Do everything better - 18 ways to improve a small business - Industry Trend or Event

Home Office Computing, Oct, 1997 by David Wallace

* Examine your figures every month to see where you are, and make your accounting software the backbone of strategic planning.

Learn From Your Mistakes

Since retiring from sports, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton has launched nine businesses, created the Fran Tarkenton Small Business NETwork, and authored What Losing Taught Me About Winning: The Ultimate Guide for Success in Small and Home-Based Businesses (Simon & Schuster).

Failure, losing, and struggle are all essential to winning. If you don't ever fail, then you're a spectator, not a player. Society has led people to believe in the impossible dream -- that just by dreaming about an ideal life, you can become fabulously successful. But mistakes and success are intertwined. A positive attitude alone won't cut it.

That's why you must make your work your passion. You've got to have an intense focus and stay sharp by developing a business paranoia. The reason winning pro athletes come through in the last two minutes of a game is because they have to concentrate so intensely and completely.

Find a coach and a good mentor. When people have what I call idea power and information power, they come up with new opportunities.

Broaden the concept of your business. I call it opportunity sensory perception -- and it can be extremely profitable.

Build Global Sales

Diane Willkens founded Development Finance International Inc. in Bethesda, Maryland, to help small companies go global by working as subcontractors to corporations doing business internationally.

Check out the National Trade Data Bank, the U.S. Commerce Department's resource on international trade leads, at www.stat-usa.gov/BEN/databases.html, available by subscription.

Call your local Export Assistance Center and plan to meet the export consultants and, especially, the SBA's financing experts. Financing is crucial, so make sure people know that you want to get a deal done.

Invest in polished marketing and PR materials. A Web site is fine, but Internet use is very low overseas compared with the United States, and you need promotional material that you can send via overnight mail to anywhere in the world.

Familiarize yourself with the culture. Books such as Dun & Bradstreet's Guide to Doing Business Around the World (Prentice Hall) have demographic data, cultural and customs information, and other revealing details on worldwide trading partners. Or invest in a CultureGram -- four-page profiles on 163 countries available for $6 each from the Kennedy Center for International Studies at Brigham Young University (800-528-6279).

Don't fool yourself into thinking global expansion will be glamorous work. Be prepared for long hours, arduous travel, and time away from family.

Get Quality Computer Repair

Brian Kushner is president and CEO of Recompute Corp., an Austin, Texas, company that refurbishes computers, servers, and notebooks for national resale.

Before you sign on the dotted line, ask your computer repair technician these four questions to ensure quality service.