Small Business Ideas for 2013

Have you ever thought of starting your own business? Maybe you have but you weren't sure what to do or what service to provide. After the country's economic recessions which resulted in job loss and never ending unemployment rates, many have looked to other employment and career options. This includes business start ups and online entrepreneurships. So if you fall into any of these categories, here are some great small business ideas and trends for 2013.

1) Design a mobile app. Mobile apps are still where it's at. However, the market has become flooded with them. There is an app for just about everything imaginable, even down to the most ridiculous. The advice here? If you've got a good idea for an app, run with it. But take the time and do research and invest in proper programming and development.

If you are unsure of where to start your market research, consider using social media. You can post general updates or questions on Facebook or Twitter and get feedback from fans. You can even create a Facebook fan page devoted entirely to your app. This will help give you some idea to your app's potential popularity, reviews, and revenue.

2) Tech start ups. Although this seems like another area that has flooded the market, companies based in both the U.S. and overseas are still looking to outsource IT departments and and even looking for consultants to help them with their technical needs...especially with the constantly changing technology.

Also, a recent article published on the New York Times states that tech start ups are worth billions and are most definitely in high demand for 2013. Of course this requires a background and education in a technical or related field, but if you've got a technical background, make it happen. You can't afford not to.

3) Personal training. Who doesn't want to get in shape today? Personal training is another area in high demand. Although it may seem like most people can't afford to feed themselves let alone hire a personal trainer, there are many out there desperate to get in shape and are seeking out reputable and affordable personal trainers. Personal training does require some knowledge and background. There are several certifications and trainings required, including CPR, but it is not as vast as what is required to establish technical training, knowledge, and expertise.

All in all, personal training is said to be one of the least stressful jobs out there. Not to mention you can make and set your own schedule, you have the choice to work at a gym or visit clients in their homes, and you would be working in a field that helps and makes others feel good about themselves. What is better than that?

Advice for your new start up.

Becoming an entrepreneur and investing your time and money in a start up is definitely something to give careful consideration to. It takes time, money, research, and even a little business savvy up front. However, regardless of what kind of start up you choose or in what industry, here are some areas of additional advice to consider:

1) Consulting. If you've got to jump into business with limited or no capital, consider becoming a consultant. This can be accomplished in just about any field, whether you are a lawyer, teacher, a project manager, human resources, or a health care physician of any kind, you can most certainly use your skills, knowledge, experience, and expertise and work independently.

The only out-of-pocket expenses you may incur is for any necessary certifications, insurance (such as a professional liability insurance), and/or having business cards printed up. However, if you choose to really function as a business, set up and register a DBA, and you will be able to claim any out-of-pocket expenses when you file your yearly income taxes.

2) Use social media and start a blog. In order to promote your business or your start up idea, consider creating a Facebook fan page or other social media site or medium to share what you are doing. You can also write and start a blog and post articles, share information, or write press releases on what's going on in your business or even in your industry.

If you aren't a writer, you can always hire a freelancer or ghost writer to write and post content for you. You can write and post content as often as you want, but be sure it is on a regular basis. At least once or several times per week. This will keep visitors returning to your site, which will increase your site's overall traffic as well as your Google rank. Taking advantage of social media will also increase your audience, your fans and "likes", and even your client base.


3) Take Copyright seriously. Yes, I saved one of the most important bits for last. Copyright is no joke. Regardless of whether you are creating or designing an app, putting together a website, using a logo or any photo, or even writing your own blog, please, please, please consider Copyright laws. Most think when they are posting a blog post, or using a photo or logo on their social media sites, or even "sharing" photos on Facebook or Pinterest that it's okay. It's not. Just because it's online doesn't mean it's free. In fact, there are many laws out there that now protect businesses, particularly online businesses from plagiarism, or "borrowing" material.

My advice? Use your own photos, write your own material, research logos before you use them, and register your own published work through the official Copyright office. Protect yourself, protect your business, and respect others' works.

The moral to this story? If you've ever thought about creating your own start up, what are you waiting for? There are many new start ups and small businesses on the market more than ever before. Regardless of what product or service you offer, you are bound to offer something unique that others will find valuable. Make 2013 count for your business.



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Three Things You Should Know Before Publishing a Book

Publishing a book. Whether you sign with a professional publishing agent, or publish a book by doing business with an individual self-publisher, or maybe you even format your own eBook and sell it on Amazon. Regardless of which publication method you choose, how do you know if you are really ready for publishing a book or eBook?

