The intentions of small business owners vary tremendously; some entrepreneurs want to conquer the world, building a global brand, where as others want to run their business in a way that allows their family to live comfortably, while working on something that they love. Whether the aim of your business is global domination in your sector, or to run a lifestyle business, putting your business on the map is essential.

So, what do I mean by putting your business on the map? Whether your target market it local, national or international, the only way you are going to get customers and make profit is by making sure that people know about your business. Here are a few ways to get your business known to your target market:

- Research: Find out about your target market. Find out the age range, gender, and interests of your target market. It can be helpful to draw a profile of your typical customer in order to enable you to focus your marketing activities specifically towards this market; this can be particularly useful if you are not within your target market yourself. The more you know about your customers the more you can think like them and then make sure you tailor your products, and marketing, accordingly.

- Use the Internet: Long gone are the days when a simple magazine advert or television ad would make a mark with potential customers. Consumers are now saturated with advertising. Information overload is a typical occurrence, so more and more people turn to personal recommendations, or website reviews to make product choices.

The Internet can be used in many ways, as many of my readers will know, a website is absolutely imperative. People use Google to search for products on both a local and national scale, if your business isn’t online then you are missing out on the 80% of people who turn to the Internet to find businesses to help them. Use Search Engine Optimisation techniques to help your business website to rank well in the search engines.

Social Media is also a vital way to reach potential customers, both locally and nationally. Networking online is a great way to reach new customers, and can build brand awareness that would otherwise cost a great deal of money. By being yourself in various social media arenas your brand will build up a personality; and people like to buy from people.

- Talk: Talk to your customers, potential customers, inactive customers, competitors, employees… There is no one that you should not be talking to as a small business owner. Talking not only makes people aware of your brand, and give customers the knowledge that you care, but it also helps you to learn exactly what people want and need from your business.

- Customer Service: When talking about putting your business on the map, customer service may seem like an alien thing to mention. However, customer service is vital to ensure that your small business is put on the map for the right reason. People talk to others about their experiences with companies; so make sure your customer service is up to scratch so that when they’re talking about your business they’re doing so for the right reasons!

These are just a few ideas about how to put your business on the map, written with bootstrap businesses in mind. If you have any more ideas leave a comment!

For the latest information about SME Technology, follow me on Twitter or become a fan of WinWeb on Facebook. I look forward to connecting with you!

The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners.

1. Focus on describing the benefits of your product for purchasers, instead of just using your sales pitch to list features.

2. Take the opportunity to learn more about the wants and needs of potential customers by asking them questions and actually listening to their answers.

3. Try to perfect your sales pitch by recording it and playing it back to yourself later.

4. Don’t be afraid to pursue a sale in order to get to completion. Following up on leads is a common trait of all great salespeople.

5. Take your time when trying to convince a prospect. It often takes multiple attempts before you will actually make the sale.

If you have additional tips, please share them in the comments section below.

Last week, here in the UK, our 18 year olds who have remained in full-time education received their ‘A-Level’ results; these are the results that ultimately decide whether or not the young person will be allowed in to the University of their choice, have to go through a system called ‘clearing’ to find a different University place, or if their dreams of attending University are lost.

For more young people than ever, not reaching their expected grades and therefore not attaining a place at University is becoming a reality. With 6 applicants fighting for every place in clearing, this is becoming big news. The pressure on young people to attend University is great, with no real alternative being offered to bright, intelligent and motivated young people.

Is a University degree essential in order to be successful? For many employers it is the easiest way to distinguish the capabilities of potential applicants, providing a playing field on which their relevant skills and abilities can be assessed. However, just because someone has a degree does not mean they will be more competent at carrying out a job as someone with years of experience doing that work, instead of attending University.

Throughout the education system there is considerable emphasis placed on attending University, with the end goal being to achieve a good job, working for someone else. There is little mention of the option of working for yourself, with the end goal being to have your own business, with or without attending University.

