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5 Lessons I Have Learned From John Chow
Who is John Chow?Well, as far I know he?s a pretty successful entrepreneur and dot com mogul from Vancouver, Canada.Apparently he rose to fame with The TechZone. But I?ve never visited that website, so…I am however a fan of his blog JohnChow.com.In fact it’s the only semi-personal blogs that I read regularly. Mostly, I just read different niche-blogs on personal growth and blogging.John?s blog is basically about the internet and blogging – often with thoughts on the business side of things - mixed up with odd ramblings about, and pictures of, things he eats.While reading John?s blog for a couple of months I?ve learned a thing or two. Here are five of those lessons. Some are new, some are good reminders.

f your loved ones. Ask them what they think. And share with them why you are doing this. Having someone in the family to brainstorm ideas with you is beneficial. The last thing you want is surrounding yourself with negative energy everyday. Besides your employees, they are your next most valuable assets.

Telephone Job Interview Preparation Tips
TELEPHONE INTERVIEW BACKGROUNDTelephone interviews are quite common in today’s job market. They are offered for a variety of reasons including cost savings, screening of candidates and out-of-town applicants. To successfully navigate the phone interview, it is important to have a solid game plan in place for preparation.The following 8 quick tips will help prepare yourself for a successful call.8 QUICK TELEPHONE INTERVIEW PREPARATION TIPS1. DO SOME RESEARCH Try to find out who will be interviewing you. Will there be multiple people on the call? If possible get their names and titles. Become familiar with these before the call and you will have one less thing to worry about during the call. Try and get

Almost everyone, at some point in their life, harbors an intention of starting a business they can truly call their own. While some decide to work and commit to their newfound aspiration, most would feel that maintaining a J.O.B would be the best option, since they lack the necessary know-how, level of commitment and/or spirit of enterprise.

Whatever the scenario, knowing how to work on that start-up would come in handy, even if you have no plans for it yet. So, here are the 10 tips to get you started.

Labor of Love. There’s no point in starting a business you don’t like, whatever the returns may be. It might work on fine initially, but how long can you last doing something you have no interest in? It’s akin to staying in a job you detest, and soon enough, you will be searching for the exit. All of us know that the more you enjoy what you are doing, the more devoted and committed you will be in making your business flourish.

Market Research. You have got an idea you think will be the next big thing. But will consumers feel the same? The most important aspect of starting a business is planning and researching, but this is exactly what most people fail to execute. By spending some time on analyzing the market, it could very well save you from burning a hole in your pocket in the event your idea sucks. The other advantage to this is knowing how your competitors work. And the simplest way to do this, is be a customer yourself. Speak to their staffs and customers. Find out where they get their goods from, their likes and dislikes. Check their pricing, so you could make yours just as competitive, if not cheaper. This would eventually set you apart from them, and possibly, outsell them in the future.

Location. Starting a business is similar to buying a house. Do what you will do before making a purchase for your dream abode. Study the location, and make sure it isn’t crummy to begin with. None of us wants to live in a run-down place, so why should your shopfront? Having a good amount of traffic is one of the most critical factors to growing a business. You may have the best product on earth, but who are you selling it to if you don’t even have a customer walking in.

Family Support. Seek the opinions of your loved ones. Ask them what they think. And share with them why you are doing this. Having someone in the family to brainstorm ideas with you is beneficial. The last thing you want is surrounding yourself with negative energy everyday. Besides your employees, they are your next most valuable assets.

Customer Service In Retail Stores-Are Your Customers Afraid To Do Business With You?
Obstacles to buyingCustomers can be reluctant to do business with you for various reasons: fear of the unknown or of being cheated, concern about other people’s approval, and uncertainty about your competence as a sales professional. If you are aware of their concerns, then you can react accordingly to reassure them.Fear of the unknownThe first uncertainty new customers experience is the fear of doing business with an unknown company. They wonder who the company is exactly, whether its sales personnel is competent and honest, without being pushy, and whether its merchandise is of good quality. They have so many reasons to hesitate before even entering the store.Need for appro

business you don’t like, whatever the returns may be. It might work on fine initially, but how long can you last doing something you have no interest in? It’s akin to staying in a job you detest, and soon enough, you will be searching for the exit. All of us know that the more you enjoy what you are doing, the more devoted and committed you will be in making your business flourish.

