qualified to do what you do without using buzzwords like outside the box or synergy. Using credibility-driven words like certified will help sell your business.
  • Conceptual. Keep your pitch broad; don't go into too many details.
  • Concrete. The pitch should be tangible and easily grasped by your audience.
  • Customized. Each target audience is different. The pitch should be tailored to the listeners.
  • Consistent. No matter how many versions of your pitch you have, they should all convey the same basic message.
  • Conversational. Start the conversation, and hook your target. Keep it casual. Don't try to close a deal in the pitch

Small Business Deserves Big Dollars!


By: Stan Washington
Date: April 15, 2015

Like excited eagles, small business owners start out soaring but soon become cynical slugs if they don't have the correct foundation.

 Small Business Deserves BIG Dollars!Understand who you are. Your brand is extremely important. People will get to know you and your product or service. If they are not satisfied, make adjustments to help your customer.

Listen to your audience. People are screaming about what they need all the time. Listen to them and get excited about them instead of being the selfish business owner who only spouts quotes about their stuff.

Use Technology. Social media is social media. Technology for business means gathering metrics to understand how well your business is doing so you can make adjustments. Just because you have a lot of "likes" or "followers" doesn't mean you are doing the right thing to address their need. 

Use a simple CRM like Honor Services Office or a more complex one like Salesforce to keep track of your customers needs. Leverage a tool that can send bills in emails. Market to your customer base with email marketing on a semi-regular basis that is not noisy. Learn marketing techniques that work and apply them. Identify sales techniques that enable you to help people instead of being pushy! Come join us and find out how to put your business on track!


Saturday, April 11, 2015

Great Tips for Your 30 Second Business Pitch


Date: April 11, 2015
By: Stan Washington


“Instead of killing your neighbor try saving them” were the words that perked my ears to listen on. Perking the ears to make the audience listen to more is very important! You could be on an elevator with the right person someday and the ride is only 30 seconds. What will you say? How passionate are you?

Some call a pitch an ELEVATOR SPEECH, others call it a MEANINGFUL INTRODUCTION. Whatever you call it, this is your chance to tell people about your company and what you offer!

The goal is to get the audience to understand what the business is about and what it can do for them. The purpose of an elevator pitch is not to close a deal or a sale; rather, it's to make the audience want to continue the conversation. Your pitch should contain salient, intriguing details about your company rather than dry figures.


When writing an elevator pitch, consider the nine C's:

  • Concise. Keep the pitch succinct with as few words as possible.
  • Clear. The pitch should be easily understood by a layman, rather than filled with acronyms and industry terminology.
  • Compelling. What problem does your business solve, and what can you do for your target audience?
  • Credible. Spell out what makes you qualified to do what you do without using buzzwords like outside the box or synergy. Using credibility-driven words like certified will help sell your business.
  • Conceptual. Keep your pitch broad; don't go into too many details.
  • Concrete. The pitch should be tangible and easily grasped by your audience.
  • Customized. Each target audience is different. The pitch should be tailored to the listeners.
  • Consistent. No matter how many versions of your pitch you have, they should all convey the same basic message.
  • Conversational. Start the conversation, and hook your target. Keep it casual. Don't try to close a deal in the pitch


It’s not “your” pitch that’s important here, it’s “their” need being filled. Don’t make it all about you rather make it about your audience. Start off with a strong headline, ask questions, get the audience involved.  Show what value you bring. Practice, but don’t parrot! Having a canned response sounds phony! Know what you are going to say but tailor it to the occasion.

By executing a great pitch you could be on your way to wonderful opportunities with that unexpected meeting.




 Come Join Us and PITCH Your Business!




Saturday, April 4, 2015