Of course, telling all young people that they can create a company that will rival Apple and expand allowing them to make millions would be unrealistic, and whilst it is great to inspire ambition, and that should certainly be part of it, I am more concerned with exploring the option of lifestyle businesses with our young people.

Young people should be given all the options; attending University, getting a job, gaining technical skills, or starting their own business. Young people need direction, and focus, and many consider starting their own business an unobtainable pursuit.

The truth is, however, that as University places are being snatched up in days, and the cost of University is increasing, alternatives need to be sensibly and beneficially, relayed to our young people. We don’t need to tell them that they could be the next “Richard Branson”, but instead that it is possible to build a business for yourself, that will work for you and the lifestyle you wish to have.

The fundamentals of business start up and financial planning would obviously need to play a part, but with the economy as it is these are useful skills for all young people to have. And besides, what would be wrong with instilling a bit of entrepreneurial spirit and ambition in to our young people?

For the latest information about SME Technology, follow me on Twitter or become a fan of WinWeb on Facebook. I look forward to connecting with you!

The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners.

1. Write articles, either about recent developments in your industry or which provide advice.  Submit them to sites such as Digg to increase their popularity.

2. Use Twitter and other social media to connect with customers on a personal basis and generate real-time feedback.

3. Start using StumbleUpon so that you can get more targeted traffic to your website, based on recommendations.

4. Use social bookmarking websites such as Delicious to share your website with related online communities.

5. Online reminder websites like Manage My Alerts are a great way of prompting people to re-visit your website.

If you have additional tips, please share them in the comments section.

Small businesses often focus on how much money they are going to make, the amount of turnaround and, significantly, how much profit their business is going to generate. However, in looking at the bigger picture, many small businesses lose sight of the day-to-day cashflow of their business; which can cause major problems for both fledging and established businesses.

Of course, as a business it is vital to have clear figures with regards to cash projections and the amount of money you plan your business will generate. However, if your cashflow is not under control, your business can ultimately lose out regardless of whether your profit figures show you as “in the black”.

Cashflow is, if the correct tools are used, an easy thing for you to keep an eye on. It doesn’t have to be time consuming or laborious, but could ultimately be the thing that keeps your small business afloat.

Cashflow is, very basically, the balance of money coming in versus money going out. For example, if you order a large amount of stock on day one with an invoice that has to be paid at day 30 that is outgoing funds. If you fail to sell the stock before the invoice is due to be paid then your cashflow is unbalanced; you have more money going out that you have coming in, and for some small businesses that can be disastrous.

There will be times, with every small business, that investment is necessary; stock and supplies need to be bought (in most cases) before they can be then sold on to our customers. However, this can easy cripple a business if cashflow is not being accurately recorded and taken in to account.

Small business owners often struggle with lack of time; their main focus is on growing their business, and quite rightly so. That is why my company, WinWeb, have developed a cashflow tool especially designed for busy small business owners, to make it easy for you to see just how your balance sheet is looking at the click of a button.

However you decide to keep an eye on your cashflow, make sure that you always keep one eye on the scales to give your small business a great chance of staying afloat.

For the latest information about SME Technology, follow me on Twitter or become a fan of WinWeb on Facebook. I look forward to connecting with you!

The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners.

1. Never purchase stock or supplies before you are absolutely certain that you will need to use them. Unused stock is absolutely useless to your business until you do something with it.

2. Try to find equipment that will perform multiple functions to cut down on cost. There are many printers that double as scanners and fax machines that can be used as photocopiers.

3. Sometimes it more sensible to lease certain items rather than purchasing them outright. This is particularly true in regards to expensive machinery or vehicles that your business must use.

4. Make sure that your pricing structure takes into account all of the costs that your business incurs and still manages to return a reasonable profit.

5. Be aware of the various factors that could impact on the ability of your business to build capital, as this will help you to compensate for them.

If you have additional tips, please share them in the comments section.

The winner of WinWeb’s Pitch of the Week competition this week is Simon Malone, co-founder of VirtualStudio.TV, a company who stumbled across technology that allows them to place a presenter in any virtual environment using green screen technology. VirtualStudio.TV saw this as an ideal product for training videos, webinars and instructive videos.

