Welcome to a specially featured blog entry. Why is this one so special?

Well, in Pastor J’s absence this week, we thought it appropriate to share with you the experience of “Lunch With the CEO” to brief all you entrepreneurs who wanted to (but couldn’t) be in attendance! The next one is in January—hope to see you all there!

In the meantime, we learned so much. Norris Williams shared with us an enormous amount of information over his 12+ years in teaching entrepreneurs the ropes of marketing and business concepts. Let’s see what else he disclosed for us, shall we?

Now, just because you have a business card and website does not make you a businessperson. There’s even a difference between entrepreneurs and business owners. Let’s break it down: business owners hang up a sign saying, “This is what I do, here’s my card, and if you need me I hope you’ll call me” (loosely interpreted, of course). This was what our speaker named as, “Hope marketing.”

Conversely, entrepreneurs set up systems! Do you know what SYSTEM stands for? Saving Your Self Time Energy & Money! Entrepreneurs take themselves out of their business, and it runs just as if they were there. They systematize by either man (paid employees) or machine (computers, automatic processes, etc.). You only have the power of one as a business owner, but when you incorporate systems, you can formulate, delegate, and automate (which is known as Systemized FDA):

Formulate: Write down 10 duties which must be performed in your business daily, weekly, and monthly to be successful. Some could be networking events, Tweeting, Facebook posts, research, answering phones, checking emails, visiting with clients and vendors, along with other tasks to nurture your established relationships. Oftentimes, you are the CEO, the Regional Vice President, the Regional Manager, and Customer Service—brethren, this ought not be. Find other ways your formulation processes can improve.

Delegate: Hire others and accept volunteers. If you believe in your company, solicit the assistance of those who you know and trust. If you wish to hire employees, create a business plan to share with Angel Investors and the Small Business Association. Don’t forget systems, as previously mentioned to help out as well.

Automate: Create a factory. Assign someone (or something) to handle the 95% of your business which is repeatable. Acquire a manager (or management system) to handle certain aspects of your business. Effectively communicate consistently what your business solves better than others (Make sure this is clear with every sent message to your industry).

Creativity, innovation, and passion is what sells. Elicit emotions and show them why you love to do what you do. This will set you apart from the competition. Also, all of your best competition is online. If you do not have a professional presence online, and if your business does not have a website or blog, you don’t exist! Be quick about establishing an honorable and respectable place for your identity on the internet. Doing this first will have you on the right track quicker than anything else. Do you believe internet will be the main place to do business? Are you “walking on water” in self-employment? How are things going? How’s your faith been rewarded?

Here’s to doing business in excellence!

Related articles

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• Choosing the best startup funding for your business (medcitynews.com)
• Ventureneer Shows Business Leaders How to Make 2012 More Productive (pitchengine.com)

Tags: Angel investor, associate, automate, Business, Business plan, businessperson, CEO, communicate, company, Customer Service, delegate, energy, Entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Facebook, formulate, hope, manager, marketing, money, online, Small business, system, time

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