Frankly, if you own a business, regardless of its size, you are in an incredibly tough position. Being that we are under a capitalist system in which the free market reigns supreme, there really is no care or concern as to whether you succeed gloriously, or fail miserably. Our market system needs just as many failures as it needs successes. So, as a business owner, you need to ask yourself; where will I fit in this equation?

            Obviously, no one starts a company with the plan to be on the negative side of things. Yet, if you are in a position where things seem to be going well, you may want to take additional steps, in order to ensure that what is currently a good thing stays a good thing. One way to do this is by using Microsoft CRM software in conjunction with a consulting firm. Now, you may be thinking, “That’s ridiculous, why do I need more software?” Well, let’s briefly look at a few reasons.

            First, when using software like Microsoft Dynamics GP, you are increasing the chances of fostering growth for your company, by being on the cutting edge, when it comes to business improving software. However, the consulting firm, knowledgeable in CRM, comes into play by aiding you on this path. It suggests strategic business decisions that are necessary in the competitive market system mentioned above.

            Second, one does not have to rely solely on Microsoft, as consulting firms offer services regarding Sage ERP X3; in which limited resources and investment abilities are taken into account, in order to improve efficiency amongst business processes and organization.

            It is important to note that these points only the scratch the surface when it comes to the incredibly vast sea of improving customer relations and business outputs, whether or not a company makes the positive choice towards consulting.

Most people spend a lot of their time on the internet whether it is at work, at home or even when they are out and about looking at the web on their cell phone. This is what makes it so important to think about web design that is effective. If you have a cheap looking or confusing web design then you are potentially losing a lot of business. You need to get a good Los Angeles web design otherwise your business could really suffer from a lack of traffic online. Your website should not only be very easy to use, it should also look professional and appealing to people that do not know much about you and get them interested. Because cell phone web use is so prevalent you need a site that is easy to read and use on a phone.

If you want to put effort into a great web design it follows that you should also wonder about how to put together an advertising campaign. When it comes to web advertising, it is best to get your website noticed through search engines organically. This means that when people type in keywords that are related to your business they will see your website quickly as they search for what you offer. With internet marketing Los Angeles companies know the right way to get your website higher on a search engine in a natural way that is not noticeable to your potential customers. With a great web design and an advertising campaign you can get ahead on the internet and make more profit.

What is Organic Optimization?

As businesses search for new ways to gain profit on the web they discover strategies that really work for web marketing. One of the most effective ways to increase profit through the web is with a service known as organic optimization. This kind of marketing is a way to get websites to rank higher in search engines through unpaid methods. It is known as organic because it is a more natural way for more clients to view a webpage.

Los Angeles Web Design Firms Offer SEO

If you would like to try what organic optimization has to offer as a business solution there are many Los Angeles web design firms that are experienced with SEO strategies. You can consult with a firm and find out the best way for your product or service to reach your target customers. Their methods are virtually undetectable but create results quickly enough for companies to be satisfied.

Find a Los Angeles Web Design Firm with Recommendations

The easiest way to find out if a Los Angeles web design firm is going to be effective for what you are trying to accomplish is to find other businesses that testify to their quality. If you find that a lot of people are satisfied with what this company has given them, then you can rest assured that they will help you as well. The right SEO company can get you the profit that you’ve been hoping for quickly and easily.

Web Marketing Design and Search Engine Visibility

The world of internet business is very competitive and many web companies find it hard to get found by their target customers. Web marketing design can give your business what it needs to get ahead against all the others in the game. What matters most when it comes to being a contender in the internet business world is an efficiently running, professional-looking website that incorporates unique keywords that will make your site more visible in a search engine.

Web Advertising with a PPC Company

The advertising strategies on the internet can be a bit different then more traditional forms of advertising. A PPC company is a new way to pay for advertisements for your company based on the amount of time an ad is clicked by web users. The advertisements will be linked to your website, increasing the chances of web browsing customers to view the information you have and get interested in what your company has to offer them.

Cell Phone Web Appearance Matters

Aside from having a well-advertised and appealing website, there are a few other things to consider when you are developing a web marketing strategy. Cell phone web use among the average American user has gone up dramatically in the past few years. It can be very important to design your website so that it is easy to read and loads quickly on a cell phone. Failing to tailor your website to cell phone use can discourage potential customers.

Big ideas are worthless

Jeff Stibel is president of web.com a web marketing company describes himself as the contrarian entrepreneur and he made what seem to be several counterpoints to the earlier presentations to prove it.

