We all want our business to grow.

It’s why we work so hard on our marketing strategies, our sales plans, and our product offerings.

But as our business grows, it sometimes evolves, and that can be a scary thing.

Perhaps…

• the work that fulfilled you or challenged you at the beginning no longer excites you
• the customers you first had are no longer your ideal client
• you have discovered new needs to be met, new problems to solve

Yet, the fear of change may be holding you back. Even as you’ve discovered new avenues for your business, you may be hanging on to the original products, clients or plans that you first had. It’s completely understandable – those plans are the ones that were the foundation for your whole business!

But if you don’t let go of those original plans you may be preventing your business from growing successfully.

When you try to evolve at the same time you are trying to stay the same, you’re sending mixed messages to your customers. As your business evolves, your brand message needs to evolve as well. And that’s ok! Give yourself permission to make changes to your business as it grows bigger and more successful.

Business Evolution 101

Grab a notebook or your business plan and allow yourself to be honest about your business, and dream about the future…

• What is the work that you truly love doing?
• Who are the people that you absolutely adore working with/for?
• What problems do your customers need you to solve?
• What marketing strategies do you love to work on?
• What sales methods hardly feel like work to you?

Once you’ve answered these questions and brainstormed a bit, go back and have a think about your brand.

• Do the ways in which your business is evolving match the brand message you originally put out?
• Are there any changes you need to make your brand message?
• How can you reflect this new brand message? Do you need to make adjustments to your look (colors, fonts, icons or graphics) or to your voice (your sales copy and written content)? Do you need to make some small tweaks or is it time to do a rebrand?

Evolving Your Brand…

It’s ok to evolve your brand as your business evolves.

I know that sometimes feels hard (your brand may feel a bit like a baby, you may resist changing it because you spent so much time getting it just right at the beginning) or scary (you might be worried that making changes is too difficult or will negatively impact your business) but it’s worth getting past those stuck feelings and making changes if they’re needed.

If you just want to update your brand a little, try coming up with a new tagline, rearranging your logo so that it looks more modern or fresh, updating the copy in your business so that your brand voice is more clear & strong, or updating your website with a new theme and new photos that fit with your existing logo but give your business a more professional feel.

If you need to revamp your brand, try keeping one thing the same and then changing something else. For example you could keep your colors but update your icon & business name fonts.  Or you could keep your icon but give it a fresh new look with new colours & a more professional or modern feel.

If you’re trying to freshen up your brand but you feel really stuck, it could be that you’re feeling a bit trapped with your old brand, that it’s holding you back from taking your business where it needs to be. In those cases I often recommend starting with a clean slate and doing a rebrand of your business. (It’s amazing how that fresh beginning can allow you to create the exact brand that your business needs moving forward!)

Updating, revamping, or rebranding usually works in conjunction with other business changes. Perhaps your prices need changing, perhaps you’re more clear about the ideal customer you wish to attract, perhaps you’re changing your marketing & sales strategies, or perhaps you won’t be doing things the way you used to.

I know that a big worry of yours is how to make changes to your brand and your business in a way that retains your valued customers.

Try this…

1. Let people know that you have some big exciting changes happening that will allow you to do your best work, serve your customers better, and take your business to new heights – but that your core values (for instance your excellent one on one service, or your amazing talent to do what you do) will remain the same.

2. Use this process of updating your brand as a way to build some buzz and excitement for your business. Show your customers some sneak peeks, hint at what’s coming, get them to help you come up with new product names or a favorite new color.

3. The people who are your right people will be cheering for you and will be thrilled that your business is just getting stronger and better. Those that were only there for your low prices or your sales methods or whatever else may not stick around, and that’s a good thing! Just keep your right customers in mind as you refresh your brand, and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.

When your business grows and evolves, it can be scary. Sometimes the fear of change or even the fear of success can hold us back, and make us to want to keep everything the same.

Instead of being afraid, accept that evolution is necessary for your business and use it as a way to get excited about your business again. Let go of the things holding you back and go for the things you’ve always wanted to do.

And most of all…have fun!

Do you need help learning how to evolve your brand? Then join the amplify your brand online workshop.

What Happens to Your Brand When Your Business Evolves? appeared first on The Mogul Mom.

Ebooks are hot right now.

Almost half of all Americans are expected to buy at least one ebook this year according to Bookboon, and ebook consumers will grow by over 84% in the coming year.

Jumping on the ebook train isn’t hard. It just takes some strategic thinking, and some careful effort.

The good news? Once you write your ebook, it’s done. To publish an ebook, you just have to put in the effort one time, and you can reap the rewards for many months to come.

How to Publish an Ebook the Easy Way

Everyone’s an Expert at Something: Sell What You Know

You’ve got an ebook topic inside you, or you wouldn’t be reading this post! What can you share that will help people meet a difficult challenge? What problem can you help them solve?

Think about issues that keep people up at night: things that are truly bothersome and that affect their quality of life. What can you write about that they’ll pay you to learn?

Structure Your Ebook for Success

Start by thinking about your ebook structure before you write your first word.

One approach that works well is to think ahead about how you plan to market your ebook. Write the marketing copy first — plan the bulleted highlights you’d like to include.

For example, let’s say you’re writing an ebook for young mothers to help them manage the stress in their lives.

Your bullets might look like this:

• 6 ways to relieve stress that take 5 minutes or less.
• The simple technique that stops stress before it starts.
• How to organize your kitchen cabinets for stress-free meals.

Think about how to market your ebook ahead of time, then write your ebook to match the bullets you’ll use to market it.

Get Your Ebook Written with These Two Techniques

You have your structure in place, and now it’s time to write. What can you do to get those words out of your head and into your ebook?

