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Business Start Up Tips From Some Hearty Entrepreneurs
When's the last time someone asked you: "What's new?" If you're starting or growing a business, an e-business, or a web site, the answer is: "Everything!" - especially on the inside.Face it, launching a new enterprise - or taking it to the next level - can sometimes feel scary and overwhelming.

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From Employee to Entrepreneur: Taking the Plunge
Before you decide whether or not running your own business is right for you, start by pinpointing your area of expertise and assessing your aptitude for business.Starter Questions Ask yourself the following questions:- In what areas do people approach me for advice and assistance? From what parts of my job do I get the most satisfaction?- What do I like doing so much that I would do it even with no pay?- What hobbies or interests could I "spin off"into a small business?- Do I enjoy budgeting and financial planning?- Do I enjoy making cold calls, tele-marketing and selling?- Do I have enough self-discipline to work on my own?- How easy is it for me to bounce back from rejection & setbacks?Proceed with CautionBefore you take the plunge, it's important to "wade in gradually" or you may just find yourself swamped.

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Health Insurance for Solo Entrepreneurs
One of the most important benefits employed people enjoy is health insurance coverage. It is also the single most costly expense for self-employed entrepreneurs.

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Preparing to Outsource
It's important to understand when to add individuals to your business model. Adding a new team member should be an easy transition - that's where organization comes in.

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10 Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs
Running a one-person business is a creative, flexible and challenging way to become your own boss and chart your own future. It is about creating a life, as it is about making a living.

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3 Essential Elements of Operating a Successful Business
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live your dream? A good place to start would be to recognize that there are three elements, and only three elements, that separate success from failure. If you exercise one of the elements, you might just be successful.

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Expand Your Resourcefullness!
The success and failure for the entrepreneur is largely dictated by the ability to gain access to resources, both personal as well as those of others.So the big question is then 'how does one become more resourceful?' Like many of the skills of the entrepreneur, resourcefulness requires constant cultivation.

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Do You Want to Just Survive or Thrive? (Part 1)
You've probably heard this, or maybe you will relate to this personally. Have you ever arrived somewhere and wondered, "How did I get here?" or "Why am I here?"Have you ever wondered if you've missed the boat (with your family on it)?Life is a battle that must be fought if there is to be a favorable outcome for you, as well as those around you that count the most.

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Do You Have What it Takes to be a Successful Entrepreneur?
Print off this page, take the quiz and find out if you've got what it takes! See the scale at the bottom to mark yourself.Answer the following questions on a Scale of 1 - 51 - definately not 2 - not likely 3 - sometimes 4 - probably 5 - definitely--------------------------------------------------------------------------------1) Do you have many hobbies (besides TV viewing and playing video games)? ____2) Do you take a leadership role in group settings? _____3) Can you discipline yourself to finish a project, even if it means late nights and low recognition from your peers? ____4) Do you often think of new and innovative ways to do things? _____5) Do you enjoy meeting new people? ____6) Have you had success in the past in planning a project, and carrying it through to it's completion? _____7) Would you consider yourself a positive person? ____8) Even when things go wrong do you try to "learn a lesson" from the experience? ____9) Do you enjoy working alone? ____10) Do you manage your time well? ____11) Do you like to set goals and achieve them? ____12) Do you like to take calculated risks to achieve an objective? ____--------------------------------------------------------------------------------ScoringIf most of your scores are 5's you have a very strong "entrepreneurial streak" and should strive for your goals.

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The Boss is DEAD!
Some of us are born into families with "it", some of us are just driven over the edge to "it", and some of us crave "it", but just haven't figured out how to attain "it." That "it" is an Entrepreneurial Spirit that is a powerful force that can be the key to your success, and yes?sometimes even failure.

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How Much Risk is Necessary to Grow Your Business?
A business owner is thoroughly responsible for their own financial survival and possibly the financial survival of their employees. Business owners, for the most part, seem to be "risk takers", who really don't easily "go with the flow".

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Be an Entrepreneur
The Department of Labor predicts that the #1 employer in 2010 will be "self." A recent Internet poll of 25-44 year olds revealed that 90% of them hoped to own their own business.

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How To Grow Your Micro-Business
If you want to grow your micro-business (defined as a business with fewer than five employees), you might consider some of the findings of a survey by Statistics Canada.1.

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Electronic Tools for Entrepreneurial Success
"Half of any job is having the right tool" was one of the earliest lessons I learned from my father growing up on a farm in Nebraska. As an organizing and productivity consultant, it continues to serve me well.

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Differentiation - Smart Marketing Strategies for the Solo Entrepreneur
Are you ever frustrated or hesitant when you talk to prospective customers because you can't readily explain why they should come to you rather than go to your competitors? Sure, you might have your 30-second elevator speech, but then they ask you that dreaded question, "So what makes you different?" Then, all those self-doubts creep in, and you just aren't sure what to say. Differentiation can boost confidence--yours in yourself and that prospective customer's confidence in you!-- Dif-fer-en-ti-ate v.

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Solving the Million Dollar Mystery: 4 Steps To Create A Turn-Key Business
You're a smart, hardworking entrepreneur, and you're moving fast. You are highly educated in your field and your business is growing and getting busier each day.

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The Fear Factor
I recently conducted a lil' survey asking my colleagues what were their biggest fears when thinking about starting a business or running their business. The following are the top three fears that resulted from my survey and some ways to combat them.

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About Ending Competition
1. Why should I not compete with others?The very concept of "competition" is fear based.

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Profile of Women Leaders
Leadership is based on two words, "pressure and support"and that the leadership is the power to influence people to move in a direction that you believe in your heart is a good direction for most people" (Fennell, 1999, p. 267).

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Could a Book About Your Company be Worth $1.7 Billion? Building Value Through Publishing
"Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) to purchase Clayton Homes for $12.

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