Just Do It

Nikey hit it right on the money with their slogan "Just Do It".  I'm sure its meaning was pertained to athleticism and the ability to get up and just do your thang.  For me this slogan means much more than playing sports.  In my world Just Do It means do whatever "it" is and JUST DO IT!

When starting your businesses so many levels of self-doubt, procrastination, what ifs, I don't have the time, I don't have the money, etc. always seem to set in.  If we spent as much time creating our business as we do doubting ourselves, we would be Billionaires.  Sometimes in order to be successful and live your dream you HAVE to throw caution to the wind and JUST DO IT!

We all have some initiatives that we can personally say screw it and Just DO IT! Remember if you never DO IT, you'll never KNOW what potential you have and what you can BECOME! 

Here some examples of common procrastinations:

1)Where do I Start? - Do I form a Business Plan? Do I Register my Business Name? Where? How much does it cost? Are there licenses involved? Am I a product or a service? Write down the concept of your business and google the rest.  Stop asking yourself a 1000 questions and JUST DO IT!!!

2) Website - Do I create one? Do I use Go Daddy, Office Live? Do I search for external templates? Do I hire a designer? How many domain extensions should I choose? Do I secure a domain for 1 or 2 years? Guess what, JUST DO IT! Get on a site you feel comfortable with and start playing with it, if you don't like the results move on to another one.  If you do NOTHING, NOTHING will be done and asking yourself these questions over and over again does not constitute as doing something! It's just wasting time doing NOTHING!

3) I'm too busy with my 9-5 to even start my business, classic excuse!  One thing we need to remember is when the idea popped into our head to start a business the main basis for this idea was most of us were SICK with our 9-5.  Starting a business does mean hard work, but it also means independence and if we're lucky it could place us in a lucrative financial position.  Take a good look at your 9-5; how long have you been doing it?; are you efficient?; can you do this work in  your sleep?; does it bore you?; do you get up in the morning ecstatic about going to work?; are you smarter than your boss?  The answers alone are the main reasons why you want to start your own business.  Keep looking at the big picture! If you're efficient at work, do what you have to do, get your work done,* after-all it is paying your bills for now and financing your business.  But once your done with work and still on the premises, you should consider using the rest of your day wisely.  When I say wisely I mean on YOU!!  Stop going to Facebook (though I love Facebook :)) and My Space, googling celebrities and reading all the news that you have all day and night to see and hear about. Do you realize all the time we waste on simple internet BS; when we could be taking that time and working on our business!  A good strategy to use when you find yourself wasting time is think to yourself, the creators of Facebook and My Space are already rich, celebrities that's another world!  Just keep that in mind when you're googling what Brad and Angelina are doing in their summer home in Nice and know that you are wasting time and delaying your own summer home.  When free time opportunities at work exist, guess what, JUST DO IT!!

At the end of the day whatever "it" is that you do, you should always check your list and think twice like Santa, but at least you're doing IT!  

I like to end this article with a quote from Robert Fritz "If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.

*Tip - Efficiency is one of the greatest traits we can have, however, it can play against us at times.  Your boss may recognize this efficiency and bombard you with work, be careful, pace yourself, you're not in a race.  Get your work done in its timely fashion and learn to stretch some things out.  I know to some this may sound tricky and deceitful and IT IS! But guess what the days before computers and our current days of fictions deadlines are reasons enough to just chill for a minute, the work ain't going anywhere.  Keep your eye on the prize.  Personally I rather have an Entrepreneur of the Year Award than an Employee of the Month Award, get my drift!

Design Challenge

Websites are crucial to the success of most businesses. The proliferation of Websites have dominated the success of at least 90% of businesses. In fact in the late 90s business who were slow to get on the website craze saw significant revenue loss. Websites have taken the place of most advertising and basically serve as a receptionist to your business. If your website is appealing and informative chances are you have earned a client. While websites are vital to the marketing of any business, it should also be considered a task that is not lightly taken.

