BlogHer - small business - Comments

LIVETOTALWELLNESS.COM/STACYB

stacybarron — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:51:49 -0500

we also have natures's medicine cabinet dont have to worry about going to the doc.there medicine is real good they have just about every thing that u will need

work at home united.com/stacyb

stacybarron — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:47:00 -0500

I work from home with a company that manufactures products that we’re already buying elsewhere, but they are better, safer & healthier. We just help set up customer accounts and the company pays us to do so. It has benefited our family so much!

I just found this cool way to shop. It's with a wellness company named Melaleuca. They are a 20 year old pharmaceutical company and they manufacture over 300 different products for your home and personal use, kinda like Proctor & Gamble or Colgate Palmolive but better. It ' s like a Sam's Club from home, except I don ' t have to buy in bulk and I save up to 40% off of retail. Since I’m a Melaleuca customer, they sell to me at wholesale instead of retail and I can’t believe how much better these products are.

I never realized how toxic and how dangerous all our old favorites were, (like Tide, Cascade, even my favorite shampoo). Melaleuca products are safe: no bleach, no ammonia, no formaldehydes and yet they perform better. I (my family) love(s) these products so much that I wish I had found this way of shopping a long time ago.

All I did was change the brand and in return I got a healthier product than what I was buying, that performs better than what I was buying, that’s less expensive than what I was buying, and it comes right to my door. Plus, it’s all 100% money back guarantee.love to hear from you @ www.workathomeunited.com/stacyb

Thanks

Candelaria Silva — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:36:15 -0500

Thanks for your thoughtful response.

http://blog.candelarisilva.com

Good and plenty!

Great Comment

jcorona44 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:23:40 -0500

Hello Ms. Silva:

Thank you for your insightful comment. I am in full agreement with you that there is still a gap that is not filled in the small business community. As you may well know, there is a plethora of organizations that serve the very small, micro-enterprise, business community. A LOT of financial resources are funneled to these organizations to help small business start and become better positioned for growth. Then, what do these companies do and where do they go after they have outgrown these initial services and knowing that they can not yet afford market rate consulting? And, are they fully prepared for growth after they participate in these programs? That is the space in which we are trying to play - what we refer to as the "Missing Middle" - those companies that are
too big to be served by the micro-enterprise-serving organizations, yet
too small to afford for-profit consulting advice.

From your comment, I want to clarify a couple points bout ICA and our programs.

First, we are not directly affiliated with ICIC in Boston. Although, we were born out of this initiative, our work with inner city entrepreneurs is independent of the research work that ICIC does. We use their research to inform our work and follow trends in inner city communities - their research, in that respect, is great. Many of our companies happen to make the annual ICIC Inner City 100 list of the fastest-gorwing companies in the US, but it is only a select few. We also know Next Street Financial, but can not speak to their focus. Again, ICA is directly working with small businesses in the Bay Area, most of them who have been operating in their inner city locations for a long time - and that is why they give back to their community...they are committed to seeing their neighborhoods revitalized.

The second clarification is that we do not only serve companies at the $1 million level and above. In fact, many of the companies that we have served come to us way before they reach that revenue level. Having said that, we select businesses whose strategies, combined with the high quality support by ICA, allows them to reach scale and create jobs faster...that is why we cite successes like Numi, Blue Botte Coffee Company, Revolution Foods and Outsource Consulting Services, among others - all of whom have reached scale over the years of working with us.

We see our work (ICA) as part of a continuum of services for small business growth and development. Our hope is that all business serving organizations (for profit, non-profit and public) are able to fill the needs of all businesses at different stages of their development. We can not be everything to everyone, and given our limited capacity, we need to remain focused on the profile of company that we currently serve. We focus on this profile of companies because we know they are creating quality jobs for inner city residents, and, given ICA's mission and charter, that is our ultimate measure of success.

However, on a personal basis, I am thoroughly committed to ensuring that the gaps in services are filled. We all need to work together on the issue of addressing the needs. And, we also need to hear the voices of people like you. That is how we will ultimately reach the vision of creating a thriving inner city economy.

Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any other questions. My contact information can be found in www.innercityadvisors.org.

Most Sincerely,

Jose Corona

Executive Director

Inner City Advisors

Good question

Britt Bravo — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:27:15 -0500

I've forwarded it onto the folks at Inner City Advisors so that they can answer it!

