In Sickness And In Health

I recently drove by a business that had a sign out front that read
"Closed due to illness".

This meant that the cash flow would stop until the owner was able to return to work.
Even worse, the business would not be able to generate revenue for the owner when it was most needed.

Take the following steps today to ensure that your business will still be working when you are not able to.

1. AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS:

Automate as much as you can in your business so that you can not only make money while you sleep,
but also when you are sick and can't operate the business.

You can automate follow-ups using autoresponders,
and the sales process using a shopping cart.
Think of other areas of your business that are vital
to its success, and automate the processes if you can.

2. CREATE SYSTEMS:

Think about your daily routines in your business.
Which routines are vital to the success of your business?

Turn these routines into systems by documenting the steps
necessary to complete them.
Create binders for your systems so that your assistant
or partner can complete certain projects in your absence
using the steps in the binders.

3. PLAN AHEAD NOW:

Will you hire an assistant or temporary manager to
operate your business in your absence?
Then do the research now to make it possible.

Write down all the attributes you want for your assistant.
What duties will they perform during your absence?
What resources will be available to them to carry out
their duties?

Choose your assistant now so they will be prepared
to come aboard when you need them to.
You don't have to hire them now, but make it easy
on yourself by already having someone ready to help you
operate your business when you are not able to.

Let this person know what your goals are and give
them a binder containing your standard operating
procedures and the resources for them to complete
their duties.

4. CREATE MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOME:

If you are the only one able to operate your business,
you definitely need to ensure that your cash flow will
not stop when you have to stop working.

Create infoproducts now to generate more revenue
for your business.
If you are not able to physically generate revenue for
your business, your infoproducts will be able to.
Automate the sales process so that you don't
have to worry about the cash flow when you are
not present.

Cash flow may be the lifeblood of a business, but make
sure it doesn't stop flowing when you are not able
to operate your business.

Copyright 2004 Black Unicorn Communications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Black Unicorn Communications helps
Independent Service Professionals
attract more clients in less time.
Visit www.blackunicorninc.com
for a FREE Business Success Toolkit.

---

Do I Need an RSS Feed?

RSS has been around for more than 10 years but... Read More

How Do You Get Past The Gatekeeper?

The best joint ventures are with people in your own... Read More

Nurture Sales Leads with Direct Mail Marketing

Direct mail is a cost-effective way to make sales and... Read More

5 Print Ad Essentials!

Writing an effective print ad, particularly a classified advertisement, requires... Read More

The Magic of Using Booklets for Tradeshow Giveaways

Candy, squeeze balls, pens, and key chains -- these provide... Read More

Comprehensive Marketing Details Not Found in Beginner Books

If this is the first marketing article you are reading,... Read More

Your Ideal Client

A lot of small businesses make the mistake of thinking... Read More

Financial Services Marketing Insights: A Marketing Compass

What we now call "marketing" began long before the name... Read More

Let It Ring

Telemarketing has its place in the marketing arsenal. But telespammers... Read More

If You Can?t Answer This Question Your Business is Doomed!

How do you answer the seemingly easy question, "What do... Read More

What the Heck is a Campaign and Why Do I Need to Do One?

Many people ask me, "What is a postcard campaign, exactly?"... Read More

The Real Path To Big Bucks On The Internet!

"Instead Of Wasting Time Trying To Hit The Lottery Of... Read More

Boost Your Direct Mail Response Rates with Mapping Technology

On Superbowl Sunday, Domino's Pizza delivered more than 900,000 pizzas-and... Read More

Celebrity Product Placement: A Primer

With more and more companies wanting to integrate their products... Read More

Free or Not Free ? That is the Question

You may be in business for yourself or as a... Read More

Bedroom Marketing

Hopefully we are all adults here, so let's talk about... Read More

The Battle of Positioning -- Altruism or Paranoia?

Competition in the past has embodied such beliefs of "kill... Read More

Turbo-Charge Your Viral Marketing- Five Easy Ways

The world of marketing has changed. With increasingly better educated... Read More

The Beginners Mail Order Business Guide

No claim is made that the steps outlined would be... Read More

Marketing Tips - Ten Quick Marketing Actions

It is often difficult to manage to do marketing tasks... Read More

Promote your Business and Products through Submitting Articles to Top Web Sites

Articles submitted to online publishers bring your site new visitors... Read More

What Does Your Business Address Say?

If you are operating a business from your home and... Read More

Business Cards That do the Business

A business card makes a statement about who you are... Read More

Test Marketing--How to Increase Your Direct Mail Marketing Response by Using the Internet to Test

I've discovered a really fantastic way to discover what works... Read More

The 7 Areas of Marketing Waste - Are You Committing These Marketing Sins?

If you want to reduce waste and grow your business... Read More

Attract More Clients by Raising Your Profile

One of the most common issues I'm asked about is... Read More

To All Internet Marketers - How To Get My Business?

More and more people are realizing that the Internet offers... Read More

Telemarketers Dont Like Them? Heres An Idea For Ya!

Telemarketers... ooohhh... I'll bet we've all got a nice story... Read More

Your Marketing Message

Your message is first among your weapons in the battle... Read More

7 Ways a Copywriter Can Help Your Business Succeed

Think you can't afford to hire a copywriter? Think again.... Read More

Networking Magic

YES-- it is true that Networking is an art that... Read More

Motivating Shoppers with Online Coupons (Part 2 of 2)

Last time we discussed how online coupons and promotion codes... Read More

Mortgage Marketing - How to Write a Mortgage Marketing Sales Letter That Gets Results!

Have you ever sat down to write a sales letter... Read More