Jeff truly believes this a perfect time for an entrepreneur to start a business. “Big ides are worthless…execution is everything (ideas are a dime a dozen, don’t confuse entrepreneurs with being an inventor, history littered great ideas that failed,” said Jeff naming many successful companies like Sony and Gillette whose original products went nowhere.

Taking on a list of common business myths Jeff countered such claims as “be willing to risk everything” with the reality that entrepreneurs make actually make calculated risks, not a reckless gamble. “In order to win you have to refuse to lose” Jeff said the reality is that if you are not failing or risking failure you are not challenging yourself. “I love failure, I always know what I did wrong, there is nothing wrong with failing over and over” said Jeff.

The idea of “cut your losses” is also a myth according to Matt who said the reality is you never give up. There is always a solution. Protect what you need to but persevere. He used Juno, classmates.com and myspace.com as examples of business models that began either on the wrong track or an unnoticed piece of a bigger business until finally “discovered”

The last myth was that of always using other people’s money. Jeff warned that taking on investors is the biggest decision a business can make and it’s important to give more than you take and don’t do it if you aren’t sure you can add value. “Think long term; will your VC’s still want to work with you down the road” said Jeff.

Critical Insight:  When trying to attract people don’t look for a team. Look for the right  individual for each job because even that is hard and a building a team Jeff would argue is impossible.

The CalTech/MIT Enterprise Forum  aims to encourage the growth and success of technology based entrepreneurial ventures and was sponsored by the business and technology law firm of Stubbs, Alderton & Markiles, LLP

Not an “entrepreneur,” a “value accumulator”
Phil Ressler of BigStage.com which offers a service that projects a realistic picture of yourself easily on pictures and video. Phil also offered a list that gave a worthwhile challenge to us all and had an example for most of them. The list was a good one so enjoy and learn.

Critical Insight: “F**K the economy: 14 timeless rules
1. I’m not an entrepreneur, I’m a value accumulator. If you’re going to take somebody’s money you need to build value for that investor.
2. Every company needs an existential argument- (why do you need to exist? Keep it short).
3. Don’t hide the big ides behind the little idea…Discussed a software firm not seeing the stronger value of it’s open architecture than of the compiler they thought was their product advantage.
4. Segregate corporate marketing from product marketing (brands create climate of acceptance for products & services) The iPhone is mediocre but desirable.
5. Market makers beat company builders (demand will ensure a company is built) Obama built a market.
6. Venture capital comes with a responsibility to accumulate value (to be successful build value).
7. Your company is the value accumulator, not your product.
8. Some businesses aren’t worth building (painful to misjudge).
9. You can’t sell what you can’t explain and communicate.
10 You can’t save your way to success, grow or die.
11. focus kills (max your community of comprehension).
12. You can’t argue your way to success (emotional appeal trumps data).
13. Its better sell a business than technology
14. Time is expensive (operate aggressively. change your circumstances today)

Do you really want VC money?
Matt Ridenour from Momentum Venture Management made the refreshing move of scraping his planned presentation in light of the makeup of the audience. “Raising money is a big waste of time and most VC’s aren’t in your circle” said Matt who has obviously seen his share of inappropriate pitches.

Some of the most honest and straightforward advice on finding the right VC came from Matt who suggested learning what the investors requirements are and only go to those who address your specifics. “Most VC’s correlate with current markets which is a mistake and they swing for the fences which means that you are not going to get their money but do you even want VC money?” said Matt explaining that it’s tough right now to build a business, acquire customers and nobody is going to risk doing something new but if you can do it and come out of this cycle you’ll dominate.

Critical Insight: “Entrepreneurs are going to build this thing whether anybody supports them or not. Ask yourself if you are the right person to run this business….if you aren’t credible, learn and meet people that can help solve this problem. Successful entrepreneurs are focused on transactions-if you don’t buy my product I can’t feed my kids” said Matt describing the desirable attitude.

Product and sales- all else is expendable

Following Jonathan’s insights was a venture capitalist, Beau Laskey from Steamboat Ventures who invest equity capital in private companies at early stages and stay very involved with the companies they invest in. Beau shared a list of lessons learned with quick bites like be all in all of the time, lots of talent on the street these days with high unemployment so go out and get the best, have laser focus and a sense of urgency.

There may not have been a lot of how to in Beau’s presentation with suggestions like have infinite return on investment and it’s about product and sales, all else is expendable. Suggestions to make these ideal conditions come true came in the form of never, never, never quit, hope is not a strategy and know the data but trust your gut and the art. Not a lot of personal experience as examples but they were all good points…and business book titles.

Critical Insight: Beau is optimistic that we are going to find more innovation that we really haven’t seen in last couple of years were we’ve mostly seen “me-too” companies and web 2.0 marketers.

