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Stefan Töpfer
CEO & Chairman of WinWeb Email Me |
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I'm passionate about very small business, it's positive impact on personal lives and for local communities. Reducing small business failure is my aim and that of WinWeb's services. |
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start
your own
business online • timeshare
professionals
by outsourcing • collaborate
world-wide
with
virtual assistants
• be more
eco-friendly
•
bootstrap
save time and money • be
successful
and enjoy a better working & life balance •
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Small Business Technology News Round-Up - 09/05/2008By Stefan Töpfer on May 09, 2008Here is this week’s round-up of technology news small business owners may find informative, useful or entertaining:
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Technology and E-Commerce – Small Business Quote of the DayBy Stefan Töpfer on May 09, 2008A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained
Steve Jobs (b.1955) US entrepreneur, Apple CEO, Time (18 October 1999) To find previous Quotes of the Day look here
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UK/Ireland Small Business News Round-up - 09/05/2008By Stefan Töpfer on May 09, 2008Here is this week’s news round-up for home business, micro business, sole-traders, freelancers, self-employed and any one who is interested in small business news from the United Kingdom and Ireland:
As always this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will give you a little overview. — ST.
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Small Business Start-Up Idea - Apartment FinderBy Stefan Töpfer on May 08, 2008This business caters mainly for young, single professionals moving to your local area in need of somewhere to live. Your clients will fill out a detailed form on your website and you will find them somewhere to live on the basis of their specifications. If you are in a big city or town there will certainly be demand for this type of service. Your income will come from referral fees from the rental office once the client signs a lease. There is a potential to make extra income by allowing classified advertising on your site as well. This could even take the form of a searchable database that would allow site visitors to sort through the advertisements. Skills needed: If you have a background in real estate this business would be ideal for you as a lot of liaising will need to take place with estate agents and property letters in your local area. Good communication skills are essential and you would benefit from some basic knowledge of Web publishing so that you can easily keep the website updated. Business environment and set-up cost: If your business is successful there is potential for you to widen beyond the range of your local area. The only real international potential comes from people moving to your local area from abroad, so this is not likely to be lucrative. Aside from web design, there are very few costs associated with starting this type of business. The cost will rise based on the complexity of the website – for example, implementing a database will cost more but you could generate extra revenue. The overall cost will range from £500 to £3,000 (600- 4,000 EUR, 1,000-6,000 AUD / USD). Marketing Techniques:
Complimentary business ideas: You may wish to form partnerships with or allow advertising from local businesses that can provide services for someone who has just moved into a new apartment, ranging from handymen to furniture stores. Local restaurants and bars may also be interested in attracting the custom of people who are new to the area. Notes: Your website must be kept updated constantly and once an apartment is let it should be removed immediately. It is important that rental offices do not just use your website as free advertising. Do not allow the exact address of an apartment or any contact details appear on your site unless some fee has been paid. If some of your business will be conducted through referrals with estate agents then you must have contracts in place to make sure you are reimbursed for your work. Online examples & resources:
For previous SME start-up ideas, look through the archive here
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India Small Business News Round-up - 08/05/2008By Stefan Töpfer on May 08, 2008Here is this week’s news round-up for home business, micro business, sole-traders, freelancers, self-employed and any one who is interested in small business news from India:
As always this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will give you a little overview. — ST.
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Successful Entrepreneurs – Small Business Quote of the DayBy Stefan Töpfer on May 08, 2008A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained
Vijay Patel (b. 1950) Kenyan entrepreneur, Sunday Times (September 2000) To find previous Quotes of the Day look here
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Small Business Start-Up Checklist - Financing Your Start-UpBy Stefan Töpfer on May 07, 2008A common barrier that a lot of people feel prevents them from starting their own small business is how to generate enough capital to get things up and running. A large number of SME owners end up working two or more jobs because they cannot afford to give up their previous employment whilst their new business is in its infancy. Although this is a necessary evil, it can only harm the performance of their start-up if they are unable to give it their full attention. These are the most common methods of financing a start-up:
If you are still unable to generate capital through any of these methods it can be helpful to attend a business school. At the school you will get to know like-minded people and they may be interested in going into business with you. In addition, most schools run business plan competitions that award funding to the best entries. For the previous stages of this checklist look here
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Recruitment – Small Business Quote of the DayBy Stefan Töpfer on May 07, 2008A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained
Akio Morita (1921-99), Japanese business executive, Daily Telegraph (24 February 1982) To find previous Quotes of the Day look here
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Australia/ New Zealand Small Business News Round-up - 07/05/2008By Stefan Töpfer on May 07, 2008Here is this week’s news round-up for home business, micro business, sole-traders, freelancers, self-employed and any one who is interested in small business news from Australia and New Zealand:
As always this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will give you a little overview. — ST.
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Small Business Start-Up Idea - Gift BasketsBy Stefan Töpfer on May 06, 2008Gift baskets are an excellent present for family or friends and are often sent by people who are unable to attend a special occasion or celebration in person. Offering homemade gift baskets online allows your customers a much greater level of customisation than they would otherwise get from a high street store. Besides the revenue from the basket itself, there is an opportunity to make extra profit from services that add value to your product, such as gift wrapping. You can also earn money by selling advertising space to firms that are targeting the same audience as you but are not your competition (e.g. wedding planners). Skills needed: It would be useful if you had some knowledge of online advertising techniques in order to generate high levels of traffic. The most essential asset you will need is an in-depth knowledge of all the products you sell so that you are able to deal with customer queries. Business environment and set-up cost: The only restriction on your business trading globally lies with international customs laws that may prohibit certain items being imported. As long as you thoroughly research this there are no real trade barriers. In order to start this business you will need basic computer equipment and software plus a digital camera to photograph your products. This business is ideal to set up using OnlineOffice in order to develop a professional storefront on the web. You may wish to invest in mailing list management and web traffic analysis software – although these are both expensive they are invaluable in time saving and for using targeted marketing techniques. In addition, some money must be set aside to promote the website and to purchase stock. The overall start-up cost will vary from £5,000 to £10,000 (6,000-12,000 EUR, 10,000-20,000 AUD / USD). Marketing Techniques:
Complimentary business ideas: You could offer a selection of the products sold in your baskets as separate items if there is enough demand for them Notes: Your main priority is to generate traffic to the site and this is where the majority of your workload comes from. In addition, you must carefully manage your inventory levels because offering a product for sale which is out of stock would ensure that a customer never returns. Online examples & resources:
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