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Today I was reminded of a quote and that really resonates with me on many levels. I first heard it maybe 15 years ago and I still cannot forget it. It’s a little bit long as the but it’s music to my ears!

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, and you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit-Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a fellow turns about when he might have won had he stuck it out. Don’t give up though the pace seems slow -You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than

It seems to a faint and faltering man; Often the struggler has given up when he might have captured the victor’s cup; And he learned too late when the night came down, How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out –

The silver tint in the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are,It might be near when it seems afar;So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit -It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Don’t Quit – Author Unkown

This poem makes me really think about so many things. Of course with a person with entrepreneurial endeavors, I want to keep going and don’t quit as the poem suggests but I wonder sometimes if I’m working on the right things. Right now I’m getting into so many things and even creating entries is a major chore. But I feel that writing and blogging about my entrepreneurial journey here may help me clarify my purpose. Let’s see.

Some days I really struggle to remember why I am working so hard in building a business while working a challenging job.  The long tired hours and juggling multiple projects and people really can take a toll but I always forge ahead.  I manage to stay positive to do what I have to but sometimes it is just enough to maintain what I have going on but really I want to do more than maintain it.  I want to absolutely succeed and claim my freedom.  I know this inside me but with so much going on in my life, I lose the WHY.  Well listening to the story of Slyvester Stallone as told by Tony Robbins has certainly reminded me!

Watch the video below but, as Tony says, close off all possibilities to failure.  Know you will do it and take massive action.  Decide that today you will change your situation and circumstances.  Your past does not equal your future. Make that decision follow through with action.

So you’re a small business and you need business to come knocking on your door but you are concerned that customers will think you are brand new or too small which, in some peoples minds, you lack experience and knowledge to get the job done.  So how can you make people think you are bigger than you are?  Regardless if you do lack experience or knowledge, here are some easy tips to make your business seem bigger than it is.

Get a toll-free number.  Some think this is an expensive and difficult to setup.  Well way back in he day, it was quite an ordeal to set one up but now, with the magic of the internet, it is easy and cheap!  Personally, I’ve used FreedomVoice.com many times and the minimal cost compared to the extensive features really makes it a no-brainer for small businesses.

Why do I like Freedomvoice.com so much?  Well, I’m glad you asked.  I love using the system to setup a voice mail greeting worthy of large companies.  I usually start with a standard “Thanks for calling….”  Then I offer callers the choice to quickly dial customer services, sales, shipping, accounting or more.  This gives callers the illusion that the company is big even though you can setup each quick dial extension to the same one number.  Additionally, you can get your voice right in your email inbox and you can set multiple phone numbers it will try before going to a voice mail.  I’ve set this up for several friends and clients.  I think for the $9.95 or $19.95 a month, it is well worth it!  Check it out now!

Get Toll Free Number Service with No Activation, a Free Trial, and 300+ Minutes of Talk Time Included Per Month.

If you do not need a toll-free number but do not want to put your cell phone out for the world to see, sign-up for Google Voice.  You won’t have the freedom to create bogus departments but you can setup any cell or land line phone number to accept the forwarded calls.  I have mine FREE Google Voice account to show my number as the caller id so I even know when my cell phone rings for a business call.  With this feature, I sit up straight and clear my throat and give them a confident, “Hello this is Guy, how can I help you?”

Usually entrepreneurs are securing their communication means like phone, fax and email, then the next step is to create a professional business card.  In my many encounters networking and meeting other business owners, I’ve received many FREE Vista Print business cards.  Feel free to get the FREE Business Cards but if you want to better image, upgrade your business card!

Personally, I like using Uprinting.com.  The website is easy to use, they have a ton of templates and examples for any type of printing you need and the prices are good.  I’ve used Uprinting.com to get printing of brochures, business cards, posters and more either for my clients or myself.  If you need any printing, try them out.  Business Cards at UPrinting.com

The next thing that many new small business owners do is register a domain but due to the staggering number of businesses on the internet, finding a great domain is difficult.  I suggest you try searching for your name if it is unique enough.  If not, try searching for recently expired domain names.  There are a lot of good domain names that someone let go because for one reason or another.  To find recently deleted domain names, check out expireddomains.com.

One of the best ways to look like you are a company that know their stuff, get a great website.  Any one looking to buy a product or service these days are doing research on the web for good reputable companies.  If your website isn’t up to par, then most likely your potential customer will think your services or capabilities are in the same caliber.  Don’t mess with your image, get the best website you can afford.  AND (here comes the shameless plug.  It is my blog for peats sake!), since I happen to own a great website development company, I can build any small to medium sized companies an amazing website at equally amazing prices.  I can do this because I have an high skilled staff of programmers and designers in my Cebu, Philippines office.  If you want more information about the kick ass website your business has been needing, email and even get 20% off!  Check out Advanzweb.com now!  Please!

Another great service perfect for any small business is MailChimp for email marketing.  They offer FREE services for anyone with an email list of less 2000 names.  This is a great way to get started without additional monthly fees.  The service is very easy to use and very powerful.  This is a definite must-do for small businesses.   Check out MailChimp.com right now.

I was getting tired writing this blog post at 1 am in the morning but how can I leave out the ever popular social media websites, facebook and twitter.  You gotta (just gotta) get your social media accounts in order and then add it to every post, email and markeing piece you do.

