Well, well. It’s been quite some time since I went on a new ‘rant’, (spelled= whining). Truly a time of growth, learning and experience. To put it politely. At least to this point I can attest that business is a demanding mistress. Requires attention and plenty of it.

So where is this taking us? Well, a topic I rarely broach with clients because the specter of the mere mention of it’s potential for havoc. Yes my friends, that’s right. Failure. The money sucking, ego bruising womb of “if only”.

Planning for Success

Well, this time I am getting serious. Honest. Business owners really need some focus here. Over the last while I have noticed a trend. It has certainly become a point of contemplation. Think ahead. Many of the ‘E’ntrepreneurs I have been working with lately seem to be a little myopic. It really doesn’t matter if it’s a website or a marketing plan, people just don’t think ahead. “Plan for Success” is my motto.

Managed ecommerce; Application Service Providers

A study of SiteSell.com (http://www.sitesell.com/ )

To start with…. This type of site is not completely without it’s merits, they exist, but if it’s of any use it’s for the very ‘nubile’ webPreneurs. Great as a starter. Once one has a grasp of business and the internet, control is everything. These programs take away much of that control in the guise of making your experience more user friendly, when in essences, you are merely giving up control for a lack of other options.

The 80-20 Rule

For those of us that are self employed, dealing with customers is an everyday part of business. As you may imagine not all customers are 'ideal customers. Depending on your industry this can be limited by qualifying clients prior to signing.

That's another story though. At the moment I am just talking about indentifying troublesome trends. Some time ago when I was in business school, we we're taught the 80-20 rule for CRM (customer relations management).