There are two ways to approach your writing process. Pick the technique that best matches your current lifestyle and your personality.

To use a running analogy, write your ebook using a marathon or a sprint technique.

The sprint technique involves blocking off large chunks of time, perhaps a long weekend, to write your ebook from start to finish. You might ask your spouse to pitch in so you can get the time you need, or you can use a weekend your kids are away on a camping trip, or at your mother-in-law’s house. Whatever it takes, you block out the time, then shut down all distractions and get the first draft of your ebook written.

The marathon technique involves blocking off a smaller amount of time every day until your ebook gets done. Maybe you can count on an hour every morning before your children are up, or a couple of hours during the day while they’re in school. However you decide to carve it out, apply yourself consistently during the block of time you choose and plug away at it until you have a first draft.

Decide on a Launch Price and a Regular Price

Once you’ve polished up your draft and created your ebook, it’s time to price it.

An easy way to create an initial surge of sales is to decide on a “launch price” that you sell it for during a limited time. This might be for the first 48 hours, or the first week. The launch price can be anywhere from 30-50% less than the regular price of your ebook.

Offering this discount for a short time is an excellent way to bring in initial sales, and get some momentum going.

Consider a Two-Track System for Distribution

There are two kinds of ebooks today. There’s e-reader style ebooks, which can be read on Kindle, iPad and other tablet readers. They’re sold at the online bookstores like Amazon and Apple’s iBookstore.

And there’s PDF ebooks, which can also be read on Kindle and iPad, but are easier to distribute from your own website.

There’s no need to choose between the formats. You can create both!

Write your ebook in an e-reader format and sell it on Amazon, for example. Then take the same ebook, make it into a PDF, and add more content to it. Create worksheets, audio recordings and video tutorials, for example, and you can sell it as a course for a higher price from your own website.

Learn More About Ebooks

There’s a lot more to writing, creating and marketing ebooks than what I’ve covered here. If you’d like to attend a free on-demand class I’ve created that walks you through all the steps, sign up for the Ultimate eBook Kickstart here. And if you’re ready to get the tools and support you need to create your ebook, get eBook Evolution here.

How to Publish an Ebook the Easy Way appeared first on The Mogul Mom.

Do you ever think, ‘Why do I even bother with Twitter?’

Well, erase that thought right now because Twitter is the ultimate social network.

It can quickly propel you and your business to new heights, grab the attention of infinitely more people interested in your product or service (whether that’s localized or worldwide) increase website visits and boost sales.

No, this isn’t puffy hot air. It’s been true for me, my clients inside Twitter Brilliance, and thousands of others I’ve connected with on Twitter.

It’s how you use it that makes all the difference.

Here are seven ways to build a strong presence on Twitter and boost business.

7 Ways To Build A Strong Presence On Twitter

1. Move in the right circles

It’s not enough to tweet and hope it’ll be seen by your ideal connections. You need to be proactive.

And that means embracing your inner super sleuth.

Brainstorm a list of 20 dream clients, perfect partners, mentors, clever competitors, key players in your market and media contacts.

If you’re not sure if they’re on Twitter, use Auntie Google (she knows everything) – just type their name and ‘on Twitter’ in the search box and pow – you’ve struck gold!

Once you’ve found them, connect with them on Twitter (see #4 – 7), and be mindful of who they’re tweeting with, too. This is a super way to extend your community of active, like-minded people. Just don’t fall into the “hide and seek” trap. 

2. Skip the hide + seek

You’ve set up a Twitter account, posted several tweets, and gotten comfortable in your surroundings. You’ve even found some valuable connections and know their every move.

But how well do they know you?

Getting Twitter right means showing up and being seen. Lurking behind your computer or smartphone might be totally absorbing but who is it serving? Is it helping you move forward in your business? Is it helping people find you on Twitter?

Nope!

If your default setting is to sit back and watch (and even if it isn’t), make a point of staying visible, sending tweets that are helpful and entertaining (more on that later), and getting involved.

And, don’t worry, Twitter doesn’t have to be a massive time suck, especially if you play Twitter hooky.

3: Play Twitter hooky

Since millions of tweets are sent every day, your amazingly useful tweet can be easily missed by those who need to see it (unless you’re using an @reply or mention that’s directed to someone in particular).

To make an impact, (especially when starting out) you want to post multiple times a day, throughout the day, every day.

Yep, you read right: every day.

Now, that doesn’t mean you should be there ALL day. With your schedule, juggling a busy home and business? That’s crazy talk. But you can master Twitter in just a few minutes each day by using a scheduling tool that drip feeds your tweets automatically while you get on with your life.

Two of my favourites are Buffer and Hootsuite. (I seriously believe that it’s impossible to successfully manage your social media marketing without these tools).

Playing Twitter “hooky” has many advantages but only when you support it with real-time tweeting. Let me explain what I mean…

4. Go freestyle

Twitter is all about making real connections with real people. And it’s these chit-chatty, real conversations that will spark relationships with other likeminded people.

And this is a key ingredient to achieving Twitter success. If you’re not fully present and taking part in the small talk for a few minutes each day, Twitter simply will not work for you.

So, I suggest you combine these two elements:

Go freestyle by making conversation in real time
+
Play Twitter hooky by scheduling some messages for a steady presence
=
The secret to Twitter success.

Sometimes this means pulling up your Pippy longstockings so remember…

5. Don’t be shy, say ‘Hi!’

There’s something about the social, free-for-all nature of Twitter that spooks people. Being ‘followed’ by complete strangers, or shooting off a reply when you haven’t been invited to can feel uncomfortable, rude and even creepy.

