Elise Oesterreich’s Resume Advice to Students Distributed Nationwide

Posted on May 17, 2013 by admin

Elise Oesterreich, a Stillman student and a social media intern for ProLine Communications, advises peers in Scripps Howard column distributed to 350 newspapers nationwide. The weekly column, Ask The Small Business Professor, is written by Bruce Freeman, founder of ProLine Communications and Stillman School adjunct professor of management and entrepreneurship.

Recently Freeman received a question from a college student asking for advice on how to enhance the resume and build entrepreneurial skills. Freeman immediately thought of his social media intern and the value of peer-to-peer feedback.

In her response, Oesterreich encourages students to highlight their technological and social media skills, skills many employers look for in a young employee.

“If you know how to use the Microsoft Office Suite or Adobe Photoshop, you should include that on your resume. You should also include different social networking sites that you know how to use, not only for yourself, but also for an employer.”

She also encourages students to start a blog where they can post professional content about an interest and then include the blog link when submitting applications or resumes.

Lastly Oesterreich encourages students to gain a better understanding of their Klout score, which is a measure of social media influence.

“Most companies hiring new employees look for people with a Klout score of 45 or higher, which means as an entrepreneur, you would aim for a Klout score of 50 or higher, but closer to the 60 range if you want to have true success in your entrepreneurial endeavor.”

Oesterreich, Class of 2014, is a marketing major with a minor in international business. She is from Orange County, California, and plans to pursue a career in market research or social media marketing. She continues to add to her skill set off campus via her social media internship, and on campus as head of marketing for the SHU Gaming Sector and as the new social media executive for the University’s Marketing Club.

For more information please contact:
Bruce Freeman
(973) 716-9457
bruce@smallbusinessprofessor.com

See the original post at: http://www.shu.edu/news/article/441293

 

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Growing Your Business Abroad

Posted on May 17, 2013 by admin
Dear Professor Bruce: My small business has seen some rapid growth recently. I think it’s time to begin selling in other countries, but I’m not sure how to begin. What’s the best first step?
Answer:
Congratulations on your company’s recent growth, despite a challenging economy. It’s exciting that you’ve decided to begin looking in other markets to continue growing. After all, 95 percent of the world’s population is outside of the United States, so there are many economies waiting for you.
According to Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), “Entering the international economy can make a tremendous difference for a small business.”
Here is some excellent advice:
Seek out training and consultation programs organized by your state. State international trade offices  cover critical issues that small business-owners should know about before entering global marketplaces. Topics can include information on export compliance, international banking, logistics and transportation. Companies also take advantage of one-on-one counseling from marketing managers with over 100 years of international experience and access to qualified contacts, distribution channels and more.
Participate in international trade shows and trade missions. These events are often among some of the most effective ways to enter international markets. By participating, you have the opportunity to meet potential buyers, test market interest and even evaluate the competition. Your state’s international trade office should work with you to identify the best international trade fairs and help with planning for shows, as well as follow-up.
Take advantage of state offices abroad. When you’re traveling in global markets in order to grow your business, know where your state’s trade offices are located and make an appointment. For example, some state offices have a presence in strategic locations around the world with foreign offices in Frankfurt, Germany and Beijing, China and representatives in Taipei, Taiwan; and Mexico City, Mexico. Representatives in these outposts can provide valuable insights into local markets and help you begin to make connections.
Resources may vary from state to state, so make sure you’re aware of what is available to you.
For further information, please visit: www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com
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A Need for Financial Education

Posted on May 10, 2013 by admin

Dear Professor. Bruce: I just started my own accounting business and I’d like to teach my children about finances as I grow my business. What do you suggest?

 

It’s important for parents to take responsibility and teach their kids about handling money and finances. According to the Sallie Mae Study of How Undergraduate Students Use Credit Cards, an overwhelming 84% of students say they need financial education. The National Endowment for Financial Education, posted by the FDIC reports that 89% of teachers, think students should take a financial literacy course. But less than 20% reported “feeling very competent to teach any of the six, personal finance topics surveyed.”

