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50 Surefire Business Card Tips
Business cards are one of the most powerful and inexpensive marketing tools you can use. Here are 50 surefire tips to make the most out of your business cards:
Your business card must communicate more than just your contact...
Barriers to effective planning
Communication policy essential for the growing SME This is a summary of a talk given by Martin Kuhne of Ibis Associates in Bremen to an audience of small business advisors in September 2004. Background One of the most serious barriers that a...
Generating Publicity: Will The Media Be Interested In My Product/Business?
When it comes to launching a new business or product, some marketing consultants might say that EVERY product is appropriate for a publicity or media exposure campaign. That is true to a degree, but as a PR/publicity professional and former...
Publicity: Utilizing a Press Release Effectively
Publicity is valuable to the livelihood of a business. Yet, some business owners hesitate to market their company through a press release. Instead, they rely on 'word-of-mouth'. But if your market is in the virtual marketplace, word-of-mouth...
Why Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses Should
As the owner or an employee of a small- to medium-sized business, you might have never thought about media monitoring. Maybe you are not even sure what exactly is meant by this and have thus ignored it so far. But you should take some time to get...
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Free Information for New Business Owners
OK. So you're ready to start your own business...be your own boss...or are you? If you still have questions, below is a list of places offering free information that can assist you. Consult phone books and web sites for local information. Remember to ask about any mailing lists, classes they offer, or additional contacts that would be helpful for you to add to this list. Enjoy this list as a guide as you "plant the seeds" for your new venture and enjoy the networking opportunities.
1. Federal Agencies
~U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) o Web site www.sba.gov o Toll Free: (800)U-ASK-SBA. o Request any free information and an order form for other publications. o Web site also has templates and sample Business Plans.
~Internal Revenue Service (IRS) o Web site www.irs.treas.gov/prod/bus_info/sm_bus o Toll Free: (800) 829 - 3676. o Business Kit Publication # 454 includes an Employee Tax ID Form. o STEP (Small Business Tax Education Program) Publication # 1057, contains information on Business Tax Classes given in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam. o Tell them what type of corporation you are thinking of becoming, how many employees, etc., so that they can send you other free, helpful publications.
~Census Department Consumer o Web site www.census.gov o Call Customer Service at (301) 457 - 4100. o Your source for social, demographic and economic information.
~Consumer Information Center o Web site: www.pueblo.gsa.gov o Toll free (888) 878 - 3256. o Order a Consumer's Resource Handbook. o View their Small Business brochures on line.
2. State Agencies ~Attorney General's Office US, National Organization site: www.naag.org/about/ag1.cfm ~Secretary of State and State Department of Revenue. ~Small Business Technology Development Center: www.businessfinance.com/business-information.asp ~Rural Business Development Center. ~Service Corps of Retired Executives SCORE http://www.score.org/, 800/634-0245 ~Cooperative Extension Service Offices.
3. County ~Business Development Offices. ~Small Business Incubators National site: www.nbia.org ~Colleges for Small Business Centers, Continuing Education Classes, Business Seminars, Meetings.
4. City/Town ~Chamber of Commerce (search using your city and county name). ~Professional Groups - check phone books, too. ~Develop a
relationship with a Banker. ~Interview CPA's Use this "Tips for Hiring a CPA" as a guide. www.coachmaria.com/articles/cpa.html ~Locate a Lawyer and start to develop a relationship. ~Check local newspapers for organizations to join or volunteer to be a speaker.
5. The Internet ~Search the WEB using a variety of search engines or directories such as: http://yahoo.com/ ~~ www.excite.com/ www.google.com/ ~~ www.altavista.com/ www.lycos.com/ ~~ ~Use the WEB to search for former colleagues and others to let them know about your business. www.switchboard.com, www.infospace.com, www.four11.com, www.classmates.com, are a few sites with phone and e- mail directories. ~Join an e-mail list, newsgroup or business newsletters www.topica.com/, http://yahoogroups.com, www.smartgroups.com
6. Bookstores ~Bookstores give you a variety of great ideas. ~Search the web for bookstores. www.amazon.com/, www.bn.com/ are just two of many online bookstores.
7. Libraries ~Many libraries have at least one free computer for patrons to use. ~Ask the Librarians for information or advice. ~Tell them about your business. Remember, people ask them for advice, too! ~Check bulletin boards for information. They're a great place to put your business card or brochure.
8. Friends ~If you do not tell the people you know you're looking for information or referrals, then they'll never know.... ya know!!!