Twitter is by far the most sociable of the social networks. It was the first to make it completely open, without the need for a connection request.

Now, do you need an invitation to speak to someone at an event? Of course you don’t. And the same applies on Twitter.

It’s perfectly acceptable to tweet with anyone and make new friends. This relaxed atmosphere creates a buzzing breeding ground for creating and nurturing new relationships. Ideal for expanding your network and community, even with people you previously thought may be out of reach.

As long as you provide value. Hmmm…what does that mean?

6. Be head girl

When you hear people talking about ‘providing value’ on Twitter, this is what they mean: be entertaining, educational, interested and interesting.

When you combine two of these, you hit the sweet spot.

So every time you tweet, check your deepest intent and ask yourself:

• Is this tweet entertaining?
• Will this tweet educate my followers?
• Am I showing interest in others?
• Will my followers find this interesting?

(Hint: just because YOU do doesn’t mean they will, so try to step into their shoes).

A little warning here: try to keep ‘on message’ and post tweets that your followers expect to see from you. But, Twitter is a social network so there are brilliant opportunities to reveal more about your values, ideals and interests. Always remember the human element by going freestyle.

And, your manners. Which brings me to my last point…

7. Remember your please and thank you’s

We all want to do business with people we like, know and trust, and Twitter is the perfect place to nurture those valuable business connections by showing how helpful, friendly and generous you are.

You can do this by:

• Replying to your mentions and replies (your Connections tab is where you should be spending most of your Twitter time)
• Thanking others when they do something nice for you
• Recommending other tweeters you respect and value
• Showing your appreciation and gratitude for tweets posted by others
• Taking part – retweeting and replying to tweets even when they aren’t directed at you
• Sharing entertaining and educational information in the form of links, images, tips, quotes, videos, and other tweets
• Connecting tweeters who can help each other

Now it’s your turn

Which of these seven tips will you use to improve your Twitter presence? Let me know in the comments.

About the author:

Alicia Cowan is a social media strategist, consultant and trainer for small businesses with entrepreneurial spirit, and creator of Twitter Brilliance, the online Twitter marketing training school. She gets excited about finding simple ways for her clients to attract more business using social media, blogging and email marketing in an authentic and practical way. Grab her bite size marketing tips right here – they’re free.

7 Ways To Build A Strong Presence On Twitter (and Boost Business!) appeared first on The Mogul Mom.

Do you know the single most important factor for sustaining your business and making it incredibly profitable?

Creating superior customer experiences.

That’s what studies reveal is absolutely crucial for bootstrapped micro-businesses that rely heavily on word-of-mouth and referrals for bringing in new customers.

Can you answer all of these questions with a confident yes?

• Is my site easy to navigate?
• Do I speak my clients’ language?
• Do I understand my clients’ pain points and show them the transformational benefits of working with me?
• Does my service/product deliver on those promises?
• How easy is it to get a hold of me (or someone on my team) to resolve a question or an issue?

I bet a lot of you can answer in the affirmative. And that’s great because these basics are important. But there’s something else that’s absolutely essential for creating amazing customer experiences.

It’s your client intake process.

Look at your intake process through the eyes of a new client. Your goal is to make sure that the process is flawless and super smooth. Why?

By making your client intake process smooth, you gain these five benefits:

1. It conveys your expertise to your new clients and strengthens their confidence in you.
2. Customers feel special, and you reduce any feelings of “buyer’s remorse,” especially when they’ve made a significant financial commitment.
3. You gain control of your time.
4. It’s easier to service more clients without sacrificing quality.
5. You’re more likely to get paid on time.

Now, smoothing out your client intake process doesn’t have to be difficult. Let me break it down for you with the five “moving parts” of a terrific client intake process.

The 5 Parts of a Smooth and Seamless Client Intake Process

1. Initial Contact

You have to make it really easy for potential clients to get in touch with you to let you know they’re interested in teaming up with you.

Simplify things for them by making sure your site and blog posts include:

• Links that open into blank e-mails with your address and the subject line already filled out
• Easy-to-spot links to your online scheduler so that visitors can book a session
• Application forms
• “Buy Now” and call-to-action buttons
• Your telephone number

Prepare for initial consultations by having a list of questions that you need answered in order to better understand the scope of the project and determine if this person qualifies as a good client.

2. Written Commitment

After the client makes her initial commitment, clearly communicate to her the nature of your working relationship.

In your contract or proposal, describe these four important things:

• Scope of the project
• Responsibilities of each party
• Timelines or milestones
• Payment conditions

Simplify the process for your client by using an electronic signature software like EchoSign or HelloSign.

Make sure the document is signed before you begin delivering services.

3. Payment

Collect payment (prepayment, the first installment or the entire amount) before starting on the project.

This approach ensures you get paid while also making the client feel more committed to the process of working together.

4. Internal Setup

Once the payment is received, get your client set up in your internal systems.

• Enter them into your client relationship management database (CRM) and include their website address, social media details, mailing address, birth date, and interests.
• Set up a new project in your project management system so it’s easy to communicate and deliver pieces of the project.
• Let people on your team know how they’ll be supporting this new client.
• Send a meaningful gift or note to thank the client for choosing you as their service provider.
• If the client came from a referral, make sure you acknowledge and thank them.

5. Set Your Client Up for Success

As you’re making the above arrangements on the back end, take a few moments to explain to the client how your working relationship will be structured and give them all the necessary details.

The best way to do this is by providing a Welcome Packet.