 

Since financial education is not taught in most schools, your new, accounting business is the perfect place to teach your children about money. Robert Kiyosaki, author of the new book, “Why ‘C’ Students Work for ‘A’ Students,” offers several insights for parents and entrepreneurs.

 

For example, it is important to make  your home or small business a fun and active learning environment for children with these tips:

 

- Discuss the news and how it relates to your lives and your business. Play Monopoly and learn

the language of money and investing together. Use everyday, real-life decisions and challenges to teach your kids about money and the role it plays in everyone’s life. Through your accounting business, you can explain to your children about taxes and filing a tax return and how taxes can be a person’s single largest expense. Seeing is believing, so show your child a pay stub and point out the taxes that are withheld.

 

- Teach your children new vocabulary words that relate to money. Share your bills, invoices and taxes with them and review the words and what they mean. Also, read the newspaper or financial magazines together and explain the terms used in the articles. You can also watch financial videos online and review the content together.

 

- Teach your children that mistakes are opportunities to learn. For example, if one of your clients didn’t pay their taxes last year, or they have bills that are overdue, and explain to your child that there are consequences to every action and that, sometimes, these consequences (“lessons”) can be expensive.

 

“Every parent can help develop his or her child’s financial genius just by talking to them about money every day and turning financial education into fun activities at home and work. It’s about putting your child on a path where they learn important money lessons now so they won’t need a job or a government pension in the future to feel secure.

 

For more information, please  visit www.richdad.com.

 

(Bruce Freeman is president of Proline Communications and co-author of “Birthing the Elephant.” He teaches at Seton Hall and Kean universities. Email Bruce@Smallbusinessprof.com. Follow Bruce on Twitter @SmallBizProf and his Facebook page.)

 

 

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College students prepare for entrepreneurial world

Posted on May 3, 2013 by admin
Dear Professor Bruce: I am a college junior. While I am trying to build a resume for a job after college, I am also trying to build some entrepreneurial skill sets. What do you suggest?

While you may be preparing to enter a difficult job market upon graduating college and are anxious for stability, you need not worry about having a great deal of valuable experience on your resume. What you’ll find is that as a member of our society’s technological generation, you already have various skills that many who are years older than you cannot acquire or even begin to understand.

According to Elise Oesterreich, a student at Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business and a social media marketing intern for ProLine Communications, many college juniors and seniors neglect to mention their technological skills on their resume when those are the skills that employers need or want in a youthful employee. “An easy way”, says Oesterreich “is to amp your resume is to include the different types of software you know how to use. If you know how to use Microsoft Office Suite or Adobe Photoshop, you should include that on your resume. You should also include different social networking sites that you know how to use not only for yourself, but would be able to apply your said knowledge of the site for an employer.”

Run a blog or a website where you post professional content about an interest that you would like to pursue professionally that you should include a link to those sites as well when submitting applications or sending resumes because companies look forward to seeing what type of insight you can give on subjects of interest. Not only will maintaining these sites show the company that you are dedicated to learning about that area of study, but it will show them that you have drive and potential.

A way to test your social media influence and see exactly how influential you would be if you decided to start up your own business is to make an account on the new social networking site, Klout, which will measure your influence through the online world by checking your statistics on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more to generate a score of what your social media influence is. Most companies hiring new employees look for people with a Klout score of 45 or higher, which means as an entrepreneur you would aim for a Klout score of 50 or higher, but closer to the 60 range if you want to have true success in your entrepreneurial endeavor.

(Bruce Freeman is president of ProLine Communications and co-author of “Birthing the Elephant.” He teaches at Seton Hall and Kean universities. Email Bruce@Smallbusinessprof.com. Follow Bruce on Twitter @SmallBizProf and his Facebook
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SEO for Small Business

Posted on April 26, 2013 by admin

Dear Professor Bruce:

We are a small business launching a new, real estate website. I want to make sure that people see it up front when they search. What do you recommend?