If you are reading this thinking, "what's to be ready for?" Hang up the phone, do your research, and come back when you REALLY know what you are in for. Publishing a book or any finished product does not take a few weeks; it doesn't even take a few months. Writing a manuscript, having it edited, rewriting, re-editing, re-structuring, and rewriting again can take years. Seriously, years; especially if it's your first book. The same goes for novels.

What do I know? Well, I've only been in the publishing industry for about five years. In those five years, I've also started my own media, translation, and editorial services business. While working in publishing, I've edited, managed, and developed a number of K-12 products as well as higher ed custom products. Although I don't have a TON of experience compared to some, I have enough experience to know that you can't put together a first draft manuscript and expect it to become on the Bestseller's list in a few months. It just doesn't work that way.

If you are looking to find an agent and sign with a large and well-known publisher, be ready for the long haul and what could be months and months of rejections. This isn't to say that your manuscript isn't worth it or doesn't have quality content, it's just that the publishing industry is very competitive. Think of it like the music industry. It takes a lot for musicians and artists to sign with record labels. It works the same way. You have to keep writing letters and sending copies of your manuscript to agents and publishers the same way musicians have to send copies of the demos, until it falls in the right hands.

So where do you start?

1.) First and foremost, draft a manuscript. It doesn't matter what type of book you are interested in publishing, you aren't going anywhere without at least a draft. You've got to have a starting point.

2.) Find a quality editor. Hire an editor or some time of consultant that will help you through writing your first book. He or she will know the ins and outs of the publishing industry, or should, and can guide you in the areas needed. There are plenty of editors that work on a consulting or independent/freelance basis that would love to and are willing to help out.

3.) Copyright = no joke. It amazes me how people think they can "borrow" images or content and not bother to credit sources. Seriously. Copyright is a huge deal today, especially with electronic content. Just because you can find something online, doesn't make it free. I've already lectured on copyright before, so I won't do it again. I just advise that if you are writing a book, or even something as innocent as a blog, write your own content, use your own images, and source where necessary. Don't call anything your own if it's not your own.

4.) Do your research. You might think you have a great story, and maybe you do. But how do you really know for sure? Do your market research. Start a blog or forum or even post something on your Facebook or Twitter pages about your idea for a book. See what kind of response you get or what your followers say. This is a great way to see what your book's earning potential is as well as what your target audience is. You can even format your current manuscript into a real eBook and sell it on Amazon. You may need to hire a freelance who can format your eBook so that it can be downloaded to a Kindle or iPad. If it sells well, you can present that to a publisher or agent. It will also be impressive to them that you've done a form or your own marketing as well as market research.

Those are the top three informational items one who should know prior to publishing a book. Here are three key mind frames one should focus on:

1.) Be open-minded. It's understandable that after putting a lot of time, effort, and maybe even money into your manuscript that it becomes your baby. However, if you want to see your book beautifully bound and on a bookshelf in a bookstore some day, be open-minded to an agent's or editor's suggestions. Some authors and writers are dead set on a particular story or characters, and it's a great attitude to be so attached to the characters or story you have created, however, an editor will know what areas to improve and what approach is best.

2.) Be patient. It's great to have goals and a timeline set in mind. After all, publishing is all about deadlines. However, if it is your goal to have your book written, edited, and published within a year, it may be realistic to have a back up time frame in mind. Like any great work, it takes time and effort, and sometimes even more time and effort to get it just write. A literary work is no different. Sometimes things need tweaking, or last minute adjustments need to be made in production schedules; it is all possible. Again, while it's great to have goals, be prepared to be delayed or encounter challenges or set backs.

3.) Be positive. While there's been a lot of information that I've thrown out in this blog, and many of it may seem negative, that's not the idea. It's just factual and real information. The publishing industry is no picnic. It's rigorous and it's competitive. Just be prepared. All in all, it's possible that you will receive rejections, setbacks, or even challenges along the way. Don't get discouraged. Any feedback that you receive shouldn't be taken personally. Think of it as areas where you can improve. Areas where you can improve your writing as well as where you can improve creatively and professionally. Writing your first book is definitely a learning experience.

All in all, you've got your word cut out for you. Publishing a book is a lot of work. Consider these points of advice mentioned above prior to seeking out an agent or even a self-publisher. Signing with a publisher or even working with a self-publisher has its pros and cons. Obviously working with a real, well-known publisher will have more of a long term impact on you as a writer, however, writers often lose money due to royalty contracts. Self-publishers are usually quicker as well as more cost effective. It all depends on what works best for you.

