Canada Small Businesses Now Can Have Free Websites

Google Canada Offers Free Small Business Websites

First Published: Mar 31, 2011 EntrepreneurJourney.com

In the past, I wrote about the importance of having a business website: Why Your Business Needs A Website? I have a great news for those who haven’t yet started a small business website. Google Canada has just launched their free websites and .ca domains program for one year for Canadian small businesses.

According to Google, there are roughly 2 million small businesses existing in Canada and only half of them have online presence. Google has teamed up with other Canadian partners to make this free website program “Canada Get Your Businesses Online” (GYBO.ca) a reality. These partners are: The Globe and Mail, RBC, Rogers, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), Silver Lining Limited, and Yola.com (free website builder tool).

Here is what Google is offering you for free for a year:

 Free .ca domain

 Free web hosting

 Free registering the domain

 Free advice

 Free tools

 Free $75 Google AdWords Credit

I encourage you to grab this opportunity. If you have been putting off getting your small business online, don’t delay and join the millions who are already benefiting from online presence. For more information, visit GYBO.ca and Google Small Business Blog 

Donald Trump - A True Entrepreneur

Real Estate Mogul Donald Trump

First Published: Mar 4, 2011 EntrepreneurJourney.com

Donald Trump, who has primarily been known as a real estate tycoon, has different facets to his personality. He was the host of an extremely successful TV reality show, he is the owner of the world’s most popular beauty pageant and he is also a best-selling author. Though all are different personas, each are independently strong, smart and wealthy, which is what makes Donald Trump a true chameleon in the business world.

Business for Donald Trump actually runs in his blood. Born to a real estate developer, father Fred Trump, Donald studied business in Wharton Business School and was mentored by his father for 5 years before he took the plunge to lift the real estate industry to new heights. For Donald Trump, business has always been his first love. He has never limited himself to being a specialist in one field, but expanded in any direction that his money and his ideas may take him. As the Chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization, he not only develops real estate across the globe, but also manages hotels and resorts, golf courses and many other things. As Trump Entertainment Resorts founder, he manages casinos and hotels.

Donald Trump’s popularity rose to new levels when he produced (he was the show’s executive producer) and hosted The Apprentice, a reality show on NBC. It was indeed the ultimate job interview. The show first began in January 2004 and has ten successful seasons to its credit. The show was created by Mark Burnett wherein 16 to 18 business aspirants competed with each other in elimination style contest to become The Apprentice. The show also gave rise to the popular “You’re Fired” which Trump would say to the eliminated contest at the end of the show, a catchphrase that Trump has filed application for Trademark. Initially the payment for each episode was $50,000 but the show’s success and popularity catapulted not only Trump’s TV personality image but also his payment to three millions dollars per episode which is indeed the highest ever paid to any TV personality. Apart from this, Trump’s caricature versions were seen in numerous Hollywood films including The Little Rascals, Home Alone 2, The Nanny, etc. Trump was nominated twice for an Emmy Award.

Donald Trump is the co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization along with NBC – National Broadcasting Company and under the auspices holds various beauty pageants like Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and of course Miss Universe.

Donald Trump also has equal interest in sports. He is an avid golfer and a great World Wrestling Entertainment fan. Almost all Trump properties have golf courses that are designed and built on international standards. In fact one of his golf clubs at Westchester, the Trump National Golf Club, has won the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences International Five-Star Diamond Award. Apart from breathtaking golf holes, the club has stone bridges, winding streams and even a waterfall falling from a 101-foot height. In the wrestling world, Trump has done his bit by actively participating in the numerous wrestling shows (though not as a wrestler), many of which were held in Trump Plaza. He also briefly “owned” the WWE Raw from 15th June 2009 to 22nd June 2009.

Donald Trump’s other business ventures include The Trump Network, which deals in health products and allows people to receive coaching under Trump and become

entrepreneurs. Titled as the Wealth Creation System, people can register themselves in this network and would only need simple skills like telephone etiquette and a little extra time to work on. The members would receive guidance from Donald Trump himself by way of training videos and personalized letters. The company deals in vitamin supplements and health products like PrivaTest Custom Essentials, Silhouette Solution, QuikStik, Snazzle Snaxxs and Bioce Cosmeceuticals. Claiming to be made from natural bio-nutrients, QuikStik comes in 3 blends one for each part of the day – morning, afternoon and evening. The BioCé Cosmeceuticals range of beauty products include cleanser and toner, repair serum, eye contouring cream, daily cream, skin recovery cream, microdermabrasion procedure formula, cream mask and wrinkle filler.

