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Welcome to the Next Step Solutions E-Newsletter!
 Dear
Margaret,
Did everyone remember the shift to Daylight Savings Time?
Somehow, I totally missed the memo and was left fuming at the last minute
over losing an hour of badly needed sleep. I am one of those who find it
far easier to "fall back" than "spring forward".
On the bright side, however, the crocus are up in my
neighborhood, as well as the daffodils. Spring is here and that will lift
anyone's spirits.
"Spring cleaning" is an old custom, but one worth
considering, at least in a business sense. Time to clean out the piles of
paper that have accumulated (I am convinced the stuff is organic. It
grows.) and make our workplaces more attractive and productive.
It's also a good time to take stock of where you are in your
strategic plans for 2008. Making progress? Any plan changes needed? Course
corrections? Taking some time for this activity will help keep your mind uncluttered
and your focus on your goals. That's my plan. Good luck and happy spring to
all of you!
by Margaret Purvine
 We
spend a lot of time talking to small business owners. They are our primary
clients and prospects. We also meet lots of business owners and service
providers as we attend business conferences and networking events.
One area of concern and perpetual endeavor remains at the top
of everyone's A-list; sales and marketing. Ask a colleague where he/she
most needs help, the first thing you hear is sales and/or marketing,
depending on their current emphasis. Ask the members of an organization
what type of speakers they want to hear and it's not motivational speakers.
It's sales and marketing.
No business, particularly a new one, can survive without
sales. Period and end of story. Without sales you have nothing. But what
happens once you have the sales?
We have found that an entrepreneur's vision, energy, passion
and ability to sell will establish a business. However, without attention
to the rest of the needs of a business - leadership, management, finance,
metrics, procedures, operations - sales alone will not sustain a business, let
alone allow it to grow.
This is our primary message this month, our business food for
thought. Let us know what you think.
Next Step in the press & at the podium!
by Margaret Purvine
 We
are pleased to announce that our latest column,
"Some steps to move to the next level of business", was published
by the Puget Sound Business Journal in their March 14, 2008 edition. The
article comes directly from our belief that real business success takes
more than sales. Here is a brief excerpt to pique your interest.
Entrepreneurs provide the energy that fuels our economy. In
good times and bad, they provide exciting new products and services and are
the primary source of new jobs. They are creative, visionary and energetic.
God bless 'em, every one. We really need them.
When hardy entrepreneurs start their businesses, they
correctly realize that their first priority is sales. Without sales, there
is nothing -- no money, no growth, no new jobs, no business. As they focus
on sales to get the business off the ground, it's understandable and
perfectly appropriate to operate the business more informally. However,
some otherwise successful small-business owners get stuck at this stage.
Continuing to run a business without a sound operational foundation is
rather like running a sports car stuck in first gear. It looks sexy, but
that car isn't going anywhere fast and it's hard on the engine.
Interested in reading the rest of the article? Please
press here. Please note, however, that the article is only available to
print subscribers during the first 30 days after publication. After that
time, it is available to all.
We are also pleased to announce that
we will be speaking for the Small Business Administration's Women's Network
for Entrepreneurial Training (WNET) series, in Seattle, on March 21, 2008.
Our topic will be The Purpose Driven Business - An Intentional Approach to
Achieving Profit and Success.
For more information, press
here or contact Sherry Mina at 206-553-7316 or sherry.mina@sba.gov.
Hope to see some of you there!
Buying Your First Business - Avoid the 3 biggest mistakes
I've
helped a lot of clients buy businesses over the years. I've also been
brought in after the fact to help fix problems in the businesses. Suffice
it to say that I have observed many buy/sell transactions during my career.
Buying a business and becoming a business owner for the first time is a big
deal, the culmination of a dream for many. Since it matters so much, and
entails so much investment of time and dollars, it's important to make the
best purchase decision possible and be well positioned for business
success.
The flip side of success is failure. So why do some of these
purchases and dreams of business ownership head south? I typically see 3
big mistakes new business purchasers make. Avoid these and you will have a
better chance of ultimate success. Press
here to keep reading...
Free Resources from Next Step
Quotes from movers and shakers
"If we're growing, we're always going to be out of our
comfort zone. "
"Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it."
John Maxwell, American Author & Motivational Speaker
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