Advice isn’t always good for you

Vicky Medina OH — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:52:33 GMT

I would like to find an actual person to communicate with (that is not a scam) who has started and been successful in a drop ship or re-sell online business.

mrswoodyard@yahoo.com

Advice isn’t always good for you

Jean-Luc — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:29:05 GMT

I wrote before that All advice is wrong.
Some advice is just less wrong than others.

http://www.j-lp.com/blog/2004/10/all-advice-is-wrong.html

Advice isn’t always good for you

Carolyn S., Las Vegas, NV — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:16:49 GMT

I have not found SCORE to be all that useful, especially for anything related to new (and that's a relative term) technology. My best luck has been with the Small Business Development Center and the Women's Business Center. But if SCORE is giving classes in your area, you should go because you will learn the basics and also meet other budding entrepreneurs.

Advice isn’t always good for you

john killeen, philadelphia pa — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:06:35 GMT

Eve,
I agree with you one hundred per cent. I have been working with small businesses and business people for 30 years and it never ceases to amaze me the collection of poor and misinformation that is cast upon them.
Continue to urge your readers to "take it with a grain of salt" and not consider the information as the Tablets from the Mountain.
Many people were good managers for some solid companies and there advice is well placed. However, many of those advisors may never sweated out a payroll or two or three. Until you sweat a payroll, you haven't been an entrepreneur!
I have documented many cases of what could be good advice BUT not to the client that needed it. All companies are not alike and that differentiation is what makes them tick.
There are many services available: good and otherwise. Look to the consultant's history; ask for referrals from business associates. Don't rely on the performance of his/her former employer. Discuss your situation with the consultant before you make the hire. If he hems and haws, move on. If he makes your problem the same as a lot of others, move on. A good consultant should discover the source of the problem, design and implement the appropriate changes and then teach the owners and staff how to operate and maintain the system - not become a permanent fixture.

Advice isn’t always good for you

Vikas singhania, jaipur, india — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:43:36 GMT

I like my own proverb do not judge or condemn anyone until first judging and condemning yourself (which yes has some links to the bible). I think to love your neighbor basically means no matter who someone is where they are in life always be there for them don't ever turn you back on them. The previous descriptions you confront the offender first tell them if they don't stop you will tell someone(i.e. the police the spouse etc.) If they continue hold through on your threat but make sure your claim is legitimate not something you heard from a friend who heard someone that heard someone that saw it.

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Advice isn’t always good for you

Mel Hopkins, Manassas, VA — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:02:53 GMT

"Thank goodness she didn't listen."

Over the years my company has worked with hundreds of small businesses and startups in need of marketing assistance. What jumps out at me is the remarkable difference between the employee mindset ("let's get mired in meetings and advice") and that of the entreprenuer ("I just know this will work"). From my perspective the go-from-the-gut mindset wins out more frequently than the overly analytical.

http://www.inqubator.net

Advice isn’t always good for you

Cal Orey — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:39:25 GMT

As a full-time health author for two decades, I've gone through a recession or two...and a few slumps. During one rough patch my accountant told me to dump my health insurance. I ignored his advice. True, still healthy and haven't used the insurance but it does provide peace of mind. Accountants and writers are two differnent animals. I may be imaginative and think out of the box but when it comes to taking care of business--my health--I don't need to be a rocket scientist to do the math. I still feel he was off the money on his ill suggestion. After all, if I get sick will he be there to take care of me?

Advice isn’t always good for you

Paul Motter, Phoenix, Ariz. — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:06:14 GMT

Starting a business is the best thing a person can do, but be forewarned that it is much more than doing what you love.

Running a business foremost requires learning many things not related to your expertise. You must learn to keep books, learn the tax codes and pay them. The hardest part of any business is marketing it which can be expensive.

Most businesses fail because they run out of money. Learn about credit and use it wisely. Learn to manage your money and keep your business as a separate entity, do not mix business finances with your personal life.

Your number 1 asset is your reputation. Word of mouth is incredibly valuable. Value your customer and keep your word. If you do wrong by someone it will haunt you.

Marketing is expensive, but good publicity is not. Create an image of yourself as an expert in your field. Your customers will trust your more and recommend you to others. You might even get a feature article.

Make decisions, the first being to keep going. After running out of money most businesses fail from indecision. Small businesses that hit a wall and don't deal with it just wither away. You have to adapt to market changes and sometimes invest in your future.

I started a web site in 1999 and eventually sold it for over $1,000,000. I still work for the acquirers as a consultant. The American dream is still alive and well, despite the obsession in this new administration to kill capitalism as a way of life. Small business is the lifeblood of this country and always has been. Protect your right to run your own business by voting to keep taxes low and government out of your business.

Don't listen to the lies:

1) Just do what you love and everything else happens naturally is NOT true, you must learn things you don't like doing; bookkeeping, paying taxes, payroll withholding, possible lawsuits. These things come first, doing your work is second.

2) your employees are not number one. YOU are number one. Good employees are the hallmark of a successful business, but until you are successful watch your employees carefully, they will undermine and even steal from you, especially if you are struggling. Treat them with respect at all times (if you have to fire one they do not disappear), but do not let them dictate how you run your business.

3. The customer is not always right. There will be customers who will use you up and sue you to top it off. If you get a bad feeling about someone just cut it off and move on. But do it politely - never burn bridges.

4. Never ever make the mistake of failing to look ahead (like the Obama administration with their deficit spending). Tomorrow does arrive and what you do today will impact it. Some people think their actions today will not be remembered tomorrow, so they run up huge debts, steal from a customer, don't keep a commitment, fail to pay an important bill. Your can't do that. Taking the pain today will pay off in the future. Always believe that tomorrow will arrive as a better day and work that way.

Finally - don't talk politics with customers or colleagues. Being a liberal wuss who blames everyone but themselves when things are bad creates a very bad impression. being a right wing neo-con can scare some people away. Any business person who uses the government as an excuse for doing a bad job looks like a loser. Don't tell me you would have done a better job for me except the Republicans won't give you free healthcare. Take rsponsibility for yourself and do NOT hope or expect the government to bail you out. That is not the American way.

Hail small business! The most successful Americans work for themselves. Too bad Obama and his shovel-ready jobs don't understand what America really wants - opportunity, not back-breaking hourly wage jobs.

Advice isn’t always good for you

Entrepreneur — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:54:06 GMT

Vicky, hard to be successful on drop-ship or resell business unless you have big volume of sales. Markup will be low and too many competition. Much better if you're selling products of your own, that you make yourself. You can have markups of 100% to 300% or more.