Archive for the ‘Closet Entrepreneur’ Category

Time Management and Social Media Marketing

Monday, February 17th, 2014
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By 

Do you sit down at your computer to take care of your social media marketing and look up to find that an hour or two, or maybe more, has flown by? There is no question our time spent on social media, personally and professionally, is growing.

If you look at my contact page, you will see no less than six different social profiles that you can connect on with me. This list does not include LinkedIn yet, so that puts us up to seven. When I set up my Google+ profile it gave me the ability to create pages, so I added two of those. Google states that the Google+ profiles are supposed to be used for personal reasons only, thus the reason I set up the pages. From what I can see, people do not follow this rule and I am really thinking about eliminating those separate pages – just two more things to look after. (more…)

Use Google Authorship to Boost Your Content in Google Search

Thursday, January 30th, 2014
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

Recently, I added Google+ to my armory of social media marketing. I did have an account set up but it was linked to YouTube after Google bought them out. This would not be a problem if my son was not so into watching and commenting on Mind Craft videos on YouTube. Unfortunately, those comments were showing up on my Google+ profile which does not look good on a professional page.

I really had discounted Google+ only because I am already feeling overwhelmed trying to keep up with the many different social media platforms nowadays. While doing research, I came upon a term I had not heard before – Google Authorship. My curiosity was peaked so away I went on the web to find out what it is all about.  (more…)

Stand Out Online by Providing Exceptional Customer Service

Thursday, January 23rd, 2014
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

Let’s talk about providing top notch customer service and what it can do for your business. We have just come through the holiday shopping season and a couple of really big customer service let downs have prompted me to write this post. Without going into the reasons why I will never again order from a couple of online retailers, I would like to share some ideas about good customer service.

I find these to be no-brainers, however my customers shared with me on many, many occasions how a competing retailer had treated them poorly. This left me scratching my head in confusion. If I want your business, shouldn’t I treat you right? If you are competing online with big box retailers and other small businesses, how can you stand out? By treating your customers like the gold they are. (more…)

3. Things to Consider Before Taking Out a Small Business Loan

Tuesday, January 14th, 2014
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

There are many reasons you may be considering taking out a business loan. Perhaps you need start-up capital for your new business or are looking to expand your existing business. No matter what your reason for additional capital, I urge you to tread cautiously before taking out a small business loan.

As entrepreneurs, we are generally optimistic. Optimistic that our start-up will be a success. Optimistic that our business is going to grow. Many of us tend to focus on the positives and only deal with the negatives when they happen. We mistakenly think that we have total control over the destiny of our business. While you may control most things, you do not control all.  Before you take out a loan, I want your eyes to be wide open to the pitfalls.

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2. A Closer Look at the Dreaded Business Plan

Monday, January 6th, 2014
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

The Closet Entrepreneur has been on hiatus for a year while I completed my manuscript for Images of America: Grand Teton National Park. I apologize for the interruption – now back to business.

As I thought about writing this post, I came to the realization that not only do I dread writing a business plan – I dread writing about writing a business plan. I probably shouldn’t admit that, but it is what it is. Nevertheless, it is a necessary evil and one that you should put your best foot forward on for reasons I discussed in my first post, “Writing the Dreaded Business Plan.”

I’ve uploaded the business plan I created several years ago for purposes of this blog. Feel free to use it as a template for your own plan. (more…)

1. Writing the Dreaded Business Plan

Wednesday, January 16th, 2013
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

I don’t know about the rest of you but when I think about writing a business plan, I groan. Here’s a partial list of excuses I have heard and told myself.

“I just want to get down to running my business and making money!”

“I don’t want to take the time to write a business plan.”

“Business plan? Who needs that? I’m a fly by the seat of my pants kind of gal.”

“Why would I need a business plan? I don’t need to borrow any money.” (more…)

7. New Business Checklist: Things to do Before You Open for Business

Monday, September 10th, 2012
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

Before you launch your online store there are a few loose ends you’ll need to tie up. First, you need to decide how your business will be organized. Is your business going to be a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation? If it’s going to be a corporation, what type of corporation suits it best? I am not going to get into a lengthy discussion on the advantages or disadvantages of the different types of business organizations. However, I do have a few observations to offer. (more…)

6. Domain Name Forwarding (Get Your Customers to Your Website Not Your Competitors)

Sunday, September 2nd, 2012
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

Now that you’ve researched and chosen the products you are going to sell online, picked out a business and domain name, and chosen your shopping cart and web hosting service, it’s time to wrap up a couple of loose ends before you launch your online store.

Purchase and Forward Similar Spellings and Common Misspellings of Your Domain Name
Let’s think about your domain name for a moment. You may want to forward similar spellings, common misspellings and different extensions to your domain name. Here’s an example of a typical forward for misspelled domains. Xanadu’s is pronounced Zanadu’s. My main domain was xanadus.com. I did not want to miss repeat business because somebody could not remember the correct spelling  (more…)

5. Selecting a Shopping Cart and Web Hosting Service for Your Online Store

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

I apologize for my absence over the past month. Unfortunately, I have a day job that has been rather hectic lately and some unforeseen travel came up. On top of that I’ve been wrestling with the proverbial question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Or in this case, “Which came first, the web hosting company or the shopping cart?”

I would rather get into choosing a web hosting company first. However, since you can’t choose a web host until you know what type of servers your shopping cart software will need to run on, I think we’d better figure out what type of shopping cart will best suit your needs. In some cases, this will go hand in hand with choosing your web hosting company so we’ll address both issues here. (more…)

4. What’s in a Name? Choosing Your Business and Domain Name

Monday, July 9th, 2012
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

Once you have chosen the product or service niche for your online business and further researched the availability and profit potential for those products, it is time to choose a name for your business and your online domain.

Pull out your notebook and start brainstorming again. The name you choose should be a definite reflection of the items or services you are selling. Repeat after me, “My business is about my products or services, it is not about me.” Your potential customers will be searching for your products or services, they will not be searching for you. Yes, you have to sell yourself as someone they can trust but this will be conveyed indirectly through the professionalism of your website and the excellent customer service you are going to provide. (more…)