Top Ten Lists + Forbes = Business Love

March 7th, 2007 by John Herman, under Uncategorized, operations, small business, strategy, trends. No Comments

Are you a business owner? Are you thinking of starting a business?

If you’re still in the planning phases, you may need to do some rethinking if you have one of The 10 Riskiest Businesses to Start. From Travel Agency to Retail Store, there are pitfalls and problems listed that would make any budding entrepreneur cringe with fright!

There is something…though…that we noticed. Something that made us really, really excited. Excited enough that we called our friends and had them look at the article…exciting enough that we couldn’t help but blog about it.

Business consultants aren’t on the list.

Niche businesses aren’t on the list.

Our clients aren’t on the list.

This was like three strikes for the team you can’t stand. While we have all the respect in the world for people trying to start any business, no matter what the odds, we couldn’t help but giggle maniacally as we realized that globalization and the changing landscape of business was not scary at all for those who’ve already embraced the challenge of living in a world that’s become, well, a little flat.

How is your business faring in the new economy? Are you faltering? Looking for a new image? From medium sized businesses to niche market startups, Succeeding Steps really has their eye on the prize. The prize? Your success. You can find a company that is cooler, you can find a company that can do the electric slide better, but when it comes to branding and business strategy, we blow the competition out of the water.

Look Ma! I’m an entrepreneur!

March 6th, 2007 by John Herman, under human resources, small business. No Comments

Everyone loves a top ten list, and over at StartupSpark.com they’ve come up with the Top 10 Ways You Know You’re An Entrepreneur.

We have a few favorites we’d like to address:

Our favorite point, and what we think makes a true entrepreneur is You’re dreaming miles ahead while focused on what you’re doing right now. Succeeding Steps has a calling. We consult with small and niche business owners to form branding concepts and execution of those concepts all over the web. While any business planning needs to focus on “now” and “five years from now” simultaneously, we do this not only for ourselves, but every client we have. That’s why we rock, in case you were wondering.

The second point they list that really resonates with us is You’re a strategist. Have I told you yet how much the staff of Succeeding Steps dug playing Risk when we were younger? Okay, you got us…we still play Risk…just don’t tell anyone, okay? We don’t want our coolness quotient harmed. At the very least we don’t want it harmed any more than it already is. We’re afraid the Linux penguin is going to give us a wedgy any minute here.

The final point I’d like to address is probably the most important for any entrepreneur, solopreneur, or small business owner. You want to live your work. There is nothing we like better than seeing our client’s work recognized by online and local press. We love to be an integral part of every step of the branding and business planning process. This way we can give you a branding solution that truly fits your needs, not our tastes.

So are you an entrepreneur? How many of the top 10 do you relate to? Leave a comment and let us know…we’d love to hear from you!

The Twelve Pack and Some Friends Guide to Naming your Business

March 1st, 2007 by John Herman, under branding, business names, small business. No Comments

In a recent article at Vitamin, the steps to generating a good company name were laid out.

Amazingly enough, one of the steps was NOT “get a twelve pack and some friends”

There’s a good reason why, too.

People spend far too much time trying to figure out a new business name by thinking “wow, that sounds good” when they haven’t done any research on who is going to be reading the name.

Are you a niche business owner looking for a good name?

If you are, you have to realize it’s going to take time, a whole lotta work, and more than a little patience as well. From how many syllables, to ease of being understood by others, the effort you put into your business name may be the “make or break” for your company.

Just as you would never name your child “Lemonade”, you should consider a professional “Naming Team” to come up with your company name. It’s something far too important to just come up with on a cocktail napkin at three in the morning in between karaoke rounds. Sadly, I know someone who actually came up with a company name in just that scenario. Don’t worry, you’ve never heard of that company, because it tanked very quickly.

Naming your company is so important that large companies will spend millions of dollars to come up with a name that resonates with the community as well as making it memorable. You, as a small business owner, don’t have millions of dollars so you need to make every dollar count.

Sure, good help isn’t cheap, but don’t let your company’s new name be the biggest, costliest mistake you’ve ever made!

Happy Entrepreneurship Week USA

February 25th, 2007 by John Herman, under small business. No Comments

http://www.entrepreneurshipweekusa.com

From February 24 to March 3, 2007, EntrepreneurshipWeek USA will be a collection of thousands of activities, ranging from high school competitions to academic gatherings and local town halls to a national policy summit. More than 700 organizations throughout the country have answered the call, planning activities in all fifty states.

The underlying message of EntrepreneurshipWeek USA is one that resonates with people of all ages, of all ethnic backgrounds and from all walks of life. It is a celebration and an acknowledgement of what has made America great from the start. Its impact will be significant for not only those involved, but for the future generations of entrepreneurs as well as the economies to which they contribute.

Is it your time to be an Entrepreneur?

You Should Give a CRAP about Design

December 13th, 2006 by John Herman, under branding, design, small business. No Comments

Thinking about designing your own marketing materials? Don’t have any design experience. Well, that’s okay; you can still do a good job. Just make sure you have your CRAP together. Yep, I said CRAP. That’s the acronym designer Robin Williams coined in her book The Non-Designers Design Book. By following her guidelines, many novice designers are able to create some pretty decent marketing pieces.
Here’s the scoop on CRAP (no pun intended):

• C stands for Contrast
  Elements that aren’t the same should be very different so they stand out. Making them “slightly different” confuses the reader into seeing a relation that doesn’t exist. Strong contrast between page elements allows the user’s eye to flow from one to another down the page creating a dynamic and interesting piece.
• R stands for Repetition
  Repeat styles down the page for a cohesive feel. If you style related elements the same way in one area continue that trend for consistency in other areas.
• A stands for Alignment
  Everything on the page needs to be visually connected to something else, nothing should be out of place or distinct from the other design elements.
• P stands for Proximity
  Elements that are related should be grouped together and separate design elements should have enough space in between to communicate they are different.

There are other elements to be considered, but this CRAP will certainly get you started. Check out blogs for designers and visit your local library for more books and ideas on design. It doesn’t have to be expensive and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Even amateur designers can create some pretty impressive work by following a few basic steps and principles. Keep checking our blog for more information to help you succeed as you take steps to build your business. Also, for more information about CRAP check out http://www.thinkvitamin.com/features/design/how-crap-is-your-site-design.