In the field of finance, Donald Trump investments hold a 17.2% stake in the Bermuda-based Parker Adnan Company that deals in financial services. Trump organization also deals in the Trump merchandise luxury line that deals in books, apparel, home furnishings as well as jewelry. This includes the Ivanka Trump jewelry collection, the Signature collection of men’s apparel, Trump Vodka, Trump Home for home furnishings, Trump books and publications, Trump Ice that markets natural spring water, Trump chocolate and Trump Tea. The Signature range of men’s apparel markets men’s suits, dress shirts, neckwear, cuff links and jewelry, small leather goods and eyewear. All these products are marketed through Macy’s, Trump Tower, and eyewear specialty stores. Under Trump publications, Donald Trump has authored many best sellers such as How to Get Rich, Never Give Up, Think Like a Billionaire and Think like a Champion amongst other titles.

In the field of entertainment, Trump's organization manages Manhattan’s public skating rinks at Central Park – The Wollman Rink and the Lasker Rink. Various facilities offer skating lessons, an ice hockey gaming facility, and professional instructions are provided. Another division, the Trump Productions LLC based out of Los Angeles, deals in television show production. Some of these are the very popular The Apprentice reality show (6 seasons), The Celebrity Apprentice, telecasting beauty pageants (Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA), the Pageant Place reality series on MTV, and the latest show on MTV along the lines of the UK hit show “Ladette to Lady.” Under the entertainment division also comes the Trump Model Management which helps modeling and pageant aspirants come to the fore. Many models scouted and developed through Trump model management have appeared in movies and fashion magazines like Vogue as well as gone on to be winners of the beauty pageants. The division prides itself in expressing contemporary style and exquisite beauty.

Despite so many ventures, not all of which have necessarily been a path of roses, Donald Trump does not show any signs of slowing down and in his words, “Anyone who thinks my story is anywhere near over is sadly mistaken.”

How To Choose A Business Name

Choosing A Business Name

First Published: Feb 21, 2011 EntrepreneurJourney.com

When you are starting a business, there are several things that you need to do in order to make the business successful and one of the most important is choosing the right name. As odd as it seems, choosing the wrong name can sink your business just as easily as if you screwed up a marketing campaign. The name of your business is the brand, logo and face of your business and it is the first thing people will notice about your business. So, if you are going to have a good business name, what do you need to do in order to make your business stand out?

Here are a few tips to help you out.

The first thing you need to do is to look around at businesses that are in the same market at you and see what they have in common with their names. This does not mean you need to choose something similar, but instead you are choosing something that is different but tells people what your business is. For example, if you own a coffee shop, you will probably have “coffee” “grind” or “java” in the name, as will other businesses.

The second thing you should do is make a list of about 20 names that you like and that you are considering for your business. This is important because it will allow you to research each name to see if you can use it. When you research, check to see if it is registered in your area, if anyone else is using a name similar to it and what the connotations of the name may be. For example, if you are opening a craft store, choosing the name Kristi’s Kooky Krafts may seem like a cute name until you look at the initials of your business name.

The third thing to do is to cut your list down to three main names. Those are the names you will choose from. Look at those names, are they witty? Do they stand out? Do they tell people what your business does? Are they misleading at all? Are they easy to put on a sign? How will they translate to a web address? For the last one, if you have a name that is A Dawn Coffee, then you can have a website that is adawncoffee.com. However, if your name is A Dawn Coffee Express and Homemade Grinds Shop, then adawncoffeeexpressandhomemadegrindsshop.com is a bit too long and too much for people to remember.

Once you have the name, you will need to register it. This will ensure that no one can take the name from you and you will be entitled to that name. No one can take the name and use it across the street from you, and it also helps when you are doing the business taxes for your company. So, choose wisely and your name could help your company well into the future.

Should You Hire Family For Your Business?

Hiring Family Members for Your Small Business

When you decide to start your own business, chances are you will not have the money to go out and hire employees. However, what do you do when you need some help but don’t have the money. Well, that is where family comes in. Family can be a huge help to your business in the early years of its formation but there are some things you need to keep in mind.

First of all, when you decide to hire a family member, even if they are not being paid, do they have the right attitude and personality for the position. You don’t want to force your kids to take part in the business if they are just going to hate it because that can cost you business, time and money in the end. You want to hire your family members if they are easy going, can accept challenges and don’t worry too much about stress. On that same note, they need to have a can-do attitude and be ready to help make the company a success. If they understand that their hard work makes the company successful, and by extension the family more successful, then they are the right people to be working at your business.

