Lake Travis Tree Lodge now open

Discount Business Brokers USA is pleased to announce the grand opening of the Lake Travis Tree Lodge Guesthouse. A quiet sanctuary overlooking Lake Travis, 25 minutes from downtown Austin.

Steve Job's Seve Rules of Success

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Steve Jobs and the Seven Rules of Success

Posted by Carmine Gallo | October 14, 2011

URL: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220515

Steve Jobs' impact on your life cannot be overestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect -- computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs' greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.

Over the years, I've become a student of sorts of Jobs' career and life. Here's my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our "inner Steve Jobs."

1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better." Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, "I'd get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about." That's how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.

2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then-Pepsi President, John Sculley, "Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?" Don't lose sight of the big vision.

3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn't have any practical use in his life -- until he built the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don't live in a bubble. Connect ideas from different fields.

4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year period. Why? So he could put the "A-Team" on each product. What are you saying "no" to?  

5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?

6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can't communicate your ideas, it doesn't matter. Jobs was the world's greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation.

7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. He knew that tablets would not capture our imaginations if they were too complicated. The result? One button on the front of an iPad. It's so simple, a 2-year-old can use it. Your customers don't care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you'll win them over.

There's one story that I think sums up Jobs' career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. His counsel? Dream bigger. I think that's the best advice he could leave us with. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas.

The Benefits of Buying Vs. Starting A Business

From the International Business Brokers Associations (IBBA):
Link: http://www.ibba.org/Buyers/BuyingvsStarting/tabid/268/Default.aspx

This is a great article from IBBA. To learn more about selling or starting a business, visit our website: http://www.discountbusinessbrokersusa.com

So you want to be your own boss.  Consider the options – work as an independent contractor…start your own business…buy an existing company. 
Certainly there are pros and cons to each option.  If you do a careful analysis, you’ll learn what many seasoned entrepreneurs have discovered…the risk-to-reward ratio is tipped in your favor when you purchase an existing business.  
Admittedly, as an independent contractor, your risk is minimal.  The up front investment and overhead costs are limited.  However, without the ability to leverage the work of an employee base, the returns are limited by your own personal capacity.
Starting a business of your own can pay great dividends, but it’s important to understand that the risks are significant.  Most start-up businesses will falter and eventually die.  According to Michael Gerber, author of The E-Myth Revisited, 40 percent of new businesses fail in the first year and 80 percent fail within five years. 

On the other hand, purchasing an existing business reduces an entrepreneur’s risk while creating opportunities for tremendous profit. 
There are a number of reasons to consider the purchase of an existing business rather that starting one:  

• Proven Concept.   Buying an established business is less risky – as a buyer you already know the process or concept works.  Financing a purchase is often easier than securing funding for a start-up business for that very reason—the business has a track record.  A bank will be able to look at the historical results for the business, not just rely on projections.   
• Brand. You’re buying a brand name.  The on-going benefits of any marketing or networking the prior owner has done will transfer to you.  When you have an established name in the business community, it’s easier to place cold calls and attract new business than with an unproven start up.  That’s an intangible benefit that’s difficult to put a price on.
• Relationships. With the purchase of an existing business, you will also be buying an existing customer base and vendor base that took years to build.  It’s very common for the seller to stay on and transition with the business for a short time to transfer those relationships to the buyer.  
• Focus.  When you buy a business, you can start working immediately and focus on improving and growing the business immediately.  The seller has already laid the foundation and taken care of the time-consuming, tedious start up work.  Starting a new business means spending a lot of time and money on basic items like computers, telephones, furniture and policies that don’t directly generate cash flow. 
• People. In an acquisition, one of the most valuable and important assets you’re buying is the people.  It took the seller time to find those employees, develop them and assimilate them into the company culture. With the right team in place, just about anything is possible and you will have an easier time implementing growth strategies.  Plus, with trained people in place you will have more liberty to take vacation, spend time with family, or work on other business ventures.  When start-up owners and independent contractors go on vacation, the business goes too. 
• Cash flow. Typically, a sale is structured so you can cover the debt service, take a reasonable salary, and have some left over to take the business to the next level.  Start up owners, on the other hand, often “starve” at first.  Some experts say start-ups aren’t expected to make money for the first three years.
• Risk.  Even with all these advantages, some entrepreneurs believe it is cheaper, and therefore less risky, to start a business than to buy one.  But risk is relative.  A buyer may pay $1 million, for example, for an established business with strong cash flows of approximately $200,000 to $300,000.  A lending institution funds the transaction because historical revenues show the cash flow can support the purchase price.  For many people, however, that is far less risky than taking out a $300,000 loan with an unproven concept and projections that may or may not be realized.