Put yourself in the shoes of your client and see what questions they may have that you can answer in your welcome packet:

• What’s going to happen?
• How are we going to work together?
• How am I going to set up meetings?
• What are the timelines/deadlines?
• How/when do I pay?
• What part of the project am I responsible for?
• What happens when/if we miss a deadline?
• What do I do if I have to cancel?
• Who can I talk to if I have questions?

Welcome Packets are as valuable to your clients as they are to you because they create transparency and strengthen boundaries.

If you’ve had sticky situations (e.g., clients didn’t show up to a meeting, missed a deadline, didn’t give you enough notice to handle something, or disappeared and then suddenly reappeared), specify how they’ll be handled and introduce penalties.

Now, if a problem surfaces, all you’ll need to do is refer back to these policies.

Clients hire you for your expertise. You need to provide them with clear guidelines so that they never feel lost or let down.

When you’re in charge and have guidelines that support their success, your clients will love you even more, talk about you non-stop, and refer others to you.

Refer to this flowchart to make your customers love you with a smooth client intake process. (Click on the image to view a larger version.)

How do you feel about the client intake process? What could use a bit more work? Let me know in the comments below.

Make Your Customers Love You With Your Client Intake Process appeared first on The Mogul Mom.

Oh, the joys of laundry.

It’s a multi-step process that never really ends — because even on the rare occasions when everything is washed, dried, folded, and put away, you just know that more dirty laundry is going to pile up almost immediately.

Website maintenance can feel a bit like doing laundry: A never-ending, thankless task that’s only noticed in its absence.

In this post, I’m going to outline four time- and sanity-saving steps you can take to keep your website up and running.

4 Ways to Keep Website Maintenance from Becoming a Dreadful Chore

Step 1: Back up your website

What would you do if your website suddenly vanished? If you have a recent (and complete) backup, even a disaster like that is reduced to a mere inconvenience. If your web host provides backups for you, make sure you find out how often those backups happen, and where the backup files are stored. You need to be able to access those files or request a site restore at any time of day or night. You may want to set up your own backup system, especially if your web host doesn’t do that for you (or doesn’t do it frequently enough).

Look for these features in a backup system:

• Automation and scheduling. You should be able to set up a regular backup schedule that will happen automatically, instead of adding “do a weekly backup” to your already-crammed to-do list.
• Ability to back up everything. This means your database, your software (including themes and plugins), and your files (including images and other media).
• Off-site storage and sending. Having a complete backup on your web server doesn’t help you at all if your entire server crashes, or your web host gets hit by a hurricane. Keeping copies on your server is fine if you’re also able to send copies to a DropBox or Amazon S3 account. Having your backups emailed to you may sound good, but is usually impractical because the files are so large.
• Notifications. Once you’ve got your regular backups scheduled, you want to be alerted if anything goes wrong with running a backup or transferring a backup file, so you can run a manual backup and get help from your backup provider.

Step 2: Update your software

One of the simplest and most cost-effective steps to protect your website is keeping it updated.

If you’re using WordPress, for instance, the software itself is constantly being tested and improved, as are your plugins and theme. Security patches are issued regularly, and it’s important to apply these to keep your site as safe as it can be.

Unlike backups, updates aren’t something you can automate (unless you have a more expensive managed hosting plan, or you subscribe to a maintenance service like my Peace of Mind Program). So you’ll need to find another way to get those updates done regularly. I suggest checking weekly for available updates. If you’re a calendar-centric person, set up a regular appointment in your schedule to do updates. And, if you hate scheduling, find a way to add website updates to something else you’re already doing on a regular basis, such as writing a blog post or (gasp) doing laundry.

Step 3: Monitor your site for downtime

Here’s a question that will keep you up at night: If your website went down, would you even know? Set up one of these free monitoring services to get notified as soon as your site goes down, so you can quickly address the problem. These services will also notify you when your site is back up.

• Pingdom has a free plan that lets you monitor one site for downtime and loading speed. You can be notified by email or text message if your site is down for even one minute.
• If you’re monitoring more than one site, UptimeRobot will monitor up to 50 sites for free. Set email notifications individually for each site.

These services won’t help you fix the problem that caused the downtime, but their notifications will arm you with the information you need to submit a trouble ticket to your web host.

Step 4: Keep crucial information handy

When (not if) you run into a website problem, or your site is down and you don’t know why, or you simply want to hire some help, you’re going to need some important login information. And you do not want to be scrambling to find this information when you’re already stressed about your website. Create a master document that has all the information you, or your troubleshooter, will need to access the various important parts of your site.

Here are some of the logins you want to keep track of:

• Website dashboard login (URL, username and password)
• FTP access to your website files (hostname, username, and password)
• Web hosting account login (URL, username and password)
• Domain name registrar account login (URL, username and password)
• Website monitoring service login (URL, username and password)
• Web hosting status URL (check with your web host to see how they communicate planned maintenance and unplanned outages with customers — you may be able to sign up for email or RSS notifications)
• Support forum login for any paid plugins, themes, or services (URL, username and password)

Following these steps should keep your website laundry from piling up too high. What are your favorite tips to maintain your website peace of mind? Share them in the comments!

About the author:
Wendy Cholbi is a Technology-to-English Translator who teaches solopreneurs to build and maintain their own websites at WendyCholbi.com. Her complete DIY guide to setting up a WordPress website is called Site Setup Kit. She lives in San Bernardino, California, with her husband, her two children, and their two cats.

4 Ways to Keep Website Maintenance from Becoming a Dreadful Chore appeared first on The Mogul Mom.

If you own a website that makes a decent amount of revenue, chances are, you’ve thought about selling it.

People sell their sites all the time for big chunks of cash, so why can’t you? In this article we’re going to cover how a website broker can help you sell your site for top dollar.

