One thing that many small business owners fail to consider when going out on their own is dental coverage. Most people will get some sort of health insurance, but people tend to forget about their teeth. If and when you do need work done on your teeth, you’ll see that without insurance, things can get VERY expensive in a hurry. And when you look at the different dental insurance plans out there, you’ll find that most have 12-18 month waiting periods before any major work (root canals, bridges, etc) will be covered by them. Not to mention, the insurance plans are quite pricey.

An alternative that you might not have considered is a discount dental plan. These are plans that offer you full coverage almost immediately, and offer a significant savings over regular dentist pricing. There are many plans to choose from, so do your homework before jumping into a new plan. DentalPlans.com has been an industry leader bringing individuals, families and groups affordable and comprehensive discount dental plans. You can go on their website and search for your preferred dentist, and see which plans they accept. Then you can compare the plans, and see which one works best for you.

There are no sign-up fees, and plans start as low as $79/yr! So don’t delay, check out DentalPlans.com and get enrolled today!

Over the years, I’ve gone through a number of different web hosting companies. It’s a tough business, built on razor-thin margins, and often service and performance suffer as a result. Some hosts try to cram too many users on a single server, which results in pages coming up very SLOOOOWLY.. Worse yet, many places skimp on their support staff. Of course, you’ll never notice this when things are working correctly, but when your site goes down and you try to contact support, you’ll soon discover what a hellish experience it really is!

Thankfully, there are still some good guys out there giving us great service at reasonable prices. How does this sound?

10 Gigabyte Hosting Space
Host 6 Domains on 1 Account!!!
2,500 POP/Imap Email Accounts
250 GIGS of Transfer
SSL, FTP, Stats
CGI, PHP, MySQL
2000/2002/2003 Front Page Extensions
Free Domain Forever!
Free Site Builder (NEW)
Superb/Responsive Support Engineers
$6.95 Per Month

And BlueHost specializes in customer satisfaction.. Sure, I wouldn’t mind more domains hosted on one account, but most people don’t have such needs.. For $6.95/mo, nothing can touch it.. If you’re serious about your website, then sign up with BlueHost and put those worries to bed!

Why make a post about credit card debt? You’d be surprised at the number of people that used credit cards to fund their business when they first started out. It seems like a dangerous game to play, but if you don’t have savings to dip into, you’ve really got limited options. Unfortunately, many of these people borrowed money at less-than-favorable rates, using multiple credit cards, and they’re now struggling to work themselves free from the debt they’ve amassed.

Kill Off Your Credit Card Debt

The biggest question is, “How do I know which of these cards to pay off first?”

Best-selling author David Bach developed a system that helps prioritize your debt payment plans. It’s called DOLP, which stands for Dead On Last Payment, and DOLPing your way out of debt is all about building momentum as you systematically pay off each card, one by one. This system can help you break free - You can get a true handle on how much you owe and how to put a payment plan into action in a matter of minutes.

Here’s what you need to do get DOLPing:

1. Make a list of the current outstanding balances on each of your credit card accounts.

2. Divide each balance by the minimum payment that particular card company wants you to make. The result is that account’s DOLP number.

For example, say your outstanding Visa balance is $500 and the minimum payment due is $50. Dividing the total debt ($500) by the minimum payment ($50) gives you a DOLP number of 10.

3. Once you’ve figured out the DOLP number for each account, rank them in reverse order, putting the account with the lowest number first, the one with the second-lowest number second, and so on.

You now know the most efficient order in which you should pay off your various credit card balances.

4. Pay as much as you can each month toward the card with the lowest DOLP number. For each of your other cards, make only the minimum payment.

5. Once a card is paid off, cut it up — but don’t close the account! Leave the account open so you have credit you aren’t using, which will help improve your credit score.

Now move the next card up on your list and repeat the process until all your cards are paid off.

Track Your Progress

Tracking which cards have been paid off is a huge emotional boost, and propels you toward future progress. Here’s a template you can use to create your own DOLP chart:

Negotiate Interest Rates

Other experts will suggest that you pay off your cards in an order based on the interest rate each card charges. I disagree with this strategy. Instead, you should contact each credit card company and try to negotiate a lower interest rate. Once you’ve asked for a lower rate, you may end up with pretty much the same interest rate on all your accounts. From there, you’d follow the DOLP method.

Stay On Top Of Your Bills

Late payments can cost you upward of $30 a month, higher interest rates of up to 30%, over-limit fees of up to $35 a month — and more stress. DOLPing your debt helps you break this cycle.

