Small Head Many Hats

Hi,

It’s me Doug again, owner of the 720 Design Team. Everyone who has ever either started their own business or received a major promotion through a traditional job knows that in assuming a new position means also assuming a ton of additional responsibilities. Often this person is thrust into new roles that he/she may be unfamiliar with.

These new roles potentially offer the person the opportunity to expand his/her personal experiences while displaying their talent to an even broader audience. However, additional responsibility also has additional pressures and demands for success. In the case of a large company who takes a chance in promoting a manager from within or the ‘hot young talent’; the large firm can always come back and say; “We made a mistake.” either by reassigning the manager or replacing them with a more experienced candidate. However, for the small business owner a critical mistake could cost the future of the business.

The worst mistake a small business owner can make is not asking for help. This may sound like common sense; and in fact, should be. However, many small business owners either neglect to ask for assistance or don’t ask the right people.

Some of the many issues that a fledgling small business may need to contend with are:
Payroll
Taxes
Insurance
Time management
Legal Issues
Billing
Technology (hardware, software, web presentation)
Sales
And Marketing

Having a specialist in each of these areas on retainer is enough to cripple most small businesses. So often Small Business owners are forced to choose as to which area should receive the most attention. There are ways however, to minimize the impacts of these pressures if not alleviate them all together.

Join a community organization through your Chamber of Commerce or local SBA office. These are usually good places to find not only experienced professionals but, other people like you, to network with and exchange ideas. Join groups/communities like Yahoo or Google. Although these are generally filled it Affiliate marketers and a disproportionate number of new business owners. Taking the time to screen your group properly can produce very important contacts. Use students. Many students are looking for ‘real world experience’ as well as money for textbooks, beer and other college necessities. This can be a win – win in most situations for all parties involved.

Although these solutions don’t produce extra heads they may allow you to put a few of your hats on the shelf for a while and concentrate on other aspects of your business.

As always,

Charles Douglas

The 720 Design Team

Two schools of thought

Hi,

It’s me Doug again; owner of, The 720 Design Team. There are many challenges to the at home internet marketer. Today I’m going to discuss two schools of thought in regards to internet marketing and setting up your home business. There are literally millions of affiliate programs on the web। They range from sales to Pay per Click (ppc); Pay to Participate (ptp), High yield Investment Programs (HYIP), gaming, adult content and beyond. Each type of program has its own risks and rewards. When choosing to become an internet marketer like with all financial decisions each person must look at their individual risk tolerance to determine their ability to participate. I‘ll discuss the various types of programs in detail in a future blog.

A few good practices to consider when making any business choice:

· If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is। – Don’t be fooled by pictures of yachts, and expensive cars or photo enhanced canceled checks for outrageous amounts.

· Know yourself। Know what your level of commitment is. How much effort will you give towards being successful? Know your financial capabilities.

· Set Realistic goals। Setting goals motivates business. It’s the “carrot in front of the mule” scenario. If the carrot is set to far away the mule either won’t follow it; or will, have a quick burst then tire not reaching the goal.

· Set benchmarks। These mini goals are momentum builders. As each benchmark is surpassed the bigger goal becomes more attainable and realistic. Attainment of your benchmarks also allows you to measure progress.

· Stay the course। Set your strategy and stick with it. Altering that will cost you time and lose your target market. The early signs of momentum are almost always invisible while they are happening.

Two Schools of thought:

Single Niche Approach:

This is where the webmaster puts all his efforts into one specific area। An example of this would be an EBay store owner or an adult webmaster. The advantage of doing this is that you do not have to divide time, resources or energy between multiple projects. Like all things the more you work at them the better you will become. By focusing on one area it is possible in time to master trends and user wants to become a successful marketer.

When choosing this type of strategy it is important to find a market where you can have success। If you have limited resources look for free programs or programs that do not have large initial investments. High competition markets require a greater investment in both planning and resources to be successful. It is often easier to gain success by marketing in an obscure niche with less competition that attempting to compete in a more popular niche. Knowing your risk tolerance and understanding your financial means is important when choosing what niche to choose.

Diversified Portfolio Approach:

By providing a large variety of sites and or programs the webmaster hopes to cast a wide net and find a few interested consumers in many areas। This can be done to just sample the market or as a pre placed plan for growth.

If a webmaster is unsure as to what niches they could be successful at they may wish to sample the market। Offering a variety of products through either one affiliate program or, many different affiliate programs the webmaster carefully tracks the hits and responses to his various programs. As interest builds in one or more programs non productive programs are dropped until the webmaster has built a solid portfolio of performers.

Not preplanning for growth is one of the biggest mistakes that small business owners make। Former customers are your best prospects to be future customers. If a visitor was pleased with their last visit to your site and knows that you offer other products and services that they may use they will be more likely to return.

Understand that you may need more capacity than your single niche counterparts; and that this strategy takes considerably more time and effort to do successfully; because, you are managing several unique projects at वंस.

