How to Think About and Write Your Business Plan

In this interview with Dave Lavinsky, of BusinessPlanVictory.com, we discuss the ins-and-outs of writing a business plan. We also cover many of the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make when writing their business plan.

If you have the good fortune to get your plan in front of a high powered investor or banker, don't screw it up! It just takes one little mistake to disqualify you...

Don't be a casualty... listen to this interview and prepare your business plan the right way, the first time!

Including:

• Who needs a business plan, and who doesn't. (Learn what kind of business plan you should build - for YOUR business needs.)
• How to simplify the process of writing your plan. Most people spend weeks writing their plan, but you can write it in just a couple days.
• The NUMBER 1, MOST IMPORTANT THING to keep in mind when writing your business plan.
• The tools and techniques you can use for researching your plan, writing your plan, and getting it out into the world.
• How to strike the perfect balance between past accomplishments and current opportunity. (And what to do if you don't have past accomplishments to brag on...)
• How to get your plan in front of investors who will give you money.

And so much more!

You can listen to this interview right from here, or download it to your computer.

Common Business Plan Mistakes with Dave Lavinsky (1 hour 14 minutes)

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Dave's business plan template has helped entrepreneurs raise over $1 BILLION in funding!

I've arranged a very special discount, only for my listeners. For a short time, get the $97 business plan template product for just $1. Click here for details:

Business Plan Victory.com.

The Principles and Mindset of Launching a Successful New Business - with a senior ambassador from SCORE - the government-funded non-profit helping entrepreneurs with business startup.

In this interview with SCORE's Carl Woodard, we cover the principles of launching a new business from scratch, including:

• How to discover a potentially profitable market, and what criteria should be considered before running with any idea you may have for a business
• What one thing you should do prior to writing a business plan
• How to greatly increase your odds of startup success
• What financeers and banks expect from a business plan, and which ones they actually fund!
• Are you going to be a good entrepreneur? Learn the skills and traits that most successful entrepreneurs possess.
• The 3 most important areas of knowledge you must have to run a business.
• How bank finance managers choose what business to fund, and which ones to ditch. (HINT: It is NOT necessarily the one with the 100 page business plan...)
• How much money you should raise prior to beginning serious operation.
• How to get help writing your business plan, funding your company, researching your market, and more.
• How to hire your team - an important lesson that every entrepreneur who wants success needs to learn.

Carl Woodard is a wealth of small business knowledge. This interview is worth hundreds of dollars of value - yours for free today.

Business Victory Club members receive valuable interviews like this on a regular basis, along with a weekly business building lesson. Learn more about the business victory club here.

You can listen to this interview right from here, or download it to your computer.

Launching a Successful Business with SCORE's Carl Woodard (1 hour 18 minutes)

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Members of my Business Victory Club get a 52-week, step-by-step business startup lesson series, and learn how to beat the odds when starting their business.

Includes a step-by-step process to research your market and write a business plan.

To learn more about Business Victory Club, click here.

This interview is with SEO expert Jeremy Hermanns.

Jeremy is a search engine specialist, certified Google Advertising Professional, and Yahoo Advertising Ambassador. He has previously worked for Yahoo, and some of the most prestigious SEO consulting firms in the world. Over the years, he has worked with clients like Dell, Sony, Edmunds, Amazon, PriceGrabber, General Motors, and Expedia, and a whole lot more.

Here are a few things you'll learn about SEO in this interview:

• Why SEO is the #1 profit channel for most Websites - even if they don't make money directly through the Website
• Exactly what areas you should focus on to drive more traffic to your Website, in the exact order that you should follow
• The SEO "Trump Card" and how to kill your competition, even if your Websites are identical
• The technical concepts that you need to understand to effectively SEO your site
• How to take advantage of the "hockey stick" effect of driving traffic to your site.
• Why you need to be on the first page - or you're losing the war
• The secrets of keyword targeting, keyword density, and what free tools you can use to do your keyword research
• What types of Website "tricks" to avoid - at all costs - if you want any meaningful amount of free search engine traffic
• The secret of getting other sites on the Internet to link back to you - something you're probably already doing (just not quite right)
• And a WHOLE lot more!

You can listen to this interview right from here, or download it to your computer:

How to Maximize Your Website Visitors Using Search Engine Optimization (53:11)

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Click here to get your free SEOiQ report from Jeremy Hermanns website:

SEO Intelligence

(If you decide to use the SEO Intelligence website, be sure to enter the discount code mentioned at the end of the audio interview.)

If you have a Website and you are interested in getting more free search engine traffic, then pay close attention to these videos.