Becoming your own boss always involves a risk.  When you buy a business, you take a calculated risk that eliminates a lot of the pitfalls and potential for failure that come with a start up.

4 Ways to Overcome Marketing Challenges Forever

From Marketguidepro
http://www.marketguidepro.co.cc/2011/05/4-ways-to-overcome-marketing-challenges.html

You can also visit our website:
http://www.discountbusinessbrokersusa.com

4 Ways to Overcome Marketing Challenges Forever

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

For most small business owners, marketing is an overwhelming concept. They need marketing solutions that ensure a smooth-running, profitable business yet most don't know where to begin or how to focus their efforts. 90% of small businesses don't even have a marketing plan. It's difficult to reach your destination if you don't know where you're going! If you're a small business owner looking for ease, focus and marketing success, we recommend that you focus on just 4 tactics:

1-Establish a memorable and unmistakeable brand identity:

The secret to business success is determined by your ability to powerfully communicate your business with laser precision and your ability to deliver a clearly-defined and consistent experience. In a nutshell... it's called branding, and, when done right, it ensures a thriving business with all the customers and profits you need. The secret is to establish a powerful brand identity that sings distinction. And establish that identity before you launch any marketing activities.

2-Create a deep connection with your core target audience - your potential raving fans!

Who wants and needs what you have to offer? The only wrong answer is "everyone." If you're a pediatrician, you may see infants and children. Are they your target audience? No! They are your patients, but it's the parents you need to connect with to get the kids in your door. And it's not just any parents - it's a definite group of parents. In marketing, you get a lot more "bang for your buck" if you focus your spending on a well-defined group of people that you enjoy working with. The better you define this group, the more effective your marketing can be.

3-Design compelling offerings that pull customers in like a magnet.

80% of all purchase decisions are based on emotion. It's your job as a marketer to know how your customers want to feel and to get them to visualize how your services can meet their needs. People want to know, "What's in it for me?" Tap into the emotion and create offerings that touch your customers.

4-Craft A Personal, Workable Marketing Plan

Marketing is everything you do to make your product or service more visible, more desirable and more profitable. Your marketing plan will clearly define the big picture and provide focus and direction based on the 4 'P's of Marketing - product, price, place/distribution and promotion. Since 90% of small business owners do not have a plan, you'll have a leg up on your competition by crafting your personal, workable marketing plan to ensure that you reach your business goals.

Following these 4 criteria will transform any small business into a money-making machine guaranteed to grow your client list, sales and profits. The upfront work is the secret to a million-dollar business, literally and figuratively.

By Leslie Hamp

Sandvox websites reviews Discount Business Brokers USA

Sandvox ( http://www.karelia.com/ ), a web creation software package for the Macintosh, has recently completed a review of Discount Business Brokers USA website. Our website was created using Sandvox. If you are a Macintosh user, I highly recommend this software. It is perfect for someone who knows just enough HTML to get themselves in trouble! You can see the review here:
http://www.sandvoxsites.com/website/qkptwwzh

You can visit our website here:

http://www.discountbusinessbrokersusa.com 

Boost your visibility in 30 minutes or less - Related Stories - SmartBrief on Small Business

Boost your visibility in 30 minutes or less - Related Stories - SmartBrief on Small Business

Here's a great article on increasing your web presence, which will certainly add value to your business sale.

Website for sale:

www.canyonsatlaketravis.com