Patience, Persistence, and Progress

Although the DOLP method is simple, getting out of debt isn’t. It may take months or even years to pay off all your credit card debt. It can take twice as long to get out of debt as it took to get in it. But you can do it, and it’s worth the effort.

Networking should be a key strategy in building your online business. Why? Because networking is an effective way of prospecting customers and seeking out people who can help your business grow. It is an effective and inexpensive way to grow your business by meeting the key people who could become your clients, suppliers and support systems. However, it also entails going out of your comfort zone and challenging yourself.

An established business has the luxury of satisfied customers spreading the word about the business. Until your business is self-sustaining, you need to start opening your mouth, spreading the word about your venture to all your friends, relatives, acquaintances, and even strangers.

Many start-up entrepreneurs have a hard time approaching other people - particularly strangers - about their business. It may be the fear of speaking out to a total stranger, or the fear of coming on too strong or aggressive. Others let their insecurities take the better or them, while some people fail to network simply because of laziness. As a result, many formal gatherings and social situations become lost opportunities to spread the word about their business.

Over the weekend, I was invited to a BBQ where I didn’t know many people. I started talking with the person sitting next to me, and later asked him what he did for a living. He tells me about his business, and then I tell him a bit about my e-commerce company. He asked if I had a card (I never give out a card unless someone asks for it, but I always make sure I carry them with me!), and we continued to talk.. Others heard us talking and joined in the conversation as well. By the end of the day, everyone there knew what I did for a living! Will it lead to future business? It’s too soon to tell, but it can’t hurt.

And with that, I’m off to another networking event..

A few days ago, I posted about how important it was to choose a good domain name. Today we’re going to talk about how to go about getting a domain name that’s about to expire.

It’s fitting that I make this post now, as I’m going through this exact process right now - I’ve had an idea for another website for quite some time now, but I’ve been struggling with finding the right domain name for it. I came across a name that was taken, but it looks like the owner had long since abandoned the site. I briefly considered soliciting the owner of the domain, to see if she wanted to sell it to me. But first, I checked the domain details, and saw that the name was set to expire in about 3 weeks. Rather than tip off the owner, I decided to wait and see if she’d renew the name or not.

3 weeks go by, and it turns out that she didn’t renew the name! I jumped onto GoDaddy and tried to purchase the name. “We’re sorry, but the name you requested is already taken.”

WTF? A quick Google search on registering expired domains led me to Mike Davidson’s post on the subject. It’s a rather long read, but it explains in great detail how the whole process works, and how best to hedge your bets to ensure that you get the domain you want. If you’re after a name that’s already taken, be sure to read Mike’s post!

1. Working ON your business, not IN your business.
2. You must have vision of where you are going and the passion not to let anything stop you. Much will get in your way, but nothing will stop you.
3. On your credit line, pay it down, pay it off ASAP, this is a loan not money in your account at the bank.
4. You need a business plan. Would you get in your car and just start driving without a destination and a direction in mind?
5. You cannot do it all, so focus. If you don’ define and refine, no one will know what you do.
6. Sales is not marketing. Just because you were an executive, even if you where in charge of sales, it does not mean you know how to sell.
7. Get to know other business people. It will save you time and money. Help others, it will payback 10 fold.
8. You must have a mentor and a coach that you listen to.
9. You need action and execution plans at all levels.
10. Making money is the most critical measurement you have. Don’t lose site of this. You are not in a large corporation with an everlasting cash flow.
11. Without measurement you will never be successful in the long run.
12. Make sure someone is holding you accountable- even though it is your business.
13. Friends are great, but in business you need the best person for the job. Put the right people on the bus.
14. Always try and get as much cash up front as possible.
15. If you can’t do it right, do you really think you will have time to do it again?
16. Pay your bills early or on time. If you can’t, call and let them know.
17. I do business with you; then you need to be doing business with me.
18. You need to lead.
19. Do what you do best and Delegate the rest.
20. Success comes to him who is persistent.
21. The Wait Rule, delayed gratification.
22. Test it, check it, demand proof; Don’t settle or pay for possible.
23. Keep all control, share all profits.
24. Partnerships are more risky than marriage.
25. Priorities - Get them straight before you go into business, then live by them.
26. After all your research work and planning - Double the expense, half the revenue.
27. Explain the time and commitment to your family, get their buy in; do not proceed with out it.
28. Have a budget, stick to it. Manage by it.
29. Sales projects must be justified and production costs must match them.
30. Have the right insurance - Get the right price.
31. Get organized or find someone to do it for you.
32. If you think “if this doesn’t work, I will just get another job,” it will never work.