Category: People & Relationships

Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or one that has been around the block a time or two, do you truly know how you and your business are perceived on the Internet? If the answer is no, you have some work to do.

As more and more consumers turn to the Internet to browse and shop for products and services, it only makes sense that they are coming across information about companies they may potentially do business with. Should that information be less than stellar, it can leave an entrepreneur in bad shape as far as gaining more business.

One or Two Negative Comments Go a Long Way

In today’s Internet age that millions and millions of consumers and business owners deal in on a daily basis, it just takes one or two comments from an online poster to start a wave of backlash against a business. From the upset customer, competitor across town, to the employee not happy with their role at the company, the Internet can prove a fertile ground for entrepreneurial problems, especially with a company’s brand.

So, how do you correctly deal with getting your online reputation back in order, allowing your business to once again be of great appeal to potential customers?

Among the things to keep in mind:

* You have much to say about how you are perceived online – While just about anyone can say something negative about your company online, you control more than you think. Have you been regularly posting positive things to say about your company online? Do you promote your business in a positive way via press releases, guest blog posts and customer testimonials? Are you actively engaged in social media, wherein you can point out the good things about your business on a regular basis? These are all things that the entrepreneur can and should control.

* Courts are not often on your side – Let’s say a customer takes to the Internet to say disparaging things about your company. Is your first intuition to turn around and sue them? You should note that the individual is going to win nine out of 10 times. As more and more entrepreneurs have found out in recent years, it is hard to sue for libel, especially if what is being said about your business turns out to be factual. For instance, a disgruntled customer takes to your Facebook fan page to complain about your company’s customer service and really unloads on you and your business. Given that 10 different customers could have 10 different opinions of your company’s customer service, who says the disgruntled one is wrong? You take it as an attack on your brand and business, threatening to sue. The first thing a lawyer or judge tells you is this little thing called freedom of speech, leaving you with little maneuverability to work with;

* Review your online reputation regularly – Lastly, while you have plenty on your plate to keep your running daily as an entrepreneur, it behooves you to check in on your reputation regularly. A simple Google search of your business name will assist you in seeing how your company is perceived online. Monitor your brand, online listings, comments and more. You can also put in place Google Alerts, reminding you to monitor your company’s reputation. It is also a good idea to have a dedicated social media policy in place for all your employees (yourself included) to follow. By doing so, you lessen the chances of an employee saying the wrong thing to a customer on a forum or Facebook or Twitter exchange. Finally, think before you and/or your team respond to negative online comments. They say any publicity is good publicity, but do you really want to open up a can of worms with individuals who don’t view your company as positively as you do?

With all there is to lose in not properly handling your online reputation, are you willing to chance all you have worked for?

About the Author

Dave Thomas has more than 20 years’ experience as a writer, covering news, sports marketing, SEO, press releases, social media and more.

Enterprising entrepreneurs know that a successful start-up business offers a service or product that fills some sort of gap in demand. Most new companies, after all, cannot compete head to head with large firms unless their product is distinct and unique, in some form or another, utilizing custom software design or customized tools of some variety.

Consequently, it is no surprise that many entrepreneurs find themselves entering niche industries with a niche consumer base, at least when they first get started.

There are many benefits to working in a niche industry. It is often easier to know and target your demographic base. Even new businesses can more accurately forecast sales, advertise correctly, and tailor the specifics of their product or service when they are entering a niche industry.

At the same time, though, there are some key drawbacks. The industry might be hard to break into. Your potential consumers may already be deeply loyal to another brand, even if your product does offer a unique position or superior quality. And, of course, the consumer base many be very small–sometimes not even fully existent yet.

What both these benefits and drawbacks have in common is one key thing: the element of community. Niche products usually target niche buyers and are a part of niche industries, all of which means that all this specialization probably yields a pretty cohesive community of potential buyers. Whether the product is a special shoe for rock climbing, a laundry service for bankers, or a new mobile app, you’re dealing with a market that is likely not just limited in size but also is highly interconnected on several levels.

Knowing the community can provide you access to all the aforementioned benefits of working in a niche field. Not being able to adequately permeate it, conversely, may render your new business plagued by all of those drawbacks.

With this in mind, it behooves the entrepreneur to consider their potential access – or lack thereof – to a niche community before starting a business and rolling out a new product. This does not mean that, as the entrepreneur, you need to be part of the community yourself. But your business model should be understood by your clients and you should possess the ability to reach the publications, websites, and social media that your target demographic values most.

