Welcome to Episode #40!

So many moms dream of running their own home-based business but are scared or feel they need more answers to their questions before they begin. Sometimes this procrastination leads to inaction and the dream is lost.

This week my guest is Jamie Bird of Mini Me Baby Gear and Wet Happened? and she is living proof that moms can start their business without all the answers AND with a newborn in the family!

Of course, you still need to do your market research and have a basic plan of action but try to avoid becoming overwhelmed with all the “what ifs” and just get started. Answer those tougher questions down the road. And be sure to communicate with your customers about major life changes that could possibly affect shipping dates or customer service. Most people will be understanding.

Be sure to register to receive updates about our Product Sellers Seminar! This event is 100% online and will be September 17-19, 2008.

 

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Popularity: 5% [?]

Welcome to Episode # 39!

My guest this week is Francine Glick, creator of Hands2Go, which is an alcohol-free hand sanitizer. She is the model of the patient entrepreneur and even though she has made mistakes along the way, she is now reaping the rewards of her patience and determination.

Francine tells us about her inspiration to create Hands2Go and the steps she took from experimenting in her kitchen sink to distributing her product to 5,000 major retail chains! She also shares her top three business tips for those product sellers who are just starting their business.

Mark your calendars for the Product Sellers Seminar September 17 - 19! Sign up to receive announcements about speakers and reminders for this online event.

 

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Welcome to Episode #38!

If you have the desire and the passion to start your own business, do your research and take the risk! That’s what two soccer moms did in 2006 and they haven’t looked back!

My guests this week are Gabrielle DeSantis-Cummings and Monica Hillman, the founders of Gigi Hill. They started this designer handbag direct sales company with the desire to provide women with stylish yet functional handbags.

Listen in as Gabrielle and Monica reveal how they conducted their market research, what they consider the Top 3 Tips for Business Owners, and the importance of managing your time well.

Join us in September when Gabrielle and Monica are guest speakers at Product Sellers Seminar!

 

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Popularity: 16% [?]

Welcome to Episode #37!

Marketing and selling your products online may seem easy because you can do so from the comfort of your own home but if you miss out on marketing your business to your local community, then YOU are the one missing out on sales!

My guest this week is Heidi Richards, President & CEO of Redhead Marketing Inc, owner of Eden Florist & Gift Baskets, and author of 8 books. These are just a few of Heidi’s credits from her 30 years of being a small business owner! Heidi has accumulated first hand knowledge of how to market a small business to the community and joins us to give some tips of how to tap into your offline market.

Among Heidi’s many tips are: how to attract new customers; how to meet your local journalists and get free publicity; and creative ways to meet your offline target market.

Also…Mark Your Calendars! The first Product Sellers Seminar will be on September 17, 18 & 19 at a computer near you. This is a completely online event where you can hear guest speakers, network with guests and attendees, and have a chance to win prizes. All you need is a computer, a microphone, and internet connection! Sign up here for email reminders and notices of scheduled events.

 

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Popularity: 22% [?]

Welcome to Episode # 36!

Online business owners need to remember that without customers buying their product or service, the business owner will not make money. Simple common sense, right? So doesn’t it also make sense to treat these same customers like royalty so they will come back and make future purchases? Sure it does.

Eventually, your customers will have questions or possibly problems that you will need to solve. Do you have a system in place to handle those issues? If not, chances are your customers will become angry, possibly return the product, and you will lose those valuable customers to a competitor for future sales.

This week we discuss various customer service systems that any business owner can implement. Services do not have to be expensive; in fact, there are some customer service open source software that is free to download. We will also discuss why relying solely on email for your customer service is not a good idea.

If you need assistance in perfecting your customer service or any other aspect of your business, consider hiring an experienced business coach who can guide you and answer your questions.

Do you have any tips for improving customer service? Feel free to share by leaving a comment below!

 

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Popularity: 27% [?]

Welcome to Episode #35!

Setting up an ecommerce website is a daunting task, especially if you are new to the online world. There are a lot of components to learn about, services to sign up for, and inevitably you will have questions that need answers.

What happens if you do not have a reliable person to answer your questions? My guest this week is Mary Jackson from Dimples Boutique and she discovered the hard way that her original web host did not care if her business succeeded. Listen to her story and learn some valuable lessons for beginning an ecommerce business!

Also mentioned in the show this week is my search for an Ecommerce Summer Intern. This is an unpaid internship position to learn how to build ecommerce websites from the ground up. Please listen to the show for all the details. Deadline to apply is July 1st.

If you would like to make some extra money promoting my products, sign up for our affiliate program.

As always, I would love to hear your comments about the show, tips for having a successful business, or burning questions that you need answered. Simply leave a comment below!

 

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Popularity: 31% [?]

Welcome to Episode #34!

Lately a lot of my Shop Kit Plus customers have asked me, “Can I sell digital products using Shop Kit Plus?” Even though my clients have physical products to ship out, many of them are seeing the advantages to adding digital products, such as instructions or patterns, to their inventories.

Until now, I’ve had to respond to that frequent question by saying, “No. Shop Kit Plus really works best with physical products.”

Today I am joined by Regina Baker, owner of WAHM Cart, and we are discussing how our two shopping cart systems can work in conjunction with each other. WAHM Cart was designed specifically to handle digital products and affiliate management while Shop Kit Plus was designed with the physical products in mind.

We have joined together to bring even better customer service to our clients by offering to help integrate both of these systems to meet their needs. Listen in to see how these two systems can compliment each other and continue to be very affordable for the small business owner, even when used together.

Regina and I would love to hear about your experiences with both of these products! Feel free to leave a comment below.

 

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Popularity: 38% [?]

Welcome to Episode #33!

One of your key pieces of software for an online store is your shopping cart. You will need specific features to help showcase your merchandise but it also needs to be easy enough to navigate so customers can make a purchase. Having a cart that is too complicated or not secure will scare off potential clients.

This week my guest is Jennie Willis from Tutti Frutti Kids and she shares her troubles setting up an online store with a host who did not care about her success and with a shopping cart that was too complicated and did not have the key features Jennie wanted. Jennie is now a satisfied user of Shop Kit Plus and has many tips for avoiding the troubles she encountered.

If you have additional questions about Shop Kit Plus or how to start your own online business, I offer different private coaching packages. Sometimes a little one-on-one time is all you need to make sense of all this ecommerce information.

Have you experienced troubles with hosts or shopping cart programs? Feel free to share how you resolved your issues by leaving a comment below.

 

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Popularity: 42% [?]

Welcome to Episode #32!

A common part of running your own business or making your own product is solving customer service problems. It’s just a fact of life that you cannot make every customer happy.

But what happens when an irate customer feels entitled to a discount or refund? Do you have a return policy that is visible or acknowledged at the time of purchase?

This week I discuss the Top 5 Ways Businesses Get Scammed and share some advice on how to take steps to avoid these situations.

Have you been scammed by a customer? Feel free to share the steps you took to resolve the problem by leaving a comment below.

 

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Popularity: 44% [?]

Welcome to Episode #31!

Every website owner depends on traffic to make their business successful. But how do you obtain that traffic, especially targeted customers who want to buy what you are selling?

This week we are discussing the basics of keyword research: what are keywords, why keywords are important to the online entrepreneur, why every website owner should do keyword research, and what tools are available to do this online research.

If you would like more detailed SEO (Search Engine Optimization) lessons, join us at SEO PowerUp. For 52 weeks you will get detailed SEO lessons to apply to your own website.

Or you can sign up for my one-on-one coaching services for even more personal guidance.

Have any tips to share? Feel free to leave a comment below!

 

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Popularity: 51% [?]