Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/The-16-critical-things-business-owners-need-to-know-to-overcome-sales-phobia.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/The-16-critical-things-business-owners-need-to-know-to-overcome-sales-phobia.html If you're like most business owners and self employed professionals you may have started a business because you have a particular talent, skill, or interest; not because you like selling. And although some sales people do start businesses, most business owners have no experience or training in sales. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/The-top-7-marketing-strategies-for-independent-professionals-on-a-budget.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/The-top-7-marketing-strategies-for-independent-professionals-on-a-budget.html American companies spend billions of dollars each year on marketing. As a matter of fact, in 2001, U.S. advertising expenditures alone topped $230 billion, more than doubling the $105.97 billion spent in 1980. (Source: "Advertising: Exposure and Statistics" November 2003 newsletter of the Media Education Foundation) http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/The-7-best-reasons-to-write-a-business-plan.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/The-7-best-reasons-to-write-a-business-plan.html Lots of business owners skip a crucial step to ensure the success of their companies - writing a business plan. This detailed overview of your company and its future is commonly overlooked - often because it's a lot of work. However, it's some of the most valuable work you can do when starting up a business, which is why everyone from banks to venture capital companies require detailed business plans before they will even consider your business. The process of creating the plan and thinking things through has helped many business owners learn what it takes to be successful http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/12-simple-steps-business-owners-can-take-to-avoid-burnout.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/12-simple-steps-business-owners-can-take-to-avoid-burnout.html Many people experience burnout at some point in their lives. Business owners and the self-employed are even more likely to fall prey to burnout because the buck stops with them. If you feel as if you're starting to burn out here are some things you can do to avoid it. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/Want-business-success--Stop-neglecting-yourself.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/Want-business-success--Stop-neglecting-yourself.html Burn-out is extremely common in business owners or anyone who works for themselves. One of the best ways to avoid burn-out is to make sure you're taking care of yourself on a regular basis. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/Having-trouble-figuring-out-what-makes-your-business-different-Heres-a-simple-exercise-that-can-help.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/Having-trouble-figuring-out-what-makes-your-business-different-Heres-a-simple-exercise-that-can-help.html One of the keys to successful marketing is identifying what makes your business unique and letting everybody know about it. This helps your prospects to understand why they should buy from you rather than the "other guy", and when used successfully makes you the obvious choice. This is often called a USP or Unique Selling Proposition. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/The-7-crucial-steps-independent-professionals-need-to-take-before-marketing-their-services.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/The-7-crucial-steps-independent-professionals-need-to-take-before-marketing-their-services.html Are you an independent professional who needs more customers? You don't need a large marketing budget to generate sales for your product or service. But you will need to take some important steps in order to "position" yourself in the marketplace. Here are 7 steps you won't want to skip: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/Qualities-of-Successful-Entrepreneurs.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/Qualities-of-Successful-Entrepreneurs.html What makes a successful business owner or entrepreneur? Some say creativity, others say passion, organization, or leadership skills. In fact, there have been many qualities identified with successful entrepreneurs. Here ( in no particular order) are some of the most significant. How many entrepreneurial traits do you possess? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/14-simple-steps-to-help-business-owners-executives-and-the-independent-professionals-manage-their-time.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/14-simple-steps-to-help-business-owners-executives-and-the-independent-professionals-manage-their-time.html Do you race against the clock? Miss deadlines? Show up late for meetings? Work nights and weekends because you simply can’t get it all done on time? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/Top-ten-ways-for-business-owners-to-avoid-summertime-burn-out.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/38/Top-ten-ways-for-business-owners-to-avoid-summertime-burn-out.html Wow - it seems like the weather just got warm, but before you know it, the summer will be over. Have you scheduled your summer vacation yet? I know, it's hard to even think about taking time off when you're running a business. You may feel that you don't have enough hours in the day to get your work done, much less to consider being away from it; but if you don't, you may find yourself headed towards summertime burn-out.