Content Planning: Creating Your Brand Identity

Build a Solid Foundation with an Identity and a Plan

Talk to any leading Expert Author and you will find a plan (big or small) at the center of their success. If you want to succeed and ultimately get more out of your return on time investment, establishing a plan will help you achieve your article writing goals as well as any goal you wish to achieve.

In any plan - content plans, strategic plans, etc. - you must first define your backstory via a mission and a vision. Once you've established these focal points, you can begin to establish your brand identity.

What do you value?

Your brand identity is made up of the visual characteristics unique to you and your organization - on the Internet, that's everything. One of the keys to developing an identity that resonates with your audience is to identify your core values.

Core values are the attitudes or beliefs of your organization. These values are not a result of the activities you perform. Instead, the activities are a result of your core values.

To define your values, consider the most basic elements of your organization's principles and beliefs. Examples of core values are maintaining a healthy work/life balance, a commitment to sustainability, and being resourceful. Use these values, along with your mission and vision to align members of your organization as well as guide activities (i.e., "this activity" reflects "this value," "this product" reflects "this value," "this article" reflects "this value").

Is your Expert Author brand identity consistent?

Cover the bases of your Expert Author identity by ensuring everything points back to your mission, vision, and core values. The following are key areas to review and update:

• Author Name - Your name must be consistent between your website and your articles. In addition, ensure your name can easily be found on your website for added transparency and brand exposure.
   
• Author Photo - Readers trust someone they can visualize behind the writing and it's critical to your Expert Author identity. Use your EzineArticles Author Photo on your website for an easy visual cue of your brand and to reassure the reader of your connection and authenticity. [Learn more]
   
• Author Profile - Your profile is the #1 spot to discuss your credentials as an authority in your niche, your organization, your mission, your vision, and your values. Provide your readers with a call-to-action that will motivate them to visit your website, blog, or other links you provide on your profile. [Learn more]
   
• Niche - When choosing a niche, avoid the broadest area - the smaller you are, the more focused your niche should be. Start small to build big by establishing your credibility in focused areas. [Learn more]
   
• Relevance - Avoid writing articles that are irrelevant to your niche. All content in your article portfolio should reinforce your brand, not weaken it with subjects irrelevant to your audience. Save personal commentaries and other content of that ilk for a personal blog.
   
• Resource Box - Your Resource Box should succinctly include your name, your vision, a call-to-action, and a link to a relevant page on your website.

What are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT)?

Once you have a foundation, it's time to take inventory to discover what's working for you and what's not. Identify all of your assets - both online and off. Then perform a SWOT analysis to pinpoint areas of improvement as well as effectively create and achieve goals efficiently. Consider the following by using your mission, vision, and values as a lens:

• Strengths - Assets and characteristics that give you and your organization an advantage.
   
• Weaknesses - Assets and characteristics that limit you and your organization.
   
• Opportunities - Outside prospects you can use to improve.
   
• Threats - Outside elements that prevent growth or cause harm.

Once identified, use this information to realign your goals and build the framework of a seamless content strategy that targets readers.

Building a foundation is critical to any successful venture that will resonate with readers. Identify who you are, what you represent, what you value, and be consistent. From there you can identify where you stand and how you can plan to improve. We'll show you more content planning strategies on audience targeting, evaluating, and more in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

Can An Entrepreneur Have A Balanced Life?

Do you ever wonder if you can achieve a "balanced life" as an entrepreneur? Do you struggle to give attention to your business, your family, your social life and to yourself, but wind up feeling let down and frustrated at how difficult it can be? Entrepreneurs need to begin seeing the concept of balance differently than most people, and I'll explain exactly how you can do this.

When you think of "balance", what generally comes to mind? If you're like the majority of people, the word balance makes you think about giving equal attention to every aspect of your life, like the pieces of a perfectly sliced pie. You may have learned that everything in your life needs the same amount of your time and energy in order for you to experience true balance. Sure, a balance scale is seen as "balanced" when both sides hold the same amount, but we're human beings, not balance scales. This way of thinking leads many entrepreneurs to feel quite pressured, as they struggle to give everything a "little bit" of their time. It can be difficult to feel a sense of fulfillment and success when we're being pulled in so many different directions at once.

