Business Information for Entrepreneurs by an Entrepreneur

Ever notice that good customer service isn't nearly as memorable as bad customer service?

When you get together with your friends on the weekend and the topic of your recent shopping experiences come up, what do you talk about?

Is it… "The clerk at the store was really polite"?
Or… "The staff was rude and overcharged me"?

Very likely, the second one. After all, as consumers we expect that our satisfaction is the baseline. Anything below satisfactory is noteworthy in how bad it is.

Then, on Monday we return to our business and what happens? We strive to only achieve the baseline of satisfaction in our customers. I think we should strive to exceed expectations! We should try to surprise our customers! Here's an article about the danger of satisfying customers:

Why Good Service Isn't Good Enough

January has just passed. I don't know about you, but I like the beginning of the year because it gives me a chance to make new beginnings. I love New Year's Resolutions. I don't always stick to them but it is fun to set a goal and do what you can to strive for it.

And after January is done, February is the time for Resolution Renewals! Because, if you're like most people (and I think that you are!) you fudged a little on your resolutions around the end of January. (I did, too).

In business, we all start out with great excitement and anticipation of where the road could lead us. And often, the first few months are fuelled by exactly that: excitement. Then the bills start coming in and it's time to get down to “brass tacks” and do the work. The best thing to do is have a strong foundation, with a business plan. You'll find literally dozens of Business Plan Samples to help you ensure that you'll have a sound direction to take your business beyond the honeymoon period.

When you put the words “business” and “plan” together in a sentence, people fall asleep in droves!

Small businesses often avoid doing business plans. And many small businesses fail. Is there a correlation? I think so.

Business plans are avoided because they are considered to be long, boring documents that are too time-consuming to put together and too dry to read once they're written. Moreover, small businesses are run by entrepreneurs who are fuelled by passion… and when was the last time you heard of someone passionately writing a business plan?

Business plans don't have to be time consuming or boring. In fact, they can be downright fun. Don't believe me? Check out these business plans, to help you put one together.