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Home » Business And Finance Articles » Home Biz Pop Quiz

Home Biz Pop Quiz

Are you serious about starting or managing your own home based business?

Consider this: most successful business owners exhibit very similar traits which helped pave the way to their success.

Think of any successful business leader you admire. What characteristics do they exhibit?

Are they ruthless, focused, self assured, dynamic, real go getters, highly motivated, intelligent, very organized, have a unique vision, very detailed oriented, very aggressive, people oriented, loners, self-starters, good business sense, well educated, hard workers.

Are any of these character traits part of your personality!

Take this quiz now to see how you measure up!

Answer True or False to the following questions.

1. I've personal experience in the business I wish to start.

2. I am very organized.

3. I always sweat the details.

4. I know how to price my product to sell plus make a profit.

5. I am highly motivated to be successful.

6. I enjoy this type of work. I'd even do it for free.

7. My family supports my business idea.

8. I have enough money saved to see me through the first few years.

9. Every home based biz venture needs a business plan.

10. I am willing to work alone for long periods.

11. I'm in good enough health to endure long hours.

12. I've researched my targeted market.

13. People consider me a ball of energy!

14. I enjoy planning and then carrying out the plan.

15. I have a mentor or a friend who I query for advice.

16. I've discovered a niche inside this business market.

17. I accept working long hours with little or no compensation.

18. I have enough space in my home to operate a business.

19. I know zoning and licensing laws in my community and how they might affect my business.

20. I am aware of business legal structures. (sole proprietorship, corporations, etc.,).

21. I know how to maintain business records.

22. I know what insurance coverage, if any, my business must maintain.

23. I am aware of what equipment/supplies I will need and the cost.

24. I have a pay schedule set to compensate myself for all my work.

25. Being in control and responsible for my own business sounds great to me.

Well...no big surprise here! All the answers to the questions were True! If you answered True to most of the questions then you have a reasonably good chance to be a success considering all other factors, such as time, money, motivation, effort. If you answered "False" to any of the questions, this is a warning sign that this area needs to be studied closely to see what means needs to be implemented to strengthen this vital area. This could be easily accomplished through self study, extensive reading, research online, workshops, returning to school, getting good business advice from a professional in the field.

by BB Lee (C)2004

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Delivering Fantastic Service!

Fantastic customer service is a friendly smile, it's a warm greeting, it's a caring attitude, it's aimless small talk, it's genuinely going the extra mile, it's truly understanding the other person, it's cheerful enthusiasm...

Fantastic service is what makes customers want to shop with you despite a higher price or the inconvenience of distance. Even if you are providing a lesser quality product or service, fantastic service can help you compensate for it. It gives you an incredible, low cost competitive advantage.

To test whether you are providing poor or fantastic service take an honest look at your business and answer these three basic questions.

1--Are customer greeted in a warm and friendly manner? And are they greeted immediately?

2--Are your people sincerely and enthusiastically focused on customers and their needs?

3--Is "Thanks You" a phrase that is used at the end of every transaction?

While poor customer service may not kill a business, it will hinder your efforts to grow your business. Many managers have no clue that they are providing poor service. Answering the above questions will give you a clue as to where your service stands.

To improve your customer's experience, start by changing yourself. Change your attitude when handling customer issues. Be friendly and liberal versus stern when implementing policy. This may require you to convince yourself that you can afford great service. Do the math and discover that it will cost you less to take care of that customer now and build a life long patron. Set the example by regularly chatting with customers and enthusiastically pitching in to solve hard problems.

Next challenge your people by asking them to step up their game. Catch them providing great service and provide some simple verbal recognition. Constantly bring up and talk about how important it is to set yourself apart with great service. Create a bulletin board in your employee only area, and post positive comments from customers - if a customer verbally tells you something great, type it up and post it on the board. For employees that just don't get it try to understand why and help them with some training, coaching and counseling.

You should now be on your way to providing fantastic service and increasing your sales. Starting with your next customer start building that essential service foundation today.

Copyright 2004 - Darryl Gee