Small Business Success Secrets - By Tim W. Knox

Chapter Previews

Section 1: Start Your Business The Right Way

11 There Are No Dumb Business Questions, Not!

There is no such thing as a dumb business question. OK, that's not exactly true. There are dumb business questions and I do get quite a fewof them. Not through this column, of course. People intelligent enough to actually use a computer and surf the World Wide Web would never submit dumb questions now, would they.

13 How To Tell If Your Amazing New Product Idea Is Really Worth Gambling On Doyou have a great idea for an amazing new online product that you think will be the greatest thing since sliced bread? How can you tell if your idea is worth gambling on?

15 Choosing A Business That's Right For You

I always compare starting a business to jumping into a pool of freezing water. There are typically two types of entrepreneurs who take the plunge: The Toe Testers and The High Divers. Both types of entrepreneurs may find success, depending on how well equipped they

are to handle the water they are diving into.

18 What's In A Name?

When It Comes To Your Business, Plenty!

We live in an age when a business called "The Body Shop" might repair wrecked cars or sell skintight jeans to teenagers, so before you send your letterhead to the printer, consider the following points to help you select the business name that's right for you.

20 Starting Your Business By The Book

To begin, here's the best legal advice I can give you as a new business person: find yourself a good lawyer and make him or her your very best friend. Granted, your new best friend will charge you an hourly fee for chatting on the phone or talking business over lunch, but you'll find it to be money well spent. A good attorney can save you far more than the cost of his services. I rarely make any decision that has the potential to impact my business without first consulting my attorney.

22 Protect Your Ideas With Copyrights and Patents

A wise man once said, "The biggest difference between a copyright and a patent is the number of lawyers ittakes to do the paperwork." There is a point to be made there, mainly that if this wise man had paid his attorney to copyright that tidbit of wisdom I probably would have had to pay him five bucks to use the quote.

24 Investing In Son's Business Could Cause A Real Family Feud I have a very simple rule when it comes to loaning money to relatives: NEVER, EVER loan money to anyone you might have to sit next to at Thanksgiving dinner.

Section 2: Take Your Business To The World Wide Web

26 If You Build It, WillThey Come?

That is a question that has been asked by every business person who has ever launched a website. If I build it, will they come? Of course they will --if you've built a website that appeals to dead baseball players.

29 What Does Your Website Say About Your Business?

Do you really need a website? Congratulations, Robin, you are the one millionth person to ask me that question. Smile for the cameras, brush the streamers and confetti from your hair and listen closely, because I'm about to answer for the millionth time what has become one of the most important and often-asked questions of the digital business age.

31 Does Your Website Induce Seizures?

In December, 1997, after an episode of Pokemon, the popular Japanese TV cartoon, over 600 children were admitted to hospitals complaining of seizures, blurred vision, headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Any adult who has ever been exposed to Pokemon for more than two seconds can understand the nausea, but the seizures at first baffled doctors. It sounds like your website might be having the same effect on visitors.

33 Maintaining Your Business Website Should you maintain your own business website or pay a pro to do it?

35 Navigating the Internet Sales Tax Laws

Congress has yet to decide on a uniform tax code for the Internet. In the meantime, here's what you need to know.

Section 3: Make Money As An Online Entrepreneur

36 The Secrets Of Starting A Successful Ebay Business

For serious entrepreneurs selling on eBay can be a good way to start a new business if you are willing to put in the time and energy required to make the business a success. eBay is also a good option for existing businesses to expand their reach by selling online.

39 Cut Start-Up Costs By Using a Dropshipper

You've got enough to worry about when starting an e-business. Get a dropshipper to fulfill your orders for you.

41 What Is The Easiest Product To Sell Online

There's an old business axiom that says, "If you can show people how to lose weight, live longer, attract the opposite sex or make money, there's no way your business can fail."

43 Build A High Profit Business With Affiliate Programs

Do affiliate programs really work? Can you really make money with them? What are the best affiliate programs to join? For the best advice, go right to the experts.

44 Turnkey Dropship Websites Save You Time, Trouble and MoneyIn the good old days of the Internet, i.e. last year :o), it took a considerable amount of effort to launch an ecommerce website, especially one that offered dropship merchand ise. Ah, the good old days… Thank God they are gone. Section 4: Business Operation and Management

46 If It Was Easy Everybody Would Do It

The real question isn't whether or not you have what it takes to run a business. The real question is do you have what it takes to handle the stress of running a business. These are

two very different questions and the answers depend totally on you.

48 Writing The Book On Great Customer Service

Anyone on your staff who deals directly with the customers should be well groomed and dressed appropriately for the job. Customers over 25 years old will not get a warm and fuzzy feeling if the guy processing their credit card is wearing an Ozzy Osborne tee -shirt and

matching nose ring.

50 Business Lessons Learned At The Mall

I recently took my teenage daughter shopping at the mall. The experience raised two questions. (1) What business lessons might be learned from such a foray into teen

commerce; and (2) What the heck was I thinking?

52 SWOT Analysis Is No Magic 8 Ball SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. A SWOT Analysis is a written exercise that can help you clarify and focus on the specifics that make up the four areas that most affect your business.

54 How To Handle The Occasional Oop-See!

What my daughter had figured out is that it's hard to stay mad at someone who admits a mistake, sincerely apologizes for it, and vows never to let it happen again. Little did I know

this was only one of many tactics she would employ over the years in her never -ending quest to wrap her daddy several times around her little finger, but that's a whole different column.

57 Beware Of Spam Withdrawals

It is no exaggeration to say that I used to receive more than 400 email messages a day. Out of those 400 messages about 10% were from people I knew, 10% were from people I needed to know, and the rest were from people that I would like to track down and field dress with a

very dull knife.

59 Don’t Cross The Line Between Buddy and Boss

One reason I am so qualified to dispense sage business advice every week, Allen, is that I have made just about every business blunder you can imagine. I am like the Evel Knievel of the small business world, if Evel Knievel wrote a weekly column on motorcycle safety.

61 How To Handle Customer Billing Snafus

I have found that in situations like this it is always best to be proactive and face the problem (or what you perceive as a potential problem) as quickly as possible. This will save you hours of needless worry since most of the time the problem is not as big a deal as you imagined it

to be.

63 Entrepreneurs Just Get Better With Age

Milton, congratulations on your pending retirement. I find it admirable that after many years of hard work you are thinking about starting a business. While most men your age would be content to sit on the porch and watch the world go by, you are considering a ride on the entrepreneurial roller coaster. You're certainly tall enough to ride this ride, but are you too old?

65 Achievements Outweigh Education and Experience

It's important to understand that the success of an entrepreneur is not measured by how much education he or she has or how many years of experience are under his or her belt. An entrepreneur's success is measured by achievements, not words on a resume.

67 Recommended Money Making Opportunities

The resources listed in this section have been helpful in building hundreds of online businesses. Perhaps they can be as helpful to you.