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a huge part of building online awareness. And as a new business owner, you are probably inundated with email messages from various services stating that they can put you at the top of the search rankings. While it can be easy to turn this process over to one of these services, there are a few things you should be aware of according to SEO copywriting strategist, Melanie Rembrandt of Rembrandt Communications.

“SEO today is all about providing value to your customers. If you want your website to show up at the top of the search engines for specific keywords, it’s essential to create content that your customers can use and will want to tell their friends about,” Rembrandt said.

Many services will simply add keywords to your site, and you may not see the results you are looking for. Also, if you don’t understand the coding and tagging that needs to be in place on your site for the search engines, you may pay for SEO services without knowing whether or not your site is optimized accordingly.

Search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Bing and others regularly change their algorithms, or the way they search for online content. Instead of trying to write for the search engines and keep up with their changes, write for your customers. Provide valuable tips and information they can use without sales language.

Research the SEO keywords that your customers use and incorporate them into your headlines and copy. And if you are not a writer, look into hiring an SEO copywriter to help you. This person can provide interesting content with the appropriate SEO keywords, links and coding. Plus, your SEO copywriting expert will be able to provide you with reports on what is working and what isn’t so you can get the best results possible in your SEO efforts — and save time and money in the process.

Rather than just using the “easy” SEO software service everyone seems to be using, conduct some research. In addition to helping you get to the top of online search results, an experienced SEO copywriter (hired specifically for your needs) can help you provide valuable information to potential customers on your website and use the SEO copy to create email campaigns, newsletters, white papers, and more to increase sales.

SEO is not just about getting to the top of the search engines with special keywords and coding; it’s about giving your customers the information and content they want any time, anywhere.

For further information, please visit www.rembrandtwrites.com.

 

(Bruce Freeman is president of Proline Communications and co-author of “Birthing the Elephant.” He teaches at Seton Hall and Kean universities. Email Bruce@Smallbusinessprof.com. Follow Bruce on Twitter @SmallBizProf and his Facebook page.)

 

 

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Facebook for Small Business Promotion

Posted on April 19, 2013 by admin

Dear Professor Bruce:

I run a small restaurant . A lot of my competitors are using Facebook, so I’m trying to do the same. But I never know what to say on my Facebook page. What do you recommend?

The best advice is to always focus on your customers first when posting on Facebook. Eating at a restaurant is a social experience, so think of your Facebook page as a place where customers can relive their great meal and new patrons can get a sense of what makes your place great.

Many restaurants just use Facebook to share coupons and offers. While this is important, it does little to ignite discussions, inspire sharing and spread the word from one Facebook user to another.

Bob Knorpp, host of The BeanCast Marketing Podcast suggests it’s not about using social to sell, but rather about making selling social. Post pictures of parties, publicly celebrate customer birthdays, share customer videos and use the words of your patrons,  Many customers won’t share about your new menu item to their Facebook friends, but make that post a picture of them enjoying that new menu item and word will spread fast.

Always think, “How can the news I want to share make my customers look good.” If you can do that, your Facebook page will transform from being just an ad into a vibrant community of happy customers.

For further information, please visit www.TheBeanCast.com

 

(Bruce Freeman is president of Proline Communications and co-author of “Birthing the Elephant.” He teaches at Seton Hall and Kean universities. Email Bruce@Smallbusinessprof.com. Follow Bruce on Twitter @SmallBizProf and his Facebook page.)

 

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Funding for New Ventures

Posted on April 19, 2013 by admin

Dear Professor Bruce, I’m an entrepreneur developing a web-based application in the healthcare market.  My budget is tight, and I need help raising money to hire staff and bring my product to market.  With the banks making it so hard to lend money to entrepreneurs, what choices do I have?