Read more about VirtualStudio.TV here and if you would like to enter WinWeb’s Pitch of the Week competition visit our Facebook page for more information – you could win superb free publicity for your small business!

Many people dream of starting their own business, and in the UK alone over half a million people do so each year. But what holds the other would-be entrepreneurs back? Is there ever, really, a reason not to follow your dreams?

Over the years I have spoken to many people who have business ideas and goals they would love to achieve. Numerous reasons are listed as practicalities that are holding them back. I believe, however, that for most problems there is a solution, and that starting a business does not have to be a major hurdle people need to jump over.

I want to help people to overcome perceived problems and fulfill their dreams. Here I will discuss some of the most common obstacles I hear about, but if there is a different obstacle holding you back, tell me about it in the comments section of this blog post.

Here are the most common obstacles I come across, and the ways I think that business start-ups can overcome these and move their business forward.

“I need to support my family, I can’t give up my day job!”

Don’t! Starting and running your own business should be about providing you and your family with the lifestyle you want. To risk jeopardizing you family’s happiness in order to start your business seems counter intuitive and is inadvisable.

When you are getting your business off the ground use your spare time, evenings, weekends and annual leave to get your business off the ground, build a customer base and ensure that your business plan is sound.

As your business grows look at the option of working part-time and spending more time on your business, until you feel confident enough to make the transition to full-time self-employment.

Some people feel happy jumping in to their own business feet first, and that is great, but for those who are unsure the gradual process described above may be tiring and hard work, but should build up the confidence necessary to take that leap!

“I don’t have any capital to invest in my business idea – and business loans are hard to come by.”

My advice would always be to minimise investment in your business start up. Don’t invest unnecessarily large amounts on surplus gadgetry and equipment for your fledgling company.

Instead, bootstrap your business, by only using money made by your business to fund growth. Not only does this negate the need for large investments and borrowing, it also minimizes the financial risk to you and your family, reducing the financial burden and pressure placed on you.

“I’m scared of failure!”

Don’t be! Nothing can guarantee business success but even if your start up doesn’t succeed, a failure under your belt will give you lessons in business that you can’t learn from a book or a blog. These lessons will equip you with skills and experience for you to take forward in your business journey.

If you have bootstrapped your business sufficiently, and not taken unnecessary risks, then what you may initially perceive as business failure will not lead to devastation and financial ruin. What is there to be scared of?

“I don’t have a good support network.”

Find one! There are plenty of other business start ups that are looking to connect with other people in the same position. There are also many experienced business people, like myself, who are always looking to help those who are just starting out. Connect with like minded people on Twitter, or use networking groups to get advice and support from others that are in the same situation.

These are the most common reasons I hear for people being reluctant to start their own business. If you have a stumbling block I haven’t covered, I would love to hear from you; either leave a comment or connect with me on the WinWeb Facebook page.

The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners.

1. Everyone in a small business is part of the selling team. They all have to do their part by providing excellent customer service.

2. Without exception, all of your staff need an in-depth knowledge of the product or service that you provide. Explaining it to potential customers should become second nature to them.

3. Plan your sales targets in advance and track progress throughout the year. This helps you to continuously evaluate your sales performance.

4. Don’t obsess over missed sales opportunities. Learn from the experience and then move on to your next potential customer.

5. Give incentives to staff for making sales. If they hit their monthly sales targets, allow them to go home early for the rest of the month or add a few days to their annual leave.

If you have additional tips, please share them in the comments section.

The winner of WinWeb’s Pitch of the Week competition this week is Gordon Shaw, founder of Waste Notes, a company that recognises the problem that excess waste causes many businesses, and looks to solve this problem through their Waste Notes- which ensure that waste is safely and correctly disposed of in line with all relevant legalities .

Read more about Waste Notes here and if you would like to enter WinWeb’s Pitch of the Week competition visit our Facebook page for more information – you could win superb free publicity for your small business!