As a Holistic Health Coach, I teach my clients how to begin viewing the concept of balance differently. I ask my clients to think about their level of satisfaction in various areas of their lives ("How satisfied am I about this particular area of my life?"). This might mean looking at an area such as relationships, finance, career, creativity or spiritual practice. Rather than struggling to give all areas of our life equal attention, you can begin paying attention to those areas that you are not feeling satisfied in. Your gut will tell you which parts of your life need more attention at this particular point in time, and which ones are just fine as they are. This is a personal decision that you'll need to make, which will allow you to quickly realize that the idea of "balance" is very individualistic, which is completely okay. Perhaps the word "balance" is no longer what you'll be striving for, but rather "satisfaction". How does that feel for a change?

As a busy entrepreneur, you have many hats to wear, and it can be a challenge trying to juggle all of your responsibilities. As a first step, I would recommend that you ask yourself the following questions to clarify which areas you may need to focus on more:

* What do I often struggle with?

* How would I like to feel? Why? What difference would this make in my life?

* What might an ideal day in my life look like?

Taking the time to reflect on these questions would be a great place to begin assessing your satisfaction with your particular areas of your life, and help you begin to identify some areas that immediately stand out as needing more attention. Your life as an entrepreneur isn't supposed to be perfect, but you do deserve to feel a sense of purpose, meaning and energy in your life... after all, isn't that the bigger reason why you became an entrepreneur in the first place? Giving yourself the gift of time to reflect on your personal level of satisfaction in your life will definitely reap great results. You might even find yourself redefining what balance looks and feels like in a way that is just right for you, and only you.

Milissa Harding is a Certified Holistic Health Coach who teaches new entrepreneurs how to maintain healthy energy levels needed to grow their business and create the lives they truly desire from the inside out. Visit http://www.healthystartcoaching.ca/ to receive your free copy of "6 Steps to Become a Healthy and Energized Entrepreneur".

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Milissa_L_Harding

How to Become an Entrepreneur - Top 10 Tips That Will Help You Beat the Odds of Failure and Succeed

I will here show you 10 great tips on how to become an entrepreneur that I have gathered through reading and listening to great entrepreneurs.

There are a lot to learn. You will always hear about people succeeding in business that have skipped school/university but they haven't stopped learning. The difference is that as an entrepreneur you have to learn to succeed. If you stop, others will beat you down hard, and you could lose it all. Don't let that happen to you and read the list, follow it and study each bullet point, get a book about it.

But remember, the most important in any business is sales, so get good at selling and marketing and the rest can be managed by other smart people you can hire.

1. You need to find a deep need in the marketplace, not just a surface need.

2. Then you go out and find a solution to that need.

3. Are there a solution in the marketplace already? Can you improve it, or make a better solution or price it better?

4. Don't stop studying, read and get all the information about your marketplace that is available to you.

5. Get smart and bright people around you. Become friends with them or hire them in your company.

6. Are you a great manager? If not, hire a manager.

7. Sometimes you have to take a big risk in order for your business to succeed. If not you could fail before trying.

8. Change is something you have to embrace. Change according to your industry or what your customers needs are.

9. Build your business network before, while you are in business and after. You never know when you could need some help or solution that some of these people know about.

10. Always listen to others if they are more successful than you. Be mentored by them and listen to their advice. Being coachable is something you have to learn, your way isn't always the best way.

This is a short list of what you need in place to become a successful entrepreneur. There are many parts of becoming one, and especially a successful one. Over 90 percent of businesses fail within their first 10 years. The odds are against you, so if you follow the steps above the odds are more with you than if you don't. Good luck with your startup!