Answer:  Analysts say that consumers are willing to spend $14 billion dollars on certain digital health technology products so congratulations for selecting a market sector that has such a rosy future.

Mike Edwards, President and CEO of LX Ventures, a technology incubator that launches, integrates, and acquires early stage high growth technology companies, offers several tips:

Consider finding an incubator or accelerator program where you may get connected to angel investors, economic development coalitions and venture capital firms as well as refine your business model and get advice from mentors.

Business incubators and accelerators provide young businesses with office space and shared amenities including broadband connections, meeting rooms and like-minded fellow entrepreneurs in a campus like setting.  In this setting, entrepreneurs get advice from business mentors associated with the incubation center. Entrepreneurs usually stay in an incubation center for a year or more while business accelerators foster a shorter, more intense incubation period.

To find a business incubator in your area, visit the National Business Incubation Association, www.nbia.org and the Canadian Association of Business Incubation, www.cabi.ca.

Another new funding option taking hold is an exciting new platform called Angel List.   Angel List, www.angel.co, is a remarkable platform for startup entrepreneurs that help bridge the gap for startups to reach investors.  Angel List is blowing the doors wide open to what has been historically a very clubby environment and is providing immense value to entrepreneurs.

As bank loans have become harder and harder to obtain, some entrepreneurs are turning to business grants for funding.  You can check with your local government agencies and major corporations to see what funding may be available to expand your business.

For further information, www.lxventures.com

(Bruce Freeman is president of Proline Communications and co-author of “Birthing the Elephant.” He teaches at Seton Hall and Kean universities. Email Bruce@Smallbusinessprof.com. Follow Bruce on Twitter @SmallBizProf and his Facebook page.)

 

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Wounded warriors with entrepreneurial spirit

Posted on April 4, 2013 by admin

Dear Professor Bruce: I am a Marine that just returned from Afghanistan as
a Wounded Warrior. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Can you provide
some insight into starting a home-based business as it is difficult for me to
travel?

Thank you for serving our country. According to Mel Cohen, Publisher, Inspired Authors Press, “ first determine what type of business you want to be in. Base it on your skill set, experience, and know how.  The military gave you disciplines that civilians do not have”.

Where there is a void, there is an opportunity. Find a need and fill it. Where there is no need for something, create one.

Have goals and objectives for your business.

Many architects, attorneys, graphic artists, web designers, IT experts, SEO & SEM experts, designers, and crafters all run businesses from their homes.

Tax Advantages

There are good tax advantages available for home based business. You can write off tilities, maintenance, repairs, home owners insurance and other expenses that would not be  deductible on a personal return.

Learn more at http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Home-Office-Deduction.

Home-based Businesses with low startup costs

· Freelance Writer http://www.freelancewriting.com/http://www.dailywritingtips.com/7-steps-to-becoming-a-freelance-writer/

· Blogger http://freelanceswitch.com/freelance-writing/how-to-become-a-freelance-blog-writer/

· Affiliate Marketer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuGJ3fdRHd4 http://mattsmarketingblog.com/

Freelance Writers and Bloggers are in the same field whichis writing. If you are good writers and can learn search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) you can start with billing rates from $25 to $100 per hour. As you gain more experience that rate will climb.

Affiliate Marketing is a great stay at home business if you like working on a computer. It allows you to make money online from your site or blog by promoting other sites or
products in return for a commission or a fixed fee per lead or sale. You earn a commission when someone follows a link from your site or blog to another site where they then buy something, sign up for something or complete a survey. You must sign up in advance with the company to see their fee schedule. Those that are computer savvy can make a nice living as an affiliate marketer.

The SBA is your greatest free resource www.sba.gov. Every business needs a Business Plan and they offer examples. They cater to businesses of all sizes and have a section on home-based businesses. Before I would go into business I would take their business assessment tool available on their site.