9. Family Members ~Let everyone in your family know you're starting a business... and watch all the free advice come in!
10. Other Business Owners ~Contact other business owners that you know. Do I hear lunch anyone? ~Ask for advice, referrals, and their business cards. ~Start a referral book of local business owners. ~Don't forget to contact owners who do the same work as you, but who work in a different state/region/county. After all, since they aren't the competition , they maybe more willing share their secrets of success with you!! ~For encouragement, to keep focused, to bounce ideas off of, etc., hire a coach!
About the Author
© Copyright 2001 All Rights Reserved. Maria Marsala, Business & Life Coach-Consultant. Maria works with individuals as they design, start and grow their business or career around what they love to do. Visit http://www.CoachMaria.com to subscribe to "Growing You and Your Business" a free weekly online newsletter.
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PR.com: Directory of Businesses Jobs Press Releases Products ... |
Comprehensive Directory of Businesses, Jobs, Products, Services, Press Releases, News, & Articles in all Industries. Promote your business. FREE. |
www.pr.com |
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PR Newswire - news distribution, targeting and monitoring |
News and press release distribution services for small business marketing, corporate public relations and investor relations, government and organizational ... |
www.prnewswire.com |
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PR Week Magazine |
News and features about the public relations industry, with links to US, UK, Asian, and German editions. |
www.prweek.com |
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Public relations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Public relations (PR) is the art of managing communication between an organization and its ... PR historians say the first PR firm, the Publicity Bureau, ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Puerto Rico - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Hyperlinked encyclopedia article covers the country's history, government and politics, geography, economy, demographics, language and culture. |
en.wikipedia.org |
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The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) |
Largest professional organization of public relations specialists representing business, consulting firms, government, associations, schools, ... |
www.prsa.org |
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CIA - The World Factbook -- Puerto Rico |
Profile of Puerto Rico by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). |
https: |
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Center for Media and Democracy - Publishers of PR Watch |
A nonprofit, public interest organization dedicated to investigative reporting on the public relations industry. |
www.prwatch.org |
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Puerto Rico Vacations | Puerto Rico Tourism Company | Puerto Rico ... |
Puerto Rico Tourism Company Official site includes nightlife, area sports, culture, and travel information. |
www.gotopuertorico.com |
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PR: See what people are saying right now on Technorati |
See all blog posts tagged with pr on Technorati. ... This page shows everything that has been tagged with pr. To contribute to this page include this code ... |
www.technorati.com |
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Edelman |
Full service global public relations firm. Includes company profile, management team, practice areas, industries served, case histories, client listings, ... |
www.edelman.com |
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LEWIS PR - global public relations |
LEWIS PR is a global public relations consultancy working with leading and emerging brands and delivering predictable results tied tightly to client goals. |
www.lewispr.com |
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IANA | .pr - Puerto Rico |
University of Puerto Rico Gauss Laboratory Facundo Bueso Building Office 265 ... Puerto Rico Email: tech@uprr.pr Voice: +787 765 3263 Fax: +787 754 0757 ... |
www.iana.org |
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Online Public Relations Home Page |
Free online resource for public relations professionals. |
www.online-pr.com |
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Chartered Institute of Public Relations, CIPR, the professional ... |
The CIPR is the professional body for the UK public relations industry, providing PR training and events, PR news and research, and a PR jobs board. |
www.ipr.org.uk |
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PR News Online — Trusted Source for Public Relations News, PR ... |
The latest news on public relations delivered FREE right to your inbox. ... Psycho-Geometrics Help You Know What 'Shape' Your PR Team's Personality Is In ... |
www.prnewsonline.com |
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O'Dwyer's Public Relations News - odwyerpr.com |
Features breaking news about the public relations industry, a database of PR firms, listing of PR service firms, client search tool and job postings. |
www.odwyerpr.com |
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PR News Online — Trusted Source for Public Relations News, PR ... |
E-letter. The latest news on public relations delivered FREE right to your inbox. ... Share ideas with your peers in PR News' just-launched Forum ... |
www.prandmarketing.com |
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Linux PR: |
Comprehensive Press Release and Public Relations resource for the Linux community. |
www.linuxpr.com |
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Escape to Puerto Rico - Your Internet Guide to Puerto Rico |
Internet guide to everything Puerto Rico. Offers lots of photos, accommodations and travel information from around the Island. |
escape.topuertorico.com |
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