Ions ago in the mid to late 90s Internet programmers were a rarity and once found were paid a pretty steep premium. Then came sites like Register.com, GoDaddy, Office Live, etc. in which website templates are offered almost free of charge. Although these templates may save a small business tons of money upfront there is the image problem of your website looking very similar to other sites. The other issue with templates is that they are limited and you will often find yourself not being able to tweak them to your liking. This frustration is time consuming which makes you think am I really saving money if I'm wasting my time on this??

When it comes to designing a Website here are few things to consider:

1. Hiring a designer - Unless you are a designer, graphic artist or a computer programmer who also designs then don't attempt this. There are issues with fonts, colors, backgrounds and placement that only a designer would be privy to know. It takes a real knack to design a website. It's not as simple as throwing some links together and voila. Remember your site is the receptionist to your business. You want to make a great impression!

2. Make Sure You're Not Getting Punked - Ashton Kutchner may be popular and all but Punked is not what you want to be when creating a website. Beware of designers who charge outrageous prices. We are no longer in the 90s and their craft is now pretty much generic. Be prepare to spend a $1000-$3000 on a site but depending on what you need, do not exceed those numbers. Designers are not writing code or actually creating colors. Most designers just borrow code from other sites. Basically you're paying to design but not for coding which they can get from anywhere. Don't let them fool and punk you into thinking they're working on your website from scratch!

3. Research other sites and find their designer - If you come across a site that looks good try to find out who created it. Chances are you can look in the web code if you click on View, Source and maybe find out the name of the designer. Also don't hesitate to call the company whose site you like. You never know they may get a bonus referral for recommending others. It doesn't hurt to try.

4. Consider the 8 Second Rule - A website should be appealing, it should immediately grasp the attention of a potential customer. Try to trim the fat when building a website. Ideally you don't need tons of colors, pictures, animation and a dissertation of what your business is about. Sleek, simple and inviting is most appealing.

Using Logos to Define Your Business Presence

Logos are a necessity when it comes to standing out and defining your business. Just imagine where Target or as some of my friends would say "Tar'ghay" the french version :) would be without the Red Bulls eye. Anywhere you go in this country you'll know a Target store when you see one whether it be a regular Target or a Super Target you can spot it anywhere even without the actual spelling of the name. It's that red bulls eye that captures our attention and signifies we're in price reduction, great quality heaven! While Target can advertise wholeheartedly and open a multitude of stores what really drives the attention and keeps us coming is that infamous logo.

Most successful businesses have a presence that has been defined by a logo. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Home Depot to name a few. Logos can be simple but yet profound in which they can easily attract a client. When considering a logo I would suggest unless you're a designer to perhaps find a graphic artist who's love is to design. We have a tendency to consider being computer literate as a pass to create anything using Publisher, Microsoft Word and the worst of all borrow from ClipArt. The issue with these is there are many other computer literates in this world and they too can tell authentic from "I just made it up." Since a logo is so important and can easily make or break you, it is very important that you take the time and seek one that will give your business that signature presence.

Hiring a designer can be taxing on a small business. Most designers require upfront costs and some may even limit the amount of mock-ups on a design. An effective way to secure a logo design is to do what big companies do and that's outsource your work. Sites like Guru.com and Elance have a wide array of designers from all over the world. Prices for a logo usually range from $45 and up. You may be able to find one cheaper. I myself have used Guru for 3 different logos and have paid no more than $60. My experience with each designer has been positive. The payment methods are seamless and secure. Guru provides ratings on all their freelancers and at times depending on the freelancer you'll be able to read reviews, good or bad.

Remember capital is key when starting out your own business as well as defining its presence. Going bankrupt before it gets off the ground is definitely not a good sign. Logos are a sure fire way to get the attention your business deserves and therefore is a good investment, however, be cautious on how you do so and don't break the bank before you start depositing.