Running a business, whether it be an offline multi-billiondollar company or an online part time home business, theyshare many similar traits.

One of the biggest obstacles I have endeavored totranslate to many, many small business / home businesspeople, is a very simple phrase......' Treat It Like a REALbusiness, Because It IS a REAL Business'.

The fundamental reasoning behind so many failures in smallbusiness, is the clear lack of willingness to act like areal business. Many people may ' have a go ', they could 'give it a try ', or ' let's see what happens ' - all withthe.. ' what have I got to lose? ' attitude. THAT, myfriends, is one of the biggest secrets to FAILURE.

OK - so let's assume that your small business / homebusiness / BizOp etc., is NOT you main source of income. Itis NOT responsible for putting food in you family'sstomachs, it is NOT what keeps a roof over your head.....it is NOT the sole form of income that you, your family andyour Bank Manager rely upon.

So look at it like this. If it WAS, would you put as mucheffort into it as you do now? I can pretty much guaranteethat your efforts would be substantially more, becauseeverything relies on the success of your business,vis-�-vis the money your business generates.

Well, now we have ascertained that you should be running itlike a real business.......Are you?

> Do you have a business plan?

> Do you know each step that your business will take overthe next week, month, year, three years....?

> Have you prepared your agenda for acquiring newcustomers, products, joint venture partners?

> Do you have a timetable of events?

> How often do you research, analyse, read-up and check outyour competitors?

> When was the last time you contacted your client base?

> Do you offer them special offers, free resources andreports? What about surveying them and asking for theiropinions?

> How often do you do all this?

> Does your business have a 'company objective'?

> Has your 'company' it's own 'customer mission statement'?

> Have you set yourself / your business targets....use myS.M.A.R.T. Principle...... .......targets which must be

= Specific.............. each item / area of business must betargeted specifically.

= Measurable........ be able to measure your targets, how much, how often etc.

= Achievable........don't think that you can sell 2 millionunits if your competitors only sell 50 units.

= Realistic.............. be honest with yourself. Can it bedone?

= Time-bound.......give limitations and deadlines towhatever you are planning. Open-ended is no good.

If you want to run your BUSINESS 'willy-nilly', or 'Gun Ho'- then expect eventual failure. However, with some appliedthought, planning and foresight, you can develop yourlittle, part-time home business into something whichdefinitely has increased chances for success.

Apply time-management techniques, stick to time-tables anddeadlines. Look out for 'Time Thieves'........ These arepeople or events which steal time from you, time whichcould be more effectively used elsewhere.

Example: Someone calls and asks when you can deliver acertain item, you reply "within two days", they are happywith your response BUT instead of the conversationfinishing, they go on to talk about weather, sports,families etc...

.....before you know it, a one-minute call has turned intoa 30 minute episode of everything except business. NotGood. This is time you could have efficiently usedelsewhere.........they have stolen your time from you. Lookout for the 'Time Thieves' - they are everywhere. Spot them- deal with them.

Time Management is KEY to business planning. If your planhas a tight schedule to work to, then your management ofever-so valuable time will be very important. Plan yourtime carefully, effectively and efficiently......but doallow for some overspill and overlap.......it happens inany business!

One KEY fundamental of business planning is the ability tobe flexible and adaptable. Never assume that once youcreate your plan, that you must stick to it rigidly, butflexible when necessary, but not to the detriment of theyour success. Remember, overspill and overlap work bothsides of the same coin.

PLAN. Plan carefully, plan honestly, plan realistically.But you must plan.

Final thought. Think long and hard about the 'company /business objective' and the 'Customer Mission Statement'.

Put together a short (two - three sentences) paragraph foreach, which clearly defines..... A). What your business isall about. B). What your customers can expect from yourbusiness.

Chose the words carefully, put into 2-3 sentenceseverything that encapsulates both statements totally andwork to these statements closely.

Plan for success, because without planning, you will fail.

Copyright � 2004 Gary DurkinAll rights reserved worldwide.

Gary Durkin is the owner / CEO of

http://www.DoubleEdgeMarketing.com http://www.247-Profit.com http://www.eProfitGroup.com http://www.InternetAdviceCenter.com http://www.AffiliateMastermindProtege.com...and the creator of the Serling Combination� package.

Gary has enjoyed more than a decade of international business success, and has been doing business online for 5 years.

Offline, Gary controls millions of dollars worth of global investments each day... online he applies to skills he has developed over the years by working with some of the World's leading internet marketers and specialists.

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