Do Business Opportunities Still Exist For Budding Entrepreneurs?

The world of business is moving forwards at a fast pace. Globalization, huge marketing exposure and low distribution costs over the recent years have had a huge impact on small businesses. I have been told that opportunities for the adventurous and ambitious were in abundance only ten years ago but the 'markets have changed' and margins are tighter making new ventures all the more risky.

Globalization, smarter IT systems and the intelligent analysis of information and the money to put this infrastructure in place gives the bigger player a distinct advantage with bespoke and selective marketing targeted to an ever demanding audience.

Do the factors of opportunity remain constant in an ever shifting and almost slippery road for business people looking to capitalize on the next big hit?

I have had many discussions with business people and new entrepreneurs who state that the markets have become so fast and furious that only those with deep pockets can penetrate new areas that were once only an idea.

Others say that where one door closes, many new doors open and that all you have to do is have foresight. The market always has a knack of balancing the scales and where some exceed and drive out other players, they often leave a huge gap behind them in their wake only for to be capitalized on.

In today's age where fast food, massive shopping centers, online shopping and consumers demanding more and more for the market, is there any room left for that personal and local touch? Does price and speed always dictate where you buy?

Bespoke and personalized marketing are the buzz words of today. Electronic profiles of your buying habits are allowing selective marketing that claim to zone in on your interests.

Have you noticed vouchers you receive through the post from your supermarket? These vouchers are personally tailored to reflect your personal interests through analyzing what you have previously purchased through your debit or credit card. You can only hide if you buy with cash. They say that cash is king but if you want to hide your buying profile, do not use plastic!

How do new businesses compete in this fast moving market? What have the giants left in their wake? If you are thinking laterally, what new business opportunities exists and where?

The new breed of entrepreneur has to be one step ahead and the only advantage they have is that they can respond to demands quicker than the lumbering giants. An example is that extra personal touch. With small businesses you may be able to talk directly to the owner whereas with the big players you may end up talking to someone in a foreign country. Does that count? Do customers appreciate this?

Is there a gap in the market for personalized solutions that only the small businesses can cater for? Could this create a new wave and movement? Going back to basics and rewinding the commercial clock may be called for but you better be quick, the big guys are just behind you!

Continually Trying But Still Falling Short Of Your Business Goals?

Are you continually trying in the hope of earning the level of income you want from your Internet business activities? Is discouragement starting to creep into your thinking? Most people keep on trying in the hope of one day succeeding. However, you won’t succeed unless you address these two key factors.

The first factor is "keep on trying". Some people do the same thing over and over again and never learn from the experience. It’s like continually running into a brick wall in the hope of eventually breaking through. Alternatively, they constantly join new affiliate programs or network marketing companies in the belief that this is the magic one to bring them riches. However, they never devote enough effort or attention to any one program to succeed in it.

The second factor is "hope". For some people, they almost have a blind faith that they will succeed. Yet, they don’t understand what is involved in being successful. It’s almost as if they expect that one day circumstances will change and orders will flow in great abundance along with the profits.

For me, the key to "trying until I succeed" is based on testing and tracking. It is like a circular process whereby an idea is implemented, the results are tracked and then evaluated, the idea is refined or modified based on what has been learnt, and the process starts all over again.

If you aren’t earning what you want from your business, you have nothing to lose by applying this concept. First, look at what you are doing to promote your business. Are you using the same advertising you have always used? Do you know if it is working? Test a new headline and track the results. Test a new offer and see what happens to your sales.

Only test one thing at a time so that you know what is causing any changes in your results. Once you have a good performing ad, use it as your benchmark against which all future tests are measured.

The same concept can be applied to all your processes and procedures within your business. Make some changes and test whether they enable you to perform more efficiently and have more time to do the really important activities that generate revenue.

Now let’s look at the second factor, "hope". I once read that genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. The same can be said of success. The 1 percent is in setting the goal and the 99 percent is working hard to achieve it. Success doesn’t just happen, it is created by sustained effort and continual learning.

Hope certainly helps to sustain the effort required to succeed, but hope without effort is wasted. Success is based on many small wins that eventually lead to the big win. This understanding of what success really is helps the achievers do what needs to be done.

It is applied to business through goal setting and planning. You set your goal and then determine what you need to do to achieve it. Most successful businesses utilize budgets and business plans as a formalized process of mapping out what is required to achieve the targets they have set.

They then measure their results against these plans so that they know how well they are doing. This enables them to fine tune their plans to take into account new things they have learnt about their market-place and business. It also enables them to take corrective action before it is too late.

To have the success you want in your business, plan how you are going to achieve it. Test the ideas you have and track the results. Use the knowledge gained to improve all aspects of your business. Be opening to learning opportunities so that you can adapt and modify your approach as circumstances change.

American Teens Still Mean Business

For the fourth consecutive year, "Businessperson" has been cited as the most popular career choice for American teens.

That's one of the key findings of an annual survey of teenagers on topics such as career expectations and their opinions about the world of business. The study, the 2006 Junior Achievement Worldwide Interprise Poll on Kids and Careers, also revealed that for the first time in the seven-year history of the survey, salary expectations for young women are on a par with those of young men.

Since first being measured in the 2003 poll, male salary expectations for most jobs have tended to exceed earnings anticipated by female teens. However, in this year's version, the highest earnings expectations for frequently cited careers, such as business, law, entertainment or medicine, are split fairly evenly between genders.

Over the past four years, the top- 10 career selections have remained fairly constant. "Businessperson" has been the most popular career choice overall for the last four years the poll has been conducted; this year it was selected by 8.7 percent.

"Teacher" was the second-highest selection, chosen by 7 percent, moving past "Doctor," a consistent first or second choice in previous years, which came in third with 6.2 percent, tied with "computer field."

Another difference in this year's responses is that female teens appear to be drawn to careers that require more education, and this year they are more confident than males that they can obtain their ideal careers.

The survey showed that just over three-quarters of young women polled-78.2 percent- said they were "definitely" or "pretty sure" they would obtain their ideal job, compared to just over 65 percent of male teens.

Job shadowing is one way teens form their career expectations. Once again this year, JA Worldwide is sponsoring its yearlong Job Shadow initiative, where students venture into the workplace for a day, hosted by adult mentors who teach them about the "world of work."

JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and entrepreneurship. Today, it reaches approximately four million students in the United States, plus more than three million students worldwide.