If you want to learn more about entrepreneurship then visit my blog http://www.matsholmvik.com/2012/09/16/how-to-become-an-entrepreneur-with-top-20-advice-on-becoming-one/ to learn more advice on how to become a succesful entrepreneur.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mats_Holmvik

How To Define Entrepreneurial Spirit

The entrepreneurial spirit is often difficult to define let alone examine in detail because of its perception as a highly creative and dynamic entity and it is with this caveat that this article is written.

Whilst the entrepreneurial spirit can be applied to a wide range of disciplines and professionals it is perhaps most closely associated with the world of business and incorrectly used to describe many successful business people, when in fact very few individuals can truly demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit.

Historical Context of the meaning of entrepreneur

The word itself is French in origin and if interpreted in its literal context means "between jobs". It is interesting that a word that has come to project the very pinnacle of success should have such mundane roots as a means of describing being unemployed.

This article examines a number of concepts that appear intrinsic to what constitutes entrepreneurial spirit

1. Uniqueness

In a highly developed global business community where new ideas and business models are increasingly in short supply the importance of uniqueness cannot be under estimated and those exhibiting an entrepreneurial spirit are often associated with concepts that encapsulate originality and ingenuity. Take for example, Steve Jobs bringing the Apple IPOD to the market,

2. Creativity

Creativity is heavily connected to uniqueness but the two are not identical. Individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit are experienced at harnessing the creative process to help them produce a unique product /service or advantage. So where as uniqueness describes the end outcome, creativity describes the process of how one achieves it. For this reason those with an entrepreneurial spirit are often creative individuals who are ready, willing and able to actively adopt new techniques to get ahead even at the expense of being ridiculed by others.

3. Risk Taking

In a western society that is so often risk averse, those with entrepreneurial spirit embrace risk taking and it is impossible for such a concept not to be associated with entrepreneurs and the often high risk potential involved in following a new cutting edge approach. It must be observed however that risk is not the same as recklessness and those demonstrating an entrepreneurial spirit are likely to be adept at assessing the risks involved in any undertaking.

4. Business Savy

As highlighted previously those with entrepreneurial spirit should not be considered as reckless mavericks indeed quite the opposite, good entrepreneurs are motivated by profit and are skilled at identifying a lucrative niche in the market that can be exploited for profit. Take for example, Steve Jobs at Apple Computers who has successfully navigated a profitable course in the computing and software industry despite the market being dominated by Microsoft and IBM for a number of decades. In addition he was the first to spot the potential of utilising the computing industry to open a new market to the music fraternity , with the introduction of the IPOD, the market leader in its business stream. Such actions requires great skill and confidence and demonstrate a clear entrepreneurial spirit.

5. Developing Potential

Identifying, Investing in and nurturing potential are also essential to the ideals attached associated with entrepreneurial spirit because of the need to find differing solutions to a business problem.

Established businesses often fail to discover breakthroughs because they stick to a rigid investment formula that has worked for them in the past rather than finding new ways of moving forward.

6. Adaptability

The entrepreneurial spirit is always adaptable and ready to overcome barriers presented by business problems and is usually quicker at resolving those issues than mainstream business thinkers.

7. Ultimately Destructive

Entrepreneurial spirit is ultimately destructive to its own business in the medium term unless those engaged in utilizing the concept recognize when it is time to handover to mainstream management focussed individuals who can maintain and develop the organisation. This is because true entrepreneurial spirit is obsessed with constant creativity and change which is unsettling to employees without good management and a clear direction. Many of those demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit rarely stay long term in any enterprise they undertake, take Richard Branson for example who after launching numerous businesses under the "Virgin" brand has subsequently sold on many of these to third parties at a huge profit to himself.

Summary

In conclusion whilst there are certainly key characteristics which encapsulate the entrepreneurial spirit it would be foolish to pretend that any one individual has all those traits and even more foolish to believe that such a concept can be comprehensively defined. It is also short sighted to believe that those with entrepreneurial spirit are only evident in the business community, indeed many different disciplines and vocations have historical and existing individuals contained within them that could be essentially described as entrepreneurs.

Well Known individuals exhibiting the entrepreneurial spirit : Richard Branson, Clive Sinclair, Freddy Laker, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Anita Roddick.

