3 Step Process to Sell Your Business without a headache

While it’s important to understand that selling your business is a serious undertaking and will require a lot of work, it doesn’t have to be a stressful headache. If you are not well prepared sling can be very stressful. What’s more, you’ll get less money for your business than you would have if you’d prepared ahead of time. On the other hand if done properly you can not only sell your business faster and for more money, but also you will have less stress throughout the process. Here is a 3 step process we have identified that helps you accomplish just that.

Step 1: Make sure you’re ready emotionally

This will be the shortest section in this article, but it’s one of the most important as well.

Before you can hope to sell your business for what it’s worth, you need to be sure you’re actually comfortable with the idea of leaving it behind in the first place. Once you sell your business, it becomes someone else’s focus and a huge part of your life will change.

Are you prepared for that, emotionally? Do you already have definite plans in place to fill that time? Do you have new goals in mind that you’ll be working toward after the sale?

5 (not so) Secret SEO Tips for Small Businesses

When you’re a small business, there’s a lot you need to do to get yourself on customers’ radar and make people interested in what you have to offer. Since today’s society is so connected, using technology and the Internet is often a smart and cost-effective method.

Most businesses today know that they need a website in order to generate traffic, but a website will not get you anywhere without strong search engine optimization, or SEO. Check out the following SEO tips for small businesses to help people find your site.

1. Learn the basics.

The first thing you should do is to learn the basics. This involves learning what keywords are and how to use them. Keywords are the words that people use to find websites with information they need. These keywords are then used to provide web links on search engines like Google. So, for example, if someone was looking for blue gym shoes in Chicago, they may type “blue gym shoes in Chicago” in the search field. Websites that have “blue gym shoes in Chicago” on their website will then appear on the results page.

In order to generate traffic, you need to make sure that the content you’re dishing out on the web has keywords that are relevant to your business.

2. Choose the right keywords.

In order to make sure you’re using the right keywords, you need to do some keyword research. Tools like Google Adwords can help you learn which keywords are popular and right for your business. Make sure you use these tools to come up with a list of keywords, and then make sure you’re applying these keywords throughout your site.

5 Biggest Business Mistakes You Must Avoid

As many of us know, over half of all businesses fail before their first birthday. I don’t tell you this to scare you off. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. I use this statistic to encourage you to work even harder at your dream. Only a small percentage of companies survive the early years, and it takes an enormous amount of perseverance.

It also means avoiding some of the biggest mistakes and pitfalls. As a new business owner, you can learn from the mistakes of the past here. While you may be relatively inexperienced, the same mistakes are killing businesses time and time again. Learn them, and you can avoid them.

Mistake #1: Not listening to your customers

No matter what industry you’re in, your customers are the heart of your business. Without them, your profits will dry up, and you’re left for dead. Unfortunately, you can never take their custom for granted. In fact, you must work hard to keep it. That’s why a regular communication is essential. Conduct regular focus groups, and maintain a dialogue over social media. What do you customers want from your company? Most importantly, what are you doing poorly? Trust me, your customers will be the first to tell you!

Mistake #2: Failing to understand the market

This mistake has caused the death of numerous companies, not least mobile giants Blackberry. They completely failed to comprehend the emerging smartphone market, and were swallowed whole. If it can happen to an established industry player, it can happen to your company. Keep one eye on the horizon, and understand the market around you.