Writing a Business Concept Statement in 250 Words or Less

Writing a Business Concept Statement can be tough enough - doing it in 250 words or less adds to the challenge. Take your entrepreneurial dream and putting it on paper = priceless!

Business Concept Statement

You want to make sure that your business concept includes:

**The features of what your business does (product or service) and why you do it. (take some of the points from your mission statement if you have one).

**The "what's in it for me" for your customers. How will your product or service make it easier for your customer? How will it enhance their life/their experience/their appearance?

**What sets you apart? Why is your business unique?

**Who are your clients or who will they be (target market) and why?

Think like a reporter....

What does company XYZ sell or do?

How is it different from other companies, products, services?

Who will buy ____________?

Why will they buy from you? (ie: price, availability, confidence, etc...)

Where will ______________ be sold/marketed?

When will you sell your products (if this is a start up and you are not established or in growth phase)

How will you market, promote, and inform people about __________________?

Once you get your plan on paper, review it with your team. If you are a solopreneur, review it with someone you have shared your vision with. Ask for input and advice. Once you've polished it, let someone unfamiliar with the business read over your concept statement. You'll need to keep it brief but make sure it conveys everything about your plan for success. An outsider will ask questions and help you see any missing pieces of the puzzle.

Committed Managers or Passionate Leaders?

Committed Managers or Passionate Leaders?

Thousands of Manager Jobs post across the country each day. Many of the job postings say they want a committed manager. Let’s break this down and decide what employers are really looking for. I venture so far as to say that most organizations are seeking passionate leaders and NOT committed managers, and yet many business men and women would say there is little difference between the two.

First, the word committed, by definition means: To put in trust or charge.

A Manager, by definition is: A person responsible for controlling or administering all or part of a company or similar organization.

Combining the two definitions above helps define what a committed manager is. A committed manager is someone in charge who controls those people who answer to them. Take a few moments to think about each word in that definition. The more I think about words like manage and control the less I like the title of manager. I truly believe that animals, and especially humans, were not meant to be controlled. Take the story of Adam and Eve or if you prefer to stay away from the religious side of things, look at how a horse is broken. The key to breaking a horse is to teach them to respond correctly and work with a rider. When training a horse, the goal is to break the horse but not break their spirit. There are countless examples of this: raising children, team sports like football, etc…

None of us want to be controlled. So why do so many of us aspire to be managers. If I don’t want to BE controlled, I should not aspire to control others. This is where the term: Passionate Leader becomes so important.

First, the word passionate, by definition means: having, compelled by, or ruled by intense emotion or strong feeling.

A Leader, by definition is: A person followed by others.

Combining the two definitions above helps define what a passionate leader is. A passionate leader is someone who has an intense emotion for their profession and someone who others follow. This sounds like something I could aspire to be. I can love what I do and can share that emotion or common goal with others through my own example. No breaking or controlling involved. I am who I am and others want to be like me….hmmmmm….

I guess I know what title I would prefer, and more than just a title – I know which person I would prefer to be.

~Crystal

Two Paws Up for Waiting for Your Cat to Bark by Bryan & Jeffrey Eisenberg

Two Paws Up for Waiting for Your Cat to Bark by Bryan & Jeffrey Eisenberg

I purchased Waiting for Your Cat to Bark by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg. This particular read was recommended by a successful business associate, and I really liked the catchy title. I am generally a dog person, but I have owned cats. If your cat is barking, it likely has a hairball and you can imagine what happens next. I can’t say I’ve ever been waiting for my cat to bark but I love marketing ideas and I was told how business savvy the Eisenberg brothers were. I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy the book. Now I know this book will be on my bookshelf twenty years from now. This is a great read and I’d give it two paws up (in keeping with the cat and dog theme).

Waiting for Your Cat to Bark helps readers prepare for the today’s tech savvy consumers who want to be engaged and are not looking to be sold on products and services. The Eisenberg brothers explain the power of Persuasion Architecture ™ and the importance of setting goals, measuring results, and changing course as needed to reach your target audience. Today’s customers don’t make purchases or decisions the way they did twenty years ago. If we are using the same marketing strategies we were in the past, our businesses will fail.

The Small Business Association announced in 2011 there were 27+ Million Small Businesses in the United States, between 60% and 80% of all new jobs in the United States are attributed to Small Business, and from the point of startup, only 44% will survive four years. As business owners, if we aren’t following some sort of business model, we will be searching for another line of work. When our businesses fail, it also affects our self-esteem and our personal relationships. We cannot afford to get so involved in the day to day operations of our business that we neglect our marketing plan.

Waiting for Your Cat to Bark explains the four dimensions of sales complexity and goes into great detail about the human operating system. Marketing isn’t just about developing a product and selling it. Today’s customer is in control and successful businesses understand they need to provide value in addition to their core product and service. To provide someone with value, you must understand what motivates them and you need to position yourself in such a way that you are partnering with them to achieve a common goal. Today’s customers will buy, but they do not want to be sold. If customer satisfaction is truly a thing of the past and customer loyalty is the key, we should all want dogs instead of trying to convert our cats into ‘man’s best friend’. If we want our dogs to be loyal, we need to treat them right, spend time with them, and understand what brings them the most joy. As a customer, wouldn’t we all love that kind of attention and appreciation? As a business owner, don’t we look at that kind of loyalty of priceless?