Words often used to describe individuals with entrepreneurial spirit : Mavericks, Tycoons, pathological liars, risk takers, self made business people, successful, charismatic.

This is post was written by J Dawkins who created Friends and Money in March 2007. His site is dedicated to providing reviews of paid survey, social networking, and cash back shopping communities.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/738736

3 Creative Ways to Motivate an Entrepreneur

Let's face it, these days there is nothing that can motivate us; the news, crime, the down economy, etc. But what if I tell you that I have three great services that will motivate you? Yes, three services that we provide to busy Entrepreneurs and Professionals to bring work/life balance.

Below are three creative ways in which our team provides Virtual Office Internet Services for your team:

Motivation #1: Administrative Services

Don't ever feel overwhelmed by phone calls, paperwork or missing appointments again. Our team can type correspondence, schedule your appointments and even send you reminders. We can send e-faxes, respond to your hundreds of emails and even update your social media. Creating newsletters for your company is another great tool in which we help you look professional and help you keep in touch with your clients.

Motivation #2: Business Consulting

Your number one focus is to reach your bottom line. Our number one focus is to help you get there. Providing great customer service should be every Entrepreneurs priority and we have the tools for you to create the greatest customer service leaving your clients satisfied from the time they enter your office until they leave. We also provide solutions for project performance expectations and analyze a business practice that is best for your company.

Motivation #3: Personal Assistant Services

You have an important meeting this week and you forgot to pick up your laundry. Or, there is a special occasion coming up and you don't know what gift to get. Our team is here to save the day. Our Personal Assistant Team is available to pick up or drop off, prepare your travel plans, search and pick up a gift or just get you to where you need to be. We can do personal shopping for you and even prepare gift packaging. Going on vacation? You can count on our team to house-sit for you and even water your plants.

Do you need more reason to be motivated?

• We can email you a daily, weekly or monthly motivational quote to keep you moving forward.

• Provide Internet Research for just about, well... anything!

• Proofread manuals

• Translate from English to Spanish

• Make Deliveries

• Email Management

• Booking... and much more

There are a range of different packages that will suit your business. Our project management will provide a significant savings on overhead. We utilize today's technology to work remotely from our office in providing Virtual Office Internet Services to busy Entrepreneurs and Professionals, like you. Contact us and let us know how we can keep you motivated!

Our goal at VOIS is to serve our clientele's need; that is why our mission is to provide the best service in town with excellence! We strive to meet the needs of many individuals and to leave a positive outlook through our projects. VOIS takes administration to another level. With years of experience and hard work, VOIS has become one of the best businesses in town.

What we do is offer great services at affordable prices. What others don't do is offer that with INTEGRITY! Visit our website at http://www.voisonline.com to find out more about our company.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carmen_E_Saunders

What is an Entrepreneur | Part 2

To Define an Entrepreneur

When you encounter a new word, what do you usually do? Do you ignore it or do you try to look up its definition in the dictionary? For smart individuals, they will surely look up for the new word's meaning. If you're engaged in business undertakings, perhaps you want to define entrepreneur. Are you an entrepreneur?There is a specific definition of entrepreneur. According to most dictionaries, an entrepreneur is a businessperson who finances or initiates emerging commercial enterprises. Basically, he or she is the person who provides for the capital of the business. However, providing capital alone is not enough to be called an entrepreneur. How is that?It's because some individuals prefer to invest in a certain business venture but that person will let someone else handle all the business activities. Any person who finances a business venture and runs it can be called an entrepreneur. According to some economists, an entrepreneur is someone who develops a fresh and new product, a new way of producing something, or an innovative market. Usually, entrepreneurs start with a small business and if it proves to be successful, the business will slowly expand.

