Advice Marketing A Small Business

Q:Another example is: there are lots of local busineses, some with over 600 employees. To me this seems like an absolute gold mine for potential business when I think of the numbers of people in these companies who smoke, would like to lose weight, are overstressed, etc. etc. but again, how do I go about doing this?

A:Work on a business plan. Regardless if you're going to get a business expansion loan or not. No matter if your business has been in business since the dawn of time. A business plan forces you to think of all aspects of your business. Question every aspect of it. Think how you can do it better, cheaper, and faster. Always remember to K.I.S.S. it. Keep It Simple, Smartass. [Yes, I know it is usually said as "Keep It Simple, Stupid", but it is the smartasses that make things more complex and difficult than they need to be. Stupid people keep it simple (usually too inadequately simple) because they're stupid.] And forever keep in mind that this is a business you're running and a business is to turn a profit. It doesn't turn a profit and it's just an expensive hobby of yours. Your goal should be for the business to work for you and not you work for it. Your end goal should be that you don't have to even show up at the business for it to turn a profit. Golf, anyone? For if you need to always be at the business for it to turn a profit, the only thing you've made is a job for yourself. If that's all you want, close up shop (and all the headaches it entails) and just go work for someone else. As for how much time to invest into your business plan, studies have shown that those that work less than six months on their business plan have a 90% failure rate. Those that work six months or more on their business plan have a 90% success rate. And to start off, get a copy of Michael Gerber's "The E-Myth" (Harper & Row, 1986). Its real value is helping you determine if you're a Technician, Manager, or Entrepreneur. Be honest with yourself and you'll save yourself a lot of grief. If you're a Technician, I already have a website, and used to be a web designer before becoming a therapist. I spent a while setting up tonnes of reciprocal links with other hypnotherapists and this has ensured I get the top link on google for hypnotherapists in my area. This has increased business a bit. I really feel I need to become something of a salesman / marketing man / PR man to really succeed in this business. I am working with the assumption that there's more people out there who would love to undergo hypnotherapy to resolve their issues, and that my main aim should be to make myself known to these people.