There are a lot of resources out there for small businesses and new entrepreneurs.  These mentioned here are just a handful.  I’m sure there are a lot I forgot to include and even more that I just don’t know about.  Many of the resources are not expensive to do so give a whirl.  If you just want to stick to what you do best (whatever it is) and have someone else help you with these and more, give us a try!  We can help you appear and eventually become a much bigger company!

Advanzweb.com – We build websites!

Technology has put enterprises in a unique and exciting position when it comes to engaging and understanding consumers. Example of such technology is a website.

They can serve as a shopping window, a communication tool, a corporate brochure, among many others. Today, a website is no longer just an option for companies, it has become a necessity. Though websites has been around for decades, it continues to grow,
offering a lot of opportunities available for businesses. And having a well-maintained website can help your business adapt an “always-on” strategy that leads to engagement and loyalty.

When it comes to an effective online strategy, convenience is the key. We know customers love things to be hassle free and websites provide this by enabling them to discover and purchase products or hire services anytime, anywhere. On the other hand, a business can receive and process orders 24/7 with minimal effort by integrating automated features on their websites.

Customers and businesses alike benefit to this “always-on” Internet. But the “always-on” nature of websites is like a double-edge sword. Because availability is constant, websites must always appear “fresh” to keep customers coming back. It is easy for customers to
discover products and services online but it is also easy to find another website when they are unsatisfied.

Updating your website in a consistent manner is essential in retaining customer interest.  Providing interactive media, posting valuable content or having special offers can refresh the look of your website and also engage customers. This can lead to participation which can lead to consumer loyalty.

Maintaining a website can get challenging but by integrating a content management system or CMS, updates can be done easier and cheaper. A content management system enables the website owner to do updates and make changes themselves and in their own
convenience.

As of the moment, everyone is still in equal footing when it comes to the web. Even big companies are still beginning to realize the true potential of the Internet. With so much to be gained, it is never too late to adapt an effective always-on online presence.

For many, building a business is a life long dream but how do you do that if you rely on a job that provides for your family?  Do you jump in head first and quit your job and put it all on the line?  Or do you continue to work your job and then work your business during the nights and weekends?  This is a question many of us have faced.  It’s a question I continue to face today with my own business.

Since I’ve put it all on the line before to work my dream of running my own business AND eventually failed, I’ve decided to grow my current business slow and steady.  Well for some (and definitely me) maybe too slow and steady because I am still stretching to cover monthly expenses after 3 years.  Nevertheless, I cannot call my self an entrepreneur if I cannot see past my credit card bills and working long hours into the night if I cannot persevere through it all and continue to develop new plans and work it.

“Anything great is not easy!”  Guy Pineda  (at least I coined the phrase to my employees)

Can it work?  I know it will work!  It must and I won’t give up until I am a major success.  And I feel it coming.

What are the things you need in order to maintain an almost 24/7 work life style?

1. Motivation – You must have a reason to keep on keeping on!  Make sure you know what you want and where you want to go.  Maybe you want to prove to yourself you can do it!  Perhaps you want to give all you can to your family so they do not need to go through what you have.  Know your reasons and let them keep you going.

2. A positive attitude – You have to be able to roll with the punches and realize everything happens for a reason.  Have peace with this and you will not get down in the dumps when you loose that client, miss a payment on your credit card, make a big costly mistake, not get paid for a job or the tons of things that can bring you down and derail your focus.  By happy for the good and bad for you learn from it all.  Focus on the positive because you will gain nothing by focusing on the negative.  Heck, when you focus on the negative, more negative things happen.  Focus on what good and good things will come.

3. An incredible support system – For me, this is my wife.  I would absolutely not be where I am and experienced what I have if my wife wasn’t supportive and understand.  But don’t take it for granted like I have in the past.  You may just lose it all.  Work hard but work even harder to keep your family happy and healthy.  Your success and riches will mean nothing at all if you have no one to share it with.

4. Continue to innovate – Don’t let you lack of time prevent your growth.  Use all your time wisely to learn and contemplate your next move.  Explore and dive into new areas to see how you can use them in your business.  I know this is where you may say, “How do you do that if you work during the day and night?”  Well, my friend, although I work at full blast at my job I spend my 2+ hour round-trip drive everyday to get tons of work done.  Or even listen to videos from my phone.

5. Continue to learn from everything – I’ve learned all I know from only my experiences.  And I continue to do so today.  I learn so much from people I meet, tons of resources on the internet and more.  Partnered with my learning is my drive to improve everything.  So I learned photography but I continue to perfect my skills and push my limits.

6. Multi-task – My daughter calls me mister efficient because I am always working on more than one thing at a time.  So, I’ve also disciplined myself to doing thing quickly and efficiently.  No muss no fuss!  But, don’t ever think that my being able to complete something fast means I sacrifice quality.  HELL NO!  Additionally on multi-tasking, I gotta say my world change with a smart phone!  Get it, use it to its full potential and allow it to do more for you so you can take on more.

7. Find solutions – As entrepreneurs, all types of challenges arise everyday and we need to handle them or we lose time, money or more!  Look at your situation at all angles and perspectives and find a win-win situation.  At the very least, take your challenges head on only good can happen.

8. Don’t give up!  I know there are a lot more things involved in keeping you going on the path to your dreams but, whatever you do, don’t give up!  Success is not easy but it is attainable.

So, I’ll cut it short here because I need to get back to work.  You should too… on your dreams!