If you are worried about hiring family, then you can give them a trial in the company. Let them work in the company for a month and see how they do. If they don’t do well, then you may want to consider not having them in the company anymore. One person with a bad attitude can cause big problems for your company, even if it is someone you love.

When you hire family, especially siblings, it is very important that you ensure they know you are the boss. If you hire your children, this won’t be a problem, but hiring older brothers or sisters can cause problems with authority, especially if your siblings have always been the ones in charge. Make sure from the very beginning they know that you are the boss and they are the employee. On that same note, it does not mean you are just going to boss them around. Everyone needs to be treated well and with respect and you have to do the same with your family, more so than with other employees.

Another thing to consider is do your family members have the skill set to make the company successful? If you open up a mechanics shop, does your 15-year-old son have the skills to change a transmission? No? Then you may not want to get him doing that if he is not ready.

Hiring family can be difficult, and sometimes it can be hard to let family go if they are not working out, especially if you live with them, but that does not mean you shouldn’t hire family. Hiring family can save you money and it means the entire family has a vested interest in the success of the company.
First Published: Feb 2, 2011 EntrepreneurJourney.com

Outsource Your Life Now – Here Is How

Outsource Your Life Now – Here Is How

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Outsourcing daily tasks is not a new idea. However, Tim Ferriss, author of "The Four-Hour Workweek," has made this popular by mentioning it in his book. Ferriss uses "a small army of virtual assistants" for everything he can think of - as he mentions in his book.What can you outsource these days? Let me answer this little differently by asking what you can't outsource these days? The following list should give you an idea of what people are trying to outsource (NB – Don't laugh. This is a real list from DoMyStuff.com )

• Help me armwrestle

• Repair my broadband connection

• Design my website

• Personal shopper

• Pull weeds in landscaped beds

• Choose my cell phone plane based on the phone

• Reform my life

• Pick me up a t-shirt from College Corner

• Research my house history

• Unlock iPhone or Blackberry to work on Helio

These should be good enough to give you an idea. If you are thinking only celebrities, professionals and rich people can afford outsourcing, think again! The Internet growth has created lots of outsourcing sites, and they are becoming affordable enough to indulge you in the luxury of not to do anything.

Today, I am going to review some of these outsourcing sites for you. There are too many sites out there, and I am going to mention only those which I have found easier to navigate with a clean layout. If you are interested in finding more, search on Google for these: outsource, virtual assistant, freelance etc.

GetFriday

A Bangalore-based (India) company. Currently this site is the busiest outsourcing site. GetFriday offers three pricing options: Pay As You Go, Monthly Plans, and Task Based Plans. Pay As You Go Costs $15 per hour with a monthly admin fee of $10. Basic monthly plans start at $120 a month for 10 hours.

https://getfriday.com

The Canadian Virtual Assistant Network

This is the only Canadian site I have come across. You can submit profile, interview, and hire a VA through this site. Site does not mention fees and charges. There is a Directory of VA by province which you can browse.

http://canadianva.net

DoMyStuff.com

DoMyStuff is an online marketplace where you can hire freelancers to work for you. Freelancers can pick up projects and independent contracting jobs.You need to post your tasks and freelancers will start bidding on your tasks. You can limit or pick bidders based on location, fees, ratings and so on. Payment system is very safe. You never pay (or freelancers never receive payments) directly. Once you choose the best bidder, you will have to forward payment into an online escrow account. No one will have access to this money while your work is being done. Once completed and you are satisfied, you will release the funds to the freelancer. DoMyStuff has a clean interface and easy to navigate. This site is all free; free for both employers and assistants. There are no monthly or transaction fees.

http://www.domystuff.com

Guru

The world's largest online marketplace. Employers can use this site for free but freelancers pay quarterly fees. There is a minimum bid set at $25 per project. Guru's open auction system works the same way as DoMyStuff.

http://www.guru.com

Elance

Elance is famous for small to mid size business. I find Elance a little bit expensive. However, their service quality is very good.

http://www.elance.com

Two other sites worth mentioning: FreelancerNow.com and RentACoder.com.

The Internet has revolutionized the way we do everything. We are online a lot these days and it makes sense to hire people via net to free up our time. These freelance sites have opened up endless opportunities to find work for qualified professionals beyond locall boundaries. The ability to work from anywhere in the world is a reality now

First Published: Sep 1, 2008 ADawnJournal.com