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	<title>Small Business Gameplan &#187; Managing a Business</title>
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	<link>http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com</link>
	<description>Start the Right Small Business, Manage It Well, Maximize Your Profits</description>
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		<link>http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/48/small-business-focus-areas-intro/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/48/small-business-focus-areas-intro/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:57:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Small Business Gameplan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Business Strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Achievable Goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[How to Start a Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Managing a Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prospective Customers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prospects]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Quality Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Right Start]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Running]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Service Strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Start A Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Start Business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/?p=48</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You can't do everything when running a small business or professional practice.  The good news is that you don't have to.  There are 7 KEY "focus areas" for winning the game of business.  Here is an overview.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-97" title="SmallBusinessGameplanHeadline+7Areas" src="http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/SmallBusinessGameplanHeadline+7Areas.jpg" alt="SmallBusinessGameplanHeadline+7Areas" width="577" height="244" /></strong></p>
<p><strong>Congratulations!</strong> You have started (or are preparing to start) a small business or a professional practice. That&#8217;s a great move, and we&#8217;re here to give you LOTS of help with that: <img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-99" title="Game plan 1" src="http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Game-plan-1-300x223.jpg" alt="Game plan 1" width="300" height="223" /></p>
<ul>
<li>Training</li>
<li>Tools</li>
<li>Coaching</li>
</ul>
<p>So let&#8217;s talk about the PARTS of your business &#8212; we call it a &#8220;<strong>super small business</strong>&#8221; because it&#8217;s probably just you and a couple other people &#8212;  that you need to develop a gameplan for.  </p>
<p><strong>Look at the header at the top of this page while we explain the 7 areas you must focus on to build a sustainable super small business or professional practice</strong> (be sure to watch the video on the left for a fuller explanation of the focus areas.)</p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-34" title="0" src="http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/0.jpg" alt="0" width="53" height="54" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>First, you have to <strong>SELECT THE RIGHT BUSINESS TO START</strong>. The business that fits who you are, what you know or can learn to do, and that can make you money in a reasonable amount of time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img class="size-full wp-image-35 alignleft" title="1" src="http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/1.jpg" alt="1" width="50" height="49" />Your first step in running your business is to <strong>DEVELOP A STRATEGY</strong> that will work. This involves a compelling vision, clear and achievable goals, and good overall product/service strategy (giving your prospects what they are willing to pay for.)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-36" title="2" src="http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/2.jpg" alt="2" width="51" height="49" />Your second step is to become <strong>VISIBLE</strong> in your community so that you are known and recognized as someone or a business who provides quality products/services and is a good contributing member of the community. If you are online, you need ways to become a well-known contributor to others&#8217; lives.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-38" title="3" src="http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/3.jpg" alt="3" width="49" height="46" /></p>
<p>Your third step is to ENGAGE your prospects and <strong>MAKE OFFERS</strong> to them. Traditionally this is called &#8220;selling&#8221; but in the new inspiration economy and the Web 2.0 world, you want to think of it as a conversation with prospective customers that may occur in print (or other media) but gets them in dialogue.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-39" title="4" src="http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/4.jpg" alt="4" width="51" height="44" /></p>
<p>Your fourth step is to <strong>FULFILL YOUR PROMISES</strong> to your customers. When you make an offer, you are telling them &#8220;I will give you X in exchange for this amount of money.&#8221; So in this part of your business, you must attend to all the aspects of fulfilling on your part of the exchange.<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-91" title="Business meeting 1" src="http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Business-meeting-1-300x199.jpg" alt="Business meeting 1" width="300" height="199" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-40" title="5" src="http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/5.jpg" alt="5" width="53" height="44" />In the fifth step, you <strong>ORCHESTRATE</strong> your business so you can make everything run smoothly, effectively, and efficiently &#8212; as much on autopilot as possible so that along with your business, you have a life! Traditionally this is called &#8220;management&#8221; but a better concept &#8212; for reasons we will explain &#8212; is orchestrating (like a good conductor who brings all the pieces into harmony).</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-41" title="6" src="http://www.smallbusinessgameplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/6.jpg" alt="6" width="51" height="44" /></p>
<p>In the final step, you want to focus on <strong>WEALTH CREATION</strong>. What&#8217;s the point of working hard to build a business and you never make a profit and accumulate enough assets to be able to buy what you want in your life, go where you please, take off from working when you desire, and retire comfortably?</p>
<p>But &#8220;wealth&#8221; is much more than money!  So in this focus area we help you to build <strong>the 9 kinds of wealth your small business or practice can create</strong>.  Yes, NINE of them!!</p>

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