Today, you'll see a professional SEO review 3 REAL Websites. Watch as Jeremy Hermanns describes the exact steps that must be taken to drive more traffic (potential customers) to these Websites.

Use the knowledge on your own Website, and you too can soon be ranking near the top of the search results in Google. It's not rocket science - but pay close attention and you'll gain tremendous value that can make you money.

Jeremy never charges less than $150 for a review like you're about to see. (So these 3 free videos are worth $450 in real value.)

All 3 Websites came from people on my email list - If your Website was one of the 3 chosen for the review, consider yourself extremely lucky!

Enjoy!

Video 1 of 3

Video 2 of 3

Video 3 of 3

Do you have a website? Do you want an avalanche of free traffic from Google and other search engines?

I need two websites who want a free critique from a Search Engine Optimization expert. Add a comment below to enter the drawing.

If your website is chosen, you'll discover simple strategies you can implement immediately to bring more free Google traffic to your website. To be considered, just leave a comment below with your name, email, url, about your business, and why you want to get more visitors to your website. At noon tomorrow (2/5/09) I will choose two winners for the free SEO critique. 

The SEO expert and myself will review the winning websites, and I will create a screen capture video of the interview. Then, I'll post the video on this blog for everybody on the list to see. That way, 2 people will have specific, actionable advice to improve their Google rankings, and the rest of us learn by example! 

If you are interested, please note the following:

• Your name, website url and content WILL be made public (but not your private contact info - they can find that on your site). If you're in business... this shouldn't be a problem! But if you have some kind of privacy issue please don't apply.
  
• You won't talk directly to this expert... His time is extremely valuable (he charges $150 for a 15 minute consultation) and this excercise is for the benefit of everybody who reads this blog. If you have specific questions after the video is posted, I will forward them on your behalf.
  

To enter the drawing, just scroll to the bottom of this page and enter a comment with your name, email, url, about your business, and why you want to get more visitors to your website. Enter by tomorrow at noon (2/5/09) to enter the drawing.

Here's more info: 

Tomorrow, I will be interviewing one of the Internet's foremost experts on SEO. Nearly every business these days has a website, and who doesn't need more traffic? So, I thought it would be a good idea to interview an SEO expert so we could all learn more about raising our website position in Google and other search engines. And then, as long as I've got this guy on the phone... I thought it would be cool to do a live SEO review for a couple of people on my list.

We will all benefit from the insight these reviews will reveal. This gentleman charges $150 just to take a 15 minute look at a website - and he could be looking at yours - and making recommendations for free.

Once I have a chance to edit the interview and create the screen capture video, I'll post everything up on this blog for you to see. If you're not on my notification list, just enter your name and email address into the form on the top right of this page.

Looking forward to helping a couple of you out!

Travis

It was 11 years ago when I published my first Article on the Internet. It was a niche topic for a website catering to hard-core programmers.

It was the turning point of my professional career. It was the moment that others started taking me seriously. Whenever anyone looked my name up on the search engines, all of a sudden hundreds of results would come back from different outlets that had syndicated the article.

I landed a couple of jobs just because of that one article. I mean, I worked hard to become a good programmer, but around the turn of the century, there were many good programmers out of work… (And they had prestigious degrees, my only degree is from the school of hard knocks) that article was the competitive difference I needed to push me ahead of the others…

To this day, 11 years later, that article still comes up in the search results when you Google my name. It’s amazing for me to think that something I did so long ago would have continued to have such an impact on my life…. So many years later.

Then, in 2003, I paid $800 dollars to syndicate a Press Release when I started a company called RideOnTime. At the time, I remember thinking… “This is a hell of a lot of money just to tell a few folks on the Internet that I’m starting a new company with a few friends…” But the effects of that Press Release still benefit me today. I’ve had the craziest things happen since that Press Release went out…

Prior to syndicating the Release, I was “a decent programmer”. That Press Release was published on news, transportation and technology press sites all over the Internet. All of a sudden, I was “a businessman” – a Chief Technology Officer – a respected and senior ranking person, in the press for what I accomplished.

Weird things started to happen to me. One day a man called me out of the blue and remarked that I “was all over the Internet”, and asked if he could invest in any of my companies … I didn’t know what to say… so I said “no”. (I often wonder what would have happened had I said “yes” instead). Then, my daughter’s mother took me back to court for more child support because, now that I was a “Chief Technology Offer”, I must be making more money! Lol. I was still the same, broke dude that I was before!

That press release is also still in the search results for my name. If you Google ‘travis giggy rideontime’ you can see lots of stuff hanging around. That was 5 years ago…

I could relate more stories about publishing on the Internet, because I’ve found it to be one of the more important activities that I can do. But I think you get the point!