Waiting for Your Cat to Bark is the business book you’ll want on your book shelf years from now. The cover will become tattered because you will reference it time and time again. Two paws up for a priceless marketing guide. Some might say if you have a marketing model or you are starting a new business you need this book. I would go so far as to say boldly: If you have a product or service to sell, you cannot afford to wait another day to get your copy of Waiting for Your Cat to Bark. Regardless of your niche or level of experience, there is something to learn from the Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg.

For more information or to interact with Bryan and Jeff, check out there website: http://www.bryaneisenberg.com/

Crystal's Literary Diet

Crystal is often asked what she is reading (probably because she asks others the same question). She wanted to share some literary suggestions with the Relax Consulting blog followers and as you can see below, Crystal feels strongly that a literary diet should include some meat and potatoes/educational reading, some dessert/a fun read or a romance novel, and some snacks/periodicals to even things out. Some of the books below are being read for the first time and some for the tenth time. If you have any feedback on any of them, please leave a comment below to help other reader in their choosing of a literary diet.

What's on your literary diet menu for the next few weeks?

Bossy Pants by Tina Fey is a fun read with a little bit of business and a lot of laughter. (find Crystal's full review of this one on Ezine: http://ezinearticles.com/?This-Boss-Loves-BossyPants!&id=6921339)

Waiting for Your Cat to Bark by Brian and Jeff Eisenberg is definitely a business and marketing book, a good value with lots of insight

Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss is the kind of book that can change your life - stop putting off until tomorrow what you could be enjoying today. A complete review of this one should be up on Ezine in a few days, subscribe to Crystal's ezine feed to read it first: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Crystal_J_Casavant)

The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball is a fun read - not part of Crystal's business book diet, but more like the banana cream pie after the meal. A great book to grab when relaxing with a cup of coffee.

Customer Satisfaction is Worthless by Jeffrey H. Gitomer is a fabulous read for customers and customer service providers alike. Who wants to be satisfied when you can instead have your expectations exceeded?

Success Magazine - where you can learn, laugh, and find valuable business tools. As part of the literary diet, this is the mid-afternoon snack of carrots and celery needed to get you through the day.

What is Relax Consulting?

What is Relax Consulting?

I get asked this question a lot, and when I try to answer using a title or reference to another business, I feel like I'm trying to stick a square peg in a round hole. Administrative Consulting or Virtual Assisting is 'sort of' what I do...but more of some and less of other things that those type of companies provide. What Relax Consulting is, is an extension of me. We do the things that I'm good at and the things I enjoy - and we do them for the people I enjoy spending my time with. 

I am reading a book by Tim Ferriss called the Four Hour Work Week where he talks about controlling the W's in your life, which lets you control, WHAT you do, WHEN you do it, WHERE you do it, and with WHOM. And that's exactly what Relax Consulting is. I help companies and individuals with marketing, writing, team building, presentation creation/polishing, etc...and it do it on my terms to fit into my family schedule, I do it from my home (or remotely - gotta love technology - ie: from the beach), and I get to choose my clients which means I have the ability to work with only those people I want to work with.

So, to answer the initial question of what Relax Consulting is, it's a chance for someone who is frustrated by their limitations, to sit down and talk to someone who has insightful ideas, positive energy, and a passion for life. We can talk about plans, goals, and ideas, and see if we can help one another. This may mean I help you design a website and teach someone at your office how to maintain it and link together your social media, or it may mean you call me once in a while to write a blog or proof read a presentation. 

In the end - Relax Consulting is about building relationships, building up one another, and going back to the basics of life where one hand washes the other and ideas can be shared and created openly and honestly among people that respect one another.

That's the scoop - and as I learn more things, or hire additional teammates, Relax Consulting will become bigger, better, and we will expand into different business spaces. It's all about embracing diversity and individuality as well as driving change!

~Crystal

Now THIS is Customer Service

David's Bridal has a fabulous customer service program.

Seriously, top notch. Here's what I can tell you:

*Their Search Engine Optimization works - I found their website first, because I queried plus size wedding gowns

*Their website has a fabulous selection (whether you're little, big, pregnant, young, old, etc...)

*Their website is user friends (easy to create an account, save favorites, schedule an appointment, etc...)

*Their call center staff is prompt and courteous - a woman called me within 24 hours of my first website visit and she scheduled my appointment, gave me clear instructions, welcomed me warmly, congratulated me, and made sure I knew everything I should know prior to my visit

*Their follow up/reminder call is personal - I received a call 48 hours prior to my appointment to again review any questions I had. The individual I spoke to encouraged me to invite my 5 year old daughter to the appointment, and she was upbeat and again very encouraging and congratulated me!

*Their in store service is exquisite - I felt like a princess and each and every staff person interacted with our group. They were welcoming to me, my toddler, and my photographer. It was personal and they referred to me by name and asked questions to put me at ease.

*The check out process was easy and they gave me dates and details while also encouraging me to complete the online survey (which was also quick and easy)

From start to finish I have been very happy - they even pinned my dress and explained alterations on the first visit. It took less than two hours to find a dress for myself and a dress for my daughter. It was a fun experience and the prices are more than fair.

Customer service is ultimately about treating each customer as if they were the only customer. Today I felt like the only bride in the store, and in reality there were 1/2 a dozen ...David's Bridal gets it right!! I wouldn't think of shopping or referring anyone anywhere else!

http://www.davidsbridal.com/HomeView