Restaurant Employee Theft
Restaurant owners don’t run a cash machine 24/7. They face the reality of being observed by thieves undercover and this alone is a serious threat not only to the business but to the safety of the management, staff and customers. The most difficult part about this harm is there is no certain point one realizes that there is a thief lurking around the corner waiting for the right time to attack. And the sad part about it is there are a big percentage of theft casualties done by employees.Yes, that’s right. Employee theft is one of the serious threats that a restaurant owner has to accept. Each year, there is an estimate of over $52 billion loss because of this reason. The percentage is up to 95% and the numbers already indicates a high risk

researching, but this is exactly what most people fail to execute. By spending some time on analyzing the market, it could very well save you from burning a hole in your pocket in the event your idea sucks. The other advantage to this is knowing how your competitors work. And the simplest way to do this, is be a customer yourself. Speak to their staffs and customers. Find out where they get their goods from, their likes and dislikes. Check their pricing, so you could make yours just as competitive, if not cheaper. This would eventually set you apart from them, and possibly, outsell them in the future.

Boredom Is the Enemy: 16 MORE's to Pump Up Productivity
When was the last time you were bored?Today? Yesterday? Last week? Last year?And when you were bored, what did you do?Eat? Watch TV? Doodle on a piece of paper? Spend an hour on www.boredatwork.com?I haven’t been bored since college. And you know what? I’m damn proud of that. It’s consistently enabled me to accomplish more stuff, meet more cool people and have more fun.And here’s what amazes me: friends and fellow professionals often ask, “Wow! Books, speeches, article, podcasts, blogs, traveling and marketing - where did you find the time to do all that stuff?”Well, um, last time I checked, all of us had the same amount of time in each day, right?Mayb

utsell them in the future.

Train to Maintain and Develop Your Career
“People will go to a lot of trouble to learn French or physics or scuba diving. They have the patience to learn to operate a car, but they won’t be bothered learning how to operate themselves”Newman & BerkowitzWhen I first saw this it struck my how true this was for so many people I came across within the client organisations where I work. Although the issue is not uniquely British, I have found that it is truer here than in many other countries and cultures where I train. Why is this? Maybe it is a throwback to memories of schooldays? Possibly it is because so much of training is seen as “corrective” rather than developmental. Also, many people think that it is up to their employer to organise any training when requir

Sufficient Capital. Get your sums right. Save on your own, or get funding from your family and/or friends, i.e. sleeping partner. The worst thing that can happen is realizing you have a short-fall just before placing an order with your merchants. Your business fails to take off as scheduled, and in business, time means money. You can’t afford to let that happen, so don’t start until you do your math.

Don’t Quit Your Job Yet. Have something to fall back on. Success is never guaranteed in business. Maintaining your 9 – 5 means a regular source of income, which may also prove to be helpful if you ever find your funds depleting faster than expected. Until you break even and see profits rolling in, quitting your day job is not advisable. Moreover, it does not hurt to have 2 streams of income too.

Leverage On Your Contacts. Why pay when you can have free advertising? Ever notice how fast rumours spread from one end to the other? The same applies to marketing your business. Word-of-mouth marketing is by far, a very effective distribution channel. People are more inclined to believe satisfied customers than advertisements or brochures. It’s all about building brand awareness with credible testimonials at a low cost. Give some samples of your products to your key contacts, or provide your services F.O.C. If it’s good, people will soon hear of your brand. If it isn’t, improve on it. Either way, you win.

Know Your Merchants. And don’t just settle for the first one. Look around, and run background checks on them. This is simple as most merchants supply to not one, but a few companies. Enquire with them about their service level. Having a responsible merchant is an advantage. Running a business is already tough work. Imagine the hassle it will cause if you have to deal with an unresponsive and irresponsible company that you get your goods from. Not to mention, finding another one.

Train Your Staff. If you are keeping your day job, chances are, you won’t be around to answer your customers’ enquiries. The next best person besides yourself would be your staff. Rather than leaving it to chance, invest some time in teaching him/her the necessary product features. Some selling techniques wouldn’t hurt too. Nothing pisses me off than having a representative who does not know the difference between a 15’ inch monitor from a 21’ inch. “You can see more things on a 21’ inch.” Give me a break, dude!

Choosing A Name. Your business needs an identity, th

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