The bottom line is, that, my career has benefited by the small amount of writing that I have done. The simple fact that you are here, reading this letter, is proof enough of the power of writing. The benefits are many…

The Benefits of Being a Writer

Authority

The number one benefit of being a published writer is that, simply… once you publish a work of your own writing; now you are an author. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word author?

For many people, the first thing is a single word thought – authority. A published author gains respect and authority for their subject matter. And what advantages does authority give you? How about this for a start:

• Your reputation will precede you. The first impression a person has determines the lifetime of how you interact. When you walk into the room as a known authority, you have the upper hand, the power, the attention of your audience. You make a first impression within 3 seconds of your first meeting - if you walk in the door as a “known authority”, and then there is a much better chance that first impression will be a good one.
• Increased competitiveness. If a potential client must opt between someone who is a published author, a well-known authority in the field, and somebody without those credentials… who do you think they are going to choose? It’s a no-brainer!
• Increased credibility. Authority = credibility. Few people will differ on your viewpoint if you are an authority on the subject. Another person must respect your viewpoints, even if they don't agree.
• Higher fees. If you provide a service (like a consultant, coach, graphic artist, doctor, therapist, financial advisor, accountant, or other service professional), a history of published materials gives you license to charge higher rates. It all comes because of credibility. Many people want to work with “the best of the best”, and are more than willing (it even makes them feel better) to pay top dollar for the peace-of-mind that an expert brings. If you are a published professional, your rates should be higher than everyone else.

That’s just a start. I’ll go over the benefits of being a published author in more detail in a future post, but I think you are starting to get my point!

Business Collateral

A large part of being in business for yourself is the interface with clients. Every business has clients. Every business must communicate with those clients in one form or another. If you’re like most businesses, you have to have a LOT of material to put in front of your clients. Here is a brief list of things you might need to write down before you can get your business started:

• Web site
• Ads
• Flyers / brochures
• Proposals and Quotes
• Presentations
• Position papers
• Customer support emails
• Autoresponder emails
• Newsletter
• Client follow-up
• Repeat business
• Referral requests
• Internal communication, manuals, project planning, etc...

Once again, this is a brief list of items. By no means is it comprehensive.

The bottom line is – to be in business, you must be a writer. And if you are smart, you’ll become a published writer – an author. And Internet publishing means you get the SEO benefits…

Search Engines Optimization (SEO)

Publishing yourself on the Internet is a great idea. Just imagine the impression it makes when somebody Google's your name or business and sees thousands of websites have published your Articles and Press Releases…

Plus, every time you publish an article or press release on the Internet, it should include links back to your web site. Each link that points to your web site, in Google’s eyes, counts as a “vote” for your site. The more “votes” you have, compared to your online competitors, the more likely you are to appear at the top of the search results.

Being at the top of the search results means free traffic, more customers, and more money. It can get complicated, but the basics are easy– it’s not Rocket Science… and I will teach you more soon… (If you follow a few simple best practices, you’ll be ahead of 95% of the sites on the Net.)

I’ll go over the specifics of Search Engine Optimization in much more detail soon.

(Off topic: Next week, I will interview one of the foremost experts on the Internet when it comes to SEO. That recording will be available shortly thereafter…)

In Summary…

Becoming a writer is not for everyone. Some people find it tedious and boring. Some people never took the time to learn grammar (not really needed to become a writer, but it helps with confidence and readability). But, and I stress this BUT – if you’re an entrepreneur, and you want to be successful in business… you must be able to communicate in writing. And if you publish yourself, it’s like a catapult to the top ranks of respect, authority, credibility, and puts you on the fast track to success.

Writing opens doors that would never have presented themselves otherwise. I can attest to this fact personally. My next several posts are going to be on this topic, because it is very very important, and I want to drive it home.

I’ll be giving you some hints and tips on becoming a better writer – and then I’ll show you the most powerful method in the world to get published all over the Internet, just like I have had the luck and luxury of being.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts about the subject. Also, if I could show you a way to get published on thousands of websites, all over the Internet, month after month, and reap the rewards of all that comes with it… would you be interested in learning? If you have thoughts on this topic, just leave a comment below.

Looking forward to next time,

Travis

Travis,

I read your blog entry regarding StubHub.

I was interested to see you mentioned vacation spots as an example of a possible application. I've thought about that aspect for a while. My idea focuses on Timeshare. It seems there are numerous sites that ask for fees up-front without delivering. As a timeshare owner myself, I'd love a place that is well publicized where I could post my timeshare, like I've done with my Chicago Bears tix on StubHub.

Trouble is, I haven't the first idea how to get started. Where can I learn about the basics of starting such a venture?

Thanks,

Bob M....

Plainfield, Illinois