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Publishing and Copyright: No Joke

The publishing industry can't keep up with today's technological advances, which unfortunately is leading down the path of lost sales and revenue. With today's technology and the World Wide Web, it is extremely easy to find, download, and "share" content without having to pay for it or requesting permissions to duplicate it. But is this right? No. In fact it's downright illegal.

A recent article posted this morning indicated that the International Publishers Association (IPA) is fighting to close some selected file sharing sites due to copyright infringement concerns. One particular site (which will remain nameless in this blog) made over 400,000 eBooks available for free. Just because books are now made in electronic or "e" form, does not mean they are "free" to download, use, share, or what have you. Besides, eBooks are extremely cheap. In fact, there is controversy on what eBooks are being sold for on Amazon, versus what publishers should be selling them for. The price of eBooks do not reflect the work that is put into them. The editorial, production, and manufacturing costs...but that's another story.

Now, some of you may be reading and think, "It's online...who cares?" Well, you couldn't be more wrong. The common misconception is that "if I get it offline, it's free". Believe it or not, the Internet isn't a huge free for all of information, even though we absolutely perceive it that way. This is partly one reason why the government wants to censor the Internet with the new Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). While many users and companies are against it, you really can't blame them. Piracy is the same as stealing.

Most of you know that I am a full time editor and project manager for Pearson, (which for those of you who haven't heard of Pearson or aren't familiar with publishing at all, Pearson is the largest publisher in the world.) I work in Pearson's higher ed custom division. Basically my job is to work with universities and colleges to create custom textbooks that are tailored specifically to students in a particular course. Many times, I will get an order that involves printing something the adopter, or professor, wrote, or claims he or she wrote. In my professional experience, you'd be surprised how many times I've had to explain to one of our adopters that they cannot use a particular image or material that they claim is theirs. "But I got it off the Internet..." so? That doesn't mean you own it.

In another example, I'd also like to refer to my Baby Boomer parents, who are still very technologically behind. I had been working full time in publishing for four years at this point and was about to start my business, and I recall one evening after work my father was working on a training PowerPoint presentation for his staff while my mother was cooking dinner. He was getting frustrated with trying to find an image to use in his presentation through Microsoft Clip Art. Then my mother pipes up, "just find one off the Internet". That's precisely when I stepped in with my two cents. I then jumped in the room and said "no, you CAN'T do that!" Both of them looked up at me in surprise as if to say, "what's the big deal?" I explained that that was copyright infringement and that Dad was about to grab an image off the Internet that not only did he not own, but he was about to use that in a presentation that had his company name on it. Not to mention presenting it in front of how many people. Nowadays with "sharing" files and uploading and downloading, my innocent father's training presentation could easily end up in the wrong hands...which could result in a lawsuit, and the possibility of my father losing his job.

Far-fetched? Not quite. Intellectual property is nothing to screw around with, no matter how easily it may seem to grab content offline. Why do you think these lawyers that specialize in intellectual property make big bucks? Have you heard the story of the Kinkos lawsuit? You can read the article, but basically back in the early 90s, Kinkos used to have small locations on university and college campuses, kind of like how Barnes and Nobles manages various campus bookstores. While it was very convenient for students to make copies of assignments, compositions, etc., Kinkos also offered "course packs", which basically included illegal printed copies of copyrighted material that the students could purchase, for profit. However, once word got out, Kinkos was sued by various publishers, claiming that they were distributing and selling various publishers' and rights holders' copyrighted material. Kinkos came back and claimed that it was for educational purposes. The copyright laws back then were a little leaner, however, Kinkos was still sued, and it was at that point that copyright laws became clearly defined and the punishments became more severe.

So the next time you think, "oh, I'll just grab a picture offline for my website or blog," or something to that effect...think again. Think of what you are using the content, material, or image for, and then think of whether or not it is a good idea. You can absolutely use images, however it is best to grab them from stock image sites. There are some on sites that are available for purchase, but there are also free images that you can download and use at your leisure, however, while this is more morally sound, it is still a good idea to credit the designer where possible. Or to avoid the whole deal, take pictures or videos yourself and upload them. The only thing you should be careful for, is protecting YOUR work. You can always add a disclaimer in your description claiming that you took the photo or video or wrote your own work and that you do not permit the sharing or duplicating of content. Now while you don't have a lawyer on your side with documentation protecting your work, someone would have to be pretty stupid to ignore that and use it anyway.

The moral to this story? Just because it is available online, doesn't mean it's FREE, in every sense of the word. It doesn't mean that it's public domain, free of usage, free of an author, or free of cost. More and more sites will be shut down in the future due to this issue, however, you can do what you can and what you know is morally correct or incorrect.

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