How a Broker Can Help You Sell Your Website for Top Dollar

1. So, what exactly can a website broker do for me?

Put simply, website brokers help you find buyers for the website you want to sell. They’ll work with you to prepare your website for sale and help you make the most amount of money possible.

Although this process sounds pretty simple and straightforward, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes.

During the website sales process, brokers will:

• Value your website.
• Research other websites that have sold that are similar to yours.
• Develop a marketing strategy that is specific to your website.
• Find, show, and educate potential buyers about your website.
• Negotiate between you and the potential buyer.
• Prepare all of the due diligence involved.
• Draft offers and present them to you.
• Make sure all parties are up to date on all the information
• Protect the seller’s confidentiality (if requested).
• Document the sales process.
• Assist in completing the overall sale; include fund transfers and contracts.
• Give any post-sales support that may be needed.

Walk me through the entire process when I work with a broker to sell my website

When you’re attempting to sell your website, think of the broker as your real estate agent.

As the seller, you go into an agreement with your agent to have them sell your “asset”. Just because your website isn’t a physical asset like a house or other expensive piece of property, it’s still important to get the right representation.

That’s where a website broker comes in. 

Once the broker has done all of the market research, paperwork, and has collected all the information needed to ensure that the sale of your site will attract the highest bidders, they will create a sales document (or information memorandum) to showcase your website to potential buyers. This document is used to make your website appealing to multiple buyers to ensure the highest price is offered. It usually contains the financials, traffic statistics, current revenue strategy, and a general overview of what the website does and how it works.

When a buyer receives this document and reviews it, they decide whether they are interested in purchasing it or not. If they decide they are interested, they will then sign a letter of intent, making an official offer for your website. At this point they are given the remaining information required (like bank account statements, other financials, any other data required) to make their final decision. Once the final due diligence is complete and the buyer is happy with all his research into your claims about your website, contracts will be signed from both parties to sell. You will receive your funds, and the buyer then gets full ownership of the website.

2. Why should I hire a broker to sell my website? Couldn’t I just sell it myself?

Sure, you probably could sell your website on your own.

Here are some of the reasons you might consider doing just that:

• A strategic buyer has made an offer over 3x yearly profit
• You receive an offer that is higher than the market
• You have a hassle free buyer
• You have skills (legal, sales, etc) in preparing a website for sale
• You are a master negotiator
• You have lots of free time to answer questions from potential buyers

Selling your site yourself isn’t as easy as it sounds. Hiring a broker will make the process much easier, and will help you get top dollar for your site.

Why?

Well, hiring a broker to sell your website gives you a couple of advantages – first, brokers are highly skilled in determining the right valuation (selling price) and second, they have a large network of buyers.

Plus, a website broker does this every day – it’s their job. Selling your website yourself would be kind of like you self-diagnosing an illness rather than going to a doctor. Also, working with a broker would give you access to certain marketing channels, large networks of buyers, business classified sites that require a subscription, and investment firms that a website broker has.

3. How long will it take to sell my website?

The amount of time it takes to sell a website depends on the site, the listing price, the market it’s in, how much time it requires to maintain the website, the business model and the general market conditions.

Some websites may take a week and others can take up to six months. That being said, we typically sell websites within three months of listing them. Sometimes it’s just a matter of waiting for the right buyer, whereas other times it’s about adjusting the asking price.

Buyers usually like to take some time to fully research the website and make sure they have dotted their i’s and crossed their t’s before they end up paying for it. To make the process as smooth as possible for potential buyers, the best thing to do is to have :

• All financial records organized and available
• Extracted yourself from the daily operations (in other words, reduced the “hands on” time it takes to run your website)
• A website that is trending upwards

4. What do I need to prepare to sell my website?

You’ll need to give potential buyers a clear understanding of your website, how it makes money and what it takes to run it.

You should have the following ready for your broker:

• A general overview – give a synopsis of your business
• Your business model – explain how the website makes money
• Your business operations – outline what is required to run the site on a daily, weekly and monthly basis
• Traffic – provide a summary of the website traffic
• Growth opportunities – suggest “areas of opportunity” for a new buyer to make their money back quicker
• Financials – provide at least 12 months profit and loss statements on an Excel spreadsheet

5. What would I need to fetch a higher price for my website?

To earn top dollar for your website, you should have:

• Solid earnings
• Positive growth trend
• Automated processes
• Defensible market
• Room for growth
• A strong brand
• Diversification (of revenue and traffic)
• Unique Selling Point (some type of unique asset)
• Key assets (like an email list, a premium domain, supplier contracts, etc.)
• Zero legal liabilities

6. What kind of pricing and fees should I expect when working with a broker?

Website brokers are paid a commission for selling your website successfully. If they don’t sell your website, they don’t get paid. There are usually no up-front fees, and the percentage of the commission depends on the broker. Expect an investment of 10% of the final selling price.

7. My website didn’t sell. Now what?

If your site doesn’t sell right away, that doesn’t mean that you should panic and jump ship.

Sometimes the best deals take the longest to find, so being patient can really be worth it.

One of the top reasons for a website not selling is unrealistic price expectations. Asking for more money than your site is actually worth is a good negotiating strategy. However, asking for an unreasonable price will actually deter buyers from even looking at your listing.

If your site hasn’t sold, but you still want to proceed with selling, a broker usually gives their clients an exclusive agreement that lasts 90 days. Great brokers will often provide their clients with a 30-day “out clause” that allows clients to leave and cancel the whole agreement within the first 30 days if they’re not happy with the services that the broker has provided so far.

