Posts Tagged ‘target market’

Have you always wanted to set up your own business but have been deterred by the sheer volume of work involved?  Do your biggest roadblocks read something like…How will I ever find customers?  How can I write a business plan, I know nothing about it? I don’t have a big budget, how will I advertise and promote my product/service?

 

If your dilemmas are anything like this then here are 3 uncomplicated ways in which you can do business. ..

Build Your Online Business

 

It’s the era of the internet and the web really is the best place for you to launch a business venture quickly, with great ease, little investment in terms of both time and money and in a very flexible mode.  The first step towards an uncomplicated business is the online business model.

 

As an entrepreneur, space as in physical space to sell your products (apart from manufacturing) might be a problem, more so if you are a newbie.  Opting to retail your products online is a smart move.  A plethora of options exist and you have to find what works for you.  Try etsy and shopo to begin with.

 

Opting for the online business model helps you in many ways:

• Outsource work to virtual assistants
• Work from home or anywhere in the world even a beach in Goa
• Build your brand at your own pace
• Save money otherwise spent in promoting, marketing and finding space to sell your goods
• Use social networking sites like Facebook and Linkedin to market your products and skills

 

If you are stuck and don’t quite know how to go about launching your online business then Natalie Sisson’s book BYOB Build Your Online Business Guide is the book you need to read today.  Grab a copy today!

Don’t Manufacture

 

Yes…you heard me right.  You don’t need to manufacture, all you need to do is… Connect Other Businesses.

 

How to manufacture, the expertise to manufacture, the ability to hold stocks until sale and the like are other problems that prevent wannabe entrepreneurs from taking the plunge in the business world.  If you want to do business then providing a platform to connect other businesses with the market place is a good idea.

 

The Green and Good Store, a Jaipur based venture is an instance I’d like to highlight here.  The store connects NGO’s (Non Government Organisations), artisans and craftsmen with consumers who would like to buy clean and green products. 

 

You don’t need to produce, make connection your business mantra and watch your business grow.

Find a Solution

 

Wasn’t I supposed to be giving you solutions here?  And now I go tell you to find a solution?  Well it’s like this…products and services that sell and always have takers are solutions.  They are nothing but a bundle of utilities that help people to solve certain problems.

 

If you are a struggling artist then your biggest problem would be finding buyers for your art works.  If you are a busy executive then you will never have time for mundane chores yet you have to get them done.  If you are a lonely heart looking to find love online but work keeps you away then you need a dating assistant.  Now this was an example of problems that people face.  Here are business solutions….

 

Of Indian Origin, a UK based venture run by Nisha John which serves as a platform for Indian artists and craftsmen to sell their products.  Brickwork, a Bangalore based consultancy that helps busy people simply their lives with solutions like virtual assistants.  Virtual Dating Assistants, a hugely successful online venture that provides help and assistance in matters of the heart.

 

To do business, one has to think simple.  Complicating things, looking at problems and sitting on the fence are all very easy.  Think simple; think uncomplicated, because some of the most successful businesses today are built on simplicity. 

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=721

 

The Entrepreneur Spotlight for September 2011 is on Chandni Kagalwalla a Nutritionist who runs her own venture, Nutricare in Mumbai.

 

Name of the Venture: Nutricare 

 

Personal profile of founder:

 

Chandni Kagalwalla, 26 is the founder of the Nutricare brand of nutrition consultancy services based in Mumbai.  Armed with a PGDHS (Post Graduate Diploma Dietetics and Hospital Food Service) and BHSc (Food and Nutrition) Chandni, a consultant nutritionist since 2007 brings you her expertise in Medical Nutrition Therapy to achieve health, fitness and overall well being.

 

A sole proprietorship, Nutricare was launched in December 2009. 

 

Her Forte: Chandni specializes in Corporate Nutrition Services, Pediatric Nutrition counseling, with a special interest in tackling picky eaters, Weight Management Solutions for adults and children (counseling and lifestyle modification techniques ).

 

How did you get the idea to begin this venture (detailed description of idea generation & implementation of idea)?

 

As a Nutrition Consultant, could not see myself restricted to just a gymnasium or a hospital , as there were many arenas which needed to be explored outside too . Hence, got attached to a pediatric hospital where I started seeing a lot of picky eaters and I started off with a counseling and meal plan module with them, which gave excellent results .

 

Also, got a good break with a few corporate patients (who were offered onsite Nutrition consultation) for weight management. This was purely based on overall lifestyle modification and not just a quick weight loss diet. Also had a lot of behavioral counseling involved. It gave amazing results.

 

What were the supporting/motivating factors in setting up this business?

 

Family and friends!

 

What is your USP (unique selling proposition)?

 

The very fact that I adopt a customized approach towards every patient; I am always readily availaible over the phone and SMS and personally answer all queries. 