There are many ways to go about doing this. Still, an entrepreneur may be best served to work within a niche community he knows best. Doing so offers an already-existent structure through which to go about connecting with the most important consumers and players in the industry. More concretely, it probably means you have friends and associates out there who know what you need, and furthermore who know people that can help you reach those objectives.

In some industries it is not only beneficial but necessary to understand your niche community. For example, if you’re improving upon an already established technology or service you need to be aware of all feedback from the community. You can’t develop a proprietary system without understanding what has worked and what hasn’t worked in the past.

This will also ensure that your company has an immediate familiarity with every aspect of the process. Anyone can have a great idea, even if they have no connection to a particular service or industry, but it takes that familiarly to most successful see the idea through.

So when you’re looking to start or expand your business, create or market a new idea, make sure not to lose focus on the importance of niche community. It’s a powerful concept in the entrepreneurial world – and, no doubt, you’re going to want to penetrate it.

Article contributed by Jenna Smith

Not just anyone can pick up and be an entrepreneur. There are a number of valuable skills that are needed to grow a business from nothing to something. However, as a budding business owner, improving your emotional intelligence (EI) will help sharpen your existing skills to make your more successful. There are four areas of EI, all of which will be beneficial to your business.

Self-Awareness

When you are fully in tune with your own emotions, you can understand how it impacts, you, your business and the people around you. As a successful entrepreneur you need to be able to overcome obstacles, maintain business relationships and make new ones as you go. Being aware of how your emotions effect your actions and thoughts will be vital to the success of your business.

• Read yourself: When you can read yourself, you can better traverse difficult situations that come with starting your own business.
• Understand your emotional influence: How do you respond to a negative client or bad news from your business partner? Understanding how your emotions will affect them is vital to maintaining important business relationships.

Self-Management

When you’re starting a business from the corner of your living room on a cluttered desk, with distractions all around, it’s critical that you utilize your ability to self-manage. However, managing yourself doesn’t only mean at the desk; managing your emotions, your work ethic and life balance will be integral to succeeding.

• Controlling your emotions: Controlling how you react is an important aspect of entrepreneurship. Maintaining a positive outlook and keeping calm are necessary.
• Managing yourself: Without a boss in the corner office across from you, your success is fully dependent on the discipline you have.

Social Awareness

While entrepreneurship lends itself to a lot of solo work, it’s important that you develop a successful social awareness, as well. From listening to those around to, to understanding the dynamics of business and community, TechCrunch.com explains, “Entrepreneurs are accused of not listening, but the best ones are listening and learning all the time.”

• Number one, and then some: The most important aspect of being a successful entrepreneur is remembering that other people have valuable knowledge.

Relationship Skills

Final aspect of your entrepreneurial emotional intelligence is being able to understand and recognize the emotions of others on a one to one basis. This will be beneficial to you in a number of ways including handling conflict and potential employees.

• Managing: When the time comes to hire on employees, your EI will be crucial to maintaining an open and welcoming demeanor.  Being able to understand the emotions of the people who work for you will allow you to manage conflict in an appropriate and positive manner.
• Relating: When you understand the emotions of others you can better relate to them. This makes you a well-rounded leader who is approachable and successful.

Developing your emotional intelligence is beneficial to the beginning entrepreneur. While it’s important that you recognize your emotions – what they’re saying and how to manage them – it’s critical that you can understand the emotions of others as well. A well rounded entrepreneur is not only focused on the business, but on the well-being of those around them, as well.

About the Author:

Sara Fletcher writes for an emotional intelligence website and is interested in understanding the results of her emotional intelligence test online. She loves to explore psychology, business, and sports in relation to becoming a motivational speaker.

 

Contributed by: Online Business Degree

You might be the most diligent and hardest working person in the office, but if your co-workers don’t know you or don’t really like you, then you’re going to have problems down the road. One tactless comment or annoying habit can ruin your work relationships and lessen your chances of moving up in a company. Even if you’re already a kind, respectful co-worker, there’s always room to grow and improve. Here are eight ways to become a better, more well-rounded co-worker.

1. Be cheerful and positive:

If you want to be a better co-worker, start with being more cheerful and positive during the day. Don’t be like most of your colleagues and walk straight to your desk, head down, not saying a word. Why not be the one to boost the office morale with your kindness and positive attitude? It’s amazing what a smile and a cheery “hello” can do to a quiet office. Try it and you’ll see how well people respond to your spunky, happy-go-lucky vibe.