As you can see, a website broker can help you sell your website for top dollar. A broker will help you fully prepare for the sale, set proper pricing, deal with any hassles, find buyers, and so much more. And once you have the cash in the bank after selling your website, you’ll be so happy you worked with one.

Are you interested in selling your website? Jock is offering a free website valuation for The Mogul Mom readers. Click here to get yours!

About The Author

Jock Purtle is a senior website broker at Broker Corp. He helps find buyers for the websites you want to sell. If you’re interested in selling your website, he’s offering a free website valuation for The Mogul Mom readers. 

How a Broker Can Help You Sell Your Website for Top Dollar appeared first on The Mogul Mom.

Now that your 2012 taxes are history, it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief. Another tax day has come and gone. And if you’re self-employed and operating as a sole proprietorship or a partnership, you dutifully filled out your Schedule SE and paid your self-employment taxes. I bet it made you wonder where all your hard-earned money went.

Maybe you’ve heard that you can lower your taxes by incorporating a business or forming an LLC and electing to be taxed as an S Corporation. The end of one tax season is the perfect time to evaluate what’s next for your business and make any necessary changes so you’ll be ready when next year’s tax day rolls around. And if you’re considering starting a business this year, you now have the opportunity to create a legal business structure right from the start.

Here are two questions to ask yourself – and answer – to see if you should incorporate now.

Should You Incorporate Now? Two Questions You Need to Answer

1. Are you looking to reduce your self-employment taxes?

The S Corporation and LLC are popular business structures for small businesses, partnerships, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.

Both entities let you “pass through” your taxes, meaning the company itself doesn’t pay taxes, but profits and losses are passed on to your personal tax return. Maybe that sounds like how it works with a sole proprietorship and a partnership, but there’s one essential difference.

Sole proprietors report their business income on a Schedule C and pay self-employment taxes; partners in a partnership report their income on Form K-1 and pay self-employment taxes on their share of the income. As an S Corporation (or LLC taxed as an S Corporation), you’re able to split your profits into two payment types: salary and S Corp distributions.

You pay social security/Medicare tax (the employer’s version of self-employment tax) only on the salary portion. Meaning, if your business made $75,000 in profit, you can pay yourself $50,000 in salary and $25,000 in distributions. You’ll only need to pay the social security tax on the $50,000 in salary.

However, you can’t be sneaky and pay yourself $5,000 in salary and $70,000 in distributions. The IRS requires you pay yourself a “fair and reasonable” salary and they do watch this closely. This means you’ll need to pay yourself a fair market rate for whatever services you provide to the company. Yet even with this, in many cases, small business owners can significantly reduce their self-employment taxes by setting up as a corporation or LLC. Bear in mind that every business has a unique financial situation and it’s always wise to consult with a tax advisor or CPA on your own situation.

2. Do you want to protect your personal assets?

In addition to giving you the opportunity to save money on taxes, incorporating or forming an LLC for your business has the important job of protecting your personal assets.

When you’re a sole proprietorship or general partnership, your own personal savings and property are at risk to settle any debts of the business. Once your business becomes a Corporation or LLC, it exists as a separate legal entity. That helps to form a shield or barrier between your own personal assets and the assets of your business. You get important peace of mind that your retirement savings won’t be wiped out if something happens with your business.

Act Now for 2013

Running your own business is one of the most exciting and empowering things you can do. Just make sure to invest some time in getting your legal structure squared away and your business will be safe and set for many tax days in the future.

Nellie Akalp is a passionate entrepreneur, small business advocate and mother of four. As CEO of CorpNet.com, a legal document filing service, Nellie helps entrepreneurs start a business, Incorporate, Form an LLC, or set up Sole Proprietorships (DBAs) for a new or existing business.

Should You Incorporate Now? Two Questions You Need to Answer appeared first on The Mogul Mom.

The great part about social media is the obvious…it’s social. It’s a two-way street of communication.

Social media a place for you to connect with others no matter how many miles lie between you. A place where a small business can spread the word about its products and services to a large audience with little to no money.

Here’s a tip: Anything you do on social media will be better if you are actually social.

This means you can’t create a website and think people will simply find you. You cannot join Twitter and only tweet out your own updates or new posts. You can’t hang out on Facebook and only react to replies. Social media means you must be social, you must get out there, find friends, find supporters and find your village to help you grow your business. With all this said, still there are some of us who are shy or would rather “do it alone.”

If you find social media a tad intimidating, scary and would rather just stay in your own little cocoon, read on. With some simple tips, you will soon find your spot online and will become a social media butterfly.

Here are four ways to break out of that cocoon and fly on social media

1. Commenting on Blogs

One of the best ways to grow a following on your own blog is to go spend time on other blogs. Reading, commenting and sharing blog posts will help the owner of that blog and other readers, get to know you. Make your comments genuine, add to the conversation and be consistent.

Challenge: Choose five blogs that you are going to comment on each week. Sign up for their RSS feed or newsletter and when a new posts is published, go and comment!

Showing support to others will come back to you. Social media is truly a “you get what you give” type of tool.

2. Guest Posting to Spread Your Wings

Guest posting on other blogs is a wonderful way to get in front of a new audience and show your expert status.

Challenge: Choose 20 blogs that you love to read or those that you see others reading and sharing, to guest post on. Choose sites where your audience or customers hang out. Be sure that you are familiar with the types of blog posts the site or blog runs.

