Do you have a compelling value proposition?

Choosing the best way to enter a market is no simple task. Should the market entry objective be rapid acquisition of significant market share or stay below the radar to secretly build market share? There is no single strategy to fit all companies, products and markets. However the following framework can be used to guide decisions about the right market entry strategy for your venture.

Rather than focussing on writing a business plan, try to develop a story board, using the following headings. The first 3 are also you elevator pitch, the eleven slides is your presentation. Focus on telling the story of the excitement of the business opportunity.

Consumers and businesses are bombarded daily with promotional and advertising noise; they receive hundreds of textual and auditory messages from morning until night, 24/7 and 365 days a year.

Complete the following four statements and use them as the basis for creating your company’s brand name, logo and tag-line.

Take stock of your business achievements, your resources and current market position, before you raise decide on your future direction. Do this (very) regularly.

This spreadsheet will help you to prepare a projected cashflow for your business, in a format suitable for inclusion in your Business Plan.

The biggest problem with entrepreneurs is their complete fixation on their product or service. The best way to determine whether an idea is worthwhile is to ask 3 key questions:

In the early stages of the venture, markets are typically segmented by entrepreneurs on geographic (locations), industry classification (telecommunications) or demographic (particular gender, age cohorts) segmentation bases. These are called ‘identity bases’ for segmentation.

There are four steps in devising and delivering a differentiated, motivating and consistent delivery of your ‘customer brand experience’.

Long-term structural transformation has four characteristics: scale (the change affects all or most of the organization), magnitude (it involves significant alterations of the status quo), duration (it lasts for months, if not years), and strategic importance.

Branding is one of the most difficult challenges the entrepreneur faces in creating and then subsequently realising value in the business venture.

This spreadsheet will help you to estimate your business' likely sales and gross profit, in a format suitable for inclusion in your Business Plan.

To Leave The World a Little Better "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success."

Brand and Exit are two of the most difficult challenges the entrepreneur faces in creating and then subsequently realising value in the business venture.

Al and Laura Ries * make the point that being first to market with a new product or invention doesn’t mean you win. You also have to be first in the market’s ‘mind’ for that product.

Before you decide to expand you need to examine several aspects of the company, such as skills set, your operations, the financial situation, the rationale for the expansion and the exit. Use this below to prompt your thinking:

This spreadsheet will help you to record and analyse petty cash expenses for your business.

Significant amount of market intelligence can be built through inexpensive secondary market research. Free databases/sources can be used to identify competitor companies, branded positioning(s), customer types and needs and market size.

Leadership brand positions are built over time in a very specific progression through four consumer perceptions: differentiation, relevance, esteem and knowledge.