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What Do Small Business Owners Really Want

Written by: Lorraine Pirihi

Article Overview: We had an overwhelming response to the survey we recently sent out to our database. They were asked for feedback on what their key challenges were and what they wanted to know about being more productive and profitable. Here's just a few comments we received: • How do I motivate staff? • How do I keep myself motivated (I can relate to this one) • What is the easiest way to delegate? • How do I stay focussed and not waste time on distractions? • How do I prioritise? • How do I overcome procrastination? • How do I handle time management so I can do the selling not the paperwork? • How do I keep my clients coming back? • Where do I start? • How do I make more money?

What Do Small Business Owners Really Want

We had an overwhelming response to the survey we recently sent out to our database. They were asked for feedback on what their key challenges were and what they wanted to know about being more productive and profitable.

Here's just a few comments we received:

• How do I motivate staff?
• How do I keep myself motivated (I can relate to this one)
• What is the easiest way to delegate?
• How do I stay focussed and not waste time on distractions?
• How do I prioritise?
• How do I overcome procrastination?
• How do I handle time management so I can do the selling not the paperwork?
• How do I keep my clients coming back?
• Where do I start?
• How do I make more money?
Nothing new here. Most business owners have the same challenges... they don't have time to focus on what really counts which for the majority is making money. And even if they do have the time, they don't know the steps to market and develop their business effectively.
When it came to answering what products and services they would be interested in to help them overcome their challenges, 43% wanted a 'home-study program'. There was also a 50/50 split on whether they preferred CD's to DVD's.

The majority of people were 35-50 and in professional/consulting services and 50% turned over more than $100,000 a year.

So how does this apply to you?

Well if you know the needs and wants of your market, you can then provide them with the solutions.

In my case, I've produced the Productivity and Profit Homestudy System which is the solution to all their concerns. Having surveyed my database on other occasions, there's no 'hit and miss' in what I'm offering.

The Final Word

How often do you spend time on producing products or offerings to your clients and prospects without even finding out who they are and what they really want?

Or maybe you are so stuck in overwhelm and wasting time making your website pretty or doing the paperwork that you hadn't even considered this?

Productivity is not just about time management. A major part of it is YOUR Personal Effectiveness and having the knowledge to know what to do and HOW to do it....investing your time and money on the RIGHT things so that at the end of the day you achieve outstanding results. This in turn leads to more profit in less time for YOU!

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Article Tags: business owners, distractions, final word, home study program, homestudy, key challenges, making money, occasions, offerings, overwhelming response, paperwork, procrastination, productivity, professional consulting services, prospects, time management, wasting time



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My entry - 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read - this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody. 2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto. 3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
A ton of Great Women - You might want to profile Teresa Cascioli of LakePort Brewery. She has an amazing story! I met her at at the celebratory luncheon for the Profit/Chatelaine Top 100 Women Business Owners. The Top 100 list is also a great resource for inspirational stories of Women Entrepreneurs.
These maybe the coldest franchises out there: - Here are the worst 15 performing franchises in regards to having the highest Small Business Administration (SBA) loan failure rates. The list is dotted with sub sandwich shops, fitness centers and car shops. WORST FRANCHISE LOAN FAILURES Failure % 1 OBEE'S SOUP SALAD SUBS 55.56% 2 LADY OF AMERICA 41.94% 3 COUNTRY CLUTTER (BED & BREAKFAST) 41.18% 4 COPY CLUB 36.36% 5 ALL TUNE AND LUBE 35.71% 6 PICKERMAN'S 35.71% 7 PHILLY CONNECTION 35.59% 8 ROLY POLY ROLLED SANDWICHES 34.78% 9 COTTMAN TRANSMISSION 34.48% 10 HAIR COLOR EXPRESS 33.33% 11 LEE MYLES AUTOMOTIVE TRANSMISSIONS 33.33% 12 GODFATHER'S PIZZA 33.33% 13 SMOOTHIE FACTORY 33.33% 14 BLIMPIE 31.39% 15 GOLF U.S.A. (RETAIL GOLF EQUIP.) 30.77% Source: Small Business Administration, SBA Loan Performance Within Franchise Code for the Period of FY 2001 - 2005
Exclusive: Interview with Results - Hi Forum Members, I'm helping start up a Business Coaching and Consulting company here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (a Subsidiary of RSC Business in Los Angeles). As a Research and Development Intern I am required to practice my listening and interview skills by surveying Small and Medium Businesses on thier Business. This Survey is designed by RSC Business to also assist the Business being interviewed more insight into their own business. I am looking to interview about 30 businesses across North America over the span of 3 months. At the end of these interviews I will be publishing a report of the results and they will be made available for free to the Interviewees. The Report data will include responses from a minimum of 100 interviews. I would like to extend this opportunity to members of the Forum. If you would like to have this short 20-30 minute interview conducted on your Business and you reside in North America please send me an email or PM. Please contact me at andy[at]jvprosperity[dot]com to arrange our interview and to get free access to the results when they are published.
Re: Biz Plan Competition - i just wanted to say that posting Small Business Events on CanadaOne is a great resource. Thanks Julie!


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