Look at their Contact page and see if they mention that they take guest posts. Try to have one guest post running each month. Note: Just because you haven’t seen a guest post on a blog does not mean they don’t allow them. Simply send them a quick email asking if they accept guest posts, along with a short description of your article. Below is some swipe copy to use:

Dear (name), <<– always try to find out the blog owners name when writing to them

My name is Sarah Burns and I’m the owner of TadahSocialMedia.com. I was reading your blog (enter blog name) and love the content. I’m writing to see if you accept guest posts and if so would be interested in the following:

Today’s mom entrepreneurs have a lot going on between conference calls – from kissing boo-boos, to helping with home work, to running the school fundraiser. With such busy schedules, social media marketing can take a back seat. In this guest post I’ll share five ways that mom entrepreneurs can use online scheduling tools to help manage their social media.

If this post sounds like a fit for (enter name of blog), please let me know. I look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,

Sarah Burns
TadahSocialMedia.com

3. Fly on Twitter

Do you ever go on Twitter and feel like you are talking to yourself? I bet so. It happens to all of us. The best way to not feel isolated in the giant twitter stream is to @ reply people. I see it time and time again, so many people say they feel like Twitter is a waste of time. They have things scheduled on Twitter using HootSuite or Buffer, they have all of their posts automatically shared on Twitter and they think, it’s just not working.

Much like blogs, commenting (@ replying) or retweeting other peoples stuff will help you feel like you are actually an active participant on Twitter and will gain you results. Create a list of people that you want to further connect with on Twitter. You can add them to a public or private Twitter list.

The next time you go to hang out on Twitter, look at that saved list and read their tweets. Reply to them and get a fun conversation going. Retweet those tweets that you think your audience will love. Interacting on Twitter will gain you new followers and will have you liking this great lead-generating tool.

4. The Facebook Challenge

Have you guessed it yet? Yup, Facebook is another tool where you get what you give. Here’s the Facebook challenge…. Many people are super good at being on Facebook as their personal page. They share updates about life, their kids and cool reads or even funny photos. But when it comes to their page they get a case of the “bussiness-itus” this means they feel like they have to be all business on their Facebook page. Not so.

For the Facebook challenge, I challenge you to hang out on Facebook for one week only logged in as your Facebook page. This means you’ll peruse other Facebook pages and comment on their photos, give them likes and share things all as your page. Be you – that same you when you use your personal page on Facebook.

I bet that soon your audience will get to know the real you, not just that “business-y” you and they’ll connect with you on another level.

Remember, it’s easy really, just be you

The bottom line is that being on social media can seem daunting. But throw away the notion that you need to be “all business” and soon your following, twitter stream, and Facebook updates will be hopping and soon you will be a social media butterfly.

Photo credit: rosemary* / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

How to Be a Social Media Butterfly, When You’d Rather Stay in Your Cocoon appeared first on The Mogul Mom.

For many moms, a home-based business offers the smartest balance between work and family.

Running a business from your basement, guest room, or dining room table is a great way to keep your overhead costs down…and gives you the freedom to be home with the kids.

And while starting a business in your home is relatively simple, there are a few legal matters to consider to make sure your home-based business is legit.

Start A Business: 6 Legal Steps To Take

1. Choose a business name

Even if you’re just a solo freelancer, it can be a good idea to create an identity for your business that’s separate from yourself. Once you’ve brainstormed and picked a great business name, you’ll want to make sure it’s legally available (because trust me, you don’t want to be on the wrong end of a trademark dispute!).

To see is a business name is available, you can run a free trademark search to see if someone has already filed a trademark for your name. You can also check with your state’s Secretary of State database to see if the name you want to use is already registered by someone else.

2. Choose your business structure

The simplest way to structure a business that you run yourself is to operate as a sole proprietor; this is the default (if you don’t officially form a business structure, you’re a sole prop). However, a sole proprietorship doesn’t separate your personal and business finances – so if your business is sued or can’t pay its debts, your persona assets will most likely be on the hook.

Forming an LLC or corporation for your home-based startup will protect your personal assets (such as your savings and personal property) from any liabilities of the company. The LLC is a great option for small home businesses that want legal protection without a lot of paperwork and legal red tape. However, it’s smart to consult with a tax advisor or accountant to see what structure is best for your business.

If you’re not ready to plunge into a formal business structure, remember that you still need to register your name with the state (if you’re going to be doing business with a business name that’s different than your own name). This simple step is known as filing a DBA (Doing Business As or Fictitious Business Name). By filing a DBA, you’ll be legally able to use a business name. And best of all, it ensures that no one else can use your business name in your state.

3. Get a Tax ID Number

When you’re running a business, you’re not going to want to give out your social security number to every client or vendor you work with.

For this reason, you should get a Federal Tax Identification Number, also referred to as an Employer Identification Number. This step is mandatory if your business will have any employees (but again, it’s smart practice for solo businesses too). A Tax ID number is issued by the IRS; it’s free and simple to do. Click here to learn more and get started.

4. Set up a business checking account

It’s important to keep your business finances separate from your personal accounts.

Once you have obtained your Tax ID number for the business, you should open a business checking account. You’ll appear more professional when you write checks from your business versus your personal account, and you will be able to accept payments in your business name. In addition, having a separate business account will streamline your bookkeeping, making it easier to understand your business’ cash flow on a monthly basis.

5. Check if you need any local permits

Depending on your business type and where you live, you may need to get a business license or permit from the state, county, town, or even federal level. It’s best to get the proper licenses from the start rather than dealing with back payments and penalties. You can find out what kind of permits you might need by visiting Business.gov and entering your Zip Code and type of business you’ll be starting.

In addition, it’s a good idea get to know the local zoning laws. If you’re a solo consultant or freelancer, there probably won’t be a problem. However, there can be restrictions against running a daycare center or having employees in your house. Check with your local zoning board to make sure that your planned business can be legally operated in your home.