Hope your having a great weekend

Charles Douglas

The 720 Design Team

How The 720 Design Team Was Born

Hi,

It’s me Doug again. In my last post I spoke about how some of my early life influences helped to shape me into an entrepreneur. This post I have dedicated to the events that lead to the formation of The 720 Design Team. This journey may not have begun if not for a bit of misfortune. But as the old adage goes; “What does not kill you only makes you stronger.”
The 720 Design Team was actually born several years ago. The concept of offering web design, desktop publishing, and graphic arts to small business was a discussion with the Collaboration Mobile DJ’s. At the time the internet had not reached the level of penetration that is currently holds; at 236 million users1. With the prevalence of the internet in today’s society, even the smallest of businesses needs an internet presence. Those discussions led to me taking notes and beginning three years of part time research into internet marketing.
Self taught in HTML 3.0 the standard of the time I took advantage of an opportunity to complete a vocational program in Computed Aided Design and Development (AutoCAD). During this time I learned to use the Auto Desk®2 software AutoCAD 2000® Architectural Desktop® and Visual Studio Viz®. After completing the program I invested in a new computer and several notable software packages. By then HTML 4.0 had taken hold and I grew with the times. The tools were in place but The 720 Design Team was still on the shelf.
Moving back to the North East Ohio area the first opportunity that came with a decent wage was in manufacturing (Surprising huh?J). I enjoyed a few good years at the plant. From time to time I would work on projects from home for friends, family or one of the various plant communities. However after the good years the company looked at scaling back to save on costs. Our plant was one of those costs. This wasn’t the first time; but, I was determined that it would be my last. With that the 720 Design Team was born!
Using contacts from family, friends, church, the schools and community events that I had attended, and former coworkers I began to spread the word about my pending venture. I concentrated on desktop publishing and graphic design. By The Spring of 2006 I had built a small group of clients. During this time I also spent time designing my own web presence. I launched http://the720designteam.110mb.com/ on March 13, 2007. With my current income around the same as when I was employed in the manufacturing sector, I have found that a DBA is the best business form for right now.
With a firm grassroots support base I am now venturing into the community to build upon my efforts and increase the visibility of The 720 Design Team. Like many small businesses I rely on door hangers, business cards, and postcards for my local marketing. Understanding the specific needs of the small and or minority business person helps me adapt my services to cater to the specific needs of each. As my base builds there are plans for radio. This is how we were born and where to look for us in the near future.

Charles Douglas
The 720 Design Team

Computer Industry Almanac
Auto Desk® and AutoCAD 2000® Architectural Desktop® and Visual Studio Viz® are registered trademarks of the Auto Desk® corporation.
Legalzoom.com: DBA or Doing Business Asand other business terms defined.

Where it all began

Greetings;
My name is Charles Douglas. I'm writing based upon my ongoing experiences as a Small Minority Business Owner & Young Entrepreneur. I am writing not only to sell Products and services but, to connect with others and share common experiences. To teach and to learn. To bring that six degrees of separation just a little closer. Today I run my own Graphic Design and Web Design Shop. The 720 Design Team. In addition to the design aspects I also do Desktop Publishing and use my educational background and years of work experience to do Small Business Management Consulting.

At a young age I knew that I wanted to work for myself. I actually started my first business when I was about 14. My lifelong friend Maurice and I started a snow removal/lawn care business the summer before we could legally work. That spring I typed up some handbills on my Atari 800 computer; and, we went 1/2's on a box of business cards. we took a day to canvassed the area for customers and another to distribute or materials. By mid June we had a list of steady customers; mostly our elderly neighbors and the single women in the community, and were making about 75 bucks apiece per week. Although earning extra spending cash to go to the movies, arcade, roller skating and buying those outrageous looking "hammer pants" and shell toe Addidas (I hope I didn't date myself too much...), was our primary focus at the time; that experience really shaped both of our lives.

During the winter we focused our marketing efforts on the adjoining community. The houses there had bigger driveways and the residents were in a slightly higher tax bracket. Although we didn't know it then; Moe and I had mastered guerilla marketing. The next summer Moe was old enough to work so the majority of the lawn care fell upon me. This is also the summer that my older cousin 'Tony' and I started our own DJ service. During the day I shoveled snow and cut grass; then at night I emulated my role models of the time; 'Grand Master Flash', 'Jam Master Jay' and 'Jazzy Jeff' as we did the neighborhood parties and high school dances.

Maurice now owns a successful professional painting service and a home restoration company in Cleveland, Ohio. His dream was to be an architect. But after not getting the grades to pursue that career choice he went to trade school; and, as they say the; “the rest is history!”

For many years it was the latter of these two ‘home based businesses’ that served as a sideline to my ‘day job’. I was actually quite fortunate to have the opportunity to work in radio and several nightclubs across the country as my military and college experiences moved me from one town to the next. This sideline grew into a fulltime job in the years before I grew up and settled down. While living in Memphis, TN., I partnered with a wonderful group of DJ’s and became a Co-founder of ‘Collaboration Mobile DJ’s’. In addition to the disc jockey service I also ran a record pool servicing 15 disc jockeys in the Tri State area. For those not familiar with the music industry, this type service is how your favorite club and radio DJ’s get the records that they play at their venues. But this was not the first time that I had filed to be recognized as a business entity.

As a youth, my dreams focused around computers and music. At the time nobody knew just how I would even think about combining those two fields. It is still hard to believe that the teenage kid with the Atari 800 and a couple of old turntables could see further into the future than the many adults of the time.

I would hope that you will continue to read in the future as I post more about my successes and failures and the experiences, knowledge and wisdom that I have gained from them as a small business owner. I am actually on my 4th registered business (maybe 8th or 9th all toll including the 2 that I mention above from my youth.) As I mentioned earlier it was those experiences that shaped my life and led me to believe that I could be successful at whatever I put my mind to with some hard work, perseverance and knowing when the time was right. Or as we call it at The 720 Design Team...

"Maintaining 720 degrees of focus even when everyone around you swears that the world is flat."

Charles Douglas

The 720 Design Team