Business Advice

Have you been putting off the business planning? You know who you are. Do you mean to start managing better, but keep getting distracted by fires to put out? Here are five quick and easy ways to start planning today. Do a SWOT Analysis SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It’s a...
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When it comes to measuring and tracking online and trying to determine what your return on investment is with social media, you first need to ask yourself why you want to participate in social media in the first place. If the answer is to build your brand and develop a loyal following, then you...
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If entrepreneurs could recover all the time and money they waste, our GNP would soar. I can’t prove that scientifically—researching the topic would be, well, a waste of time and money—but I’ve seen it often enough, in business plans, on income statements (including my own), during bankruptcy proceedings and just looking around. To win...
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It’s end month and your business is crying out for attention. You have invoices to send, sales calls to make, a blog to update, and you haven’t had time to chase down a lower-cost supplier for one of your products. How can one person possibly do it all? The short answer is that you...
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Learning how to save. In Honduras this is one of the criteria for small businessmen to get microcredit. At the beginning of July, Radio Netherlands Worldwide published a video about financial training courses in Honduras. Klaas Molenaar, chair of the European Microfinance Network, argues that these well-intended training courses have their drawbacks. Clients of...
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Success came to me when I consciously decided where my path should begin and where I wanted it to end. If you’re still trying to convince yourself of your own worth, how can you possibly persuade clients that you have expertise and abilities? If you seem uncertain and insecure in your talents, your competition...
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In the last few years, many banks and other lenders have introduced a variety of innovative products that have made access to loans a lot easier. The lending environment, particularly in banks and SACCOs, has become more customer-friendly, as lenders try to outdo one another in a highly competitive market. While easy access to...
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At the gate of a manufacturing firm is a job advertisement seeking marketers from across the globe to distribute household electronic equipment and appliances. As you enter the main reception is a sign post that reads, ‘Entrepreneurs start at My Age,’ placed at a strategic point where all visitors will see it before entering....
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As a business owner you’ve probably heard this from customers making cutbacks: “I can’t afford the expense at this time.” The domino effect has likely caused you to view everything as an expense as well. When times get tough, companies tend to curtail or cease spending. Everything that costs money is viewed as an...
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There is a bridge every entrepreneur must cross in order to grow a business beyond a certain point, a point where they must transition from “doing” to “leading.” It means stepping back from day-to-day operations and slipping into the role of overseer. It also means learning to delegate more significant responsibilities to your employees....
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