6. Don’t forget your home office deductions

If you’re using any part of your home “exclusively for business purposes,” you’re able to deduct this use from your taxes.

If you’re operating as a sole proprietor, you can deduct certain home expenses based on the percentage of your home that is used for business purposes. For example, if your business uses a spare room in your house that’s 200 sq ft. and your home is 2,000 sq. ft. total, then you can write off 10% of certain home expenses (such as your rent/mortgage and utilities).

If you formed an LLC or Corporation, then the corp/LLC can reimburse you for the home office costs on a monthly basis under an accountable expense reimbursement plan. This becomes a deductible business expense for the corporation. Talking to an accountant will be the easiest way to figure out the most favorable solution here.

Start off smart

When you start a business, it’s an exciting time and no doubt, you want to get started as quickly as possible. However, take some time to lay down the legal groundwork so you can avoid any pitfalls down the road. Being “legit from the start” is the best way to ensure long-term success.

Nellie Akalp is a passionate entrepreneur, small business advocate and mother of four. As CEO of CorpNet, a legal document filing service, Nellie helps entrepreneurs start a business, incorporate, form an LLC or set up Sole Proprietorships (DBAs) for a new or existing business. 

Start A Business: 6 Legal Steps to Take appeared first on The Mogul Mom.

A gym membership to improve your health, a coffee pot to save you money by brewing at home instead of daily trips to Starbucks, or an eco-friendly car that’ll carry you where you need to go and be good to the environment.

These are all expenses that reflect your personal goals and priorities.

But does your small business spending reflect your business goals and priorities?

And if not, what can you do to create and balance a business budget that ensures you’re getting the best return on investment for the money you put into your small business?

3 Steps to Building a Business Budget That Works

1. Know Where Your Money Goes

Before you can make adjustments to your business spending (and thus your business priorities) you need to know where your money is going.

Plug your business finances into an online tool like Outright. Outright requires minimal to no data entry and will give you a visual pie graph of your spending by vendor or by category so you can make determinations at a glance.

For example, does the office supplies chunk of your spending pie look suspiciously large? It might be time to reevaluate whether you need all those paperclips.

The days of small business owners being tied to a desk are long over, so it’s equally important to be able to access your financial data from anywhere.  Outright has a nifty app that lets you stay on top of your business finances no matter where you are.

Many banks also offer handy apps so you can access your financial information from your mobile phone or tablet. But even if your bank is a little behind technologically, you can sync your finances with an app like Mint for a snapshot of your finances at a glance.

2. Maximize the Money Coming In

Your second step to getting your spending priorities in order is to ensure that you are actually collecting all the money you are owed. For the less administratively inclined small business owner, simply keeping up with the money coming in  (or not coming in) can be a real headache.

It’s easy to lose track of an invoice you sent out by mail or email. Use a time tracking and invoice management tool like Freshbooks or Harvest to keep up with the time you spend working for clients so you can send accurate invoices. With these tools, you can even see at a glance how much money you have outstanding.

And be sure to accept payments the way your customers want to pay: electronically, preferably via credit card. Not only is paying with credit more convenient for your customers, but you also then have record of the payment and the funds hit your bank faster, too.

Check out WePay to invoice and accept payments all in one place. They even have a widget you can embed in your website to allow customers to pay instantly with their credit cards – no sign up required.

And finally, if you notice a client hasn’t paid yet, don’t spend time tearing your hair out trying to track them down. Let a service like ZenCash do it for you. They track down non-payers and will even institute the collections process should it come to that. Better yet for your business budget, ZenCash accounts are free while the service is still in beta.

3. Examine Your Spending… With a Sharp Knife

I don’t mean literally examine your bank statement with a cutting implement, but be ready to make cuts… and even to plump up spending in some areas.

Ask yourself:

1. Am I spending money in areas that will give me a return on my investment? – Money spent on behind the scenes purchases like cute office supplies and decorations for the home office that no client ever visits could often be better spent elsewhere. Try re-allocating some of those funds to buying advertising or attending networking events with your potential clients.
2. Am I paying too much for something that should be free (or very cheap)?– OpenOffice is a free and open source version of the Microsoft Office Suite. Gimp is a robust yet free photo editor that performs many of the functions that small businesses need. WePay can virtually take the place of an expensive merchant account and terminal rental. The bottom line is that with today’s technology many companies are finding a better, cheaper ways to offer business services. Be sure you aren’t paying for something that your competitors are getting for free!
3. Where do I need to spend more money?– As crazy as it might sound to the bootstrapping small business owner who’s always watched every penny like a hawk, it may be time to spend more. For example, perhaps buying in bulk could give you the price break you need to make the products you sell on eBay more profitable. Or maybe hiring a contractor to take are of some of your day-to-day tasks could free you up to win more clients. After you’ve cut your spending elsewhere, determine if there’s an expenditure out there that could help your business succeed.

As a small business owner, you have the freedom to change quickly with the times. Following a budget and knowing how you’re spending can mean the difference between soaring ahead of the competition or sinking.

Do you follow a small business budget? How do you keep it in check?

I am blogging on behalf of Visa Business and received compensation for my time from Visa for sharing my views in this post, but the views expressed here are solely mine, not Visa’s. Visit Visa’s reinvented Facebook Page: Well Sourced by Visa Business. The page offers small business owners a place where they can find educational resources, read success stories from other business owners, engage with peers, and find tips to help businesses run more efficiently. Every month, the page introduces a new theme that focuses on a topic important to a small business owner’s success. For additional tips and advice, and information about Visa’s small business solutions, follow @VisaSmallBiz and visit http://visa.com/business.

3 Steps to Building a Business Budget That Works appeared first on The Mogul Mom.