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How to Tank a Business in 4 Easy Steps

Tired of the creative freedom that comes with owning a business? Ready to hit the nine-to-five grind and place a finite limit on your paycheck? Believe it or not, it is easier than you think possible! Just follow these four steps to bring your business to a screeching halt:

1.Fill a useless need.

Did market research reveal that customers want helpful, easy-to-use products that can improve their lives? No need to worry about that, a product that addresses a problem no one really cares about can be just as good.

2.Copy your competition.

Make your business indistinguishable from other companies. After all, if customers really wanted diversity they would just say so, right?

3.Copy Shmoppy.

Customers visit your website to buy a product, not to sit around reading all day. Forget the attention to copy writing and give yourself a well-earned coffee break.

4.Keep your purpose out of it.

OK, sure, your purpose might help set your path in life, but this is business and there is no need to force the two to intermingle. You can do whatever you want with your purpose in your off hours.

Some people might say that running a business into the ground is impossible, but ignore the naysayers and focus on your goal. With some time, effort and a little bit of luck, tearing down your business could be the easiest thing you ever do.

How the Truly Successful Grow Their Wealth

Most entrepreneurs can eventually settle on a business that is successful, stable and aligned with their purpose, but for some, there is still much more to discover.

Rather than spend years tucked into a cubicle and stashing unseen money into a retirement account, building a wealthy present and future through online entrepreneurship can be a lucrative alternative. For some reason, many people still view this as little more than an out-of-reach fantasy. However, most people have heard the stories or read the news reports of entrepreneurs who built their businesses from little more than scratch, and built a significant amount of wealth along the way.

So, what exactly differentiates those adept at growing their wealth from those who tend to hover around the same comfort level? Here are a few key differences:

Wealthy entrepreneurs understand the word “no” and when to use it.

Consider the old adage: “You can’t please all the people all of the time.” The same applies to business – you simply cannot take every opportunity that comes along. When it comes to building wealth, business owners need to understand when it is time to turn down certain offers or opportunities.

They have the right connections.

No, it is not because they were born with a little black book of business connections, it is because they understand the true value of networking. The importance of networking and maintaining a solid network of connections is far too often glossed over and ignored by those starting a new business venture.

Their wealth does not go ignored.

Sure, amassing wealth in the present is fine and all, but having that money around in the future is a good idea too. Instead of leaving huge chunks to sit in savings accounts with low compounding interest rates, wealthy entrepreneurs make investments, fund new business opportunities and keep close tabs on financial activities.

Work ethic typically has little to do with the gap between entrepreneurs who are building wealth and those who are not. This difference has much more to do with those who have an ability to gain an understanding of which tasks to dedicate their time and energy to. When a business venture continues to grow in success but wealth remains stagnant, it may be time to re-evaluate how much importance is placed on certain tasks.

Stress Got You Down? You Might Be Handling It Wrong.

Stress is one of those annoying constants in life that is pretty much impossible to escape. Like other unavoidable episodes or experiences, coming out on the other side of success better and stronger than before is all about how you handle it. In business, handling stress the right way can be the difference between a successful and mediocre venture.

Of course, it is one thing to discuss handling stress and something else entirely to be in the thick of it, which is why the most important aspect of handling stress is:

Preparation

Change will happen, and stress is an annoying third wheel that will almost always be tagging along. Understanding that stress will arise and preparing for it – go ahead, stash that chocolate in the top drawer – is key to handling it with as much grace as possible. And another thing, since you know stress is coming:

Stop beating yourself up

At the height of stress, it can be exceptionally easy to focus anger and frustration inward. Take some quiet moments of introspection and understand that yes, this too shall pass, and understand that kicking yourself while you are down will not help anything move faster. While you practice being kinder to yourself, remember:

You cannot control everything

If the source of your stress is outside of your control, focus on what you can do with the assets and resources that you have at your disposal. The only true limitations you have are the ones that you place on yourself. Stress might be an uncomfortable and unavoidable part of life, but that does not mean that it has to drag you down with it. Give yourself the time necessary to prepare, and let the next big episode of stress that hits roll right off of your back.

Blogging Toward A Stronger Web Presence

Blogging is a free, yet frequently undervalued, tool for any business working toward a stronger online presence. Every entrepreneur and business working to grow, attract new customers and expand an online customer base should be blogging. However, it can be a daunting task to come up with the needed copy for a website, yet alone the content needed for a regularly updated blog.

The content of a blog is important, as it will have a direct impact on search engine optimization (SEO). Quality, well-researched, fresh content is just as important as the blog itself. Failure to have a blog altogether or failure to acknowledge the importance of a blog can have a direct impact on a business’s bottom line. In fact, statistics indicate that companies that blog regularly have more links to their websites and drastically increase their leads.

Blogging is free, but the content doesn’t always come easily. Writing can be an intimidating task, but there are options for those who wish to invest their time in other areas. At Virtue Marketing, we have a team of writers that is exclusively dedicated to blog content. All of the content that we provide is original, well-written and carefully researched. We understand that not everyone can write–but we can, and we can help.

All of the content that we write for our clients is designed to connect with their target audience, as well as benefit SEO. If your goal is to have a well-written blog and website copy that accurately reflects your business, turn to us. Your business must have a blog, so why not make sure that it is the best that it can be?

How to Build an Online Presence and Why You Need One

Your business website is finally complete. You have created a company Twitter account and targeted ads are set to go live. So, pop quiz for you: Are you now finished creating your business’s online presence?