 

What are the problems that you are facing?

 

Marketing my services is a huge stumbling block as I have been unable to create awareness among people other than those from the vicinity of my area of operations and the patients visiting the clinics.

 

Where do you see yourself in future?

 

Running a full fledged Nutrition Management Clinic!

 

How much use of technology is being made to promote business?

 

Apart from printing and distributing brochures I also use social networking sites like Facebook.

 

 

For more details on Chandni Kaglawalla’s Nutricare brand of services click here.  

 

To Begin a Healthy Tomorrow connect with Chandni Kaglawalla today @ chandniskagalwalla@yahoo.co.in

 

Or call 9819629045

 

Or head to:

 

NUTRICENTRES

Dr. Indu’s Newborn and Children Centre

Aditi CHS , Opposite Versova Telephone Exchange ,MHADA ,

4 Bungalows , Andheri (W) , Mumbai – 400053

Tuesdays & Fridays : 2:30 – 4:30 pm

Oasis

Prem Sagar, Building No.4, Ground Floor,

Opposite Azad Nagar Post Office, Azad Nagar,

Behind Apna Bazaar, Andheri ( W ), Mumbai – 400053

 Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=371

Are you a small business owner who is looking to make people sit up and take notice of your business?    Are you just starting out and are cash strapped as far as an advertising and promotional budget goes?  Here are 10 ways in which you won’t spend a penny (well almost) and make your presence felt in the market place as well…

Email Signature

Your best and most inexpensive advertising and promotional tool is sitting in your mail box “option”.  Yes, I’m talking about your email signature, a versatile tool which is absolutely free and something every creative marketer should put to good use.  I have in fact penned an entire post on how you can use your email signature to promote your business and to know more about brand building with your email signature click here. 

Aweber

Aweber provides email marketing solutions to business owners and bloggers across a wide spectrum of products, services and industries.  Sign up for the 1 USD for a month trial to get a firsthand experience of how you can use an email marketing campaign to leverage your promotional efforts. 

Facebook

The rate at which social networking has enveloped our lives is truly amazing and Mark Zuckerberg’s social networking venture Facebook has become the measure of one’s existence on the face of the earth.  Using Facebook to engage customer interest is quick, easy and more importantly it doesn’t have to cost you anything. 

Anyone can create a Facebook page for a business, group or cause in a few easy steps, your page will be up and running.  Once you set it up all you need to do is to let people know you have a page.  To learn about how you can use Facebook to get customers interested in your business click here. 

Twitter

Twitter is your quickest route to greater visibility.  This might seem like something so obvious and needless to mention but I believe Tweeting is an art.  So Tweet right and more importantly garner support from friends and followers to retweet your tweets.  

You Tube

The magic of audio-visual messages is truly unmatched and You Tube is a great way for business owners and service providers to get their message across.  As an artist who is keen to learn the nuances of drawing and painting and as a professional who has no time to enroll for a proper class I have watched many an educative and informative video demonstration on painting techniques and  I think it’s a great place to showcase one’s expertise and works. 

Foursquare Business Page

Foursquare business pages are no longer limited to big, well established brands with the money and clout to buy Foursquare’s limited and in-demand dev resources. Business pages on Foursquare are now self-serve, just the thing you need when you are working with little or next to nothing as your advertising budget; to learn about how you can get one of these pages click here. 

 

Referralkey

Another professional networking site tweaked just a little bit to allow professionals and business owners to connect with each other.  The best part is that Referralkey allows you to help other people connect with each other for rewards in cash or kind.  To learn more sign up here. 

Connectture

Connectture is a great place to promote yourself provided one has the ability to write.  A platform for publishing articles on a number of topics it is “the place” to gain exposure for your expertise as a manager, business owner, consultant or writer.  I use Connectture to publish my works as a writer and someone who teaches other people how to write and I’m sure you can find a way to use this site to promote your personal brand too.

Fiverr

Fiverr is another one of those great places which connects buyers and sellers on the web with ease and efficiency.  You have to sign up to see the gamut of products and services that people have to offer.  For 5 USD many of them are a steal.  To learn about how you can use Fiverr to promote your business click here. 

Blogs

No matter how big or small your business, getting a blog makes a lot of sense.  It is your window to the outside world, your little niche in cyberspace from where you can showcase products, services, prices, announce offers and even provide consultancy.  With Blogger and WordPress setting up a site for free and one that is up and running in just a few minutes is something anyone (no matter how technically challenged) can do.  Are you game?

 

In the end I would say, business and by that I mean good business is not always about big budgets and huge promotional events.  It is about doing more with less and that is precisely why I came up with this post.

 I’m not saying something that is entirely unheard of here, most of you may have heard about all these options but my bid is to encourage you and show you how you can use these means to get people to notice your business.  At free and almost free these options are definitely worth a try!

Image:http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2617