2. Stop gossiping:

Gossip doesn’t belong in the workplace. Period. Nothing good will come of talking about someone else’s private affairs, and if word gets back to your boss or HR that you were engaging in gossip, then you could end up in a real mess. Respect your co-workers and don’t talk behind their backs. It’s an easy fix that will make you a better and more trustworthy co-worker.

3. Be a good listener and think before you speak:

It might seem like a no-brainer to listen when spoken to, but it’s something we can all work on. When a co-worker approaches your desk, don’t just look at your computer while they speak, stop what you’re doing, make good eye contact, and listen closely. In addition, when a co-worker says something you don’t agree with, don’t just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. Your comment could be just as offensive as the first and that won’t make you look any better. Think before you speak and you’ll be A-OK with your co-workers.

4. Be polite:

Politeness may not come naturally for you, especially at 8 a.m., but that’s no reason not to work on it. From holding the door for a co-worker to saying a simple “please” and “thank you,” politeness goes a long way. It may not earn you a salary raise or promotion, but people will notice and appreciate your good manners and that can make you more likeable overall.

5. Respect everyone’s privacy:

One thing that drives co-workers crazy is when someone butts into a conversation and pries for personal information. Nosiness can be a hard personality trait to break, but avoiding the issue will only make your likeability worse. If you want to become a better co-worker, respect your colleagues’ privacy and don’t pry for information if they don’t want to tell you. This one ties back to being polite and knowing good manners, especially during conversations.

6. Be open-minded:

Being open-minded to others’ views can be a struggle for many people, but it’s something that, when improved, can make a huge difference in your job. Whether it’s your co-workers’ ideas for a project or their religion, you should strive to be as objective and open-minded as possible. You’ll be a better team player for it and everyone can respect that.

7. Don’t abuse privileges:

If you’re lucky enough to work at a place that allows hour-long lunches, free gym memberships, or work-from-home days, make sure you’re not abusing these awesome privileges. Out of respect for your company and co-workers, keep your privilege use to a minimum and keep it under the radar. Don’t take long, unnecessary breaks or flaunt when you get to come late or leave early. Stay on par with your co-workers and use your privileges sparingly, and people will respect you and your professionalism.

8. Stop complaining:

Nobody likes a non-stop complainer. We all have ailments, relationship problems, and life crises, but that doesn’t mean you have to talk about it at work. That’s what shrinks are for. You may have a legitimate complaint that merits venting, but don’t forget that you have to work at work and a 30-minute bitchfest is a waste of valuable time. Be a better co-worker by saving your gripes for lunchtime or after work and try to get back to your positive self as quickly as possible.

For many self-employed professionals and owners of small businesses, there is a natural impulse to view the competition as the enemy. After all, you’re competing for the same pool of clients, and their success could translate into your hardship. That’s why many businesses see the competition the way warring countries see each other—with suspicion, a little fear, and even some scorn. But in today’s hypersocial business climate, it’s time to move on from these old approaches and start seeing opportunity in competition.

Your competitors probably aren’t going away any time soon, so try to make the best of things. Here are a few tips for turning competition into a good thing.

1. Always be positive: Privately, you may have negative things to say about your competition, and some of these things may be more or less true. But there’s no sense in airing these things publicly. Doing so can actually make you look bad. Always take the high road, and your clients and prospective clients will respect you for it. When asked for your opinion about a competitor or their services, always say something nice (or at least not negative).

2. Be inspired: Competition breeds innovation. When you see a competitor doing something well, it should make you want to find ways to do it even better. Stay up to date on what your competitors are up to. For example, if you are in retail, you might visit your competitors’ stores regularly. If they have a strong online presence, check their websites often and follow their Facebook or Twitter feeds. And when you see something you like, don’t just copy what they’re doing. Use it as inspiration to provide a similar service that’s even better.

3. Recognize competitors’ strengths: There may be a few areas where you just have to concede victory to the competition. On these points, don’t be afraid to recommend your competitors’ services when it would benefit your clients. Your clients will appreciate the help, which makes it more likely they will continue to work with you on other things. And if the competition hears you’re recommending them for some things, they may return the favor.

4. Collaborate, when possible: There may not be many opportunities for you to reach out and work with your competition directly, but when the opportunities do arise, take advantage of them. For example, if both you and a competitor use blogs to create a buzz and bring in clients, consider exchanging blog posts that each link back to the author’s website. And if you’re on social networking, engage your competition in conversation when you have industry-relevant points of discussion that would interest your followers.