The Answer… NOT A CHANCE.

An online presence is much more than a handful of social media accounts and an artfully designed website, and it is never finished. A business’s online presence should include any and all of its activity online, and it should be created with clear, concise goals in mind. That means unless it can help you reach your goal, there is no need to share that hilarious article on the business’s blog, even if it did make you chuckle.

Ready to start building an online presence to help further your business? Here are FOUR easy steps you can start on now.

Set Goals

What should the business’s online presence accomplish? Do you want to bring in more customers or beef up a fan page’s numbers? Without any idea of where you want an online presence to take a business, it can be impossible to get there.

Start at Home

Without a brick and mortar building, the website is a business’s virtual structure. It should be clean, readable and easy for customers to navigate. Keep in mind that clean and easy do not mean boring. Make sure the content on the blog page is engaging and helps contribute to the goals you set.

Focus on Value

Posting for posting’s sake is an enormous problem that people run into when trying to create an online presence. Out of things to say? There is no need to panic, but refrain from posting the first thing that crosses your news feed. An online presence should provide consistently valuable content that reflects back on the business and its goals. Have trouble creating new content? Bring on help to handle the task and hold brainstorming sessions to set up a topic schedule.

Be Outgoing

Hey, it is called social media for a reason! Put yourself and your business out there. Customers and fans are not the only ones with whom you should be engaging. Be sure to focus on building credible business relationships along the way.

Virtually every business has an online presence in this day and age, but the process of creating and maintaining a successful presence can be even more important for startups and other online businesses.And hey, creating an online presence and community with customers and likeminded entrepreneurs sure beats passing out flyers on the corner.

You Could be 2 Questions Away from a Purpose-Filled Life

Think that you are living your purpose but not entirely sure? Occasional doubt and worry is a normal aspect of life, but when it comes to your purpose, there should be a burning acknowledgement deep within you that sparks to life with each action. Still not convinced that you are on the right path? Try asking yourself the following question:

Am I living a life filled with passion and excitement?

This can be a tricky question, so give it a bit of thought before answering. Stress and busy schedules can masquerade as excitement, so really give all of the tasks that take up your day (yes, even the small ones) serious consideration. If the answer is “no,” ask yourself this:

Am I living up to my full potential?

If you feel as if there is no purpose in your life, the answer to this one is probably a resounding “NO.” Take a minute to reflect here. If you could improve one area of your life and guarantee that in that particular one area you would eventually be able to meet and exceed your potential, what would it be?

Driven entrepreneurs understand the value of self-reflection and know just how important this is. After all, it can be exceptionally difficult to lead and guide a business by its purpose when the owner still does not have a solid handle on his or her own.

Wish that you could live your life with the same fiery passion for every new day? Who knows, you couldbe just a few questions away from that reality.

Not Worried about Advertising? Your Bottom Line Could be Suffering

With advertisements and marketing taking up various amounts of precious space on the vast majority of websites, oversaturation has conditioned a great many number of online users to simply ignore the tiny boxes vying for their attention. Some business owners operate under the impression that ads are ads, and that one is as good as any other. However, no matter whether the advertisement is text or image based, it has to be pretty compelling to actually garner clicks that will eventually lead to customers.

So, what happens when a business spends valuable money on an ineffective ad campaign? It wastes time, money and the opportunity to bring in new customers. Think that any type of sustainable wealth building is going on at a company where this is taking place? Most likely not.

Successful startups spend a lot of time researching and strategizing new products and services before beginning development or even thinking about launching, but that same dedication often seems to disappear when it comes time to employ a bit of online marketing. Most online businesses will never grace the television screen between prime time sitcoms and the evening news, so online marketing and ad campaigns need to be focused, tight and ready to do their jobs — drive customers in and not away.

Defining outcomes of a successful online advertising campaign include an increased online presence, new customers and a brighter bottom line. These are the types of expenses of which business owners should not be afraid and can even be an investment. Sure, there is an upfront cost, but the return is usually more than worth it.

While entrepreneurs are often one-man (and woman) show extraordinaires, without a background in marketing, this is one top that may not fit. Before committing to any type of agreement with a marketing company or freelancer, be sure to shop around for the perfect fit. Mediocre marketers might be willing to sum up what they see as a good campaign, while great ones will be more than happy to discuss the business’s needs and goals to craft the most successful strategy possible.

Lisa Falzone – Conquering the Business World Before 30

Ever gone to pay a bill at a restaurant or have your clothes rung up at a boutique only to find that the traditional point of sale was noticeably absent? If an employee was swiping across an iPad screen before accepting payment, he or she was most likely using the brain child of Lisa Falzone.

Since co-founding the wildly successful POS software company, Falzone has graced lists in Business Insider, Forbes and the San Francisco Business Times naming her one of the most important entrepreneurs of her age. Revel Systems is not only in San Francisco where the company is based but isacross the nation in over 1,200 major locations. It is not just small retailers using this revolutionary technology for the iPad — several different sports stadiums recognize how powerful, useful and easy this type of technology is.

Falzone did far more than just come up with a brilliant idea. As CEO and head of daily operations at Revel Systems, she is the leader who strives for new growth and who is responsible for moving forward with an international expansion. Still not impressed? Falzone singlehandedly brought in over $13 million in capital funding, without which the company would be far below where it is today.

Still younger than 30 years old, Falzone has shown just what a “go get ‘em” attitude can accomplish. Planning and research might be necessary components of a successful startup, but when they become time sinks for procrastination, it might be time to stop thinking and start acting.