When most people think about entrepreneurship or starting their own business, the first thing that comes to mind is the risk that is associated with being your own boss. Perhaps that is why entrepreneurship is such an exhilarating and sexy term. It takes guts to go out on your own.

Photo By Better Than Bacon

But the funny thing is that most of the successful entrepreneurs I know are very conservative and don’t like taking risks at all. Ironically, my entrepreneur friends are some of most risk averse people I know! I happen to fall into this same camp as well. Sure, I would risk a good amount of money to start my own business but would I ever bet the entire bank or stake my livelihood on a business idea? Hell no!

Managing Risk
One of key aspects of entrepreneurship is knowing how to mitigate risk. …

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How many of you check your Google Analytics stats religiously at least once a day? How many of you check your stats live using Woopra or some other real time stat tracking software? If you run an online store or sell goods online, do you actually go to your website as a customer on a regular basis to look around?

Photo By Gerlos

Informally, I asked a handful of my webmaster friends these exact questions and most of them said “yes” to the first two questions and “no” to the last. In fact, the webmasters I spoke to rarely visit their site at all unless they need to make a change. They rely mostly on analytics data to observe the health of their website.
There’s Just Too Much Data
Have you looked at your analytics data recently? Of course you have. The fact is, there’s just too …

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Embarassing as it was for me to write my last article on how I was a neurotic mess when our business first launched, there were several points that I wanted to emphasize…

There is always a struggle and a period of uncertainty with every business until you make it over the hump. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of it. If you hear a story that sounds too easy, chances are that it’s a sales pitch.
Some amount of neurosis or craziness is required with every business because it’s an indication that you have the necessary passion. The key is to channel that energy to the right place.
Sometimes you have to do whatever is necessary to get the job done even if it means sucking up your pride.
Someone needs to take one for the team. If my embarassing stories make you feel better about your own …

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The store that I’m reviewing today is 2sand.com, a sanding supply store that is run by someone who I will refer to as RJ in this article.

RJ did not have any specific questions or problems in regards to his online store. He basically asked for an overall site review with an emphasis on how to improve traffic.
First Impressions
Overall, RJ’s site looks good. On the front page, he states his value proposition very clearly and gives a brief bio about who he is and why he runs his store. As soon as I enter his website, I immediately know what RJ’s store specializes in and why I should buy from him.

The store design also looks professional and there are various security badges displayed around the site that makes RJ’s site look legit. In addition, he offers a live chat service as well. Overall, I don’t …

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Whenever you read about an entrepreneur who has a made a large sum of money in a short period of time, there is always this misconception that their path to success was quick and smooth.

Photo By Derek Miller

Take John Chow for example. If you read his blog and his tips, it seems as though he can make tens of thousands of dollars per day by barely lifting a finger. What you never hear about though is the pain and hardship he went through to get to this point.

The fact is that once your online business is up and running, life does get easier and we tend to forget about the early stage pain. Looking back at our online wedding linens business, there were several times when I was a neurotic mess and I did a lot of stupid things. (Notice the use of the word “I”. …

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I received a question from a reader the other day in regards to whether product liability insurance is necessary for a business even if one is protected by limited liability via an LLC or corporation. Specifically, he wanted to know whether it was worth paying for insurance for a pass through entity like an LLC or S Corp which carries no profits within the business. Whenever someone asks me this question, I always say yes no matter the nature of the business but it largely depends on your risk tolerance.

Photo By IXQUICK

Especially if you are running a business in the United States, the chances of getting sued are higher than you think and it really doesn’t take much for someone to take you to court.

There’s also a common misconception when it comes to limited liability with an LLC or corporation that most people may not be aware of. …

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Whenever I think of duct tape, I think of my favorite television superhero MacGyver. What?!? There’s a ticking time bomb set to explode in 10 seconds? Take that stick of chewing gum, some duct tape and disarm that bad boy. It wasn’t always pretty, but MacGyver always got the job done no matter what the situation. He was never concerned with how elegant the solution was, he just did what was necessary to help his client.

If Macgyver was a real person, who wouldn’t want him on your team? The truth is that every small business needs a duct tape guy. Because the duct tape guy is the guy who will make sure you launch your business on time. He’s the one thinking about and developing concrete ways to market your business. He’s the one getting things done while others …

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The store that I’m reviewing today is Scarfu.com, an indie clothing store that is run by someone who I will refer to as P in this article. P initially contacted me through email with the following dilemma.
I just wanted to let you know that your blog has been a tremendous resource for me. I just began my online business selling indie womens clothing at www.scarfu.com. The site has only been live for about 2 months but a few more months have gone into the preparation before we launched.

Much like your online store, my store is run by my boyfriend and I and we both hold full time jobs while working on the website at night. It’s been very time consuming and frustrating, especially when sales are very slow at the moment.

I want to thank you for your blog because I find a lot of useful and relevant information and …

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