For further information, please visit www.practax.net

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Women veterans start small businesses

Posted on March 29, 2013 by admin

Dear Professor Bruce: I am a female US veteran retired from active duty and I’m considering starting a small business. What resources are available to me?

Congratulations on your years of service to our country.
While you’ve re-entered civilian life at a challenging time, small businesses continue to be the backbone of the American economy and to contribute not only valuable goods and services, but jobs as well.

According to Karin Abarbanel, a start-up strategist for women and my co-author on Birthing the Elephant, “As a female vet, you have some powerful assets to drawn on.
Your military training may already have fostered some of the key ingredients required for small-business success: Discipline, ingenuity, persistence, and rapid decision making, to name a few. In a recent survey of 800 female veteran entrepreneurs, 55% said that their military leadership experience motivated them to launch their own businesses.”

Beyond these assets, Karin notes in a new guide called An American Crisis: Veterans’ Unemployment, there are a number of programs designed for you. In addition to the SBA’s Veteran Business Outreach Program, a new government-sponsored initiative called
V-WISE (Women Veterans Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship) combines online training and mentorship. And Capital One Financial Corporation is partnering with a nonprofit called Count Me In to launch the Women Veteran Entrepreneur Corps (WVEC), a mentorship program focused on business start-up and expansion.

There are also broad-based groups that offer training and networking opportunities to female entrepreneurs; among the best-established are Ladies Who Launch, the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), and eWomenNetwork.

As a female vet, you may have access to targeted funding sources: The Patriot Express Pilot Initiative for example, or state-level initiatives like Employ Illinois – Military Reserve Loan. Using www.Business.gov you can also identify grants available through the federal
government, though resources are limited and competition can be keen. Realistically, however, many female entrepreneurs find that outside funds are hard to come by.
They find it difficult to obtain loans or credit lines when they are starting out and only a small percentage of venture capital dollars go to women-owned start-ups. As a result, ‘bootstrapping’ may be the most likely path to success.

Marketing is a critical activity in launching a business and many aspiring entrepreneurs find they need support in this area. If so, then there are a variety of budget-friendly ways to learn how to share information and promote your business. SCORE is a great place to start: Many entrepreneurs gain valuable, front-line advice from retired marketing executives though this no-cost resource. You can also look into marketing courses at local
universities and community colleges.

For more information, please visit: www.veteransunemploymentbook.com.

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Technology tips for small business

Posted on March 23, 2013 by admin

Dear Professor Bruce: I own a small, tax business. How can I use technology to be more efficient and reach more customers?

Technology can significantly help your business increase sales, but it’s important to conduct research and purchase the right services for your specific needs and budget.

Tom Wheelwright, a Rich Dad Advisor via The Rich Dad Company and author of “Tax-Free Wealth” offers several tips:

Conduct research and see what is available. Look at what the competition is doing and talk to several associates and potential vendors. Then, test the technology to see if it meets your specific needs.

For example, consider using a company offering CPA-specific, network-technology consulting, cloud networks, help desk support, and local, network-implementation-services for accounting firms.

After a demonstration,training and a test period, a company like this can provide a Cloud-based solution for all of the tax business’ needs. This type of technology allows you to use independent contractors anywhere in the world while maintaining high security-levels and offering a formal ticketing-system, security to protect confidential information and automatic updates.

By finding the right technology, a tax business can successfully  meet the growing demand for virtual solutions and reduce paper shuffling.

The key to using technology to increase customers efficiently is to avoid all of the exciting,
“bells and whistles” technology firms offer and focus on your specific goals. It’s also essential to do your due diligence. Begin the process by writing down your goals and spending limit. Then, ask associates, check out the competition and request  demonstrations and tests to narrow down your choices and see what will really works.

This way, you can see if the technology company provides adequate customer service to answer your questions quickly and offers the right support. More important, you can see if
you are going to spend your time, money and effort on technology that will actually provide the results you are looking for cost-effectively.

For further information, please visit www.richdad.com.

 

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