Good work but

Candelaria Silva — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:24:56 -0500

or maybe and...I know of the work of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City in Boston. Unfortunately, what they mean by small still leaves out long-term community businesses that don't have any where near $1 million in revenues. Several of those types of businesses in inner-city neighborhoods of Boston got excited when they heard about ICIC and another group Next Street thinking they would help "mom and pops" or even businesses bigger than "mom and pops" but smaller than "1-15 million." No such luck.

Not to take away from those they do help but there's still a gap for smaller businesses many of whom were in the city before these other folks.

http://blog.candelarisilva.com

Good and plenty!

It is difficult. Its even

greenandchic — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 19:01:45 -0500

It is difficult. Its even more hard when that is your only option. I was put on disability several months ago and that forced me to work harder at my web store. It wasn't the plan (I was going to continue to work indefinitely), but I guess that wasn't in the cards for me.

Carla

Right Stuff Necessary

RosalindawithDT — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:25:39 -0500

One is have a mentor. Look around for the person who you want to duplicate. Mine is Jan Ruhe. She has written several books on networkmarketing.

www.discoverytoyslink.com/rosalinda

For Me its About Passion

HandyAndy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:42:39 -0500

I've found that the most important factor for whether or not a home business goes well is the passion the founder has for their work. I don't have a home business, (I do sell my crafts as a side business but that is more just to pay for my hobby) but I do know a few people who do work for themselves. Work, is the best word for it. They put in upwards of 80 hours a week just to make a living wage, but they love what they do so it doesn't bother them. I think thats a big litmus test is whether you would be happy working 60+ hours a week and NOT getting rich, you really have to love what you do to make it work sometimes.

HandyAndy

Making the world prettier one craft at a time.

Just Try It

fittothefinish — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:43:15 -0500

That's where I am right now, and after reading those excellent links, I think I have a chance. I need to work on networking and marketing, because those take me a bit outside my comfort zone.

But, the desire to share things with people overrides some of my natural tendencies. Thanks for the great information.

Diane

lost 150 pounds and talks about it at:

www.fittothefinish.com/blog

Check out your local SBDC

f_a_h — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:13:29 -0500

The Small Business Development Center offers FREE advising services to individuals that want to start or grow their small business. They also offer training on how to get started, business plans, taxes, marketing, etc. Some classes are free and some are very low cost (think $20-50). They're all over the country and are usually affiliated with a college or university, chamber of commerce or economic development agency in your city or nearby.

Just take the leap

KatherineLewis — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:37:43 -0500

I never thought I would be a good entrepreneur because I thought I lacked the discipline to work hard on my own. Boy, was I wrong! I'm working more hours and with more passion than ever before in my life. My problem now is stepping back from work and having more balance in my life.

I started a group blog called http://www.CurrentMom.com that I hope to build into a supportive community for other entrepreneurial mothers. Research into women business owners shows that we become our own bosses in order to gain control over our schedules -- we tend to work fewer hours than either male entrepreneurs or female employees.

My message to other people thinking about venturing out on their own is to just do it. Take the leap. Don't spend years perfecting a dream business plan -- just land your first client or make your first sale! That will be the best first piece of information about whether your idea can succeed.

--
Katherine Reynolds Lewis
Read my articles at:
http://workingmoms.about.com/
http://www.KatherineRLewis.com/

Rock Star or Rock Star Manager

ecstewart — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:44:01 -0500

As a creative freelancer turned entrepreneur, the impetus to build my small empire came from the support of my husband.

When running a business, it's also important to understand one's forte vs what other people expect of you. Many people think my husband should be at the front of my business when in fact, he actually thrives on building the supports in the background and we both respect that. Andrew is most excellent with the brand awareness, marketing, scripting and providing all the other details this rock star requires.

In addition to being one's own boss, the next question is: who is the rock star and who is the manager? One can't exist without the other.

Lisa, CREATIVEGoddess

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ECStewart · CalligraphyPets · CREATIVEGoddess

Networking and marketing

Aussiechic — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:53:33 -0500

I agree with MealMixer...networking and getting yourself out there is the only answer because noone is going to come knocking at your door - you have to be clever and have something that people are either interested in or they want.....and that is hard. You have to convince people of these things while you are getting your name out there.....perseverance I think is key.

LOVE LOVE LOVE.

CHEERS MATE.

Networking and marketing

MealMixer — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:20:50 -0500

Networking and marketing skills are critical, because you will go broke fast if you rely on google advertising.