So why put up small businesses? You see, small businesses require smaller amount of capital while larger ones demand huge capital. Not many entrepreneurs nowadays are willing to take the risk of putting up big businesses without proper research and studies. Some say that being an entrepreneur starts right after a child is born. The qualities are already possessed by the child from the moment of birth. The individual is already a thinker and schemer of things. These individuals will want to reach the impossible. So if you're a born entrepreneur, you must develop your skills and qualities so that you can use it in the near future for your success. Putting up a new enterprise may sound very hard but for the entrepreneur, nothing is impossible to achieve. Innovation, creativity, leadership, being a risk-taker, and having the right inner drive or passion are some of the keys to being a successful entrepreneur. If you possess these things, nothing can stop you from being one of the biggest names in the marketplace. There are thousands of opportunities that you can find from emerging communications, culture, and science and technology. All you need to do is identify these business opportunities and turn them into a real business enterprise. However, choosing a good business opportunity requires careful study and market research. Even if entrepreneurs are known to be risk-takers, they still have to make sure that they are entering a good business. If you want to know more about the definitions of an entrepreneur, you can easily search for the meaning of the word in popular search engines like Google and Yahoo. By using the power of the internet, you can find a lot of definitions for you to understand the word much better. There are many resources to find online; all it takes is diligent research. Being an entrepreneur is an exciting and challenging task. If you have the guts, the capital, the right inner passion, appropriate qualities, and skills, don't hesitate to introduce something new to the market.

Besides, most customers like new stuff. So what are you waiting for? Study the market and see if you can enter it and become a new entrepreneur.

What is an Entrepreneur

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about Entrepreneurs. When you start sharing the fascinating Entrepreneur facts below, your friends will be absolutely amazed. What is an Entrepreneur?

People enjoy a lot of comforts as they go through life each day. Have you ever wondered who are responsible for all these life's comforts? You have to thank the entrepreneurs for it. But, what is an entrepreneur? Entrepreneur has many meanings. If you want to know exactly what it means, just keep on reading. A person who assumes business responsibility and the risks that comes along with it is called an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, one expects to make profits, whether big or small, depending on the business he or she is involved in. generally, the entrepreneur decides which product or service to offer, obtain the needed facilities, hires the required labor force, acquire production materials, and provides for the capital.

There is no assurance that the business will become a success. However, if the business proves to be a success, the entrepreneur will reap all the benefits and rewards in terms of the profits. In case of a loss, the entrepreneur will also be the one to suffer. Assuming business responsibilities is definitely not an easy task. Not many individuals are willing to take huge responsibilities, and most especially take all the risks. Only an experienced and knowledgeable individual will dare to become an entrepreneur. The ultimate goal of an entrepreneur is to earn profits.

By putting up a small business, you will also earn limited returns but by establishing a big business, you will also earn more profits. The choice will depend on the entrepreneur and his or her available resources. As the most important person in a business venture, an entrepreneur will be the one to decide which product or service to offer. He or she must be able to determine the needs of the people and provide the answer to such needs. A careful study of the targeted market is required. This takes time because one can't decide immediately what product or service to offer. Once the products or services are identified, it is now time for the entrepreneur to obtain all the needed facilities. This will include the building or the place of business.

Along with it are the other things needed such as the office furniture, fixtures, and many other things. The capital is usually provided by the entrepreneur and a part of it will be allotted for the acquisition of the facilities. Later on, these things will be considered as one of the assets of the business. It seems like new information is discovered about something every day. And the topic of Entrepreneur is no exception. Keep reading to get more fresh news about Entrepreneur. Recruitment of the labor force is also an important part of being an entrepreneur. The business will not succeed if it doesn't have a loyal labor force. Everyone should work together in order to achieve success. It is therefore of utmost importance to hire only the qualified employees. As you can see, the entrepreneur has to take care of many things. This may be one reason why not many individuals are willing to become one. If the business succeeds or fails, it is all because of the entrepreneur. Now that you know what an entrepreneur is, would you like to become one? Well, if you have the right attitude, skills, and qualifications, you too can become an entrepreneur. It would be best to embark on a humble beginning. Don't attempt to reach the peak of success all at once. It takes hard work, dedication, and perspiration. You must take one step at a time.

***********************************************************