Focus, focus, focus on a limited product offering

Tom McGovern is from snap.com which owns Snapshots, an enhanced pop-up that allows browsers to view a pop-up with content from other sites while remaining on the site of choice. Snapshots is on 10 million sites said Tom and used the companies bumps and bruises through the development process as an example of focusing on the right product.

The company began with a visual search engine that burned through lots of capital and consumers enjoyed but were not loyal to. Next evolved into the Snapshots widget and marketed to other sites. Loyalty increased, revenue increased and they are now hyper focused on getting the product out there and making money from it, finally close to break even. Tom recommended using tech startup boot camps to get established and to use the economic downturn as an opportunity to renegotiate everything.

Critical Insight: “Internet models of building audience first before a revenue producing business model are he’s optimistic that we are going to find more innovation that we really haven’t seen in last couple of years were we’ve mostly seen me too companies and web 2.0 being punished,” said Tom. “Focus on monetizing and don’t pursue large size, long term development cycle products in today’s economy.”

War stories from the front lines

With a transitioning presidential administration promising hope and change in one of the most dramatic economic downturns of the last 75 years what better time to host a forum on building a successful business during challenging times. A recent CalTech/MIT forum entitled “War Stories from the Front Line: Critical Insights on Building a Successful Venture in Challenging Times” captured the seemingly conflicting ideas of starting a business when so many others are struggling.

With unemployment over 7% and 2 million people having lost their job in the last 3 months alone it was no surprise that the room was packed even on an early Saturday morning but the audience may not have expected some of the advice.
“Start your business now so you’ll be ready for the upswing,”
“If you are wondering if you are an entrepreneur wonder no longer…you are not.”
“Businesses are not built on one big idea,”
“Businesses are built on a big idea…just not the one they think.”
“Drive value with a values based business.”
“Treat investor money like you’re borrowing it from your own mother.”

These quotes and many others came from a very distinguished panel of techies, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists who each took their turn with a short presentation and an extended Q&A.

Devoting profits to non-profits in tough times?
The first speaker was Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of GOOD Worldwide, Inc. and founder of Ethos Water which was purchased by and can be found at your local Starbucks store. Jonathan also teaches social marketing at UCLA and has found success by focusing more on good than the profit margin.

Jonathan’s advice is that values need to be integrated into the brand and the business must have a return but make it up in volume through engaged consumer base. The idea being if a business is doing good people are going to be attracted to it.

“You must always be optimistic. Our companies promote an economy of integrity and transparency to meet needs.” Said Jonathan and went into his most well known example of Ethos premium water aspired to help people in need with 50% of profits going to help provide fresh water in underdeveloped countries. “We started during post 911 and investors didn’t believe but consumers understood that every bottle makes a difference.”

Starbucks soon bought the brand which began a close relationship that has been a distribution vehicle for other businesses such as GOOD magazine and a place on the board of directors of the coffee company.

Critical Insight:  Avoid venture capitalists; your first investor is your mom. You need to be able to sit across from her table and say I’m doing you right.

Just thought I’d write a quick post on a service I find really useful for our business. We have several online social profiles for our business and we’ve been using this great service called HelloTxt that allows us to update all of these social websites with one post. So in one post you can update Twitter, MySpace, Linkedin, Facebook, and 20 or so other sites. We haven’t had any problems with it thus far and the service is free! These updates can let your network know about what you’re up to, market new services or blog posts, get feedback, and just help you stay connected.

I came across this list today and felt inspired to post it here. Bob Parsons is the CEO & founder of Go Daddy one of the largest domain sellers. They also offer a ton of other services such as web hosting, email hosting, site builders, SSL certs, and more. Go Daddy is also famous for their sexy super bowl commercials. Bob is a marketing genius. Go to his site and check out what he’s doing and you’ll notice the Go Daddy girls throughout the site. Sex SELLS! I was blown away at the millions they spent on these commercials several years ago but it’s obviously paid off for them since most people who are familiar with domain providers think of Go Daddy when it comes to buying a domain name. Here’s the list from Bob Parsons video blog site:

1.     Get and stay out of your comfort zone.
2.    Never give up.
3.    When you are ready to quit, you’re closer than you think.
4.    Accept the worst possible outcome.
5.    Focus on what you want to have happen.
6.    Take things a day at a time.
7.    Always be moving forward.
8.    Be quick to decide.
9.    Measure everything of significance.
10.    Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.
11.    Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you’re doing.
12.    Never let anybody push you around.
13.    Never expect life to be fair.
14.    Solve your own problems.
15.    Don’t take yourself too seriously.
16.    There’s always a reason to smile.

Very inspirational! Thanks Bob!